MAY 5TH (WEDNESDAY 5/04) (DAYTIME)

(OUTFIT OF THE DAY)(+MAKEUP)

Akira, Ann, Ryuji, Morgana and I all picked a place to eat at the fancy buffet. Ann had chosen a scary amount of sweets, while Ryuji practically cleared out the meat on  every tray in the dining area. Akira and I put some food for ourselves, but we both leaned towards a reasonable amount of food with variety, and Morgana was just swiping some of the sushi very silently.

"So good...!", Ryuji sighed with a mouthful of meat.

"No wonder Lady Ann chose this place...!", Morgana exclaimed.

"It is pretty high-class, too... The variety is unreal here...!", I muttered in silent awe.

"Of course it's good. This is a hotel, after all. Oh yeah, I heard that the police are coming to interview some people at school.", Ann relayed.

"That's troublesome.", Morgana sighed.

"Our names are gonna come up for sure. People're spreadin' all sorts of rumors about us and Kamoshida... But we got 'em pumped up! I keep hearin' stuff like, "The Phantom Thieves really stole his heart!" I think most people don't believe it, but some of them actually seem grateful. Look at this.", Ryuji pulled up a website on his phone. I leaned forward to see, and it looked like a fan site.

"The Phantom Aficionado Website...? "Well done, Phantom Thieves" ... "Now I can keep going too" ... "Thank you for giving us hope" ...", Ann read the comments on the website, a smile slowly making its way on her face. The others seemed pretty happy too, as was I. I just didn't want to look too happy, but I was about to start bouncing on the fluffy couch in glee.

"Pretty cool, huh?", Ryuji grinned.

"I was just desperate to deal with my own problems, but seeing people saying all this feels... strange.", Ann giggled.

"Yeah... Hey... What do we do now?", Ryuji asked.

"You plan on eating, or...?", Akira asked, pointing at the time.

"Huh? Oh crap, you're totally right! We only got an hour to eat!", Ryuji got up in a slight panic.

"Just fifty minutes left!", Ann gasped and got up as well.

"I'm not gonna finish all the beef dishes at this pace!", Ryuji exclaimed.

"I need to eat my way through the entire dessert menu...!", Ann nodded with determination and made a beeline for the dessert section. (A/N: Honestly, Ann is me at any restaurant.)

"Look after our stuff! We'll snag something for you guys too, don't worry!", Ryuji ran towards the meat section. Akira, Morgana and I just looked at each other and shrugged. Soon after, Ann and Ryuji came back with a mountain of food on different plates.

"Aw man, it melts in my mouth!", Ryuji gushed at the crap ton of meat on his plates.

"Seriously? Only meat?", Morgana asked with a slightly disgusted look.

"Now, where should I start?", Ann asked herself while hovering her fork over the array of desserts she picked up.

"And she's all about the cake...", Morgana sighed.

"So happy...", Ann giggled.

"Hey. Calories.", Ryuji teased.

"Look who's talking'...~", I pointed at the mountain of meat Ryuji had. He just glared at me playfully and continued eating.

"Shuddup! How much do you think one of these costs!? I'll never get the chance to do this again! Mmm, the Wilton Hotel cake buffet... I'd heard rumors, but I never thought it'd be so amazing!", Ann sighed with a dreamy smile.

"And... where's our share?", Morgana asked. Ryuji pushed one of the plates towards us, but it was, quite frankly, disgusting to look at and smelled like grease and beans. I slightly moved away from the plate, while Morgana hid behind Akira in disgust.

"I didn't really know what you'd want... So, I just grabbed you some beans.", Ryuji shrugged while shoving food down his throat.

"B-Beans?", Morgana gasped.

"There were some pretty bizarre things there too, so we got you a variety of those. Fried bananas, preserved eggs, and... some kind of beans.", Ann relayed.

"Um, beans aren't the only food that exists, you know...", I sighed at the poor choice of foods.

"We put so much on the plate that it got all mixed up, but it should probably still taste good.", Ann shrugged.

"This is just plain grotesque... Let's go, Akira, Rika. These two just don't know what fine dining means! We'll show them!", Morgana nodded.

"I'm putting my own food on my own plate. I'm not sharing. My plate, my rules!", I asserted.

