(A/N: Howdy, everyone! I'm more than glad to present to you the 11th chapter of Paradox! Even though no one's really reading this story anymore... but, oh well!
Onto the chapter now!)

*******

-------The Velvet Room------

The sound of the very familiar chains clunking in Ren's ears caused him to wake up by fluttering his dark grey eyes open. Shaking off the dizziness he felt, he stood up from his bed while feeling numbness running through his limbs due to the cuffs that were imprisoning him. The chains were clunking, their voice ringing through his ears to remind him of his position in the place he currently stood at, an inmate, a prisoner of fate. Inmate, huh... the word sure had a lot of memories, unpleasant ones even. Lifting his eyes up across the door of the cell, his gaze was met with Igor's sly smirk sitting on his desk in the center of the room along with the young twin wardens staring at him with their golden eyes.

"First off... I'd like to begin by congratulating you." Igor smirked slyly.

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

"You better treasure this moment, Inmate!" Caroline shouted in a taunting tone.

"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."

"What rehabilitation? I don't understand."

"Just shut up and listen, Inmate!" Caroline hit the cell's bars.

"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." Igor explained, "...That is the rehabilitation cast upon you."

"Coming ruin...?"

"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."

"This is all possible because of our master's guidance, Inmate!" Caroline spoke.

"Though it may be presumptuous of us, we have words of wisdom as well." Justine added.

"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."

"Thanks to the contractors you've formed, your heart is steadily gaining the power of opposition. It seems your rehabilitation is going well. This is a truly joyous occasion... may the devotion to your rehabilitation grow even deeper." Igor elaborated, "...I have high hopes of you."

"...The time has come. Return to your brief moments of rest." Justine spoke calmly as the bell rang.

"And don't forget to go talk to your contractors, Inmate!"

*******

------Time Skip: Next Day------

The sounds of joyous waves of laughter and incomprehensible chatters were filling the air as Shujin's students were happily making their way to school mostly in pairs or groups. Between the crowd of students, there was Emiko who stood out being the only person walking all by herself isolated from the world around her. She couldn't care less about people around her as the gaze of her dark brown eyes was completely fixed on her phone's screen examining the Meta Nav app for the millionth time. Memories inside Kamoshida's castle rewinded in her brain as she recalled the events that occurred there. Kamoshida's Shadow, the voice of her Persona, her awakening, the battle she had helping out Ren and the other, but most importantly...

The Phantom Thieves of Hearts.

Ren Amamiya along with his friends and his talking cat formed this group, seeking to help people in need with the power of their Personas by changing the hearts of corrupted people. Emiko thought that their goals, principles, and ideals were very childish and naive since they were hoping to create a perfect utopia where no evil could exist.

"It's hopeless. They can't."

"Evil will always exist, no matter what."

That was her point and it held something true in it, but at the same time, she had a second thought about joining them that she said she didn't want to but in reality, she was hesitant. It was true that evil would always be there, but wouldn't it be best if it was reduced at least? If less evil was out there in the world, wouldn't that be better for everyone? The number of crimes would decrease, things would be more peaceful, and everyone would be happier. She was very deep in her thoughts to the point that she never realized that she stopped her tracks a good while ago and was alone in the street since all the rest of the students were already far away. When she snapped back to reality from her daydreams, she shook her head and attempted to run what's left of the way to school so she wouldn't be late.

But as she was about to run...

"HELP!"

A nearby loud feminine scream of help rang in her ears which caused her to stop at her place almost immediately and nearly drain her face from its color. Quickly, she followed the source of the sound to find out that it came from a dark alley that was on her right. Mental note to herself, dark alleys, and screaming could never mean anything good. It was the heat of the moment that carried Emiko to the point that she lost control over her body and absolutely no idea why in the world she was running to the scene in the first place like a complete maniac. Her mind and judgment were clouded as her quick footsteps flew toward the area where the scream just came from with only one thought swirling there, seeing what was going on and saving whoever was pleading for help.

"PLEASE, SOMEONE HELP ME!"

