|| 5/20 Friday ||
|| After School ||

Ever since leaving Shujin Academy, Akira was determined to tease Mikono. He enjoyed how easy it was to make her blush during lunchtime and couldn't get enough of the cute, childish expression she'd make when she was embarrassed. Morgana even joined in as they rode the train to Shibuya. The girl had no idea why the two were teasing her nonstop and used her bag to hide her face. She pressed her face into the side of her bag as she was forced against the door of the train by the crowd. She turned her back to Akira the moment he began poking her cheek. She was tempted to smack him with her bag, but she was afraid she'd hit another person in the process. Eagerly, she waited for them to arrive at Shibuya Station, knowing exactly how to mess with them.

Fifteen minutes later, the train arrived at Shibuya Station. Since Mikono was right by the door, she hopped off and hastened her stride to put some distance between her and Akira. She could hear him calling her name as she weaved through the crowded train station. Eventually, she made her way up a staircase and walked across Station Square to the bronze statue of Hachikō. Her foot tapped against the ground as she anxiously awaited for the boy to catch up.

When she heard rushing footsteps, she immediately knew they belonged to Akira. A grin appeared on her face as she prepared to repay the boy and cat with her own antics. "Time to get into character." She turned her back to the crowd and thought of the saddest thing she could. Tears slowly fell from her eyes, cascading down her cheeks. "Come on, think of something sadder!" It took a few seconds, but she finally found the perfect sorrowful thought. More tears poured from her eyes and she was confident Akira nor Morgana would be able to tell she was faking. All she had to do was sound miserable.

The moment Mikono felt Akira's hand on her shoulder, she turned around and acted heartbroken. She continued to think of sorrowful thoughts, allowing the tears to continuously flow. She had to stop herself from grinning when she saw the perplexed expression on his face.

Akira, who was unaware of her act, was clueless as to why she was crying. "What's wrong?"

"You're terrible, Akira!" She wailed.

The boy pointed to himself. "M-Me?"

She wiped a few tears away. "Y-You've been teasing me ever since school ended! Even Morgana's been teasing me!"

"L-Lady Mikono," the feline spoke up. "We didn't mean-!"

"I don't care what you meant!" She yelled, interrupting him. She turned her back to them in a desperate attempt to hide her smirk that threatened to expose her act.

She wondered how to make the act more dramatic, but she rethought everything when Akira's abrupt apology caught her off guard. "I'm sorry, Mikono."

She wiped away her tears, turning back around and showing them her smirk. "Gotcha~!"

Akira's eyes widen in bewilderment. "That was...?"

"All an act."

"I must confess, you're amazing at acting," Morgana said, sighing in relief. "You did the same thing to Yusuke yesterday and he fell for it, too."

"Since you two have been teasing me relentlessly, I decided to turn the tables." She poked Akira on the arm. "So, you gonna tell me why you've been teasing me?"

"I, well..." Akira looked everywhere except at his friend.

The ringing of a phone grabbed their attention. Mikono recognizes the tune and searched for her phone. She grabbed it out of her bag and glanced at the screen. When seeing the name of the caller, her playful smile vanished. "I have to take this. I'll catch up with you and the others at the hideout."

Akira knew something was wrong the moment her smile disappeared. He glanced down at her phone and saw the name attached to the number.

Chief Goto

He wanted to ask who he was, but he only nodded. "All right."

"This won't take long, I promise," she said.

"Don't worry about it. Take your time. We'll wait for you." Akira left Station Square and headed to the accessway.

As he maneuvered through the crowd to avoid bumping into anyone, he heard Morgana mumble, "I wonder who this Chief Goto is. Lady Mikono seemed scared when she saw the name."

"I'm curious, too," Akira admits. "But it's none of our business. If she wants to tell us, she will."

"Yeah, you're right..."

Arriving at the Teikyu Building Accessway, Akira and Morgana saw the others were waiting for them.

"Yo," Ryuji greeted them.

Yusuke noticed the one person missing from their group. "Is Tsutsui-san not with you?"

"She'll be here shortly," Akira answered.

"While we wait for Lady Mikono, we should explain the basics to Yusuke," Morgana said.

"Oh, you mean about the Metaverse and the Nav. Yeah, I guess that stuff is pretty important," Ann remarked.