"And I'll get Morgana and I's plate, leave it to me.", Akira nodded.

"That's reassuring! You guys watch our things while we're gone! Wait patiently for our return!", Morgana announced.

"Ahhh, it's like a meaty explosion in my mouth...!", Ryuji moaned with a stupid smile on his face.

"Ooh, this part's cream cheese!", Ann gushed with every bite she took.

"They're not even listening...", Morgana sighed. Said cat jumped into Akira's bag and we were off to get our food. I didn't really have any idea about what I wanted, so I decided to follow Akira to wherever he got food from. While we were walking around, we heard people gossiping about Kamoshida, and a few snarky remarks about "teenagers and hooligans not being a good addition to their meals." After picking out what we wanted, we headed back to our seats and placed our food down on the table.

"... Ooh, you brought a ton back. Whaddya think about comin' up against such ritzy food?", Ryuji asked.

"I just want to eat.", Akira sighed with a small smile.

"I... am so happy right now.", I simply stated with a small smile.

"Heh, it's cute hearin' that from someone like you.", Ryuji laughed. I was caught off guard for a second, but recovered.

"W-Whatever, I'm just hungry.", I cursed myself in my head for stuttering. "Besides, you shouldn't be giving me advice about over-excitement over food.", I glared at Ryuji and Ann with a small smirk.

"Hey, I resent that comment! By the way, don't you think you're eatin' too much, Mona?", Ryuji changed the subject.

"There's no knowing when we'll get to come here again.", Morgana smiled wide.

"Sure, but you guys brought back loads of food... it'd be a shame to let it all go to waste. Why don't you help them out, Ryuji?", Ann suggested.

"We should both help.", Ryuji sighed.

"Oh, me? I'm wayyy too stuffed! I couldn't possibly help!", Ann shook her head.

"Yeah... stuffin' your face with cake... Whatever. Akira, Rika, Morgana! Let's deal with this ourselves!", Ryuji nodded with a new found determination. We began eating like it was our last meal and we had ten seconds to finish it. I kept going for large spoons to eat with, and took little time to savor the delicacies going down the hatch. But even with all our combined efforts to finish our plates, it didn't look like we were finishing anytime soon.

"There's still more...?", Morgana groaned.

"Don't give up! Let's keep at it!", Ryuji encouraged, even though he was out of breath himself.

"Wasn't planning on it.", I muttered, diving into the food again with the speed of light by my side. With our pace set, we finally finished all the food before our buffet time finished. My stomach was not pleased whatsoever, but the satisfaction of finishing our quest was enough to mask the pain for the time being.

"W-We did it...", Morgana groaned in pain and relief.

"Y-Yeah... This is a victory... for all of us...", Ryuji mumbled while rubbing his stomach.

"That was a breeze.", Akira sighed, but he still looked pretty tired.

"You look like you're about to burst...I'm pretty sure I ate ten times my own weight, and I don't regret it.", I grumbled with a small grin, a contrast of satisfaction and pure stomach aches.

"Good job, you guys. How about one last dish to cleanse your palates? I recommend the seasonal tart! The grapefruit has both alluring sweetness and a tangy sourness!", Ann chirped, clearly not seeing our struggling bellies.

"Ann, please, spare us the desert talk... I think that if one more piece of food enters my mouth, my body is gonna give up on me.", I grumbled.

"*burp* This isn't good... I gotta go to the bathroom...", Ryuji burped a second time with a slightly panicked face. I needed to use the bathroom as well, so I slowly got up in slight pain.

"M-Me too... Please... carry me gently...", Morgana muttered. Just as I got up fully, a couple passed by our table and began to whisper.

(Woman / Man)

"My, look at that table..."

"They must not normally have the opportunity to eat such exquisite food."

"I can only imagine what their parents must be like.", My fists were clenched so hard my nails could have dug into my skin and bled. I looked at those two snobby big-shots straight in the eyes with venom shooting out of my gaze. The two quickly shuffled away, unnerved by us hearing them.

"What was that...? ...Urp! We don't got time for that... C'mon, let's go...", Ryuji sighed. We all went downstairs to the bathrooms. I left the guys to go to the ladies room, calming my stomach down and freshening up my look. As I was making sure everything was just how I wanted it, a woman walked into the bathroom to powder her face. As she was doing that, she glanced at my outfit and makeup and scowled a bit. She cleared her throat and spoke.

