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Chapter Text

It was abnormal for Bayonetta to have morning sickness. If she ever were to be sick it would mainly be a slight cough or cold, Not being so ill she had to spew hunched over their shared bathroom toilet. As if she would allow herself to be ill to this extent. Jeanne became seriously concerned when this continued for about 3 weeks. This started only a couple of weeks after an annual party of theirs; they occasionally 'experiment' with a different partner for the night. Both of them found it a fun hobby to experience various sexual partners. Each woman was overly confident in their relationship for any jealousy to erupt when their partner was seeking a quick sexual outlet with another individual. When they found someone interesting they'd both discuss if the other was fine with spending the night (or the hour) with the person of interest; Guess you could label them as having an 'open relationship'. During one of their parties, Bayonetta did spend some time -within her words- a rather riveting gentleman. They spent an hour or so in the bedroom before Bayonetta returned with a satisfied grin to Jeanne. Ever since then, she has fallen ill and has had some odd behaviour. This has led to Jeanne generating a bothersome reason.

"Cereza, do you think this sickness is something more?" Jeanne couches beside her girlfriend, a glass of water in her left hand while her right tenderly rubs circles on Bayonetta's back. The Umbran witch had awakened at 2 in the morning to race straight into the bathroom. This resulted in Jeanne waking up to the sound of vomiting that bounced off the bathroom tiles. On impulse, she got out of bed to retrieve a glass of water for her partner. Bayonetta initially groans before lifting her head away from the toilet seat and reaching for the glass.

"Possibly..." Bayonetta lets out a heated sigh. She takes a quick sip of water, thanking Jeanne in the process. "I've had some sudden mood swings as well. Do you think I...?" Bayonetta stops herself as the thought grows. Morning sickness, odd food cravings, sudden mood swings: These are blatant symptoms of pregnancy. Could she seriously be a mother? It's not that she didn't want to be a mother but it's not something she desires either. Would she be a good mother anyway?

Jeanne lets out a breath of solace, hoping a store close by would be open. She stands up along with Bayonetta, holding her hands as support. "I'll be back in a moment." Jeanne leaves the bathroom, giving her girlfriend a moment to think and prepare for her next step. It didn't take long for Jeanne to return with a vital item. Bayonetta had already drunk the water, underwear dropped around her ankles while she sat on the toilet patiently waiting for Jeanne. She hands the sea blue box to Bayonetta, giving her a weak smile before shutting the bathroom door and heading back to their bed. Letting her thoughts take over as the minutes pass by.

...

There was an eerie silence in the air, Jeanne couldn't take a minute longer remaining in this awful state of agitation. Curling her fingers tighter around the bed covers, Jeanne's eyes stay glued to the closed bathroom door. Not so patiently waiting for her partner to come out and confirm whether their suspicions are true. In all honesty, both outcomes don't have much of an impact on Jeanne; she's mainly concerned about how her girlfriend feels about this situation. No matter what next step Cereza chooses Jeanne will 100% support her. They've been through so much, that there is no way an affair such as this will tear them apart. However, the thought of raising a child with Cereza was intriguing. The idea of raising the child, tutoring them to be a strong Umbran witch like themselves; the thought was somewhat appealing to the platinum knight.

The drawn creek of a door opening blinks Jeanne out of her pondering state. As the bathroom light pushes through the now-open bathroom doorway, Bayonetta emerges with her right hand behind her back. Jeanne stayed silent, leaving the silence to be broken by her partner. With an amused grin, she pulls her right hand out to reveal the stick's answer,

"Looks like I'm going to be a mummy."

It slightly amused the Umbra witches to see their friend's reactions to the big news; Enzo nearly spat out most of his drink upon hearing the supposed news from Bayonetta, Luka's eyes widen as his hand stops from further raising the glass of gin and tonic to his mouth and Rodin... well he's as expressive as he usually is. Through his sunglasses, he gave a careful stare to the witches before assembling an order of essentials and handing it over to the witches. He even suggests hitting up Enzo's wife for extra advice only for Enzo to respond with a shrug and an unsure answer about how his wife will react. Nevertheless, Enzo's wife was keen to offer books focused on pregnancy and any advice she had from her experiences. Luka -after engulfing his shock with delight- congrats the two and words of affirmation on how great parents they'll be. Despite their jobs being to murder angels and occasionally demons.

The first few weeks were rather... challenging. Ranging from morning sickness, sudden food cravings and emotions going from anger to sadness the next. The two witches, with support from their allies, were able to get through the various hurdles during Cereza's pregnancy. Cereza knew after these irritating hurdles that she wasn't planning to get pregnant again. When Bayonetta began to show she decided to take a long break from hunting angels and her profession as a nun. To be frank, this was one of the aspects of pregnancy Bayonetta hated. She has been slaying angels for as long as she can remember; to now take around an 8-month break is somewhat of a drawback. She wasn't used to staying at home for the majority of the day, busying herself with house chores or exercising in the garden with the beaming sun beating down on her. She's thankful that Jeanne or, hell, even Luka visiting during the day gave her some solace in the tedious routine. 25 weeks into the pregnancy, Bayonetta and Jeanne began brainstorming names for the child. They started with choosing a name if the child was going to be a girl; it took around 10 minutes until the witches agreed on the name Viola. Next was deciding on a name for a baby boy.

"What do you think of Laurent?" Jeanne inquires, her eyes scanning through the numerous baby names written on the paper. One of the books Enzo's wife had gifted to the two ladies contained suggestions of baby names, along with the names' origin and meanings. It surprised them that the book contained some 'outdated' names. As they read through the book they'd write down the names they have regard for on a piece of A4 paper.

Bayonetta puckers her lips thinking of the name before replying, "Not feeling it." She looks further down the list of names before her index finger points to one. "How about Karuo?"

Jeanne mainly shrugs, expressing her non-combatant opinion on the name. Both continue to scour the paper for a name that would catch their eye. Even though some names were exotic and sophisticated, they didn't jump out for the two witches. They preferred a name which would sound harmonious alongside their names.

It wasn't until Jeanne eyes a certain name, also its meaning. "Does Akira sound fitting to you Cereza?" In response, Bayonetta looks up from the paper. That name definitely caught her full attention. Leaning over the table to be closer to Jeanne's side, her eyes read the name's meaning,

' some variation of bright sunlight, intelligence or wisdom. This name can be written in different ways in kanji yet one of the most popular ways in Japanese is 明, a combination of 日, meaning sun and 月, meaning moon. The combination can be interpreted as ‘the light coming from the sun,’ ‘sunlight and moonlight’, ‘bright,’ ‘intelligent,’ or ‘truth.’

That is kind of ironic considering the two witches are purely followers of Darkness.

A subtle smile creeps onto Bayonetta's lips, "Actually, that name is rather charming." She takes a small pause to take a sip of her glass of water. Although Cereza would have preferred a cup of her favourite tea, she is only able to consume less than 200mg. She needed to cut back due to her pregnancy.

"I agree," Jeanne flips stands of hair that laid upon her shoulder to be behind her back. "We're sticking with Akira then."

"Rodin will sort out the surname for the birth certificate."

March 10, 4:25 AM

Bayonetta had just given birth to her baby boy around an hour ago. The doctors and nurses took him to examine his health and weight, Bayonetta was taken to a private room to relax after that intense experience in the meantime. Jeanne was absent to assemble some food and a beverage for the both of them; leaving her wife in the small room in peace. The curtains were slightly sheltering the window, allowing a break of day to pass into the room. Although she was comfy in the hospital bed, with two pillows to rest her head/back on and a soft pale duvet, Bayonetta couldn't sleep. She wanted him back in her arms again. To cuddle him and see those beautiful innocent grey eyes stare up in utter curiosity. That feeling of motherhood hit her like a tsunami upon cradling her son. A new sense of joy has been embedded in Bayonetta and Jeanne. Like always, Jeanne was by Cereza's side throughout it all and was able to witness their son's first moments in life. She could already perceive the power their child wields; he will surely become as strong as the two witches.

Two gentle knocks cut in on Bayonetta's thoughts, she looks up from her lap to see her wife enter the room gingerly. Clutched in both arms were some sealed sandwiches of ham and cheese, some sealed salads in plastic bowls and two bottles of water. Once her eyes meet Cereza's, she grins and walks toward the bedside. "Everything alright, Cereza?" Jeanne sets all of the contents in her arms on the nightside table before settling down on the leather blue cushion of the chair next to the bed. Bayonetta reaches for one of the bottles, taking the cap off before having a small amount of water.

She smacks her lips together as she gulps down the liquid, "Of course, I just can't wait to go home." In response, Jeanne nods understanding Bayonetta. She craves to relax in their cosy bed, watch some late TV and have a nice cup of tea. Along with their child gleefully asleep in the cot nearby. She joins Cereza in having some water, taking a bottle as well to drink some water. All they had to do now was wait for their son to be returned. In an attempt to pass time, Jeanne starts a new conversation,

"The boy has your eyes." The comment makes Cereza stop herself from biting into a sandwich she had just pulled out from its wrapping.

In the corner of Bayonetta's lip curves upwards, "He does. Do you think he'll have your hair?" That lightens the mood in the doleful-looking room.

"Hopefully he'll have my fashion sense."

Cereza raises an eyebrow at her wife's subtle playful response, "Are you implying that you have better fashion sense than me? When it comes to fashion, I'm sure that I am superior."

Jeanne crosses her arms across her chest about to react with a witty comeback, only for another sudden party to enter the room. Gently pushing the door with her back, she looks over her shoulder to see the two women in the room.

The nurse smiles as she enters the room, a bundle of joy safely wrapped in her arms. "Hello, sorry if I'm interrupting anything important." She turns allowing the door to shut behind her. The witches were now able to view the nurse's front, the infant in her hold was now fully visible. Bayonetta's face brightens at the sight of her son, sound asleep with a fluffy blue blanket wrapped around his tiny body. "Your son is very healthy. He has a good heart rate, moderate body temperature and doesn't seem to need any additional support." She beams at the witches, stepping to the opposite side of the bed. Bayonetta reaches her arms out, the nurse is quick to gently place the infant in his mummy's arms. His head rested on top of the crook of Bayonetta's right arm, he cuddled closer to her in his sleep. Jeanne shuffles her chair two so she is much closer to Cereza's side. Her left hand reaches over to gently caress her son's forehead, using her index and middle finger. Their nurse continues to explain they should prepare the appropriate clothing for the infant to wear and whether they prefer to spend a couple of hours in the hospital or they can go home in 2 hours. Jeanne's eyes focused on the nurse, nodding occasionally to express her understanding, as her two fingers gently moved up and down to massage her son's skin. Bayonetta was too fixated on her child to even look towards the nurse. She was too fixated on her beautiful child.

Her dear sweet child, Akira Kurusu.

Chapter Text

April 15 2000

The raven-haired child sat in front of his varied toys, in each hand were his two favourite action figures. In his left hand was a male character from a familiar kids' show while his opposite hand grasped hold of a female superhero. The female figurine had white hair similar to his mother's while the male figurine wore glasses just like his mummy. They're probably his favourites since they have minor yet recognisable qualities for Akira. He didn't seem to be playing a coherent scenario with the dolls, he just flung them around in the air. He was babbling from time to time as if he was forming organised sentences. The TV was on low volume so his mummy was able to hear him in the kitchen. Fortunately, she had the day off from slaying angels and her job as a nun. Cereza was thankful to have the full day with her child; if only Jeanne could have some time off as well today. All three could've spent the day shopping together or spending the day in the park. Then again there is the possibility of angels disrupting their outing which would put Akira in danger.

A dejected sigh slips the witch's lips at the thought. It was rare for the witches to have a full day free without any sudden interruptions. Bayonetta pushes away the sad fact and struts back into the living room. Akira swiftly reacted once he heard the clacking of her heels, dropping his figures before standing up (holding onto the couch for support) to greet her. Akira manages to take 5 steps before beginning to wobble on his feet; Bayonetta kneels to capture her son's hand in hers to stop him from falling on his bottom. He beams up at his mummy giggling for Bayonetta to smile in return.

"Are you hungry Akira?" In response, the 15-month-old child is able to mutter out a faction of 'mama's' and 'fo's' to her. He pulls his right hand from his mummy's to reach toward her Umbran watch. It wasn't surprising for the witch since it was his frequent habit to explore various accessories the witches wore. Most notable was their Umbran watches. She slinks an arm under the bend of his knees and keeps a hand on his back for support, picking him up to take him into the kitchen. All the while Akira's fingers trail across the watch's golden patterns, seeming to be mesmerized by the object. To the witches, it was a good thing for him to be interested in the item, since they were planning to gift Akria his very own watch on his 5th birthday. His 5th birthday will be the beginning of his Umbran witch training... well they'd start with the simple aspects of Umbran witches before leading to the combat training.

Upon settling Akira in his seat, supplying him with some food and water, the front door is slammed open. Bayonetta immediately knew the reason for such a loud entrance into her home. She pats the young child on the head, "Looks like your mother is home early." She walks out to the kitchen, meeting her partner slumped over their couch, splatters of blood on her teacher uniform. While this doesn't scare Cereza -she knew it wasn't Jeanne's blood as a single angel feather sticks alongside the blood- it concerned her how frustrated Jeanne is.

"I encountered those bastards on my way home. They've ruined my outfit." Jeanne complains, placing the tips of her index and second finger against her forehead.

Bayonetta sighs, "What a shame. On the bright side, you get to wear that blazer Cheshire had gotten you." In response Jeanne shoots an unamused pout to her wife, of course, she'd throw a minor tease back in her face. The blazer was one of many gifts offered by Luka during a baby shower, his reason being that it was fashionable and warm to wear.  That Jeanne could wear it when holding Akira. In other words, Luka wasn't sure what exactly to gift for Jeanne and went with something work-related. Cereza nudges her head to the kitchen, "Come along, let's wash away the filth." For a brief moment, Jeanne stays on the couch before following her wife into the kitchen. Still eating his carrot cake muffin, Akira babbles in delight at seeing his mother enter the room. Jeanne kisses his forehead with a swift hello and walks past him. Coincidentally one of the feathers wanes off her clothing, landing in front of her son. He tilts his head in wonder and slight confusion.

Hasn't he seen this before?

March 10 2007

"Happy birthday Akira!!"

He has not even spent 5 seconds in his house before being bombarded with happy birthdays from his family and friends. Well... family and friends and a let's say, a plump man who works with his parents. It wasn't that Akira disliked the man, when they talked they had some decent conversations. It might be that these 'decent' conversations only lasted under 5 minutes and were focused on work/school. Either way, Akira and Enzo didn't have as strong a relationship as he did with Uncle Rodin and Uncle Chesh-Luka. All of them surrounded the kitchen table, various meals were deliberately placed on the table in terms of the food's origin. Akira's parents have recently been cooking food from distant countries (Japan, Berlin, Paris etc). He recalls the early days of this shared hobby of theirs; taste-testing the meals they made was certainly worth the tummy aches.

Akira grins in delight upon the savoury scent of crepes, "Wow!" He runs over to the table, beaming down at the delectable food. There was a strong smell of sugar, vanilla and jam passing through his nostrils. On his left side, he hears Uncle Luka laugh at the 7-year-old's excitement. He grabs a piece of a Black Forest cake, using a fork to pierce the piece to go straight into his mouth. 

"C'mon kid, you gotta try this stuff-" Luka indicates to the cake he just took a slice out of, "-It's amazing, considering who made it." Although he quickly whispered the last part, Akira was able to hear him. Jeanne lowers a plate of chicken parmesan by the open seat (set between his mummy's seat at the top and mother's on the right side of the table). Before Akira went to the open seat he put a slice of the cake on a spare plate from the kitchen counter. He sits across from Uncle Rodin who in all honestly still intimidates the young boy. From those pitch-black shades hiding his eyes, those mysterious tattoos inked onto his head and the dark clothing he wore.  Although Akira really likes his Uncle Rodin, he can't but always feels daunted by the man's aura. The young boy knows that Uncle Rodin isn't a bad guy so he doesn't understand this odd feeling that bubbles inside him when he is around the man.

Rodin smirks down at the child who is blatantly staring, "Happy birthday kid." Akira's body jumps at the man's deep voice. Rodin had a little laugh; he wasn't surprised at the boy's meekness. Most people would be intimidated by his physical appearance so he couldn't blame the kid for being so bashful around him.

Akira gives a respectful nod to Uncle Rodin, "Thank you, sir." He can't stop himself from being so civil towards a close friend of the family.

His mummy hums in approval of his politeness at the Blacksmith before leaning forward in her chair. "Eat up little one, your mother and I have an extra special gift for you later on." This comment makes Akira somehow makes him even more excited. Ever since his 5th birthday, he has been training for this moment. After endless teachings of concocting support items, summoning those little demons, how to dodge attacks and defend himself using only his fists: is he finally going to fight aside his parents? Although he doesn't exactly know what they fight against. All Akira is aware of is that his training is surely related to his parents.

Following his mummy's suggestion, Akira lifts up a knife and fork in each hand to feast upon his meal. Everyone around the table either continued to eat or began conversations on various subjects. The child wasn't paying much attention to the adults talking, he was fixated on the thought of finally being in battle (along with the rich taste of his food). He was beaming in anticipation at this special gift; Akira had always wanted to join them on this side job of theirs. When he had asked them about work, his mother would answer that she was a school teacher and did a side job with his mummy. This grew Akira's interest to ask his mummy about this side job, only for his mum to weave her way out of the conversation. He suspected this side job would be the reason -or at the very least connected- for his training; why else would both of them be his mentors in combat training?

Akira was so pleased that he managed to eat his meal faster than he expected. Jeanne was the first to notice and patted his head lovingly, "Ready to open your presents Akira?"

Vigorously nodding, Akira jumps out of his seat and heads straight into the living room, where various shapes of gifts are huddled on and in front of the couch. A couple of gifts had the same light blue coloured wrapping paper; establishing those gifts were from Enzo and his family. They may not have as strong a bond between Akira and his uncles but it was nice of them to offer him presents. A particular present had caught his attention. A moderate-sized gift, a purple bow enveloped over the gold and white star-designed wrapping paper. Rodin was the first one to be behind Akira, followed by Bayonetta, Jeanne, Luka and Enzo being the last one. Mainly because he wanted to finish his mixed Berry Parfait. Luka leans against the wall while the Umbran witches stand on Rodin's left side. Observing their child as he grins in awe at how many gifts were set up in front of him.

Rodin bends forward to be close to Akira's eye level, "Your parents had that present commissioned for ya'. It made me break a bit of sweat; you've got yourself a special piece of work there kid."

The young boy's curiosity peaks thanks to Uncle Rodin's comment. Without a second thought, Akira picks up the gift, sits down on the floor and vigorously begins to rip away its wrapping. Luka gives out a minor chuckle,

"Someone's eager aren't they?"

Even though it was a rhetorical question, Bayonetta responds to the journalist, "Who wouldn't be? Receiving a significant gift made by your favourite uncle would give you a rush of exhilaration."

Luka shrugs his shoulders, "Eh guess I can't- Wait when was Rodin his favourite uncle?!"

Like always, Akira didn't pay any mind to the banter between the adults, carelessly ripping the gift's confines to reveal its contents. With all of the colour wrappings undone, in front of Akira was now a bright brown box with a folding lid. In one swift movement, Akira pushes the lid to have it fling backwards to show off four shiny metals. Inside the box was a set of four charcoal-coloured guns that had a similar look to Bayonetta's 'Scarborough Fair' gun set. However, the colour scheme of these guns was black, with its writing being in glacier grey. Along with a large jewel on the guns' sides to signify their labels. Their muzzles were facing outward, the guns meant to be equipped to his feet were facing back to back while the two guns for the hands were stacked above them in the same position. Plastered on the side of the barrel of each gun was the set of guns' name- 

No Place Like Home

In smaller writing, underneath each of the titles of the guns were their individual names. The top two, from left to right, were labelled 'Zeke' and 'Hunk'. Zeke had a round sapphire jewel and a small plush lion dangling from the gun's grip. Hunk's jewel was a round red topaz with a yellow scarecrow keychain. The two underneath were called 'Glinda' and 'Dorothy'. Glinda had a pink Scapolite and a small plushie of supposedly a fairy with white wings. It was wearing a pretty pink ball gown along with a long white headpiece. Dorothy had a white Zircon and a small figurine of a young woman in a blue and white gingham dress with her brown bouncy hair in low pigtails.

Akira felt as if he was going to explode on the spot. Jumping back on his feet, Akira faces the group with a bright smile and big eyes full of glee. "Thank you!! Thank you so much! These are amazing!" He exclaims, giggling between some words. Rodin only smiles back with a grunt of gratitude, the Umbran witches just grin back at their son gratified their son is eager to hold his very own weapons.

Luka shrugs and sighs in defeat, "Ok, fine, Rodin's the best uncle."

Troubled by his other uncle's mood, Akira takes hold of the taller man's hand to tug him closer to the presents. "Come, Uncle Luka, I'm sure your gifts will be as amazing as Uncle Rodins! Show me which ones are from you."

The young boy pulls Luka to kneel beside him, scouring through the other presents. Luka is soon back in a good mood hearing Akira's praise and is quick to point out the lime green wrapped presents to be from him. The next 2 hours were spent opening presents while Bayonetta took out her phone to take photos of Akira's beaming face.

July 20 2010

Long and heavy breaths left Akira's mouth, doing his best to bury his nerves away. He needs to prepare himself before the big arrow hits 12. In 5 minutes it will be time, time for him to hunt angels without the assistance of his parents. He will get to fight angels until he reaches his limit; he can finally put all of his training to good use. Previously, when Akira would attend his mothers on their angel hunting, he was ordered to stay by their sides with only a golden Orichalcum dagger gifted to him by Uncle Cheshire. Even though Jeanne has been teaching him how to aim and shoot with No Place Like Home, Rodin cautioned that they may not do as much damage as they should since Akira hasn't formed a contract with an infernal. Wary for their child's safety, the witches decide on him taking the dagger dear Cheshire gifted him for his 8th birthday; Probably in a way to try and one-up Rodin's gift from the year before. The dagger didn't require a demon's pact to release its full potential, its sharp edges can greatly slice through a first sphere's angel's body. For now, Akira will be using a melee weapon until he is ready to form a contract with a demon.

Fiddling with his Umbran watch, Akira examines himself in the full-body mirror. The moon's light bounces off his significant jewellery on his chest. His Umbran watch was pure silver with a purple jewel in its centre. Engraved by the bottom half of his watch was the date of Akira's birthday in the demonic alphabet; he didn't know much about this alphabet but he could understand parts of the writing. The Umbran watch was resting above the tight fabric of Akira's apprentice outfit. A skin-tight grey bodysuit adorned with gold patterns on the outside of his legs and the shawl-looking fabric around his shoulders. According to his parents, this is what beginning witches would wear for their first training days. At least, Akira hopes that's the truth and they didn't just dress him up to tease him. Combing his left hand through his hair to push some strands back, Akira does his best to ignore his nervousness and focus on the excitement of going to hunt angels on his own.

Suddenly, two hard knocks break Akira from his stare, "Are you ready yet, little one? We should really get going now." A muffled voice asks through his bedroom door. Swiftly, Akira picks up his dagger and opens his bedroom door, revealing his mummy standing there in her battle suit.

He smiles up at her, "I'm ready! Let's go and kick some angel ass." Akira walks past his mummy with a confident grin, prepared to make his debut to the angels as a powerful Umbran witch. Bayonetta follows her child with a prideful smile; he is going to be wonderful tonight. They headed downstairs to the front door, where Jeanne was standing in her red biker suit. She gives an encouraging look to her son before leaving through the front door, Akira and Bayonetta follow. A full moon shines down on them, making the female witches' power build with every passing second.

"Our dear informant Enzo has found us a variety of jobs to get through," Jeann begins to give the details, mainly for Akira. She unlocks their dark blue LC convertible and enters the driver's seat. Bayonetta takes the passenger seat with Akira sitting on one of the back seats. "Supposedly there have been some accounts of mysterious activity in this area," The engine ignites letting out a roar, starting the car. The small screen lights up to reveal the destination Jeanne is referring to. Jeanne drives out of their driveway and down the street. "How their stock is being destroyed and how workers sense an odd presence in the building. I'm sure we know what is causing this." It took 10 minutes for them to get to their location; a large storage building that gives off a dark aura due to the nightlight. Upon exiting the car, Akira had a sudden feeling forming inside him; He could feel some sort of presence inside the building. He gulps at the thought of how many angels could be inside. Hopefully, there won't be too many Akira can't handle. He'd hate if his first ended up being cut short thanks to the quantity of angels in the building.

Standing in front of the entrance, Bayonetta looks down at her child, she detects the tension in his body. "Remember Akira, we'll be outside if you need assistance," Akira responds with a nod, his grip tightening on the dagger's handle. With a determined look, Akira struts toward the building, the angels' presence becoming stronger with every step. His free holds the entrance's handle, sliding it open with the metal door humming loudly. Akira takes one deep breath in, and then out, before using his free hand to line out the portal to Purgatorio and walks through it. Bayonetta and Jeanne watched Akira with diligent eyes through the open doorway, Jeanne held her guns prepared to shoot if necessary while Bayonetta placed her hands on her hips. Above Akira was a row of High Bay lights, creating a runway of round spotlights leading up to a group of Affinities (about 6 Affinities) circling something. They don't seem to be attacking whatever they're surrounding, just observing it making sounds.

In order to get their attention, Akira whistles a tune his mummy used to sing to him when he was younger. Each Affinity turns in his direction, raising their weapons ready to attack. Akira takes three steps toward them and points the tip of his dagger at the group, "Hello boys, I hope you don't mind if a beginner joins in on this little meeting of yours." two Affinities were faster than the others, running toward Akira with intent to attack. Quick on his feet, Akira does a cartwheel backwards dodging the holy staffs. Akira swings his dagger and successfully slices an Affinity's left arm, blood sprays out of the deep cut as it screams. Before the second Affinity could attempt another attack, Akira jumped in the air his body twisting 360 degrees to then kick the angel in its face. Causing them to drop their weapon as they fall backwards but are still able to stay on their feet stumbling somewhat. The rest of the Affinities recognise the young teen as a threat and take action, no longer crowding the cowering individual and moving in Akira's direction. Two of them take the high ground preparing their trumpets to fire as the last two run at Akira. The young Umbran witch knew it would be foolish of him to fight these angels head-on; he would become too exhausted with all of the dodging and that would give an opening for them. Noticing the staff lying on the floor beside him, Akira puts his dagger in his pocket to pick up the staff with both hands. He has seen his parents use their enemy's weapons against them before; it did a lot of damage so why not give it a try himself?

Slamming the bottom end of the staff onto the concrete floor, Akira begins to perform on the staff just like his parents would. Swinging around the staff, with one leg darting outwards, gusts of wind forms assaulting the Affinities -aside from the ones flying at a distance- with harsh force. Within seconds the Affinities below become dazed, offering the witch an opportunity to strike. Akira soon stops spinning around the staff, stabbing its top half right through the closest Affinity's chest. Their screech is similar to a bird's as Akira pulls the staff upwards, ripping the Affinity in half from their chest through their head killing them in an instant. Five Affinities left. Discarding the holy weapon on the floor the young witch dashes at two dazed Affinities; jumping to kick one in the chest with both feet before tripping the next angel when he lands on the floor. Once the angel's back drops against the floor, Akira takes out his dagger to lunge it through their body, piercing their heart and killing them. Four Affinities left. A flying Affinity blows their trumpet, firing a bright golden globe that'll explode on impact. The young witch pushes himself away landing on his bottom and managing to avoid the holy sphere's explosion. Unfortunately, this gave an Affinity -the one he had kicked in the chest- a chance to attack Akira, successfully hitting him in the face. Akira grunts in pain as his back recedes onto the floor, taking a second to let the pain pass before pushing himself back up on his feet.

Perturbed for her son's safety, Jeanne raises her right hand to fire three shots at the Affinity who managed to hit the apprentice witch. As the bullets shoot straight through the Affinity's upper body, it stumbles back, giving the young witch a small amount of space. Hearing abrupt clacking beside her, Jeanne's eyes dart to the side and views Bayonetta stopping in her tracks, already 6 steps away from the battle in front of them; if Jeanne hadn't reacted her wife would've been slaughtering the angels in less than two minutes. Despite Jeanne understanding her wife's instinct to head straight into battle to defend their son, she places her opposite hand on Cereza's shoulder to stop her. They need to stand back and allow Akira to defend himself without getting too involved. Akira, noticing his parents have gotten closer to the scene, chooses to end this sooner than they'd expected. In one swift movement, the young witch lunches his dagger in the direction of the flying Affinity. The blade pierces through the angel's head and its wings quickly stop moving for its body to slump onto the ground. Three Affinities left. An Affinity standing on the ground -somehow still dazed by Akira using the holy staff- was given a harsh kick to the face causing it to crash into a couple of boxes. Akira doesn't bother picking up his weapon, instead dashing right in front of the Affinity his mother shot at. With tightly clenched fists, Akira repeatedly punches the Affinity in its face. The impact thrusts the angel against the wall with the apprentice witch assaulting it with no mercy. He didn't stop until the Affinity went limp; two Affinities left. Akira attacks the flying Affinity next (mainly due to the other still being buried in stacks of fallen boxes), dodging two fires of the trumpet holy spheres before leaping in front of the Affinity. Colliding his forehead with the angel's breaking the golden armour, it screeches and covers its injury with its left hand. Quick on his feet, the young witch retrieves his dagger and horizontally slices through the Affinity's chest. Blood gushes across Akira's face before he falls back onto the ground, the angel's body follows flopping down with a loud thud. One Affinity left. Finally escaping the multiple heavy boxes, the Affinity lifts itself up only to be face-to-face with the young witch. A cheeky smirk plastered across his face. Without a second thought, Akira raises his dagger and drags its blade across the Affinity's neck. The cut is so deep that its head bends backwards as blood flows out with great force. Its body becomes limp in less than 10 seconds, dropping on top of the fallen boxes.

Zero Affinities left.

A tired sigh leaves Akira's lips; it didn't go as badly as he thought it could have. Aside from being hit once, he managed to dodge a majority of the attacks. Maybe he could hunt a second sphere angel such as a Beloved or a Belief. The young witch turns to face his parents, surprised to see they're now inside the building somewhat closer to the gruesome scene. Putting his dagger away, Akira walks over to his parents "How was that for a first-time witch?" In his mind, Akira was praying it was at least a decent battle for his parents. He's aware of their decades of experience, they'd know whether this was a travesty for a first-time witch or on par with what he should be achieving.

Jeanne was the first to speak, "You did splendidly Akira. Continue training like this and you'll be on par with Cereza and myself."

"Well, in a couple of years or so, surely you'll obtain that same amount of power as ourselves." Bayonetta paces to her son's left side, reaching into the small amount of opening in her bust -small enough for a flying squirrel to hide within- Bayonetta pulls out a tissue. A tissue big enough to swipe some blood off of Akira's cheek. The young witch recoils, somewhat embarrassed as his mummy tends to clean the angels' blood. "But you must be cautious about keeping yourself pristine. Especially your hair."

Akira nods, taking a mental note to ask his mother for reasons why his hair is specified. A sudden mantra of deep murmurs interrupted the Umbra witches, simultaneously the three turn their heads toward the odd sounds. It looked to be a person dressed in black hunch over, their back facing the trio. This must be the individual the Affinities were surrounding earlier... but why? They're usually not this 'docile' when they encounter someone or something they want.

Concerned for the person's safety, Akira was swift to react and rushed to assist the individual. His mothers stand in place sceptical about the situation; if the angels had business with this person then there's a chance that person could be troubling for them. The young witch speaks before even thinking, "Are you alright?! You're not hurt are you..?" His voice falters upon getting a closer look at the person.

Well, it wasn't exactly a person.

Even though it only had a similar body type to a typical human, it had a huge upper body as if it had a hunchback. What Akira believed to be dark clothing turned out to be its actual gloopy skin, partially dripping on the ground. The young witch couldn't identify it as an angel or a demon. Unexpectedly, the creature seemed to have heard the apprentice witch despite still walking through Purgatrio. Its head twists ever so slowly, making its full face now visible; a grey mask covering its true identity. The mask was a male face conveying a mixture of sadness, anger and despair. Akira was taken aback by the creature's appearance he didn't react to the creature standing up. Nor the creature's sudden convulsions and loud body twitching. The more experienced witches realise the potential danger and aim their weapons at the creature. Its liquid skin begins to fall apart, leaking off its body before a gust of red smoke appears. It seems the creature had disappeared -making the witches think it had escaped- yet within seconds it returned with a new form. It had the body of a woman with angel wings, wearing only black leather straps to cover its breasts and privates. The straps are linked to its neck collar along with a single chain dangling all the way down to its knees. Its eyes were hiding behind a black cloth wrapping around its head, its lips formed a subtle smile.

The young apprentice gasps, he hasn't seen an angel like this before. Was this a second or first sphere angel he didn't know about? Yet with its outer look, it could be considered to be a first-sphere angel. If this is an angel then why did it have that odd form beforehand? Too focused on his thoughts Akira doesn't retaliate when the angel glides toward raising its left hand to attack. Luckily his mothers stopped the angel's attack by firing loads into its body. Killing it in less than a minute. The gunshots break their son of his thoughts, he blinks three times in surprise. The angel was lying limp on the floor, with so many gunshot wounds in its body it would take too long to count them.

"You mustn't freeze like that Akira," His mother comments as she struts in front of her son with Bayonetta soon following. "if that were to happen again you'd be in grave danger."

Feeling a tinge of disappointment in his mother's tone, Akira looks down in shame, "Sorry mother, I promise it won't happen again."

"Now that's our little Kiki!" Bayonetta places a comforting hand on the young boy's shoulder. "How about we continue this night with a quick stop at Rodin's? We can have a drink to celebrate your first angel encounters." She encourages mostly to lighten her child's mood. Akira answers with a nod and smile, Jeanne just smiles to express her agreement. The trio exit the building, making their way to the gates of hell which surely isn't that far.

~~~

Bayonetta's fingers gently navigate through the luscious locks of her child's hair. Her son was sound asleep on her lap, definitely drained from slaying the angels three hours ago. He has done pretty well tonight, Akira may not be as nimble as Jeanne and herself but he did decently with dodging and his attacks. If they continue like this then he will surely become as strong as Jeanne and herself. Unfortunately, Bayonetta's mind still lingers on that uncommon angel from the beginning of the night; It was interesting to see an angel in that form.

"Jeanne..." Bayonetta calls out to her wife, Jeanne's eyes dart up from the TV to the right of her. Where Bayonetta sat with their son. Jeanne raises an eyebrow in question so Cereza continues, "What do you think of tonight?" It was a simple question but Jeanne what she meant to ask.

The platinum witch sighed, pondering on her answer before speaking "It was commendable, considering this was his first time." She gets off of the couch to sit beside her wife. "Although I'm curious about that specific angel within the 2 hours of his night." Cereza hums in agreement. Neither witch had seen an angel with a form like that in centuries; it had more of a common look that humans believed angels to obtain. It was bewildering how it stayed in that pitch-black fluid-like form. While this may cause some concern for the witches, it wasn't alarming enough they needed to contact their associates. This may just be a new first-sphere angel being incarnated.

Bayonetta's hand pauses her tender touches on Akira's head before rubbing her shoulder against Jeanne's. "So am I... Rodin will inform us of anything if it's consequential." Jeanne smiles, turning her head to fully face the black-haired witch. Planting a swift kiss on her cheek, Jeanne murmurs 'Of course' and falls back onto the bed. Her head landed on the soft pillow with a silent thud. Bayonetta stays in her position, her back resting on a set-up pillow with her child sleeping on her lap.

For now, Bayonetta can relax without worrying about an unexpected advent.

November 6 2016

Jeanne stares up at the moon, its full face exposed to empower the witches' magic. The open skylight also allowed the mellow breeze to flow into the room. Doubts continued to cloud the platinum witch's mind; this decision may be too early for Akira. After all, he is only sixteen years old. Jeanne is concerned that this could have a negative mental impact on Akira. Not only does Akira need to focus on his schoolwork but learning the dark arts on top of that could be too much for him. Her eyes travel to the opposite side of the room, the young witch and their blacksmith of infernal weapons are chatting. They're most likely discussing tonight, Akira inquiring as much information as he can to learn about the denizens of Inferno while Rodin answers like he would with Bayonetta or Jeanne. It was pleasing to witness her son be so eager about one of the most important steps in his Umbran training... but Jeanne couldn't stop the worry growing inside her stomach. She hopes tonight will go well.

"It's time kid. Get into position." Rodin comments sensing the dark energy rumbling by the Umbran symbol chalked onto the wooden floor. Certain infernals are itching to bind the boy's soul to themselves upon making a contract.

With a spring in his step, Akira moves across the room to stand in front of the circle. He scans the room, overlooking his mother standing close by with her arms crossed.

A subtle pout plastered on her face, "Are you sure about this Akira?" She asks, taking two steps closer to him. "This is a major decision to take," Akira smirks at his mother's comment, he is aware of the consequences. Once you make a pact with an infernal demon your soul will be forever sealed to Inferno. He can't back out once this is completed.

Akira replies, "I know but I want to be involved in every inch of Umbran training. I'll need this to push my magic to the fullest." That is partially true. Forming a contract with a demon can severely improve a witch's power. Furthermore, it can make abilities such as Witch Walk and Witch Time much easier to grasp. If anything that motivates him more to form a contract with a demon.

Bayonetta, who had just finished lighting the candles standing around the circle, joins in "I'd say Akira's ready for this. After all," She does a quick pause to wrap an arm around her son's shoulders. Pulling him into her side, "he does have enough kills under his belt. He is strong enough to handle a summoning."

"Very well then," Jeanne uncrosses her arms, choosing to no longer push Akira into not performing the summoning. "If you're prepared for what will happen then let's begin." Jeanne struts to the attic's light switch, ready to switch it off when everyone is ready. Bayonetta gives her child a reassuring smile, offering a small yet firm hug and then steps away to allow Akira to be the only one facing the Umbran symbol.

Luka, ever so eager to find a new scoop, speaks up "So, is this going to be a first-time thing?" Aware of what the journalist was referring to, Bayonetta answers his question,

"There have been very few male witches in our clan, We've never witnessed these male witches but there have been written records on them."

Jeanne piles on more information, "A significant male witch was back in the twelve hundreds. Apparently, he was vicious when it came to hunting the laguna. He would even leave some angels' heads on steaks to send a message to higher sphere angels."

The journalist shudders at the image, a row of lifeless angels' heads mounted on wooden steaks as if they were trophies to be admired. In the future, he should attempt to research if there have been any records of these male witches that are still accessible. Unsure of how else to respond, he murmurs 'disturbing' before his eyes look for something else to change the conversation. Luckily, the Umbra symbol begins to change colour going from purple to blood red, signaling a demon is eager to interact with the willing witch. Jeanne switches off the room's light, emphasizing the bright glow of the Umbra symbol along with faint red smoke rising from its lining. Bayonetta shoots a supportive smile to her son, mouthing 'Good luck' to give him some conviction.

With an exasperated sigh, Akira lets go of his nerves and begins his chant, "Torgu das ozazm micalzo, noas noqod ol il iad Akira!" Upon those words being shouted, the circle (surprisingly to Akira) extends further across the floor. The smoke exceeds upwards as something begins to break out. The denizen was difficult to make out at first, its black form slowly arising from the portal was so large it could barely push itself through the portal. It wasn't until its upper half arises it manifested into a giant skeleton, resting on its head was a jet-black sombrero lowered down enough that you were unable to see the top half of its face. Somehow it was able to form a grin exposing its canines. It wore a Chaquetilla containing elaborate golden embroidery down its sleeves and its shoulder reinforcements. The opening of the short jacket shows the skeleton's ribcage, the bones were dirt brown and ragged as if the skeleton dragged itself out of six feet underground.

Akira stood his ground, doing his best to hide the small amount of uneasiness inside him. He never suspected a demon as big as this to be interested in forming a contract; the demon could be the same size as Madama Butterfly and Madama Styx. At least, compared to drawings he has seen of the two demonesses. To demonstrate how much puissance Akira has in the situation, he stares directly at the demon's face. Leisurely, the demon raises its head to reveal a mix of red and orange being ignited in its eye holes. Its gaze sticks onto the young Umbra witch, contemplating whether to agree to form a contract with the witch or attempt to drag his soul down to inferno right at this moment. Within the young boy, the demon could discern how much power Akira had gained through years of training. There is more to this witch than what meets the eye; there is another aspect of his power that needs to be uncovered. Maybe the demon should make a contract with him. If it could support the young witch in obtaining his full power, the demon could also expand its own strength.

The demon chuckles, shocking Akira due to the deepness of the demon's voice. "Very well Umbra witch-" Its booming voice bounces off the attic's walls, "I'll abide by our contract as long as you bring forth new death to Inferno." Tipping the edge of its hat, the demon begins to lower back into the symbol. As its shoulders go under the red smoke of the circle, Akira feels something floating along his back. It begins to draw something Akira can't make out, a sudden whoosh sound signifies whatever was on his back has finished and seemingly faded.

Luka, who pushed his back against the wall during that whole exchange, lets out a long sigh of relief "That was... way more intense than I thought it would be." This earns Luka a deep chuckle from Rodin.

Bayonetta quickly jogs over to Akira and wraps her arms around his body firmly, Jeanne soon follows. Akira continued to stare ahead, relieved he managed to handle the situation and the demon didn't attempt to attack. "Good job Kiki. It seems Monsouir Charro has taken a liking to you." So that's the demon's name, he hasn't heard anything about this demon before. Akira will need to read about him tomorrow during his free time at school.

Jeanne was the first to pull away from the hug, giving her son a prideful look, "Now let's strive for you to activate Witch Time." Akira doesn't have enough time to respond as his mummy is now dragging him alongside his mother towards the exit. The remaining individuals in the room stayed in the attic due to Luka gathering as much information as he could from Rodin about making pacts with demons.

The pattern of Akira's footsteps echoed across the street. Akira hated how quiet the area was; it made him feel uneasy. Usually, he would encounter a few first-sphere angels when he walks home from school. They were mainly Affinities, Applauds or Decorations so Akira wouldn't have much trouble with them. Yet tonight, not a single angel was in sight. Akira decides not to dwell on it too much, after all, he has had enough of school work so a break from slaying angels is a good thing for the young teen. School work, learning to speak and read Japanese on top of being an Umbran witch has been very stressful for Akira. Not having to engage in battle was relaxing. Granted he won't be able to receive some halos and buy some of those delicious lollipops from Rodin but it's a sacrifice Akira is willing to make in order to mellow out from all of his stress. Although there wasn't any Laguna in the area, that uneasy feeling continued to stir. This could just be a result of Akira's hunger, he wasn't able to eat much during lunchtime. Thanks to his partner talking his ear nonstop even though it was obvious he needed to focus on finishing some school work. To be frank, he couldn't blame his partner for not noticing since they usually hyper-focus on Akira when they're together. They have a tendency to stay fixated on something and be ignorant of things around them. Maybe he could find solutions to help them be more aware of their surroundings, he could look online-

"Just get in the car!"

A gravelly voice stops his train of thought. It seems to be coming from further down the street.

"Stop it!"

A female voice cuts into the air, seemingly from the same direction as the previous voice. By the tones of both voices, it concerned Akira about what was occurring further down the street. He begins to jog toward the commotion hoping it hasn't escalated into something much worse than he thought. His eyes spot a woman being pulled by a man who is blatantly drunk near a parked car. The man had a harsh grip on the woman's wrist, keeping her in place. Akira can't stand by and watch this happen...

He needs to intervene.

Chapter Text

9 April 2018

"This is the last stop for this line... please transfer here for all subway lines... the doors to your left will open."

Looks like Akira will need to get off soon. His eyes were cast down thinking of that night; he regrets not stepping into Purgatrio. If he was in Purgatrio, Akira could have intervened without the man accusing him of assault. Granted, there would be the chance the man would have blamed the woman for him falling on his ass, resulting in more trouble for her. Who knows what he would do to her just for defending herself, a part of Akira was content with his current outcome. It wasn't a surprise to his family when they were given the full context of why he was being arrested. The young witch was always hell-bent on helping people whether the person was a close friend or a stranger; it was a rather galling yet admirable trait to his parents. While the female witches are proud of their son protecting a woman from a drunkard idiot, they can get a little annoyed when he tries to help every person he meets without properly thinking. Once the trial found its conclusion -his mummy barely contained her anger through it all- Akira was ordered to move to a certain area in Tokyo and was given a year of probation. In the beginning, this did cause some stir in the family since they were not sure about Akira moving to Tokyo for a year. Luckily, Rodin had a connection in a place called Yongen-jaya and was willing to take the teen in.

Luka, who was standing beside where Akira was seated, nudges the teen's shoulder, "Come on kid, this is our stop." Thankfully, Luka will be staying in Toyko for the first few weeks. At least Akira will be able to see a familiar face for support without the use of the Gates of Hell. His parents were occupying the next two seats on his left side. They both stood up a minute after Akira did.

"Remember you can always visit us at the Gates of Hell- in fact, we're expecting it!" Bayonetta playfully pinches his cheek, brightening Akira's mood slightly. The train eventually came to a halt, and they all exited the train to be met with crowds of people; Akira wasn't used to crowds this big. Sure he could handle a group of angels but these large groups were becoming too much for the young teen. Noticing how much her son is dwelling on the crowds, Bayonetta pulls him into a warm embrace to distract him. "When you call or text you must tell us everything ok."

Akira nods into her shoulder with a low hum before moving out of the hug. Only for his mother to swiftly pull him against her instead, "Tell us about the quality of Shujin Academy and their faculty," Of course, his mother stays professional in the moment. Akira just nods once more and smiles at Jeanne when they stop hugging. Jeanne's hands remained on his shoulders, "Good. Now if there are any boys or girls that catch your eye... please ensure they're not a lost cause." The teen winces at the thought of who she is referring to. He doesn't want to recall the last encounter he had with his now ex-partner.

Thankfully Luka jumps in, "Alright alright, give the kid some dignity before letting him wander around Tokyo." Jeanne removed her hands to place them on each side of her hips, everyone's eyes were now the journalist.

"Thanks, Cheshire," Akira sends his uncle a cheeky grin before he continues, "I'll promise to text once I'm set up with the place Rodin's found for me, love you."

His parents wave goodbye, his mother saying "We love you too, Akira!" As he walks away with his uncle, Akira looks over his shoulder to give one last wave goodbye to his mothers.

When they reach Shibuya, Akira's mouth agapes an inch upon viewing how populated the city truly is. Large crowds with people walking back and forth, weaving through others to most likely get to work or school. While he isn't the best with crowds, Akira feels more at ease with his uncle beside him. Who gently smiles, offering two supportive pats on the teen's shoulder before walking onward together. Luka began to talk about the city, how there had been some accidents recently due to people having psychotic breakdowns. There have been some young famous detective solving certain cases that involved these breakdowns but there has been an odd pattern to when these breakdowns occur. Luka has collected some information online and wanted to learn more about these mysterious breakdowns. Akira takes out his phone to look at the GPS, checking how long it will take until they get to Yongen-jaya. However, with a sudden ping from his phone, a strange-looking eye symbol pops up on his phone. He doesn't remember downloading this app.

Luka carried on, "While searching up info on these events, I also checked out if there's anything odd with the school you're attending. Apparently, the school's volleyball coach -Kamoshida Suguru- has been given a not-so-saintly character online. I recommend you be wary of this guy..." His voice suddenly drowns out as his movement stops at a steady pace. Akira looks up from his phone, noticing how everything around him has suddenly stopped. Everyone has been frozen in place almost like statues as the overlapping chatter of the crowds has died down. Akira turned his head to view his uncle's body had stiffened, his mouth halfway open while his hand stopped inches from grabbing the tip of his hat.

What was happening? Are angels doing this? Akira hasn't experienced nor heard about angels having the ability to cease time; could this be the work of demons instead?

Looking ahead, a small gasp escapes the teen's lips as he stares at the blue fire seemingly building ahead. The fire was swaying back and forth, at one moment it looked to be making the form of a person only to change into another physical form. Akira couldn't make out what exactly it was supposed to be; could this be a demon? Even though Akira hasn't fought demons as often as angels, he can manage himself in a fight with one. Abruptly, in between the large gush of blue fire, Akira's face appears with golden eyes and a sinister grin. With a flash of a bright light, the fire disappears and everyone begins moving again. Voices evade Akira's ears once more. 

Luka just struts forward, his thumb and index finger pulling his hat upward as he talks, "If this Kamoshida guy gives you any trouble- tell me and I'll help you out in any way I can." He looks over his shoulder and notices Akira is standing in place, his head turning from side to side in confusion. "Er, you alright Akira?"

"Y-yeah..." Akira's eyes shoot back down to his phone, that red eyes icon is still on the screen. He swipes the small icon to the trash bin on his phone before jogging after Luka. "Sorry! Just got a text from mother."

His uncle has a little chuckle, believing Akira's excuse, "Not even two hours away and she's already checking up on you." The duo laugh together as they head towards their destination.

~~~~

Cafe Leblanc

Guess this is where he will be staying for the year.