"Please elaborate," Yusuke stated.

"Okay, let's start from the beginning," the feline started. "First, the Metaverse spots where we act as the Phantom Thieves are called Palaces. Palaces are worlds that take form from someone's cognition. It's a materialization of their reality."

The navy-haired boy asked, "So do we each hold Palaces within ourselves as well?"

"No, not just anyone will have one. It's primarily those with strong distorted desires."

Ryuji decided to simplify the cat's explanation. "They basically gotta be criminals. Real bastards like Kamoshida or Madarame."

"On the other hand, Palaces can't exist within Persona-users. It's just impossible for them to form," Morgana added. "Basically, your Persona is the true feelings of your heart, which arise from conquering your inner Shadow. Then since you have full control over your emotions, there's no way your desires can get distorted."

Ann was taken aback. "S-So that's how it works..."

"O-Obviously I knew that!" The blonde boy claimed. "Oh yeah, and we use the Metaverse Nav app on our phones to get into that world!"

"It's actually pretty simple. Just say a person's name, location, and distortion, then you're in."

Yusuke's brows knitted together, puzzled by the girl's words. "Location?"

Ann pushes herself off the railing and gave him an example. "Uhhh, so like Madarame's would be "shack," then his distortion is that he thinks it's a "museum"."

"How do you know what their Palace is going to look like if you have never set foot in it before?"

Ryuji sighed. "That part's kinda like a quiz or something. It'll prolly get pretty tricky from here on out too."

"Hm," Yusuke combed back his bangs. "I feel as though I have a good grasp on the basic concepts. Although, I do have one question."

"What is it?" Akira questioned.

"It's about Tsutsui-san. Her left eye was golden. Is that another ability of a Persona-user?"

"Nah," Ryuji replied. "That's somethin' only she can do."

"It's known as the Eye of Horus. It's an ability she can use in this world and the Metaverse. She's still trying to learn how to use it, but all she knows so far is it can detect human desires in the real world and enhance her skills in the Metaverse," Akira explained.

"But she can't use it for too long," Ann said. "It puts strain on her body."

"I see," Yusuke leaned against the railing.

"Hey!" The group turned their heads and saw Mikono running toward them. "Sorry I'm late. I had to take an important call."

Ryuji was curious and decided to pry. "From who?"

The girl glanced down at her phone. "I'll tell you guys later. For now, we should focus on Madarame's Palace."

"Are you ready to head to the Metaverse?" Akira asked her.

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Then let's go."

<---------<<<<<

The phantom thieves stood in the parking lot of the museum. They eyed the golden structure until Mona spoke up. "Oh yeah. We haven't decided on the new recruit's code name yet." Joker, Mona, Skull, Panther, and Sphinx looked toward the navy-haired boy, whose eyes were still fixated on the museum.

"It has to be "kitsune." You know, with that kitsune mask and everything," Panther said.

"Hell yeah," Skull agreed with his teammate. "That really leaves an impression."

The gray-eyed boy turned around, looking at his companions. "Are you talking about me?"

Panther smiled at him. "What do you want your name over here to be?"

"I'd say "Da Vinci"."

"Ooh, I like it!" Sphinx cheered.

"Nope," Skull said.

The sable-haired girl crossed her arms and mumbled under her breath, "No appreciation for the fine arts whatsoever..."

The blonde boy had heard her, but chose to ignore her snarky comment. "Well, you've got that mask like Ann said. And there's that weird tail..." He rubbed his chin in thought, thinking of a code name for their new member. When he managed to think of one, he grinned and shouted, "All right, you're "Abura-age"!"

Mona snickered at the code name while the navy-haired boy nodded. "Very well."

The cat's eyes widen in surprise. "He's agreed to it?!"

"It's decided then: Abura-age," Skull announced.

"No way!" Sphinx protested.

"Not happening!" Panther joined her friend. She looked toward their leader. "Do you have any ideas, Joker?"

"How about "Fox"?" The obsidian-haired boy suggested.

"It really does fit," Sphinx agreed.

"Not bad," Skull commented.

Mona peered up at the tall boy. "What do you think, Fox?"

"It's acceptable," he replied.

"It's settled then. Let's go," the blonde boy said.