The scream pierced again in her ears even louder than the first one which caused Emiko to quickly run inside the alleyway without even thinking much ahead after she snapped back to reality. With each step she took, the screams of the struggling girl came closer and closer to her along with a husky masculine voice, and when she was approaching the scene their voices became clearer. A young man was harassing a high school girl that wore the uniform of Shujin. She had light brown hair that was tied in pigtails with red ribbons and had red eyes. She wore the default female winter Shujin uniform with the exception of white knee socks and dark sneakers. She also had the first-year pin hung on the front yank of her black blazer.

"Aw, what's wrong, sweetie? I just wanna give you some fun time."

"No, let me go!"

"C'mon, I know you want it even more than me."

"Stop! Leave me alone!"

"You don't wanna that."

"No, stop!"

"Come with me now. We're gonna have so much fun."

At that moment, the young man grabbed the girl forcefully by her wrist which caused her to yelp in horror. Her survival instincts acted up immediately and bit his arm hard with her teeth.

"BITCH!"

He slapped the girl hard on her face to the point of her falling down on the hard and cold floor as the young man rubbed his aching arm since her bite was strong. It was then when Emiko finally arrived at the scene which made her widen her eyes when she witnessed him so sickly slapping her and then laughing in a sick thrill. Cold sweats rolled down on her face, limbs shook, jaw trembled, and breath quickened crazily as words rang inside her head.

"Dad, don't you think you've drunk enough already? Too much alcohol is bad, you know."

"........."

"I... I'll just take this bottle away--"

"DON'T TOUCH IT!"

*SLAP!!!*

"Not again...!"

Emiko held her head, feeling herself about to undergo another mental breakdown like what happened before at Kamoshida's Palace. The weight of that memory was heavy on her, but that wasn't the time for her emotions to get the upper hand of it, so she lifted her face up again glaring at the young man deadly as if she was a wild animal ready to jump and hunt him.

"So you like it rough, huh? I can be rough if that's what you want." He licked his lips while lifting her up again from her wrist.

"NO...!"

"Leave. Her. Alone!" She finally stepped in.

"Well, well, what do we have here? Another chick to play with? This must be my lucky day."

"How about you pick on someone from your size?"

"What'd you say?!"

"Leave her alone now, or else..."

"Or else what?"

The young man angrily threw the first-year away, causing her back to hit the wall behind her, earning a painful yelp that escaped from her lips. He approached Emiko with a deadly look in his eyes staring at her pupils not showing any kind of mercy whatsoever, but Mikki returned the glare with even a deadlier one.

"You don't want to mess with me, chick."

"Try me."

Provoked by her challenging tone, the young man swung his fist in an attempt to punch Emiko in the face, but she swiftly and easily dodged it by moving her face to the side. Angered, even more, he tried delivering another punch with his other hand only for Emiko to block it by grabbing his fist in the palm of her hand. He was shocked by the physical strength of the girl as his hand stayed in its place unable to break free from her strong grip. Emiko took the chance to her advantage and gave a mighty knee kick into the man's guts causing him to scream in pain while backing away holding his ached abdomen.

Again, Emiko swung her leg directly towards his face, kicking him powerfully to the point of him falling down on the floor with a loud thud. The frightened first-year Shujin student gulped down her saliva as cold sweats rolled down her face after witnessing such a one-sided battle with an easy victory like that especially after recognizing her lifesaver. She did hear the rumors about her shooting her own father and believed that she was a murderer, but at the same time, she has just saved her life.

"If you mess with me, I'll become your worst nightmare. Got that?" Emiko narrowed her eyes, talking in a deadly tone.

"Ugh..."

"Go." Emiko looked at the first-year.

"Eh?"

"Go now. Run as fast as you can to school and don't look back."

"Y-Yes! Thank you. Thank you very much!" She bowed several times to Emiko before running out from the alleyway.

Adjusting the position of her glasses, Emiko stared down at the whining man who was yelping in pain while laying down on the floor. She scoffed disgustingly at the thought of a man who was over 25 years old seeking sexual pleasure from a 15 or 16-year-old girl. The thought made her sick and wanted to gag so much at it to the point of desiring to vomit on the man as an extra punishment for his unjustified actions. Sure, evil existed everywhere and anywhere, but it really could be reduced by helping people just like how Emiko saved the girl, and saving her gave her a weird yet satisfying sensation swirling inside her chest. With a smirk on her face, she made her way out of the alleyway to school as if nothing had happened back there.