"Well... it does have a rather calm aura around it." Luka breaks the awkward silence while the two of them observe the cafe's sign. Honestly, Akira wasn't too miffed about the place; considering this was Rodin's connection, for all Akira knew he would living in a dingy apartment for a year. With a shrug of his shoulders, Akira opens the door and heads inside using his right hand to keep it open for Luka to step through. The two are greeted with an empty cafe, the only patrons being an elderly couple sitting in one of the booths and what looks to be the manager leaning against the barside between two of the chairs. There was a TV in the far corner, on its screen was the news broadcasting some recent event involving a train. It took a moment before the manager finally noticed the two strangers standing by the entrance. 

"...oh, right." He throws the newspaper over the barside, "They did say that was today." Catching on that this was a private matter, the elderly couple left the cafe saying goodbye to the manager. After making a drained comment about the couple staying for longer than needed, the manager turns his attention to the teenager and adult. "So, you're Akira?" The teen answers with a nod as his gaze drifts over to Luka, "And you are..?"

"Why I am the marvellous, magnificent-" The edge of Akira's elbow hitting his stomach interrupts Luka from embarrassing the young teen. "Fine, fine..." Luka sighs, "I'm Luka, his uncle."

The manager does nothing but make a quiet grunt, "Right...well, I'm Sojiro Sakura. You'll be in my custody for the next year. Rodin has given the rundown of your situation. Now follow me, I'll show you where you will be staying." Sojiro turns and heads towards the stairs in the far back. Luka and Akira share a moment's glance at one another; is he actually going to be living inside the cafe? Is there even a bedroom upstairs?

"Woah..." Luka's voice drags across the second floor's walls. Dust accumulated all over the room, the only things that looked to be clean were the bed in the right corner and the cardboard boxes containing most of Akira's belongings. No doubt Rodin took them here.

Choosing to ignore Luka's comment, Sojiro says, "This is your room." Akira was tempted to make a sneering remark about the room but then thought that this may have been pushed onto Sojiro. Knowing Rodin and his business, this guy owns his uncle a big favour and didn't have much time to think of even preparing a room for him. "I'll be leaving after I lock up each day. If you try anything stupid, I'll throw you out if you cause any trouble." He emphasises this with a harsh tone. "Tomorrow, we will go to Shujin Academy and introduce ourselves to the staff and sort out the rest of the paperwork... What a waste of my Sunday." The man mutters before going back downstairs, ignoring the frowns on Luka's and Akira's face.

"...He was kind of a dick huh?" Luka's rhetorical question evokes a laugh out of his nephew. "Well, he's better than living with some shady customer of Rodin's."

Akira gives a small shrug, "I guess so, now, shall we get to cleaning?"

After around two hours, the duo were able to clean the room and make it more organised. Apart from the unused household items and two trash bags; they thought it wouldn't be best to take them down during business hours. Luka stretches his arms upwards, intertwining his fingers above his head, "Right, it's about time I get back to my hotel."  

Sitting down on his bed, Akira smiles up at his uncle, "OK, then. Will I see you tomorrow or...?" He pauses to let Luka answer.

Luka begins to step towards the windows, "Sorry kid, I got some business to take care of for the first few days." Pausing in front of the window, Luka turns to grin and points a finger upward as part of his charm. "But I'll promise to call you after your first day at Shujin- tell me everything that happens ok Kiki?"

"I promise, Chesire." After the exchange of nicknames, Luka leaves the room by jumping out of the window. Using his grappling hook to swing along the alleyway and land onto a building roof. Of course, he would leave like that; why wouldn't the amazing Luka make an over-the-top exit?

The young teen's back falls on top of the soft duvet of his new bed, he stares up at the ceiling thinking back to that night. Why can't he remember that bastard's face? No matter how many times the night flashes back in his mind, Akira can't seem to remember what the drunkard looked like. If he was able to then his parents would've done everything in their power to track that man down and give him something much worse than he can ever imagine.

His eyelids begin to drop, sleep begins to slowly overtake Akira until his phone's loud buzzing makes his eyes widen. Pulling out his phone, he noticed that the red eye app was on his phone again. Didn't he delete it? The app has a strange aura; it was baffling how the app appeared on his phone. Has Rodin messed with his phone or something?

There's not much to do on the matter so Akira doesn't think too much about the app, he presses his index finger on the icon and slides it back into the trash bin. When he has the chance, he will question his uncle about the app. For now, he will try to have a good night's sleep.

Monday 11th April 

Well, the day wasn't starting very good.

Aside from eating some delicious curry made by Sojiro, the morning isn't going great. When he departed from the train and exited the Aoyama-Itchome station, Akira was greeted by trickles of water from above. Regrettably, Akira has left his umbrella back in his room. Even though he was tempted to walk the rest of the way to Shujin in Purgatorio, there were too many people around to risk anyone seeing him enter the realm. For now, the young teen takes shelter underneath a store's covering while other students either attempt to run or do the same as himself. Instead of staring obliviously at his surroundings, Akira takes out his phone only to see that mysterious red-eye icon on his screen. Ok, this was getting ridiculous now. Why does it keep downloading back onto his phone? This is as odd as the dream he had last night. Before Akira could speculate any further, the sudden presence of someone next to him causes his attention to move to the left. Standing next to him was a girl, throwing off her hoodie for her bouncy blonde locks in low pigtails to jump out. Akira couldn't help but think of how beautiful she was; she looked to be attending Shujin as well judging the uniform. Perhaps he can become friends with her. It takes a couple of seconds before her blue eyes meet Akira's. She only exchanges a minor smile before looking onwards, he does the same since he is unsure of how to start a conversation with the blonde. A silver car soon rolls up in front of the two, the window scrolls down to reveal an older man with a broad chin and thick eyebrows. He asks the girl if she would like a ride to school; judging from the blue tracksuit he must be the PE teacher of Shujin Academy. The girl accepts his offer and joins the teacher in his car, the man even asks Akira if he wants a lift too. Believing it would be awkward for him to join in on the ride, Akira waves to the man and says no thank you. He doesn't seem to encourage Akira to say yes and simply rolls up the window and drives away.

Multiple sloshing sounds erupt as another blonde comes onto the scene. He stops in his tracks and glares ahead of the silver car, "Dammit... Screw that pervy teacher."

Akira becomes muddled by the comment, "Pervy teacher..?" Although his voice was low, the blonde heard Akira and turned to stare at him. The vulgar boy takes two steps toward Akira,

"What do you want? You plannin' on rattin' me out to Kamoshida?" Confused by the name, Akira repeats it with bewilderment. Hasn't he heard of that name before? "Huh? In that car just now was Kamoshida." Oh right, that big-chinned fellow. "He does whatever the hell he wants. Who does he think he is- the king of the castle. Don't you agree?"

The corner of Akira's lips turns upwards, "Which castle?"

"No, I mean..." The vulgar boy pauses and then crosses his arms together. "...Wait, you don't know Kamoshida? Are you for real? You're from Shujin right?"

"It's my first day." Akira eyes the boy up and down. "I'm guessing from your pants you attend as well?" That and he seems well acquainted with the teacher- even if it doesn't look to be on good terms on the blonde's side of the relationship.

"Well, no other school has a uniform like this." He looks at Akira's uniform jacket, "A second year, huh... We're in the same grade then." He turns around with his back in full view of the young Umbra witch. "Guess we can walk together- the rain ain't too bad but let's hurry or we'll be late."

Before they could even take a step onward, the two suddenly felt light-headed. the area around them changed for a split second to a purple aura before returning to its original colour. The blonde groans, complaining about going home before he starts walking. Akira stays back to observe his surroundings; he can't sense any angels or demons so... maybe his mind is just messing with him. Akira follows the blonde placing his phone back into his pants pocket. The two go through a thin alleyway, turning right and walking straight ahead. Yet something seemed off to Akira... It felt as if the world had slowed down and the atmosphere had alternated to something darker. Looking over his shoulder, the alleyway was still empty; not a single angel or demon was in sight. Akira was sceptical that this was just his head messing with him.

"Wha- ?!" Akira quickly jogs over in the direction of the blond's shout. At first, he worried that the boy encountered some form of a threat, only to be shocked at the image in front of them. It was a castle. An eerie-looking castle highlighted by the purple sky; the castle's look had a medieval theme to it which interested the young witch. He has never experienced a place such as this but it's odd for something so unique to be built in the area. "We didn't... come the wrong way though..." This is where Shujin Academy was supposed to be? Unsure of what else to do, the duo adventure into the castle hoping to find some answers to this mysterious building.

Upon entering the plaza, it seems to flash to a completely different room. For a moment Akira saw a bullet board with a small-looking office in the distance. The walls were coloured grey before transitioning back to the gold of the castle. The blonde carries on to question the place, even pulling out his phone only to reveal there was no service. Akira assesses their surroundings, this isn't the work of an angel, demon or even a human. Something bigger is the cause of this but what exactly? What exactly was this something doing to them: making them hallucinate, diverting them to somewhere unfamiliar or are they somehow dreaming the same thing? There were too many questions that have yet to be answered.

Without warning an armed guard waltzed over to them, simply staring and not saying a word. They don't even respond to the blonde questioning them about who they are and what is happening. When there was no response from the guard another appeared beside it. They begin to edge closer to the young teens, their panic grows and the two decide to run away. While Akira would prefer to fight back against these odd individuals, his No Place Like Home guns were in Rodin's possession until the middle of April. There's also the fact that he'd have to look out for the blonde while fighting; it will be a risk to fight these guys while trying to ensure the blonde doesn't get hurt. Four guards soon surrounded the teens, the blonde being knocked down to his knees and Akira felt an abrupt force on the back of his head.

~~~~

"Hey... Hey! Wake up!"

Gradually, Akira's eyelids lift and his eyes land on the blonde kneeling beside his body. Was he seriously knocked out? Akira's thankful his parents didn't witness that- they would be teasing him for days about letting an enemy get the upper hand. Akira moves into a seating position, realising they are both in some kind of dungeon. Ahead of them were thick bars of the cell, barrels were scattered around the tiny room and chains dangled against the left-side wall.

"You all alright?" The blonde asks.

Akira stands while answering, "Yup you?"

"Yeah, more or less." He twists his body to face the grey bars ahead of them. The vulgar teen looks from left to right and then scratches the top of his head, "Looks like this ain't no dream... Ugh, what's going on?!" He runs in front of the bars to shout "Hey, let us outta here! I know there's someone out there!" When nothing but silence responds, the blonde walks back to Akira's dingy bed. "Dammit, where are we? Is this some kinda movie set!?"

A male voice's scream erupts, indicating it is somewhat close to the boys' jail cell. Akira jumps to his feet in worry, rushing alongside the blonde to the bars to search for the source of that scream. "The- the hell was that just now?" It was barely audible but the two could hear echoes of someone begging and pleasing someone to stop. Akira harshly tugs at the bars as if he could break them that simply. In a panic, the blonde repeats the word 'woah' while Akira tries to think of a way to get out of this. Should he attempt stepping into Purgatorio? How much help would that do though- Doing that would also freak the blonde boy out even more.

"Huh? You hear that?" The sound of marching begins to get louder as multiple guards come into view. They had the same attire, carrying a sword and shield in each hand.

The captain guard speaks with a booming voice, "Be glad that your punishment has been decided upon. Your charge is unlawful entry. Thus you will be sentenced to death."

"Say what?!" The blonde's face was enough to show how disoriented he felt.

A familiar voice suddenly emits, "No one's allowed to do as they please in my castle." It was that PE teacher from the car. His attire now just consisted of a gold crown sitting on his head while he wore a red and pink heart-printed cape that covered everything but his torso and legs. A noticeable new feature of this man was that his eyes were glowing yellow.

The blonde's eyes widen in surprise, "Huh? Wait... Is that you Kamoshida?"

The man in question ignores his question, "I thought it was some petty thief, but to think it'd be you, Sakamoto. Are you trying to disobey me again? It looks like you haven't learned your lesson at all, huh?" Kamoshida's eyes fling to Akira, "And you brought a friend this time... because you can't do anything yourself."

"This ain't funny, you asshole!"

Vexxed by the blonde's insult, Kamoshida looks back with a harsh glare "Is that how you speak to a king? It seems you don't understand the position you're in at all. Not only did you sneak into my castle, you committed the crime of insulting me- the king. The punishment for that is death. It's time for an execution! Take him out!" 

Sakamoto and Akira move backwards, he stutters 'S-stop it' as three guards enter the cell. They stay focused on Sakamoto making him back up beside the bed Akira previously laid on. Getting frustrated by the situation, Sakamoto groans out "Goddammit!" and lunges at the guard in the middle. He collides against the guard's shield, pushing the guard to the cobbled ground with a loud thud. Sakamoto eyes Akira, "I ain't down for this shit! C'mon, we're outta here!" The guard to the blonde's left marches forward, surprising Sakamoto with a powerful punch to the gut. He falls to his knees hunching over as he grunts in pain; Akira needs to step in. Now. Intending to stop this assault Akira tugs at the middle guard's armour; they don't even react. "Just Go! Get outta here! These guys are serious!"

Kamoshida forms a cocky smirk, "Oh? Running away, are we? What a heartless friend you are."

The blonde was quick to interject, "He ain't a friend..." A small breath of pain leaves his lips before he encourages Akira to hurry and escape. Like hell, Akira was just going to run away and leave the guy. He won't run away from this fight.

Looking over to the blacked hair teen, Kamoshida tuts, "Hmph, pathetic scum isn't worth my time... I'll focus on this one's execution." He struts over to Sakamoto while two guards haul him up. The one remaining guard raises the tip of his sword inches from Akira's chest. Keeping him in place as Kamoshida punches the blonde again and again, calling him such things as 'scum' or a 'useless pest'. Due to the pain, Sakamoto falls limp onto the ground for Kamoshida to spit at him taunting him more. His guards do his dirty work to throw the teen around as if he were some doll to toy with.

Akira scowls at the man, "Stop it, you pompous prat!" This man was getting on Akira's last nerve. He'd beat this man to a pulp if he was able to. Kamoshida looks over to the teen with a raised brow,

"What? Don't you dare tell me you don't know who I am." He takes four steps forward and bends down somewhat to be at the same eye level as Akira. The Umbra witch doesn't verbally respond, just scowls at the man with displeasure; somehow the man is even more unattractive up close. "That look in your eyes irritates me!" Kamoshida kicks Akira in the stomach, his body impacts the brick wall and slithers to the floor. "Hold him there... After this peasant, it's his turn to die." Instantaneously, Akira shoots up and tries to run toward Sakamoto. He didn't have a plan other than to protect the blonde ruffian, even if it meant Akira got seriously injured. Unfortunately, he barely gets three steps before the guards harshly grip onto his shoulders. Sakamoto begins to plead to Kamoshida as he walks back to the opposite side of the room. What can Akira do? He's a sitting duck... 

What's the matter?   Are you simply going to watch?

...What was that? Who's speaking to him? Is that Monsouir Charro? No, the voice isn't deep enough...

Are you forsaking him to save yourself?              Death awaits him if you do nothing

Was your previous decision a mistake then?

Flashes of that night fly through his mind: the woman's pleas, the drunk man claiming to sue, the police arriving and detaining Akira.

"...It wasn't," Akira whispers, the fury he usually feels when assassinating angels begins to rise. He now notices that a guard, their hand firmly wrapped around Sakamoto's neck, has him raised up against the wall. Getting ready to pierce the teen's body with their sword.

Very well... I have heeded your resolve

In an instant, an unimaginable pain courses through Akira as his eyes widen from the shock. His heartbeat produces a loud pump as if it had stopped for a second.

Vow to me

His breathing quickens while sweat drips down the side of his face.

I am thou, thou art I...

Akira jolts in the guard's hold; the pain is becoming too much to handle.

Thou who art willing to perform all sacrilegious acts for thine own justice! Call upon my name and release thy rage! Show the strength of thy will ascertain all on thine own, though thou be chained to hell itself!

Kamoshida points to Sakamoto, "Execute him!"

The young Umbra witch growls in annoyance, "That's enough!" Kamoshida's eyes widen in surprise, slowly twisting his head in Akira's direction. The guard holding Sakamoto did the same as his king.

"What was that...?" The guard drops the blonde, allowing him to take loud and deep gulfs of air. Thankful he can properly breathe. "You desire to be killed that much? Fine!" Kamoshida nods his head, ordering the guard to bash Akira with their shield. The hit was so hard it caused Akira's glasses to leap off his face. The guard, previously about to execute Sakamoto, lifts his sword into the air. Yet a gust of savage wind suddenly convulses around the young teen. Thrusting the guard onto the ground, Kamoshida looked onward in confusion. Replacing Akira's glasses was a white birdlike domino mask, black around the eyes that was reminiscent of eyeliner and sharp lashes. Just as confused as everyone else in the room, Akira tugs at the mask with both hands. Only to no avail. He tugs harder only for it to feel as if he is tearing a part of his face off. Ignoring the mysterious pain Akira gives it one more hard pull. As the mask leaves his face, splatters of blood spew and a shuddering scream erupts from the Umbra witch. Mercifully the pain quickly subsides for Akira to now feel an overflowing power bursting around and inside him. He smiles sinisterly at the individuals ahead of him as his body engulfs in a blue flame. Covering the Umbra witch as he takes on a new appearance; his hair seems to extend down his neck, creeping down and around his body. He could feel his soft locks glide all the way down to his wrists and ankles; it sounded as if leather was forming tightly around his frame. The blue flame also introduces a new person to the party. Standing behind Akira was an enigmatic creature that was around four feet or more taller than the teen. It wore a red eighteenth-century-esque suit with a popped collar, leaving it open to expose the black-tailed corset running down its torso. Black wings were connected to the small of its back while a tall jet-black top hat rested on its long-horned mask/face.

Kamoshida, fearing for his life, scurries away all the while Sakamoto stares in disbelief. "I am the pillager of twilight- Arsene!"

"What the..." Even though the blonde was thankful to be alive, he was too confused about the situation to form a proper sentence.

"I am the rebel's soul that resides within you. If you so desire, I shall consider granting you the power to break through this crisis."

Akira doesn't need to overthink about his response, "Give me your power."

"Hmph, very well..."

Kamoshida interjects, "Who the hell are you?" He doesn't wait for an answer and orders his guards to focus on killing Akira. In sync, the two guards' bodies disintegrate into a black and red liquid before two floating Jack o lanterns appear. Both floated in the air, a single white-gloved hand holding out a lantern from their dark blue cloaks. The brim of their witch-like hats formed a shadow over the upper half of their faces, allowing their bright red eyes to stand out more than they should. "You'll learn the true strength of my men!"

The battle begins with Akira striking first; summoning Arsene he uses the only skill the creature has named Eiha on an enemy. It kills the Jack o Lantern in an instant. The second Jack o lantern attack with a simple punch but it doesn't do that much damage to the Umbra witch. These guards are surprisingly weak. Along with this new outfit, Akira now holds a knife in his right hand. It wasn't as sharp or 'flashy' as the Orichalcum dagger but it will work for now. Dashing towards the floating pumpkin, Akira swings and slices at the Jack o lantern three times. Luckily he dodges its next attack, activating his witch time, and kills it with three more slices.

"What..." Sakamoto's puzzled tone breaks the Umbra witch from his thrill and registers his new outfit. It is made from his hair, It's his Umbra battle uniform. Previously Akira could never fully grasp this aspect of Umbra witches; his other attempts failed for reasons unknown. To now successfully make his battle uniform warms Akira with a new sense of pride. His Umbra watch, previously sealed underneath his school uniform was now on show resting where his heart is. "What was that just now?"

Kamoshida walks up to Akira, "You little..." The blonde makes his move and shoves the king to the floor.

"You like that, you son of a bitch?!"

The Umbra witch spots the keys that seemingly fell from Kamoshida's grasp laying on the ground. He points them out for Sakamoto to grab them as they run out of the cell. He manages to lock the cell before Kamoshida can stand, they leave him trapped in the cell to search for the exit desperately. Hopping across a river by the cages firmly placed in the water, crawling through tunnels in open cells and crossing a drawbridge the duo are able to venture this underprison without getting caught (so far). They jog up a flight of stairs to enter a new area of the underground prison; dreadfully this area contained other prisoners locked in cells that were lifted above a river. What caught Akira's eye was that these prisoners were wearing the Shujin Academy uniform. Were these people kidnapped? There would be no point in asking them since the helmets on their heads seemed to block sound for the prisoners to hear. Akira and Sakamoto head forward to another drawbridge, only this one was raised up. It didn't help that there was a dead end inches away from the side, leaving them stranded.

"....Hey, you there. Blondie! Frizzy hair! Look over here!" An unknown voice speaks up, causing the teens' attention to turn to the end cell.

Sakamoto questions, "What is this thing?!" It was... an anthropomorphic cat? Their head was bigger than their body, their large blue eyes pleading for the two to help. It wore a black mask covering the upper half of its face, along with an eye-catching yellow bandana wrapped around its neck.

The creature doesn't answer the blonde's question, "You're not soldiers of this castle, right?! Get me out of here! Look the key's right there!"

"We're trying to get the hell out of here! I mean you obviously look like an enemy too!" An enemy that is on the other side of the locked cell. While Akira understands the blonde's standoff-ish aura, this creature clearly isn't going to be a threat to them.

The creature defends itself, "I'm locked up here, so how can I be your enemy?! Help me out!"

Well, it would be more beneficial to have a helping hand -or a helping paw in this case- to find the exit. Akira says, "Alright then, cat. We'll help you out."

Calling the creature 'cat' triggers it to glare at the Umbra witch, "I am NOT a cat! Say that again and I'll make you regret it!" In the distance, the small group hear the clinking of the guards' armour.

"They're catchin' up already!" Sakamoto takes out his phone. "Shit, there's still no service. Ain't there any way to contact someone outside?! How the do we get out of here!?"

The small prisoner butts in, "Hey you two! You want to know where the exit is? Let me out and I'll take you there. You don't want to get caught and executed, right?"

Sakamoto was sceptical of the creature, "This thing sounds like it's all talk..."

"If you guys think you can get out on your own, then be my guest!!"

Unsure of what to do, Sakamoto looks over at Akira hoping he will decide to help the creature or not. Akira nods, signalling they should help free the prisoner. "F-fine.." Sakamoto reluctantly pulls the level at the side of the cell, opening the door and for the small creature to skip out.

They stretch their arms, "Ahh... Freedom tastes so great..."

"Now, where' the exit, you monster cat?!"

In response, the creature turns to Sakamoto and jumps up in displeasure, "Don't call me a cat! I am Morgana!"

"Shuddup and hurry it up! You wanna be locked up again?!"

Morgana's ears dip down, "A-All right, sheesh! Now follow me and stay quiet!" The teens do as the cat directs, walking back to the drawbridge. Morgana tells Akira to check around the mouth of this eerie statue of Kamoshida. Since there was a minor gap in the statue's mouth, Akira pulled the jaw down, effecting the statue's eyes to glow yellow for a second along with activating the bridge. The trio run across getting on the side, only to be met with a guard.

Sakamoto, scared shitless, falls back on his bottom. "A-Aah! Shit... Shit, it's them!"

Ready to fight, Morgana jumps on and over Sakamoto's shoulder, "Tch... You amateur! Stay still," He points at Akira. "Hey, you! You could fight, right? Let's go!" Morgana goes into a stance, "Come, Zorro!" Upon hearing their name, A beam of blue lighting strikes to transport a new fighter onto the scene. A masked swordsman with a large puffed-out chest, wielding a thin sword in his right hand.

"Y-You got one of those things too?!" The guard transforms into two enemies; another Jack o lantern and an Incubus.

Morgana crosses his arms, "Hmph, we will promptly shut them up!" Akira smirks, he is starting to like the cat. Calling upon Arsene, he uses the Eiha on the Incubus dwindling its strength. "Hmph, I knew you were an amateur. This is how you fight." It was now Morgana's turn to attack. He calls upon Zorro and uses an attack called 'Garu', knocking the Jack o lantern to the ground. This gives Morgana the opportunity to strike once more, using the same skill to kill the Jack o lantern. The Incubus kicks Morgana before moving back to its spot. Akira charges at the demon, slicing the creature in half and ending the battle.

"Not bad. Your persona is pretty powerful." Morgana compliments, staring up at Akira with a proud smile.

Sakamoto speaks before Akira can, "Persona? Y'mean that thing that comes outta you guys all dramatic-like?"

Morgana boastfully expresses his knowledge on the matter, "Yes. You saw how Frizzy hair here ripped off his mask when he summoned it, right? Well, everybody wears a mask deep within their heart. By removing that..."

The blonde grunts in frustration, "Rrgh, that's enough! This crap doesn't make any sense!" Akira squints his eyes slightly at Sakamoto in annoyance 'It could if you let the cat continue'

"Can't you just sit still and listen for once, Blondie?!"

Sakamoto, vexed by the nickname, retaliates "Don't call me Blondie! My name's Ryuji..."

Morgana shakes his head before speaking, "Actually, there's no time for me to lecture you! You wanna escape this place in one piece, right? Let's go! Oh, but before that- take these. Use them carefully, okay?" He passes Akira three bottles of medicine before encouraging the group to hurry. Passing rows of cells they run up a flight of stairs to view another raised drawbridge.

Akira is stopped from pulling the statue's jaw by Sakamoto's voice, "Hold on a sec!" He walks closer to a cell holding a male teen in a red sports uniform. He was lying on his stomach, barely having the strength to push his upper body off the floor. Taking a closer look, Akira notes on the back of this uniform it's written Shujin with a number six underneath. Were students of Shujin being targeted? Why would the majority of prisoners be students of the school? "I feel like I've seen what this dude's wearin' before... Dammit! I'm too flustered! I can't remember anything right now!" Not wanting to waste any more time they have left, Morgana urges them to move onward. "Hold on, dammit!"

"What is it? We need to go, fast!"

"But... who are these guys?"

Akira has the same question as Sakamoto yet he knows this wouldn't be the time to speculate when they're being chased by armed guards. They need to act rather than just stand in the open asking questions. Morgana answers with a bothered tone, "Do you really think you have time to worry about other people right now?! Besides they're-"

"There!" The bridge lowers for a single guard to rush toward the trio.

"You should've listened to me..!" Morgana says, somewhat more directed to the blonde.

The corner of Akira's lips curls up with eagerness, "Let's fight." Despite the danger he's in, Akira is beginning to enjoy these fights; it's the same thrill he gets when fighting with angels or occasionally demons. Even though these are new enemies he has encountered, they're not that different from a third-sphere angel. They seem to have as much strength as third-sphere angels so killing them will be easy.

Morgana smiles, "I'm glad you stick to your guns." The guard transforms into two flying fairies around the size of Morgana. Both were wearing thigh-high boots, long gloves and a one-piece swimsuit in a matching dark blue. "Looks like it's raring to go too!" 

In order to finish this battle quickly, Akira summons his persona to use Eiha on the left side fairy. This earns him another turn as the curse attack hits its weakness; he targets the right-side fairy to perform the same attack downing the enemy. With his extra turn, Akira carves up the right side fairy with his dagger, eliminating it easily. However, the other weakened fairy gets back up, aiming at Morgana with the back of its hand. Morgana is able to dodge the attack, calling upon his persona to use Garu.

Ending the battle, Morgana says, "All right! Let's get away before more show up!"

Sakamoto stayed standing by the cell, "Hold on, we can't just leave these guys here!"

"You really don't get it, do you? Hrgh... there's no time to explain. Look, I'm going. If you don't want to follow, then be my guest!"

Since there are no other options, Sakamoto reluctantly runs after the cat alongside Akira. Morgana leads them to the entrance hall, they run past the curved stairs into a small hallway with double doors on each side. Morgana guides the teens through the left side doors, setting foot in a room with low picnic benches and bookshelves containing very few untitled books with vents above them. Akira points out the vents, earning some praise from Morgana. Sakamoto runs and climbs up the bookshelves to grip the vents covering off. Since Morgana claims he still has something to do in this castle, Akira thanks him as he escapes with Sakamoto through the vent. Retreating from the castle, the two eventually were back in the area where they met. The area didn't look 'distorted' in Akira's words.

Sakamoto takes some deep breaths in and then out, "Did we make it?"

To confirm they've escaped, Akira takes out his phone to see if there's service only for a voice to activate, "You have returned to the real world. Welcome back." This made Akira all the more curious. Was this some type of Purgatorio?

The blonde gives a confused look, "Huh? Returned? Does that mean we got away?"

With a quick shrug of his shoulders, Akira replies "Probably."

"I don't know what to think anymore" Sakamoto mutters before his eyebrows knit together, "What was all that anyways That castle, and Kamoshida, and that weird cat! The hell's goin' on!?" Unfortunately, Sakamoto's voice catches the attention of two police officers. They suspect the two of cutting class, only to believe that Sakamoto is taking drugs after he tries to explain the castle. One of the officers intimidates the blonde by claiming to contact the school if he continues to speak nonsense; according to the men, the school hasn't changed and seems fine. Although Sakamoto urges Akira to back him, the Umbra witch knows it would be pointless to try and convince the officers without definitive proof. Akira states they should get going before turning on his heel and heading towards Shujin, Sakamoto soon follows. Eventually, the two made it to the gates of Shujin Academy and were greeted by the school's counsellor. He questions the boys about where they were while absent from school, Sakamoto answers honestly only for the man to (unsurprisingly) not believe him. A familiar voice emits on the scene, questioning a castle that Sakamoto mentioned.

"Kamoshida?!" It's the big eyebrowed fellow, instead wearing a white T-shirt with blue tracks pants than that bright disgraced coloured cape.

The man had a smug smile on his face, "You seem so carefree, Sakamoto. Quite a difference when you did morning practice for the track team."

That hits a nerve in Sakamoto becoming defensive, "Shuddup! It's your fault that-"

"How dare you speak that way to Mr Kamoshida!" The counsellor defends, "...There's not much leeway left for you, you know?"

Sakamoto repels, "He's the one that provoked me!"

"Do you really want to be expelled?! In any case, you'll have to explain yourself! Follow me!"

"What?! This is bullshit!"

Kamoshida finally joins in, "Come now. I should have been more considerate, too. Let's say that we were both to blame."

"Well, if you say so..." Wow, does the staff seriously bend this easily to this guy? "Still, you're coming with me. It's undeniable that you're extremely late."

Sakamoto impassively mutters a 'fine' before Kamoshida's attention darts to Akira. "By the way... you're that new transfer student, correct? Akira Kurusu?" Sakamoto begins to walk up the entrance stairs as the counsellor turns to walk back into the building. The blonde pauses to send a harsh glare at Kamoshida before stomping past him. As the teacher looks back at Akira, he stays silent for a couple of seconds in thought. "...Have we met somewhere?"

It wasn't staggering to Akira that he had forgotten him earlier; Kamoshida was more interested in the blonde student during that interaction. "I saw a girl in your car."

The teacher scratches the top of his head, "That's right... I remember now... Well, I'll overlook this just for today. I'm sure you've heard from the principal, but cause any trouble and you'll be expelled, understand?"

Akira decides to answer with a rather cheeky question, "Can you overlook more?"

"Is that supposed to be a joke? I'm not laughing. At any rate, hurry up and go to the faculty office. I'm sure Ms Kawakami's tired of waiting." He forms a fake smile, "Good luck trying to enjoy your new school life." Kamoshida heads back into the school. That man is sketchy. Akira will need to be more careful around this guy; he seems to be the type to use his power over others. Akira lumbers up the small stairway and enters the school. Asking a late middle-aged teacher where the faculty room was, Akira goes to the second floor. He finds the faculty room right next to the guidance room. Going inside the faculty room, the Umbra witch immediately notices Kawakami sitting by her desk; her face is a picture of boredom and disappointment. Of course, she lightly scolds Akira for being late on his first day even when he excuses the train for being late. She even mentions the blonde boy, Sakamoto. Saying he was nothing but trouble. Akira highly doubts that the blonde doesn't seem to be a problematic person... just a little hot-headed.

Since the break was almost over, Kawakami introduced Akira at the beginning of the fifth period. There were already whispers about Akira being late or how he doesn't look to be an aggressive person but he didn't take on their comments. What caught the witch's attention was two particular students; a boy in the second row with short blue hair had his face marked with minor splotches of red and a plaster on his cheek and the student sitting in front of Akira's was the blonde beauty from earlier.

The period went by in a flash.

Leaving the classroom, Akira begins to see images of that castle earning him a minor headache. This was frustrating for the Umbra witch, ever since he moved to Toyko these strange events have begun. Kawakami also leaves the classroom to suggest to Akira he'd go straight home and avoid Sakamoto. Only for the blonde to join the conversation, well, he only joins to whisper to Akira that he'll be waiting on the rooftop. Before Akira could make his way to the stairs, the principal and Kamoshida came onto the second floor. The Umbra witch eavesdrops on their conversation; he doesn't learn much other than Kamoshida is the main star of the school. Once Akira makes it to the rooftop, he sees Sakamoto sitting in a folded-out chair, his right foot pushing against the edge of a steel table.

The blonde looks up at Akira, "...There you are. Sorry for callin' you up here like this. I bet Kawakami already told you stuff like 'don't get involved with him' huh?"

Akira answers honestly, "She said you're trouble."

"Heh, we're pretty much in the same boat. I heard you got a criminal record. Everyone's talkin' about it." News travels fast in this school. "No wonder you were so gusty." Discerning that the blonde wanted to talk more, Akira leaned against the end of another table close by. "...What was all that that happened? You know how we almost got killed at a castle... It wasn't a dream... right? You remember it too, yeah?"

Well, if angels and demons exist then why can't a new realm? "Yeah."

Sakamoto removes his foot off the table, now leaning forward to rest his hands on his knees, "Well, just 'cause we both remember it doesn't mean much though... I mean, even if it was a dream, you saved me from Kamoshida. So yeah... Thanks, Akira."

The Umbra witch couldn't stop the heartfelt smile forming on his face. Although he has saved people from the harm of the Laguna -whether from their attacks or damaged buildings' rubble- he never has been thanked for the act, let alone thanked so pleasantly. Not that he expects their gratitude, it just feels nice to have at least one person give him praise. "You're welcome."

"But man, that Kamoshida we saw there... You prolly don't know about it, but there are some rumours about him." Right, Uncle Luka mentioned a Kamoshida when they came to Toyko. "That asshole who was full of himself at the castle. No one says anything against him 'cause he's some medalist who took the volleyball team to nationals. The way Kamoshida was king of that castle felt crazy real 'cause of that... I wonder if we can go back to that castle again..." Sakamoto suddenly stands up, "Ugh, forget it. Must've all been a dream! It has to be! Sorry to drag you out here like this. That's all I had to say." The teen soon smiles, "You know, we are pretty similar. I feel like we're gonna get along just fine as 'troublemakers'. I'm Ryuji Sakamoto. I'll come talk if I see you around. Don't ignore me, all alright?" Akira merely nods. "Seeya," Ryuji says before leaving the rooftop. Guess Akira should head home as well.

~~~~

After a scolding from Sojiro, Akira made his way upstairs to relax in his room and change into some comfortable clothes. Taking some time to himself before going on his phone. He intended to text Rodin only to get a notification from the man himself.

Rodin: I've managed to set up an entrance to the Gates of Hell. It's in the alley by the cafe. Your mother wants you over.

The Umbra witch wastes no time getting off of his bed, grabbing his coat and stepping into Purgatorio to leave Leblanc. Akira points out his index finger, the red glow of his magic flows around his finger as he jams it into the cafe's keyhole. Unlocking the door to allow him access to the streets. He locks the door behind him before walking down the alley, viewing the brimming red entry to the Gates of Hell scurried away from the streetlights. Akira steps in the middle of the glowing circle and beams into the ground.

"Ah, there you are!" His mother was the first to greet him, leaving her drink at the bar to hug her son. It was Rodin and Jeanne at the bar, his mummy was either late or was working at the moment. Akira hugs her back firmly before following Jeanne to the bar, sitting on the empty bar seat beside her. "How was your first day?"

Rodin makes Akira a non-alcoholic drink (most likely an orange juice or something), he thanks the man before answering "It was... eventful." His mother raises an eyebrow, egging him to go further in detail. "One of the teachers is shady he seems he has a history with a new friend of mine as well."

"And this new friend...?"

Akira takes a quick sip of his drink, "His name is Ruyji, he has a reputation for being a troublemaker but he seems like a nice guy."

Rodin gives a small chuckle, "Already making friends on the first day... anything else interesting happened today?"

From the tone of his voice, it sounds as if he already knows something eccentric has happened. "Well..." Akira looks to the side, thinking how exactly to explain this new realm, "Ruyji and I had experienced something odd on the way to Shujin." Jeanne twirls her bar stool to sit with her front facing Akira's side. "It was like we were teleported to another area, instead of getting to the school we ended up at some castle even though we went the right way to the school... but that Kamoshida was there looking entirely different. Along with some weird guards. There even seemed to be flashes of the inside of a school," Akira tilts his head at Rodin. "Do you know if any angels or demons can have that sort of power?"

Jeanne glances over to Rodin, curious about this mysterious castle Akira has gone to. Rodin was quick to answer, "Nah, what you're talkin' about may deal with something that revolves more around someone's cognition."

"Cognition?" Jeanne questions.

"There hasn't been a lot of public research on the matter but from the little I've gotten from Cognitive Psience, if someone has a strong perception of the world it can form into a palace in the cognitive world. Say this place held a special place in your mind, in the cognitive world, the Gates of Hell could be seen as your accommodation instead of a bar."

Jeanne smirks, "This is something Cheshire asked Enzo to look into correct?" Rodin responds with a mere nod as Akira stares at his mother in confusion. Noticing this, Jeanne continues, "Your uncle came earlier in the day, mentioning those psychotic breakdowns that have been happening and wants to know if any supernatural beings are involved..."

"The main aspect of this was that mortals couldn't find a way to enter this world," Rodin then smiled at Akira "Until now." He leans over the bar, "Do you know how you entered the cognitive world?"

Akira thinks back to that morning, all Ruyji and he has done was walk to Shujin. What else could've... his phone! Taking his phone out of his coat pocket, Akira says "This might have something to do with it." He shows the screen to both parties, pointing to the red-eye symbol "This app just appeared on my phone and I can't delete it." Rodin takes the phone to inspect the app.

Clicking on the app, Rodin swiftly realises the purpose of this app "This is your way in," He gives Akira back his phone. The first thing Akira detected was some significant wording on the screen 'Kamoshida, Shujin Academy, pervert'. "Use this app when you're at school to go back to this castle... but make sure nobody watchin' you."

"Like if I am stepping into Purgartorio," Akira comments, putting his phone back in the comfort of his coat.

Finishing her drink, Jeanne began to speculate "It does seem odd how this is occurring as soon as Akira moved though..." Akira must admit, why would a power such as this be given to him now? Maybe it was because he had to have interacted with Kamoshida or was aware of Shujin Academy.

Akira attempts to form an explanation, "Well, since these words are needed on the app, I'm guessing that's why I wasn't given this power until now." It takes a beat of silence before Jeanne decides to no longer push on the subject. These questions can be answered later, they should just focus on settling Akira for now. He doesn't need any more stress than he could possibly have. The young witch spent 30 minutes in the Gates of Hell until his mother insisted that he should go to bed; to ensure he would have enough sleep for tomorrow. Saying his farewells, Akira leaves the bar thankful some of his questions were answered.

Chapter Text

A piano began playing, awakening Akira to jolt up and out of bed. Akira realises he is in that dream again, spotting the toilet in the dim blue lighting and feeling the heavy cuffs around his wrists.

"On your feet, inmate!" Caroline, the twin guard wearing an eye patch on her right eye, orders as she hits the cell bars with her baton. Akira obliges now standing right behind the black bars, his fingers curling around two bars.

The other twin guard Justine, sporting an eye patch on the opposite eye of her sisters, speaks up "Our master wishes to speak with you. It's for your own sake that you take his words to heart."

This master of theirs was sitting at a desk a few meters away from them. The old man had a long nose, pointed eyes and buldging bloodshot eyes "First off, let us celebrate our reunion. Oh..? You've awakened to your powers- and special ones at that. Your rehabilitation can finally begin." Akira questions this rehabilitation he must part-take in. "There is no need to understand it all for the time being. You will be training the power of Persona, which you have awakened to. Personas are, in other words, a mask- an armour of the heart when confronting worldly manners. I have high expectations for you."

Akira unsure of how to respond asks, "What do you mean?"

"There is no need to worry. You will learn when the time comes. By the by... have you come to appreciate the Metaverse Navigator?" Akira assumes this Navigator is the red-eye app on his phone but what is this Metaverse? Is the Metaverse related to the Cognition Pscience Rodin mentioned? "Using it will allow you to come and go between reality and Palaces." Akira repeats the last word in confusion. "... I bestowed to you as a means to train you as a thief."

Caroline speaks up, "The Metaverse Navigator is a gift from our master! You better take care in using it, inmate!"

The more composed twin comments, "Devote yourself to your training so that you may become a fine thief."

"It must be disheartening to make use of the Metaverse Navigator alone. Should there be others who would prove beneficial to you, I will grant it to them as well. This is all for you to grow as a most excellent thief..."

