On the next floor of the tower, the phantom thieves found themselves in a room with busts of Kamoshida lined up. As they searched for a way up to the next floor, they noticed the busts were watching their every move with their menacing golden eyes. Skull glared back at the busts as they walked by them while Joker examined three strange platforms alongside Mona. Sphinx and Panther scavenged the other side of the room for any way to the upper level or a door leading somewhere else.

When no one could find an inkling as to how to continue, they regrouped. Joker continued to stare at the area where the platforms were. "There has to be a way up. Stairs, maybe?"

"But they're not appearing like the others," Sphinx stated.

"Hmph. You are gravely mistaken if you think stairs will appear for you whenever you'd like," a deep voice taunts them. Everyone turned around and saw a guard captain standing not too far away.

"So this guy's stopping them," Mona explained.

"Guess we've no choice..." Skull mumbled. "We're gonna have to fight."

The cat's ears and tail twitched. "The treasure is near here... If that thing is protecting this place, it must be strong."

Sphinx analyzes the Shadow, noticing its strange behavior. "It's not attacking like the other Shadows. But still, I don't see a way to avoid this fight. Are we ready to do this, Joker?"

The masked leader nodded. "There's no way we'll lose. Let's go."

The teens and cat approached the Shadow, adjusting their bodies and entering a fighting stance. The adversary lowers it sword and shield as it spoke. "This majestic tower penetrating the sky represents the admirable King Kamoshida's most sacred place. It is nowhere for—!"

"Blah, blah, blah," Sphinx interrupted the enemy, grabbing her twin khopeshes. "You Shadows are just like Kamoshida—arrogant and annoying. This castle is too small for an ego that large..."

"How dare you?!" The Shadow hissed. "King Kamoshida shall never fall!"

"We'll see about that."

The Shadow growled before transforming, revealing its true form to the thieves. Panther screamed in disgust as the large slime-like creature slithered toward them. Sphinx's mask evaporated with brilliant blue flames as she summoned her Persona. Skull followed suit while Joker, Panther, and Mona used their melee weapons to deal some damage to the goopy assailant.

It took a few minutes for the group to stagger the enemy, but they welcomed the opening they were granted when the slime creature was blasted back and knocked to the ground, dazed. Like a well-oiled machine, the five performed an all-out attack and were able to wipe the floor with the Shadow. Once its body vanished, the group returned to where the stairs were supposed to appear and were relieved to see the stairwell was activated. They ascended the stairwell and finally reached the upper level.

<————————<<<<<

After locating another safe room on the top floor of the tower, the Phantom Thieves now stood in front of a set of grand doors. Joker tried to open the right one but only wound up with a sore arm.

"It's not opening," Panther states with a hint of annoyance.

"What is this door anyways? It's pretty freakin' huge..." Skull said.

"The treasure is most likely ahead... We're almost there," Mona exclaimed.

Sphinx wandered over to a column with a woman's torso and noticed how it wasn't facing forward like the other one. She glanced up and spotted their way into the room. Turning around, she grinned at her companions. "I think I found a way in. Look up there." She pointed to what she discovered. "There's a window. We can even reach it by climbing up the torso."

"As much as I don't want to climb up one of those, it's the only other way," Panther sighed.

Carefully, the group climbed up and through the window. They immediately crouched down and out of sigh when they heard a voice. Skull clicked his tongue and whispered harshly, "Oh shit, it's Kamoshida!"

"And a ton of soldiers," Panther added. The five hid their presence and listened to the vexed man.

"How have you not captured the intruders yet?!" Kamoshida bellowed angrily.

"I apologize, my liege!" One guard expressed his regret.

"I bet he'd never imagine we're in the same room as him," Mona whispered. "Come on, let's keep moving."

The group tore their gaze from Kamoshida and the guards, their footfalls mute as they made their way to the back of the throne room. They stealthily opened one of the double doors located at the top of the stairwell.

Sphinx gently closed the door, eyeing Kamoshida's back as she pulled it shut. Turning around toward her friends, she gasped when spotting them standing in front of two large ornate doors. "Wow..."

"This sturdy-lookin' door's pretty promisin'," Skull grinned. "Let's head inside!"

Joker pushed open the door. His eyes widen in surprise when he sees what's on the other side. "Look at all the gold."