Satisfaction; a sensation she hasn't felt in a long time.

Unbeknownst to the running brown-haired girl, a certain freckled boy hid around the corner as he saw the entire exchange that just happened. Emiko had quickly passed him without noticing his presence as he leaned his back against the wall, watching as she ran away and disappeared into the crowd of students. A small smile made its way onto Konno's lips after he witnessed how the same girl who violently pushed him away, refusing his help once literally save the life of one of his classmates. Despite her initial stone-cold exterior, a kind, courageous, and selfless heart laid within his senior who obviously couldn't bear watching injustice take place before. And in all honesty... she was hella cool kicking the ass of that despicable pedophile. Smiling to himself once more, Konno walked from the corner, making his way back between the crowd of students toward the school, having high hopes of what would happen next.

*******

------Morning: Class 2-D------

Staring out blankly at the window, Ren was staring at his own reflection having a blank expression on his face. Hence, even Morgana who was inside his desk noticed the boy's mood but wasn't surprised about it. Indeed they had fun yesterday in the buffet until Emiko ruined the joy with her harsh words to Ryuji which was really uncalled for, so he understood his drop in the mood. As if on cue, the class door opened revealing Emiko who surprisingly came more late than usual which was highly unlike her from what Ann knew about her. Her arrival caught the attention of Ren and Ann along with Morgana, but she quietly walked towards her seat and sat down. True Ren was curious about the reason why she was late but thought it'd be best to avoid conversations with her as much as possible. A few minutes after that, Ms. Kawakami walked inside the class herself, announcing the beginning of homeroom.

"Like you heard last week, gym class is canceled today. Instead, I'm supposed to give you some guidance. The gist is, don't go around talking about the incident. That's all. The police are still investigating Mr. Kamoshida, so I can't say anything myself. As a teacher though, I'm ashamed for not having noticed that a student was suffering like that... I'm not defending him, but as a colleague, he just seemed like... well, a normal person. Honestly, it still doesn't feel real. I guess people can have multiple sides to them..." Ms. Kawakami looked down.

"The teachers have it rough, huh...?" Morgana trailed sadly.

"Oh yeah, I just remembered something I learned about psychology. They say that humans have several different personalities hidden in their subconscious."

"Different personalities...?" Morgana's interest was piqued.

"Oh, to be clear. I'm not talking about multiple personality disorder. These different personalities can be a different gender or a different age from you. I mean, if you think about how gods and monsters in myths were first based on the human image..." Ms. Kawakami explained, "...If you actually saw one of those personalities with your own eyes, it might look like a monster."

"Oho..."

"Hm? You all seem more alert than usual. Did I say something wrong? Well, I'm just saying what I've heard. It feels like I just now understood what I learned long ago."

"Subconscious personalities... It's a fascinating topic, and it has a lot to do with us. That teacher's surprisingly smart, huh?"

"I guess..." Ren trailed.

After that, the class wrapped up like usual smoothly and slowly at the same time. Ren had half of his attention focused on the lecture and because of that, he didn't feel the time flying by until the bell rang, announcing the beginning of lunchtime. Among the crowded voices of students, he calmly placed his books inside his desk, putting Morgana inside his bag before heading out of the class seeing both Ryuji and Ann standing near the stairs with Ryuji scrolling through his phone.

"It ain't much, but we've been gettin' more postings on the Phantom Aficionado Website... 'I want to make my friend apologize for not returning the stuff I lent him.' Ugh, deal with that yourself!"

"Hey, those girls..." Ann pointed at two girls walking out of a classroom.

"You know that phantom thieves rumor about stealing Kamoshida's heart? I wonder if it's true."

"It's gotta be made up. Do you seriously believe they exist?"

"But look at what happened to Kamoshida."

"He probably just couldn't keep hiding it after that girl tried to kill herself."

"Yeah, you might be right. I guess there's no way they really exist."

"Most importantly, it seriously sucks that our school is gonna be known for stuff like this!"

"I wonder if it'll affect our college entrance..." One said before the two walked away.