Then Caroline informs, "Hmph, it's time. Go back and enjoy whatever rest you might have..."

~~~~

12 April 2018

Another strange dream... Fate and... awakening? These questions can be answered later, for now, Akira should hurry and get to school. This time the witch remembered to bring his umbrella as he left the cafe. While waiting for the train with a large group of Shujin students, Akira overhears two students gossip about a certain red-haired student wearing a red ribbon. Boarding the train, Akira finds himself standing close by the student with the ribbon sitting on the very few available seats. Yet she only stays seated for under a minute as she stands upon noticing an old woman standing in front of her. Providing the old woman somewhere to sit; what a generous act. Just as Akira's lips curve upwards, they quickly falter when a man in a business suit rushes to steal the seat. The student with the ribbon attempts to have the man move, only for him to look up at the girl and ignore her. Akira's eyebrows knit together, why are there so many rude adults in suits? Akira offers to make the man move only for the girl to reject his help politely. Instead, she holds the old woman's bag until the train makes it to their destination.

"Pardon me..." Akira stops in his tracks, turning around to view the redhead. She performs a respectful bow, "Thank you so much for earlier."

Why is she thanking him? "All I did was offer to remove the man."

She smiles, "Not many would offer to though, so thank you." She takes a quick peek at his blazer "You're a second year at Shujin Academy, correct? I'm a first-year there myself. Thanking you totally slipped my mind back on the train, and I didn't want to be rude to my senpai. Please, excuse me!" She takes one more bow before leaving. Akira does the same, walking to Shujin ready to start the day. Luckily no angels or that castle interrupted the day so time flew by for it to be the end of the day. As Akira left his classroom he heard Kamoshida talking. Staring at the teacher's voice, Kamoshida was talking to Takamaki san. It was obvious that she wanted to get out of the conversation as fast as she could, using some excuse about having a photoshoot. Akira lets out a small sigh, not only is Kamoshida a scoundrel but a creep as well. Hopefully, Uncle Luka can get some serious evidence of this man to get him fired. Leaving the school building, Akira pulls out his phone intending to try using this navigator. He wants to learn more about this so-called Metaverse and how exactly these palaces adapt. Though he should move to a more secluded area before-

"Yo." Ryuji was waiting by the school gates for him.

Akira smiles at the teen, "What's up?"

"I wanna talk about the castle from yesterday. I tried tellin' myself it was all just a dream... but I couldn't do it. I can't act like nothing happened. It's all connected to that bastard Kamoshida, after all. I wanna find out about that place, no matter what. And y'know, you're the only person I can rely on for this stuff. So you in?"

Of course Akira is in, he was about to use the Navigator to explore that castle. He just hopes Ryuji will be able to handle himself if multiple guards catch them; Akira wouldn't be able to fight them all at once while protecting the blonde. "Sure, I'm in."

Ryuji grins, relieved he is not in this alone, "Nice! Okay, glad we're in this together. I think we should just try and retrace our steps from yesterday."

"There's no need for that." This earns Akira a tilt of the head from Ryuji. Akira puts his hand outward to Ryuji, exposing the red-eye app to him, "While looking through my phone, I noticed this random app on my phone; it won't let me delete it."

"That's weird... Wait, couldn't this be a navigation app thingy? I swore I heard stuff that sounded like one comin' from your phone. Didn't it say stuff like 'returned to the real world' or something like that?" Ryuji asks.

Akira clicks the app, "It did... there's even this."

Ryuji peers at the screen, his eyes widen somewhat "I knew it- it IS a navigation app!" He takes the phone "There's even your search history! Let's try usin' it." Conscious of some students still lingering around the school's entrance, Akira stops the blonde from touching the phone.

"Not here. It's not a good idea to try this with people close by." Akira's head motions to a small alley, "Let's do it over there."

Looking around and noting the small groups of students, Ruyji agrees and the duo heads through the small opening between two buildings. Ryuji taps on the app three times triggering the voice to vocalize the words 'Kamoshida, Shujin Academy, Pervert, Castle' for the world to soon shift around them. A strange purple and red hue overlaps their vision, the school models its form to the castle from before.

The blonde's eyes stare in astonishment, "Look! It's the castle from yesterday!" They venture forward, stopping at the tall heavy doors of the castle. "We made it back... That means what happened yesterday was for real too... Yeargh! Those clothes..." Akira's head lowered to glance at his clothing; He didn't notice his attire changing to his battle uniform. "That happened last time too, huh?! What's with that outfit?!"

Ok, Akira won't take any offence to that unintentionally rude remark, "Not bad, huh?"

"You LIKE it?! What's goin' on here?! This makes no effin' sense at all..."

"Hey!" Instantaneously both turn their heads to the voice, being greeted with a familiar black kitten. Morgana edges forward and instructs the teens to stay quiet, along with commenting on how the 'shadows' have been acting up. Ryuji questions whether it was still the school or not, allowing Morgana to clarify what exactly is occurring. Thanks to Morgana, Akira begins to understand more about this Metaverse, Kamoshida is the reason for the castle's existence. His distorted desires seem to be the reason for the manifestation of this castle; this must be how he sees the school then... as his castle to rule over and do as he pleases.

While rattling on about the matter, a scream of desperation stops Morgana. "What was that?!" Ryuji asks, unsettled by the scream.

Morgana retorts, "It must be the slaves captive here."

"For real?!" Another scream confirms the blonde's uncertainty, "Oh, shit... It's for real! We saw other guys held captive here yesterday... I'm pretty sure they're from our school."

The cat crosses his arms, "Most likely on Kamoshida's orders. It's nothing out of the ordinary; it's like that every day here. What's more, you two escaped yesterday. He must have lost his temper quite a bit."

Ryuji scowls, "That son of a bitch!... This is bullshit!" Out of frustration, Ryuji rushes and bangs his body against the doors. "You hear me, Kamoshida?!" Aching to help those from the mistreatment by Kamoshida, Ryuji questions Morgana if he could take them to these slaves captured in the castle. Morgana agrees if Akira tags along; it's not like Akira came here just to stand around. He agrees which pleases Ryuji and makes him less nervous to return to the ground prison. Morgana leads the way, sneaking through the open vent the guards seem to not have noticed yet. It doesn't take long to encounter a guard in the underground cells, Akira waits for their back to be facing the group and surprise attacks the guard. Jumping on the enemy's shoulders, Akira rips the mask from their face while exclaiming 'Show me your true form!'. This form was a single Jack o lantern, the battle ends with two attacks of Eiha from Akira and a melee attack from Morgana. Moving across the draw bridge, they manage to find the cell that previously held a weary teen who no longer occupied the small dungeon. Ryuji -eager to save these people- runs ahead to hunt for the other slaves further in, only to return within 10 seconds and claim he hears guards approaching. Morgana suggests they hide in a room and wait until they leave; the room looks hazy as if you would pass through it when touched. Luckily, that hazy effect is the only thing odd about the room because once they enter it looks just to be a resting area.

The blonde hunches over, taking some deep breaths while Morgana stands on top of a table, "The shadows probably won't come in here."

Ryuji manages to gasp out, "How can you tell?"

"There's a lack of distortion here, meaning the ruler's control over this area is weak." Seemingly on cue, the room transforms into an empty classroom in seconds.

"Is this a classroom?!"

"Now do you understand?" Morgana asks, "This place is another reality that the ruler's heart projects." Ryuji was still confused with the situation which Akira couldn't blame him for; the Umbra witch was able to understand this easier thanks to the information from his Uncle. Morgana further explains, "One could say it's a world in which one's distorted desires have materialized. I call such a 'Palace'." Ryuji repeats the word, puzzled by everything. "This is happening because he thinks the school is his own castle."

In all honesty, Akira wasn't surprised that Kamoshida would think of the school as his terrain. The majority of faculty -debatably the students too- suck up to the man from what Akira's witnessed. "So, it became like this because 'cause he just thought of it like that?!" Ryuji stamps his right foot against the floor, "That son of a bitch!"

Morgana states the obvious, "You must really hate this Kamoshida guy."

"Hate doesn't even cover how I feel. Everything is that asshole's fault!"

"I don't know what happened between you two, but don't let your emotions get the better of you." Despite Akira being tempted to pry into Ryuji's business with Kamoshida, it wasn't the time to question the blonde's beef. "His lackeys are everywhere inside." Morgana then changes the conversation to centre their attention to Akira's outfit. Due to his powerful will of rebellion, Akira manifests his appearance to the image of what he sees as a rebel. It could be that or this new power flowing within helped him fully grasp the concept of constructing his Umbran battle uniform.

Ryuji wasn't taking the information as easily as Akira was, "Uugh, I'm so fed up with all this! I'm more curious about you than his clothes! What the hell are you anyways?!"

Morgana retorts, "I'm a human- an honest-to-god human!"

"No! You're obviously more like a cat!"

"This is well..." Morgana adverts his eyes to the side, "It's because I lost my true form... I think. But I do know how to regain my true form. The reason I snuck in here was for a preliminary investigation of those means. Well, I ended up getting caught though..." He then jumps and makes a resentful glare, "Besides I've been tortured by Kamoshida too! I'm gonna make him pay for sure!" 

"What is this, a comic book? This is seriously crazy..."

Morgana ignores the blonde's comment, "If we're gonna keep going, we should hurry along." He eyes Akira, "I'll be counting on your skills this time too, rookie. Got it?"

Akira represses his snark from correcting the cat on calling him a rookie;  they don't need to know how versed Akira was in combat and about his 'side job' yet. Ryuji says, "Don't worry, I'm not gonna force it all on you. I thought it might help, so..." Out of nowhere, he pulls out a gun. It was modelled as a Stiker-fired pistol. "I brought this just in case! It's a model hun though, so it only makes sounds!"

Then why bring it? "That's a toy!"

"But it looks totally real, so it'll at least fake 'em out." As long as they don't encounter enemies that aren't afraid of the look of the gun then this is a good idea. "I brought some medicine too. You know what they: 'Providin' is pre... something'. Huh? Huh?"

Akira takes the gun from Ryuji as Morgana remarks, "So you were planning this from the start... Well, fine. If you're ready to go, we'll resume our infiltration." Opening one of the doors an inch, Akira peeks out to see three armed soldiers facing one another. They mention the slaves and how they're being held captive in some training hall before leaving. Two guards run across the bridge while the single soldier heads in the opposite direction. The trio leave the safe room and follow the single guard, walking down a flight of stairs. Before stepping closer to the enemy -their back facing the three- Morgana mentions not to get noticed or the security level will rise. Akira ambushes the guard, ripping its mask to unravel two Mandrakes. Akira melee attacks the right Mandrake for Morgana to follow up with his persona using Garu. Both Mandrakes attack Morgana although it doesn't do much damage to the cat. Akria and Morgana perform the same attack; Akira slices and kills the right Mandrake as Morgana uses Garu on the remaining. The Mandrake attempts to kick Akira, only for him to gracefully dodge it activating witch time. He doesn't waste any time using a new skill Arsene has learned -Cleave- and slicing the enemy to ribbons.

Upon ending the battle, Akira catches sight of Morgana's confused expression. Though it's only there for a swift moment before a grin replaces his frown, "Wow... you were really fast then. It's like time went by so quickly." He comments with a little chuckle. It must've seemed like Akira's attacks were rapid for Morgana due to witch time.

Luckily, Akira already thought up an excuse for his quick reactions, "It's a skill my persona has; where if I am to dodge perfectly it offers me extra time to make another hit." This seems to convince Morgana enough since he merely nods. Ryuji opens the bar doors to the left, the trio jogging through getting closer to the training hall. When turning a corner, Akira pushes back once he sees two soldiers standing in the middle of the small hallway. They don't spot Akira since they are too fixated on their conversation. Ryuji refers to the pistol he brought, planting an idea in Morgana's head. When one guard was left to station in the hallway, Morgana ordered Akira to attack. He gladly does so, causing a Jack o lantern and Mandrake to appear. Trusting Morgana, Akira whips out the gun and pulls on the trigger for, remarkably, bullets to diverge out of the gun and hit the Jack o lantern. Was this like how bullets work with his No Place Like Home guns? If so, then why were there only 8 bullets inside the gun? With magic, his guns held endless bullets so he wouldn't have to worry about ammo. It had taken 5 shots to kill the Jack o lantern while the last two hit the Mandrake. Morgana takes out a slingshot, killing the Mandrake with two shots. Once the battle finishes, Ryuji walks over, his mouth slightly agape in shock.

To rationalize why the gun suddenly has ammo, Morgana says, "This is the cognitive world. As long as our opponent sees it as real, it becomes such. It's a good thing it's realistic-looking."

Ryuji stays silent for a beat, "...I don't get it."

"Because they recognize it as a gun, your ammo capacity is limited in battle. But your enemies are expecting you to come at them with guns loaded, so your ammo's replenished in every new fight."

"What's this commotion over here...?" On the opposite end of the hall stood the previous soldier. "Wha-?! Why, you bastards!" The guard rushes the trio and Akira hits them before they can strike to release a single Mandrake. Akira concludes the fight within seconds using his gun. The group adventures onward going deeper into the tavern, encountering a guard stationed in front of the door they need to go through. Morgana saw this as an opportunity to introduce something special in their fighting. Akira thrashes the guard to form into a pixie. Akira uses Eiha to down the enemy, Morgana instructs them to rush in to do something called an 'All-Out Attack'. They surround the pixie and get information; repeatedly battering the enemy until it dies. With the soldier disposed of, the small team entered the training hall and was already met with the slaves' groans and what sounded to be like whips. Once they are close enough to the sounds, they look through the jet-black metal bars to witness four of the slaves forced up against a volleyball net. All the while guards would whip them with strong batons.

This infuriated Ryuji to the point of him shouting, "Dammit! This is bullshit!"

"How many times do I have to tell you to keep your voice down?!"

The teen shakes his head in frustration, "But this is beyond messed up!" Ryuji looks around, "How do I open this?!"

A faint voice suddenly cries out, "Stop it..!" Hunched over was a male teen with bandages covering half of his face, left leg and right hand. The teen was fatigued, barely standing, "Leave us alone... It's useless." Another teen limps over, his left hand is covered in white bandages.

"If we stay obedient, we won't be executed like you guys!"

Ryuji grasps two of the cell bars, leaning in closer "You're tellin' me you wanna stay in a place like this?!"

With a slight tilt of the head, Morgana asks, "Wait a minute... Were you planning on taking these guys out of here?"

"We can't just leave 'em here!"

Morgana shakes his head, "How stupid can you be? These are only humans in Kamoshida's cognition. They aren't really humans that have entered from reality. They're different from you two." Ryuji repeats the word 'cognition' with an inquisitive tone. "It means there's no point in saving them! they're different from the real ones in the real world. You could say that these are extremely similar-looking dolls."

"The hell?! Why's it gotta be so complicated?! So the school's a castle, and the students are slaves... It's so on point that it makes me laugh. This really is the inside of that asshole's head!"

Jumping off the wooden box, Morgana steps closer to the cell. He winces at the sight, "Still, this is horrible. It must mean he treats them as slaves in the real world too."

"In the real world too..?" Ryuji's eyes widen. "Wait, I know these guys... They're members of the volleyball team- the one Kamoshida coaches for!"

So he physically abuses them in reality... what a despicable man. Something must be done to stop this. Ryuji takes out his phone, intending to use the scene in front of him as evidence. Only for his phone camera to not respond. Akira does the same for his camera app to not open. Before leaving the training hall, Ryuji tries to memorize the slaves' faces. They observe the two next cells, one where three slaves are forced to run on a treadmill trying to reach a yellow jug of water. At this treadmill's end was a sideways spikes cylinder that would most likely pierce through flesh. The second cell had a slave hung up upside down, across from them was a cannon shooting volleyballs in his face every five seconds. They manage to escape the training hall and make it to the entrance hall. Where the king stood with three knights at his side. One of them wore some golden amour, most likely a higher-up soldier that would be stronger to beat.

Kamoshida grunts in annoyance, "...You knaves, again? To think you'd make the same mistake again. You're hopeless!"

"The school ain't your castle! I've memorized their faces real good. You're goin' down!"

"It seems it's true when they say' barking dogs seldom bite'. How far the star runner of the track team has fallen."

Star runner? Akira's eyebrow subtly raises in curiosity. "What the hell are you gettin' at?!" Ryuji snaps back.

"I speak of the 'track traitor' who acted in violence, ending his teammates' dreams. Oh, I can only imagine the pain of the others who were dragged under with your... selfish act." Akira repeats 'Track traitor' irresolutely, Ryuji doesn't seem to be the type of guy to betray others. There must be more to this. Kamoshida notices Akira's uncertainty, "What a surprise. So you're accompanying him without knowing anything at all? He betrayed his teammates and crushed their hopes, yet he still carries on as carefree as ever."

Ryuji holds his head in both hands, "That's not true!"

"What a tragedy... You blindly trusted this fool, and he's led you right to your death." Kamoshida turns his back to the group and glances at his guards, "Hurry up and dispose of them. I can't stand their stench." Two guards step forward, changing their forms to dark-coloured horses with greenhorns. Their eyes were pure red while their manes and tails were snow white.

Akira and Morgana move in front of Ryuji, getting into a battle with the enemies. They surround the duo, putting them at a disadvantage. They attack first, two lunges at Akira while the remaining lunges at Morgana. Akira summons Arsene, using Eiha on one of the two-horned beasts, they resist the attack which causes them not to take as much damage. Morgana uses garu on a different horse, barely getting their health halfway down.

Morgana sighs, "There's more of them? This is bad.." Before the cat can react, one of the beasts tackles him. Sending him face-first to the ground as he groans out 'Ah, failure'.

Akira tries to run toward the cat, "Morgana!" Only to perform a backward cartwheel to avoid a horse's back hooves from colliding with his face. Within the time duration of his Witch time, Akira pulls out his gun, unloading all of his ammo into one of the beats killing it. Two enemies left. One of the stallions charges at the Umbra witch, Akira raises his dagger to make three large slices across the enemy's face. It stumbles back as it howls in pain, then the other horse lunges at Akira. With a smirk, he jumps over the beast now standing behind it. Summoning Arsene to use Cleave to kill the beast; one enemy left. Akira makes haste and slices at the remaining horse ending the battle.

"T-That's enough!" Akira turns around, viewing Kamoshida harshly stepping on top of Morgana's body. Keeping the cat in place. "I won't hesitate to kill this thing if you don't surrender!" Although Akira can hear a hint of panic in his tone, he knows that Kamoshida is willing to hurt others for his own benefit. Concerned for his friend's safety, Akira stands frozen in place, beside Ryuji who is now on his knees. The golden soldier raises the tip of his sword towards Akira, guaranteeing his king's safety from the Umbra witch trying anything. Kamoshida focuses on Ryuji, "I bet you simply came here on a whim and ended up like this, Isn't that right?"

Ryuji shakes his head, "No.."

Kamoshida forms a cocky grin, "What a worthless piece of trash, getting emotional so quickly... How dare you raise your hand at me. Though it was only temporary, have you forgotten my kindness in supervising track practice?"

Clenching his fists, Ryuji's upper body leaps forward to the ground, "Wasn't no practice- it was physical abuse! You just didn't like our team!"

"It was nothing but an eyesore! The only one who needs to achieve results is me!" Man does this guy think so highly of himself; Akira never wanted to punch a man more than ever at this moment. "That coach who got fired was hopeless too... Had he not opposed me with a sound argument, I would've settled it with only breaking his star's leg."

The blonde raises his head, looking at the man in disbelief, "..What?"

"Do you need me to deal with your other leg too? The school will call it self-defence anyway!"

"Dammit... Am I gonna lose again? Not only can I run anymore... The track team is gone too 'cause of this asshole..."

Morgana mutters out, "So that's why..." Kamoshida pushes his heel into Morgana's back,

"Once these two are dealt with, you're next." The king lets out malevolent laughter, causing Ryuji to feel even more defeated.

Akira needs to help him, he can't let this bastard get to Ryuji. "Don't let him win!"

Ryuji responds, "... You're right. Everything that was important to me was taken by him... I'll never get 'em back!"

The king ignores what the blonde says, "Stay there and watch. Look on as these hopeless scum die for nothing because they sided with trash like you."

Ryuji raises up to his feet, sternly staring at the man "No... That's what you are... All you think about is using people... You're the real scumbag, Kamoshida!" 

He takes three steps forward, vexing Kamoshida at the teen's defiance, "What are you doing? Silence him!"

Ryuji points at Kamoshida, "Stop lookin' down on me with that stupid smile on your face!"

Unexpectedly, Ryuji's eyes almost look to bulge out. Sweat begins to drip down his face as he drops to the floor. His body tussles and turns all the while he screams in pain. Wait... is he now... attaining his own persona? Akira simply watches curiously, a steel skull mask manifesting on Ryuji's face. He pulls the mask off with an agonizing scream, blood splurting on the upper half of his face while large volumes of blue flames elope around his body; the flames propel the soldiers and Kamoshida away. Floating behind Ryuji was his persona... A large pirate ship carried a skeleton, riding the ship as if it were a skateboard. The persona wore: a blue shirt, a pair of black pants with gold trim, white boots and a long flowing red cape. Resting on his skull was a captain's pirate hat while an eyepatch covered his right socket.

"Right on... Wassup, persona... This effin' rocks!" With some help from Akira, Morgana gets back on his feet. They both stand by Ryuji's side, "Now that I got this power, it's time for payback..." Ryuji cracks his knuckles, "Yo, I'm ready... Bring it!"

Appearing in front of them was a evidently larger and stronger knight, riding a black horse. Two green-horned beasts stand on each side of the larger knight. Ryuji begins the fight, "Blast him away... Captain Kidd!" Using the only skill, Zio, he strikes one of the small horses' which hits its weakness. With his extra turn, Ryuji strikes the left-side colt downing the enemy; he repeats his Zio attack killing it. Akira is next, he assaults the remaining downed enemy with three slices of his dagger killing it. Morgana uses Garu on the guard captain. The last guard lunges at Ryuji and he takes some damage. Yet it doesn't deter him to smash his metal rod -his melee weapon- against the captain's armour. Akira makes the last attack, using Cleave to end the battle.

The blonde hunches over, his chest heaving up and down; that fight took a lot out of him surprisingly. He straightens his back to look at Kamoshida, standing beside his fallen guard, "... How 'bout that?!"

Morgana stares at him with amazement, "Whoa... So Ryuji had the potential too..."

Ryuji stares angrily at Kamoshida, "Even if you apologize now... I ain't forgivin' you!"

Kamoshida takes two steps closer to the trio, "I told you that this is my castle. It seems you still don't understand." Prancing to the king's side was Takamaki, wearing a fuchsia bikini, matching pink high heels and cat ears with a tiara on top of her head.

It's plainly another cognition version of her, although Akira doesn't personally know the girl, he could tell she wants nothing to do with this man based on their conversation in the hallway earlier. Takamaki leans closer to Kamoshida, earning his hand to be placed under her chin with his thumb ghosting her bottom lip. "Hey! Let go of her, you perv!"

"How many times must I tell you until you understand? This is MY castle - a place in which I can do whatever I want. Everybody wishes to be loved by me." Kamoshida removes his hand from the blonde's chin, scowling at the group. "...That is, everyone besides slow-witted thieves like you."

Ryuji ignores Kamoshida, "Takamaki! Say somethin'!" Before Akira can rectify what's happening, Morgana does it for him and explains to Ryuji that this isn't the real Takamaki. Kamoshida calls upon more guards to appear. Although Ryuji wanted to stay and fight, Morgana and Akira knew it wouldn't be good to continue and coerce him to escape. They make it outside the castle, each taking some deep breaths in and out.

Examining his new clothing, Ryuji speaks up, "I don't remember changin' into this!" He now wore a black jacket with matching elbow pads, on his back appeared to be a metal vertebral column. His black pants also had knee pads and a double-sided holster belt with shotgun shells on each side. The pop of colour in Ryuji's outfit was his red ascot and pair of yellow gloves.

It didn't look bad, Akira found it to make Ryuji into a rather attractive rebel. As in attractive in the bad boy sense, "It looks good on you."

"Uhh... Should I be happy about that?.. Then again, it ain't as bad as yours." Okay then, don't expect another compliment from Akira anymore. Through the open vent, they could hear the pursuers attempting to find them. They stay quiet until the guards' voices drown out. As expected, Ryuji is still confused about everything so Morgana tries to describe the security and how Ryuji's persona is his rebel within. He even explains how Kamoshida, in reality, isn't aware of what happens in the Metaverse. Before Ryuji and Akira can leave though, the cat stops in them to have his end of the bargain. The bargain neither teen has agreed upon. Morgana apparently had Akira play a bigger part in this plan of his. Not wanting to stay near the castle any longer, the teens run away leaving a displeased Morgana behind.

Returning to reality, the two stood in an alleyway a few inches from the school. The Navigator app enables its voice to confirm they have returned to the real world.

"...Thank God. We're back." Ryuji glances at the Umbra witch with contrite, "I dragged you around a lot, huh?... Sorry, man. Ugh, I'm dead tired... How you holdin' up?"

Akira didn't feel too drowsy, he felt the same way he would after slaying angels; it gave him a small rush of excitement. "Eh, I'm fine."

"That's impressive. I'm exhausted even though I used to do track..." Ryuji's face suddenly beams, "But damn, if what we saw was for real, this is gonna get good! I totally remember the faces of the guys Kamoshida was treatin' like slaves. Once we make 'em fess up to any physical abuse, Kamoshida will be done. So... wanna help me look for those guys or any witnesses?" If Akira assists Ryuji in searching for students who are willing to report this abuse, maybe he could inform Uncle Luka of these injured parties to write an article and notify the public of this horrendous man and his actions. When Akira complies to help, the blonde smiles, "Now that's what I'm talkin' about!" His smile quickly falters when he seems to think about something. "Hey so... If you're thinkin' of layin' low 'cause you got a record, I don't think that'll help... Everybody already knows. They totally got you pegged as a criminal." Akira stays silent, tilting his head to encourage Ryuji to explain further, "Kamoshida opened his damn mouth!" Does this man live to terrorize almost every teen he encounters? "No one besides a teacher could've leaked it that fast! It doesn't matter if it's a student or a club; that asshole just wrecks things he doesn't agree with. Just like he did with me!" He pauses for a beat, "No one'll take anything I say seriously. Still, those rumours about him gettin' physical might be real. And after seein' Kamoshida's distorted heart thing in person, there's no way I can just sit back!"  

Akira nods his head, "Of course."

"I'm countin' on you! Don't worry- I'm hyped about this too!" It seems they have formed a bond of trust...

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

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

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

Since it would be weird for them to say goodbye, Ryuji recommends they go to eat somewhere. Akira's stomach is rather empty so why not? Ryuji leads the way, mentioning how they can talk about one another while they eat.

~~~

It must have been hitting five o'clock when Akira made it back to Leblanc, his belly full from that wonderful serving of beef with his new friend. During this hangout, they planned on scouting for victims tomorrow and exchanging numbers. Akira couldn't stop the subtle smile painting his face; it comforts the young witch to have a friend like Ryuji. Even though they've only known each other for about three days, Akira can tell they're going to be best friends. Hell maybe they could-

"Akira!" Once the teen sets foot inside the cafe, he is greeted by none other than the amazing Luka. He sat on one of the stools across from Sojiro who stood behind the counter. Eyeing the almost empty plate of curry and a half-full cup of coffee, it seems Luka has been here for a while. Luka waves the teen over and both offer a swift hug, "How are you doin' kid? An old birdie has told me you skipped most of your first day."

Sojiro's eyebrows knit together, expressing how mildly annoyed he was at being referred to as 'old birdie'. He then gazes over at Akira impassively, "I take it you actually went to school today?"

The Umbra witch simply answers, "Of course."

"I guess you learned your lesson after what happened yesterday. Eh, as long as you're getting into trouble, that's fine by me."

Luka gets off his stool, "Couldn't agree more!" Rumagging inside his right coat pocket, Luka takes out more yen than needed to pay for his meal. He flings the money on the counter, "Here's a little extra Sojiro; that curry is better than anything they serve at the hotel! You've got some talent when it comes to cooking."

Sojiro, slightly taken aback by the generous gesture, hesitantly picks up the yen, "T-thanks..." Akira's phone pings, stealing his attention to see a notification from his messages.

Ryuji: Hey, I decided to go ahead and message you.

Can you see this?

Akira decides to make a frivolous response. Akira: Nope.

Ryuji: You so CAN!

I'm gonna be counting on you tomorrow, OK?

Akira: Got it.

Ryuji: You're a bro, man...

Welp, see ya tomorrow!"

Let's save those guys who have been getting abused. You and me.

"Hey, kid!" Akira looks up to Sojiro, "I'm gonna lock up in 5 minutes," He motions between Luka and Akira, "If you both want to talk then make it quick, alright?"

The young witch nods briskly, grabbing his uncle's arm to drag him upstairs. Luka lets out a minor chuckle at the boy's eagerness, plopping onto the couch beside the lonely table. "Wow Kiki, I've never seen you so energetic. Did something interesting happen' today?"

With a bashful smile, Akira says "Something did... but we can talk about that later. I wanted to ask if you're still investigating Kamoshida."

Luka's eyebrows raise, "Why do you ask?" He then leans forward in his seat, "He isn't causing you any trouble is he?"

Akira scratches the back of his head, "Not necessarily. It's more of him causing serious trouble to others and needs to be stopped. A friend and I have stumbled upon some unsavoury things. If we manage to obtain some witnesses to confess, do you think you can include their accounts in your records?"

"If these witnesses are willing sure, I just need their contact info. I'll keep their identities confidential when it goes public of course." He stands up, placing his palms on the back of his head. "Are you planning to question these witnesses tomorrow?" Akira merely nods. "Okay then, I can meet you after school." Luka cooly grins at the teen, "We can maybe talk about other things as well."

"That would be great, thanks Chesshire."

Luka heads to the tip of the stairs, "No need to thank me. I've also been discussing this with another reporter... She said she's down to collaborate on writing a transcription together. Havin' a local join me in writing could help in catchin' the attention of the public." Luka's mouth forms an 'o' as he remembers a message he needs to give to his nephew. "Oh! I almost forgot!" He spins to face Akira, "Rodin wants me to tell you that your 'special items' will be given back on the sixteenth." He uses his fingers to make quotations. Akira is aware of what 'special items' he is referring to.

Well, that's some good news. Although Akira hasn't bumped into any of his feathery holy friends since he moved, he's itching to have his guns returned and have some fun with them. He doesn't mind using his dagger to defend himself, however, No Place Like Home are much more entertaining to use. When he has the chance Akira should return to that palace and see if his gun's damage stays consistent in the Metaverse. Akira performs a respectful bow, thanking his uncle for the information. They say their goodbyes, granting Akira his solitude.

13 April 2018

"That asshole's actin' like a king over here too... Get to know each other better, my ass. It's just a one-man show for him to stroke his ego. And how he acted like he was worried about Mishima? What an abusive d-bag!" Ryuji tirades while Akira nods in agreement. During that volleyball rally, Kamoshida was vicious with his serves to the point of harming a poor blue-haired boy in Akira's class. The volleyball served by Kamoshida wrecked his cute face; the man didn't even look sorry for hurting his student. Ryuji sighs, "... Well, anyways. Now's our chance to go look for the guys we saw were slaves yesterday. Let's look for the faces we saw at the castle. All the members of the team should be here today. I'll be sure to find someone to spill about Kamoshida's physical abuse. Just you wait, asshole."

"Where are you searching?" Akira doesn't know the full layout of the school yet so he is relying on Ryuji to lead them to the volleyball players.

Ryuji takes a couple of seconds to think about where they should start, "... The first one that popped out was a guy from Class D, so let's start from there. That's your class. Hopefully, you can get him to talk without any issues. People have been avoidin' me lately, so... Oh, but you're kinda in the same boat, huh." Akira ends the conversation with a shrug of his shoulders. Surely if they're blunt with the victims they will unfold how abusive Kamoshida is.

Entering the 2-D classroom, the Umbra witch scans the room to hunt for a teen wearing the volleyball team's uniform. At the front of the classroom -reading some pinned papers on the board- stood a brown-haired teen with bandages covering the right side of his face. Ryuji and Akira approach the teen to inquire how he had gotten his injuries; he claims it's from practice only for Ryuji to call his bluff. The panicked volleyball player asks if they have proof and tells the duo to leave him alone when Ryuji hesitates at his question. Since the volleyball game will eventually end, Akira suggests they split up. Ryuji complies with this and checks the practice building while Akira searches the classroom building floors for a third-year player in 3-C. Walking down to the first floor, Akira soon finds the player with noticeable injuries on his face. Alas, it results in the player becoming bothered by the witch's interrogation and won't fess up to Kamoshida's abuse. Akira's phone pings allowing him to leave without it seeming too awkward. Removing his phone from his PE pants pocket, Akira views a message from Ryuji, he was checking if Akira has convinced a volleyball player only to find out he had the same outcome. Ryuji informs the witch about the lead of a first-year volleyball member who has joined the recently. There's a chance he will be more willing to speak since Kamoshida's manipulation hasn't fully gotten to the boy yet. Travelling up to the third floor, Akira manages to spot this first year in time. He approaches the teen and gets straight to the point, asking if Kamoshida is abusing the team. Although the teen denies this abuse, he mentions how a Mishima gets special coaching that goes too far. Before Akira could push the volleyball player further in explaining this 'special coaching', the school speakers turn on, advising the students to get ready to go home since the matches have concluded. Ryuji texts him, stating they should regroup in the courtyard by a leisure area.

While patiently waiting for his friend, Akira stands in front of one of the two vending machines. There wasn't anything that Akira was interested in; eating most of these snacks may alter his diet. Then again, surely one snack couldn't hinder his many years of training and exercising to perfect his body.

"Can I talk to you for a sec?" Akira was surprised to see Ann Takamaki looming behind him. This was rather sudden, why does she want to talk to him?

Akira raises one brow, "What is it?"

"It'll be quick." Her eyes bast down for a mere second before she stares at Akira, "Anyways, what's with you? Like, how you were late the other day was a lie and all." Guess it was half of a lie, no matter the reason though he was late to school. "... There's that weird rumour about you too."

Akira notices Ryuji drawing near, the blonde's face becoming slightly sour, "Whaddya want with him?"

Ann counters back, "Right back at you. You're not even in our class."

"... We just happened to get to know each other."

Doubtful of the situation, Ann crosses her arms, "What're you planning on doing to Kamoshida?"

Ryuji is taken aback at first until he believes why she's questioning him, "... I see. I getcha. You're all buddy-buddy with Kamoshida after all."

The blonde girl sends a dirty look to Ryuji, "This has nothing to do with you, Sakamoto!"

"If you found out what he's been doin' behind your back, you'd dump him right away."

"Behind my back...? What's that supposed to mean?"

There's a bit of silence in the atmosphere, Ryuji looks over to his friend before stating "You wouldn't get it."

Ann sighs, "Anyways, people are already talking about you two. I don't know what you're trying to pull, but no one's gonna help you. I'm just warning you, just in case. That's all." She walks away, leaving Ryuji and Akira. Engrossed by the two blonde's interaction, Akira queries his friend on how he knows Ann. Ryuji briskly responds they have known one another since middle school and shifts the conversation to whether anyone's name popped up. The Umbra witch mentions this Mishima boy who's doing some special coaching. Sensing this is another opportunity to see if someone will spill, Ryuji suggests they look for this Mishima before he leaves. The duo are able to catch the teen near the entrance of the school. It turns out Mishima was the cute boy from the volleyball match.

Running towards the rather dishevelled teen, Ryuji requests for a quick chat with the blue-haired teen. "Kamoshida's been 'coaching' you, huh? You sure it's not physical abuse?"

Mishima steps back, "Certainly not!"

Ryuji crosses his arms, "What're you talkin' all polite for? Anyways... We saw him spike you today. Right in the face."

"That was just because I'm not good at the sport..." The teen meekly excuses. Akira couldn't help but feel sorrow from looking at his classmate. He can tell Mishima is discouraged, Kamoshida has crushed this poor boy's spirit.

The blonde responds, "... Still, that doesn't explain all the other bruises you got." Mishima urgers they're from practise, "Is he forcin' you to keep quiet?" Lamentably Mishima is unable to answer when Kamoshida joins the conversation. The older man makes a comment to the blue-haired teen on how it's time for practice; Mishima attempts to reason why he was leaving early only for Kamoshida to jab that the boy might as quit if he's not willing to improve his crappy form. Ryuji is quick to defend Mishima, getting right in front of Kamoshida. Who glares down at the blonde, not so subtlety threatening to expel Ryuji if he doesn't quit causing trouble. He soon leaves, commanding Mishima to follow. When Kamoshida is out of sight, Mishima reveals that everyone -students, principal, parents- knows about the abuse but won't do anything. No one is helping these mistreated teens. If only Akira's mother worked here; as soon as she finds out about Kamoshida she will most likely assemble her Cutie J identity to teach this man a VERY harsh lesson. Jeanne is devoted to protecting not only her family but her dear students too; to discover a fellow teacher is being unprofessional with their students will infuriate her to the point of violence.

Mishima goes forth in the same direction as Kamoshida, leaving Akira and a frustrated Ryuji. "I hope you're not going to quit." Akira comments, there's no way he is letting this go and he can't allow his friend to give up either.

