A few days had gone by since the incident and Shiina was finally feeling better. During her days of recovering, Shiina was strictly told by Fuyumi to go straight home once school was over which meant no Phantom Thieving for a while. It was all good though since she spent most of her after school time designing clothes and bonding with Tullia when the house was empty. She also started using her gauntlets to help cut hard fabrics (though it felt weird using them).

Since she was able to spend more time at home, she was also able to ask Shouto some questions regarding the supposed persona user in his class. According to him, the student didn't even use a mask with his hero costume. His costume was actually quite simple: a black soldier-esque uniform with a long spear he was able to summon at will.

She alerted Akira of the news and for some odd reason, he easily called off all suspicions on the mystery student.

The rest of the Phantom Thieves managed to make some good progress in Sae's Palace but hit a dead end. In Sae's Palace, a reservation was required for them to get to the high limit floor, but the only way to get a 'reservation' was to make the real Sae think they were allowed to enter. Basically, a cognition thing. Akechi figured out a plan rather quickly: since the palace was the courthouse in reality, the real Sae would need to see them in the courtroom for her mind to click in and see they were allowed entry.

So today, the Phantom Thieves would be attending a trial.

"Where will you be after school?" Fuyumi asked, brow raised and arms crossed.

"At a trial." Shiina replied, and the older woman's jaw dropped.

"W-what did you do?!" She spluttered.

Shiina cocked her head back, bewildered and insulted. "I didn't do anything! Akechi just invited my friends and I to watch a trial for... um, for fun, I guess? Experience? I dunno, but it'll be safe!"

Fuyumi and Shouto glanced at each other before the latter just shrugged. His sister and her friends had weird ways of bonding, like that one time Shiina told him they all decided to explore the Suicide Forest... That was really weird.

Anyways, Fuyumi finally relented and let them head off to school but not before reminding Shiina of the curfew for the millionth time that morning. On the way to her homeroom, she saw a familiar head of blue hair walking down the hallway and heading for the staircase. She bit her lip, remembering how she had treated him on the first day of school...

She quickened her pace but paused when an irrelevant upperclassman cut in front of her. His hand was outstretched, getting dangerously close to Mishima's unguarded back. "Hey, zero—"

He couldn't finish his sentence since Shiina promptly pushed him down the stairs before he could do the same thing to Mishima. He fell downwards, squealing with every hit he took.

Mishima was left gawking in horror.

Shiina stepped down so she was standing beside him, proudly beaming at her good work. "He deserved it. He was going to push you down too until I did it to him. You're welcome." She said sweetly, flipping her hair back.

Mishima's eyes bulged out when he saw her. "Y-you're...! Ki-Kiberi-san!"

"Mishima-senpai," she began nervously, fiddling with her fingers like the guilty little school girl she was. "Look, um, about how I treated you on the first day of school... I'm really sorry for being so harsh. I, er, hope you can forgive me?"

He furrowed his brows. "...Huh?"

She gave him an annoyed look. "What do you mean 'huh'? I'm apologizing to you so either forgive me or smack me!"

He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Erm, well, I don't really remember you doing anything to me on the first day of school... To be honest, I kind of just forgot about everything from that day."

"You FORGOT?!"

— ❤ —

The courtroom reeked of misery and adulthood, which was basically just the same thing. Shiina looked around and grimaced at all the tired faces she saw. They certainly didn't make her eager to grow up. If adulthood meant getting wrinkles and greying hair then she was fine with being the pretty teenager she was now.

"So this is what the courtroom is like..." Haru trailed off, also a bit put off by the pitiful atmosphere. Adults really led sad lives...

"Just being here causes my body to tense up." Yusuke said, looking around at all the weary faces.

"I'm shocked that Niijima-san can think of somewhere this solemn as a casino..." Haru commented.

"So Makoto's sis is that lady who's overflowing with the aura of a capable woman." Futaba said, looking over at the left.

Makoto nodded, "Mmhm."

Shiina glanced over there as well. Sae was literally the only adult that lacked the terrible wrinkly and miserable image, though her expression did show signs of stress. Nevertheless, she still looked great.

"By the way, what's this trial about?" Ryuji asked.

"A politician who decided to make personal use of government funds." Akechi replied.

"I read about that in a magazine!" Futaba whisper-shouted. "He went on a vacation with his mistress to some fancy hot springs!"