"Really?!" Skull pushes past their leader and entered the treasure room. His eyes glistened as he eyed the the gold coins and various trophies. "Holy shit! That treasure thing's gotta be in here!"

"Stop shouting," Sphinx hissed. "Have you already forgotten who's in the other room?"

"Sorry..."

They walked further in to the treasure room, toward a strange disturbance in the air. Panther was the one to ask the question on the teens' minds. "Hey, what is this thing? It's...floating in the air."

"It's not a dimensional tear, is it?" Sphinx inquired.

"Hehe..." Mona chuckled, smirking as it hopped on top of the trophy below the strange anomaly. "That's the treasure. We finally found it!"

Joker eyed the bright object with uncertainty. "Are you sure?"

"Just hold on a second. I was planning on telling you more once we made it this far," the feline replied, focusing its gaze on the frizzy-haired boy. "Simply finding the treasure isn't enough. We'll need to make it materialize before we can steal it."

"Whaddya mean?" Skull questioned.

"Desires have no physical form by nature. Hence, we'll first need to make the real person aware that their desires are in fact a treasure. Once they're conscious that their desires might be stolen, the treasure will finally show itself."

"So, we basically have to provoke the real Kamoshida," Sphinx stated.

Mona nodded. "Yes."

"But how do we do that?" Panther asked.

"We warn them. Tell them, "We're going to steal your heart.""

"So we're gonna send a calling card?!" Skull grinned, overly excited at the idea. "That's totally what a phantom thief would do!"

"Once we do that, the treasure will appear for certain!" Mona smirked, but it faltered slightly. "I think..."

"That again?" The chocolate-eyed boy groaned. "Either way, sounds like it's worth givin' it a shot!"

"You're way too excited about this," Sphinx sighed. "Anyway, now that we've secured a route to the treasure, we should leave. I'm completely exhausted..."

"Let's head back to the entrance," Joker decided. "We'll deal with the calling card later."

Silence befell the group, but it didn't last long. Panther looked at her companions and muttered, "This is it, huh?"

The obsidian-eyed boy nodded. "We won't lose."

Their animal friend smiled. "That's the spirit! But before we go, I need to tell you all something. Once we send out the calling card, there will be no turning back."

"This truly is the end," Sphinx said.

Mona looked around at the teens surrounding it. "Just let me know when you're ready. We'll head back to the hideout and send out that calling card!"

"Now let's get the hell outta here before Kamoshida finds us!" Skull announced.

<—————————<<<<<

Mikono parted ways with her friends and dragged her exhausted body all the way home. When she stepped through the front door, she was greeted by her parents. She acknowledged their greeting and responded back with a feeble, "I'm home." Ichika asked her about dinner, but she was too tired to think of food at the moment. She thanked her mother and told her she wasn't hungry before heading upstairs to her room.

Pushing open the door to her room, Mikono flopped down on her bed with a huff. It felt as if her body was held down by rocks and she was drowning in exhaustion. Her eyes gradually closed, but they shot open when she heard a familiar tune from her phone. With a groan, she lazily searches through her bag for the device and pulled it out. On the screen was a text message from Ryuji to the group chat.

Ryuji: You back home yet? I'm pooped...

Ryuji: It hit me like a goddamn ton of bricks right when I sat down...

Mikono: I'm so exhausted I skipped out on dinner.

Ann: You should eat something before going to bed, Mikono.

Mikono: I'll try to eat a little before going to bed.

Ann: Good. After all, it's best to eat after the long day we had. We did walk pretty far in the Palace.

Ann: I'm glad we found that treasure thing though.

Mikono: Me too.

Ryuji: So Kamoshida'll turn into a good guy if we still that, huh...

Ryuji: Either way, it's up to you when we send the card, Akira.

Ann: Call us over to the hideout when you're ready.

Akira: Nice work, guys.

Ann: See ya!

Mikono: Goodnight, everyone.

|| 4/19 Tuesday ||
|| After School ||

Akira and Mikono left school after discussing when the calling card would be sent with Ryuji, Ann, and Morgana. The messy-haired boy wanted everyone to have a couple days of rest before sending out the calling card and heading back into the Metaverse.

At Aoyama-itchōme Station, the two friends waited for their train to arrive. To break the silence, the boy asked a question. "Would you help me study?"