"... No, I ain't givin' up... I'll try one more time to persuade the other guys. That's... all I can do." Ryuji answers with a tinge of grit.

~~~~

Hanging close to the Shujin gates, Luka scans the small crowds of minors for his nephew. His eyes pause when he reaches the stairs, watching Akira exiting the school. With a loud whistle, it gains Akira's attention, who jogs over to Luka and greets him with a smile. They begin the route to the station as they discuss whether Akira has convinced the volleyball players to come out or not. Luka figured they should get business out of the way before lightening the mood by discussing Akira's school life. Upon Akira entailing none of these teens were willing to come forward, what made it more somber was that apparently the adults were aware and weren't doing anything. Damn... Luka may need to enlist an extra hand from Ichiko on finding ways to expose this Kamoshida asshole.

Luka tries to console his nephew, "Sorry you discovered that info kid; to know your principal isn't acting on this is messed up." Luka may not be the best when it comes to this, he wasn't fully sure how to respond to this news. The two stood on the train heading to Shibuya.

Akira nods, "But we're not giving up though, Ryuji said he'll try again before we parted."

"That's good your friend isn't giving up either." Luka gently nudges his shoulder against Akira's, "But hey, don't let this get you down... Let's talk about something else." It'll relax his nephew to focus on something else for a moment. "I wanna know more about this new friend of yours," Luka leans in closer to whisper, "Do you like him?"

From his tone and emphasis on the word, Akira could tell what type of 'like' Luka was referring to. Akira shrugs, "It might be too early to tell..." Luka pats his nephew's back, motioning to the train doors. Akira continues as they leave the train, "Even though he has a bit of a temper, I like how headstrong and honest he is with his feelings."

Luka hums approvingly, "Sounds like a good kid." They stroll up to Station Square, chatting about various things until Akira senses his holy friends close by. How nice of them to finally drop by, fighting some angels will let Akira blow off some steam.

"Hey Uncle Luka, can you wait here for a second?" Luka gives a questionable look at the teen, "It's some business I need to take care of real quick."

The older man realises what he meant, "Oh yeah, sure! I'll wait by the next train we have to take alright?" Akira nods and then turns to the direction where he can sense the angels are presenting themselves. He will have to make this quick; Akira doesn't want to risk making Sojiro annoyed if he is late going home. The Umbra witch enters Purgatorio, now spotting the angels ahead of him. It was a group of third-sphere angels: three Affinities, two enchants and three Acceptances. Akira disrobes into his birthday suit, allowing his hair to extend down his body. Arranging each strand of hair into his battle uniform.

Akira gets in the angels' line of view, he smirks as they react with squeals and squawks, "How nice of you boys to send a welcoming party. Though it is rather late by four days." Akira pulls out his Orichalcum dagger from his Umbra seal space along with his gun from Ryuji. The enchants begin to circle around the Umbra witch, two Affinites stay on the ground as one flies and the Acceptances stay back waiting for an opening to attack. Akira lets the Affinity swing their staff at the teen, he dodges by performing a three-sixty spin to the right activating Witch time. Choosing to get rid of the enchants first, Akira carries out various combos that end with infernal punches from Monsouir Charro. He is able to kill one enchant within Witch time while the remaining barely lives with parts of flesh exposed. As the Umbra witch continues his attack, occasionally switching from his dagger to his gun to execute new combos, he begins to wonder if he is able to use a persona while in Purgatorio. After all, he still has the mask so surely he can right? Purgatorio surely isn't that different from the Metaverse when it comes to inhabiting various creatures. Akira jumps back to give some space between him and the angels in case Arsene doesn't respond. Calling upon his persona's name, strikingly, for Arsene to ascend from an Umbran symbol and his mask to disintegrate. There was no need to control the persona through his hair, it turns out that Arsene doesn't need any commands to act. Arsene pounced at one Acceptance and used Cleave to daze them. Targeting an Affinity next with a single Eiha while Akira plunges the same angel closer to Central Street with Tetsuzanko. Arsene lets out a booming laugh, gleeful at these new enemies; The same thrill Akira feels is building within his persona making him eager to fight more.

One Acceptance charges at Akira, but unable to dodge in time Akira is pushed back from the impact of the enemy's weapon. With a thrash of his wings, Arsene forces himself to collide at the Acceptance's side before his body fades into thin air; the Umbra witch's magic has depleted. Thanks to Arsene's help, some of the angels were weakened so Akira didn't have to worry much about their attacks. Swiftly, Akira kills the Affinity by Central Street with two slices of his dagger and two kicks that end with Monsouir Charro infernal stomping on the angel. The rest of the holy creatures rush at Akira: A flying Affinity fires its trumpet, two Acceptances throw their weapons back ready to harshly swing them while the other is somehow still dazed, an enchant builds their holy sphere and the last Affinity stands back waiting for an opening. Both Acceptances strike but Akira cartwheels backwards, slowing down the fired holy sphere from the Affinity's trumpet. Executing an After-Burner kick, the sphere slowly travels in the opposite direction now intending to hit its sender. Akira shoots multiple times at the Enchant, eliminating the angel before it completes its attack. When Witch time no longer operates, the Affinity is slammed back into a building causing some chunks to collapse. Pinning the Affinity underneath the rubble. Akira continues to make various combos, during the battle he isn't able to avoid damage to the buildings; luckily though, it was only two buildings rather than the whole row. The two buildings looked to be some type of bookstore and a diner that was already closed; the damage wasn't severe as the building still stood. Akira is able to terminate the angels within five minutes, he mutters a sorry despite none of the translucent people being unable to hear him before heading back to the station. In spite of the battle ending quickly, Akira was able to discover a possible new form of combat; he can use his Persona when fighting angels.

14 April 2018

"Shouldn't you be heading to volleyball?" Inquires the blonde, gazing at her friend who was somewhat hunched over. She only answers with a nod. "That bruise above your eye... Is that from practice, too?"

Shiho mummurs, "Y-Yeah..."

Ann's eyebrows furrowed, "Are you sure you're not pushing yourself too hard?"

"I'm okay... Volleyball's the only thing I can do right..." Ann's phone begins to ring, she leaves it ring to focus her attention on her friend. "I... should get going." The blonde asks if Shiho will be alright, only for the teen to stand muttering 'Uh-huh' before walking away. Pass through the Practice building to stand in front of a doorway. Shiho didn't know what to do; she felt lost in her life. Volleyball was something she once loved and was set on becoming an amazing player of the sport. Possibly have so much talent she would become a well-known professional... But now, she relinquishes the idea and forms a small debate in her head about quitting Volleyball. Quitting the sport could make everything stop, wouldn't it? Would he leave her alone? Who is she kidding; that man will torment her until graduation. Maybe she can endure it, endure it long enough until she graduates...

"Excuse me?"

Shiho glances to the left, viewing a striking black-haired boy. She soon realises why he is talking to her, "Oh... I'm in the way, aren't I? Sorry..."

The teen offers a reassuring smile, "Don't worry about it, I'm sorry too."

"Oh no, it's totally my fault. I shouldn't have been spacing out like that..." She couldn't help but feel pathetic in front of the student. Though he doesn't seem the type of judge... now she has a closer look at the boy. Shiho hasn't seen him at school before. "Hm, you don't look familiar. Could you be the transfer student from Class D?" The teen nods. Shiho has heard about the rumours about him, ranging from assault to something as ridiculous as elephant trafficking. "Um, this might not be any of my business, but don't let the rumours get you, okay?"

 He seems to form a soft smile, "They don't bother me."

"I'm glad to hear that... My best friend is often misunderstood too, all because of her looks..." Shiho the words from spilling, in all honestly doesn't know why she wanted to tell him that. Maybe so he could understand he isn't the only one people judge in this school? With a shake of her head, Shiho says goodbye to the teen and heads to practice. The teen watched Shiho leave before exiting the building to meet with Ryuji. Akira sees the blonde standing by the vending machines, his stance already had given Akira the answer on whether any victims are willing to come forward. The two go back and forth on what to do next until an interesting idea pops into Akira's head. What if they punish the king? If they confront the Kamoshida in the metaverse then couldn't that have some sort of effect in the real world? When Akira suggests the idea, Ryuji can barely question the idea when a familiar voice cuts in. The teens look around for the person only to see... a black cat? They position themselves on the table between Akira and Ryuji and prattles about how the teens can't get away with not paying them back for helping them. It was Morgana! Upon overhearing a teacher complain about searching for a cat, Ryuji picks up Morgana to stuff him into Akira's bag, proposing they talk somewhere more private.

Akira gently places Morgana down on the rooftop floor as Ruji asks the cat how they can do something to Kamoshida in the other world. Morgana instructs the two that if they'd make the castle disappear then it would infect the real Kamoshida. When the castle vanishes so will Kamoshida's sick desires, he will be unable to bear the weight of his crimes and confess them himself. Even though there was more to educate the teens, Morgana only agreed to do so if they went ahead with this plan. Since they had no other choice the teens accept this deal until Ryuji becomes unsure when Morgana mentions that there's a chance Kamoshida could die if the job isn't properly done. Morgana leaves frustrated at the blonde's hesitation, the teens soon leave the rooftop with Ryuji claiming to try and find another way to this predicament. As Akira walks home, he manages to overhear some students gossip; talking about Takamaki and her relationship with Kamoshida, how the volleyball team are loyal to the Kamoshida, how Ryuji and Akira have been seen together and a player named Suzui is his favourite girl. The last one is rather concerning.

Exiting the Teikyu building, Akira overhears a familiar voice, 

"Will you please give it a rest?! I told you, I'm not feeling up to it..." It was his classmate Ann talking with someone on her phone. Judging from her tone she was agitated by the other person attempting to urge her to do something. "Wait, what?! That's not what you promised! And you call yourself a teacher?!" She pauses for a beat, "This has nothing to do with Shiho!" She lets out a gasp as -who Akira assumes to be- Kamoshida hangs up. Ann curls into a ball on the ground, mumbling about her friend's starting position It's most likely Kamoshida is trying to blackmail Ann, using her friend's place in the team to get what he wants. Akira doesn't want to even speculate what Kamoshida wants Ann to do... He needs to help her. Akira goes to her side, she quickly takes notice of his close presence and stands up in surprise. She questions if he was eavesdropping to which Akira responds honestly. She asks how much he heard and his answer seems to prompt Ann to run away. Akira pursues the blonde, finding her in the underground walkway. The Umbra witch is able to calm her down and peacefully lead her to a safe location. Which was a fast-food restaurant.

Ann was initially reluctant to talk until Akira showed how he knew that argument was with Kamoshida. He could tell she was stressed with her situation, letting her vent to him might help her out. "You've heard the rumours... Haven't you?" Her right index finger begins to trail across a napkin on the table, "About Mr Kamoshida. Everybody says we're getting it on... But... that's so not true...! That was him on the other line. I avoided giving my number... For the longest time... He told me to go to his place after this.." Her hand elops around the napkin tightly, "You know what it means. If I turn him down, he said he'd take my friend off as a regular from the team..." She stares down at her lap, the tears rapidly building in the corner of her eyes. "I've been telling myself this is all for Shiho's sake... I can't take it anymore... I've had enough of this. I hate him! But still.. Shiho's my friend." Her head swings left to right as tears cascade down her cheeks, "She's all I have left at that sorry excuse of a school! Tell me..." She gazes at Akira, "What should I do?" Akira couldn't respond, his honest answer would be to tell him no and let's say 'correct' the man's behaviour with the help of his trusty set of No Place Like Home artillery. "Sorry..." She wipes her tears away with the back of her right hand, "I shouldn't have asked. It's not your problem." She lets out a sigh, "What.. What am I saying? I've barely even talked to you before..."

"It's fine." Ann looks at the teen surprised, aside from Shiho she hasn't had someone so attentive to her. A majority of people in school would ignore her all because of her looks.

The girl sighs, "... You're so weird. Usually, everyone just ignores me. Are you really a bad person? I've heard people talking about you, but... I just don't see it."

Akira couldn't stop the corner of his lips curving upwards, "I'm bad to the bone."

"Is that supposed to be a joke? I kinda had a feeling they were all just exaggerations." Her head turns to the left, avoiding eye contact with the Umbra witch, "You seemed lonely- almost like you didn't belong anywhere..." When Akira was in secondary school, he was greatly aware of how disconnected he was from his peers. Nobody knew about the Umbra or Lumen clan, not even his history teachers. When he had asked if his classmates knew about his clan or asked the teacher if they're learning about the witch hunts, he was given perplexed looks. It made Akira realise how detached he was from everyone; none of them were aware of the witch hunts decades ago, none of them knew the true form of angels and none of them knew about his family's 'side job'. Even though Akira had his parents to console him, he couldn't help but feel... lonely. Ann goes on, "We're the same in that regard. Maybe that's why it was so easy for me to talk to you." She eyes her water before resting her left cheek in her left palm, "Is there really no way for me to help Shiho? I wish he'd just change his mind... Like, forget about me, and everything..." The teen then falls back on her seat, "As if something like that would ever happen..."

Lowering his head, Akira says "It could happen." He expects Ryuji to be willing to make this palace disappear, if not then he will just execute this plan with Morgana. Akira can't let any more of these students suffer.

His response causes Ann to smile, "I wasn't asking for a serious response. But I do feel a bit better now... I'm gonna head home." The blonde stands, holding her bag in her right arm with her glass of water held in the opposite. Before leaving, she takes Akira seriously, "Don't tell anyone what I told you, okay? I'll try and think of a way to persuade Kamoshida. Well... Thanks."

Akira stayed seated for a couple of minutes, considering the very few options to take on this Kamoshida business before leaving the fast-food restaurant.

15 April 2018

The young witch couldn't focus on the lesson, he was too busy thinking about the recent events. Mainly whether Ryuji is willing to go back into the Metaverse or not. Ryuji didn't want to risk killing Kamoshida; Akira didn't care that much honestly... it wouldn't be that different from killing an angel or demon. Would he be able to convince Ryuji to make the palace vanish despite the risk?

"Have you made up your mind?" Akira is startled by a surprised Morgana hiding in his desk. Thankfully nobody notices the meowing cat, "No matter how much thinking you do, there's only one option. You'd be better off just listening to me."

Not wanting to earn Mr Ushimaru's attention potentially, Akira tells the cat to not talk. The teacher looks in Akira's direction with a confused look, "Hm? Did I just hear a cat just now?" The classroom eventually builds with whispers, "Hm... Could that rumoured cat be somewhere nearby? Settle down! We're in the middle of an important lecture!" He turns to the chalkboard as Akira feels his phone vibrate in his pocket. Extracting the phone from his pocket he begins to read a text from his friend.

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

Akira: Concentrate on class.

Ryuji: I can't deal with that shit right now. I mean, what're we gonna do about Kamoshida?

Do we just go along with what that cat says?

Urgh, that damn furball...

Morgana sighs, "If he only knew I'm reading this too..."

A student stands up, catching not only Ushimaru's attention but also the whole class. Everyone begins to stand upon hearing a female student shout that she's going to jump. Ann stands out of her desk upon hearing Mishima gasp out Suzui. The teacher couldn't stop the multiple students who rushed out of the classroom to stare out of the windows. Everyone gawks at the sigh, multiple people expressing their worry and for someone to do something. Akira's eyes widen at the sight... It was Suzui standing on the edge of the rooftop...

Her body falls forward.

Chapter Text

Akira and Mishima bolt after Ryuji who was heading to the PE faculty office. When Akira and Ryuji manage to make it outside, barely passing the large crowds of students, they view Shiho on a gurney. She had survived but sustained serious injuries; Ann volunteered to go with Shiho while the boys noticed Mishima run away from the scene. Sensing he may be involved in this, they go after the teen. The duo corners Mishima and makes him profess how Kamoshida called her out. How Kamoshida would call someone out to the teacher's room and beat them. Ryuji was furious at this and ran to confront the teacher, which led to where the three teens are now.

Kamoshida sat by a desk in the corner of the PE faculty office. Ryuji raises his fist for a swift moment, "You bastard! The hell did you do to that girl!?"

In response, the teacher waves his hand dismissively "What are you talking about?"

Ryuji kicks a folding chair to the side with rage, "Don't play dumb with me!"

"That is enough!"

Mishima shakes his head, "What you did... wasn't coaching...!"

The rest look over to the blue-haired boy as Kamoshida says, "What did you say?"

His voice becomes louder, "You... you ordered me to call Suzui here... I can only imagine what you did to her...!"

Kamoshida gets out of his chair, crossing his arms as his thick eyebrows arch down in displeasure, "You're going on and on about things you have no proof of... Basically, you're making these claims because you can't be a regular on the team, right?"

The blue-haired teen glares at Kamoshida, "That's not what this is about...!"

"Even if it is exactly as you imagine it to be, hypothetically speaking... what can you do? We just received a call from a hospital. Suzui's in a coma, and her chances of recovery are slim... How would someone like that make a statement?" Kamoshida pretends to look upset at his news, "There's no chance of her getting better, I hear... Ohhh, the poor girl." Akira glares at the man who was pretending to be concerned, the teacher truly was vile.

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

The blonde's fists begin to shake, "You goddamn...!"

Kamoshida places his hands on his hips, "This, again...? Does this mean we need to have yet another case of 'self-defence'?"

"Just shut your mouth, you son of a bitch!" Ryuji prepares to swing his fist into Kamooshida's smug face yet Akira grabs his arm mid-swing. "Why're you stoppin' me...?!" As much as Akira wanted to see this man beaten to a pulp, he knew it would cause more trouble for them. The faculty would believe Kamoshida if he claimed the blonde just attacked him out of nowhere; thanks to rumours and previous events, Ryuji and Akira will always be seen as churlish individuals. Akira shakes his head at Ryuji, uttering to not let this man get to him. Ryuji snatches his arm away from Akira, "But still!"

"Oh? You're stopping him? What a surprise. there's no need to hold back. Why not attack me?... Ohhh, you caaaan't. Hahahah, but of course you can't!" The smug bastard walks back to his desk, "Everyone present right now will be expelled. I'm reporting all of you at the next board meeting."

Appalled by the teacher's statement, Mishima steps forward, "You can't make a decision like that...!"

Kamoshida glares at the three, "Who would seriously consider what scum like you say? You threatened me too, Mishima, so you're just as responsible." Mishima murmurs a 'huh' as the PE teacher continues on, "To think you didn't know why I kept someone as talentless as you on the team. You act like you're a victim, but you leaked his criminal records didn't you? It's all over the internet, correct? How terrible."

Ryuji and Akira turn their heads to Mishima, who falls to his knees in distress, "He told me to do it. I had no choice..."

Kamoshida laughs like a cartoon villain, "Now, are we finished here? You're all expelled! You're done for; your futures are mine to take. Now get out of my sight."

"I can't believe this asshole's gettin' away with this...!"

The Umbra witch scowls at Kamoshida before stating, "He'll eat his words."

It doesn't take long for Ryuji to clock in what Akira meant by this, "...Oh right. We have that!"

"Huh? Have you lost your minds?" Kamoshida waves his hand dismissively, "You worthless kids aren't making any sense, but sure, go ahead and try. After all, you'll have plenty of time to kill until expulsion." The teens leave the PE faculty office, Ryuji has his answer now. When the school day has ended, Ryuji and Akira meet at their usual spot. Morgana was already present, standing on the table waiting for them. The blonde confirms he is willing for Kamoshida to have a mental shutdown; someone almost died because of him. Ryuji can't let that man walk around with no consequences.

Before Morgana can explain how to destroy the palace, "Is it true that you're getting expelled?" Their heads turn to see Ann standing behind them, "Everyone's talkin' about it..."

Ryuji scowls at the ground, mumbling "That asshole's at it again!" He looks back at Ann, "So you came all the way to tell us that?"

She takes a beat of silence, pondering her words "If you're going to deal with Kamoshida... let me in on it too. I can't just sit back and do nothing after what happened to Shiho."

"This has nothing to do with you... Don't butt your head into this..." Ryuji sighs, a subtle serious tone in his voice.

Ann repairs to make a long retort, "But it does! Shiho's my-"

Ryuji doesn't let her finish, "I said don't get in our way!" Ann vexed by not only this conversation but recent events, departs from the scene. Even though Akira understands her anger, they can't let her join them in taking down Kamoshida. They can't allow her into the Metaverse if she has no way to defend herself. Wanting to deal with Kamoshida, the trio strolls out of the school and into the alleyway they previously ended up in on their last visit to the palace. Akira taps on the red eye icon on his phone screen, activating it to allow them to now stand in front of the castle. The teens are in their phantom thieve's attire while Morgana is no longer a normal cat. "All right! Time to bust on through!"

"What is this?!" Somehow, Ann has travelled into the Metaverse with the trio. She eyes the three new figures facing her as Ryuji blurts out her name, "That voice... Sakamoto?!... And are you Kurusu-kun?!"

Ryuji stutters, "Wh-wh-why are you here?!"

"How should I know?!" Ann assessed her surroundings, too many questions were forming in her head. She starts to blurt out the first few she thought of, "What's going on? Hey, where are we?! Isn't this the school?!"

Breaking out of his lovestruck gaze, Morgana speaks up "I see. Perhaps she was dragged in because of that app thing. If multiple people can enter with the person who uses it, it stands to reason it'll pull anyone nearby."

"For real?"

Ann's eyes widen, "Wait, so THIS is related to Kamoshida?!"

Scratching the back of his head, Ryuji says "Anyways, you gotta leave!"

Ann tries to argue back with her friend but stops upon hearing Morgana talk, "No way! It talked?! Oh my god, it's a monster cat!" Since Ann wasn't budging, the other blonde concluded they had to force her out. Even though the Umbra witch felt bad to do so, he knew it wouldn't be a good idea to have her trail alongside them. After dragging the blonde back into reality, the trio stood outside of the castle to discuss code names. Morgana has already decided on calling Akira 'Joker' which the teen didn't mind. Ryuji settled on the code name 'Skull' and Morgana was now named 'Mona'. It was finally time to begin infiltration, sneaking through the exposed vent they are able to hear Kamoshida's booming voice in the large foyer. The king was donating a heavy reward for any guard to kill the intruders. Mona contemplates that it'd be idiotic for them to try and fight the group of guards. They open the opposite doors to the room they were previously in to be greeted by a single soldier.

Upon entering battle with the enemy -who was a flying fairy woman- Mona briefs them on a new tactic, "Remember how I taught you about Hold-ups and All-out attacks? I'll teach you their practical use now. There's another use for Hold-ups besides simply defeating enemies. Shadows are beings born from people's hearts, so naturally, they can talk too. In other words, you can communicate with them. Get it? If you talk to them when they're cornered, they might offer money or items since they don't want to die. In fact, talking has a better chance of scoring something great, as opposed to just offing them. Well then, let's do the first step: knock all the enemies down and do a Hold-up!"

Following his colleague's instructions, Joker fires a bullet knocking down the flying fairy. They close in on the enemy and Joker pressures her to give him an item; she replies that she doesn't have anything on her. She requests if they could work something out yet Joker says back that they chose the wrong enemy. The response seems to make the fairy realise something, she doesn't belong to King Kamoshida. The fairy wings flap as she reveals her true self is a Pixie. A bright blue light shelters the Pixie to abruptly take the form of Joker's mask. The mask glides towards the Umbra witch, resting itself where his mask was.

His friends stare in astonishment, Skull's mouth agape "Wh-what the hell was that about? The enemy got sucked into Joker's mask!"

The blonde looks to Mona for an explanation, "I-I have no idea! I wasn't expecting that either..."

In the open doorway, an armoured soldier appears, they swiftly notice the intruders and change their form into two green-horned beasts. Joker could sense a new possibility stemming inside him, he possessed the pixie in his roster. Could this be the same feeling his parents have when summoning various infernals? Calling out Pixie, she uses Zio and knocks down one enemy. Mona's eyes widen in surprise as Joker uses his extra turn to topple the remaining horse. Surrounding the two beasts, Joker pursues to negotiate with one of the horses. The Umbra witch is curious about how many of these personas he can wield; it would be beneficial to hold various types of personas during battle. Luckily, Joker successfully convinces the horse -revealing themselves to be called Bicorn- to join Joker in battle. Mona was astounded by this new potential, "Holy... Does this mean you can wield multiple personas?"

Joker mainly shrugs, "It would seem so..."

Puzzled by what had just happened, Skull asks Mona for an explanation. Mona spells out, "He sealed the enemy's appearance and powers into his mask, and made it his new persona... Is such a feat even possible? Even I've never seen anyone pull that off!"

"Well then, this will come in handy then won't it?"

Despite Joker's question being rhetorical, Mona says, "Of course it will! Only one heart per person, so normally a person can only have one persona!" The cat grins, "Incredible! That ability will give us a huge advantage in battle! All right, try to do that more if the opportunity arises! You better help out too, Skull!"

Skull enthusiastically responds, "Hell yeah! We'll hold every last one of 'em up!" And with that, the trio ventured onward into the West Building. They pass through a room with three guards patrolling, simply they ambush one at a time without raising the security level. During one of these battles, Joker obtained another persona named Jack-o-lantern. Setting foot into another hallway, they view a safe room at the end of the hall. They go inside the safe room to discuss their search strategy for the treasure.

After some time inside the safe room, the trio began to hear muffled voices "Still, why was the princess in such an odd place?"

They fall silent to eavesdrop on the guards, Mona jumps right against the door, "I could have sworn we were pursuing the readings of an intruder..."

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

Skull questions this princess while Mona leaves the area to look more into the situation. With the cat no longer in the room, Skull comments on his misdoubts about Mona that Joker doesn't agree with. Granted, Mona had some mysterious vibe to him but he doesn't seem the type to be deceitful. Upon reminding Skull to use codenames, Mona returns with a troubled look. He notifies the group that Ann has travelled back into the palace and has been captured by shadows. Pushing the double doors open, Joker guides his friends out of the safe room and towards Ann's voice echoing in the halls. Following her voice they are led to a hallway that was previously closed, the red carpet advanced up to a set of grey doors while rows of soldier's armour were displayed on each side of the small hallway. Upon entering the room, the trio are faced with a rather unsettling sight. Four faceless girls in various risque positions, their gym shorts being their gym shorts being the only coverage of their birthday suits.

The male blonde scowls at the sight, "Is that what he thinks of the girls on the volleyball team?!" Mona's head twists to the right, making the trio focus on the reason why they set foot into the room. Ann was strapped to -what Joker could describe as- a BDSM contraption that spread her legs while chaining her arms up and over her head. Two guards were stationed on each side and a gold armoured guard stood in front of Ann while Kamoshida stood behind his soldiers with the 'princess'.

As Skulls shouts out Ann's name, Kamoshida sighs in irritation "Just when I was about to start enjoying myself..."

Ann tugs at her confines, "What's the deal with this guy?!"

Kamoshida ignores the teen's panic, "...How many times are you gonna come back?" He eyes Ann, "I bet you're just like those thieves. You came because you were pissed at me, huh? But, ah... I forgot that chick's name, but it's your fault she jumped, you know." Ann stares at him wide-eyed, "You were so reluctant to throw yourself onto me that I had her to take your place."

"You bastard!" The golden guard marches closer to Ann which makes her gasp with terror. Although Skull tries to stop the soldier, Kamoshida demands the intruder to stand back or they'll kill Ann. Craving to help the teen, Skull looks to Mona on what to do only for his ally to be unsure of how to act.

Gazing at the weapons pointed at her, Ann bitterly says "Is this... my punishment for what happened to Shiho?"

The king relishes in her defeated look, "That's more like it. You should've looked like this from the start."

"Shiho... I'm so sorry..."

Joker couldn't let this go on any longer. He can't let Ann believe in Kamoshida's manipulative words. "You're just going to listen to him? Don't give in to his drivel!"

Ann looks at Joker before speaking up, "... You're right. Letting this piece of shit toy with me..." She lets out a weak laugh, "What was I thinking?!"

Kamoshida begins to boast, "It's like I always say. Slaves should just behave and-"

"...Shut up! I've had enough of this... You've pissed me off you son of a bitch!" Ann's body begins to rock from side to side, sweat along with droll drips down her face. Squels of pain escaped her mouth, her head felt as if it was going to explode. A feminine voice calls out to her, telling Ann that the other self is itching to reveal themselves. It wasn't until the blonde's body went limp, she whispered "I hear you... Carmen." Upon lifting her head, a red cat-shaped mask masquerades on her face, "You're right. No more holding back!" It seems Ann was awakening her persona. Thanks to the strength of her persona, Ann is able to burst through her straps -freeing herself from the contraption- and rip the mask off with a screech. A blue firestorm circles her body, allowing a tall woman to transmit behind Ann. She had fuchsia coloured skin yet a majority of her body was covered thanks to her long flowing red ballgown. Carmen wore a mask and had her hair in spiralling pigtails which reflects her summoner's mask and hairstyle. Resting between her scarlet red lips was a lit cigar while a black chocker tightly embraced her neck. The black corset exposed a generous amount of Carmen's big chest while her opera gloves and heeled boots shared red heart designs. Carmen's right foot was planted on the back of a suited man with a metallic pink box for his head; another man was attached to Carmenvia a pair of thorny vines held in her left hand. she evokes the same confidence as Madama Butterfly does. Ann now donned a red latex catsuit hugging her figure, thigh-high boots in a darker shade of red, pink gloves and a clip-on tail on the back of her catsuit. With this new power, Ann is assertive enough to punt a soldier's sword from their grip and leap in the air to grab the weapon. The sharpness of the blade allows Ann to slice through the princess who vanishes into black smoke. While Kamoshida cowers in fear, the gold-armoured knight steps forward to defend his king. Ann's eyes knit together as her head turns to the soldier and Kamoshida, "You know what? I'm not some cheap girl you toy with... you scumbag."

Kamoshida retorts with a lazy insult, "Bitch...!"

The boys stand by Ann's side as she continues, "You stole everything from Shiho... You destroyed her... Now it's your turn!" Pointing at the king, she yells, "I will rob you of everything!"

"How dare you! Enough of your insolence!" The gold-armoured soldier reveals its true form; a large purple demon resting on a floating toilet. What an... odd demon to form into.

Ann balls her left hand into a fist, "No, I've had enough of you. No one's gonna stop me now! Let's go, Carmen!" She takes advantage of this moment to attack, using a skill named 'Agi' to down the demon. The team perform an All-out attack though the enemy still stands. Joker calls out Jack-o-lantern using the same skill, repeating their attack, weakening the demon. When Mona uses Garu, unfortunately, it doesn't do as much damage due to the demon's resistance to wind. Skull's physical attack doesn't help that much either. The demon performs its own wind attack that assaults every party member aside from Joker who dodges at the last minute; Skull is toppled landing on his bottom while Ann's and Mona's health is reduced. Within Witch time, Joker uses Agi knocking the enemy off its seat. Ann raises a brow once time resumes, "Wait when did-?"

Mona interrupts her, "Let's not worry about that! Come on let's finish this!" With one more All-out attack, they defeated the demon. Anxious after witnessing the battle, Kamoshida runs away like the coward he is. Ann falters to her knees despite wanting to catch the man. Although Skull begins to question the blonde, Mona focuses on comforting and calming her down. Ann doesn't get any calmer when she realises her new outfit. Since they aren't able to continue their infiltration, mainly due to a search party likely to begin, they decide to retreat to the real world. The four return back in the alleyway though they quickly change their location to explain the Palace to Ann.

While Ryuji buys them some drinks, Morgana gives an explanation to Ann for what has just occurred. It took five minutes for Ryuji to return with a bottle in each hand, offering them to Ann and Akira. Ann stares down at her feet, "Honestly, I still can't believe what happened... And my power... my Persona..."

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

She looks back at Morgana, "So if what you told me is true, we can make Kamoshida have a change of heart, right? Is it really possible? Can we actually force him to confess his crimes?"

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

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

It takes a couple of seconds for Ryuji to respond in surprise, "Wait, did you just say, 'let me help'? You mean, you want us to take you along?"

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

Unsure of how to respond, Ryuji gazes at Akira to decide. "She'll be great." They will need an extra person on the team anyway. The more the merrier in Akira's mind.

Tilting his head slightly, Ryuji asks, "Even you're on board with this?"

Morgana adds, "I agree as well. We are lacking in manpower, after all. Don't worry, I'll protect her." Akira's lips subtly move upward in a smirk upon hearing Morgana's gallant attitude. It was cute how caring Morgana was regarding Ann's safety.

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

Ryuji lets out a short groan, "Oh right, she can go by herself... I guess it'd be more dangerous turnin' her down... Rgh, fine..."

Ann smiles, "Then it's decided. Well, I hope we get along!" She turns to Akira, "I'm going to make Kamoshida atone for what he did. Not just for Shiho's sake... but for everything he's done. I won't let any more people suffer because of him. I'll do whatever it takes!" Akira could sense a strong fighting resolve from the blonde...

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

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

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

Before leaving the group, Ann exchanges numbers with the boys and says her goodbyes. Upon Ryuji commenting on how it would be easier if the group had a quicker way to meet up, Morgana suggests they use the school rooftop as a secret hideout. He also says that he will live with Akira since he can't contact them while in the other world. Although the Umbra witch is rather hesitant to let the cat sleep in his room, he realises he could use Purgatorio when he leaves at night. Akira doesn't want to expose that other part of his life to his friends, there's enough confusion with the Metaverse so he wants to make sure they don't know more about his 'family work' yet. With a goodbye from Ryuji and a promise for everyone to meet on the school rooftop tomorrow, Akira and Morgana take the train to Cafe Lablanc. Opening the front door to Lablanc, Aira's eyes stop on a woman sitting in one of the booths. Her outfit had a punk rock aesthetic with her dark blue bob hairstyle; Akira found her pretty cool. However, he couldn't even say hello to her due to Sojiro ushering him to go upstairs. When he gets closer to the stairs, he stops in his tracks upon hearing the woman stand and thanks Sojiro for the coffee before leaving. Akira inquires about the woman, and Sojiro explains how she is the head doctor of the clinic down the street. There have been rumours that she gives crappy examinations and sells some weird medicines. Sojiro doesn't care about the rumours though, he believes they should just leave her alone. Getting impatient, Morgana voices whether they've made it home yet, rushing Akira upstairs and into his room to avoid suspicion from Sojiro.

Placing his bag on his bed, Morgana jumps out. He grimaces at his new home, "What the... What is this place?! Is this some kind of abandoned house?!" They begin to hear someone walking up the stairs.

Morgana lies down on his front once Sojiro comes into view, he glares at Akira "Hey! Are you-" He notices the cat on the teen's bed, "I was wondering why I heard meowing... What did you bring it here for?"

Akira answers with a simple excuse, "It was abandoned."

"That's... that's a shame." The excuse seemed to tug at Sojiro's heartstrings, "Look, this place is a restaurant. Animals are a no-go... Though I guess you might stay on good behaviour if you've got a pet to take care of..." He mutters, "Fine. But keep it quiet when we're open for business. And don't let it roam downstairs, or I'll toss you out. Oh, and I'm not gonna take care of it. That's all on you." Sojiro heads back downstairs only to return seconds later with food on a plate. He places in front of the cat, "Seriously... It had to keep calling out in that cute little voice..." He turns to Akira, "Make sure you wash that dish. By the way... Have you decided on a name?" Akira replies with Morgana, "I was hoping I'd get to name it..." He then leaves with a somewhat disappointed look. It seems the man has a soft spot for cats as well.

Once Sojiro was out of the room, Morgana smirked, "Looks like the chief likes me better than you. And to be honest, this place is heaven compared to Kamoshida's cells." Morgana tilts his head, "...Remember how you guys asked me before what I am? To be honest... I don't remember anything about my birth. I think the Metaverse distortions made me lose both my memories and my true form."

For some odd reason, Akira reminisces on Rodin's story about his mummy. She apparently spent twenty years with amnesia, it wasn't until Enzo told her about a lead on 'the Left Eye' that she was able to gain her memories back. She ventured to a city called Vigrid, catalyzing events that helped her regain her memory. Invading the palace could help Morgana to gain his memories and supposedly his true form, "Is that form a cat...?"

Morgana makes a pout, "I mean, why else would a cat be able to talk like this? There's no other possible explanation. There's no doubt that the distortions were what caused me to lose my true self. I'm sure that once they're purged, I'll finally be able to get that self back. And I have a pretty good idea of how to do it too. That's why I was in the castle in the first place." Morgana focuses on his food, the rich smell makes him smile. "Come to think of it, I didn't get hungry in that other world..." The cat munches down on his dinner within 5 minutes. A huge satisfied grin plastered on his face, "Let me make myself clear; Your taking care of me won't be for nothing. It'll be give and take. Due to my knowledge and dexterous nature, I have a lot of intel on infiltration tools."

Akira perks up, "Really?" He has only used his Umbra magic to unlock doors so learning to make these tools can be an advantage in not only the Metaverse but real life too.

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

With a smirk, Akira replies "Let's do this."

Morgana's lips perk upward, "I like that answer... Hehehe, then it's a deal then."

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

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

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

"I'll lecture you about the infiltration tools over time. By the way, the power you used in the Palace was seriously amazing. Especially that unique skill from your persona; slowing time will greatly benefit us during battle." Akira merely nods in agreement. "All right, I'm gonna stick with you wherever you go from today on. I expect great things from you. Don't let me down, okay?" Finishing the conversation with Akira answering ok to the cat, he begins to get ready for bed. As he pulls his nightshirt over his head, Akira's phone pings. He picks it up to see a text from Ann; she is thanking him for saving her. Akira texts back that she should also thank Ryuji. There was also a text from his mummy, mentioning she would come over to give him his 'special items' in the morning. Akira replies with a thank you before placing his phone down. Now it's time to sleep after this exhausting day finally.

16 April 2018

With Morgana hopping into Akira's bag, he heads downstairs to begin his way to school. Yet he is stopped at the bottom of the stairs by someone wrapping their arms around him, barely missing Morgana crushing him in the hug as well. "Good morning little Kiki!"

It was his mummy, wearing light blue flare pants and a matching cami crop top. Along with some jewellery, noticeably a jaded necklace digging into Akira's chest. With a big smile, Akira returned the hug, "Good morning! Is everything ok at home?" 

Bayonetta pulls away, "Everything's well, I hope everything is fine on your end?" Akira nods, he doesn't want her to worry about this Kamoshida situation. It would probably be best to tell her after they steal his heart; despite loving his mummy to bits, he doesn't want her to weasel her way into this. Bayonetta's glance told Akira there was some doubt in her, "Good..." Luckily she's not going to push him for the truth, "Now, let's get going." Bayonetta links her arm with his and begins to lead him towards the door, picking up a bag on her way out. Sojiro mainly observed them leaving, somewhat stunned by that woman who just waltzed into his cafe without a care in the world. She didn't even acknowledge him.

Morgana pops his head out from the small open zipped area of Akira's bag, "Who's this lady?"

"My mummy, please stay quiet so she doesn't notice you." Akira quickly whispers, if she caught him keeping a cat she'd take Morgana to dote on him. The young witch is well aware of his mummy's fondness for cats, black cats specifically.

During their walk to the train station, Bayonetta was mostly asking Akira about his first few days at Shujin. Akira does his best to answer without mentioning Kamoshida or the Metaverse, he doesn't want to focus on these right now. He just wants to enjoy the little amount of time he has with his mummy. His mother had probably caught her up on the cognitive science business anyway. If he just avoids talking about it then she won't try to get involved (hopefully).

While they sat on the second train to Shujin, Bayonetta finally mentions, "So when were you going to tell me about this Kamoshida business?"

Akira's back straightened, he could tell from her tone she was a little bit miffed he hadn't informed her of anything. "I... I was planning to tell you but only after we sorted everything out."

"We?"

"My friends and I. How do you know about this anyway?" He questions, Akira only told Luka about the Kamoshida business (At least the more specific things involved).

Bayonetta smirks, "Our dear Chesshire has told me about this Kamoshida..." Meaning that she had made Luka spill the beans, "There's also that Metaverse nonsense Jeanne has told me about. You know, Jeanne and myself can-"

Akira shakes his head, "No mummy, I appreciate that you want to help..." He pauses to think of the right wording, "But I feel like I need to do this on my own."

The train was closing to its stop. Bayonetta sighs, "...Very well then," She stands up, offering her right hand to her son "Just know that your family are here for you." Bayonetta wanted to act on this horrid situation. It wasn't bad enough that her child was being falsely labelled as a criminal, he now had to deal with some arrogant creep along with this so-called Metaverse. All she wants is for Akira to be safe and happy... but Bayonetta knows she (unfortunately) can't gun down this foul man. After speaking with Jeanne and this conversation with her child, Bayonetta needs to restrain herself to allow Akira to defend himself. This is something Akira must manage on his own.

With a minor smile, the young witch accepts Bayonetta's hand as they both leave the train. Stepping out of the underground station, they begin to walk towards Shujin Academy hand in hand. Ignoring the shocked looks and curious whispers from the few students staring at them. Upon the side of the school being in eye view, Bayonetta stops "This is where we depart little Kiki." She swiftly kisses his cheek and opens her bag "Have fun on this new adventure of yours! Make sure your toys are kept safe." In one quick motion, The Umbra witch removes the No Place Like Home guns into an Umbra symbol behind Akira's back.

Before she departs, Akira hugs her and says goodbye as he watches her walk back the way they did.

"Your mom knows about this?!" Morgana hisses, popping his head out of the open zipper. Akira was hoping that cat wouldn't have been able to hear his mummy speaking from inside the bag. "How many people have you told?!"

Akira sighs, "Don't worry, it's only my parents and they won't spread this around." Other than Rodin and Luka, they won't tell anyone else. Nobody else will most likely not understand anyway.

Morgana groans in frustration, "...Fine then... But if any of this is heard outside of our group you are solely held responsible, got it?" The teen just nods as he walks onward. However, he soon stops to overhear a conversation between two girls; they are talking about various drugs one of them was taking due to their sickness and the other suggested going to the clinic. Inspiring Morgana to mention the doctor in Leblanc yesterday, she could possibly have some strong medicine to benefit the group in the Metaverse. Before he can extend his idea further, Ryuji walks beside Akira and offers to walk with him. The rest of the day flies by until the final class, Akira heads up to the rooftop to meet with Ann and Ryuji. Despite Ryuji being eager to steal the treasure, Morgana stops to explain they must prepare first. They'll need better equipment, stocking up on medicine and getting amour/defence. Ryuji was covering the amour and equipment while Akira and Morgana were going to get the medicine.

Upon arriving in the backstreets of Yongen, Morgana pushes for them to see that doctor from Leblanc. Akira locates the clinic -across from the closed theatre- and devises a lie to receive some medicine. If he told her the true reason for wanting medicine then she'd think he was insane. Stepping into the clinic, Akira's eyes were already set on the doctor; she sat behind the counter with a rather monotone look on her face. She does seem to recognise Akira but she doesn't seem to care too much so she just asks what is he here for. Akira responds that his body is feeling lethargic; there is a beat of silence before she leads him to the exam room.

The doctor sits across from Akira, a clipboard in her left hand while a black pen is held in the other. At first, she was going to give him some painkillers but decided on some sleeping pills upon realising she was out of stock. Akira highly doubts sleeping pills will help the team in the metaverse; what could they do with sleeping pills? Force their enemies to swallow them? He asks for any alternate medicines to take, earning a glare from the doctor "Huh? You're the patient here, you know. Do you think you should be telling me how to do my job?... So, it's just like I thought." Did she catch on that quickly? "You're not sick at all, are you? I'm not as dumb as I look, you know... I'm guessing you're here because you heard the rumours about me, huh?" 

Akira nods, "That's right." Might as well be honest with her, the doctor would probably get annoyed with him lying again.

"You're one of those patients with an ulterior motive huh? What's the world coming to?" Akira looks down with a tinge of shame, "I guess high school kids have it tough nowadays too, hu? Well, fine I'll prescribe you some medication." The witch's head zips up at the doctor, "But only medication that will help you recover your health. I guess it's fine. You seem pretty earnest, and you don't look like you'll be any trouble." She rubs the back of her neck "This is my private practice. All the medicine I dispense is original. I have a license to make my own formulas. You've likely seen them being sold at various hospitals. It's your responsibility to take care of yourself. So if that's okay with you, stop by anytime."

With a thankful smile, Akira says "That'll really help. Thank you."

She returns the smile, "Great. It's nice that you're quick on the update... Saves me the hassle. You're a pretty weird kid, you know? I wonder what you're going to use the medicine for... Well, as long as you don't cause me any trouble, it's not my problem..." The doctor twists her chair to face her computer, opening a tab to display the medicines Akira can buy from her. Thanks to his parents, Akira had enough money to buy every item available with more to spare. It also helps that Rodin is willing to exchange halos for yen. He bought every item, ranging between three to seven of each item. She offers the teen good luck as he thanks her, leaving the exam to surprisingly face a businessman standing there. Akira moves to the side, allowing the man to enter the exam room as he shuts the door behind him. Curious about this man, Akira eavesdrops on his conversation with the doctor. The conversation leads to the man expanding the rumours surrounding the doctor, how she is developing experimental drugs and medicine that could be super stimulant. The man seems to have a vendetta against the doctor; he claims the doctor to be a disgrace to the medical community. How Tae Takemi will never-

"Hey, is somebody there?!" Akira's feet rapidly head to the exit, barely getting caught snooping. Once they are outside of the clinic, Morgana theorises that the doctor could be hiding some extra strong medicine. Grasping what Morgana was on about, Akira comments on how they could use that. Morgana grins in agreement as Akira's phone pings a notification. It's a text from the group chat.

Ryuji: So you know the store I mentioned, with the model guns?
It's in Shibuya. I can go with you if you want.

Akira was under the impression Ryuji would go and get their equipment, does he want Akira to join him?

Akira: Sounds good.

Ryuji: Sweet.
Welp, let's figure out where to meet.
You at least know how to get to Shibuya Station, yeah?

Ann: Hey, I can't make it. Can I trust you guys to check the place out for me?

Ryuji: You can't come?

Ann: Not tomorrow.
I made plans to see Shiho in the hospital.

Ryuji: Ah, gotcha.
Don't worry, we got this
Well, seeya in Shibuya, Akira! I'll be in the front of the station.

17 April 2018

A bright neon sign sat above the shop... Untouchable.

To be frank, Akira wanted to scout out this shop Ryuji had mentioned; he's no stranger to stores such as these. A part of him was interested in finding another store to look for more weapons. It's not to disrespect his Uncle Rodin's work, Akira is just curious about various weapons that aren't made from an infernal. Inside the store, they meet the manager sitting in front of the cash register. Reading a magazine with his feet resting on the countertop. The manager takes more of an attentive approach to Akira upon realising he is a gun enthusiast, he even openly admits that he found the Umbra witch more interesting than Ryuji. Before giving his services to the teens, he makes them promise to keep the guns hidden from others and not have 'the fuzz' catch on to them. The manager stands up and heads to the back, soon returning with the equipment to show to the teens. Of course, Akira bought the equipment necessary for the mission: stronger weapons, greater protection and even some accessories. Now with their objection complete, Akira goes back home. In Leblanc, there was one customer who seemed to be a regular since he was talking casually with Sojiro. He wanted to strike up a conversation about the recent psychotic breakdown, unfortunately, Sojiro cut the conversation short making the customer leave with disappointment. Akira questions how this place is still open if he treats all of his customers like that. Within the pleasant solitude of his bedroom, Morgana jumps out of Akira's bag and on top of a table beside the stairs.

He really needed to find some time to clean the room properly; the overflowing books on the shelves were becoming an eyesore. There were also Akira's personal belongings that he should hide in case Morgana decides to snoop around. Whenever Morgana heads out to have some time to himself, Akira will take the opportunity to hide the journals about his Umbran clan, the hierarchy of the Laguna and the book about Infernal demons. Akira goes on his phone, viewing he has gotten a message from Ann 3 minutes ago. She was updating him on her friend Shiho; her condition is stable though she hasn't regained consciousness yet. The poor girl... they need to sort out this Kamoshida business as soon as possible.

Morgana speaks up, "We're just about ready to go to the palace. We just need to assemble some infiltration tools." He signals to the table in the far left corner, "Clean off that desk back there so we can use it." After Akira does as he is instructed, he sits down at the table while Morgana rests on the countertop. The cat somehow has the materials required for Akira to craft a lockpick. This seems to assure Morgana enough to say they are ready for the palace tomorrow. As Morgana was getting ready for bed, Akira began to ponder on some possibilities when in the Metaverse. Would his lollipops have the same effects? Could angels or demons travel into this Metaverse? Akira was desperate to expand his knowledge of this Metaverse business.

Guess that opportunity will be tomorrow.

18 April 2018

It was early in the morning when Kawakami asked Akira to follow her into the guidance counsellor's room. They bumped into Kamoshida and the redhead Akira previously met on the train. Kamoshida is already 'warning' the student about him, then again the rumours may have gotten to her before he did. Once the two sit down, Kawakami gets straight to the point and inquires if something happened between Akira and Kamoshida. Choosing to not give an honest answer, Akira questions why she is asking this. His teacher replies that Kamoshida had given her a brief lecture where Akira's name popped out. No surprise that Kamoshida is trying to bad mouth Akira to his homeroom teacher as well. She goes on to mention the female student from earlier, asking if Akira had flirted with her. Akira pulls a smirk at Kawakami, granted the girl was cute but Akira isn't focused on looking for a partner right now. She rants about Kamoshida having a close eye on the teen and how close Akira is getting with Sakamoto and the redhead. After making a joke about him naturally drawing athletes to himself, Kawakami eventually lets Akira leave.

At the end of the day, Akira and Morgana meet up with the rest of the group on the school's rooftop. They evaluate how much time they have until expulsion, the plan to steal the treasure and an explanation of Kamoshida's treasure. Once they locate and steal the treasure, the palace supposedly should tear itself down. The main goal for today was to find Kamoshida's treasure and secure an infiltration route. Akira takes out his phone, activating the app to transport the group into the Palace with each of them in their phantom thief attire.

This gave Skull the opportunity to 'examine' Ann's outfit. Blatantly eyeing her frame as his voice draws out, "But daaamn..."

Ann plays with her right ponytail, "hm? What's up?"

Skull stammers out, "N-nothing. I-I was just thinkin' we should choose a code name for you too."

"A code name?"

With a nod to each individual Skull gave out the code names for his team members. Mona looks over Ann, "Judging by your costume..." Skull comments on the tail and ears to help the trio brainstorm a code name. Unfortunately, it results in terrible names which results in Ann conjuring the code name 'Panther'. Well, it was classier than sexycat so they settled on Ann being called Panther. While Skull, Mona and Panther move onward to the castle, a voice beckons Joker causing him to freeze. He looks to the right, the voice belonged to Justine. She stood beside an opened door, blue smoke bled out of the doorway. Justine informed the witch that her master had requested his presence; Akira obliged and walked through the blue doorway. The world around him now conducts itself into the familiar jail cell from his dreams. Igor sat at his desk, still sporting that peculiar grin. He had called Akira to introduce him to a form of support during Akira's rehabilitation. To expand Akira's power to handle multiple personas, Igor provides a service called 'execution'. This allows Akira to execute two personas, fusing them to form a new -and possibly more powerful- persona. Akira selects Jack o lantern and Pixie, fusing them together to create Incubus. Akira hadn't encountered a demon like this before, it certainly had a more ordinary look compared to demons he has seen illustrated in his book of Infernal demons. Igor bestows the witch another gift named 'Third eye' that lets Akira identify things normally visible to the naked eye; It's somewhat similar to travelling into Purgatorio. Akira thanked Igor for his support before leaving through the blue portal and gathering back with his group. They quickly proceed to the safe room they found last time to be the starting point of their infiltration.

~~~

So far, their operation has gone smoothly.

The group had made it to the East Building Annex and found a safe room to rest inside. Joker checks up with his team, earning a response from Panther that she is a little weary but can keep going. This sparks a thought in the Umbra witch's head; this is the chance to test whether his lollipops have an effect on the Metaverse. Rustling through his left pocket, Joker says, "This might help you, Panther." He takes out a mega purple lollipop. If the lollipop increases his magic then surely it can increase Patnher's energy (SP).

Panther raises her right eyebrow while Skull and Mona tilt their heads, "A lollipop? Really joker?" He pushes her hand holding the lollipop closer to her face, insisting for her to eat it. With a shrug of her shoulders, Pather pops the lollipop into her mouth. It didn't take long for the rich taste to bombard her taste buds, making her hum in pleasure. She could even feel a sudden rush of magic within her. Tugging the candy out of her mouth, Pather smiles "Wow! That's really good, Joker. Where did you get these?"

"Yeah, I don't remember going out buying lollipops for the infiltration," Mona says with an incredulous tone.

Joker stuffs his hands in his pockets, keeping a chill demeanour, "I bought these before we started planning... I was just curious to see if they'd benefit us in the palace."

Skull jumps out of his seat, "Fine by me dude. Is there anything else you wanna say?"

The leader shakes his head and turns to leave the safe room, his team swiftly join him. As they search for the tower, they discover what looks to be a church's nave. A pair of dark brown pews led the group to a colossal statue of the king. The statue was in pink with Kamoshida raising his left arm to hold a volleyball, his right hand was raised as if he was about to hit the volleyball. The scenery flashes to the school gym for a brief moment; Kamoshida must think he should be seen as some type of god. He has an ego as big as a mammoth. While the two blondes share their disgust for the man, a mysterious voice calls out to them. Unexpectedly, an angel appears in front of them decked out in silver armour. Their red eyes pierce through Joker's as their ruby-coloured wings flap lifting them off the ground. The angel prepares his ambush, charging up his physical strength to perform a more powerful attack. Mona recommends they guard since the angel is trying to do something. Each member shields themselves before the angel strikes at Mona, the cat groaning in pain even though he still stands. Joker allows his new persona -Silky- to use an ice attack while Panther summons Carmen to heal Mona. Skull swings his heavy club at the angel for Mona to follow up with Garu. The angel composes itself to potentially get ready to charge an attack. Joker switches his persona to Arsene to test if Eiha -a skill that causes curse damage- harms the enemy greatly. Despite his temptation egging him to bring out his No Place Like Home guns, Joker holds himself back from letting them enter the battle. Wary of his friends' reactions to his new weapons, Joker decides to only take them out when necessary. Mona echos his Garu skill onto the enemy as Skull and Panther use their persona skills too. The angel begins to charge up his attack, and everyone apart from Joker guards. He'll take the risk and try to dodge this attack, if he can activate Witch Time then this battle could end quickly. The heavenly punisher sees the opportunity and Cleaves at Joker who successfully dodges last minute. The young witch retorts 'Nice Try!' before assaulting the angel with multiple slashes from his dagger and kicks. He gets back into position as the time limit ends, it takes a beat until Mona realises Joker has used his unique ability. He praises their leader before piercing the angel with his curved sword. Although his other teammates were puzzled by their enemy suddenly having a lower health bar they continued their onslaught. Panther ends the battle with an Agi attack from Carmen. The team are able to have a few seconds to rest until they are surrounded by guards. Joker acts rapidly, grabbing his friends to grapple onto the statue's underarms to escape.

Once they're out of danger, Skull remarks "Hey, during that fight, why did the guy have like most of his health down in seconds?"

Panther nods, "Yeah... It was kinda like during my first battle. One second that demon was standing and then the next it was on the floor."

"Allow me to explain," Mona pats Joker's leg, "This guy's persona has a very special ability. When he flourishingly dodges an attack, Joker can stop time which allows him to have an extra turn. Guess you can say it's similar to a Baton pass but it only affects himself."

"It's more of slowing down time than stopping it..." Joker murmurs.

Pather hums taking in the information, "Really? That's pretty cool!"

Skull nods in agreement, "Yeah! Dude, why didn't you tell us this earlier?"

"I-I didn't think it would matter that much. It's just another skill from my persona." Joker's right hand moves to rub his opposite elbow in an attempt to look nervous.

Mona smiles up at their leader, "Another skill that greatly benefits us! Now let's continue our infiltration." The Phantom thieves jump and climb around the pillars, eventually finding a new hallway. Most likely leading them to the tower. As they sprint down this hallway, Mona stops the group upon viewing something odd in the distance. Using the grappling hook, the team hops over the two balconies to face a green mossy-leaved wall. Some strings of leaves were covering some red double doors. Slashing through these mossy vines, Joker opens the doors to be met with a gloomy room. A gloomy room with an odd skull item in the centre. The crew circle the object and questions what and why it's here. Thankfully, Mona can explain what they've found is a Will Seed, a result of the palace ruler's distortions. He even urges Joker to take the seed as it can be some good loot. Once the red glowing skull makes contact with Joker's palm, the team could feel some of their SP recover. There are two to find in the palace (according to Mona) so Joker leads the team onward. Mentally noting to look out for those types of rooms.

After a couple of fights and utilizing a hidden grappling hook opportunity, the Phantom thieves make it inside the tower and discover a room with blatant distortions. Parts of the floor would rise/fall either blocking small areas or leaving empty holes to fall into if they aren't careful. There are even statues of women's torso wearing a gym uniform, their backs arching to accentuate their curves. However, the group aren't able to fully assess their surroundings when they spot a guard in the distance. Joker ambushes the enemy, causing their amour to mould onto the ground and take the form of two ladies fluttering in the air with their bat-like wings. They wore thigh-high black stockings with matching opera gloves, wearing a tight one-piece bikini. It didn't take long to find their weakness, Mona knocks the ladies down using his Garu skill. Joker triumphantly attains a new persona, her name's Succubus. This sparks something for Joker, if he obtains angel/demon personas would he still have to summon them with his hair? Looks like the only way to find out is to ambush another enemy; they soon locate a single guard patrolling right by a safe room. Swiftly, Joker jumps onto the guard's shoulders and rips their mask off. Revealing two Incubus and one Succubus. Letting out an ill-defined breath, Joker calls out Succubus causing the mask to fade from his face into blue fire. However, his tailcoat begins to retreat up the witch's body along with his pants. Exposing his legs, arms and the majority of his back. The popped collar stayed as it now was connected to his waistcoat, which now opened to reveal his chest. The clothing connects at his thorax (just under his chest) to trail down the front of his waist and his hair now creating bikini-cut underwear. As the Succubus appears, this clarifies to Joker when he summons an angel/demon persona it will require his mask and hair to use them.

The Phantom thieves stare at their leader's new attire -or lack of it- in shock. "Wha- what the hell?!" Skull stutters out in disbelief. "Mona, do you know why clothes are suddenly disappearing?!"

Mona shakes his head, "I-I have no idea!" He has never seen a persona user have such a sudden change in their uniform. Maybe it's another unique skill Joker has. "Maybe it's because of the persona he is wielding... I can't be too certain."

Panther, a faint blush hidden by her mask, glances at Joker, "Hey, are you ok Joker?"

Joker smiles and nods at the girl before Succubus strikes one of the Incubuses, brainwashing the demon to attack another fellow Incubus. Mona topples the single Succubus and does a baton pass to Panther, permitting her to target the Incubus' fire weakness. The team performs an All-out attack ending the battle; the three thieves continue to question the Umbra witch on why his clothing changed upon calling a persona. Despite the two blondes wanting an explanation for what had just happened, Mona changes the subject by saying they continue onward before more soldiers appear. With a tinge of hesitance in their steps, the two blondes follow Joker and Mona into another safe room.

~~~

Akira flops onto his bed with an exasperated sigh; he is worn out from today. After finding the treasure they decided to leave the Palace and go home. Akira and Morgana made it back to Leblanc around the evening so he spent the last few hours of his spare time studying and cleaning the rest of his bedroom. However, he isn't able to sleep when Morgana jumps beside the lying teen.

The cat looks over Akira's face, "So, care to explain what happened with your outfit during our infiltration?" Akira raises an eyebrow, pretending to be clueless to buy more time to think of an answer. Maybe he can use the excuse of his- "And don't say it's because of your persona. I've never seen a persona user have to alter their whole uniform just to summon a specific persona." There was some sternness in Morgana's voice. Ever since Morgana had met the teen he concluded he would be very useful in helping him recover his memories and true form. A part of him could perceive a special power within the teen as well... observing him slow down time by simply dodging attacks and his outfit changes could possibly be linked. Morgana needs to know the full extent of Akira's power.

The Umbra witch uses his elbows to perch himself up, averting his eyes away from his friend. His mind couldn't come up with a solid explanation in such a short amount of time; there was no other choice but to tell him the truth. Akira gazes back to Morgana, "If I tell you, you cannot tell Ryuji and Ann yet."

One of Morgana's ears dip down, "Why not?"

"What I'm about to tell you is something essential to me and I can't just share it with other people. I'm sure you won't kiss and tell," There was also the fact that he couldn't really talk to anyone but Ryuji, Ann and himself. Akira wouldn't have to worry about Morgana spreading this to multiple people. "Also, it will most likely confuse Ryuji and Ann, I want to wait until they fully understand the Metaverse before unloading something else for them." Morgana nods, staying silent to let Akira continue, "Now... Have you ever heard of an Umbra witch?"

Morgana becomes perplexed by the sudden question. He feels like he has heard of that before...? He repeats, "An Umbra witch?"

Akira makes an amused smile, nonplussed that Morgana wouldn't be aware of his ancient clan. "Decades ago there were two ancient clans; the Lumen sages and the Umbra witches. The sages were followers of light while the witches were the followers of the dark. Unfortunately, due to feuds between the clans and other events, both clans were shattered and resulted in very few survivors." Akira stands up and turns to have his body facing the end of the bed. "Luckily my parents-" Akira drags the word upon realising he can't say his parents lived through these hurdles decades ago. It would just cause more questions, "-great great great grandmothers still taught the dark arts from Umbran training, passing it down to generations. I was taught this Umbran training as well, one of the aspects of Umbran training is something called 'Witch Time'."

"I'm assuming that's when you slowed down time?" Akira answers the cat's question with a nod. "That's- wait so your parents taught this? Does that mean you can do this Witch Time ability in the real world?"

The Umbra witch grins and nods, taking a lockpick out of his pocket. He tosses it next to Morgana, "Yeah, I'll show you... Try throwing that at my face."

In spite of Morgana only having paws, he manages to pick up the lockpick and throws it towards the teen. Akira simply moves to the side two seconds before it can make contact with his face. Within the short timeframe, Akira struts over to the plant they had found while cleaning. The cat forms a muddled expression once Witch Time is over, Morgana's head twists around to search for Akira. He gasps, breathing out "Wow... That's excellent." Now Morgana is one hundred percent confident that Akira has some significant power; this will immensely help not only the phantom thieves but Morgana's personal goal too. Though his amazement is swiftly crowded by confusion, "But what about your clothes in the Metaverse? You still haven't explained about that."

With an awkward chuckle, Akira explains, "Well... To enhance an Umbra witch's power, they will bind a contract with a demon." Morgana begins to hum in interest, linking the very few similarities it has with personas. "In order to summon and control a demon, Umbra witches must use their hair. I know... it sounds weird but it's a great conduit for manifesting Inerfernals into the world. Umbra witches wear skin-tight clothing so it won't hinder their skills during battle; so we shape a battle uniform with our hair. Hence why I almost became naked when I summoned Succubus."

There was a pregnant pause in the room, Morgana seemed to be thinking of how to respond while Akira -for some odd reason- felt tense. Was it because he hadn't been this open about his personal business before? Morgana sighs, laying across the bed covers "Although it's a lot to take in, I understand this Umbran witch business." Akira's face relaxes and he sits next to his friend, "I do have more questions but I can see you're exhausted from today. So I'll hold them off for now, you need to focus on getting some sleep and when to send the calling card." Akira ends the conversation with an approving hum before properly getting into bed.

19 April 2018

Luka has a quick read through his notes... there were only three new pieces of writing. He hasn't been able to get four full pages of information on these breakdowns; even with the information from his collaborator. Who, at this moment, is drinking her fifth glass, her cheeks having a tint of red with occasional giggles leaving her lips. Then again, he probably shouldn't expected much since she is more focused on journalism in the entertainment department. Nobody else was willing to work with him for some odd reason. These psychotic breakdowns are reported yet no one seems fully interested in inspecting what exactly could be causing this.

Realising how late it has gotten, Luka gets up from his seat and bends back slightly to crack his back. He slides the amount of money to pay for the three drinks he had, "Thanks Lala," The woman nods back at him with a sweet smile, thanking him for being a gentleman these past few days. He looks down at the half-drunk journalists, "That's enough for today, Ohya. When shall we meet up again? I'm mostly free for the rest of the week."

Ohya giggles, "Fine by me! I will be free as well so... let's say Saturday?" Luka nods with a thumbs up as she raises her glass, "Great! I'll see if I can find any more info, see ya around Luka sweetie!"

The two wave goodbye as Luka leaves the bar, now walking through the brightly lighted and boisterous area of Shinjuku. Luka wasn't used to such a spirited area but there were some factors he liked. An example would be this cute fortune teller at the end of the street, despite his flirtation failing with the woman Luka did have an interesting fortune read to him. 'In the future, he will stumble upon something magnificent yet it will form a target on his back'. Luka was rather wary about this fortune, but it didn't deter him from his journalism. It wouldn't be shocking if his work gets him onto someone's bad side; it's not something he isn't used to. Speaking of getting on someone's bad side, he should check up on his nephew.

It only four rings until Akira's voice transits through the phone, "Hi Cheshire, how's everything?"

"Eh, could be better but I want to know how's everything with you."

Akira lets out an awkward chuckle, slowly deciding on what order the updates should be in, "I have made some more friends and I've managed to get some business sorted... mostly."

Luka didn't question the vagueness of his answer, the teen might be with a friend or with the old bird. "Good good..." He draws out his words. The two begin to chat about simple things - school work, areas of Toyko they've encountered, Akira's new friends- before calling it a night.

~~~

"So your uncle's a journalist?"

"Yeah he did try to help deal with Kamoshida but-"

"YOU'VE TOLD HIM TOO?!"

Chapter Text

21 April 2018

The group gathered at the school's rooftop to discuss how they were going to send the calling card. Since the effect only lasts for a day (At most), they must send this warning in the morning and complete their plan at the end of the day. After a minor debate, it was decided that Ryuji would write the calling card. Akira hands out the advanced amour Morgana and himself received from washing sooty clothing they found in the Metaverse; they accomplished this thanks to the laundromat nearby Lablanc. Everyone bids their goodbyes and heads home full of enthusiasm and determination to defeat Kamoshida. Akira's phone pings upon entering the cafe,

Ryuji: Man. There's so much I wanna write on the calling card. It's kinda tough figuring out what to say.

Ann: Are you sure you're really capable of this?!

Ryuji: Don't worry I got it. I even made a logo for us.

Ann: ... A logo?

Ryuji: Yup. You'll get to see it tomorrow.

Ann: Well, that's worrying...

Ryuji: Anyways, you guys should rest up.
If we screw up tomorrow, we're totally done for.

Akira: I'm counting on you guys.

Ann: Yup. I'm sure we can do this.

Ryuji: Just remember. We can't trust any shitty adults.
That's why we gotta do this ourselves.
Anyways, let's pull this off and surprise everyone!

The young witch's eyes scan the room only to land on the coffee brewing stand on the counter. Two nights ago Sojiro taught some of the basics of making coffee, maybe he could put his skills to the test. Spotting Akira standing behind the counter to face the coffee brewer, Sojiro encourages him to use the beans on the shelves and goes to buy some cigarettes. Akira took his time conducting two coffees, one for himself and one for Sojiro to test out when he returned. He sat at the counter with Morgana at his side, taking one sip of his drink. The warm taste forms a grin on Akira's face, Morgana comments how based on the teen's reaction it must be delicious. He even mentions that coffee could help heal wounds in the Metaverse. Well if Akira's lollipops work then the majority of food and drink they bring into the Metaverse should have some kind of benefit for the team.

"Looks like you're doing well." Akira turns his head to see that Sojiro is back, "Here, let me have a sip." The young witch nods, standing up to allow Sojiro to sit in his place. As Akira walks behind the counter, he watches Sojiro as the man lifts the cup towards his mouth. His face scrunched up as the liquid hit his taste buds making Akira second-guess his skills. Placing down the half-full cup of coffee, Sojiro states that Akira has used Blue Mountain, impressing Akira that the man was able to identify an ingredient from the coffee's flavour in one sip. Sojiro must be a genuine expert on this subject. He offers the teen some constructive criticism on furthering his skills and praises Akira for using the method he taught the teen. With a grateful smile, Akira thanked Sojiro, waiting for the man to finish the coffee before beginning to clean up.

Once it was only Morgana and Akira inside Leblanc, Morgana said "Hey Akira?" The teen in question finishes drying his hands and turns to the cat. "I have a question regarding your Umbra witch business..." Akira silently nods as a go-on for Morgana, "What's the main purpose of being an Umbra witch? You mentioned that they're followers of the dark but what exactly does that mean?"

Akira lets out a minor laugh, strutting towards the counter, "It means us Umbra witches were to ensure the balance of the light and dark forces in the world, alongside the Lumen sages. Umbra witches maintained that the followers of light didn't attempt to overthrow the clan while Lumen sages had done the same with the followers of the dark. Is there anything else you want to ask?"

Morgana shakes his head, "No, no... not right now. Let's just go to bed and focus on what's to come tomorrow." Akira nods in agreement, removing his apron and putting it away. The two head upstairs for a good night's sleep.