Ryuji groaned. "Aren't politicians supposed to be loaded? Why'd he mess with our tax money...?"

Akira shrugged hopelessly. "That's just how they are."

"Playing with other people's cash is a total no-go," Futaba scowled.

"This may sound odd, but isn't Niijima-san supposed to be busy with our investigation? Haru suddenly asked. "Does she really have time to be coming to a trial like this...?"

"Supposedly, she was on this case before being assigned to the Phantom Thieves..." Akechi explained. "Normally, another prosecutor would take her place, but... Sae-san can be a bit of a perfectionist.

Damn, Shiina thought, impressed.

"Hey, how're we gonna get Niijima-san to notice us? Did you tell her we'd be coming?" Ann asked.

Makoto nodded. "I don't think she read the message though."

"Let's all just stare at her until she notices us," Shiina suggested, and mentally snorted when they actually listened.

After a few seconds, she finally saw them.

"Wow, can't believe that actually worked..." Shiina muttered to herself.

Sae seemed to be shaking her head about something before turning away from them and going back to whatever she was reading.

"Hey, I've been wondering, but... Is the grey hair from stress or is it natural?" Shiina asked randomly.

Makoto sweat dropped. "It's natural."

"Oh. Good for her."

"It's almost time to begin." Akechi said, spying the clock on the wall.

Morgana poked his head out from Akira's bag. "Alright! Niijima can see now that we're allowed in the courtroom. This should let us enter that high limit thingamajig! Let's head over to her Palace once the trial's over!"

"Stay in the bag, dammit!" Ryuji hissed.

— ❤ —

They stepped out of the elevator to the high limit floor, which was being showered by never-ending poker cards. They managed to collect a few goods in the previous floor before coming here and Shiina was glad to find herself a couple thousand bucks richer.

"Sweet, that door that was blockin' our path's gone now." Ryuji noted. Faintly, the room switched back and forth between the casino to the courtroom.

"So this is what cognitive control looks like..." Akechi commented, sounding awed.

"Dude... If this stuff's still surprisin' you, you're gonna be in for a world of hurt from here on." Ryuji shook his head.

Shiina smacked his shoulder. "Don't be a dick, Crow and I are new to this."

"You smack too hard..." The blonde mumbled, rubbing his shoulder.

Oh my god, he completely missed the point. She rolled her eyes.

"Look, there's a counter up ahead. Shall we head there first?" Yusuke asked, pointed forward. Underneath two grand staircases, was a counter with a Shadow dealer behind it.

"I suppose there would be no issue in stopping by. Let us go." Akechi agreed.

So far, nothing had attacked them as they walked further into the lobby. The dealer greeted them amiably. "Welcome to the high limit floor, a proverbial gambling paradise. First off, we would like to extend a welcome gift to you." He added some coins into their player's card, which Akira pocketed.

"Awesome, they're giving us coins this time too!" Ann cheered.

"How many do we have now, Joker?" Shiina asked.

"In total, 2,030." He answered.

"So they only gave us 1,000. At least give each person that much, cheapskate." Futaba muttered, but insulting the dealer was no use.

"I'm sorry, but the welcome gift can only be applied once per card." The Shadow said. "Furthermore... this is the map for the high limit floor." Akira pocketed that too.

"Okay, show us your prizes now. We want to exchange our coins for a member's card." Makoto stated.

To their dismay, the dealer chuckled and shook his head. "We do have prizes, but that is unfortunately not one of them."

"What? Then how are we supposed to get to the manager's floor...?" She asked.

"I assure you, there's no need for a card. Please head over there..." He pointed above them.

"This sounds suspicious." Futaba said.

"Well, we cannot proceed unless we check it out. Why don't we head over there for the time being?" Akechi reasoned. They headed up the stairs and entered a seemingly empty room. It had a high ceiling and in front of them was a large, light up sign that read CASINO VICTOR in bright neon. Over at the side of the room was a shiny chest, which Akira managed to pick open. Inside was a bead chain which he handed over to Shiina and a sapphire which he kept for himself.

"Oh thanks," Shiina smiled to herself, tucking the bead chain away. It was good for healing everyone in the team.

On the other side was a lift stone, which Akira also kept. Once the floor was cleared of all it's goods, they headed forward where a gigantic golden scale stood.

"Hm, a scale... or is it a bridge...?" Yusuke pondered.