Mikono blinked owlishly as she responded. "R-Really? You want me to be your study buddy?"

Akira wondered if his request was too much. "Is today not good for you?"

"N-No!" She denied. "Today is perfect. I don't have to work at the museum so my afternoon and evening are open. I'd love to help you study. How about the diner on Central Street? It's not the best studying location, but it'll also give us a chance to grab a bite to eat when we get hungry."

Akira smiled. "All right."

The train arrived and the duo hopped aboard. They were forced to stand and were squished against one another. Mikono had her back turned to Akira due to their position and she failed to notice the blushing mess he was. The only thing she heard besides the chatter from numerous of conversations was Morgana snickering. She tried to turn her head to see what caused him to laugh, but she felt an elbow jab into her side when the man beside her adjusted his body. Her body nearly collided with a young woman's due to the force, but a hand grabbed her shoulder and prevent her from stumbling.

Turning her head, Mikono thanked Akira for his quick movement to prevent her from tumbling into a stranger. She saw his red cheeks, but she ignored them for his sake. Now she knew why Morgana was snickering.

When they arrived at Shibuya Station, they stepped off the train and away from the crowd. Mikono led the way to the diner once Akira shared with her he still wasn't too familiar with the area. She guided him to Central Street and up a flight of stairs leading to the diner. They found an empty booth and sat across from one another.

"So, what do you want to start with?" Mikono asked.

"I'm not doing so well in English," Akira sighed. He was slightly embarrassed to admit it, but it was better than blaming it on the teacher.

"Lucky for you, I'm fluent in three languages and English is one of them. I can thank my dad for that," she explained.

"What's the other one besides Japanese?" He pondered curiously.

"Arabic. My parents were my teachers when they weren't busy. I was basically homeschooled until we returned to Japan."

"You cease to amaze me, Lady Mikono~!" Morgana chanted, popping its head out of Akira's bag.

"Enough about me," she smiled. "Let's order some coffee and begin studying!"

<————————<<<<<

After a couple of hours, Mikono received a call from her father. She excused herself from the table and headed outside. She accepted the call and was greeted by Isaac's worried and furious tone. "Where are you, young lady?! You didn't call or text your mother or me when you left school!"

"Sorry, Dad. I meant to text you, but I was helping a friend study and lost track of time. We're at the diner on Central Street," she explained.

Isaac sighed in relief, his tone softening. "I'm glad to know you're safe. Who're you with?"

"Akira. He asked me if I could help him study and I said yes. It was kinda a last-minute decision."

"..."

Mikono was puzzled at her father's silence. "Dad?"

The man cleared his throat before speaking. "Make sure he walks you home. I don't want you walking the streets at night by yourself."

"I doubt Akira would let me walk home alone anyway. I'll see you soon, Dad."

"All right. Stay safe, Sweetie."

"I will. Bye." Mikono hung up and turned her phone on silent. She headed back up the stairs and into the diner.

As she walked through the door and toward the booth, she stopped when she heard Morgana speaking to the messy-haired teen. "Come on, Akira! Ask her out!"

"I don't think I can..." Akira sighed. "We haven't known each other for very long. What makes you think she'll want to go on a date with me?"

"Who cares how long you've known each other? You won't know how she feels until you ask her out!"

Mikono was curious about who the two were talking about. She wondered who Akira's crush was, but she didn't want to pry and decided to head back to the booth. A smile spread across her face as she sat down. "So, where were we?"

"U-Uh..." Akira muttered. Morgana chortled as it lowered its head back into the boy's bag.

Her smile widened. "Let's go over a few more pronunciations."

"Y-Yeah."

Mikono flipped open the book and began going over a few words with Akira. She did her best at explaining and helping him in any way possible, which paid out in the end. He was able to pronounce each word correctly with little to no mistakes. She then moved on to more words, which resulted in another hour to fly by. They checked the time and saw how late it'd gotten, deciding to cease studying.

"You both did a lot of studying. I'm surprised you two were even able to do a little with all the noise," Morgana commented.

"You learn how to drown out all noises when studying," Mikono said. She then turned her gaze to her classmate. "I hope I was able to help you, Akira."

"You helped me a lot, Mikono," he smiled. "I actually feel more confident now."