"That's prolly a normal reaction for now, but... they'll see soon enough! If we can take two or three famous guys, people'll have to believe we exist!"

"So about those big shots... we don't have any leads yet, right? Plus there's that rumor about you two threatening Kamoshida too..." Ann pointed out.

"This nonsense is still on?" Ren shook his head.

"Looks like you'll just have to live a normal, honest school life for the time being. Still, make sure you stay prepared just in case anything comes up, all right?" Morgana reminded seriously.

"I'll keep an eye out for info on any big shots that might be comin' around." Ryuji spoke.

"And I'll try to dig up some dirt online." Ann added.

"We went and formed the Phantom Thieves group, but we can't even find a target..." Ryuji trailed.

"There, there..." Ann patted on his shoulder.

"I guess sometimes things just don't go the way we want 'em to..."

*******

------Meanwhile: Principal's Office------

Kobayakawa was sitting inside of his office staring blankly at the papers piled down on his desk. It was obvious from his facial expression that he was feeling very nervous and tense. Kamoshida's scandal was getting the upper hand over him and thought that it was threatening his position as a principal of the school. He let out a deep and troubled sigh escape him as if he was carrying a big weight on his shoulders. What caught back his attention was the sound of the door knocking, and when he allowed the knocker to come in, a dignified female student stepped into the office with a stern and mature look on her face.

"Excuse me. Did you wish to see me, Principal Kobayakawa?"

"You saw the state Kamoshida-Kun was in, didn't you? It's as if his personality has completely changed. Something is definitely wrong here."

"I'm not sure if I follow..."

"From what I've heard, it appears as though some students were meddling in his business. If they did something to him... who could they be...?"

"Are you saying that these students may have caused Mr. Kamoshida to change...?"

"That is what I wish to know... even if it takes some probing into student matters... I would like you to look into this for me."

"It is true that there are many rumors regarding Mr. Kamoshida, but... do you mean all of this talk about those Phantom Thieves?"

"It is undeniable that Mr. Kamoshida has 'changed' in some way. I'd like to have a grasp of the cause. This shall also ensure that I handle the mass media and police in the correct fashion."

"Oh..."

"I will continue speaking to Mr. Kamoshida myself. Unless you find whomever did this, these irresponsible rumors will likely never die down. Don't you agree? You have been at the top of your class since day one. Your conduct is good, and teachers favor you. I could write you a recommendation for any college of your choosing, Makoto Niijima."

"Th-Thank you..." Makoto stuttered.

Makoto had brown hair in a bob cut with blunt bangs and a French-braid styled headband that matched her hair color. Her eyes were amber in color. Her winter school uniform appeared normal but without the standard blazer. Instead, she wore a black halter vest over a long-sleeve white shirt with a turtleneck. She wore the regulation black and red pleated plaid skirt, black pantyhose, and black-brown ankle boots.

"Your lineage must certainly play a part in this excellence. Your sister is still young, yet she holds an admirable position at the Public Prosecutors Office, no...?" Principal Kobayakawa continued to grin.

".........!"

"If something disappointing were to happen here, that wouldn't reflect very well on your sister..." Principal Kobayakawa trailed playfully, "...Do you understand?"

Did he just blackmail her?

"...Yes."

"How wise. It's no wonder you're our student council president. I'd appreciate if you looked into this as soon as possible. I ask that you begin at once." Principal Kobayakawa chuckled.

Makoto felt hurt and insulated from the inside as she lowered her head down.

Everything Kobayakawa said was true about her and her grades, but most importantly, her sister. She knew that she didn't have a choice but to agree, and thus she lifted her face up again, her red eyes were brimming with pain at the principal's words--she had always admired him so much, but now...

"Yes. If you'll excuse me then."

Makoto bowed down respectively to the principal before walking out of his office and closing the door behind her. After the student council president left, he pulled out his phone to dial an unknown number while adjusting himself in his chair and clearing his throat to seem more professional and confident.

"It's me, sir. My apologies for troubling you at such a busy time... yes, it's about the matter we discussed earlier... I have all bases covered. The investigation will begin immediately... of course... yes, I will get results... I should be able to update you soon... well then, I must be going. Thank you very much for your time..."