"You know, I wouldn't be wearing such a... "flashy"outfit to a high-class hotel like this one, little girl.", the woman sassed abit. I turned to her with a blank look and sighed.

"And I wouldn't be wearing that face in public at all, but that's none of my business.", I shot back and left the woman gawking at me as I left.

That was a harsh...

She should have thought of that before giving her unwanted opinion.

I went back to the elevator area to see Ryuji and Akira still standing there, looking a little angry and confused.

"Why are you guys still here? Were the bathrooms full?", I asked.

"No, we just left. But this boss-lookin' a*shole cut in line waiting for the elevator like we were nothing!", Ryuji grumbled.

"God, what is up with the adults today? This random airhead in the bathroom told me that my outfit wasn't fitting for the high-class restaurant. I shut her up and left, but man, I am still pissed. Why waste your time critiquing someone else's fashion sense?", I tsked.

"What the eff!? What's her problem?", Ryuji scoffed.

"Don't know and don't want to know.", I sighed.

"Shouldn't we head back down?", Morgana asked from the bag he was hiding in.

"Yeah, but... That d*ck really pissed me off. He wasn't even hidin' the fact that he looks down on everyone!", Ryuji grumbled as he pressed the elevator button.

"Don't lose your temper over this.", Morgana advised.

"I just can't forgive sh*tty adults like that...!", Ryuji exclaimed. I was about to calm him down when I noticed Akira was quiet, holding his head in his hand in concentration.

"Akira, are you okay...?", I asked quietly.

"... What's wrong?", Ryuji asked.

"Just a little lightheaded, don't worry about it.", Akira and sighed and focused on us.

"You not feelin' good?", Ryuji confirmed with a worried expression.

"He almost never eats well, after all... Plus I'm always stuck eating canned cat food...". Morgana explained.

"You are going to rest once we get back to the café, got it?", I fussed with a blank face.

"Alright, whatever you say.", Akira smiled a bit.

"Ugh, that "sir" bullsh*t makes me sick...! ...Dammit!", Ryuji huffed at the previous encounter. The elevator dinged and we went back to join Ann.

"What took you so long!?", Ann grumbled when we got back to our seats.

"Why're you all pissy...?", Ryuji mumbled with a surprised look. Ann quickly calmed down a bit before explaining.

"Sorry... I had a run-in with some woman a second ago. She bumped into me, but then said it was all my fault when she dropped her plate...", Ann sighed.

"Sounds like a real b*tch...", Ryuji growled to himself.

"Yeah... Thanks though. But... the restaurant workers all looked at me with this disapproving expression...", Ann mumbled as we all sat down again. "I wonder if we're out of place here..."

"We're not. Don't think that, Ann.", Akira smiled.

"And even if we are... I think it has a bright side to it.", I nodded with a small smile.

"...... Hey, Morgana.", Ryuji suddenly called the cat. Morgana jumped popped his head out of Akira's bag.

"What is it?", Morgana asked.

"...Anyone could have a Palace, yeah?", Ryuji asked.

"Anyone with a strong, distorted desire.", Morgana nodded.

"Same for them havin' a change of heart if their Treasure gets stolen?", Ryuji continued.

"That would be the case.", Morgana confirmed.

"Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?", Ann asked with a raised brow.

"We had trouble earlier too. These selfish sh*theads who just looked down on everyone else... I was just wonderin' if we'd be able to change those kindsa people too.", Ryuji mumbled. We were all surprised at what Ryuji was insinuating.

"You mean... you want to continue as the Phantom Thieves?", Ann queried.

"... I've been thinkin'. We put a lot of work into changin' Kamoshida's heart, but nobody believes in the Phantom Thieves. Plus... Those guys who had no other choice but to just deal with it are thankin' us. Us, of all people.", Ryuji argued.

"You mean the people on the Phan-site? It's true, they did seem grateful...", Akira sighed with a tiny smile.

"I... I agree. If we ignore people who are in trouble, I'd go back to being the same as I was before...!", Ann understood Ryuji's argument.