"Maybe it's a scale-shaped bridge?" Ann guessed before noticing something. "There's an area over on the other side too. That could lead to the manager's floor!"

"There can be no doubt... We'll need to lower the bridge to cross." Akechi said.

"But how can we do that?" Haru asked.

"Maybe through this thingy?" Shiina said, approaching a machine. "Isn't this an authentication device?" Akira lent her their card and she slid it in. After a brief moment, a mechicanl voice spoke:

"Authenticating member's card... The required number of coins to activate the Bridge of Judgement is 100,000 coins."

"Seriously?" Shiina frowned. "But we only have 2,030..."

"It's getting clearer that she has no intention of letting us proceed onward." Morgana stated.

"I don't believe there is any need for pessimism though." Akechi said.

"But think about how much that is! We were desperate just to get our hands on 50,000..." Ann trailed off. Shiina actually had no idea what they were talking about since this had happened while she was sick, but she had a pretty good feeling that they had to go through hell to get those coins...

"But we still obtained them in the end." Akechi stated confidently. "We can succeed if we do that again, then double our total."

"I suppose this is the high limit floor..." Makoto said.

Yusuke nodded. "Indeed, there must be a high risk, high return game somewhere here. Though we'll need to win too."

"Our first order of business should be to see what kind of games exist on this floor." Akechi said. With that said, they exited the room and returned to the lobby. On their right was a room title 'Battle Arena' and on the left was another titled 'House of Darkness'. Neither sounded so great, but they went into the House of Darkness anyways since it was the closest.

They first met with a Shadow Attendant. "Welcome to the House of Darkness, our puzzling labyrinth in the dark."

"You better not be lookin' for a fight 'cause we're not interested." Ryuji said sternly, and Shiina pouted to herself. She had actually been anticipating for one...

The attendant chuckled. "That won't be necessary. You are valuable participants, after all."

Morgana rose a brow. "Participants?"

He nodded. "Most certainly. The original intent behind the high limit floor is different from that of others. On this floor, VIPs are encouraged to send substitutes to compete in the games in their place. Consider it to be like the horses in horse racing. However... it seems you have no substitutes."

Makoto scowled, irked by the prolonged conversation. "Of course we don't. That should be obvious."

"Indeed it is!" He exclaimed. "Hence, you will be vital participants in these games."

Morgana sighed, also annoyed. "...So we basically need to be our own substitutes. Eh, sounds perfect to me! That's way better than spectating!"

"Splendid! Now, allow me to explain the rules. A straightforward maze lies directly ahead of you. I suggest you exercise utmost caution within, as the lighting is dimmed quite heavily. Your entry fee into this maze will be 1,000 coins... But if you can manage to reach the goal, well... you will obtain ten times that amount."

"10,000 coins, just from completing a maze?!" Haru exclaimed.

"I have a pretty good feeling it won't be easy to get those coins," Shiina pointed out. It was called the high limit floor for a reason after all...

"We can do it," Akira said firmly. He looked over at the attendant. "We'll start now."

"One more thing: You are free to head backward in the maze or even leave the room if you so choose... Well then, please enjoy."

Before getting started, the group found a safe room for them to relax and prep in. Shiina splayed herself over a couch while Ryuji dragged a chair over to the pool game. He glanced over at her and narrowed his eyes.

"You sure you're feeling better?"

"Uuuuugh," Shiina groaned, rolling over so she could face him. "I promise, I feel perfectly fine now, okay? I won't vomit on you."

"And your thigh?" Ryuji demanded.

She moved her leg around to show him. "Good as new. Ann healed it up after all."

Haru chuckled. "It's amusing to see Ryuji act like a mother hen."

Ann snickered. "He's been clucking over you while you were absent." She told the red head.

"I have not!" Ryuji denied.

"You have." Akira said.

"Don't deny it, Ryu, we all know you love me." Shiina giggled.

"I wanna punch your face in so bad right now..." Ryuji rolled his eyes.

"Nothing to be ashamed of," Akechi smiled. "It's very sweet of you to fret over a close friend. You and Diablo have known each other for awhile, right?"

Ryuji sent him a narrow glare, full of distrust. "...And how the hell'd you know that?"

"Well, the two of you are always with one another wether in the Metaverse or in the real world. I know that everyone here are close friends but... you and Diablo seem much closer." Akechi explained.