After he hung up, he adjusted his sitting position while fixing his neck bow, clearing his throat nervously as a few sweat drops began rolling down his face. He really hoped to get to the bottom of that issue and solve it once and for all before it could escalate to something more serious and gruesome. Kobayakawa was speaking on the phone earlier with a terrified and desperate tone in his voice, although he tried to hide and coat it in that professional manner of his. It was as if his life depended on the outcome of Makoto Niijima and her efforts to find the culprit behind Kamoshida's sudden change of heart. He knew that if he didn't have any results soon, he'd lose something a lot more than just his job.

*******

------Class 1-B------

Hearing the bell finally ringing after the long, boring morning lectures, the freshmen of class 1-B stretched their arms after being restrained to their desks for several dreadful hours doing nothing but listening to boredom in its purest form. Taking a deep sigh to himself, Konno reached to his bag to pull his boxed lunch, grinning once he opened the lid to see a few pieces of octopus-shaped sausages... must've been his sister who added them without him noticing. Beaming in pure joy, he grabbed his chopsticks in order to start eating after clasping his hands together in a small prayer. Konno was typically fond of crowded places and he didn't really make a lot of friends yet but never minded the solitude or the quietness of the classroom. The rooftop would be ideal under the warm sun and nice breeze, but he doubted it'd be open after, well... that incident with his senior.

However, before he was able to start eating, he halted all of his movements once his eyes laid upon one of his classmates. She had a sullen expression on her face that was slightly pale, even shivering ever so slightly. Even though Konno wasn't quite acquainted with her yet, from the beginning of the year until now, he saw how bright and cheerful she was. So witnessing her so quiet and scared was definitely out of character for her. During class, he stole a few quick glances at her to see her in that same state, disconnected from reality and the world around her, living through that nightmare's endless loop. Not that he could blame her at all... she was nearly raped that morning hadn't that strong and badass senior accidentally heard her and stepped into the scene to save her life.

"Um, excuse me." Konno gently tapped on her shoulder.

"Ah, wh-what?! I didn't do anything...!" The frightened first-year flinched at the sudden touch, nearly screaming.

"S-Sorry! I didn't mean to frighten you like that!"

"O-Oh Konno-Kun, right...? No, I should be the one to apologize for yelling so suddenly. Sorry, but I just had a rough morning."

"Do you, um... want to talk about it? I-I mean, it's not like we know each other that well! But I thought that having someone to hear what you have to say might make things better!" Konno waved his hands nervously across his face.

"Well, I..."

"I-It's fine if you don't want to talk about it! It's obvious it's something personal and who'd talk about that to a complete stranger, right? Haha!"

"It's not like that! You actually look like a real nice person, Konno-Kun. And you're right, I need to talk about it with someone else. Just... what you hear has to say between us, okay?"

"O-Of course! I won't say a word!"

"Well, you see... on my way to school this morning, I was late so I had to take a shortcut through an alley. But there, a man approached me and began touching me and... I tried to push him away, even biting him! But he slapped me!"

".........!"

Why was he surprised in the first place? He was there doing nothing but shaking his legs in fear and never stepping in to help despite her continuous calls for help.

"But then a girl came, a senior of us, and kicked that guy's ass! Like this and this!" She began punching the air, "She really saved my life... in a way, I guess she was my hero."

"A hero..." Nagisa muttered before shaking his head, "Anyway, I'm glad that you're fine and that creep got what he deserved."

"Mm-hm! But really, I have to thank that girl somehow. And I think I know the perfect way to do this... if my hunch's right about her identity. Gotta do some investigating to make sure though."

"...Investigating?"

"Hehe, it's a secret!" She winked before grabbing her bento, "For real, thanks a bunch for hearing me out, Konno-Kun. I feel so much better after letting it off my chest. Hey, wanna have lunch together?"

"W-With me...?! W-Well I--" His face turned as red as a tomato.

"Ooh, are those octopus sausages? I had no idea boys were into that kind of stuff!" She exclaimed after noticing his bento on his desk.

"Oh, that? My sister made those for me actually. Y-You can have some if you want!"

"Huh? You wouldn't your sister mind this?"