The phantom thieves followed the same route they took to infiltrate the museum. The trek back to the central garden was filled the Shadows. The ones they had defeated during their first escapade through the museum were replaced with new ones. With their combined efforts, the group was able to annihilate all the Shadows blocking their path.

Arriving at the door that was once sealed and protected by a barrage of lasers, the phantom thieves were relieved the door was open and the security was deactivated. Skull expressed his jubilation before following his friends through the door and entering the treasure hall lounge.

It wasn't long before they came face to face with a golden statue of Madarame. Sphinx mentioned how she wasn't surprised to which Joker and Skull agreed. Fox sighed, repulsed at the sight. Panther compared the statue to what they saw in Kamoshida's Palace and said how this one was made better.

Walking up the ramp, Sphinx came across a brochure display. She snatched up a single brochure and opened it to discover the portion of the map they were missing. She announced her discovery to her friends, handing the pamphlet over to Joker. He analyzed the map before showing the others and discussing the treasure's location.

The moment Sphinx turned to head down the hallway, an all-too-familiar tinge of pain courses through her left eye. She placed her hand on her mask, covering the left eyehole. Her actions didn't go unnoticed by her companions.

"Yo, Sphinx," Skull called out to the girl. "Somethin' wrong?"

"The pain I felt in Mementos..." She turned to them. "It's back."

"Do you think the fragment's nearby?" Joker asked.

"Fragment?" Fox muttered.

"We'll explain everything later. For now," Sphinx activated the Eye of Horus and analyzed her surroundings. Just like in Mementos, hieroglyphs were carved into the walls, ceiling, and floor. The only difference was they radiated a brilliant white. She developed tunnel vision, drowning out all sound and focusing solely on the hieroglyphics. She wandered down the hallway, oblivious to her friends shouting for her to stop.

The hieroglyphs led her around display cases and further down the corridor. She turned around a couple corners before walking through a door and entering a small room with portraits. Unbeknownst to the girl, there were two Shadows patrolling the room as she opened the adjacent door across the way.

All of a sudden, something collided with her body and sent her through the door and to the floor. She cried out in shock as she rolled across the floor, the door slamming shut. Once her world ceased spinning and she laid on her back, she tried to push herself up but couldn't due to something holding her down. When her vision steadied, she saw the person who had her pinned to floor. "Y-You gave me a heart attack, Joker..."

The boy's body hovered over hers as he peered down and stared into her cerulean eyes. "I should be the one saying that. Those two Shadows nearly noticed you."

Sphinx saw how heavy Joker was breathing and felt guilty. "I was so focused on the hieroglyphs I didn't notice my other surroundings. I'm sorry, Joker. It's just..."

"I know," he said. He moved his hands from her sides and placed them on either side of her head, leaning down until their faces were a few inches apart. "You're desperate to find these fragments, but don't forget; you're not alone. You have me and the others to help you. Just promise me you'll stop running ahead and putting yourself in danger."

Sphinx continues to stare into the eyeholes of his mask and deep into his obsidian eyes. "I promise." She deactivated the Eye, deciding to wait for the perfect opportunity to use it again.

"Good," Joker sighed in relief at her response. He pushed himself off her and to his feet before helping his teammate off the floor.

Skull, Panther, Fox, and Mona regrouped with them and headed down the hallway to continue their search for the treasure. Joker guided them through a large room with lasers and Shadows prowling around. Using his third eye, he discovered a path through the room and ambushed the enemies to prevent from increasing the security level.

Eventually, the phantom thieves reached an impasse. They located the security room, but their way was blocked by shutters. Fox looked around for a way to get around the shutters or a way to lower them. He, alongside Panther, walked over to a large painting. They called over the others when they noticed something strange about it. The moment Fox reaches out to touch the painting, his hand passes through. Joker mimicked the navy-haired boy's action and stared in awe when his hand fazes through the painting. Mona suggested the group to enter it to see if it concealed a secret path.

Inside the painting, the teammates heard Madarame's voice. Mona hypothesized they were hearing the man's thoughts as they traveled through the painting. Joker located a way through the artwork and discovered they were now in another painting. They learned the paintings were connected to one another and were able to reach a ledge. From there, they crawled through a vent and jumped down into a room they'd never seen before.