"Well... that's true.", Morgana went quiet, then began to speak again. "You're under my tutelage. There's nothing we can't accomplish as phantom thieves!"

"Shouldn't we be able to help 'em out?", Ryuji looked at me suddenly with pleading eyes, as if begging me to agree. I sighed and nodded.

"We could if we really wanted to.", I simply stated.

"But... That means we'll have to fight Shadows again, doesn't it...?", Ann mumbled, a hint of fear in her eyes.

"Indeed. That can't be avoided.", Morgana nodded.

"Eh, I'm sure we'll manage. Right?", Ryuji asked Akira with a grin.

"I want to help people.", Akira stated with a serious look in his eyes.

"Heh... Even if you guys are still just fledglings, this means we're an actual organization now.", Morgana pointed out.

"Fledglings...? Haha, that's actually pretty fitting for us.", Ann giggled.

"All right, it's settled! We're gonna catch all these sh*tty adults by surprise, and make ourselves known to the world!", Ryuji cheered.

"... Are you OK being our leader?", Ann asked Akira to confirm their roles.

"Of course.", Akira nodded with a determined smile.

"No objections here! I can't handle all that responsibility stuff.", Ryuji shrugged.

"I trust Akira.", I nodded, giving Akira a small pat on the back.

"Where's my say in this...? But Lady Ann made the recommendation, so I'll allow it.", Morgana sighed in (fake) defeat.

"Well, should we decide on a name for our group? I just went with Phantom Thieves of Hearts last time, but don't you think a real name would be cooler?", Ryuji recommended.

"Ooh, I've got it! I want it to be something both cute and luxurious sounding... Let me see... How about "The Diamonds"?", Ann suggested with a grin.

"... I'm getting' a real little league baseball feel from it.", Ryuji deadpanned, almost making me giggle but saved it by fake-coughing.

"Well then, here's my suggestion. How about "Tilefish Poele"?", Morgana revealed.

"Our name will not be a seafood dish.", I glared at Morgana.

"Ugh, you two decide for us...", Ryuji pointed at Akira and I, giving us the responsibility. I turned to Akira and beckoned him to give me his ear. He leaned towards me and I whispered the name I thought of. Akira seemed to like it, judging by his smile. He wrote it down and cleared his throat.

"How about... "The Promisers"? Seems fitting for us, no?", Akira asked the others.

"Huh, that's not bad at all.", Ann hummed.

"A good name, for a rookie.", Morgana smirked. I gave him a death glare, and Morgana quickly mumbled a "sorry".

"The Promisers. We goin' with that?", Ryuji confirmed.

"Yes. The Promisers is our name.", I nodded.

"Well now that the name's set, who's our next target?", Ann asked.

"There are tons of rotten adults and all... Why not just stick to targeting big names?", Ryuji proposed.

"Like a CEO?", Akira asked.

"Yeah, something along those lines. If we go after some bigwig, it's gotta get on the news, right? Don't you think more people would believe in us if we did that?", Ryuji suggested.

"That's not a bad idea... for you, Ryuji.", Morgana sassed.

"True. If we become better known... we might be able to give courage to a lot more people. I don't really like the idea of just picking someone out of the blue though.", Ann mumbled in uncertainty.

"Let's narrow it down to someone we can all agree on then.", Ryuji chimed.

"Hm, so we need a bigwig we decide on unanimously.", Morgana confirmed.

"I like that unanimous decision part! It's like we're making some sort of pact!", Ann grinned.

"Don't get too excited, Ann~", I smirked.

"Oh, let me have my fun, Rika!", Ann fake-pouted, leading her to burst into giggles. I smiled a bit and sighed.

She has a pretty laugh...

And why are you so interested in her laugh...?

I don't recall asking for a comment from you, Ezio.

Alright then, calm yourself~

"Now then, this is the official formation of the Phantom Thieves organization!", Morgana cheered. Ann suddenly gasped and sighed.

"Oh no! Our time for the buffet ran out...", Ann grumbled.

"I guess we'll just have to talk tomorrow.", Ryuji shrugged.

??? ???TH (??? ?/?) (???) (INTERROGATION ROOM)

After explaining the events that lead up to our break day, we let Niijima-san talk.