22 April 2018

"Sir Suguru Kamoshida, the utter bastard of lust... We know how shitty you are, and that you put your twisted desires on students that can't fight back. That's why we decided to steal away those desires and make you confess your sins. This will be done tomorrow, so we hope you will be ready. From, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts." Ann was underwhelmed by the message; It sounded like a tryhard. She spots her friends further down the hall and paces over to them.

Ryuji grins proudly, "Not bad, eh? I looked up a bunch of similar stuff online for reference."

The lighter hair blonde responds, "Um... yeah... I know what you wanted to say, but it sounded like an idiot trying to be an adult."

Morgana peeks out of Akira's school bag to add on, "Your logo's a little lacking, too."

The blonde boy's smile falters, "Okay, y'know what? Th-that ain't true!" The four overhear the crowd of students at the boards, gossiping about the teacher and who these Phantom thieves are. However, their voices soon die down as Kamoshida marches behind the crowd.

Reading the calling card, Kamoshida's face distorts into anger "Who's responsible for this?!"

Morgana grins at the display, "...Look at that. A predictable reaction for someone who knows what we mean by distorted desires."

Ryuji nods in agreement, "I think it's hittin' him pretty hard." The calling card sets the teacher off to prosecute the students around him.

"Did you do this? Or was it you?" Students scatter as Kamoshida's accusations become intimidating. The teacher twists his body and notices the remaining students down the hall. He marches up to them with a grim glare, "...Was it you two?!" He seems to ignore Ann, though that's a blessing for her since she adverts her head down.

Akira makes a smug smile, "What if it was?"

He hits a nerve with the older man, "What garbage... Eh, it's not a problem. You'll be expelled soon enough anyway." For a beat, the group see the shadow version of Kamoshida standing there. The hallway has now turned into a pitch-black void. King Kamoshida stared at them with disdain, "Come... Steal it, if you can!" The area forms back into the school as does Kamoshida standing in front of them back in his PE uniform. He walks away, most likely planning a way to get back at the teens other than their expulsion. Since it was clear this had an effect on Kamoshida's palace, the team beamed themselves into the Metaverse and fortunately, they are able to travel to the saferoom closest to the throne room. Although some of the teammates were cautious about the throne room's doors being wide open -with no guards stationed to protect the treasure- Mona urges the party to move forward. Sprinting past the multiple female statues and up the scarlet stairs, the group push through the double doors to locate the treasure. Which has now taken the form of a large, shining golden king's crown. Upon approaching the floating crown, Mona becomes stunned by its beautiful shine. Before he can stop himself, Mona jumps up to embrace the large object with all four paws. All the while he is meowing.

With a smirk, Joker cracks a joke, "That's not catnip..."

The cat ignores his leader's joke and continues to meow against the treasure. It wasn't until Skull spoke up, "All right, that's enough, you stupid cat!"

Breaking from his astonished state, Mona jumps back down shamefully, "Oh, um, yeah... Forgive me for displaying such an insolent sight in front of a lady..."

"You were completely out of character too... What was that about?" Panther questions.

Mona's tone lacks some confidence as he answers, "I couldn't stop it either... To think I'd be drawn to human desires this much..." His face lights up, "Doesn't that prove that I'm human?!"

Skull with a rather befuddled tone, bites back, "How should we know?!"

"A-Anyway, you guys need to carry it!" The three human members circle the crown, gripping the item by its bottom. They take steady steps as they attempt to leave the throne room... Unfortunately, they are stopped by the king spiking a volleyball at the treasure. Making it fall out of their hands and roll over to Kamoshida. The king stood in front of his royal seat, the crown -which was now normal sized- held in his right hand while his princess stood beside his left. Panther has a shift shutter at the sight of her shadow self, she thought she couldn't be disgusted anymore with this man until now. He sees women as nothing but sex objects. Though at least he isn't brain dead, he was smart to know how to ambush the thieves by simply waiting close to the treasure/throne room. After Skull insults Kamoshida by calling him a 'sexually-harrassin' d-bag, the king tries to claim it's a misunderstanding. Panther is quick to call him out on his bullshit only for Kamoshida to shift the blame on people around him, how others around him let it happen so they can profit from his status.

Kamoshida's eyebrows lower and pull together, "There are too many imbeciles who don't understand that! Including naive brats like you and that girl who tried to kill herself!"

Panther sighs, uncrossing her arms, "True, she's a total idiot... letting you manipulate her, trying to commit suicide... And I'm even more of a dumbass for not realizing that! But no matter what kind of fool someone might be... They don't need your permission to live their lives!"

"Drop the attitude, you mediocre peasant! There is no wrong using my gifts for my gain! I'm a cut above all other humans!"

Panther claps back, "Above? You mean beneath. You're a goddamn demon obsessed with your sick desires!"

The king begins to chuckle with his head cast down. A strange dark blood aura swirls around his form as the princess backs away. He soon gazes back up with his arms opened "That's right, I'm not like you..." Kamoshida pulls the shadow version of Ann against him, "I am a demon who rules this world!" The red aura engulfs him, his body becomes enormous as his skin turns into a light shade of pink. Goat-like horns grow onto his head and a thick purple tongue pokes out of his sharp teeth. A red cape rested on his back with multiple medals on the fabric. Kamoshida now has multiple limbs, two were holding golden utensils while the remaining held a glass full of red wine with cognitive Ann swimming within the liquid and a riding crop. The throne behind him has extended with a live eye at the top, two golden balls laid at each side of the demon with chained slaves. In front of the demon was a shiny gold champion trophy carrying what looked to be the bottom half bodies of the ladies from the volleyball team. 

Joker takes out his dagger, "Let's finish this!"

With a rather gurgling roar, Kamoshida begins his attack. Smacking his riding crop onto the floor, commanding the slaves to throw multiple volleyballs at Mona. He wasn't fast enough to dodge the attack and got bombarded by volleyballs. Each team member does various attacks on the demon: gun, physical, persona elemental and physical skills. Yet this effort becomes a waste due to Kamoshida stabbing his fork into one of the bottom halves sticking out of the Champion Cup, eating the flesh within four bites. He has regained his health.

Mona swiftly guides the team on what to do, "He healed himself? Is it from eating one of those... things in the trophy? Then we should destroy that first!" Everyone aside from Mona focuses on assaulting the trophy (Since Joker had him heal the whole party so they won't risk losing too much health). When it's Kamoshida's turn he buffs his attack by taking a long sip from his glass. Then strikes Panther with his golden knife causing her to lose a significant amount of damage. Joker needs to watch out for his teammates; he can't risk any of them being knocked out. Joker has the final strike of the golden cup as it shatters from his Berith's Cleave attack. The demon becomes dishevelled giving the thieves the opportunity to perform an All-out attack.

In frustration, Kamoshida groans, "I'm the king! If I'm not, then who is?! How dare you keep defying me... Looks like I gotta bring out the big guns! Slaves bring over you-know-what!" The slaves detach from the golden balls and run away from the scene. "Time for my kill shot from when I was active and rockin' it! Kill shot... As in I'll make the kill!" What else would it mean? "What's the holdup? Where's my ball?!"

Abruptly... Mishima appears? The teen runs up to Kamoshida.

He was hunched over with a volleyball in his hands, "I-I'm so sorry, King Kamoshida! I-I have it right here!" The teen hobbles to the demon's side. Skull and Panther question the teen's appearance and Mona explains how this is the cognitive version of Mishima... it's not the real Mishima just a version Kamoshida sees the teen as. Sensing this next attack will be powerful, Joker commands everyone to guard.

"Good Mishima- now pass it to me! Don't tell me you can't do something as simple as that!" Mishia does as he's told allowing the demon to spike the ball at the Phantom thieves. The heavy impact of the strike does a lot of damage despite their blocking. "I knew it... I can't go all-out with Mishima providing the backup. Hey, shit for brains! Get off of my court!"

The cognitive Mishima apologies as he runs off, only for a new passer to take his place. A cognitive version of Shiho, "King Kamoshida, I've brought your ball, just like you asked." She wore a very revealing bunny outfit, a snow-fluffy bikini with matching wristbands and collar. The only other colour she wore was the hot pink in her tiara and high heels.

Shiho strides next to Kamoshida, "Now that's a good girl, Suzui." She blows a kiss in the direction of the Phantom thieves, "Yeah, all women should obey my orders like this- ain't that right, sweetheart?" Panther becomes visibly distressed by seeing her friend, luckily Mona is able to calm her down by reminding her that it isn't the real Shiho. "Ah, I get it! You want to see my kill shot again, don't you?" There are two ways of handling this, either they continue to attack the demon as he focuses on his kill shot or take down the cognitive Suzui so he can't perform a powerful attack.

"What should we do?" Mona asks Joker. It should be fine to strike the cognitive Suzui; it's not the real version of her after all.

Joker answers, "Let's focus on the fake Suzui." He begins the assault by using Bufu from Silky, hitting a weak point and earning him a baton pass. He gives the extra turn to Skull who has Captain Kid lunge at the cognitive Suzui. Though it didn't abolish the shadow, Skull shoots at her only for a small amount of health left. This results in Panther taking the final blow, using Carmen to eliminate the cognitive Suzui.

"Hmph, even Suzui was useless. Looks like I'll have to give her some special instructions later... One-on-one!"

Panther's jaw tenses in disgust, "Kamoshida, I'll never forgive you!"

Skulls says, "Sorry, Suzui... I swear we'll beat that bastard's ass!"

Mona sighs, "We won't get anywhere with brute force..." He looks to Joker for the group's next step.

Joker thinks of a plan; he needs one of the team members to sneak away and knock the crown from the demon's head. Then the remaining three can distract Kamoshida before he realises one has gone missing. But who would be the best option to steal the treasure? Panther comments that Kamoshida keeps looking at her so she can't go. Leaving Mona and Skull; Mona would be the best option. Skull has more physical power and can handle dealing with damage than Mona. As Kamoshida complains about running out of slaves, Mona takes the chance to sprint to a terrace on the left. The team continued to bombard Kamoshida with various attacks, occasionally either Joker or Panther healing when needed. When Mona makes it to the top of the terrace, he jumps and batters the crown off of the demon's head. Kamoshida goes maniacal and dejected...

It's time for the climax.

Taking two steps forward, Joker gets onto his knees arching his back as his right hand is raised up to the sky and his left goes behind to touch the floor. He shouts "Ors Obelisong!" His outfit departs leaving Joker in his birthday suit, his hair rings around his body to hide his more private areas. His hair forms into a similar shape of a funnel as it dips to the ground to form a portal. Panther and Skull are dumbfounded by Joker's sudden action while Mona tries to stay more calm and collected. 

"Joker?! What are you-" A portal emerges between Joker and the dejected Kamoshida, rising out of the red opening makes Skull stutter in confusion, Panther gasps in amazement and Mona's eyes widen in surprise. Monsouir Charro's upper body is visible, he sports a sinister grin as he looks upon his new prey. Generally, he would be summoned to finish off an angel/s but doesn't mind killing a demon every now and again.

Skull's mouth gapes open, "Woah... That's a huge skeleton."

Monsouir Charro firmly clutches Kamoshida's exposed crown and repeatedly bashes his head into the ground. Every time Kamoshida's forehead impacted the ground he'd let out a painful sob with an almost crunching sound. By the tenth strike, Monsouir Charro does a final pummel to Kamoshida before retreating inside the portal. The demon Kamoshida went limp, gradually transforming back into his shadow human self. A couple of groans of pain barely audible. Joker's hair is arranged back into his uniform, he stands to be faced with three confused team members.

Joker needs to turn their attention to something else, "Skull, pick up the treasure."

The teen blinks multiple times, "O-oh... right." Skulls goes to pick up the crown but is stopped by shadow Kamoshida who is now back into his human form. Kamoshida takes the crown and sprints to the closest open doorway trying to find an escape. The open doorway leads him to a balcony; he has nowhere to run.

"What's wrong? Not running away?" Panther said, "Why don't you run? Aren't you a great athlete?"

Kamoshida stays standing between the two open doors, his back facing the Phantom thieves, "It's always been like this... all those goddamn hyenas forcing their expectations on me! I'm doing this all for them! What's wrong about demanding a reward for that?!"

Skull huffs out, "Now you're makin' excuses? We'll do something about that distorted heart of yours."

All Kamoshida does is grunt in response, unable to find another excuse to use. Panther sneers, "Scared? Right now,  you're seeing the same view that Shiho did." She takes two steps forward as Kamoshida turns to the group, "I'm sure she was scared too... except she had no choice but to jump... What will you do? Will you jump? Or would you rather die here?" Panther's mask fades away, Carmen is now standing behind her with her arms outstretched. In each palm was a ball of fire. Kamoshida recoils at the sight and pleads for forgiveness, "Shut up. I bet everyone told you the same. But you... you took everything from them!" Carmen heaves her right hand, sending the flame just inches away from Kamoshida's face.

The shadow accepts his defeat and throws the crow to the group. Joker captures the treasure in one hand, "Go ahead and finish me off..." He falls to his knees as a tear rolls down his cheek, "You do that... and my real self will go down too... You have that right since you've won..." Carmen throws her last fireball, surprising Skull enough that he calls out Panther by her actual name.

The fire misses the crushed Kamoshida, combusting behind him on the ground. Carmen disappears for Panther's mask to return to her face, she glares down at the shadow, "If his mind shuts down, he can't admit his crimes."

Kamoshida looks down, "I've lost." He shakes his head in shame, "You're through when you lose... What am I- What am I supposed to do now?"

He wasn't asking that to himself, he needs to know what he has to do. Joker responds, "Atone for your sins."

The shadow looks back to the team, "All right... I will leave now and return to my real self... I'll make certain that I-" Kamoshida vanishes before he can finish his sentence. With the shadow version of Kamoshida no longer in the palace, what can be described as an earthquake begins. The ground shakes beneath them as the chandelier above violently swings.

Mona advises, "Hey, just so you know, we don't have much time to waste. The place is about to collapse!" The gang of thieves sprints out of the throne room and begins to run towards the nearest exit. Pieces of the palace start to collapse behind and in front of them, almost halting some of them in their escape. Joker glances over his shoulder to check on his teammates and realises that Mona is in his realistic cat form. They're not out of the Metaverse so why is he- Morgana springs onto Panther's head, leaping onto Skull's and finally Joker's shoulder.

"No fair, you jerk!" Mona meows in response while Joker looks onward, the hallway seems to be clear of any fallen rubble. This could be his chance to enable his beast within form; he'll be faster and ensure his teammates' safety. A loud groan and Ryuji's name being exclaimed makes Joker stop to turn around, Skull was now on the floor with his left hand gripping his knee.

He gazes up to them and waves his dismissively, "Heh... It's been a while, so I just tripped, is all!" Skull lifts himself up and suddenly multiple pieces of the palace crumble in the rear of the hallway. Getting closer and closer to the group. They need to get out of here quickly.

Joker seizes hold of Skull and pulls him up close to his back before doing the same with Panther. Keeping their hands either on his back or shoulders, "Hold on and don't let go!" He leans forward, bending his hands to somewhat resemble paws to transform into his Lion within. Mona bounces up and down on Joker's head as Skull and Panther hold on to his dark mane for dear life. Expressing their confusion on why their friend has suddenly turned into a lion. Joker will explain to them later, at least they are getting further away from the falling rubble pursuing them. As they closer to the end of the hallway, they view a bright light as its doorway. A booming roar emits from Joker as he jumps into the light... Everything goes white until they are all standing back in the alleyway outside of the school. They get their breath back, really exhausted from that final getaway. Ryuji takes out his phone to show the nav; the destination has been deleted.

Ann states, "... It's true. We can't go there anymore."

"What about the treasure?!" Morgana asks.

Joker rummages through the pocket where he previously placed the treasure only to take out a golden medal. After Ann and Ryuji question why it has changed from being a king's crown, Morgana gives a simple explanation. The medal was the source of Kamoshida's desires, it was as important to him as the crown was inside the palace. Ann asks if this will change the teacher's heart to get a 'probably' from Morgana. Ryuji wasn't happy with that answer and so was Akira. Morgana defends that it's his first time experiencing this as well, that Kamoshida should have a change in personality since the palace is gone. All they have to do is be patient and wait for the result in 10 days.

"Hey, before we split..." Ryuji turns his attention to Akira, "Can you explain why in the heck you almost went naked and turned into a freakin' lion?!"

Ann joins in, "Yeah! What was that, Akira?"

Thankfully, Morgana swoops in to explain the majority of why Akira had become naked near the end of the battle. Despite the lengthy explanation, the two looked like they were able to understand the majority of what an Umbra witch is (for the most part). "...Though, I don't fully understand why you changed into an animal, Akira. Is that something you learn from being an Umbra witch?" Morgana tilts his head at the teen. 

Ryuji comments, "How can you even learn that?"

Akira lets out an awkward chuckle, "Well, it's a magical technique called Beast Within. There's not much of an explanation on how it works but it's used to enhance our movement and discover other magical abilities."

"So, can you form into any animal you want?" Ann inquires, dragging the 'so'.

The young witch shakes his head, "Not really. There's only a set of Beat Within forms we can take: there's Lion Within to run at high speed, Raven Within allows me to fly for a short period of time, Mosquito Within is mainly used when I dodge an attack at the last second and I should have some form of a Snake Within to travel faster in water but I haven't gotten to experience that yet."

There was a pregnant pause between the small cluster, the three processing the information bit by bit. Ann is the one to break the silence, "Can we see these other forms?"

Ryuji's face lights up, "Yeah! You can do this Umbra witch stuff in the real world too, right? You gotta show us!" Akira's eyes dart down in thought, he has never shown off his Umbran abilities to people outside of the family. If he is going to show his Beast Within forms, he'd have to let his friends enter Purgartorio. There's no way he will enable this technique if a stranger can see him. However, would it be a good idea to expose Purgartorio to them? What if angels appear while they're in Purgartorio? Would he be able to protect them? Akira looks up to his friends, "It'll be quick dude, please?"

Surely 5 minutes should be enough, "Ok then but we have to be in Purgartorio if I am going to show you."

"P-Purgartorio? What's that?" Ryuji questions, crossing his arms.

Oh, right... Akira forgot to mention Purgartorio. "You have heard of Purgatory before right?" All three of them nod, "Ok... now there is the Trinity of Realities: Paradiso, chaos/ human world and Inferno. Purgartorio is a realm parallel to the human world, it's a way we Umbra witches can do our business without interfering in the affairs of the human world." Akira swiftly prepares the portal, "In Purgartorio, I will be invisible to everyone. Watch." He takes one step in the portal, vanishing right in front of the group.

Ryuji is taken aback, "Woah?!" His friend has just vanished before his eyes.

Ann gasps and blinks rapidly, "Wow..." The way Akira converted to this Purgatorio seemed similar to how they entered the Metaverse.

Morgana eyes widen, though a smirk soon crosses his face, "Very interesting."

"Akira!? Where'd you go-" Ryuji yelps in surprise as he is pulled by an unknown force, disappearing as well. He searches for the source to now see Akira again, "Dude! Did you have to scare me like that?"

The young witch raises an eyebrow, "There wasn't any other way I could get your attention."

A pout forms on the blonde's face, "Eh, you could've just talked to me?" He says as though it is the obvious solution.

To prove his point, Akira's index finger indicates over to the remaining two. Ryuji's eyes follow the direction his friend is pointing to, Morgana and Ann no longer were visible... Well, not fully visible. It was as if they were turned into ghosts, their bodies were transparent and didn't seem to acknowledge the boys. He could faintly hear their voices as they echoed for some odd reason. "Welcome to Purgartorio, I'll get them in now." The blonde observes Akira as he draws a mysterious-looking circle in the air with his finger; Ryuji has never seen such symbols on the circle before. It must be related to Akira's Umbra witch training. Grabbing Morgana by the collar and Ann by her shoulder, Akira drags them into Purgartorio. The teen swiftly explains how inside Purgartorio everyone will be transparent and won't notice them, Morgana praises him for these unique abilities while the remaining teens try to wrap their heads around this business. Not wanting this to be any more awkward, Akira reminds them of why they are in Purgartorio in the first place, "Hey are you guys ready to see my Beast Withins yet?"

Ann perks up, "I am!" It was nice to have this entertaining moment since it diverted her worries about Kamoshida. To have this moment not to think about that monster was calming. Even if it confuses her somewhat. Akira guides his friends out of the alleyway to stand just outside of the school, giving more space for the Umbra witch to flaunt his magical techniques. He starts off with the Lion Within form, his mane being a deeper shade of black compared to his fur. The stand-out colour in this form was his blood irises and claws. Ryuji and Ann ogle at Akira while Morgana attempts to race him (the cat wants to determine if Akira is faster in this form or not compared to himself). Next up was his Raven Within, basically the form of a Raven but instead it was around the size of an Owl.

Ryuji cranes his neck upwards to view Akira flying across the trio, a small part of him was envious of his friend's special skills. It's awesome to be in this Purgartorio; you can do whatever you want without anyone seeing you. The blonde would use this ability every day if he could. Though Ryuji couldn't fully understand how being an Umbra witch works, he will eventually get the hang of it as he has in the Metaverse.

Once Akira is back in his regular form, Morgana beams up at the teen, "I must admit those are some interesting skills... How many tricks have you got up your sleeve mister?"

Despite the question being rhetorical, Akira replies "Enough more to keep surprising you."

Ann grins, "This is pretty cool, Akira. Why didn't you tell us about this before?"

"I was worried how you'd react..." His friends stare at him rather perplexed by his answer, "I've never 'expressed' this side of me to my friends before. It's something so different from everybody... I was worried that... you'd leave me?" Akira wasn't entirely sure of his reasoning. He just knew that he was anxious about telling others about his family's work.

Ryuji was the first to comfort his friend, "C'mon why would we leave you over something so cool?" He playfully nudges Akira's right shoulder, "Plus, with the stuff we've experienced these past few days, I highly doubt we'd avoid because of this Umbra witch stuff."

Ann nods in agreement, "Yeah, it would be ridiculous for us to leave you."

Morgana jumps onto the Umbra witch's shoulder, "If anything, it makes me want to explore this aspect of yourself." Akira's lips curve upward, quietly thanking his friends for their kind words. Morgana then suggests they now depart and wait for the result.

"Alright then," Ryuji turns and begins to walk in the direction of the train station, "See you tomorrow!" Ann is about to follow suit but is stopped by Akira.

He calls out to his other blonde friend, "Aren't you forgetting something?" Ryuji looks back, Morgana has a straight-faced expression while Ann glances at Akira with an unsure expression. Upon receiving nothing but a 'Huh' as his answer, Akira draws a portal to signal they're still in Purgartorio.

A minor blush paints the blonde's face in embarrassment while Ann awkwardly laughs, "O-oh..."

The Umbra witch shakes his head with a smirk, "Don't worry, I forgot the first time as well."

26 April 2018

With another flip of the book's page, Morgana lets out another gasp "Woah! Look at that thing!" That thing was a picture of Labolas in the Lemegeton's book Akira has opened. During the last few days until his explosion, Akira has been focusing on spending time with his confidants - Sojiro, Ryuji and Takemi. Becoming closer to them offered the Umbra witch some strengths to aid him in life or even in the Metaverse; he has been learning to cook curry from Sojiro, Ryuji (Due to their training together) supports Akira in being stealthier and Takemi offers him more healing items in exchange for Akira to test out medicine samples. Aside from the nagging thought that Kamoshida had or hadn't been affected by them stealing his treasure, these few days have been rather soothing.

Morgana examines the photo of Labolas in awe, "Imagine how big this beast is..." He was amazed by these infernal creatures; each one inside the book had various designs and builds. If shadows (that present as angels or small demons) can be in the Metaverse then shouldn't these infernals -as Akira describes them- be able to? That made Morgana wince at the thought of encountering this Labolas in the Metaverse. Heck, encountering any of these infernals will terrify the bravest person on earth.

The young witch giggles, "From what I can recall, Labolas is as big as the demon Kamoshida. Maybe even bigger."

In a surprise, Morgana looks up at his friend, "Wait, you've seen this infernal?" The cat has a small laugh, "I bet you were terrified!"

"I was a little but I remembered my mummy had control over the demon so there wasn't much of a reason to be scared."

Akira's response piques Morgana's interest further, "Was it your first time seeing your mommy doing her witch duties?" Akira nods, the memories flooding his mind of his first time seeing his mummy battle angels...

It was a lovely day, the bright sun exposed its face to the world. Since there was nothing else to do for the day, Bayonetta has decided to take her child to the park. They haven't been able to go out as often as they should, due to work, Akira starting school and angels attacking the small family. The majority of the time, Luka or Rodin take Akira outside to explore but the mothers wish to have quality time together without anything bothering them. The last time they were able to spend the day together was when they scheduled a photo shoot for family pictures. Bayonetta watches her son from a bench not too far from the minor playground; Akira is using the monkey bars with another boy. It was nice to see her child interact positively with other children. According to his teacher, Akira always talks and plays with every child in his year. It relieves the witch that her son isn't having trouble with making friends. Since Akira mainly stayed at home in his early years, it worried Bayo that it would hinder his social skills. The 8-year-old boy swings himself off the monkey bars, luckily landing on his feet without losing balance. He encourages his new friend to jump like him, his praise giving the younger boy enough confidence to copy Akira. He wobbles when he lands on the ground but manages to keep balance, earning claps from Akira. The boys share some more kind words before the young child's father calls for him. They both say goodbye and walk back to their parents. Bayonetta notices her son running in her direction, a beaming smile on his face as he waves to her. The Umbra witch stands ready to hug Akira but pauses when the sun begins to shine brighter than it should be. Bayonetta knows what this gleam signifies; angels are coming for a visit.

The young boy swiftly realises his mummy is looking above him, Akira follows her line of sight and gasps. "Mummy, what are they?" He points up to the three figures hovering over them. He has never seen birds as big as the ones in the sky, he hasn't seen such birds hold such odd staffs. Bayonetta knew what these 'birds' were. It was three Affinities, no doubt more third-sphere angels will join them.

Bayonetta struts to her son's side, entering into Purgartorio while she takes out her Love is Blue set. "They're angels little Kiki," She positioned the top of her barrel underneath Akira's chin, making look up at her as the angel began to get closer. "Now, I need to go and wait over there." She motions to the bench she previously sat on, "If they get close to you, remember your training." Bayonetta leaps towards the angels before Akira can respond, he takes a second to process his mummy's orders before rushing toward the bench. Although he wanted to ask for more information, he knew his mummy was serious from the tone of her voice. Akira learnt not to defy his parents when they are -as he likes to call it- in serious mode. He gazes back to his mummy, watching as she fights with amazing speed. These apparent angels couldn't land a hit on his mummy; Akira cheers her on to defeat the nasty angels. Occasionally, he would point out angels' attacks to help his mummy despite her already knowing when they would strike. Akira was never more amazed by his mummy, observing her fight was-

"Can you summon any of these infernals?" Morgana's question breaks the young witch from his thoughts. He glances back at the book to now see the page is on the description of Baal, empress of the fathoms.

Akira replies, "No, n-not yet at least. My parents are able to summon various infernal but I haven't gotten to their level yet. The infernals I can summon so far are Monsouir Charro and Malphas."

Morgana's tail holds upright, "Oh! I wanna know about this Monsouir demon!" He starts to turn the pages, searching for the infernal's name on each page. Akira places his hand on the cat's paws upon locating the correct page. He begins to read the description out loud, "Monsouir Charro, Master of Demise. Once a mortal man focused on presenting a high-class image to his peers, forming a deal with a higher-up of Inferno to achieve his goals, he was then punished for attempting to flee from his debt. His punishment was becoming a resident of Inferno and a soul debt collector. Occasionally he willingly targets individuals who transgressed the moral order. By forging a contract with this demon and trading their soul, they would be given immense power and knowledge." He hums after reading the final sentence, focusing on the immense power and knowledge section. Morgana wonders how far this immense power can transcend. Maybe this immense power is why Akira can wield multiple personas in the Metaverse.

With a simple smile, Akira asks "Would you like to read a bit about the angels of Paradiso? I'm sure we have some time left before we go to bed."

Morgana meows in interest, "Sure, if we ever encounter these angels you fight in Purgatorio, I wanna be prepared and know about them." Akira closes Lemegeton's book and places it back in his hidden Umbra seal. Taking out the Hierarchy of Laguna book instead to open on a page of third-sphere angels.

02 May 2018

There was an awkward silence between the group as they stood in the school's gym. The principal called all of the students for the morning assembly to discuss the events that occurred during the last two weeks. He was quickly interrupted by Kamoshida, who got on stage to admit all of his awful wrongdoings. It had gotten to the point where he crashed onto his knees, claiming that he would kill himself to take responsibility. Ann shouted out of the crowd to tell Kamoshida that killing himself was just him running away. Eventually, the police were called and took Kamoshida away and teachers escorted groups of students out of the gym. Although Ryuji and Ann were debating whether this was for the best or not, Akira calmed their doubts with a confident yes. As long as that man couldn't harm any more people, Akira was content with this result.

Ann continued to face the stage until she heard a boy apologising behind her. She turns to see Mishima bowing down to her and two girls behind him, "We all knew... but we pretended we didn't." He admits with a shameful look.

The taller girl of the two adds, "Takamaki-san, I had you all wrong... I'm sorry that I spread rumours about you!"

The girl with shorter hair says, "I didn't know at all... Kamoshida was forcefully pushing himself on you... It must've been so hard!"

"I'm sure there are tons of people who want to apologise to you. We're so sorry!"

Staring down at the dark bronze flooring, Ann replies "No, it's okay. The same goes for me too... Besides, it's all in the past now." A teacher walks up to the students directing the teens to go back to class. The two girls say their goodbye to Ann and leave while Mishima remains. Mishima faces Ruyji and Akira, apologising to them and promising to make it up to them. He then departed from the small group that planned to meet after school to discuss this recent event. Akira hoped Ann was in the right head space, he could tell she had some conflicting thoughts playing in her mind. These thoughts are mostly on her best friend. Akira would like to check up on her himself but they barely know each other, he'd just ask Ann for updates about Suzui-san. With the school day completed, Akira Morgana and Ryuji meet at their usual spot with the medal sitting across from them. Ann was the last to arrive, she informed the group about Shiho's condition; she had regained consciousness. Unfortunately, it was only for a little while yet Ann was able to tell her about Kamoshida confessing to his crimes. Through her tears, the blonde unravels how Shiho's mum is thinking of transferring her daughter to another school. Akira couldn't blame Shiho's mother for considering that option. It would probably be the best for the girl.

With that settled, Ryuji inquires "Why was Kamoshida the only one who had that Metaverse thing?"

Like always, Morgana is prepared to explain aspects of the Metaverse, "It isn't necessarily limited to him. It's something anyone could have if their heart became warped from their desires." Ann mutters the word 'anyone' before the cat offers to check it out.

Unexpectedly, Ryuji is the one to shut down this suggestion, "N-not right now. We better lay low for a while. People are still gonna be talkin' about Kamoshida. Then again, it's totally impossible for someone to find out what we did at his palace."

Ann then tells the group, "Yeah about that... Weird rumours about you guys are already going around. Stuff like, you got together and threatened Kamoshida with something close to physical violence... People aren't going to easily believe the Phantom Thieves really exist. The calling card's being treated like it was a prank by someone who knew what Kamoshida was doing."

Ryuji looks disappointed by this fact, "Makes sense... We're the ones who did it, and I still don't completely believe it myself."

"Let's wait for things to settle down for the time being."

Ryuji takes out his phone, "Anyways, let's check how much this medal can be sold for. It'd be better if we pawned it off ASAP." He begins to type how much the medal is worth, "Ooh, got a hit!" His eyes widen, "... Wait, thirty thousand yen?! That's all a golden medal's worth?!"

Ann grins, "Remember that time in middle school? I lent you some money."

He stands up, "There's no way I borrowed thirty thousand yen from you!"

Cheekily, Ann asks "Wouldn't it be around that much with compounded interest?"

"Interest my ass!"

 She replies, "I'm not saying that I'm taking all of it. I mean, it's your fault for not paying me back all these years! It's just common sense!"

Morgana meows, breaking this little argument between the two, "I agree on laying low and keeping an eye on the situation. However, you dragged me into this.  It would be nonsense not to celebrate a successful mission."

Ryuji smiles at the mention of celebration, "I guess we should blow this dirty money on something fun."

"Discussing among Phantom thieves are to take place over luxurious food. How about it?"

Ann begins to object but stops herself after she remembers a certain place they can go. Ryuji turns to Akira and questions if he'd be fine with this little celebration; why wouldn't he be? It'll be a lovely jubilee for the group. Their meeting concludes with Ann setting up a reservation and checking the prices while Akira sells the medal.

05 May 2018

Akira couldn't help but melt at the rich taste of his meal. This hotel Ann had chosen was truly high class, maybe he can suggest coming here again with his family. As they binge on this amazing food, they talk about the aftermath of Kamoshida's confession. According to Ryuji, some people have been gossiping about the Phantom Thieves. One individual has even created a website for the Phantom Thieves. It's reassuring that they were able to relieve people and give them hope. After selecting a high-quality meal with Morgana, the three boys' bellies were filled. Their tummies were too full they needed to go to the restroom, taking their aching stomachs to another floor and finding the restrooms.

"Ughh, I'm stuffed..." Morgana huffs out, peeking his head out of Akira's bag.

Ryuji stands in front of the elevator buttons, "I totally panicked when I saw the 'Closed for Cleaning' sign at the bathrooms..."

The cat's ears lower, "You were talking big about eating until you puked, but you really did puke... Are you some kind of moron?"

Feeling insulted by the rhetorical question, Ryuji says back "Hey, same goes for you!" He looks back to the elevator buttons, "What floor was that restaurant on?"

"We came up to get here, so it has to be on a lower floor, right?" Ryuji presses the bottom arrow and waits for the elevator with Akira. The teens focus on waiting for the elevator and they don't notice a party of businessmen stomp towards them. They carelessly push past the boys, ignoring Ryuji's 'what the-' as the man in the middle questions his underlings about updates on a case.

Ryuji cuts in on their conversation, "Hey, you're cuttin' in line!"

One of the men takes a step closer to the teens, "... What do you want?"

Akira glares at him, "We were here first."

"We're in a hurry."

The blonde teen counters back, "Oh, I'm sorry. So you can butt in front of other people if you're in a hurry?"

The bald man nonchalantly says, "It seems the customer base has changed since I was here last. Have they started a daycare?"

The man who had stepped closer to the teens now turns to face his boss, "Sir, we don't have time for this."

"I know." The elevator doors open, the group of men begin to walk inside but Ryuji steps forward. Only to get pushed back.

Not wanting to waste any more time than he already has the main man tells his underling not to bother with them. For some reason, his voice seems familiar to Akira. Like he has... heard him before. Tension slowly builds in Akira's head, causing him to look down and cover his face with his right hand as if it would ease his headache. The hoard of men enters the elevator as Ryuji complains about the 'bossy guy'. He let out his frustration while pressing the button once more, he couldn't stand how blatant that man was. The man looked down at them as if they were insignificant ants. When the blonde turns back to his friends, he notes Akira's sudden change in his demeanour. Ryuji asks if something is wrong only for Akira to answer he's just a bit lightheaded. 

Another elevator opens, allowing the trio to head back up to the restaurant. They come to find Ann with her head hung low, she explains how she had a run-in with a rude woman before they arrived. As the boys sat down, she commented on how they might be out of place in this restaurant. It has always felt like this for Akira. For all of them. There's a pregnant pause, everyone is in thought until Ryuji asks Morgana if anyone could have a palace. Soon enough, Ryuji proposes they continue as the Phantom Thieves. They could help those who are unable to fight back, they could change the hearts of horrible people with twisted desires. When Morgana claims they are now an organisation, Ann elects Akira as the leader. He welcomes the role with open arms, along with officially naming their association as 'The Phantom Thieves'. A part of him was tempted to label themselves as Umbra witches -imagining Ryuji, Ann and Morgana in Umbran training uniforms got a chuckle out of Akira- but he restrained himself. They begin to debate over who they should target next, what type of shitty adult can they find and change their heart. They set a rule on whoever they choose, it must be a unanimous decision. Ann informs the group the buffet ran out so they agree to talk more tomorrow and leave the restaurant.

~~~

"First off... I'd like to begin by congratulating you." Igor's voice boomed around the room, Akira was back in his cell with chains once more.

Justine remarks, "To think our master would give words of praise..."

Caroline sends the inmate a serious look, "You better treasure this moment, inmate!"

Akira looks ahead to the big-nosed man at his desk, "You have encountered allies who share your ideals, and you have found your place in reality. The time has come... your rehabilitation will soon begin."

The teen raises an eyebrow, "What rehabilitation?"

"I shall explain to you now..." Thank Queen Sheba, Akira hopes he can wrap his head around this as easily as learning about his Umbran history. "You have a special potential. However, that must be refined into a useful power. It is weak now, but refining it shall grant you the strength to stand against the coming ruin... That is the rehabilitation cast upon you."

 A look of uncertainty crosses Akira's face, "Coming ruin?" What could this 'ruin' be? Is it someone attempting to resurrect Jubelius again? To reunite the eyes of the world to form Aseir? Weren't they destroyed?

Igor continues, "There are various means by which you may gain the power to resist the ruin. Fighting shadows and gaining experience is one way. The fusion process I taught you prior is another."

Caroline exclaims, "This is all possible because of our master's guidance, inmate!"

The right-eyed twin puts forward, "Though it may be presumptuous of us, we have words of wisdom as well."

"When you're out in reality, you better hone your relationships with those you have contracts with!"

Justine says, "Spending time with those people... will lead to the cultivation of your relationships with them."

"If you've got time to waste, you'd better visit your contractors, inmate!"

Igor has the final word, "Thanks to the contracts you've formed, your heart is steadily gaining the power of opposition. It seems the rehabilitation is going well, this is a truly joyous occasion... I shall grant you an ability befitting of your newfound growth. Consider it a gift. May the devotion to your rehabilitation grow even deeper. I have high hopes for you."

Akira could feel his bond with Igor growing deeper; more power was flowing within the witch. Enough power to hold onto more persona and slightly powerful demons.

Chapter Text

06 May 2018

The last lesson has finally ended so Akira can now spend his time focusing on something vital. Whether that'll be hanging out with friends, or family, possibly slaying some angels etc. He goes to scroll on his phone, only to see a text sent to him by his mummy from half an hour ago.

Mummy: Come talk to us when you have the chance. We need to know everything!

Guess Akira is going to the Gates of Hell tonight. He replies with a thumbs up as a bluenette teen walks to his side, "...Hey." Akira stares at the boy with a curious look. "Have you seen that Phantom Aficionado Website?"

The Umbra witch nods, "I've heard of it."

Mishima grins, "I'm the one who started it." Rather abruptly, the bluenette's face is inches closer to Akira's. "Um... You guys are the Phantom Thieves, aren't you?" Although he wasn't stunned by how close the teen's face was to his -Akira swore they could be a few inches from their lips making contact- he calmly requested for Mishima to give him some space. The teen black eyes lower to Akira's chest, realising how this can be uncomfortable for Akira. "... Sorry," Mishima says, moving back to stand with his hands back inside his school pants pockets. "Although... If things really are as I think, I should keep it a secret." He looks to the side in shame, "Kamoshida used me, and I did some horrible things to you guys. This isn't much of a way for me to apologise for it..." A determined look flashes in Mishima's eyes, "But if there's anything I can do to help, just let me know!" Akira smirks, he can tell Mishima is being genuine so he replies positively and leans back onto his school desk. "I'm glad to hear that."

The bluenette head turns to the class window, "It's not just Kamoshida... There are tons of evil adults out there. But I'm sure the Phantom Thieves will do something... They can't let this end after one target. That's why I wanted to make a forum where people could post their problems." His head turns back to Akira, "There are probably a lot of people who have high hopes for the Phantom Thieves' next move. So I've also implemented an anonymous poll on the site." Rummaging through his right pocket, Mishima displays his phone's screen to Akira. Showcasing the very website with a poll 'Do you believe in the Phantom Thieves or not?' and a percentage of six point seven saying yes. Mishima explains, "I wanna work on this forum so eventually it'll be packed with tons of positive posts. I'd really like to help out in the Phantom Thieves' acts of justice! Can I, please?"

Ugh, Akira can't say no to this cutie. "It's up to you..."

With a chuckle, Mishima responds "In that case, I'll just do what I want."

Akira can sense abundantly high expectations from Mishima...

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

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

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

Mishima says his goodbye before jogging away, allowing Ryuji and Ann to approach their friend.

"We heard all that," Ryuji confirms. "Geez... It was a little awkward tryin' to figure out when to walk over here."

Ann states, "So that forum is Mishima-kun's..."

Morgana questions, "Has he figured out our identities?"

Well, for Mishima it wouldn't be that hard to figure out since he was present during Akira's and Ryuji's confrontation with Kamoshida. Then right after that confrontation, Ryuji and Akira had gotten closer and Kamoshida began to act differently. The bluenette teen was smart enough to line the dots together that they must've done something involving Kamoshida. Ann answers Morgana's question, "Even so, I think it'll be fine. He seemed to be playing it cool."

Ryuji swiftly nods, "I guess we should have a little chat about this later."

The cat purrs, "I will say though... a forum where people can post problems may prove unexpectedly useful."

For a second, the two blondes look at Morgana inquisitively but decide not to question him. Ryuji sighed, "Anyways, we gotta get lookin' for a new target."

"And we need to stay sharp until we manage to find one. Once we do, we'll have to head into another palace, so we prep our equipment and-" Ann includes, causing Ryuji to step back in realisation.

His eyes bulged and his mouth gaped open, "Wait, oh CRAP!"

Ann, baffled by her friend's sudden reaction, asks "What's with you?!"

"Don't we have an exam comin' up?!"

Oh right, Akira had forgotten about that. Ann sighs, "... Judging by that reaction, I'd assume you're going to struggle this time too?"

Ryuji defends, "It's not like you're any better! All you're good at is... English!"

She counters, "I'd rather that than be bad at every subject!"

Morgana jumps in, "Even your Japanese is questionable at best, Ryuji."

"What's questionable is whether you're really a human." Ryuji looks to Akira with a proud grin, "Ha! Good comeback, huh?" The male blonde's comeback struck Morgana's nerves.

He growls back, "...Let's discuss this with our fists!"

"Bring it!"

Ann groans at the boy's spat, "Will you two stop it?!"

Thankfully, this ends the boys bickering. Ryuji says, "Fine, I gotta get going anyway... See ya!" he then walks out of the classroom, and Ann goes to sit at her desk. Morgana comments how she looked troubled about something, Akira should talk to her.

~~~

It was nice to travel out of Yongen-Jaya during the evening finally. Sojiro had given Akira the keys to Leblanc since he couldn't keep waiting for the teen to come home, so Akira chose to explore Shibuya and see if anything new occurred during the night. Morgana even reminded him about returning the paper bag to the airsoft shop owner; when he entered the store, Iwai told the teen to keep it (just to not associate Iwai with it). This means that Akira gets to keep the 'Riot Police E' pistol. A pistol modified to be more powerful. Morgana wants Akira to ask the man about these modified guns but he didn't think now would be the right time. He can ask Iwai another night, for now, Akira wants to pick up some books to read, items for the next potential palace mission and visit the Gates of Hell. Pretty simple.

"Hey, why are we going into this alley?" The alley in question was one close to the gym on Central Street.

Akira sensed the portal in this direction, the portal to the Gates of Hell. "We're going to see my parents."

Morgana's head twisted from left to right, there was nobody else in sight, "Where are they? Are they running late or something?" As Akira steps into Purgatorio, his feline friend is now able to spot the darkly coloured circle on the ground. He squints to observe tiny unreadable writing in the red smoke pouring out of the portal.

He stares at Akira for an explanation, the Umbra witch says "This a portal made by my uncle to quickly travel to his bar; the Gates of Hell." The Umbra witch steps on the circle, teleporting himself and Morgana.

The cat's mouth makes a sound of surprise as he observes his new scenery: The lights were lit a deep shy purple, tables were positioned in a neat fashion, a dark phonograph record player resting beside the bar where a daunting man was behind the counter and two beautiful women sat on bar stools next to one another. The raven-haired woman turns first to smile at Akira, allowing Morgana to identify her as Akira's mother. Dawning a vastly new style than he had previously seen her in. She wore a skin-tight black bodysuit with various silver details on her chest marching down to her stomach and her heels. The other wore a bold red biker suit with thigh-high matching coloured heeled boots, her hair drifting all the way down to where her knees bent on her seat.

Bayonetta gets out of her seat, "Finally! We were wondering when you'd show up." As the mother and son meet halfway, her mouth takes the shape of a circle upon noticing the animal poking their upper body out of Akira's bag. Bayonetta smirks with interest, "Little Kiki, when did you get this adorable creature?"

Before Morgana could introduce himself -even though he knows she won't understand him- Bayonetta's hand softly strokes his head making him purr. Jeanne turns on her stool to smile at her son.

Akira answers, "This is Morgana, I actually met him in the Metaverse..." His mummy continues to pet Morgana blissfully, and Jeanne gives a questionable look.

"The Metaverse? You met the cat there?" Akira nods, slowly sliding his bag off his shoulder to let his mummy pick up Morgana. He breaks out of his pleased state to meow in surprise at being held by this beautiful woman.

Bayonetta comments, "What a handsome fellow!" The two pace up to the bar, Rodin finishes a drink and slides it in front of Akira. He sits beside Jeanne while Bayonetta stands holding Morgana similar to a baby.

Morgana laughs in pride at the compliment, "Why thank you, Mrs Kurusu!" He glances at Akira, "Your mom is such a charmer."

The young witch shakes his head before taking a small sip from his orange drink. Its fruity taste swims around in his mouth. Jeanne says, "Well, care to tell us about Kamoshida's confession? We've heard about it on the news but we want to know how you're feeling."

In all honestly, Akira felt proud about changing Kamoshida's heart. Even though there was a small concern about how Kamoshida reacted to the change of heart -the man willing to kill himself to atone- the young teen mostly felt proud. "I feel... good. Thanks to us, Kamoshida won't hurt anybody anymore." Bayonetta places Morgana on a bar stool next to hers, he soon slides out of his comforting state to swiftly jolt upon laying eyes on the barman. Morgana examined the man's dark clothing and tattoos on his head; He had a scary aura around him. Akira said his uncle was the bar owner but Morgana couldn't see the family resemblance. He couldn't even tell if Akira's mom and the owner were brother and sister. Was this more of a found family type of situation between them? "After Kamoshida's confession in the assembly, we talked and decided to celebrate at a fancy restaurant for our first successful mission. During our celebration, we all agreed to continue our work as Phantom Thieves to help others who can't fight back."

Bayonetta calmly stares at her son, satisfied by her son's noble nature. She was rather intrigued by this Metaverse Akira had delved into, maybe she could join him and his friends during these 'missions'. Rodin finally speaks up, "Guess you're gonna look for your next target then." It sounded more like a statement than a question, "Be careful of who you mark as the next target, don't be hittin' big tycoons you can't handle."

Akira nods in agreement, "Of course... We just need to find a way to locate someone's palace somehow."

Morgana recommends, "I think we should wait until you finish your exams to look for a target. We should focus on one thing at a time." Rodin stares down at the cat, which goes unnoticed by the feline.

With a raised eyebrow, Jeanne remarks, "Your cat is quite talkative."

"I'm not a cat!" Morgana growls, ending his sentence with a pout.

The young witch smirks, "He sure is," He gently pats the top of Morgana's as he jokingly says, "Sometimes he can be a bit bossy too. At night, Morgana always meows at me until I go to bed."

Morgana pushes away from Akira's hand with a grumble, "Akira!"

Upon hearing the name of Akira's cat again, Bayonetta glances to the side in thought. She mutters his name with a confused tone... Why does that name sound so familiar? Has she met a Morgana before? It felt as if that name brought back a very distant memory from a very distant life...

With a minor shake of her head, she changes the subject of the conversation, "So, little Kiki, care to explain what being in the Metaverse was like? Is it similar to being in Purgatorio?"

This enables Akira to rant about what it was like inside the Metaverse/Palace, along with Morgana assisting him with properly explaining the concept. Though one person in the room is well-educated on that matter, he lets his nephew and the questionable cat discuss the Metaverse. Rodin will divulge more information when he feels he needs to. During the explanation, Bayonetta's and Jeanne's interests peak when their child mentions how he even encountered angels and demons in this Metaverse. It makes them wonder how long the Metaverse has existed if angels and Infernals already found a way to enter this world. When they have time, the two witches will research more about the Metaverse.

After Akira finishes explaining the Metaverse and what a Palace is, Bayonetta questions, "How are your friends dealing with this?"

He lets out a quiet chuckle, thinking back to their reactions upon entering the Palace, "They dealt with it pretty well... though Purgatorio might've been a bit easier for them to understand." Akira raises his drink to take another sip.

"Purgatorio?" He freezes once he realises his error, "It seems you've been brandishing our Umbran ways," Bayonetta shares a glance with her wife "Doesn't it Jeanne?"