"Not at all! She'd love me to share them."

"She seems so nice. I'm kinda jealous."

"Yeah, she is..." Konno trailed with a weak smile.

His eyes followed his light brown-haired classmate onto his desk while pulling her chopsticks out and having one of the sausages, humming to herself happily as her eyes sparkled comically. Nagisa smiled weakly to himself, glad to see her back at her usual state he saw her at up until now and how he was able to ease her worries... even for a little bit. What she had gone through wasn't easy and no one should ever experience it in the first place, so he was angry that many had to go through that hellish experience who weren't as lucky as her. But what angered him the most was how weak and incompetent he was, getting so wrapped up in his cowardness that prevented him from helping people in need. First was with the same senior back when Kamoshida slapped her and now with his classmate... seriously, spineless people like him were just the worst. He was so weak, so cowardly, so wimpy, so incapable, so shameless, so...

"...I'm so pathetic." Konno mumbled sorrowfully.

*******

------Afternoon: Class 2-D------

Heading back to class for the afternoon session, Mr. Inui was scheduled that time for a biology class until the end of the day, and that time Ren was actually concentrating and listening to every word spoken by the teacher. His mind was at ease and there was nothing occupying it anymore since everything had truly turned for the best in the end, so what was there left to worry about anyway? Absolutely nothing, and nothing at all. While writing notes down on his notebook from the blackboard, Ren felt his pocket vibrating from his phone, making him quickly and quietly pull his phone out of it. It must've been Ryuji since he could never pay attention to class, no questions asked.

Ryuji: The police are really here... I saw 'em at the entrance.

Ann: I saw them too! They were talking to the teachers!

Ryuji: That change of heart thing's seriously amazing, huh?!

Ann: I hope they don't find out we're responsible...

Ryuji: I'm pretty sure we'll be fine. There's no proof it was us.

Ren: Yeah totally, there's no need to worry like this.

Ann: You sound so sure of yourself...

Ann: But I mean, haven't rumors been going around about how you guys threatened Kamoshida?

Ryuji: This world's Kamoshida shouldn't know anything about what actually happened to him though.

Ann: Still...

Ren: Chill out, Ann.

Ryuji: We did what was right. Don't go freaking out over some label.

Ann: I guess that's true...

Ryuji: Man, I really can't wait to keep living this double life!

Ryuji: All right, Renren! We're gonna be counting on you!

Ren: Stop calling me that.

Yeah, they did what was right, didn't they?

*******

------Time Skip: After School------

The school day was finally over, and thus Ren was closing the zipper of his bag that held his cat inside to head home and see if Sojiro needed any help before checking any schoolwork that needed to be done. That day went by just like any other day somehow and he was glad that he didn't run into anyone, and yet the school felt much more peaceful with Kamoshida around. Yes, that piece of society scum was finally set behind bars for a very long time, the place where he truly belonged from the moment he raised his hand on his very first victims. The dark-haired could tell from the students' expressions that all of them were also relieved that Shujin felt more at ease after that sorry excuse of a man turned himself in. Although the identity of those heroes who saved the school remained secret as the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, Ren knew who exactly those were and couldn't be any happier. With that thought in mind, just when he was about to carry his bag and head out, Mishima suddenly approached the noirest with a big smile on his face.

"...Hey." Mishima approached the boy.

"Hey." Ren greeted back.

"Have you seen that Phantom Aficionado Website?"

"I've heard of it."

"I'm the one who started it."

"What are you..." Ren trailed.

"Um...! ...You guys are the Phantom Thieves, aren't you?" Mishima whispered leaning his face close to Ren.

"Give me some space." Ren spoke firmly.

"...Sorry." Mishima backed away, "Although... if things really are as I think, I should keep it a secret. Kamoshida used me, and I did some horrible things to you guys. This isn't much for a way for me to apologize for it... but if there's anything I can do to help, just let me know!"

"That's great, Mishima but..."

"I'm glad to hear that. There are many more evil adults outside of Kamoshida. But I'm sure the Phantom Thieves will do something... they can't let this end after just one target. That's why I wanted to make a forum where people could post their problems. 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 site." Mishima showed his phone, "'Do you believe in the Phantom Thieves, or not?' I... hope someday my forum is filled with supportful posts. I'd really like to help out in the Phantom Thieves' acts of justice! ...Can I, please?"