Ryuji scowled at him. "Dude, you've been observing us? So creepy."

"He's just analytical!" Shiina defended the brunette.

Akechi only chuckled and sent her a warm look. "It's alright, Diablo. My observant side could come off as unsettling so I understand."

Ryuji scoffed, crossing his arms. "iT's AlRiGhT dIaBlO." He mocked. He was so busy fuming to himself that he didn't catch the brief second look of disdain Akechi shot at him. Nobody saw it though.

After a few minutes of relaxing and light banter, they finally decided it was time to begin the maze and soon enough, they found out just how dark the labyrinth was.

"God damn! It's so freakin' dark!" Ryuji shouted.

"No shit, Skull..." Shiina sighed.

"This is definitely not 'a little'. We've been tricked." Makoto grumbled.

"I'm sensing Shadows too. 'Very simple' my ass." Futaba snorted.

"If we do not ascertain the layout and placement of the enemies, we will surely find ourselves in danger... I just hope there is an adequate way of doing so..." Yusuke said.

"Leave that to me," Akira said, activating his Third Eye. "Just follow my voice, I'll try my best to make sure we don't encounter any Shadows..."

"Hmm, you can see through this darkness?" Akechi asked. He sounded as if he was standing to Shiina's right. But wait... wasn't Ryuji supposed to be there? Oh well.

"It's this ability I have called Third Eye," Akira explained shortly.

Thanks to Akira's Third Eye ability, they were able to get through hallways and vents safely without engaging in any conflict. Shiina would've been disappointed from the lack of action, but it's not like she could fight in the dark... After what felt like hours walking around in the dark like a bunch of lost children, they finally managed to find a lit up hallway...

"Huh? That's the guy who was at the reception desk..." Morgana said, frowning. Up ahead was a door but guarding it was the same Shadow Attendant from before.

"We'll have to fight him won't we?" Shiina said, eagerly stepping forward but the large decorative cards plastered against the wall started to shift, blocking their path. She sighed in disappointment. "Never mind..."

A few minutes of vent traveling later, they found themselves on the other side of the hallway and even better, there was a button on the wall to retract the barriers. They ventured further into the House of Darkness, stealing goods and killing shadows until they finally ran into the same Shadow Attendant that tried to escape them.

"There you are!" Shiina huffed, irked that it took a while for them to find the bastard.

"Inconceivable." He said, and Shiina surpassed the urge to roll her eyes at his unnecessary vocabulary. Why couldn't the bad guys ever talk normally?

"How have you managed to make it this far...?" He continued. "You truly are pests... Every time you think you've crushed them, they just come crawling back in."

"What was that, you shithead?!" Ryuji barked.

"I hope you're ready." Morgana sneered. "We didn't appreciate that trap of yours."

"He's right! You didn't have any intention of letting us get past that maze in the first place!" Ann snapped.

The attendant made a sound of delight. "Ah, you are indeed correct! That is how things are supposed to be. You're not worthy of victory. Now, won't you just lie down and lose for me? This isn't an easy job, you know."

Shiina's eye twitched. "Not worthy...?" I'll fucking show you! In a flash of blue, her gauntlets appeared over her arms and the sharp claws appeared at the bottom of her boots. Without waiting for orders, she lunged at the Shadow just as it shifted into the Snake King.

The claws on her feet dug deep into the Shadow's lower stomach while the claws on her hands swiped mercilessly at his bare neck. He rasped, and behind her, Shiina could hear Akira summoning Horus so she effortlessly jumped over him, flipping frontwards so her boots could scratch at his back. It was a good thing she got out of there in time since Akira's Horus attacked with a strong Kougaon.

The Snake King retaliated by unleashing Mazionga, beams of electricity striking down on everyone's Persona's except for Shiina's, who had yet to bring Tullia out.

"Aw dammit," Ryuji cursed. Snake King was an electric type, meaning Seiten Taisei's attacks would just be blocked.

"Tullia," Shiina muttered, her Persona materializing beside her. Tullia raised a bloodied hand to cast Eigaon, and pillars of darkness began striking the Snake King from underneath.

Astarte was using Heat Riser on Morgana's Mercurius since he was a wind type and was the Snake King's biggest weakness at the moment. Ann and Carmen were working together, whipping at the Snake King's back and shooting it down with flames while Akira and Yusuke shot at him relentlessly. From a distance, Robin Hood was notching an arrow pumped full of Bless magic.