Swiftly, Akira justifies why he allowed his friends to join him in Purgatorio, "Ryuji, Ann and Morgana are trustworthy. They wouldn't-"

Jeanne playfully rolls her eyes, "We're not concerned about that, Akira." The teen's anxiety dies down, "We just hope none of our friends upstairs would like to visit your friends."

Akira's body jolts in realisation; what if angels could encounter his friends now they've been exposed to Purgatorio? Would they even be able to defend themselves if angels go after them? Morgana tilts his head, mainly questioning why holy angels would even have the desire to search for Ryuji and Ann. Compared to Akira and himself, they wouldn't been seen as big targets (No offense to Lady Ann of course). Morgana wonders what the angels' goals would be to try and capture the Phantom Thieves... Then again, he doesn't want to find out by letting them win a battle.

Rodin calms his nephew's worries, "If they ever were to say hello, I'd take care of them."

"Really?" Rodin nods at Akira, making him form a relieved smile "Thank you, Uncle Rodin. I'll repay you when I can." Knowing Rodin -the most powerful being Akira knows- will watch over his friends grants the witch some peace. His friends will surely be safe from angels when Rodin watches out for them. The group continue to discuss various things -work, school, recent new events- before Morgana notices the time.

He nudges Akira with his right paw, "I think we should leave now. It's getting late."

Under his breath, Akira mutters "Right," before getting out of his seat. "I gotta get going now... Don't wanna be late for school tomorrow."

His mother nods before leaning forward to be given a goodbye kiss on her cheek, "Sleep well, Akira." The young witch opens his bag enough for Morgana to jump into.

Akira kisses his mummy goodbye, she smiles and says "Good luck tomorrow." He waves goodbye to his uncle before leaving the Gates of Hell and heading home.

07 May 2018

The Phantom Thieves posted themselves back on the school rooftop, they have still not found a target from the website. A majority of posts were of people complaining rather than raising a reasonable threat for the group to take down. They should just wait until exams are finished so they can look for a target themselves. Though their conversation halts upon the rooftop doors being pushed open.

Morgana swiftly jumps out of sight from this new party, who happens to be the student council president. "This place is off-limits, you know." She seemed calm and collected, from a single glance you could tell she was a respectable and astute student of this school.  

Ryuji sighs, "...We'll get outta here once we're done chattin'. Anyways, what's Miss Council President want with us?"

She lists off the titles the three students are known for in the school and comments "By the way... It seems as though you got to know Mr. Kamoshida pretty well." She looks at Akira, clearly waiting for his response.

He shrugs his shoulders, "Not really."

Akira's best friend comes to his defence, "Yeah, y'know he's only been here a month or so."

The Council President hums, "I heard Mr. Kamoshida used a volleyball team member to spread details of your past record Don't you hate him? Mr. Kamoshida, I mean." She was trying to get something out of Akira. As if she was interrogating the boy about a crime she assumes he committed.

There was a moment of silence before Ryuji leaned forward in his seat, "What's all this about? My friend's here an upstanding guy."

"I didn't mean to offend. Many students have been shaken up by what happened with Mr Kamoshida. The rumours about that odd calling card-esque posting aren't going away either."

The blondes share a glance, Ann speaks up first "I didn't expect someone like you would care about that tackless stuff, Niijima-senpai."

Ryuji follows up, "I dunno that it was tactless... Anyways, we done here? We can't leave if you keep talkin' to us."

Niijima's eyebrows knit together, "At least try to understand my position. Being forced to deal with this horseplay..."

Ann exclaims, "Horseplay?!"

"Ah yes, by the way... It's been decided that this place will be closed off due to the incident. I heard some people are coming up here without permission, after all." Niijima begins to walk towards the rooftop doors, "... I'm sorry to have interrupted you."

Once the doors close behind her, Ann stands to question why the Council President confronted them. Morgana, on top of everyone else, states she's on to them so they must be cautious around the Council President. Then, he offers to show the group something interesting and tells them to follow him. Which leads the three teens beside the entrance of the Shibuya underground mall/station. Instructed by Morgana, Ryuji takes out his phone to go onto the Phantom Aficionado Website. He looks for a post with a full name; Natsuhiko Nakanohara, a stalker. Morgana directs Ryuji to open up the Meta-Nav and enter the keyword 'Mementos'. Once the App heard the word 'Mementos', the world began to shift around them. Their becomes black and red as everything twists and contorts to look uneven. When their vision clears, the crowds of people have vanished leaving Shibuya as a ghost town. Morgana directs the team to head down so he can fully explain what's happening.

They stop ahead of four escalators and swiftly realise they are in their Phantom Thief clothing and Mona has changed into his other form. Mona begins to explain what Menmentos was; the public's shared palace. A palace for individuals to have a collective unconscious.

Skull gazes back to the escalators, "But this place looks pretty huge. Are we gonna be able to get around just by walkin' ?"

Mona crosses his arms, "It seems the time has finally come..." The teens curiously stare at Mona as he poses, "Morganaaaa... Transfoooorm!" He leaps into the air as a puff of smoke appears. The smoke soon evaporates to show Mona has suddenly turned into a van. His team members are taken aback, "Come now, Panther. Ladies first."

In response, Panther gasps, "A car...?!"

Skull was in disbelief, "No way!"

Mona clarifies, "This comes from the way cognition materialises in the Metaverse, plus a bit of extra training. It's not dissimilar to how you guys transform."

"You turnin' into a car is totally different than our clothes changin'!"

Mona continues, "For some reason, 'cats turning into buses' is an extremely widespread cognition among the general public." 

Panther tilts her head, "Why a bus though?"

"...No idea."

Skull stomps on the ground, "Wait, why didn't you do this at the castle?!"

With a groan, Mona responds "I would have if I could!" The teens begin to open the doors to the Mona van, "But that castle was cramped, there were tons of stairs, and no way this fits on top of a chandelier!"

Joker, Skull and Panther jump into the back seats... only to realise they still need someone behind the wheel to push Mona onward. Panther looks to their leader, "Do you know how to drive?"

He glances to the side, "I've driven a motorcycle once..." Then again, that almost resulted in him crashing into the back of Uncle Enzo's car.

Mona warns, "You'd better not smash up my beautiful face, you hear me?!" Joker gets out to open the driver's door, he sits in the driver's seat and turns on the van's ignition. Skull hops over the seats to sit next to his leader. As Joker drives onward, he reads a sign above the railway. They are going through the Path of Qimranut Area One. Joker drives through the various tunnels, some leading to dead ends, shadows and even some treasure chests. Some of the shadows weren't strong so a couple of battles Joker enforced had ended within 2 minutes or less. At least these short battles were enhancing the thieves' fighting skills. Eventually, they encounter a segment of what Mona says to be strong distortions the set railways spiral into. Their target was inside the wavy mysterious hole of red and black. Mona claims that the target is inside, he jumps inside to land in a new area. A couple of feet ahead of them was a person with dark shadows surrounding their body. It had to be Nakanohara's shadow.

The Phantom Thieves confront the shadow, who attempts to defend his stalking by claiming his girlfriend treated him terribly so he can do the same to her. He even mentions an individual named Madarame as somebody who's far worse than himself. Shadow Nakanohara shifts out of his 'human' form to dissolve into an Obariyon; the 'piggyback' monster' of Japan. Joker attacks first, using a Bufu skill from Jack Frost as Mona follows up with a Garu skill.

Shadow Nakanohara manifests a sledgehammer, swinging it in Panther's direction. It takes a good amount of health from her, she allows Carmen to heal her while Skull summons Captain Kid to perform a Zio attack. Discovering the shadow's weakness, Nakanohara's body flops onto the ground allowing the thieves to do an All-Out Attack. Their enemy still stands, hopping from one foot to the next with his cheeky grin on display. Joker swaps Jack Frost for Berith to use a stronger physical attack, shadow Nakanohara's health is now very low.

With Mona's melee attack and Panther's Agi skill, the Phantom Thieves defeat the shadow, permitting shadow Nakanohara to return to his 'human' form. He stares at the group dejected, "I-I'm sorry... Please forgive me... I-I couldn't stop obsessing... N-Not after this person I trusted used me and then disposed of me."

Curiously, Joker questions the shadow, "Which person?"

Skull asks, "Hold on, are you talkin' about that guy you mentioned earlier... Madarame?"

Shadow Nakanohara's head lowers, "I... was afraid of being thrown away like some worthless thing."

Panther mumbles, "So some selfish bastard was making you suffer too... Still, you shouldn't have dragged an unrelated woman into your mess."

"Yes, I know that now. I'll put an end to my love for her..." There was a pregnant pause before he took a step forward, "...Hey, you can change people's hearts, right? In that case... Won't you change Madarame's heart?! Before more people fall victim to him..."

The Phantom Thieves aren't able to even think of answering the shadow as he suddenly disappears, leaving an unknown shiny object floating in the air. Like always, Mona is able to explain what this mysterious object is. It's the bud of the treasure, if they left the small treasure it could possibly blossom into a Palace. He urges Joker to take it which their leader does with no hesitation. Gripping onto the shiny item, it takes the form of a bracelet with a star charm dangling from the metal. Written on the star was 'Attachment Pearl'. They seem to have been successful in changing Nakanohara's heart; the best way to confirm this was to wait for the woman who posted her request to leave a reply online. Since Mementos benefits the team with training to fight various shadows and find treasures they can sell in the real world, Joker suggests they stay a little longer to inspect more of the tunnels. Mona agrees and mentions he wants to show one more thing to the team.

After a couple more battles with fairly weak shadows, they eventually find the platform to head down to Area 2. Area 2 has a larger platform with railways on each side where trains with noteably ruby windows pass by at high speeds. At the end of the platform was an odd wall stained with intricate designs with bright red lining. Skull questions why it's a dead end, only for Mona to reply it wasn't an ordinary wall. He places his right paw against the wall and not a second later the ground slightly shakes. The three teens observe their surroundings, at first worried it is going to be a shadow causing the ground to shake, however, they look back to the creepy wall. It was gone. The Metaverse Navigator activates, informing them a new area has been opened and new guidance has been downloaded. According to Mona, the wall was opened due to Kamoshida's palace vanishing and people talking about the Phantom Thieves. Panther asks if they should adventure deeper though Mona shuts down the idea since they have completed their goal and he wants to explain more when they're out of Mementos.

When they make it back to the entrance, they are met with a bright lemon-coloured surprise. They seem not to be the only ones exploring Mementos.

~~~

"Hey..." Morgana's voice breaks the silence in Leblanc. Akira's head raises as his hand stops writing in his revision book, staring at his feline friend with an inquisitive stare. Just minutes ago Morgana was encouraging the teen to study for upcoming exams, now he is interrupting Akira. "If it's alright, can I ask about your family?"

Dropping his pen, Akira answers "Sure," As long as it isn't a rude question about his family.

Morgana smiles, "Thanks, I'll be quick since you're in the middle of studying." Akira hopes it will be quick. "How big is your family exactly? I mean, you have two uncles and a mom, right? Was that bartender one of your uncles cause...?" Now Akira understands what his friend was getting at. Honestly, the teen couldn't blame Morgana for being somewhat confused; Akira's family was very unique after all.

Akira shakes his head, "I have more than two uncles and one mummy-" Morgana tilts his head at the last part, "- You've already met Uncle Rodin at the Gates of Hell and heard about Uncle Luka but there's also my Uncle Enzo."

Bewildered by this new family member, Morgana repeats the name "You haven't mentioned him before."

The young Umbra witch nods, "That's mainly because he is still at home. Uncle Enzo has got his own family there and his business to take care of. He doesn't come to the Gates of Hell as often as the others."

Morgana nods, "Ok then but... you said more than one Mom." He gasps, "Do you have two?!"

A small laugh leaves Akira's mouth, "You're makin' sound like it's something super rare... But yeah, I have two. You've already met them."

It took a second for Morgana to realise who the other parent was... The white-haired woman from the Gates of Hell. She must be his other mother. Two female Umbra witches who trained Akira in the man he is now. Morgana thinks about that fact -his parents being Umbra witches- and an idea pops into his head. Possibly, if Akira can bring his parents into the Metaverse for a split second, Morgana could ask them more about Umbra witches. They'll have more experience than Akira so maybe their answers can spark something in Morgana's head. Something to truly remind him of who he is. "Would it be alright if I could meet them again?" Akira tilts his head, "I know, it sounds rather crazy... but I just wanna know more about Umbran witch history. Could you ask them if they'd be willing to talk about it?"

Akira's eyes scan over his book, deep in thought before letting out, "I'll ask them when I can." He picks up his pen and continues to study, finishing the conversation. Morgana silently thanks the teen and stays silent for the last 25 minutes.

13 May 2018

In the middle of exam week, the school thought it would be a good idea to have an assembly and disrupt the students' schedule. Yet it might be a good thing since they're introducing a student councillor for the students to talk to for support. It's a little late to bring in a councillor but at least they're trying to help their students (or trying to regain their reputation after the Kamoshida fisaco). The councillor wore glasses whose frames were neither too thick nor thin. His short and soft locks were somewhat shaded in a brown caramel, the right partly covering the same side of his face. From looking at him, people could feel safe around this man. His introduction to the student body was clumsy but honest, he seemed genuine in supporting the teens with their mental health. Dr Takuto Maruki was going to be the school's councillor for a long period of time.

Once the assembly was over, Ann and Akira began to lumber back to their classroom yet stopped when they heard Ryuji behind them. He talks about the doctor and mentions how he was 'clowning' it up onstage and how he can do any good for the students. As if he heard his name, the doctor himself was suddenly walking up to the group.

Maruki greets the teens and asks if any of them would be interested in counselling. Although Ryuji was quick to deny his services, Ann seemed a tad apprehensive while Akira was willing to have a session with Maruki. The doctor mentioned during his counselling sessions he can teach ways to improve their mental acuity. To improve their concentration or to control their nerves. Enhancing his mental acuity could aid the Phantom Thieves in the Metaverse as well. This led to Akira walking into the practice building and locating the nurse's office. The office door was open with Maruki standing in the doorway and a red-haired student standing in front of the man.

As Akira gets closer to the duo, the student notices him first, "Ah, hello." It was the girl from the train, Yoshizawa (If Akira remembers correctly) "Are you here for a session as well?"

The young teen nods, "That's right."

She smiles up at Akira, "Is that so? Dr Maruki is a wonderful counsellor. I've actually been seeing him for a while, before he ever came to Shujin."

Dr Maruki joins the conversation, "Oh? I didn't you know you two were acquainted." He focuses on Yoshizawa, "Don't go overselling me too hard though, Yoshizawa-san- I'm really nothing special."

A minor giggle spills out the redhead's lips, "Well, I need to get going. Please excuse me." She bows and leaves the two. Akira waves as she leaves and Maruki moves to the side to allow enough space for Akira to enter the nurse's office. They sit on individual small couches and Akira explains what happened before Kamoshida's change of heart. Maruki informs Akira that the school has given him a rundown of his transfer.

With a wave of his right, Akira responds, "It's all in the past."

Dr Maruki inquires, "Did you have to force yourself to accept everything that happened...? No, that doesn't seem to be it..." He takes a moment to think before saying, "Now that you've told me more about yourself, I think I've realized something. It seems like you've largely been able to reconcile your internal world with your external one. I should note- that's really, truly impressive. Even most adults can't reliably manage that." Akira's head twists to the side in confusion, the doctor notices and continues,

"How to put it- You know how everyone has an internal reality? Some conception of themselves they're striving for? Like, wanting to be a model student, or wanting to be loved and relied on... That kind of thing. But that idealised reality and the one in actuality are often far apart. That gap is responsible for a lot of people's pain. Not everyone can ace their exams. And not everyone can be the heroes they wish they could be. You've already been through so much. That kind of suffering is usually enough to twist people up into dark places. But you- you're standing up to it, and confronting a tough, painful reality. To me, that's incredibly admirable... Then again, maybe that's a little weird for you to hear from a guy you just met, huh?"

Akira shakes his head, "But it sounds right."

The corners of Maruki's lips turn upwards, "Not even any deflecting self-deprecation! You really are strong, Kurusu-kun. Well, let's see... Sorry, this went on longer than I expected." He leans forward in his seat, "Somehow, the conversation just took on a life of its own, I guess... Hey, I've actually got one last request, do you mind?"

Akira shakes his head, "Not at all."

"I'm actually doing certain research along with my duties as a counsellor. It's not quite like counselling- more like a type of psychological treatment... Basically, it's a project to learn more about people's metaphorical hearts. What they think, how they feel. If I get far enough with it, I think it'll be able to help a lot of people! So...?"

He's waiting for Akira to give his answer. While this does seem like interesting research, Akira can't get involved without knowing more, "I'll need more details."

Dr Maruki leans back, his eyes widen somewhat, "Oh, sorry! Ugh, I guess my point is... I'd like to ask you to help with that research! All you'd have to do is listen to my theories, and then tell me if they spark any ideas or realizations on your end. Please! Any time's good for me- I can work around your schedule. And uh... I've got a lot of snacks, too! You can have them! They're yours!"

The young teen chuckles at the man trying to use snacks once again to motivate Akira to be engaged. "Well, okay."

His answer brightens Dr Maruki's mood, "Really?! YES! You're a lifesaver! Let's see... I know! Maybe I could teach you some tips for mental training? I happen to know a lot on the subject. I'm sure I can cook up a special regimen for you. If you're dedicated enough, I'm sure you could draw out your full potential!" Akira just nods in agreement, "Okay! I guess that's our second deal." The two trade their contact information and Dr Maruki begins to talk about mental training and presence. Making Akira's mind feel stronger.

14 May 2018

It was early in the morning, Ryuji and Akira met together by their train's platform and talked about their exams. Ann soon joined the boys but she seemed distracted by something else behind her. Morgana notices something behind the group -or more especially Ann- yet they get on the train as normal. When they make it to their stop, Akira walks in front of Ann while Ryuji guards from the back. Ann's eyes kept scanning the crowd, searching for the individual that has been stalking her. It wasn't until they were going up on an escalator that Ann spotted a guy who seemed to be following them. Quickly, the teens head up and divide a small plan to catch the stalker. Ann stationed herself on the street alone, doing her best to direct her gaze from behind her. She could hear the stalker's steps getting closer. The stalker reaches out to Ann, only to fall back upon Ryuji and Akira blocking her from his reach. Ann turns to see who has been watching her these past few days... It was a boy. A teenage boy.

Ryuji and Akira looked him up and down, Akira could sense the teenager wasn't intent on harming or harassing Ann. However, it doesn't explain why he was following her. Before the young teen could explain, a black car pulled up beside them. The back passenger window rolls down, exposing an elderly man smiling at the blue-haired teen. He comments on how he wondered where the teen wandered off to and lets out a boisterous laugh.

The unforeseen boy's head casts down, resting his left hand on his heart, "I saw you from the car... and I couldn't help myself from chasing after you. I didn't even notice the calls from Sensei... But thank goodness, I caught up to you." Stiffly, Ann drags out an 'okay', not fully sure how to respond. Ryuji responds with confusion and Akira stays mute, wanting to hear more from the teen. "You're the woman I've been searching for all this time please, won't you-"

Ann interrupts, worried this is leading to some crazy declaration "W-wait a minute, I-"

"-Be the next model for my art piece?!"

...Well, that was unexpected.

Ann questions his request and he goes into depth about his appeal for Ann as his model "All that I've drawn until now has been lacking, but I feel a passion from you unlike anyone else."

Morgana shouts out, "This man is highly suspicious!" Akira knows his friend is mainly saying that out of jealousy and protectiveness of his 'Lady Ann'.

Though he isn't the only one to be suspicious, Ryuji adds "Ain't this a recruit for some shady business?"

The blue-haired teen ignores Ryuji and stays focused on Ann, "Will you cooperate with me? What do you say?" This guy is very insistent on getting Ann as his model.

Ryuji takes a step forward, "Hold your horses! Who're you anyways?"

"Oh, where are my manners? I'm a second-year at Kosei's High Fine Arts Division. My name is Yusuke Kitagawa." Rather abruptly, Yusuke presses past the bold blonde teen to be closer to Ann. She backs away in surprise, "I'm Madarame-sensei's pupil, and I am being allowed residence at his place. I'm striving to become an artist."

Ann's eyes widen in surprise upon Yusuke bringing up the name Madarame, "Huh?! Do you mean THAT Madarame? The one who was on 'Good Morning Japan' the other day?"

"The very same."

Ryuji tilts his head at his friend, "You know who that is?"

She answers, "He was introduced as a super-famous Japanese-style artist who's been recognised all over the world." Then she quietly mutters, "But we heard that name the other day in Mementos..."

The old man -assumed to be Madarame- finally speaks up, calling out to Yusuke, urging him to hurry and get back inside the car. Before leaving, Yusuke invites Ann to a Madarame exhibition he will be helping out to give him an answer regarding being his model. At least he was nice enough to offer the tickets to Akira and Ryuji too. The group watch as he goes into the car and it drives away.

Ryujis sighs, "That guy's as easy as to read as a book... You're not plann' on goin', are ya'?" He questions Ann.

"...I think I will." Ann takes out her phone and swiftly says, "Crap! Look at the time! I'll see you later." She jogs towards school, leaving the boys surprised by her answer.

~~~

After the group of friends had discussed their exams and the plan to visit the art exhibition tomorrow, they departed from the train station and headed home for the rest of the day. Except for Akira, he had received a text from his Uncle Luka asking if they could meet up by the train that transports to Yongen. Although Morgana is hesitant -the two will need their sleep for tomorrow- Akira insists they meet up with his Uncle. Sticking out like a sour thumb, Akira's eyes land on the tall man who's flipping his hat in the air out of boredom. The teen calls out to his relative, Luka grins and puts his hat back onto his head. Opening his arms for a hug, Luka's voice happily announces Akira's name. Luka wraps his arm around the teen, unknowingly crashing the cat inside Akira's bag into their hug.

Causing Morgana to meow and shuffle around inside the bag loudly, "Hey! Watch it!" Akira pulls back as Luka lets out a confused 'huh'. His eyebrows raise in surprise at the pouting black cat.

He eyes the cat in his nephew's bag and chuckles, "Wow kid! I thought your mother said no pets until you got your own place?" Luka stretches his index finger to Morgana, supposedly to poke him, only for the cat to pout and hiss at him.

Akira shakes his head, "Morgana's not a pet, technically." He mutters the last part, "I found him nearby the school and seemed to be abandoned." His head twists to view Morgana still pouting at his Uncle.

Morgana grumbles, "Your Uncle seems ludicrous."

The Umbra witch ignores his friend's comment, "So Cheshire, why did you want to meet up?"

Luka replies, "Well, to be honest, Akira, I have a favour to ask you?" Usually, it would be the other way around, "You remember asking me about adding Kamoshida's victims?" Akira nods with a small hum, "Do you think there'll be some students willing to give me their account on the Phantom Thieves? They're obviously connected with Kamoshida and it might help me figure out more of this Metaverse business."

Akira shares a look with Morgana, who takes a few seconds to think before saying "...Oh! What about that Mishima guy? He seems to be on the Phantom Thieves side."

With a smile, Akira answers his Uncle "I know someone who might be willing. I'll give you his number."

"Great, Kiki!" After giving Luka Mishima's number, they head to the backstreets of Youngen-Jaya to do some shopping. They originally planned to go to the movie theatre but it was unfortunately closed down. It wasn't long before the duo left the store with a bag full each, mainly containing essentials such as food and hair products. The two were enjoying each other's company until Akira sensed someone lurking close by... so did Morgana.

Repeatedly, Morgana's paw pats the teen's shoulder, "Hey, can you feel that Akira?" The teen turns his attention away from his Uncle to glance at Morgana. Luka was not too far in front of them, looking around Youngen to observe the buildings as he talked about something Akira wasn't too interested in. 

The Umbra witch grins cheekily, "What? Your paw?"

Morgana groans, "No, not me! I mean, I can feel... something strange." Akira's nostrils were filled with the stench of Sulphur upon turning his head in the direction of the street between the movie theatre and clinic. It seems his friends from down south have decided to come out and play.

Luka turns back to face his nephew, "Oh! I forgot to tell you but I'll be leaving Japan for a while around the start of June. Some stuff came up..."

Akira's eyes widen somewhat upon remembering his Uncle was to originally leave in  a couple of weeks, "R-right, I'll still see you at Uncle Rodin's won't I?"

The older man beams, "Of course you will!" He brings Akira closer to his left side, "It ain't like I am leaving you behind. I'll visit when I can alright." Offering a swift side-hug, Luka says goodbye to Akira and mentions they'll talk another day.

Morgana -who has been staring between the clinic and theatre for all this time- gasps at the sight of something lurking in the streets. Though he couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was... the thing was translucent. As if it was a ghost. The creature was somewhat humanoid with a very thin physique but large hips. At the end of its lanky arms were sharp claws containing a large scythe's handle. Its back was turned from the two, seemingly searching for something. Morgana recognises this creature, "Hey, isn't that thing a Hideous infernal?!"

With a nod, Akira answers "It is, though they usually travel in groups so we should be careful." He begins to approach the infernal with drawn-out steps, "Let's go and say hello."

"Wait, Akira!" Morgana pauses upon feeling himself enter Purgatorio, now viewing the Hideous in all its glory. Akira gently places his bags onto the ground, far away from where the infernal was.

Pulling out his No Place Like Homes set, Akira catches the infernal's attention, "Decided to come out and play my friend?" Hideous faces the Umbra witch with a loud squawk, not expecting to find the young Umbra witch.

Morgana bites his bottom lip, he wants to help his ally in battling the infernal. Yet he is well aware in his current form- Morgana would be a hindrance for Akira. He hops out of Akira's bag, landing on the ground beside the teen, "I wish I could help... but I can't really do much in this form without Zorro." After announcing his persona's name, a blue light leisurely surrounds the cat. The male feline circles himself, the blue light is around him; it's similar to the flame from calling upon Zorro. Akira stares at his friend questioningly, unfortunately, he isn't able to focus on Morgana for long as the Hideous swings its blade at Akira. He bounces back, activating Witch Time to circle the infernal and kick them away. Hideous tumbles -its body rolling onto the ground- while Akira rushes to the bright flame covering his friend from view. He calls out to Morgana only for the flame to react instead of his friend replying back.

The bright light dissipates, thankfully Morgana wasn't hurt by the sudden flame. However, the flame had certainly had a vital impact on the cat. He was now in his 'Phantom Thief' form. In shock, Morgana looks down at himself "Huh?! How did I..." 

Hideous gets up and stares at its foes before bending its back. Letting out a loud high-pitched roar to the sky. Akira and Mona push their focus onto the infernal, watching 4 red and smoky rings form around it. Jumping out of the portals were more Hideous' wielding various weapons. Aiming his guns at the infernals, Akira declares, "Ask questions later." He charges towards the first Hideous, firing rapidly at the infernal. Two Hideous' -both using chainsaw swords- sprint towards the Umbra witch and raise their swords. Yet the Hideous' are unable to get close thanks to Mona calling out his persona. Zorro materialised behind the furry feline and swung his sword, a gust of wind blowing the infernals back. Mona's face brightens with pride, he has summoned Zorro into the real world! He even has his slingshot and sword; now he can actually support Akira in fighting these creatures.

Once Akira was close enough, he threw multiple punches against the Hideous' chest before ending with a wicked weave punch. Launching the Hideous out of the group of infernals. Noticing a streak of red underneath his feet, Akira backflips merely dodging a Hideous's gunshot. Within Witch Time, the Umbra witch races to the second Hideous brandishing a firearm. Fluctuating between Hunk and Zeke before lashing out three kicks. As Witch Time finishes, Mona leaps towards the Hideous out of the group, raising his curved sword and slicing through the infernal. Killing it in an instant; its body slices into large pieces and topples to the ground. 

As Mona turns to assess how many enemies are left, he falls back upon feeling a solid metal smacking him across the head. Once his stance is stable, Mona gazes up at his attacker, it is a Hideous revving its chainsaw mere moments away from him. Mona closes his eyes and uses his sword's wide blade road to cover his face from the attack, seconds go by as he realises there's no impact. Removing his sword from his view, the feline observes Akira standing in front of him and the Hideous to be further away. Noticing a Hideous preparing to aim his shotgun towards his friend, Mona jumps onto his feet and swaps his sword for his slingshot. As Morgana shoots at the Hideous -making it miss its shot at the Umbra witch-, Akira focuses on the infernal that was about to slice through his ally. With a harsh kick to its chest, Dorothy unloads multiple bullets with Glinda following. Completing his assault, Akira lifts himself in the air, spinning 360 degrees while bullets fly in various directions. Which somewhat dazes the Hideous.

Mona calls out Zorro, letting his persona execute a Garu skill and eliminating the Hideous. The sound of a high-pitched squawk makes Mona turn and luckily he is able to bounce back from the blades of the Hideous' chainsaw. Taking out his curved sword, Mona repeatedly slashes the infernal ending its time on earth with a swing across its head. Mona's chest heaves up and down, blatantly getting tired from these constant quick movements. Thankfully, Akira felt intense Umbran magic coursing through his body.

He knew what to do to win this battle swiftly, with the click of his fingers, an ancient device was summoned behind the last firearm-wielding Hideous. The infernal looks back, a large iron maiden standing menacing behind it. The device's chest was wide open to show off its sharp spiked chamber. There was no time for the Hideous to react as it was pushed into the maiden by the bottom of Akira's right foot. It attempts to break free but the device is quicker, closing its doors to crush the infernal. Before exploding, the iron maiden burps full from its 'lunch' eliminating the Hideous. 

To kill the last Hideous, Akira performs one of the first combo attacks his mum had him learn. Akira rushes at the Hideous displaying its chainsaw, he sends two heavy punches against the infernal before slamming it to the ground with a kick. The Hideous' face collides with the ground, squawking in pain. Raising his right arm, Akira strikes the air to summon an infernal punch from underneath the infernal killing it with the final blow. The battle was over.

The Umbra witch glances at his feline friend, whose eyes have turned into large white dinner plates flat facing Akira. "You- you just summoned a torture device?! That was an Iron Maiden, right?!"

Swiftly, Akira replies "It's another part of my Umbra witch training."

Mona forms a straight-faced expression, "Of course it is... I shouldn't be surprised anymore. You're like the jack of all trades."

A minor giggle leaves the witch's mouth, "I guess so..." His eyes widen upon realising what they've glossed by, "Wait, you summoned Zorro!" He crouches down to Mona's eye level, "This is amazing!"

The corners of Mona's mouth turn upwards, "Indeed it is! Does this mean Ryuji and Ann could use their persona in Purgatorio as well?"

Akira shrugs, "It's most likely... A couple of days ago I managed to summon Arsene in Purgatorio."

Mona hums in thought, "Interesting, maybe one day we can all go into Purgatorio and test our abilities." Akira nods in agreement, "For now, we should leave Purgatorio and get to Leblanc, we'll need to get up early in the morning for that art exhibition." Akira nods in agreement, drawing out the portal for them to walk back into the real world. The young teen picks up his shopping bags and walks alongside Morgana through the portal.

Chapter Text

15 May 2018

The blonde groans in pain with his head pushed down staring at his bottom half, "That old lady totally elbowed me..." Ryuji wasn't the only one disappointed with them attending this event. Akira was actually curious about admiring the art; just cause they had some investigating to do about this Madarame didn't mean they couldn't look around for a moment. Thanks to that awful crowd of Madarame's fans, the teens had to book it for the exit to avoid being trampled. "...But thanks to that, I remember now." Akira inquires what his friend has remembered. "Well, lemme get it. It's about a post online." Ryuji looks at his phone's screen, scrolling through multiple posts to pinpoint the one he recalls. Within 5 seconds he is able to find something, "...Here, look at this." He lifts his phone towards Akira, who stands against the railings while Ryuji sits on the ground. Before Akira could read the post, his eyes drifted to a figure walking their way.

It was Ann, a pout formed on her lips "Why'd you leave without me?!"

Ryuji attempts to vindicate why they had to leave early, "You got it all wrong; we got dragged into this huge crowd and-" He then sighs, giving up halfway to show his phone's screen to Ann, "...Eh, anyways. You gotta look at this too. This post might be about Madarame." Ann asks what the post says, so Ryuji turns his phone back to read out "A master of the Japanese arts is plagiarizing his pupil's work. Only his public face is shown on TV."

Ann gasps, "Plagiarizing?!"

"I didn't think much of it When I first saw it, but hearing Shack and Madarame triggered it." Ryuji continues to read from the same post, "His treatment of the pupils who live with him is awful. He teaches nothing and bosses them around. He treats them inhumanely, as if disciplining a dog."

Morgana comments, "Abuse on top of plagiarism, hm?"

The blonde lifts his head, "If this is real, it'll be a huge scandal."

Ann then ponders, "I wonder if Kitagawa-kun posted this. I mean, he IS a pupil of his." It could be possible, after all, he did act odd for a moment when they were appreciating the various art displayed at the exhibition. There was a painting she wanted to see in person and luckily it was present at the gallery. Ann could sense a strong frustration from the painter within the art, she couldn't believe a cheerful man like Madarame could create such a piece of art. When she voiced her opinion on the work to Yusuke, Ann noticed the boy wince as if her words had wronged him. She asked him what was wrong only for Yusuke to swiftly shift her to another display to distract her.

Ryuji shrugs, "Who knows? It's anonymous and all..."

Morgana begins to speculate, "In that case... It's possible the Madarame we heard about in Mementos is referring to the same one."

The lighter blonde's eyes dart to the side in thought, "A man like that, doing such a thing?" There was a pregnant pause between the group, "I wonder if we can ask that shadow from earlier about this. Oh. Actually, we just need to talk to him in reality."

Narrowing his eyes, Ryuji asks, "And how are we gonna go about that? Are we gonna explain it all, startin' with Mementos?"

"Besides, if we make a move out in the open, there's a possibility that Madarame will find out."

With a low voice, Ann mumbles out, "Oh... Yeah, right..."

Ryuji glances up at Akira, "Hey, what do you think about Madarame? Doesn't he seem suspicious?"

The young witch has been contemplating whether this Madarame is the same one that Shadow mentioned in Mementos; Madarame is a unique name and Akira is not aware of any other famous artists in Japan. Akira also knows how well people can hide their true nature. With a nod, he responds "He does."

"I know, right? This all fits way too well to just be a coincidence. If this post is legit, ain't this the kinda target we've been waiting for?"

Ann scratches the side of her head, "Well, yeah, but... Is it really true?"

"By the way, what did you do about the whole modelling thing?" Ryuji asks with an inquisitive look.

She replies, "Kitagawa-kun gave me his contact info. And the address to his sensei's atelier."

Upon hearing that piece of information, Ryuji stands up with an assertive smile, "He said he lives there, right? Perfect timing. Let's try goin' tomorrow. We're off to Madarame's house right after school!"

Somewhat taken aback, Ann exclaims, "Huh? You want me to model tomorrow?!" She then sighs, "This is too sudden..."

Unaware of Ann's precautions tone, Ryuji says "What? We're just gonna go talk to Kitagawa."

The young teen relaxes, "Oh, that's what you meant..."

16 May 2018

For a rich famous artist, you wouldn't think he'd live in a literal shack. He could've at least had it painted with a sophisticated colour or organised some outdoor décor to liven up the place. When the group arrived at the area, Akira couldn't stop the look of disappointment crawling across his face though his friends chose not to comment on it. Morgana and Ann instead made some jokes focused on how the place looked so decrepit. Eventually, Yusuke greets the group. Well, he greets Ann more or less since he is disappointed the boys have accompanied Ann once more. He wasn't too happy to see the boys again. Ryuji gets straight to the point and questions Yusuke about the rumours of Madarame's plagiarism and abuse. In response, Yusuke laughs and denies these rumours. He becomes more headstrong when Ryuji claims Yusuke is lying, intimidating him for slandering the man to whom Yusuke owes his life to. This caught Akira and Ann off guard but before this conversation exceeds, Madarame walks into the open doorway. He tells Yusuke to forgive the teens and requests that they keep it down before walking back into his shack.

Yusuke sends a harsh glare to Ryuji before bowing and apologising to the group. Hoping to change their opinions on his sensei, Yusuke presents the painting that inspired him to become an artist. The Sayuri. It illustrated a youthful black-haired woman, she was staring down at the bloated clouds covering her lower half. It's beauty and strong emotion encourages Yusuke to pursue the same amount of beauty in his own creations. Yusuke prompts Ann once more to consider the opportunity as his model and then apologises that he must leave to assist his sensei.

Unable to do anything else, the teens station themselves on the adjacent street to vary their next course of action. Morgana asks for Akira to check the Meta-Nav, the trio is surprised to view the app is active. It must've picked up on their conversation with Yusuke moments ago. Its highlighted keywords were 'Madarame, Plagiarism and Shack'. All that was left was the keyword for 'what' Madarame's palace would manifest into. The Phantom Thieves make random guesses about what the last keyword is until Akira guesses 'A museum'.

They were swiftly transported to the Metaverse, standing in the parking lot of a remarkable golden museum. The entrance was bombarded with hordes of people, seemingly eager to experience the beauty inside. This wasn't much different to reality so the thieves urged onward to explore the palace. Using a van positioned right beside the wall, the Phantom Thieves jump over the wall and across multiple large pillar-like stands to enter through a skylight. Dropping into the museum, the art immediately catches their attention. Every piece was moving and portrayed faceless people swaying in the frames. However, the significant paintings were the ones of Nakanohara and Yusuke, their names were proudly displayed on the plaque. These paintings were of Madarame's pupils. Mona informs the group to investigate further to attain more information. They pass the entrance hall- grabbing a brochure (explaining the areas of some of the museum) and a new weapon for Morgana along the way- soon coming face-to-face with a golden sculpture.

Panther read the plaque, "The Infinite Spring. A conglomerate work of art that the great director Madarame created with his own funds. These individuals must offer their ideas to the director for the rest of their lives. Those who cannot do so have no worth living!" She turns to her team, "Hey... This is most likely about the plagiarism, right?"

Vexed by the plaque, Skull grunts out "Dammit, what a phoney geezer!"

Mona states, "In other words, his pupils are his property. He doesn't even qualify as an artist if this is true. He's stealing the ideas from talented students in exchange for securing their livelihood." The feline twists his body to face his allies and speculates, "I wondered about those portraits on display... They must all be his pupils through his cognition. This even says that they have no worth. Couldn't this be about the abuse? Madarame will keep them around as long as they're useful to him, but the moment they're not..."

"He's treating them like slaves or tools!" Panther blurts out.

Aggravated by -supposedly- Madarame's belief, Skull blurts out "Why's Yusuke keepin' quiet about this? He's got no reason to cover this up!"

Joker's left eyebrow inches upwards as he side-eyes the blonde. He couldn't agree with Yusuke not having a reason to cover Madarame's abuse and plagiarism. Yusuke is a young teen, concentrated on portraying art in various forms and seemingly only has Madarame as a parental figure; going against the only figure in your life can scare you enough to stay quiet. Panther excuses Yusuke's silence, "He did say that he owes Madarame his life for being taken in..."

Skull groans, "But still..!"

Panther leisurely recalls that moment between Yusuke and herself at the art exhibition, she tells her allies this moment and muses the teen's sudden change in behaviour was because the art was plagiarised. Skull looks to their leader to confirm their next move; Joker isn't one hundred per cent on the matter. There wasn't anything concrete regarding the abuse. He asks the remaining two teammates about their thoughts, resulting in the team leaving the palace with a plan to confirm with Yusuke first.

17 May 2018

"He's totally out of his mind! I'm gonna have to post nude if this keeps up!" Ann complains, her cheeks faintly red from the encounter. It turns out the modelling Yusuke requested Ann to do was supposed to be a nude modelling project. Aside from embarrassing Ann, this encounter also offered the group confirmation that Madarame plagiarised his students' work. Yet Yusuke continued to defend him and thanks to Ryuji's pushing, Yusuke threatened to call the police on the boys if they didn't leave, which is why they're all standing outside of the shack.

Morgana, who was snooping around the rooms before returning to the teens, grumbles "How dare that Yusuke...!"

Ryuji then comments, "The way he said it, it's not gonna be semi, but full-on nude..."

Dumbstruck at the thought, Morgana stutters "F-fu... F-F-Full nudity? Lady Ann's gonna..."

Sensing the opportunity to further support his opinion on infiltrating Madarame's palace, Ryuji says "You know, you won't have to worry about that if we make Madarame confess before the exhibit ends."

Ann frowns, "But Kitagawa-kun thinks he owes his life to him. Is there a need to make Madarame confess?"

The feline's eyes widen, "Then, Lady Ann... You're fine with baring it all?!"

That comment worsens Ann's mood, "I am not!"

"Madarame's no different from Kamoshida. That asshole's usin' Yusuke, who doesn't have parents. You're tellin' me we should just ignore how he's bein' treated horribly like the other pupils?"

Akira understood the blonde's eagerness to steal Madarame's treasure though the other blonde was still hesitant, "No... It is frustrating to leave this alone, even if Kitagawa-kun is fine with it himself..."

With both ears down casted, Morgana sighs "You can't leave it be because you've endured a lot yourself, with Kamoshida."

Ann murmurs out a drawn-out 'yeah' while Ryuji says "Anyways, we gotta go after this guy. Madarame's the kind of target we've been waitin' for. Let's help Yusuke come to his senses too... before he ends up like us." The group agree, planning ways to scoop up any more information on Madarame. They also decided to change their hideout to the Shibuya Teikyu Building Accessway so the student council president wouldn't catch them on the school rooftop again.

Before they leave, a woman walks up to the teens. It was clear what her occupation was thanks to her questions and the camera hanging down from her neck to rest in front of her chest. Despite the teens not providing much or anything interesting, she gives the black-haired teen her number in case they are able to offer her anything.

Once Akira and Morgan were back in their room, repeated beeps vibrated in Akira's right pants pocket. He pulls out his phone and answers to Mishima, "Hey, it's me. Got a minute?"

There was a strong enthusiastic tone coming from Mishima, Akira replied "Sure, is everything ok?"

"Yeah! Your uncle messaged me a couple of days ago, at first I was worried that it was just someone messing with me, until he showed me a picture between you both." Akira knows the picture will most likely be the photo of Luka and himself at that carnival in his hometown 3 years ago. Uncle Luka had taken Akira as a fun surprise between uncle and nephew; that night was so much fun. All of the rides, winning every carnival game and consuming endless amounts of cotton candy and sweets. His mummy reprimanded Luka the next day for letting Akira to consume too much sugar. A quiet hum pushes through Akira's lips at the thought. He almost didn't catch what Mishima said, "Anyway, someone who received a change of heart contacted me on the Phan-site. Said he wants to meet with you to discuss another person who needs a change of heart."

Akira repeated the last part in surprise, so did Nakanohara remember what happened in Mementos? "You're better off talking to him in person if you want specifics. All I know is his target is a terrible person... And that it might complicate things if he posted the name online. I'll have him wait for you at Shibuya Station after school. The guy's name is Nakanohara. I told him to approach you. Good luck." The call ends, hopefully, Nakanohara will be the final piece to ensure the Phantom Thieves' infiltration to Madarame's palace.

 18 May 2018

Jeanne beheld the sight of the large blockade marred in scarlet designs. Cereza and herself have tried multiple times to break it and all they've achieved to do is impact minor cracks in far corners of the wall. None of their Infernals could penetrate through this wall; they usually are able to smash their way through these types of obstacles. Then again, Rodin briefed the witches about this Mementos being the collective unconscious of the locals. They're not aware of the true features of infernals or of Umbra witches and their abilities. That could be the reason for their powers not being effective on the wall.

Cereza sighs in frustration, "Well, we haven't achieved much today... But at least we got to meet some new friends." Jeanne knew what 'friends' her wife was referring to. While the Umbra witches were exploring the confusing railways, some odd creatures wandered aimlessly in the passageways. When they noticed the witches, the creatures try to flee from them in fear. As if they could already sense how powerful the two ladies were. Unfortunately, those creatures would soon fade into their true forms thanks to Bayonetta's and Jeanne's curiosity.

Turning around to face her wife, Jeanne comments "I guess Akira has already made acquaintances with these creatures." She paces beside Cereza, eyeing the mobile device she was scrolling through. "Wouldn't Akira realise you've taken his phone when he sees the home screen has changed?" Jeanne's question was to urge Cereza not to mess with their son's phone too much.