"It's up to you..."

"In that case, I'll just do what I want." Mishima chuckled.

"I sense abundantly high expectations from Mishima..."

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

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

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

"...See you." Mishima rushed out of the class.

As if on cue, both Ryuji and Ann walked toward the shocked Ren just right after Mishima exited the class. The two blonde-haired thieves shot the dark-haired confused looks who had a cold sweat rolling down his face before he let a deep, troubled sigh escape his lips.

"We heard all that. Geez... it was a little awkward tryin' to figure out when to walk over here."

"So that forum is Mishima-Kun's..." Ann trailed.

"Has he figured out our identities?" Morgana asked shockingly after popping his head out of the bag.

"Even so, I think it'll be fine. He seemed to be playing it cool." Ann added.

"I guess we should have a little chat about this later." Ryuji commented.

"I will say though... a forum where people can post problems may prove unexpectedly useful." Morgana stated for the-matter-of-factly.

"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 should prepare our equipment and--" Ann got interrupted.

"Wait, oh CRAP!"

"What's with you?!"

"D-D-Don't we have an exam comin' up?!"

"...Judging by that reaction, I'd assume you're going to struggle this time too?"

"I-It's not like you're any better! All you're good at is English!"

"I'd rather that than be bad at every subject!"

"Even your Japanese is questionable at best, Ryuji." Morgana added.

"What's questionable is whether you're really even a human." Ryuji smirked, "...Good comeback, huh?"

"...Let's discuss with our fists!"

"Bring it!" Ryuji took a battle pose.

"Will you two stop it?!" Ann complained.

"Dear God..." Ren trailed while sweatdropping.

Little did the three know that Emiko was standing right outside of the class's door and heard the entire conversation. That little quarrel of Ryuji with Ann first then with Morgana made her chuckle in amusement a bit while closing her eyes. She enjoyed that small chuckle even though it was very short because it's been a long time for her to laugh at anything in particular. Still having the faint smile on her lips, she walked away towards the hallways as their funny words still lingering in her head.

*******

------Hayashi Resident------

"I'm back."

Emiko announced her return as she took her shoes off and placed them near the door before she put her pair of home slippers on. Her feet carried on inside the house with an audible sigh escaping her lips as her dull and tired eyes were scanning her surroundings aimlessly. A numb feeling was running through her arms and legs through the entire day due to the punches and kicks she delivered to that bastard earlier that day--that asshole sure made her use a good amount of her muscle strength. He was a jerk, a lowlife scum for trying to force himself on that Shujin student despite her continuous protests, and beating him up felt so... good. What brought her back to reality was the ever so delicious aroma that came out from the kitchen, filling the house's atmosphere and the girl's nose with the most tempting smell. It was very obvious that her mother was cooking dinner since this was the usual time Emiko came back home because she never hung out with anyone after school... ever since her father's death.

"Welcome home, honey."

A soft feminine voice came out from the kitchen as hurried footsteps made their way to the living room toward the brown-haired. Who stood by the door was a woman in her late 30s who had fair skin, dark eyes, and dark hair pinned into a messy yet elegant bun with a white hair clip as the bangs parted on both sides of her face, exposing her forehead. She wore a dark blue jacket on top of a white shirt, a white belt around her waist, and dark brown pants. She looked at Emiko with eyes brimming and radiating with warmth, kindness, and affection which also reflected on the soft and loving smile she had on her face... she was a true beauty indeed.

"So how was school today? Anything new?"

"Same as always."

"Honey... this is not healthy, you know. You need to make new friends and go out of the house. You can't stay like this forever."

"I'll go and change my clothes."

As if ignoring her mother's statement, Emiko made her way to her bedroom with heavy and lazy footsteps as her mother just shook her head hopelessly, leaving her mother behind her. The mother leaned her back against the door, massaging her temples with her thumb and index fingers while closing her eyes--the spark she had in her eyes and the smile on her lips were completely gone by now. She would tell Emiko countless times to stop living in the past and live her life while she could, especially by making new friends and hang out with them but no matter how much she tried to lecture her, she'd just turn her cold shoulder.