Shiina and Tullia let out identical cackles, jumping at the Snake King and clawing at his unguarded sides. "Go!" Shiina said to Akechi, backing away as Robin Hood released his arrow.

"AAARGH!" The Snake King shrieked. He aimed his palm at Shiina and Tullia, a ball of electricity forming at his hand.

"Aw fuck nah!" Ryuji spat, sprinting forward to bash his hand away while Seiten Taisei sadistically cleaved the Snake King's head.

"Morgana, you ready?" Futaba called out, giving his Persona an additional boost.

"On it!" Morgana whooped, Mercurius striking it down with a powerful wind attack that successfully killed it.

"Heh," Shiina grinned, reaching out to give Tullia a high five. Neither of them were bothered by the other's sharp claws. Tullia then promptly disappeared, as did everyone else's Personas.

"That must have been his plan from the very beginning." Haru sighed, dusting her shorts off and adjusting her hat.

"Considering how things were on the members floor, it's no surprise this isn't a fair game either." Makoto said.

Ever the optimist, Akechi said: "And yet we still reached our goal. Come now, let us go. We have no more business here."

"Hm, we will have to go to another game if we want to win more coins..." Yusuke pondered. "Joker, should we go back to the reception area at once?"

Their leader nodded. "Yeah. Let's head straight there."

"Guess we'll be trying the Battle Arena?" Shiina asked.

Ryuji shrugged. "Seems like it. Oh and next time: don't go jumping into a fight without thinkin' dumbass!"

Futaba snorted. "Sounds funny coming from you."

"Shut it," he glared.

They returned to the lobby and entered the Battle Arena where they were met with another Shadow Attendant.

"Welcome to the Battle Arena, the infernal fighting ground where the embers of life glow bright." He greeted them. "Oh, it's you guys... Our manager told us about you."

"Huh? The hell've you been hearin' about us?!" Ryuji said angrily.

He chuckled. "My, you're so quick to anger. Wonderful. This would be quite boring if that wasn't the case. Allow me to explain this game to you. Here, you will prove your supremacy in a trio of fierce one-on-one battles. Then again... this is the pinnacle of our casino, the high limit floor. Normally, our VIPs would prepare substitutes who fight to the death for their sake... The attending guests then bet coins on who they think will win."

"Here too...? Ugh, this shit makes me sick." Ryuji muttered.

"The entirety of this floor must be like that." Akechi informed. "Taking little risk for a high return is truly the optical business strategy."

"But can we even participate if we don't have a substitute...?" Haru asked.

"Hey, we didn't need one for the other game. The same probably applies here too." Morgana concluded.

The attendant nodded. "As irritating as it may be, that is correct. Please participate. Registration will take place at the counter over there." He then walked away, leaving the teens to think.

"He said it was one-on-one and since we don't have a substitute, someone else will have to act as a representative," Makoto theorized.

Ann frowned deeply. "You're saying one of us will have to 'battle to the death'?"

Ryuji's shoulders slumped. "Well shit, I don't like the sound of that..."

"You're just being wimpy. Sign me up, leader! I volunteer as tribute!" Shiina exclaimed.

Akira frowned at her. "Are you sure?"

Ryuji jumped in before she could say anything. "There's no damn way you're doin' that, ya bonehead!"

"Oh, please!" Shiina begged, shoving her best friend out of the way and giving Akira a wide-eyed look she knew he couldn't resist. "I've been out of commission for so long, I need to do this!"

"That's exactly why you shouldn't..." Akira sweat dropped. "You're still new to this... plus you just recovered from your fever."

Akechi, however, saw the determination in her eyes and believed in her. "I trust her," he spoke, causing everyone to look at him. "She handled herself very well against the previous Shadow."

Shiina beamed.

"I agree," Yusuke sided with Akechi. "Diablo is actually very adept to battles. I believe we should all put our trust in her."

Shiina beamed even more.

Ryuji's shoulders shook, he was gaping at the bluenette with a hint of betrayal and incredulity. "Fox ya little fuckin'—"

"—I trust Diablo too!" Ann exclaimed.

"I as well." Haru nodded, smiling.

Futaba grinned, eying Ryuji and knowing very well that he was feeling pissed about this. "She'll kick ass out there!"