Shrugging her shoulders, Cereza responds "I doubt he'll notice... Little Kiki rarely uses his phone and when he does is to text or call someone." She passes the phone to Jeanne before walking back to the escalators, "It will take a day or two before he'll realise. Now let's leave, there's not much left in this horrid area." Bayonetta detested Memento's appearance; it reminded her of Inferno. The bizarre layouts of mementoes reminded her of the wretched plants contorting into different abominations. Demons roamed their homeland, ravaging whatever they desired. Bayonetta couldn't choose whether to spend a day in Paradiso or Inferno. One thing she knows for sure is that she hopes she'd never have to venture another circle of Inferno again. She couldn't fathom how how the different circles operate.

~~~

After confirmation from Nakanohara regarding Yusuke true feelings about living with Madarame, the Phantom thieves have decided to infiltrate the old man's palace. Since Akira could sense Ryuji's yearning to change Madarame's heart and Ann's determination to help Yusuke, he decides to enter the palace today. Unfortunately, Akira's face forms into one of confusion upon feeling nothing but the fabric inside of his pants pocket.

"Is something wrong?" Ann asks as she leans over the railing.

Checking his other pockets, Akira answers, "My phone... it's not in my pocket."

Morgana hums in thought for a moment before leaping into Akira's bag. The teens wait until the cats pops back out with Akira's phone between his teeth. Swiftly, Akira takes his phone, "I thought your bag felt a bit bumpy earlier. I'm kinda surprised you put your phone in here today. You usually have it in your pockets."

That's why Akira was confused; he did have his phone in his pocket this morning. He is sure of it. How did it get into his bag?

"So... Are we headin' to the palace today or what?" Ryuji asks, not paying much attention to this odd interaction. Akira shakes away his scepticism and tells his team they're infiltrating the palace. Activating the Meta-nav, the clique are transported into Madarame's palace and begin securing their route to the treasure. They sneak through the skylight and pass the golden statue (fighting shadows along the way of course). It seemed Shadow Madarame was expecting intruders as there was now lasers stationed at various openings to deter the thieves. Regrettably for Shadow Madarame it doesn't affect the thieves as they simply slide or jump over the lasers.

Upon reaching the 2nd Exhibition Room, they find a shiny golden vase displayed in the middle of the room. Joker intended to ignore the vase and lead the team onward, yet everyone pauses when Mona protests about leaving the golden sheen. Completely enamoured by the item, the feline jumps up against the sparkling object and meows in excitement. Skull begins to scold his teammate but quickly becomes startled as he notices Mona jump on a tile camouflaged with the rest of the surface going lower. Warning his friends, Joker backflips away avoiding the sudden security lasers that activated. The lasers separated each team member: Mona was stuck in the middle with the shiny container, Panther was stranded on the left and Skull on the opposite side. Joker must locate the button to deactivate the infrared lasers. Thankfully, it didn't take long to free the three thieves; after very few battles, clicking some buttons and overhearing a conversation between two guard shadows, Joker frees them and deactivates the lasers.

Mona says sorry to the group and explains something was drawing him to the vase, making Panther question if they should take a closer look at the vase. Joker doubted there would be anymore surprise security measures so he snatches the container... only for a large floating diamond to pop out with a bright sparkle. Mona -realising what they've found- directs their leader to catch the jewel. Once Joker hits the diamond, a whisp-like entity floats above the jewel. They haven't witnessed a shadow like this yet; Joker was very intrigued in what this shadow's skills would be. Thanks to the Atom Ring accessory, Panther knocks down the entity and allows Joker to obtain the whisp-like creature and learning its name Regent.

Panther inquires what is was for Mona to gladly answer it was a rare shadow -dubbing it as 'a treasure demon'- that gives lots of treasure and is potentially useful to their personas. Joker notes to himself to visit the velvet room later on. The Phantom Thieves continue to investigate the museum, discovering the first will seed and more lasers blocking their path. Mona focuses on the door ahead of the lasers as the thieves question what to do; he recognises the doors from somewhere. It soon clicks in his head where he has seen that exact door. Mona commands the group to head back and he explain he has seen this door in the real world, suggesting there may be another way to open the door. The Phantom Thieves leave the palace, beaming back reality and standing in front of Madarame's shack.

A pregnant pause played between the teens as they stare at the shack, until Ann faces the boys and interrupts the silence "How're we supposed to get past that door?"

Ryuji pushes himself off of the railing, "I dunno... you think there's some kinda off switch somewhere?" 

Popping his head out of his small refuge, Morgana announces, "Look like this is where I come in." Ann says the feline's name with a confused look, "I have a suspicious place in mind. Remember? This shack is the basis for Madarame's palace. I actually scouted it out the last time we were there."

The dirtier-blonde teen's mouth gapes somewhat, "Whoa... So this was your plan form the start?"

With a rather smug grin, Morgana replies, "Correct."

"... You only went scouting cause you were bored." Ann calls him out with an unimpressed look.

Ryuji pays no mind to her comment, "So? Where's this suspicious place?"

The feline answers, "It's on the second floor. I noticed an unnaturally hefty lock on a door up there."

Then Ann states the obvious, "If it's locked, that means there's something there he doesn't want people to see."

Rolling his right arm, the other blonde questions "But don't we wanna be openin' the door in the palace?"

Morgana begins to unfold his plan, "Yes, and we're going to do that by opening the real one in front of Madarame's eyes. Basically, we're going to change this cognition that the door is unopenable." That does sound rather reasonable.

Ann scratches the side of her head, "In other words... when we open the one in Madarame's house, that area in his palace will open on its own?"

Upon Ryuji expressing his doubt on how this plan would work, Morgana does his best to encourage the team to go along with this plan. He eventually explains an additional part of his plan... an additional part that needed to be thoroughly spelled out for Ann.

"WHAT?!"

"Fancy you say that, Ryuji, I was just thing the same thing."

In frustration, Ann stomps the group with her right foot, "This isn't funny!"

Ryuji says, "We're not sayin' you should really get naked."

Morgana adds on, "It's simply the best excuse for you to enter Madarame's house without raising suspicions... So we'd like for you to play the role of decoy, Lady Ann."

Ann sighs, "This is way too sudden... I mean, I don't even know where the locked door is."

The feline has a confident sparkle in his eyes, "Don't worry, I'll accompany you."

She mutters, "But that's still technically only me... Worst comes to worst, what if I get found out?"

Lowering his ears, Morgana with little confidence says "We can run into the palace! Or something?"

Wide-eyed, Ann exclaims, "Is that really gonna work?! I mean, you're not giving me much confidence in this plan!" Her gaze trails to the ground, "Do I have to be the bait?"

Akira understood the teen's reluctance to go along with this plan but he couldn't see alternates. Having both of them enter Purgartorio may not have much of an impact on the Palace door; Yusuke would most likely be too scared to inspect what's inside the room and would just close the door. Akira lets out a breathe of discontent, "There's no other way..."

"But what if, you know...? Uhh! Um..." She sighs in defeat, "...Nothing."

Ryuji pushes Ann by setting up how the plan unfolds, "All you gotta do is trick Yusuke, Have him take you to that room, then just open the door."

Ann glares, "You make it sound so easy! But if there's no other way... I don't... I don't... I don't have a choice..." She groans, "Urghhh! God! Fine, I'll do it! For justice! Seriously, you better pull this off!"

Morgana replies, "If it's for your sake, Lady Ann, I won't stop scratching even if all my claws were to break!"

Ryuji smiles, "We'll be countin' on you Morgana! Don't let Yusuke notice ya, all right?"

Clenching her fists, Ann says "If he tries to force my clothes off... I'll tear that house down! I'm really gonna lose it if we do all this and the Palace door doesn't open. Got it?!"

"We're workin' to get dirt on that guy's crimes either way. It won't go to waste." Ryuji turns to Akira, "All right, let's get down and dirty tomorrow." Ann shouts 'tomorrow in surprise, seemingly not fully mentally prepared for this plan. "Earlier the better."

She hums in worry, "Um, b-but... will Kitagawa-kun agree?"

Ryuji crosses his arms, "I dunno, just say something like, 'I really need it to be tomorrow'. That should work, yeah?"

With nothing else to add, the team depart and think about tomorrow.

19 May 2018

All Joker could hear was the swift, repeated foot taps from Skull. He was getting impatient. Not that Joker could blame him, the waiting was daunting without communication to those they rely on to open the door. Anything could backtrack Ann and Morgana, making the plan longer than needed. So far, it has been 15 minutes and the lasers were still triggered. Skull expresses his doubt about the others pulling it off for Joker to the plan should work. It will work. The two stood in place and waited... and waited...

The ground abruptly rumbles, turning their attention to the door as it reveals its golden insides and the lasers are cut. They praise Ann and Morgana before sprinting forward, only to halt upon a large security guard blocking their way. Thankfully the guard wasn't too strong so they quickly defeat the shadow and rush to disable the security system. With their mission complete, they head to the courtyard and witness the lasers descend to the ground. Now it's time for them to retreat and meet up with the remaining members... only to stop in their tracks upon hearing a feminine scream from above. Their heads dart up to watch three figures drop from a sudden gust of red formed in the sky.

Unexpectedly, Yusuke was the first to land on his feet with Panther cradled in his arms. Unfortunately, the teen soon falters to the ground thanks to Mona bouncing off of his head. Each groan in pain as if they've experienced harsh pangs of rocks from rolling down a hill. Panther realises the position she's in and pushes Yusuke away, unintentionally using more strength than needed. She apologies but it is ignored as Yusuke eyes switch from each Phantom Thief in shock. Too many questions were being created in his head, his mouth runs with the first question he had thought of 'Who are you all?!'

Yusuke identifies the woman in red to be Ann thanks to her voice as she informs him they are in Madarame's heart. Leading to Yusuke being perturbed for Panther's well-being. Even after Skull and Panther try to persuade him this is how Madarame truly is, Yusuke still denies it not wanting to believe the thieves words. This repulsive world clashed with Madarame's kind nature he presented in the real world. Still, Yusuke valued the years Madarame had kept him safe from the streets. Before Skull could even begin slandering Madarame, Yusuke falters as he becomes overwhelmed by his emotions. Joker offers his shoulder for support as they escape. Getting back on his feet, Yusuke turns down his help while resting a hand on his stomach. They guide Yusuke towards the exit, passing portraits of previous pupils. He pauses upon a display of a female, the painting was too blurry to examine her face clearly. Skull expounds the reason for these portraits, leading to a perplexed silence from the blue-haired teen.

The group continue to run, making to the Infinite spring statue room only to have their exit blocked by two guards abruptly appearing. Another surprise was someone laughing behind them. They turn to see the shadow version of Madarame, decked out in a shiny yellow kimono. His hair was styled in a Japanese topknot, resembling a paint brush while he face had a small hints of makeup plastered on. He welcomes them to the master artist Madarame's museum.

Yusuke didn't want to believe it, his sensei -the man who taken him in his care for years- stood in front of him with a foul smirk. "This... This is all one big lie, isn't it?"

Shadow Madarame lays out the truth, "My usual ragged attire is nothing but an act. Besides, a famous person living in that shack? I have another home... under a mistress's name, of course."

With a sarcastic tone, Joker states " Some setup you've got."

He cackles at the thief's retort, "Hahaha! Don't make me laugh."

Yusuke continues to question Madarame, "If the 'Sayuri' was stolen, why was it in the storage room? And if you had the real one, why make copies?! If it's really you, sensei... please tell me!"

Shadow Madarame shakes his head in annoyance, "Foolish child. You still don't see? The painting being stolen was just a false rumour I spread! It was all a perfectly calculated staging!"

The blue-haired teen eyes widen, "what do you mean?!"

"Let me see... How does this sound? 'I found the real painting, but it can't go public... You can have it for a special price, though'..." Shadow Madarame bends over to laugh, "Haha! How's that for preferential treatment!? Art snobs'll eat it up, and pay good cash at that!"

Yusuke's hand rises to the side of his head, it was becoming too much for him. His emotions were growing too strong. Falling to his knees, Yusuke breathes out a quiet 'no'. Shadow Madarame goes on, "The value of art is purely illusion. What's the matter with providing that illusion to eager customers? Though I doubt a brat like you would ever come up with such a brilliant scheme!"

Skull groans, "You keep goin' on and on about money this, money that... No wonder you ended up with this disgusting museum!"

Panther adds on, "You're supposed to be an artist, right?! Aren't you ashamed of plagiarizing other people's work?!"

"Art is nothing but a tool... A tool to gain money and fame!"

Skull rumbles, "God... Pisses me off..." He directs to Yusuke, "That's your teacher."

Yusuke arches his head enough to gaze at Shadow Madarame, "But what about the people who believe in you? Who think you're a master artist?!"

There's a small moment of hesitance from Shadow Madarame, "...I'll tell you this alone, Yusuke. If you wish to succeed in this world, I'd advise you don't rise against me. Do you believe anyone could find success with my objection holding them down? Hahahahaha!"

Yusuke's head falters, "To think I was under care of this wretched man!" 

Shadow Madarame shakes his head, "You thought I took you in out of the goodness in my heart? Plucking talented, yet troubled artists allows me to find promising pupils and take their ideas... After all, it's much easier to steal the futures of children who can't fight back."

"I can't believe this..."

He stomps the ground as he glares at the teen, "Livestock are killed for their hide and meat! This is no different, you fool!... But I tire of this little chat. It's time that I-"

"You are unforgiveable." Yusuke gradually rises to his feet, "It doesn't matter who you are... I won't forgive you!" His anger was fuelling his strength to stand tall.

Shadow Madarame snaps back, "So, you repay my keeping you around for all these years with ingratitude? You damn brat!" He turns to his guards, "Men! Dispose of these thieves!"

The guards get closer to the thieves, Panther yells at them to get back.

Yusuke has had enough, "How amusing..." He begins to laugh, "It seems the truth is stranger than fiction, hm?" He stands up straight, removing his hand from his stomach that no longer feels as if it was being squished tightly, "I wanted to believe it wasn't true... I had clouded my vision for so long... My eyes were truly blind... Blind, and unable to see the true self behind this one horrible man!"

Have you finally comes to your senses?

Yusuke's eyes bulge as the harsh pang ringing in his head. The voice echoing in his head was bold yet appeasing.

How foolish you averted your eyes from the truth...            A deplorable imitation indeed...

His hands rush to clasp onto his skull, he never has had a pain so vicious. Why was there this booming voice talking to him?

Best you part from that aspect of yourself!

Letting a scream of agony, Yusuke collapses with his finger tips now digging into the wooden flooring.

Let us now form a contract...                I am thou, thou art I...

Yusuke's nails drag down the oak, drawing lines of blood.

The world is filled with both beauty and vice...     It is time you teach people which is which!

The teen lifts his head, revealing he is now wearing a kitsune half-style mask. He rises with a newfound determination. "Very well." Yusuke's hand hovers over his mask, "Come, Goemon!"

Ripping the mask away, the bright blue blaze surrounds Yusuke and his summoned persona. Behind Yusuke was Goemon in his bold attire and his oversized silver pipe wielding in his right hand. Yusuke raises his right hand, facing his palm toward the shadows,

"A breathtaking sight... Imitations they may be, but together, they make a fine spectacle... Though the flowers of evil blossom, be it known... Abominations are fated to perish!" He swings his arm toward the shadow, accumulating Goemon to solidify them with his ice.

Morgana eyes widen in surprise, "Whoa, this is impressive!"

Shadow Madarame wasn't dazzled by this sudden change in his demeanour, "Hmph... Who do you think you are?! The price for your insolence will be death! Where are my guards?! Kill them all!" Three more guards materialize to replace the two Yusuke eliminated.

Yusuke states, "The children who adored you as 'father'... The prospects of your pupils... How many did you trample upon? How many dreams did you exchange for riches?! No matter what it takes... I will bring you to justice!"

Joker smirks, "Let's see what you're made of."

The guards reveal their true forms, four winged humanoid like jesters and a single Ippon-datara "Very well, bring it on!" Yusuke lips curves upwards, prepared to battle these creatures. Joker gestures for Skull and Panther to join the fight, Mona stays back to give info and guidance when possible. Yusuke is first to attack, ordering Goemon to use a Bufu skill on a winged enemy, finding its weakness and toppling the creature. He repeats this attack to the remaining flying monks, only to strike the first enemy with the same skill. Leaving the Ippon-datara and three flying monks.

Joker calls out Jack frost, using Mabufu to kill the three smaller enemies and injuring the bigger shadow. Though it doesn't do much damage. Panther follows up with Agi, it resists her attack. Skull performs Headbutt before Ippon-datara uses a sledgehammer on Panther. To avenge his ally, Yusuke has Goemon lob a Giant slice, now depleting its health under half. Joker choses to test out his custom gun from Iwai, resulting in the final bullet shocking the shadow in place and it loses its chance to attack. Skull Headbutts the enemy once more, earning another turn as it falls on its backside. To finish the enemy he simply rushes and bash it across the head.

Despite all of his energy drained, Yusuke still attempts to step toward Shadow Madarame but quickly fails and falls.

Shadow Madarame lectures the teen, "Yusuke, you've just thrown your bright future down the drain. I'll destroy every chance you've ever had of becoming an artist!" The teen stares up at the shadow, cursing his name with venom in his tone. "You'll forever rue the day you dared defy me."

He begins to walk away, Yusuke tries to hoist himself up "Get... back here!" The Phantom thieves come to Yusuke's aid as he fails. Panther calls out to him but he doesn't acknowledge her, more focused on his legs "Why can't I move?!"

Panther is the first to answer, "Listen, you're totally drained. You can't do much, even if you wanted to!"

The blue-haired teen shakes his head in shame, "What a disgrace I am!" Skull urges him to listen to Panther, leading to the group sitting on one of the couches in the museum's foyer. They take the moment to establish Yusuke knew about the plagiarism. However artists' work was plagiarised every day. But he couldn't face the truth, the truth about the man he owned his life to. Yusuke couldn't leave the man he owed a great debt to. Skull asks if Madarame raised Yusuke, who responds that he never knew about his father and his mother died when he was three. Madarame had taken him in since he apparently helped Yusuke's mother in the past. When he was confronted about the plagiarism, Yusuke knew deep down they weren't lying but wanted to run from the truth. Madarame was like a father to him; he couldn't the man who willingly raised him for years would do such terrible things. Before the thieves can fully explain their 'profession' shadows suddenly appear behind them. The team retreats from the museum and send themselves back to the real world.

In order to thoroughly explain their business as Phantom Thieves to Yusuke, the teens find a quiet restaurant to sit in a booth. Yusuke is able to understand the notion of the Phantom Thieves changing people's hearts. Changing that PE teacher's heart made him confess to his awful deeds, that means they're going to do the same to Madarame.

This fact makes the young teen utter this comment, "Let me join... As a member of the Phantom Thieves." Everyone stares at him, somewhat startled by his sudden request. Yusuke takes their silence to initiate his reasoning, "Had I faced reality sooner, this may have been avoided. I must put an end to this for the sake of others whose futures as artists were robbed, as well. That... That is the most civil thing I can do for the man who was... in some manner, my father."

While Ann mutters the word 'civil' in thought, Ryuji replies to Yusuke, "Sounds fine to me. We're gonna deal with Madarame anyways."

Morgana pops his head out of Akira's bag, "He may have a mental shutdown if we screw up. We have ways to prevent that, but they aren't fail-safe... Remember how we mentioned this on our way here?"

Yusuke nods, "Madarame is a man who has the art world under his thumb. He has connections to many organisations. If someone like me raises my voice, it'll only be snubbed out... We have no option but this."

"It's a deal then."

Grinning cheerfully, Ann exclaims "We have a new member in the Phantom Thieves now! I hope we get along, Yusuke!"

Ryuji jokes, "You better not slow us down."

"I'll do my best."

Faintly smiling, Akira says "Welcome aboard... Oh, and no nude paintings."

Yusuke mouth opens upon realising, "So, that was all a plan? That's quite daring, Takamaki-san."

Becoming flustered, Ann lets out "It wasn't my idea- it was theirs!"

Ryuji eyes the teen, "What else were we supposed to do?! It's his fault for goin' on and on about the nude modellin' thing!"

This enables the bluenette to comment, "I haven't given up on that yet, though."

Glaring at him, Ann chides "Give it up!" She then changes her tone, "Oh, that reminds me... I wonder what's going on with the real Madarame. Yusuke and I were in a pretty tight situation..."

Yusuke answers her inquisitiveness, "Actually, I contacted him before we came here. He believes that I continued pursuing Takamaki-san. And, just as you all explained, it appears he knows nothing about his shadow."

Wanting to know more, Ann questions "What did he say?"

"He was complaining to the security company how they couldn't even catch one high school girl. However, he's still furious about it, and said that he's going to take legal action against everyone."

Oh... That's not good. Now they have a more urgent deadline than the art exhibition closing. Ryuji groans, "Talk about being completely on guard..."

Ann comments, "Legal action... He's acting way too desperate. Maybe he still has more secrets."

Yusuke says, "If he were to act, it'd be after the exhibit is over. Any scandal during the show would be his loss." That brings some relief to the leader, their deadline doesn't change.

Her eyes cast down, "Right when I think the talk about being a nude model is over, this happens?!"

Morgana declares, "We'll have to force a change of heart before then, if we're to dodge this 'legal action' thing. Looks like our plan must be accomplished while the exhibit is still open!"

Everyone shakes their heads in agreement before Yusuke suddenly asks, "By the way... What is this?"

The teens follow his gaze to where Akira's bag sat on the table. Ryuji responds, "Huh? A cat."

"But it's talking."

Morgana scowls, "You have a problem with that?!"

He nods, "No, not really."

"Why not?" Ryuji asks.

Ann answers, "He's just on a different wavelength than other people."

With a playful look, Morgana smirks at Yusuke "Do you wish to draw me? You better bring out the best of me, in that case." Yusuke hums before reaching towards the cat, his hand is extended closer to Morgana, "Hey, don't touch me like-!" Yusuke takes a piece black bean jelly from the small pot on the table. 

Leaning back into his seat, Yusuke says "I was thinking of ordering some black bean jelly."

"I bet he got that idea from a 'black cat'..."

Yusuke gasps, "Oh! I didn't bring any money."

Ann sighs, "... Never mind. He's just weird." She looks at Akira upon realising they haven't mentioned anything about his Umbra witch business. She leans over to whisper, "Hey, shouldn't we tell him about your-" Akira shakes his head, it's too early and he has processed enough about the Metaverse. He doesn't Yusuke to get more confused. Although Yusuke notices Ann whispering, he chooses not to comment on it. For now, he will focus on changing Madarame's heart.

20 May 2018

An assertive grin plasters across the black-haired teen's lips; He was top of the class. The exam results were presented on a board in the school hallway, where a couple of students had scrambled towards to see if they're weeks of studying have at least gotten them to past. Morgana praises Akira, building his confidence more than it needs to be. Aside from this, the day had gone by in a flash. Standing beside his desk, Akira takes out his phone to check if anyone was free before deciding whether or not to enter the palace. Upon tapping the screen to flash his lock screen on, Akira's eyes become bigger in shock.

Why on earth was a picture of his mummy winking and puckering her lips at the camera with a shadow in the background?!

When did she steal his phone? Wait... When did she enter Mementos? He'll need to talk with her later, for now, Akira has to focus on the Phantom Thieves. He swiftly enters his phone code to check his messages; Maruki and Ann had messaged him. Ann was asking about going to the palace while Maruki was requesting to chat again. Morgana eyes the messages before questioning what Akira will do. It would be nice break to chat with Maruki for a while.

~~~

The teen's lips purse together in thought, pondering on whether to grab some sweets on the way home or go to the underground mall to window shop. From the little her phone has vibrated, she doubted they were going to the palace today. That left Ann with some free time to kill before going to her side job in the evening. After stepping off the subway train, Ann leaves the underground station to stand in Station Square of Shibuya. She perched herself beside the empty white benches people have no time to rest on; her eyes scanning the various bystanders as too many thoughts run in her mind. For some odd reason, she felt a chilling breeze occasionally brushing past her skin. It wasn't anything new, the weather was gloomy today so she wasn't perturbed that much. However, every now and again the breeze somehow felt... strange. As if someone gently brushed past Ann to barely stroke her skin.

It was unnerving.

Shaking the odd feeling away, Ann begins her route to Central Street, the strange breeze wasn't going away. Her feet falter as she stands beside the entrance of the book store, her eyes were glued to a mysterious figure in the distance. A mysterious figure no one else seems to notice. The figure looked to be human but Ann wasn't too sure; It had a slim body and what Ann presumed to be feathers dragged from its elbow to the wrist. There was a sheer look to the figure and  showed off odd accessorises. With two large horns on its head and a scythe in one hand. The blonde bites her bottom lip, lifting her right foot to move only to make one step forward.

Her mind must be playing tricks on her.

How come she is the only one witnessing a ghost-like person roaming Central Street? This is very confusing for Ann. Especially when the mysterious silhouette turns to stare in the teen's direction.

It detects Ann and sense the power she contains, although it's not much the demon knows not to take her lightly. Lifting its scythe, the single Hideous leaps toward Ann. She recoils, closing her eyes and raising her hands over her face fearing what the creature is going to do... Only for Ann to hear a gurgling sound and for nothing to impact her. Lowering her hands, Ann's gaze lands on a broad back of a tall man. A man with a shaven head and a long black robe, the bottom of his black combat boots peaking at the end of the robe. The man lifted the demon by tightly gripping its neck, the demon croaks upon his hand squeezes harder. Scanning the stranger's form, she realises he wasn't ghostly like the creature, yet could perceive and interact with the demon.

A chuckle erupts from the man, his head turns to look at the teen over his shoulder. Ann eyes him with caution as she takes two steps back, he tells her, "Get going, kid. You're not ready to deal with these boys yet." Despite the impulse to yearn for more information, Ann followed the man's order and runs in the opposite direction. Ignoring the confused looks from people she runs past. This was more uncanny than the Metaverse; she needs to talk to her friends.

Rodin grins, pleased that the girl knew not to talk back. He knew it would be best if Akira explained what this encounter was. Better to hear from a friend than a random stranger. He looks back to the demon -still writhing in his grasp- and raises his free hand to form a fist. A gloomy red glow flows around his fist, "Get outta' my face!"

Chapter Text

Akira spent his evening with Ryuji, spying on a man labelled Yamauchi at the Tsukishma district. They were held up in a restaurant famous for its monjayaki; Akira had Ryuji listen though his phone to overhear the two men talk about Shujin's volleyball team. Yamauchi is planning to hire a coach for the team while he takes the praise for rebirthing the team to its original glory. They mention Nakaoka -a member of the volleyball team- who appeals for the previous coach pre-Kamoshida to teach the crew again. Apparently, Yamauchi heard this and made some sort of bargain with another boy on the team that if he could get rid of Nakaoka then he'd become the team captain. The man even implied Nakaoka was working alongside Kamoshida to fuel the fire. Yamauchi was using the other boy to ensure the rest of the team are obedient to him.

The men soon leave, allowing Ryuji to exit the bathroom and sit across from Akira. Ryuji wanted to help them, he needs to look out for his teammates, he can't turn his back on them now. Akira praises his friend, it was commendable of the blonde to support his old friends. After their small conversation, Ryuji suggest they should have some monja while they're here. Since Akira didn't have much else to do for the night -and his tummy has been silently begging to be fed thanks to the smell of the food in the restaurant- he agrees and they both order a bowl each. The taste was interesting for the Umbra witch, it had a delectable flavour to it. The seasonal topping of Tonkatsu sauce has a fruity taste that lends a robust savour to the dish. No wonder the restaurant is known for its monjayaki.

However, their feast is interrupted by repeated light-hearted ringing sounds. Along with the vibrating in Akira's right pants pocket confirms it was his phone. Ryuji, with his mouth full of food, asks who's calling him as Akira checks the caller's ID. It was Ann.

Raising his phone beside his right ear, Akira is barely able to say the letter 'h' as Ann gasps "Akira! I need to talk to you, please tell me you're free right now?"

He faces Ryuji and inaudibly asks the blonde if it's alright with a look, in response Ryuji nods and mumbles a 'go ahead' with his mouth still full. "Yeah, I'm free. Is everything alright?"

Ann sighs and drags out her answer, "Sort of... I'm not fully sure on how to feel..." The Umbra witch's eyebrows faintly furrow, "Something really weird happened today and I-" She pauses as if in thought before speaking once more, "I think you can help me understand what I've just witnessed."

While her statement sounds ominous, Akira could already guess what she may be referring to, "Was this something you witnessed happen to look like a ghost?" 

"Yeah!... I-Is this related to that Purgartorio stuff?" Ann blows a breathe of shock, "Wait, did I encounter an actual demon?!"

Akira should've known one of his friends would encounter an angel or demon sooner. It was only a matter of time before those brutes decided to attack those who have seen too much. "Possibly. You're not hurt or anything are you?" Ryuji stops chewing to stare at his friend upon hearing the question. He leans forward in an attempt to listen in on who he's talking to.

Ann replies, "No, I'm fine. A guy stopped the creature from attacking me."

The other blonde hears the last part, he recognises the voice as Ann's and acts rapidly. His eyes widen and snatch the phone, "You were attacked?!" Akira reaches for the phone only for Ryuji to pull back as he unloads questions to Ann.

She grunts, irritated she can't answer a single question due to Ryuji not stopping his questions, "Put me on speaker!" Following her request, Akira is now able to hear the sigh of frustration, "Ok, so I was just entering Central street when I noticed that thing," She winces thinking back on the demon's appearance, "It looked like it was just wandering around. It didn't look like it was looking for something or anything until it spotted me staring. The thing came at me... but this man stopped it."

"A man?" The boys share a look; Ryuji was puzzled while Akira had a grave expression.

The black-haired teen inquires, "Was this man brooding and had a mysterious aura surrounding him?"

Ann stutters, "Y-yeah, he was bald and had some odd tattoos too."

He then adds on, "I'm guessing he wore a long dark robe and black sunglasses?"

Ryuji tilts his head at his friend, "Do you know this guy or something?"

With a small nod, Akira explains, "Yes, it was my uncle who helped you Ann."

Ryuji lets out a loud 'wha?' as Ann exclaims, "Huh?! So, is your WHOLE family Umbra witches?"

"Well..." Rodin wasn't a Umbra witch but it could cause more confusion if Akira informs his friends of his uncle's true identity. "My parents are witches but my uncle is -let's say- more acknowledge on witches. He knows a lot about my kind because he's..." Sighing in defeat, Akira lands on telling his friend's Rodin true form, "An fallen angel."

The dirtier blonde was the first to react, "Wait, those are a real thing too?"

Exhausted by these reveals, Ann sighs "Honestly, this is too much to think about."

This was becoming more confusing for the blonde, perhaps Akira should pin this conversation for another day. "I think it will be better if we talk about this tomorrow."

Although, Ryuji was itching to hear more he knew it would be best to leave it for tomorrow. They would probably be here all night if Akira was going to explain about his uncle thoroughly. "Ah, you're right."

"Yeah, maybe we can go to the hideout and talk about this before infiltrating the palace?" After her question, she realises another factor they haven't considered regarding Akira being a Umbra witch. "Hang on! Shouldn't we tell Yusuke about this as well? He's a part of the team so..." She draws out her sentence, waiting for Akira to decide what to do next.

Ann was right about telling Yusuke as well; he's a part of the team and could unintentionally come into contact with angels or demons. With him not being aware of Purgartorio, they could attack -possibly kill Yusuke- easily. "We can tell him tomorrow too."

21 May 2018

"That's... Intriguing."

The team exchange surprised looks, that was an unexpected reaction. Yusuke stayed silent while Akira revealed his Umbran ways, his face barely showed his confusion. Only minor twitches in his eyebrows and the corners of his mouth inching either up or down.

Ann stammers out, "I-intriguing? That's all you have to say?"

The blue-haired teen nods in her direction, "Yes." He turns his attention back to Akira, "I'd like to enter Purgatorio and witness these angels. Would it be possible to do so now?"

With an uneasy chuckle, Akira replies "I can't sense any at the moment so no, sorry."

Yusuke mentally notes to ask Akira again once they've completed the infiltration on Madarame's palace. He closes his eyes as he speaks, "Very well then. For the time being I'll focus on our business with Madarame's palace."

Morgana nods, contempt with the teen's statement, "Now, with the basics and Akira's Umbra witch status discussed, shall we enter the palace?"

Since there was nothing else to focus on for the day, Akira leads the team into the Metaverse. Mona swiftly realises something, "Oh yeah. We haven't decided the new recruit's code name yet."

Panther suggest 'Kitsune' due to Yusuke's mask, even Skull agrees but Yusuke submits the codename 'Da Vinci'. That was immediately turned down. They look to their leader to propose any good codenames, Joker takes a moment and selects the code name 'Fox'; It's simple and fits with the rest of the team's codenames. Now with Fox's codename prepared and Joker formatting the team layout (Skull, Panther and Fox), they go to the recent safe room and continue to go deeper into the palace.

Their investigation greatly advances with them disengaging security, jumping through and into paintings to progress and travelling through a golden labyrinth. The Phantom Thieves eventually locate the treasure. The hazy treasure was boxed within terminal lasers, Shadow Madarame was standing in front of the treasure while guards patrol the floor. All they need to do now is find a way to steal the treasure without pushing their way through.

After locating the control room, the Phantom Thieves uncover what controls operate the shutters, shutting down the main power and turning off the lasers. The latter had no outcome while Joker was able to open shutters for the remaining hallway and shut down the main power for a few seconds. During their search in this new hallway, Mona detects the third will seed is in the area. Joker goes for the will seed first, ultimately sliding through an open vent to land into a small blocked off room. Once they make it to the end of the corridor, Joker briskly pushes his allies back at the sight of what was guarding the final will seed.

"Hey! What's the matter?" Panther asks as Mona bounces to peek around the corner. He puffs out a breath of surprise, earning his teammates attention.

Mona mumbles out, "It's one of those angels..."

Stumbled by the cat's statement, Skull questions, "So? We've seen shadows that look like angels before. What's the difference?"

Twisting his head to give a stern look at Skull, Mona answers "The difference is this angel is from Paradiso." Aside from Joker, everyone reacts with shock.

Well, one member had a slight different response. Fox reacted with a mix of shock and fascination, this could be his chance to experience the raw spectacle of Biblical angels' true form. With his desire more powerful than his logical thinking, Fox marches around the hallway's crook sparing no time for his teammates to stop him. Resulting in Fox being exposed to a sacred sight; an Applaud was supervising the Will Seed. Fox's gaze was locked on the angel's attire, particularly the vibrant colours and decorations on the angel's blue robe and mask. He has never seen a angel interpreted in an engrossing and magnificent form. Fox must embed this unique image into his mind for future artwork. He was so caught up in the sight Fox is too late to react once the Applaud charges toward him.

"Fox, look out!"

A sharp bang followed Panther's cry, the Applaud bounces back with a hole now in its right shoulder. Fox twists around to see that Joker held a stunning grey gun in his right hand.

The team form a line and prepare their weapons as the angel straightens back up, Mona looks to his leader "I'm guessing we perform a full-on assault on this angel? They don't have a specific weakness do they?"

Joker aims Hunk and Zeke, "No, most of these angels don't. All we have to do is attack." He sends a composed look to the new Phantom thief member, "Are you ready Fox?"

Gulping down an ounce of nerves, Fox replies "Y-yes, I'm ready to engage in battle." 

The Applaud flicks through each member before targeting the thief in red. Slamming the bottom of its golden staff to the ground, it creates a golden circle under Panther's feet. Unsure on how else to deflect this attack, Panther jumps out and away from the bright circle. Skull charges towards the angel and successfully smashes his mace against Applaud's lower side. As the angel is pushed back -almost hitting its back against the wall- Fox takes out his firearm, lining his sight intending to shoot the angel in its head. Unfortunately, his bullets get obstructed by Applaud swiftly parrying the bullet by spinning its staff. Mona lectures Fox about his aim, the Applaud dashes in the direction of the thieves leader.

Lowering his guns, Joker dodges the golden staff and uses his Witch Time to assault the angel with various combos. This deals great damage and results in parts of the Applaud's flesh being exposed. Panther's face scrunches up in disgust at the sight of red tissue from the Applaud's hand, thigh and upper arm. Pushing away her disgust, Panther wraps her whip around the staff and harshly tug the weapon out of the angels hands. Mona instructs Skull to take the last blow, by summoning Captain Kidd to perform a Headbutt.

With the Applaud perishing into bloody feathers that float to the floor, the thieves take a moment to review the new enemy.

"Woah..." Skull's heavy breathing soon lowers as his face beams at Joker, "That's the type of angel you gotta fight in the real world? To be honest it ain't that much of a threat. We took that freak down quick!"

Joker playfully smirks, catching his friend's smug tone "Well that was only a third sphere angel. They're the weakest and luckily this one was alone."

Fox joins in, "A third sphere angel? Is there a form of hierarchy for these heavenly beings?"

A hum of assent is made through Joker's lips, "Third Sphere angels are the lowest, Second Sphere is for angels that have more authority and have stronger power and First Sphere angels are the highest influences in Paradiso." Fox's eyes scatter to the floor as he mumbles something Joker is unable to hear.

"Erm, guys?" Panther steps next to Skull with the holy staff resting in both of her hands. "What can I do with this?" Her question was more for Joker than her other teammates.

"You can keep it for a while," Panther head tilts to the right, making Joker continue talking "You can use the staff in another battle but it doesn't have much power left. You can use it for a certain amount of time."

Mona advises, "We should take it with us. This staff could possibly have a different effect on some shadows here since it's an angel weapon."

With no one to object, thieves take the final Will Seed and continue to explore the final area of the palace.

22 May 2018

"...Was it necessary for you to strip?" Ann adverts her eyes despite Akira standing behind a stack of boxes as cover. His school uniform neatly folded on top of a discarded table. The two were occupying a deserted alleyway around Central Street; Akira wanted to support Ann in navigating through Purgatorio and if she were to fight holy or unholy beings. He wanted her to be prepared if she would encounter another demon or a third-sphere angel. Although he trusts his uncle to assist Ann if she were to encounter the beasts, Akira can't rely on Rodin always coming to the rescue.

The silky smooth locks of hair transcend down Akira's body, "I didn't want to rip my clothes just to put on my battle uniform." He steps out to have his battle uniform fully on show. Ann eyes drift back to her friend upon hearing his steps, silently thanking that she didn't look at him the wrong time. Even though Akira has given the blonde lots of reassurance, Ann couldn't control the multiple knots tying inside of her stomach. The risks of encountering something supernatural without weapons made Ann anxious.

Picking up on his friend's worry, Akira comes closer to her side "Don't worry, Ann. If it becomes too much I'll handle everything." Ann nods with a minor smile on her lips. Akira knew what he was doing; he would be able to protect them if anything went wrong.

With some of her nerves being pushed down, Ann cheerfully responds, "O-Ok! I'll do the best I can... Now," Her head scans the area before gazing back to her friend, "are any of them here yet?"

Akira motions for her to follow him out of the secluded area, "No... But they should come soon. Whilst we wait for them-" The Umbra witch pauses with Ann copying. He reaches into an Umbra circle from behind his back, withdrawing a purple whip with the head of a snake that extracts an amazed gasped from the blonde. He offers the whip to Ann, she takes it in awe, "I want to test if you can summon your persona in Purgatorio... But you're going to use this until we can ensure everything."

Keeping a tight grip on the whip's handle -jolts of vigorous power pressing through her fingers- Ann questions, "Alright, wait have you summoned Arsene in Purgatorio? Can you just call out for your persona?"

"I did. I couldn't believe it actually-"

Ann strikes a pose thrusting the whip into the air, "Carmen!"

...

The silence is interrupted by Ann's disappointed sigh, "It... didn't work..."

Akira shrugs, "Try again when we're in battle. That's how I summoned Arsene." Promptly, a bright light gleams down the two. Their heads shot up -their eyes squinted in an attempt to see through the brightness- to watch multiple odd frames to float towards them.

A burst of excitement rushes through the witch's body, Akira whips out his guns, "Here they come, I recommend you start attacking the smaller angels first." Ann scans the figures to pause on five rounded figures. As they get closer, Ann's eyebrows raise at the sight of five floating faces, each face had two sets of golden wings. Though the set of wings on their upper face seem to function better than the lower set. At the end of their chins was a curved blade that looks sharp enough to pierce through skin. Unbeknownst to the blonde, she was going to fight a Cachet and four Compassions. The three angels Akira choose to battle looked familiar to the one they fought in Madarame's palace. However, there was slight differences to their appearance and weapons; two wore red clothing instead of blue and held golden swords which seemed to be carved like feathers.

Once the angels were close enough, Ann hauls the whip to clash against the largest hovering angel. The force being more powerful than Ann expected as she watches Cachet falter far away from its group. Simultaneously, two Compassions rush at Ann with their blades but she is quick to bounce back and avoid their attacks. Briskly, multiple cracks echo across the Compassions who haven't attacked yet. The impact of the weapon's thick scales results in the angels flesh being peeled off, earning a sound of disgust to leave Ann's mouth. She isn't going to get use to this sight; it was too unsettling to see flesh being so bare. Cachet flourishes its sword and charges the blonde who stumbles back to barely dodge the attack. As she stabilises her stance, Ann cries out,

"Carmen!"

Ann gasps upon hearing a booming gust of wind flow behind her. Turning her head to the side, she views her persona boldly stood with fireballs already prepared. A deep sense of pride grows inside Ann; she can summon Carmen in the real world! Carmen had a callous grin on her face as she throws her flames at the angels. Successfully two Compassions perish while the remaining are greatly weakened. Ann takes the chance to perform a full on assault with Carmen launching two more fireballs while Ann uses Kulshreda. The duo were able to eliminate the last Compassions and Cachet, ending with Ann taking heavy breathes and Carmen fading away.

However, Ann's moment to relax is swiftly disrupted by Akira's voice "You're done for!" The Applaud's back hits the ground harshly, one final squawk of defiance before Akira stomps onto the angels head. His Dorothy gun fires a bullet into Applaud's head, killing the last angel. Akira centres his gaze to Ann, overlooking her form to ensure she has no injuries.

Before he could question Ann's health, she runs to the witch with a booming smile, "Did you see that Akira?! I summoned Carmen!" Her digits curl into her palm as if she was squeezing out her excitement, "That was so... so... Ugh, I don't know how to describe it. I just feel so energised."

A miniscule grin passes Akira's mouth, "It's a rush of adrenaline most likely." He looks the blonde up and down, noticing a huge change, "Ann, do you feel ok? Physically wise."

Slowly, Ann looks down as she asks, "Huh? What do you-" She bounces back in surprise; Ann was now in her phantom thief uniform. She didn't even feel the red latex bunching her normal clothes. Hell, she can't even see her normal clothes. It's as if they're invisible underneath the phantom thief get-up. "What the-?!"

"This could be from calling out Carmen." Akira regards this as an explanation to try and support Ann's confusion, "It would be best if we take a break."

Unsure of what next step to take, Ann nods in agreement, "I-I guess. Shall we get something to eat or would you like to do something else?"

The witch shrugs, "How about we get some Crepes?"     

24 May 2018

It was time to steal the treasure! Joker was determined to complete this mission as soon as possible; their plan is going great so far. Mona was successful in retrieving the treasure during the blackout. It was covered by a shiny purple sheet though the shape of the treasure hints at it being a painting. Yet they don't have time to inspect the treasure as security was high on their trail. Leaping across the wooden scaffolding that hanged from the ceiling, Joker locates a fishy-looking blue window that the thieves must enter to escape. They make it outside, the exteriors were plastered with gold and had golden stairs connected to some of the sides. It doesn't take long for the Phantom thieves to return to the courtyard by running through a red portal but they pause in their retreat due to Mona's excitement to see the treasure. Mona gently drops and untangles the sheet to expose the treasure and see... A painting of an Henohenomoheji?

The security begins to initiate the lasers but luckily Yusuke was quick to warn his comrades and they avoid the danger.

"Meddlesome vermin." There stood Shadow Madarame with two shadow guards at each side. He gives a side glance to the guard on his left, "Is this what you're looking for?"

Mona scoffs, "How dare you try to trap me like some kind of mouse!"

Skull joins in, "So you had a faked prepped, huh?!"

"Counterfeits are accepted in the world of Japanese art."

Fox questions the shadow, "What made you change like this?! Is it because you became famous?! Can't you understand how much it pains me to inquire about the crimes of my foster father?!"

Shadow Madarame seems to take a beat before responding, "... Now that I think back, the only reason why I took you in was due to my ties with your mother. That woman never lost her passion for painting even after her husband died. Her skills and talents were quite astonishing... That's why I decided to look after her. Your mother and the artwork she created- they're all MY works of art!"

Panther interjects, "How low can you sink?"

Shadow Madarame ignores the teen, "I suppose I can grant you a gift before you die- a glimpse of the genuine 'Sayuri'!" 

Taking a step forward in confusion, Fox mutters "Genuine...?"

Shadow Madarame signals to the same guard holding the treasure, they walk closer to the thieves to hold up the treasure. It was the Sayuri painting with a significant attribute. The thieves could now see what she held in her arms; a new born baby.

Fox's face stiffens, "That's... the real Sayuri?" His head lowers as the realisation hits him, "This can't be! Mom..."

While his allies glance at Fox in surprise, Shadow Madarame confirms the truth "Indeed it is. This was painted by your mother. It's a portrait of herself. A woman who knew her death was coming painted her last wishes, for the son she would leave behind. That is the truth behind the mystery of 'Sayuri's expression!"

Skull bellows out, "You stole something THAT personal?!"

"I knew at first glance. I knew it'd be a huge success if I added a touch to the painting and announced it under my name!"

Yearning for more answers, Fox asks "But the baby in the picture... Why did you paint over it?"

With an arrogant grin the shadow answers "... It was all to stage it. If the baby is erased, the reason for the woman's expression will become a mystery! That is what the general public is drawn to! Each of those parasitic critics wrote the same thing!"

Panther comments, "I always felt something was off about all of this... Now I know what it is. If you really treasured that painting, you wouldn't even think about replicating it for profit!" She stomps the ground in frustration, "You don't love art at all!"

Mona adds, "Though you have a real treasure, your true skills are nothing more than those scribbles on that fake!"

The final blonde thief counters, "It makes me laugh, asshole!"

Scowling down at the thieves, Shadow Madarame says "So you'll defy me no matter what... Well then, since you're my work of art, Yusuke, I'm going to reap you for the sake of my future... Along with those insolent friends of yours there."

"I can't believe you're treating both mother and son like their objects... You're inhuman!" Panther calls out as Mona looks over to Fox and notices his demeanour.

He calls out to Fox only for his team mate to respond to the shadow, "I've heard that you destroy your 'art' once they outlive their usefulness... Did you include my mother as well?"

It doesn't take long for Shadow Madarame to speak, "She just so happened to have a seizure in front of me. That's when a thought had crossed my mind... If I don't call for help and leave her be, I could obtain her painting without any strings attached."

"No... You let her die?!"

He continues, "She was physically weak. No one would doubt if she just dropped dead because of a seizure." Above all, Yusuke, didn't you think it was odd that I discovered your talent when you were only three? The reason why I kept you around was to keep you from realising the truth behind 'Sayuri'."

A strong displeasure dripped from Fox's tone as he lets out, "You killed her..!"

"The artistic talents you inherited from your mother were a delightful miscalculation, though. If I'm to steal ideas, it's much easier robbing the future of brats who won't talk back than adults. It's all thanks to you that I came up with the idea. You have my gratitude."

Unexpectedly, Fox beings to chuckle which perplexes his friends. "I thank you, Madarame!" He glares at his former teacher, "Every reason for me to forgive you has disappeared without a trace at this very moment! You aren't some rotten artist... You're a despicable fiend who wears the skin of an artist!"

Vexed by the teen's statement, Shadow Madarame exclaims "All you good-for-nothings..! Barging into my museum and doing whatever the hell you want..." A gloomy red and black circle forms under Shadow Madarame's feet. "Those who have connections make the rules; those who don't, follow them." The ground begins to rumble. "Not to mention, the value of art is all subjective! I make the rules in the art scene! I am the supreme being! I am the god of the art world!"

Sensing the shadow is going to execute a dangerous action, Mona warns "This isn't good. Get back!"

As Shadow Madarame laughs wickedly, his face distorts and drags outwards before his eyes, nose and mouth evolve and separate into painting frames. It was time to battle the horrendous shadow.

Joker was the first to act, reviewing his arsenal of personas Joker cries out "Ame-no-Uzume!" to use the skill Mazio. A strike of electricity hits each Madarame painting only impacting the nose and mouth painting while the eyes seemed to absorb the attack. The left eye painting floats higher to enact a silent snowscape attack on Skull before enhancing the mouth's attack. Skull choses to retort by using rampage and notices his assault doesn't damage the mouth. Though the nose drops to the group, turning into black goop before disappearing all together. Panther recognises how the previous turns have affected Madarame, she allows Carmen to heal the small amount of health Skull had lost. However, this gives Madarame the opportunity to restore his nose with a small amount of hp.

Fox easily slashes the nose painting with his sword as Joker follows up with Ippon-Datara to rampage the paintings once more. Resulting in both eyes being eliminated, unfortunately the mouth restores the right eye which buffs its attack in return. Skull uses Zio to cause slight damage to the mouth painting with Panther slashing her whip across the floating painting bringing it down to nothing. Thankfully the final blow was accomplished by Fox enacting a Bufu skill on the remaining enemy. The black goop expands on the ground as it bares Shadow Madarame.

Mona exclaims, "Madarame's out!"

However, the Phantom Thieves are unable to attack as Madarame reaches into his sleeve, "I'm the great artist, Madarame! If you brats can't fathom that... Then you'll witness it for yourselves! Behold my master craft!" After lashing his hand out of his sleeve, four identical shadows of Madarame appear at his sides. Each fake Madarame had a unique appearance based on the elements they used for their attack such as fire, ice, wind and electricity.

Questioning how these clones operate, Joker targets the electric Madarame -labelled Ersatz Joy- with a Garu skill from his persona Koppa Tengu to test how it'll react. The skill hits its weakness. Joker baton passes to Skull and suggests for his ally to use their elemental skill on the Madarame that opposes the skill; Skull weakens the Ersatz Mirth Madarame to pass the next attack to Panther. After Panther knocks down the ice-focused Madarame, she passes to Yusuke using his extra turn to weaken the last counterfeit shadow and unloading a vicious strike to all of the enemies. Resulting in three of the fake shadows to perish and jilting the Ersatz Sorrow and the true Shadow Madarame. Spinning back around to Skull's turn, he simply uses his weapon to finish off the counterfeit Madarame allowing his teammates to focus on attacking Madarame.

Once it was Madarame's chance to strike, he summons multiple fakes again with a different layout. This develops a sequence of Madarame summoning Ersatz shadows for the thieves to abolish before targeting Shadow Madarame. Ultimately, the Phantom Thieves beat Shadow Madarame, debilitating him to falter onto the ground while coddling the treasure. Fox marches towards the shadow who attempts to back away while he whimpers in fear.

Shadow Madarame begins to make excuses, "No one cares for true art... All they want are recognizable brands! I'm a victim in this too! Wouldn't you agree?!"

A tut jumps through Skull's lips, "Excuses now?"

The Shadow continues, "The art world revolves around money after all... You can't rise up without any money... Yusuke, you understand, don't you?! Being a poor artist is truly miserable! I just didn't want to return to that life!"

Fox's left eye twitches, before grasping the front of Madarame's kimono "A fiend like you has no right to speak about the world of art! You're done for- along with this whole wretched world!"

He shrieks, "No, please! Just... Don't kill me!"

Fox releases the shadow as coughs and splutters out sounds, "Return to yourself in reality and confess your crimes- all of them!" Fox demands.

Somewhat surprised, the shadow looks up to the thief with widen eyes, "Y-You're not going to kill me?"

"Swear it!"

Fearing what else the thief would inflict on himself, Madarame responds "All right... All right!" He looks behind Fox -seemingly at the other thieves- before looking back to the blue haired teen, "Wh-What about the other one though? The one with the black mask?"

All of the thieves share a look of confusion as Joker voices their confusion with a 'who?'. Mona then speculates "It can't be... There was another intruder besides us within this palace?!"

The world shudders, signalling it's time for their escape. Mona transforms and orders the team to get on, Fox takes the treasure and begins to retreat. Only to stop upon hearing Madarame call out to him, "Hey, Yusuke... What should I do?"

Turning his head to the broken shadow, Fox replies "... Put an end to all this and use your own artwork for once." Panther calls for Yusuke, he walks toward Mona. Ignoring Madarame's cries as the team leave the now shattered palace. In the real world, they stood in front of Madarame's shack though they swiftly change scenery to the Teikyu Accessway to avoid suspicion from bystanders. Yusuke never lets go of the treasure, he had a strong stare glued onto the true Sayuri painting. Yusuke now understood the rush of emotions when he had first glimpsed at the piece; possibly feeling the same love and adoration that his mother had for him. Though, it's unfortunate it can't be shown to the public he laments this fact to his friends.

Following Ryuji burping from sipping his drink, he asks Yusuke what he plans to do next "So, what're you gonna do now? We're gonna keep targetin' big shots."

"...Why do you do such things?"

The straightforward question is swiftly answered by Ryuji, "It's to get back at scumbags and like... society in general. We also wanna give courage to the people that're sufferin' cause of selfish adults."

Yusuke further questions, "Courage, hm... What good does that do? You mean the courage to stand up for themselves, correct? Will acquiring that make them happy?"

Akira choses to respond first, "Probably."

"...Yeah. There's no knowin' whether it'll turn out good for everyone or not. Still, we won't know unless we give it a try."

The blue-haired teen's head casts down for a moment, "... In other words, it all depends on the person, hm?" He then nods as he realises something, "Then the same can be said about myself right now. I also suffered because of an adult's selfish act. Moreover, if we investigate these Palaces, it may expand my artistic repertoire."

Ryuji grins, "You really only think about art, huh? You're impressive."

He adds on, "Well I won't take part in any inelegant plans, all right?"