"Another world in which people's distorted cognitions take shape? Stealing treasure to change hearts? Manuscripts with information about targets? And on top of that, a talking cat told you all this?", Niijima-san sputtered out the events that were relayed to her, not believing any of it.

"We're telling the truth, so believe what you will.", I stated.

"Honestly speaking, that all sounds absurd. It's hard to believe that this is even worth listening to. Still, it can't be considered nonsense when parts of it align with Kamoshida's confession. The same goes for the testimonies of the officers who arrested you two... But so be it. At any rate, you mentioned something more important. These two other accomplices, besides this talking cat thing that appeared in your story... From what you two have been telling me, they're students at the same school, aren't they?", Niijima-san grilled us.

"Perhaps.", Akira simply stated.

"" Perhaps"?... Don't take me for a fool. Very well. I'll leave it at that. Let's continue on. There are many more events that I must inquire on. Lies and false accounts are eventually exposed. The next to receive a calling card was this individual... A master of Japanese arts. Ichiryusai Madarame. It's even more incomprehensible than Kamoshida as to why this man was targeted. Where did you come to know him? And how did you learn of his crimes when you weren't a victim of them? Start by telling me what you all schemed...", Niijima-san gave us our cue to talk.

MAY 5TH (WEDNESDAY 5/04) (EVENING)

Akira and I made it back to the cafe, and we found messages from Ryuji and Ann on the group chat.

===================

Troublemaker Blondie💀: The Phantom Thieves, huh... I'm liking the sound of that!

Red Kitty🐱💃💋: I hope we can really help people.

Red Kitty🐱💃💋: I'm curious about that Phantom Aficionado Website too.

Troublemaker Blondie💀: No clue.

Red Kitty🐱💃💋: I wonder who made it...

Troublemaker Blondie💀: More importantly, you see the survey on there?

Troublemaker Blondie💀: I dunno how I feel about it.

You: Survey...?

Red Kitty🐱💃💋: Yeah, there was this approval rating thing, but it was only at like six percent...

🤓The Ultimate Bro🤓: That's better than I expected.

You: Well, that's something 🤷‍♀️

Red Kitty🐱💃💋: I guess it's not so bad if you put it that way...

Troublemaker Blondie💀: But don't you just wanna get it higher than that?

Troublemaker Blondie💀: I bet it'll go up tons if we keep taking down big targets.

Troublemaker Blondie💀: It's pretty damn exciting if you try and think about it like that.

Red Kitty🐱💃💋: You know, you're actually right.

Red Kitty🐱💃💋: Well then, let's keep working hard from this point on!

You: Cool 👌

===================

I yawned and went back to my room, slipping on my PJs and flopping on my bed. Due to the overwhelming amount of food I ate, sleep took over my body faster than usual. I woke up in the familiar Velvet Room.

Great...

I got up automatically and dragged myself to the front of the cell, where the twin wardens and Igor were waiting as usual.

"First off... I'd like to begin by congratulating you.", Igor began, his grin not faltering.

"To think our master would give words of praise... You better treasure this moment, Inmate!", the twins chimed.

"Why am I here this time?", I asked.

"You have encountered allies who share your aesthetics, and you have found your place in reality. The time has come... Your rehabilitation will soon begin.", Igor nodded to himself.

"And what *is* this rehabilitation...?", I questioned.

"Just shut up and listen, Inmate!", Caroline yelled as she hit the bars with her metal baton. I quickly removed my fingers before she hit me, making me glare at her intensely. She just grinned and looked away.

"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.", Igor explained.

"Coming ruin...?", I mumbled.

"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.", Igor revealed.

"This is all possible because of our master's guidance, Inmate! 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! 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! That is another source of power to evade the ruin that our master has mentioned.", the twins explained.

"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; You will now be able to carry 8 Personas at a time. Consider it a gift. May the devotion to your rehabilitation grow even deeper... I have high hopes for you.", Igor grinned at the last statement. I felt my bond with the long-nosed man increase, whether I liked it or not. The prison alarm went off, signaling that I had to leave soon.

"... The time has come. Return to your brief moments of rest. And don't forget to go talk to your contractors, Inmate!", Caroline's voice echoed in my head as I felt faint. I flopped back on the prison bed with a thud, blacking out again.

--THE END--