"What do you think, Joker?" Makoto asked.

"Well," he began, trying to ignore the vicious glare Ryuji was currently giving him. "I think Diablo would be a perfect choice too."

"Woohoo!" Shiina whooped. "Thanks, Joker! You guys are the best, except you Ryuji, you suck." She promptly stuck her tongue out at him. "I'll kill every damn Shadow out there and prove you wrong! Come on, let's go register myself in!"

They headed towards the counter; Shiina skipping at the front and Ryuji stomping angrily at the back.

"Ah, welcome." The Shadow Dealer behind the counter said. "Will you be participating in our stunning Battle Arena?"

Shiina nodded eagerly. "Yup! I'll be acting as their representative!"

"Perfect. The entry fee for this event is 10,000 coins. However, if you manage to succeed the trials, you will be granted ten times that: 100,000 coins." He explained.

Behind her, Ann gasped. "That's enough to get us across that bridge! You can do this, Diablo!"

The dealer led them to the gate and informed her: "You will not be able to retreat once you enter this room. Is that alright with you?"

She shrugged uncaringly. "Not like I got much of a choice."

He nodded, pleased. "Good." The barriers moved, allowing her entry. As she took the first step in, Akechi called out to her.

"Diablo," he said, and she turned around to face him.

"The reward is high, which could only mean the opponents you'll be up against are dangerous. Be careful alright? And remember what I said."

I trust you.

She positively beamed at him. "Don't worry, I got this!"

And with that, Shiina entered the arena. Her heart was pounding when the lights shined down on her. She was definitely nervous, but there was no way she was going to back out. She was ready for this, she knew she was.

The Ring Announcer's voice boomed throughout the arena. "Now then, our gripping battle is finally here! An idiot member of the adult-defying thieves has come!"

Shiina's jaw promptly dropped. "Excuse me?!" Idiot member? How dare he!

The announcer ignored her. "Odds are 1.1 to the house, 23.0 to the Phantom Thieves! Wow, the Phantom Thieves are surprisingly popular! It's rare to see the odds in the double digits! Now, let us begin our serious one-on-one battle! Bring out the first contestant!"

A pair of Ganesha's (or Auspicious Pachyderm) appeared. Shiina blinked in confusion. Why were there two?

"Uhhh, what the hell?! There's two of 'em!" Ryuji shouted in outrage.

"This isn't one-on-one at all! They're just ignoring the rules right from the beginning!" Ann cried out.

"Now then, it's time for this hellish trio of battles to begin! Ready, set... go!"

Shiina shook her head. "Oh fuck it," she said to herself. Technically, Tullia would be helping her out too so it would be two on two.

She found out rather quickly that these Shadows were resistant to physical attacks after she and Tullia released a fury of slashes against the elephant shadow's tough skin, never able to break through the barrier. So, she had Tullia cast Maeiga a couple times on them and finally took them down.

"Wow, she really can't take a hint! The stupid Phantom Thief has won!" The announcer said.

"Seriously?!" Shiina barked, looking around for the annoying speaker. "Why don't you come down here and fight me!"

"You know," the man sneered. "I'm just going to call her the Phantom Dweeb from now on!"

"I hate this guy," Shiina muttered under her breath.

"All of you betting on the house, do not fret. The second round of contestants is arriving now!"

As if on cue, three more Shadows appeared. Judging from their red and black color scheme, Shiina could only guess that they were a curse type too.

"What?! There are even more than before!" She heard Yusuke say.

"How cowardly! There's nothing fair or honest about this!" Haru exclaimed.

"Quiet down in the peanut gallery. Now, it's time to die in this bloodcurdling battle!"

The battle began, and a few minutes into it, Shiina felt a sense of dread hit her. These Dancing Witches were not only resistant to Tullia's curse attacks... but every physical damage she and Tullia tried to inflict just seemed to reflect back onto them...

Shit, shit, shit, Shiina cursed wildly in her head, diving to the left as one of the Shadows tried attacking her with a Swift Strike. Tullia could put their opponents to sleep using Dormina, but the spell itself won't defeat the Shadows...

"Doesn't look quite good for us, Tules," Shiina muttered, landing beside her Persona.

"Humph," Tullia harrumphed. "I managed to learn something new. Just watch."

Shiina rose a brow and did as she was told, stepping back as Tullia simply glared at one of Dancing Witches. Suddenly, it was struck by a circle of pink energy. The Dancing Witch stumbled back, a dazed look in her eyes.