Skull was the one to notice the Shadow looming in front of the security office. He could tell by its intimidating stance and clothing it wasn't like the other Shadows they've come across.

Joker approached the Shadow, knowing they weren't going to be able to pass without a fight. The moment the Shadow transformed into a shiki-ouji, everyone grabbed their weapons and prepared for battle. The leader was the first to attack, but the assailant easily blocked his blade.

Panther and Skull summoned their Personas, using their abilities to break through the Shadow's defenses. When seeing their attacks wounded the adversary, Fox called upon Goemon and used Bufu.

Before Sphinx could unleash Sekhmet, she was put on defense when the shiki-ouji targeted her. She blocked one of its attacks before jumping to the side and summoned her Persona. She commanded the lioness to use Inferno Blade. The attack injured the Shadow and Joker summoned his own Persona to finish the job.

With the Shadow destroyed, the phantom thieves were able to reach the security office. Inside, they found one computer on. Joker began typing on the keyboard and found the program controlling the lasers. When he tried to deactivate it, the computer demanded a password. The boy hung his head with an exasperated sigh before informing his companions. "We need a password."

"Ugh, another one?" Skull grumbled. "Where're we supposed to get one?"

"There has to be a Shadow that knows the password," Sphinx answered. "Let's look around for one."

The group left the security office and searched around the museum for any Shadows. They managed to unlock a door leading to the entrance of the treasure hall lounge. Their search proved fruitful as they hid from sight and listened to a pair of guards discussing the password.

"I hear the intruders already got past the central garden security," one Shadow spoke.

"Yeah. I just got a call earlier to change the password here too..." The other Shadow informed his fellow guard.

"What to? It better not be simple."

"Well, I was having some trouble coming up with a good one. For now, I set it to the numbers for Lord Madarame's feet."

"Lord Madarame's feet?" The first Shadow mocked. "What are you talking about?"

"Let's get back on duty. There's a chance the intruders are nearby." The two Shadows stalked down the hallway and out of sight. The thieves gathered around and began discussing what they overheard.

"Madarame's feet? The hell is that supposed to mean?!" Skull yelled out in frustration.

"Maybe his shoe size?" Panther wondered.

"Yo, Yusuke," Skull called out to Fox. "You know that bastard's shoe size?"

"Unfortunately, I have never heard him mention it," Fox replied. "Are we sure that is the proper password?"

"There's no way it's his shoe size," Sphinx remarks.

"The password would be too short," Joker added. "There has to be another meaning behind it."

The inky-haired girl tapped her cheek repeatedly as she tried to think of what the password was. "Feet... Feet..." Her eyes narrowed before widening. "The statue!"

"What about it?" Mona asked.

"We might be able to find the password by the golden statue."

"Let's head back to the statue, then," Joker said.

The phantom thieves ran back to the entrance of the treasure hall lounge and examined the statue closer. After reading the plaque by the sculpture's feet, the companions saw exactly what the Shadow meant. After rereading the description one last time and making sure they were positive of the password, they headed back to the security office. Joker inputted 1120 into the computer, successfully disabling the lasers and raising the shutters throughout the entire area. They grinned triumphantly before leaving the security office. With new areas accessible, the phantom thieves discovered a safe room and relaxed for a few minutes.

While resting in the safe room, Sphinx activated the Eye of Horus and opened the door. She peered out the small slit and saw the hieroglyphs led down a hallway behind the ornately decorated room divider.

"Find anything?"

Sphinx jumped after being startled by Joker's voice. She turned around, closing the door. "The hieroglyphs are leading down the hallway. I'm also sensing this strange presence as we head deeper into the museum."

Joker leaned against the wall beside the door, sighing, "If only my third eye could detect what the Eye of Horus could..."

She smiled. "Even though you or the others can't see what I do, your support and theirs is enough for me."

The boy beamed back at her. "Well then, ready to see where these hieroglyphs are leading?"

"You've no idea how jittery I am right now."

"All right." Joker looked toward the others and grabbed their attention. "Come on, let's keep going."

"Hell yeah!" Skull chanted as they left the safe room.

*****
Confidant: Mikono Tsutsui
Arcana: The Puppeteer
Rank: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
*****