"Glad to hear it," she smiled. "Now then, let's head out."

"I'll walk you home," he exclaimed as he stood up from the booth.

"Thank you."

|| 4/20 Wednesday ||
|| Afternoon ||

As Mikono jotted down notes, she felt her phone vibrate. Already knowing who it was, she unlocked her phone and read the message.

Ryuji: Man, we need some cash.

Ryuji: And don't even think about offering a single yen, Mikky.

Mikono: I wasn't even thinking about it...

Ann: Why are you bringing that up now, Ryuji?

Ryuji: Well, we can get all sortsa weapons and meds and shit now...

Ryuji: But we can't actually buy any of it without some dough.

Akira: We need to earn some.

Ryuji: Don't make it sound so easy...

Ann: Why don't we get part-time jobs like Mikono?

Mikono: Hey, that's a good idea! I can ask my mom and dad if there are any part-time positions available at the museum.

Ryuji: I dunno, I don't feel like it...

Ryuji: Oh shit!

Ryuji: I'm in class!

Mikono: Good observation, Sherlock.

Ryuji: No smartass comments! I gotta leave the chat for now. See ya!

|| 4/20 Wednesday ||
|| After School ||

Once school was over, Mikono gathered her things and slung her bag over her shoulder. As she stood up from her desk, she was stopped by Akira.

"We'll be meeting at the hideout to discuss the calling card," he said.

"All right. I'll see you guys on the roof. I have to drop off a book at the library." She left the classroom and headed to the library. Once she delivered the book she borrowed, she left and headed to the rooftop. The others were waiting patiently for her and was greeted by Morgana. "Lady Mikono, you're here! Now we can discuss the calling card. It's all that's left to do in order to take Kamoshida's heart."

Ryuji crosses his arms. "Couldn't we have just sent one at the beginnin' of all this?"

Morgana shook its head. "It's not that simple. A treasure won't stay materialized forever. Once the impression is gone, the treasure will disappear. I think it'll last around a day, at most."

"The hell? That's like no time at all..." Ryuji leaned back in his seat. "Anyways, we can send a callin' card right now, yeah? Let's do it and steal that bastard's heart!"

Morgana laid down on top of the desk. "The Palace will go away once you take the treasure. Make sure you've done everything you need to do."

"I've been waitin' to hear you say that!"

"Will we be sending the calling card tomorrow?" Mikono questioned.

"Yeah," Akira responded.

"So we send the calling card in the morning...and carry out the plan by the end of the day, right?" Ann asked.

"Correct," Morgana nodded. "The effect won't last long. Are you worried?"

"Heh. Waited too long," the pigtailed girl combed her fingers through her hair.

"Perfect," the cat grinned.

"We're going to pull this off, no matter what!"

"So," the animal looked around at the teens. "Who's going to write the card?"

"Leave it to me!" Ryuji interjected before anyone else could speak up.

"Why?" Ann's brows furrowed in confusion.

"Why?" The fake blonde mocked. "Why wouldn't it be me?!"

"This is important," she retorts. "I think Mikono should write it."

"What?" Mikono gasped. "Why me?"

"I've heard the teachers praise your writing. You're our best option and we know you won't mess it up."

"Hey!" Ryuji growled.

"I agree with Ann," Akira said. "Will you write the calling card, Mikono?"

"I-I don't know... Ryuji already offered to write it. We should give him a chance," Mikono replied. "He also really wants to do it."

"Just because he wants to doesn't mean he should," Ann rebuttals.

"I'm standing right here!" The chocolate-eyed boy hissed. He crossed his arms, scowling at them. When he saw their expressions, he threw his arms into the air with a huff of defeat. "Fine! Mikky can write the calling card."

Mikono hung her head with a sigh. "All right, I'll write the calling card." She lifted her head and pointed at her best friend. "But you're gonna help me, Ryuji!"

"Really?!" His eyes glistened in excitement. "All right! We're gonna get him good! We got this!"

"We'll make sure to keep our identities a secret," the inky-haired girl reassured Akira, Ann, and Morgana.

"All right, then! Tomorrow it is!" The feline casted a glare at Ryuji. "Don't slack off and get in Lady Mikono's way."

"Shuddup!" The blonde bellowed. "We're gonna make this perfect!"