Ann finally joins in, winking at Yusuke as she promises "No worries! I've got us covered! Plus, we have a rule that says we always have to decide on a target unanimously."

Morgana gazes to their leader, "How about it, Joker? We can give our calling cards a lot more 'oomph' if we have Yusuke on our team."

The more the merrier in Akira's eyes. Plus, Yusuke's now aware that angels/demons can lurk on earth; Akira needs to inform his friend of the dangers in case they tried to attack him like they had attempt to do with Ann. "He would make a great member."

Yusuke smiles, "I will try and live up to those expectations."

"At any rate, I'm curious... Another intruder beside us, huh?"

Ann further surmises, "Our only clue's a black mask, so that doesn't necessarily mean it's just one person, right?"

Morgana turns his attention back to Akira, "Could this be a creature from Inferno or an angel from Paradiso? We did encounter an angel beforehand so could there be a chance it's not a human?"

The team look to Akira who answers with an unsure sigh, "I highly doubt this but... There could be a chance Madarame had just witnessed an infernal or angel."

Ryuji shrugs, "But there's no way to check anymore. The Palace is gone."

Yusuke comments, "I'll try probing Madarame. I may be able to learn something from him."

Cautious of Yusuke getting into trouble, Ann asks, "Are you sure? I mean-"

With a reassuring smile, he says "I'll contact you all if anything turns up."

"We should probably exchange our contact info with you then."

Everyone but Ann takes out their phone to quickly exchange information. Yusuke then remarks, "An artist and a phantom thief... It seems I'll be engaging in two trades from here on... Very well. You only live once, after all. Still, the incident about this other intruder does concern me a little..." With nothing much else to discuss, they say their goodbyes and head home.

Once Akira and Morgana make it to Leblanc, they sit on Akira's bed to chat about today. However their conversation from focusing on the fifth persona user leads Morgana thinking about who he was and how unique he was. "...I'm special... But it's still odd. Who could I actually be?"

Noticing his friend's sorrow, Akira tries to lighten the mood, "Who knows? You could be an infernal."

Morgana growls, "Hey! I'm not some freaky demon!" He sighs and mutters, "What a half-assed answer. Well, there's no way a dashing, honourable rogue like me could be evil." Morgana gives a determined gaze, "A man who saves those in trouble in the west, while punishing evildoers who may lurk in the east! A man who chastises people that smoke inside in the south, while saving bullied cats in the north. A man who has a sturdy body and vows to always do one good deed a day, be it rain or shine. I'm that kind of ideal person... Or so I hope. So if I turn back to being human... Surely she'll take notice of me, won't she?"

Not wanting to lower his friends mood, Akira grins and responds "We'll know eventually."

"Well, that's true, but..." Morgana lets out another breath, "Where should I go when I become human? I wonder where she'd like to go... An amusement park, a movie theatre, a fancy café, shopping... What do you think?"

Akira shrugs, "Out of the options, she'll probably enjoy shopping the most... Though it'll most likely end with you holding everything for her as she jumps shop to shop."

Akira could sense his bond with Morgana growing deeper...

26 May 2018

The day had gone by in a flash, the only thing notable was the flyer Ryuji had shown Akira during lunch time. The blond had walked up to Akira with a broad grin and some strong enthusiasm in his voice. Ryuji unveils the flyer to his friend; a flyer for a housekeeping service. You would pay for a cute maid to do anything for you (in Ryuji's words). At first, the Umbra witch was apprehensive about hiring a maid but eventually caved when Mishima buts into their conversation to join in. He claims it's for research, ensuring this business isn't falsely advertising what they're providing. Ryuji already had a place set up; a neighbour had moved out of his apartment -and since the key is left behind his mailbox- they can use the vacant room for tonight. Akira couldn't deny that a part of the witch was curious on what services this maid service entails. Guess he'll just have to wait until evening to find out... For now, Morgana and himself are going to visit his parents.

After locating a quiet area, Akira and Morgana enter Purgatorio and wait for Bayonetta and Jeanne. Mona, now in his Phantom thief get-up, experiments with his weapons. Mona exploits the rubbish around to fire multiple shots of his slingshot and to test the sharpness of his blade.

Filthy segments from a trash bag fly into the air as Mona grins with glee, "Wow! I'm surprised I can still do the same kind of damage as I can in the Metaverse." Eyeing the fallen rubbish, two items had caught his eyes. There were different colours -yellow and green- yet where both crystallized compounds with odd items inside them.

Akira reacts before Mona has the chance too, "Good find." He kneels to pocket the two items into his pants pocket.

Mona staches his sword, "Why are you picking those things up?"

"Do you remember those lollipops I had given out during Kamoshida's palace?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Mona mutters, "Yeah, vaguely."

"I use these to conduct them. Alchemy is another part of Umbran history." Akira grins down at his friend, another aspect of Umbran witches making Mona's brain tingle.

Mona hums in interest, "So do you use a cauldron too?" The image of Akira behind a cauldron, swirling a broom into the large pot with a witch hat on, made the Phantom thief chuckle.

Though his chuckle swiftly halts upon a new voice stating, "We've abandoned that way decades ago." There stood Bayonetta four feet away from the two with Jeanne by her side. "We use a more simple manner to combine those special materials." 

While Bayonetta and Akira exchange their hellos and hugs, Jeanne struts straight towards Mona, bending over to take a closer look at the odd creature. Mona's head leans back nervously before Jeanne comments, "So this is your true form?"

With a pout, Mona responds, "Hey, this isn't my true form! T-this is just a temporary form until I regain my memories."

Jeanne raises a brow, "Your memories?" In one swift moment, the female witches share a look. It felt like they're having a Deja vu moment. 

Akira adds, "We made a deal. He would help us regarding the Metaverse and in exchange I take care of him in the real world. Exploring the Metaverse with us could help Mona find his memories."

Bayonetta lips press together to perform a sound of interest, "Riveting." She strides closer to the feline, "Now, Akira has said you have some questions for us."

Feeling intimidated by the two tall witches looking down on him, Mona leaps onto a stack of three boxes so he wouldn't have to crack his neck to look up. "I do... If it's alright with you ladies, I want to learn about..."

This divulges into Bayonetta and Jeanne teaching the thief about the Umbran witch history; Akira felt like an awkward third party. He was listening to information he was already aware of... well, his parents seemed to cut out some parts regarding his mummy's childhood and his grandparents. They didn't like talking about this part often so he understood why they wouldn't want to share this with (what they consider) a stranger. Upon realising the time, Akira excuses himself and plans to meet back up with Mona at Café Leblanc. 

It was time for operation maid watch! 

Chapter Text

Akira's body went still as he hears an upbeat voice behind him announces, "Welcome home, master!"

He was left standing alone thanks to Mishima's and Ryuji's feebleness, stranded to parley with the maid they had ordered moments ago. This wasn't going the way Akira had expected; why did his throat feel so dry? Why does he feel so nervous? Akira has faced more unnerving situations than interacting with a lady from a 'risqué' maid service. So why did he feel so unprepared?

"I'm going to fill your tired heart full of lovely energy. Meow!" The young witch inches his head enough to have a side view of the maid. Her deep chestnut hair secured in twin tails, an attempt to look more youthful. She wore a French maid outfit that Akira found to be rather alluring. "I'm Becky, and I have the pleasure of serving you today."

Gulping down his apprehension of actually talking to the maid, Akira stutters "Nice to mee-ow-t you." Hopefully his half-witted response presents him a funny response from the lady.

The maid grins, "We're going to get along so well! Meeeooowww!" She then jumps slightly upon realising something, "Oh my... How thoughtless of me! I should explain our services to you, master! What would you like me to do today? The basics include cooking, cleaning, laundry... But there are other 'services' we provide if you desire." There was some playfulness in her tone, earning Akira's cheeks to faintly heat up.

Caught up in his thoughts of these other 'services', the witch is too late to react to the maid inching closer to him. "Hmmm? You look young, master... Are you... perhaps... In high school?"

A single drop of sweat drags down the right side of Akira's head, he needs to answer quickly before she becomes more suspicious. "W-well, I'm..." He pauses to cough and swiftly reply, "I'm a dad."

"Wow! Your skin's so healthy!" Wait, she bought it? "...You're not lying to me, are you..?" Becky takes a closer at his face before her gaze casts down, "Hmm, I'll wait to provide those other 'services' until you've matured a bit, master. Sooo... I'll be going now."

Although it was somewhat muffled, the two heard a voice coming from the shrouded balcony "W-what?! No!" It was Ryuji.

Another voice lets out, "Quiet!..."

Startled that there was more than one person in the apartment, Becky steps towards the balcony door asking "I-Is someone there?!"

"Oh no!"

The other voice urges for them to run, upon hearing the voice for the second time makes the maid recognise the voices, "Mishima? Sakamoto-kun?"

Akira peculiarly stares at the maid, how does she know Mishima and Ryuji? She soon turns to Akira and recognises him as well, "And you!? Did you request me specifically?" Now having a full view of Becky's face, the young witch realises why she knew the three boys names.

It was his homeroom teacher Miss Kawakami.

He draws out, "Wait, are you..."

Her tone does a complete 180 from surprised to clueless, "Oh, no. It's alright. How would you know me? This is our first meeting. Yes, the first time ever, master." It doesn't take long before she drops the upbeat voice, murmuring "Ugh, this is unbelievable... Yes, it's me... Your homeroom teacher... I'm so done... I can't believe I got caught by some of my own students..." Akira was unsure of how to react, this was uncomfortable for the both of them. "I should've taken a job out of the city. But I needed it to be close to school so I could go there after I finished work..." Kawakami then glares up at her student, "... Who did you hear about this from? Oh! It was Ms. Chouno, wasn't it?! That harpy...!"

Akira tilts his head, Kawakami reminds him "Ms. Chouno, the English teacher... She's been snooping on all the teachers ever since that incident with Mr. Kamoshida... Are you going to tell Ms. Chouno about this?"

"What do you mean?" It wasn't Ms. Chouno's business on what side-job Kawakami does. Granted, this job does seem to entail some risqué aspects but Miss Kawakami seems to separate her teaching work from this part of her life. It's her private business.

Letting out another long 'hum' sound, Kawakami responds, "It doesn't seem like you're playing dumb... In any case, I'll get in big trouble if you tell on me... Hey, if you're going to side with a teacher, side with me. I'm charge of your class, after all. And if you promise not to tell Ms. Chouno about this, I'll do anything for you!"

Akira facetiously says "Anything?" Though if she was willing to do anything, Akira could use it as a chance to focus on other things during class time.

She sends a unimpressed look at him, "...Hey, it won't be any better for you if people found out that you called a maid service." His body stiffens at the idea of his parents finding out; his mummy would reprimand him for using a tactless service and his mother... If she finds out it's his homeroom teacher is the maid offering services then she would be having a heated conversation about Kawakami's professionalism without giving her a chance to explain.

"This isn't your home address to begin with, is it? I guess you at least thought about that. Well, I'll promise to keep this a secret too... So why don't we forget this ever happened? I'll treat this as if you had cancelled, so you won't have to pay anything, okay? On that note, I'll be leaving!" She sends a stern look to Akira, "Don't say anything about this at school, okay?! Just act as if nothing had ever happened! Got it? Okay, bye!" Kawakami left the apartment, leaving Akira exhausted by today's events.

... Akira's going home... He needs to rest.

30 May 2018

It was bright and early when Akira began his journey to Inokashira park. The school is having the students participate in a city beautification project by cleaning up trash in Inokashira park; Akira had awakened early to change into his gym uniform and make it to their location on time. The witch was making his way through the multiple crowds in Shibuya, however he stops in his tracks once he notices a familiar girl with a unfriendly man. Akira identifies the girl to be Yoshizawa, who he first met on the train weeks ago. The middle-aged man held her right wrist tightly, making her struggle to get out of his grasp. It was clear she didn't want to interact with this creep anymore but nobody was stepping in. Akira won't overlook this. Swiftly, the witch steps beside them and bluntly tells the man he's hurting his friend. As soon as his grip loosens, Yoshizawa rushes to hide behind Akira. Of course, the man takes offense and leaves the teens in a huff. The young witch glares at the man's back, he is lucky Akira can't enter Purgatorio at this moment. Upon Akira checking Yoshizawa, she asks him a question that the witch found rather odd. The question being 'what made you step in to help me?'. Would Akira need a reason to step in? Yoshizawa was in trouble and needed help; it was as simple as that.

After giving the red-head his answer, she didn't seem to have much of a reaction. Yoshizawa apologizes once more before she realises she has forgotten her gym clothes. Rushing off to retrieve her gym uniform and promising to see Akira at the clean up. The witch continues his journey, making it to Inokashira park and meeting up with Ann and Ryuji. Though their meetup is cut short as they're placed in different groups for the clean up. The group Akira was with ignored him and left him out of their conversations. Not that Akira minded that much, he just wanted to cleanse the park and then continue on with his day. After hours of picking up trash, the field trip was completed and the students were allowed to do as they pleased. It was no surprise to Morgana and Akira that the people in his group left him only saying thanks. He sat on one of the park benches, contemplating what to do next.

"Oh!" The witch's head raises to gaze at Yoshizawa, "I've finally found you. I was trying to find you so I can thank you properly for this morning." Her eyes search for his group, discerning that he was on his own. "So... Where'd the other people in your group go?"

The young witch shrugs, "They've ditched me."

Yoshizawa pouts, "Ah... I see... I'm in pretty much the same situation. If it's alright with you, why don't we eat our soup together?" Akira nods, "Great!" It took a moment for the duo to receive their simple meal and return to the bench. After taking a small amount of her soup towards her lips, eating the delicious soup, Yoshizawa says "I want to thank you again for this morning. That man was even more frightening than he might have appeared to you... So I truly appreciate what you did for me! Thank you so much."

A gentle smile graces Akira's lips, "You're welcome."

She nods, "Yes!" However, his mood sours as she avoids eye contact, "There's one more issue I need to address..." There was a pregnant pause until Yoshizawa blurts out, "I'm also so sorry for what happened the other day!"

Akira tilts his head in confusion, "The other day?"

"... The run-in we had outside of the guidance office." So by the other day she means almost a whole month ago. Akira could barely remember that interaction. "Mr. Kamoshida had just told me about you a moment prior, so I sort of spoke without thinking there... I heard some of my classmates talking about you, too."

He sighs with displeasure, "That's not surprising."

The red-head's eyes widen at the response, "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." She then sighs, "I don't like gossip or rumours and the like... And I'll know this'll sound strange since I just met you, but you don't seem like the type of person they describe. It'd be a different story if all of those rumours were actually true, though. What were all of the crimes I'd heard? Burglary, murder and... Elephant tusk trafficking, was it?"

Well, that's a new one, it certainly pulls a cheeky grin on Akira's face. "I drive without a license, too"

She giggles "Even I can tell you're joking. Hm?" She takes a moment before continuing, "You know what, it just hit me- I haven't introduced myself yet!" That's true, they barely knew each other's name. Akira introduces himself with his full name, Yoshizawa was about to do the same until she's distracted by a little girl loosing her balloon. Quick on her feet, Yoshizawa leaps into the air and luckily grabs the string. Pulling it down as she rolls onto the ground. That was some interesting acrobatics.

Unbeknownst to Yoshizawa, an item has fallen out of her pocket. It was a Shujin Academy pocketbook; Akira picks it up to read 'Kasumi Yoshizawa' on the inside. She soon returns to stand in front of the black-haired teen, who offers the pocket book back while saying "So, you're Kasumi Yoshizawa?"

Kasumi makes a 'huh' sound before noticing the item in his hand, "I guess you sleuthed me out before I got to tell you. Well, you've cracked the case- I'm Kasumi Yoshizawa, a first-year!"

"Are you an athlete?" Akira questions.

She begins to take her pocketbook back as she replies, "Figured that out too, huh? Well, yes. I complete in gymnastics. It's not that difficult once you get the hang of it- just a hop, skip, and a jump."

Morgana pops in to talk to Akira, "Gymnastics, huh? Hey, don't you think some of those would be awfully useful? I was just thinking about how the Phantom Thieves need to get some sweet moves, too. I mean, you can already do backflips and what not so imagine the more extravagant moves you could do with more training." He did have a good point; Akira has mainly learning the basics from his parents so he could possibly enhance his flexibility by training with Kasumi.

Noticing that Akira attention seemed to be elsewhere, Kasumi asks, "What's the matter, Kurusu-senpai? Wait... Is there a cat somewhere around here?"

The young witch blurts out, "I want to learn your moves."

Surprised by the request, she asks "Does that mean you're interested in gymnastics?" The corners of her lips turn upwards, "That makes me so happy! I'd be honoured if you allow me! The only problem is... I have a favour to ask for myself as well- if you wouldn't mind..." Her expression soon becomes sour, "Lately, I haven't been getting the results I want from my performances, and I'm worried that I'm overthinking things... So it would wonderful if you could give me some advice whenever you have the time."

"You want my advice?" Akira says in disbelief.

Kasumi nods, "I'm not looking for technical coaching so much as just lending me an ear from time to time."

Morgana mutters, "I see... This sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me- what do you think?"

It was a simple deal, what has Akira got to lose? He grins at the red-head, "We have a deal."

Quickly, she stutters out "Y-Yes sir!... Wait, that's a little overboard. But, I promise! I'll glean as much as I can!"

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

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

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

2nd June 2018

Yusuke examined the sharp blade within his grasp, his left thumb lightly traces the bold edges of the long blade. The weapon entitled Shuraba was truly an extraordinary sword the blue-haired teen has ever witnessed; Ryuji's was a noteworthy weapon as well. Akira gifted the blonde a mace, its head surrounded by big pointy nails with parts of the upper handle being painted with gold and black. It was named Fiend's Might. According to Akira, the Mace was created by his uncle who stumbled upon an infernal that was ruthful in torturing souls in Inferno. His uncle captured the infernal and turned it into the weapon which now wields a great amount of power and strength. Shuraba has a different origin, the katana apparently was living and pulses with the heart of demon war called Ashura. The weapons made Yusuke ponder, does Akira always receive such powerful artillery?  

Akira offered the boys a trip to Purgatorio in order to be prepared if any angels or demons would attempt to harm them in the real world. They had both jumped at the opportunity, though it was for different reasons. Yusuke wanted to experience a more intimate sight of these creatures while Ryuji wanted to just beat more enemies and become stronger. The trio have wandered the quieter areas of Yongen while in Purgatorio, stalling for time until any angels or demons would arrive. Despite Yusuke being patient for these creatures, Ryuji kept fidgeting with his new weapon impetuously.

A long-gated groan escapes the blonde's mouth, "Ugh! What's takin' so long?" Ryuji eyes Akira, "Do you really have to wait this long for any of these freaks to pop up?"

Shaking his head, the Umbra witch replies "No, it may just be a little quiet for today. They'll come soon though." Akira's head darts up, gazing upon a cluster of clouds that were slowly becoming bigger. "I'm sure they will."

The blue-haired teen steps closer to Ryuji, "How many do you think will ascend to us? I hope there won't be an large assortment of them."

Ryuji raises his right eyebrow curiously, "Huh? Why? We've dealt with big groups before so why would this be different?"

"A large group would mean I won't have the time to examine the unique and vivid features of their attires." 

The blonde's face drops, "Is that the only thing you want out of this? I mean, they look pretty cool and all that but c'mon... These are actual angels! I want to see what weapons they use and what they're like in a proper fight."

Yusuke responds, "Although I am interested in experiencing how various angels battle, I can't stop my burning desire to fully picture their true forms."

Upon noticing an odd figure slowly emerging from the clouds, Akira orders to his friends "They're here. Get ready."

The angels were too fast for the teens to even watch them fully descend from the bumpy formation in the sky. Multiple sharp thumps erupt as five various angels were stationed mere feet away from the group. One of the angels makes Akira gulp down a trace of nerves. A single Beloved towered not only the teens but its fellow Affinities. Although the Umbra witch has had a couple of encounters with second sphere angels, there's still some doubt on fighting due to his friends joining the battle. The possibility of the Beloved getting the upper hand would be deadly for the teens. Akira must focus on Beloved alone; he could distract or kill the angel before it attempts to target his allies.

Now that he could finally use his mace, Ryuji lifts the weapon and grins "Finally! I was wonderin' when they'd show up." He nudges his best friend's shoulder, "What are we gonna do about the big guy? Do we just rush him?"

Briskly, Akira answers, "No. Yusuke and you must focus on the Affinities first." Ryuji raises a brow, earning a blank response from the witch, "The smaller angels."

Yusuke wields his blade, "Very well then." Akira is the first to rush at the enemy, dodging two Affinities attack to be in front of Beloved's form. He aims his trusty guns and begins to fire, though he soon stops and backflips due the Beloved swinging its axe. Back on his feet, Akira continues to dish out various attacks. The young witch hears three chinking sounds on his left; Ryuji was mercilessly brandishing his mace at one of the Affinities. By the third swing, the angel loses its grip on their staff as it skids across the floor almost tripping Yusuke who manages to jump over the golden prop at the last second.

The blue-haired teen was able to avoid tripping and the large fireball the Affinities blasted his way. Despite the adrenaline coursing through his body, Yusuke's fascination overloaded his hesitance on attacking the holy creatures. If he can subdue an angel then at the end of the battle he could sketch their design before eliminating the angel entirely. With the katana held in his dominant hand, Yusuke charges at the Affinity that blows out another ball of holy energy at the teen. He shifts to the left before continuing to charge, his blade rushes through the Affinities left forearm. Letting the piece of flesh dangle by an inch as an agonising screech is made by the angel. Its trumpet drops against the concrete, Yusuke aims for the angels opposite leg however he retreats narrowly evading a fail being swung close to his chest by a different Affinity.

An enthusiastic howl stems from Ryuji, his grin becoming bigger as he eliminates another angel. His watches the Affinity shift into white feathers and multiple splatters of blood. Too wrapped up in the excitement the blonde doesn't question why its body just disappears; Ryuji was in the moment. He scans the area and begins to consider who to back up in the battle, Akira or Yusuke. Even though Akira was against one angel, it was a huge angel that was possibly five hundred metres or more. While Yusuke was battling two angels, one of them lost a left arm and was hastily dragging itself to its weapon as Yusuke impels the Shuraba through another Affinity's chest. The blonde's stare eventually focuses on the Beloved before his feet begin to move.

"Hey, you big feathered idiot!!" Somewhat confounded by the new opponent, Beloved twists his head towards Ryuji making a sound of confusion. They could sense power within the teen, though it wasn't as powerful as the witch they were battling. They could end this quickly.

The Beloved grip tightens onto its axe handle, Akira attempts to reclaim the angel's attention, though his bullets don't seem to be as distracting as Ryuji was rushing at the Beloved. "Ryuji, wait!" The witches cry was ignored by the blonde but it catches Yusuke who eliminated the fail wielding Affinity. He watches Ryuji raise his mace over his head, leaping into the air to try and impact the Beloved's arm. Ryuji's look of assertiveness turns to one of regret as he slowly realises the Beloved was faster than him. It happens to quickly; the side of Beloved's axe smacks the teen to the left side causing him to tumble and roll three times onto the ground. Losing his weapon in the process as the pain was too nimble for Ryuji to react.

He groans and makes a effort to raise himself up, too focused on the sudden pain to notice the angel was marching towards him. Yusuke, unsure of how to combat with a big angelic enemy, looks to his team leader. Unfortunately, he is unable to look at his leader for guidance for longer than five seconds as the injured Affinity has managed to retrieve its trumpet. Yusuke hears the blow and darts away from the oncoming shot though he trips -his right leg dropping to his knee- due to the tension beginning to overtake him... But he must stay focused.

Akira's eyes widen, he can't let Ryuji take another hit.

He sprints at the Beloved and Ryuji, his mind contemplating the various ways he could defend his friend. His bullets aren't enough to distract the angel. There wouldn't be enough time to perform a wicked weave attack. Could Arsene be enough to force a big blow onto a second sphere angel? Should he risk it? Time was running out, Akira is too close to them. It's too late for him to react strategically. With the Beloved's axe mere moments from slashing across Ryuji's face, the witch's body reacts faster than his brain and his right hand reaches out to his friend. Akira lets out a booming scream of the blonde's name...

Along with a new power. 

A new power that creates hardened rays of light shielding Ryuji and blocking the Beloved's attack. The angel bounces back, its axe head drags against the ground  and it narrowly stays on its two feet. It stares down at the teen, becoming frozen in shock at the sight in front of it.

An Umbra witch has used Celestial power. Not even the beholder of the left eye could posses such power.

Ryuji eyes wandered around him, his body performing minor twitches hesitant to move in case it effects this mysterious lighting covering him. He manoeuvres his legs so he rested his knees against the concrete, Ryuji's eyes continue to explore as multiple questions form. These questions momentarily pause once he notices Akira, his hand still stretched outward in the blonde's direction with a look Ryuji couldn't read. Akira was speechless, he didn't understand how he created the shield. He didn't understand how he has constructed hardened rays of light. Promptly, the witch shakes his head to focus back on the Beloved that seemed to be in its own thoughts as well. Now's the chance to strike.

Entangled by its fascination, the Beloved is too slow to protect itself from a harsh kick of a sudden arrival of a persona. Due to the harsh impact, the beloved's head arch backwards as it loses some strength in their lower limbs. Its legs vibrate warning to falter to the floor. The Beloved bends its head forward to see a being with large charcoal wings and a deep red attire. A being the higher ups of Paradiso have been conversing about recently.

The Umbra witch grins up at Arsene, "Finish him!" The persona scurries toward the angel, pulling his sharp right claw back before slashing across the Beloved's face. Arsene repeats the action with his other claw, and then again, and again until Beloved's back plunges against the ground. With a final blow - a heel stomp on the Beloved's stomach- the angel's body shatter, leaving behind nothing but blood and white feathers. Arsene soon vanishes, allowing the young witch to notice Yusuke's feet planted still, freezing the teen in place as his stare centres on Akira. His expression was unreadable, there was too much trying to be conveyed.

"Uh, Akira?!" A voice vibrated towards the teens, they look to the source.

Ryuji was still in the shield.    

~~~

"It took twenty minutes before I finally undid the shield."

The young witch lets out a breath of frustration, another new form of power he'll need to master. A new form of power his parents are shocked that their child could even possess. Akira gazes at his parents, both secure on their bar stools "Has this ever happened before? A witch having powers like that?"

He hasn't been taught a single aspect of light magic and yet was able to gather enough celestial energy to form a shield. The witches had a faint idea of why this is possible, though they're somewhat hesitant to discuss why.

Jeanne looks to her wife, a touch of uncertainness in her voice as she calls out, "Cereza..." The Umbra witch was thinking on her answer; Bayonetta wasn't too willing to discuss her father. It would bring too many bad memories that she would like to keep hidden deep in her mind. Akira notices his mummy's eyebrows crouch down with sorrow, resulting in the teen beginning to become concerned that he has brought something up that he shouldn't.

Thankfully, his mummy next words end Akira's worry "No, a witch never conducted such power..." He lets out a gust of solace. "But lumen sages can." Only to gulp that solace back into his throat.

Despite the unpleasant dread silently crawling up Akira's throat, he questions "Would this be... related to my grandfather then?" The long drawn out silence was enough for the young witch to become apprehensive on unloading more questions. The last time Akira had pressured his mummy on learning more about his grandparents, it earned him a harsh scolding and a whole of hour of intense training. Yet that didn't stop from Akira from questioning his uncles about his grandparents; Rodin has given the young witch little on them but enough to understand why his mummy refused to talk.

His granddad was a lumen sage.

"Does that mean you can inherit some magic? H-have I inherited light magic?" With no answer from his mummy- her eyes focused on the right corner of the bar as her arms cross over her chest- Akira looks to his mother, "That has to be it, right?"

Jeanne sighs, "We can't be certain, Akira. Though it can be a possibility." Her eyes quickly venture to glance at Bayonetta, she wasn't ready to talk fully on the matter yet. Jeanne gently smiles, "I must admit... It's gripping how ever since you've moved Akira, you've attained such interesting powers."

Bayonetta finally breaks and puts on a smile, "That's right..." She stands up and pats Akira on the head, "Not only are you an Umbra witch but a persona uses and now a controller of light magic."

Seeking some space, Akira shrinks back from his mummy's hand. "Yeah it's just... a little much. I don't want to take on too much I can't handle."

Waving her hand dismissively, Bayonetta says "Don't worry about that! For now, just focus on school and hanging out with your friends. We'll talk to Rodin about this to see if you'd need specific training or there's something more to this."

"I can do that myself. You don't have to-"

In a flash, Bayonetta's index finger pushes against her son's lips to cease his protest, "Ah ah ah! Don't waste your breath, little Kiki. This is new to us as well, so it'd be easier if we went Rodin instead of us each asking him the same questions again and again."

Despite wanting to push more, Akira gives in "A-alright then..." Handing his bag onto his right shoulder, the young witch bids goodbye to his parents and leaves the Gates of Hell. Morgana was probably getting bored now people seeing in Shibuya anyway. 

Once their child leaves, the witches share a look with one another. Bayonetta was the first to speak her mind, "I don't like this..." She stomps over to the bar to whisk her glass off of the counter. Swirling the light purple liquid in her glass before taking a minor sip.

Jeanne joins her, "This..?" She waits for her wife to better clarify her wording.

"First it was this Metaverse business, then Akira has been making contracts with multiple personas," She lowers her drink to use her index and middle fingers for quotations on 'contracts' and 'personas' before continuing, "That Morgana with his odd questions and now Akira is using light magic? It's abnormal... I don't trust it."

With a sigh the white-haired witch crosses her arms, "I agree... But there's not much we can do physically. When Rodin returns, we'll talk to him about Akira's light magic and then plan our next steps." Unsure of how else to proceed, Bayonetta just hums. The two witches content in the eerie silence until Rodin returns with their new weapons.

5 June 2018

The Phantom Thieves mission was a success. Madarame had confessed his crimes at an aired conference and turned himself in to the police. The news reported on the matter and even mentioned the Phantom Thieves posting their calling card at Madarame's exhibit. This filled the thieves with a new sense of pride and hope on changing things for the better. However, Morgana cautioned that due to their slow build in popularity they should be careful when conversating in public areas. One of the thieves bring the fact that Shadow Madarame mentioned a possibly metaverse user, a user in a black mask. Unfortunately, Yusuke wasn't able to retrieve relevant information. After their little meetup, Ryuji recommends Akira to join him for a free game of darts at a place called Kichijoji.

Upon entering Kichijoji, Morgana and Akira were enchanted by the nice atmosphere. Engrossed by the multiple shops lining the street, Akira requests if they could  check the various shops before heading to dart lounge. This escalated in seeing various stores and food venues the young witch will definitely visit again after playing darts. During this mini expedition, Akira felt a pair of shifty eyes focused on him and his friends. Someone was watching them. Trying to be as natural as possible, Akira scans the street for anyone out of place only to stop on brunette a couple of feet away. She was using a magazine to cover her face, though she occasionally lowered it to bare her deep red eyes. It was clear she wouldn't do anything more than watch the boys; Akira isn't going to worry about her.

The boys enter the darts and billiards lounge and begin a game. In the beginning Akira was rather rusty but that's because it has been a long time since he has played. The young witch was impressed by his friend's ability, Ryuji had gotten a bullseye twice and even a triple twenty. By the end, Morgana comments this could a form of training; not only are you bonding with friends but improving your coordination. Although Ryuji notices the pool tables, the group won't have enough time for one game so they promise to come back another. They should invite everyone else as well.

With a farewell to the blonde, Akira and Morgana make their to Café Leblanc but stop in Shibuya for some training. More specifically training Akira on using light magic. A large piece of scrap metal left in front of Akira and Morgana, they both sat down on the ground as Akira held his hands up. His face contorts into multiple confusing expressions as his tries to concentrate his power towards the scrap of metal. The young witch has been attempting to make a shield with his celestial power for over 30 minutes; so far, he has only created mini circles of light that would quickly disappear.

Morgana lets out a breath of displeasure, "Well... at least you can generate little shields of light" He says, dragging out his words. Akira side-eyes his friend, making Morgana return the look, "Hey! I am trying to be supportive here." The young witch stare sits on the metal, still making tiny shields. "C'mon, it's good you can make something with this light magic. This is just the beginning." 

Akira groans, his hands dropping onto his lap in defeat "I know... I just don't understand how I made a perfectly sized shield to defend Ryuji one day and then the next barely covering this metal." his waves his hand over to the untouched scrap in front of them.

A considerate hum pushes through Morgana's lips, a idea pops into his head "Well, how exactly did you activate this power? Give me a replay of how it happened exactly." Akira does as he's requested, offering an exact repeat of the angels attacking them and the Beloved getting close to fatally injuring the blonde. After absorbing the information, Morgana says "Ok then... Let's think about it like this."

He jumps up and points his left paw towards their target. "This is Ryuji." Morgana's paw then directs to his chest, "Think of me as Labolas, now, I am going to try and attack Ryuji." Stretching his front paws outwards on the ground as his behind raises. Trying to resemble a pouncing position, "All you have to do is concentrate your power and block me from attacking."

The teen knits his eyebrows together, "Do you really think this'll help?"

"Totally!" Truthfully, Morgana wasn't completely confident in this plan but he wasn't going to let Akira know that.

Shrugging his shoulders, Akira raises his hands once more for his last attempt. 

Morgana's lower half rocks side to side, preparing to leap, "Are you ready?" Akira merely nods, wanting to focus more on his magic energy. He does as Morgana's instructed seeing the metal as his closest friend. He imagines Ryuji, weakened on the floor, narrowly lifting his upper body off the ground. There's not enough time for him to perform a attack. Morgana jumps towards the metal with front paws stretched towards his target, letting out a high pitched wail.

Yet his paws were unable to touch the bumpy conductive, instead his paws are pushed against an unknown force. Along with the front of his face slamming into the bright barrier as he splutters out noises of pain and surprise. His form soon slides down and collides with a loud thump onto the ground.

He lets out a drawn out "Ouch..." Morgana lifts himself up, stumbling a little before standing on all fours. "That hurt. Akira were you-" The cat's eyes suddenly bulge as wide as Akira's.

Surrounding the metal was a golden ball of light, glistening with low echoing sounds the two couldn't exactly make out. Morgana's stare drifts to his friend, his mouth open but no words were willing to come out. Akira was speechless as well; he has finally produced another celestial shield. He's making progress in controlling his light magic.

6 June 2018

"How are things going in regard to that matter we spoke of earlier?"

A hint of hesitation laces the student council president's voice, "I have nothing to report yet..."

Her hollow reply quickly frustrates the principal, "Nothing at all? How many students are there who could provoke a teacher?"

Swiftly, Makoto informs "I've already narrowed it down. I just can't get any solid evidence." Unfortunately, this doesn't decrease the older man's exasperation. He heavily sighs before Makoto states "You knew, didn't you? About Mr Kamoshida sexually harassing students." His head tilts to the left with his eyes shut. "Sir!"

The principal shakes his head, "What will come of you asking that?"

She retorts, "This investigation is for a just cause, correct?"

He begins to initiate something that he knows will keep the council president in line, "I believe I understand how flustered this must be making you. I'm sure it was truly shocking for you as student council president to see a peer attempt suicide... We must provide a school environment where all students feel safe at ease. This is the most pressing issue we have to tackle at the moment."

Somewhat surprised at his words, Makoto blurts out, "So that's your reason behind this investigation of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts? We don't even know if they truly exist. Why are you-"

"You heard about the incident with that Madarame fellow, I assume?"

The young teen states, "... They said there was a similar calling card to the one used in Mr. Kamoshida's case."

He shakes his head, "I wish to believe that this is unrelated to our students. That is where I stand. I suggest you devote your energy to the task at hand, not unnecessary questions."

The room is silent for a solid minute before Makoto simply nods and leaves the office. Pressure is slowly yet harshly beginning to push her down more and more as the days go by.

~~~

Akira stomps down the school's stairs, his mind on their social studies trip. Ann has suggested they choose the TV station; since Akira and Morgana didn't really remember the other options, they agreed. For all they know it could be a fun trip! There apparently going to watch the station tape their show and have a special guest. There's also the added factor that potentially they'll find a new target. As the young witch exits the school's building, his mood becomes sour at the sound of harsh water beating down on the cover above.

Though a calming voice tears his negative thoughts off of the weather, "Ah, Kurusu-senpai." There was Kasumi, her feet placed on the step after Akira's. Forcing her to crane her neck up to gaze at her peer. "What a pleasant surprise." She looks back to the sky with a dejected look, "It's really pouring down, isn't it?"

Morgana meows in Akira's bag, "I thought something like this would happen... So I snuck a collapsible umbrella into your bag."

A heartfelt grin crosses Akira's face, deciding to reply "What a considerate kitty."

His friend smiles back, "Of course- this isn't something any ordinary cat would do. And just in case you've forgotten again," He makes a not-so intimidating glare, "I'm a human, not a cat!" 

Akira stifles his giggle, picking out the umbrella as Kasumi says "Well, see you around."

From her tone, Akira could tell she wasn't eager to walk out of the cover, "Where's your umbrella?"

Kasumi turns to her senpai, "Unfortunately, I forgot it... But it's fine. I'll barely get wet if I run to the station! If anything, it'll make good for training."

There's no way he is letting her walk or run in this rain unprotected. Akira motions to his right hand "Care to walk together?"

"Huh? But how are... Oh, are you offering to share your umbrella?" The young witch answers with a nod making the redhead smile "That'd be wonderful! Thank you so much!"

The two begin their walk towards the station with Kasumi close to his right. To avoid a long sequence of silence, Kasumi brings up her gymnastics. There's going to be two competitions coming up and she desperately wants to compete. How she will put every bit of effort into a strict training regimen and avoid getting stick. By the time she was finished explaining her dream goals, they make it to the train station.

After going down a flight of stairs, they stop at the platform and Kasumi begins to say her thanks and goodbyes. However, the duo overhear two students gossip about them. Specifically how Yoshizawa gets special treatment and now a boyfriend to escort her around. Akira glares in irritation, why are so many students so rude?

Kasumi sends a sympathetic look to him, "I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to deal with a misunderstanding like that."

Akira shakes his head, "You shouldn't apologise. I'm sorry, it's most likely my fault they talked about us."

Swiftly she responds, "Oh no! If anything, it's my own fault. The same thing happens in class, too. People are often wary of me because I'm an honour student." She further extends her explanation. "The school's expecting me to attain strong results in the upcoming competitions, too. They even told me I didn't have to participate in the clean up event... But I just don't like getting special treatment." Suddenly her phone rings, Kasumi excuses herself to answer the call. Akira took a moment to himself, casting his look towards his feet so wouldn't look like he is being nosy on her conversation.

She soon hangs up and apologises for the interruption; her father was calling to ask if she would like a ride home due to the weather. This time, Kasumi is able to get through her goodbye and leaves Akira to wait for his train.

~~~

Enzo dips parts of his cigar into the ashtray on the bar, "Damn kid... You've gotten yourself into some crazy shit."

The teen laughs at his Uncle's comment while Morgana sneers at the man's wording. The feline didn't -let's say- mesh as well with this Uncle. Once Morgana viewed the plump man sitting at the bar, with that mafia like attire and a lit cigar in his right hand, he highly questioned how the man would act. Now after this half hour of Enzo and Akira chatting, the feline's opinion has rounded to just tolerating the man.

The older man continues, "And I thought Bayonetta's shit was crazy. Yours is out of this world, kid." He takes a short sip of his rum, then gesturing to Morgana with his cigar hand "So, this cat talks to ya'?"

Morgana pouts at the man's tone, "Does he have to ask in that tone?"

"There! Don't tell me it just talked to you?!"

Akira ignores his Uncle's tone, "He did... Just, be a bit more respectful please. Morgana doesn't appreciate how you're referring to him."

Enzo laughs, "Right..." He leans his face closer to Morgana, "Sorry kitten, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." Thankfully, Morgana swiping his sharp clams close to Enzo's face ends his patronizing tone. He withdrawals -a minor red mark is now across the tip of his nose- and groans at the sudden pain. "Hey!"

Merely, Akira grins and gently pats Morgana's head "I told you." He mutters.

He grunts and gently rubs the mark on his nose, "Jeez... You've got an ass of a cat, Akira."

Before the teen -or even Morgana- could back up his friend, a loud slam on the bar diverts all of their attention to the demon blacksmith. The loud slam almost made Morgana jump off the counter. Akira's gaze swiftly switches to the new long salver Rodin planted in front of them. Resting on top of the salver were ten bracelets varying in size and colours. Aside from the single dark purple gem positioned across the silver metal.

Enzo squints at the jewellery, not that impressed by the glistening, while Akira observes them with close attentiveness. "Cool. Are these the new babies you wanted to show me?" Akira asks Rodin with a knowing smile.

Morgana murmurs out, "Interesting..."

Rodin replies to the teen, "There sure are, kid. Each one is for your friends." That catches Akira's and Morgana's full attention. Enzo chooses to stay out of this conversation to instead focus on drinking most of his rum. Rodin picks up the smallest bracelet and begins to undo it's clipping, calling out for Morgana to edge closer. 

Despite some hesitance in his steps, Morgana stands close enough to Rodin whilst Akira watches. The demon holds out his left hand for Morgana to lay his opposite paw on top of his palm. Rodin begins to clip the bracelet around the cats foreleg and expounds the reason for creating the bracelets, "If some of our holy and unholy friends decide to pop in on your friends, they can use these gems to enter Purgatorio." Morgana lifts his new accessory closer to his face to inspect the shiny gem. "All they need to do is press down on this Sugilite." He motions to the gem, making the feline shift his focus back to Rodin.

However, Akira's face forms into one of confusion at the quantity of accessories on the salver. "There's more bracelets than needed, Uncle Rodin?" It came out more as a question than a simple comment. Upon hearing his friend, Morgana uses his inner voice to count the remaining bracelets.

There was eight remaining.

"Don't worry about the quantity... Focus on helping ya' friends." Rodin finishes and heads to the back of bar. Akira head casts down at the bracelets and then shares an unsure look with Morgana. 

Enzo chirps in with, "Ah, cryptic as always with you kid, huh?"

Morgana pipes up, "I have a feeling your uncle knows more than he lets on..." With the information of Rodin being a fallen angel, the feline suspects the man has more unworldly powers even Akira isn't aware of.

The young witch gazes back at the salver and gently smiles, picking up an accessory one at a time to deposit them inside his bag. "He can do that sometimes."

Muddled by the teen's sudden statement, Enzo raises a brow "What cha' say Akira?"

Dismissively, Akira waves his hand at his uncle, "It's nothing, Uncle Enzo..." He opens his bag further, letting Morgana jump inside, "I gotta get going, I'll see you later Uncle Enzo." He turns and begins to leave the bar, "Say hello to Ed and Edna for me!"

As Akira pauses in the middle of the red portal, he is soon standing in a sombre alleyway of Kichijoji.

"So..." Morgana drags out, "What're we gonna do for the rest of the afternoon?"

Akira begins to exit Purgatorio as he quickly ponders up what they should do, "First, we'll see if anyone is free to give them one of the bracelets. Then..." He stops to check his phone for any new messages. "Would you be alright if I hang out with Mishima?"

Morgana swiftly nods and exits the beg, "Of course I don't mind! Go on ahead, I'm going to look around Kichijoji for a while." Akira departs with a simple wave of goodbye and begins his trip to the train station. Hopefully one of his friends are free, the quicker he can hand out these bracelets the better.

8 June 2018

Ann rotates her wrist to the left and right, admiring the new piece of jewellery gifted to her by Akira; The pink band around her left wrist was crowned by a beautiful Sugilite gem. At first, Ann believed it was just a normal gift but after Akira explanation a minor part of her was disappointed the bracelet was only related to fighting in Purgatorio (Though she didn't understand why she was disappointed). She pushed that minor part of her deep down to focus on Akira's consideration on supporting her and the rest regarding Purgatorio. If possible, she should try and use this bracelet after school. It would be best to become accustomed to entering or exiting Purgatorio.

The young blonde soon finds herself stationed in front of some food vending machines, listening in on two female students. The short-haired girl comments, "Sounds like the principal's trying to get info on the students. Why do you think he's doing that?"

Her friend bluntly replies, "It's probably because of Mr. Kamoshida, right? Considering what happened with Suzui-san..." Ann turns her head once her friend was loaded into the girls conversation. "I heard Principal Kobayakawa knew about the sexual harassment too and just turned a blind eye to it. I bet he wants to snuff out any rumours now. Even the volleyball team was told to keep quiet..."

The other girl scolds, "That's the worst... So that's what he's using Niijima-senpai for?"

Ann couldn't help but gasp, luckily the girls paid no mind to her "Oh yeah, rumour has it she knew as well. Isn't that horrible? She acts all noble about it too."

Overturned by this news, Ann stares down and openly questions, "Niijima-senpai knew...?" A strong sense of resentment arises in the blonde, even Niijima would ignore something so disgusting. Even she would deny helping those in need over image? Vexed by this new piece of information, Ann stomps away forgetting to grab a snack.

~~~

Makoto couldn't dissolves her stress, there was too much placed onto her shoulders... She had to investigate the matter on the Phantom Thieves and now students have been requesting for help after being threatened by a criminal organisation. When Makoto raised these new concerns with the principal, he didn't seem to care. Through a fake worried tone, Principal Kobayakawa shifted it back to the Phantom Thieves. The student council president didn't understand why he was so insistent on catching these Phantom Thieves; surely the safety of your students is bigger concern to take action on. He even avoided Makoto's request on a countermeasure to help her peers. Still, she must move forward no matter what.

9 June 2018

"I'm so pissed off!" Ryuji stomps onto the ground, "Aren't we supposed to be guests? Why the hell do we hafta be doin' manual labour?!" Akira did agree somewhat with his friend. All they have done during this socials trip is untangle long cables for what felt like an eternity whilst Ann was no so subtly getting hit on by a bossy AD. "This is bullshit! Going' to the bathroom didn't even make me feel better!"

From the left hallway, Ann joins the group irritated "Quiet down, will you?" Her annoyance soon deflates, "I get how you feel though... That sucked for the both of us."

Ryuji's upper body slumps down, "We gotta do more of this tomorrow too?"

Promptly, Morgana peeks his head out to reprimand, "No flaking out, Ryuji."

Kicking the ground, Ryuji groans, "I know, I know. I gotta be a 'good boy', right?" He then mumbles, "Bein' phantom thieves ain't easy..."

Ann smiles, "That reminds me, we get to go home straight from here today. We don't spend much time in this area, so why don't we relax and check out some shops beforehand?"

The feline perks up in interest, "Ooh, I know a place! I wanna go to that huge pancake-looking place we passed on the way here! It looked delicious! What was that?"

Scratching the side of head, Ryuji answers, "Ohhh... You mean Dome Town? The round part is a baseball stadium, then along the outside they've got an amusement park."

The lighter-blond teen jumps in, "It's right in the middle of a business area, but they have some pretty hardcore rides there too."   

With a determined gaze, Morgana states "All right... Let's go! I'll show you just how courageous I am!"

"Going on a scary ride doesn't really prove any kind of courage."

Ryuji adds on, "Not like cats can get on anyways."

Morgana asks, "Really?"

The blonde repeats, "Really. You might be able to sneak in if you stay in the bag, but you'd totally puke if you did that." Ryuji grins, "But uh... Let's just go to Dome Town! I'm really feelin' it now!"

Ann shares a grin with him, "Me too! My stomach's ready for roller coasters!"

Morgana murmurs, "Uhhh... I think I'll pass on the puke rides..."

Akira shakes his head at the feline's comment, however his stare soon drifts to an individual walking into view behind his friends. Admittedly, the umbra witch was instantly attracted to the stranger; he had shaggy neck length brown hair, a slim figure covered by a tan peacoat and black pants and reddish-brown eyes that Akira found handsome.

The stranger notices the group of teens, he stops in his tracks to question "Excuse me, I couldn't help but notice your uniforms. Are you students of Shujin Academy?"

Ryuji responds with a direct "Yeah, whaddya want?"

He inches closer, "I happened to be passing by, so it seemed polite to greet you. We'll be filming together, after all. Ah where are my manners? My name is Goro Akechi."

Ann repeats his name as if she recalls hearing about him while Ryuji asks, "Filming? What, you a celebrity?"

Shaking his head, Akechi says, "Only to the extent of appearing on TV a couple of times." He takes out his phone and stares at the screen for a beat, then places it back into his pants pocket, "My apologises, I truly was just passing by. I must be going. There's a briefing for tomorrow's recording that I have to attend." He abruptly changes the subject, "So, you're going to have cake now? I missed lunch today, so I'm quite hungry myself..."

The three teens share a look of confusion, "Huh? Cake? What're you talkin' about?"

"Oh, am I mistaken? I thought I heard something about delicious pancakes... No matter. Welp, see you tomorrow." And with that, Akechi turns and continues to walk down the hall.

Once he is no longer within hearing of the group, Ryuji says "That guy's gotta be some kinda start-up entertainer or something. He's never gonna get popular with that kinda hair though."

Akira would disagree, "You don't get it..." It seems Ann sort of agrees as well.

The blonde shrugs off her comment, "Eh, it's fine. We'll see him again tomorrow anyways. C'mon, let's go to Dome Town!"