"What should I do with her...?"

The mother returned to the kitchen to continue preparing the meal with her mind being preoccupied with her beloved daughter and her worrying and saddening behavior. She was now a completely different person and not the same sweet and innocent girl anymore, instead she became so... cold and distant. It hurt and broke her heart a lot from inside to see her in such a state because Emiko was never like this before. She was a cheerful little girl who'd find joy and happiness in the smallest things possible--always smiling, laughing, and playing with other children, especially with Ryuji. The Hayashi household used to be filled with happiness and waves of laughter almost every day, every single moment was precious, and every memory was like a treasure.

But it was like that until that cursed day...

And even though Emiko had drastically changed after that incident, her mother knew more than ever that she'd have to pour extra effort to stay strong for her daughter's sake. She'd try to stay optimistic and coherent as much as possible despite everything and tried her best so her daughter won't see her tear-drenched pillow every morning after spending entire nights crying. She was really doing everything in her power, but the smile on her daughter's face was long gone, and couldn't even remember the last time she had seen her smiling or laughing at all. Oh, how she missed those lovely and beautiful days indeed. Wiping her tears away, she went back to prepare the table and place the dishes on it, and that was then when Emiko changed to more comfy clothes and returned to help her mother. The meal consisted mainly of tofu, but there was also some soup, rice, and salad on the side, so the dinner would be more nutritious and not very plain.

"Let's eat."

Splitting their chopsticks in half, the mother and child started digging into their food and eating it in silence. The room was utterly and killingly silent with no voice at all but the ticking of the clock hung on the wall and the wooden chopsticks into the food. The mother looked closely at the eyes of her daughter while eating and noticed from her expressions that she wanted to say something even if she didn't show that, so she made the first move after swallowing her last bite.

"You seem more quiet than usual, honey. Is there something you want to say?"

"Yeah, I think you can say that."

"Well, what is it?"

"Mom, it's good to help people in trouble, right? But aren't they supposed to face their own problems themselves instead of relying on others all the time?"

"Well, you do have a point but you're being unfair at the same time."

"What do you mean?"

"You see honey, not all people are equally smart or resourceful to know how to deal with their problems. There are people who are very simple and peaceful who don't know how to stand up for themselves, so helping those people give them courage and hope that there's still some good in this world."

"But won't evil always exist no matter what we do?"

"Of course evil is always out there no matter where you go and when the world was created, it was created with both good and evil. And as much as it's sad to see how much evil has grown nowadays, but it still can be reduced."

"I..."

"Listen, sweetie, if a person can help another in need then why not? No good person deserves to suffer in their lives as we did for example, so if helping someone might avoid them from such suffering, then I don't see a reason why not."

"I helped someone today..."

"Oh?"

"She was a first-year at my school and I don't know her. She was being sexually harassed by that disgusting young man. I don't know what came up over me, but the moment he slapped her for trying to defend herself reminded me of myself..."

"Sweetie..."

"It made me think that girl did nothing wrong, so why should she suffer? It was then when I stepped in and helped her."

"And you did well. I'm so proud of you. Tell me, what did you feel after you helped her?"

"I felt... good and satisfied."

"Is there anything else to be said then?"

"...I was just wonderin' if we'd be able to change those kindsa people too."

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

"...I've been thinkin'. We put a lot of work in 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."

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

"Shouldn't we be able to help 'em out?"

"No, I finally understand."

"Yes, I understand it all now."

*******

Word count: 7272 words

A/N: Aaaah, I finally finished this chapter.

*Imitates Jay's evil laugh* Things are getting quite interesting, eh?~ Mweheheheh~

Oh, ma babi boy Nagisa, don't say that about yourself. Not everyone can be brave and badass. ;-;

Even though that part was my own evil creation, but I seriously feel bad for my cinnamon bun... gosh!

And for my very first update in 2021, happy very belated new year for ya all! Hope this year will be filled happiness and grace and better than the last one. 💝

Stay safe, guys!

Whoever's reading this story anymore...

Rand Talih💞

Published on: Fri/Jan 8/2021