"WAS THAT MARIN KARIN?!" Morgana shrieked from the stands.

"What the hell is Marin Karin?" Shiina called back, furrowing her brows in confusion, before they shot up to the top of her head when she witnessed the same Dancing Witch attacking its allies.

Tullia then turned to the second Dancing Witch, before enchanting it with Marin Karin as well. Then she did the same to the third...

"They've been brainwashed," she chuckled lowly, stepping back to enjoy the show. "Now all we need to is watch."

"Huh," Shiina smiled, watching the chaos enfold before her. "Seems neat."

In just under five minutes, the three Dancing Witches managed to destroy themselves and Shiina and Tullia were hailed the victors once more.

"Bullshit! Why the hell aren't you dying, you goddamn Phantom Dweeb?! I have a bet on this too!" The announcer growled. "There's no way in hell you're getting away with this! Time for our final contestant!"

The last and final Shadow and appeared, and unlike the rest, this one was alone.

"Damn it's huge...!" Shiina marveled, a little unsettled by it's height. It was at least ten feet or more...

"Go, grind her bones to dust! Let the extreme third battle begin!"

Shiina quickly shook off her fears and stared at her opponent with determination. "Okay judging from the bright ass colors, he's either a bless type or an electric type. Either way, he's no problem for us! Tullia, you know what to do!"

Her Persona nodded and wordlessly opened her mouth, a black and red ball of pure curse magic forming between her bloody lips. With a screech, the attack shot out and it was much too wide for the Thunder Emperor to dodge (it didn't help that he was such a huge target too).

He stumbled back after the attack struck and managed to shake it off, charging up rather than retaliating.

Tullia used Eigaon and once the attack faded away, Shiina lunged and swiped at it with her claws. "Again!" She ordered, flipping off of the Shadow. Eigaon was used once more and again, the Shadow chose to charge up.

Whatever he's gonna do, it's definitely gonna hurt... Shiina bit her lip.

Just to be safe, she had Tullia cast Marin Karin on him but to her horror, he dodged it. Even worse, he decided that he was done with charging up and finally unleashed a powerful electric attack. Shiina was knocked back, Tullia flickering away at her side.

"Oooh fuuuuuck," she groaned quietly, struggling to lift her head up.

"SHIINA GET THE FUCK UP!" She heard Ryuji scream.

"It's... Diablo, dammit..." She whimpered, forcing herself to get back up to her feet. She cursed again, seeing the Thunder Emperor gaining in on her with his hammer raised. Her eyes nearly popped out of her skull. She had no idea who that hammer would be for, but she didn't want to find out so with a squeak, she dashed away from the scene and allowed Tullia to disappear.

"Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit!" Her voice raised with every word, growing more and more panicked.

I can do this, I can do this, I can do this! She mentally screamed at herself.

Tullia returned to her side and used Marin Karin again, but this time, it worked. The Thunder Emperor slowed down to a stop, allowing the pair to finally finish it off with a vicious strike of their claws.

"Hah!" She said victoriously, hearing someone applaud from the audience. She glanced over to the side, beaming when she locked eyes with a very pleased and relieved Akechi.

"And justice prevails," he said, smiling.

The announcer spoke up, his former haughty tone lost. "Th-the payout will be handed over after this... Please wait..."

She smirked to herself, glad to hear how defeated he sounded. Serves him right. She thought.

When she met up with the rest of her friends back at the counter, Haru was the first to engulf her in a hug.

"You did amazing!" She complimented, eyes wide with glee.

Shiina squealed back. "I know right?!"

Ryuji grumbled under his breath, trudging towards as Haru stepped back, watching the scene with an amused smile dancing over her lips. Everyone watched with bated breaths.

Shiina looked at him and placed her hands on her hips, a haughty grin plastered over her face as she awaited for his words.

"...Guess ya did good." He finally admitted.

"She did more than good." Akechi commended, patting her shoulder. Ryuji's eyes nearly popped out at the sight.

Ann nodded in agreement. "You were incredible! They never even planned on giving you a fair fight in there."

"Yes, I expected that would be the case. Our other trials have been rigged as well, after all." Akechi stated.

Makoto frowned, his words registering in her head. "So you just allowed her in knowing full well the possible dangers?!"

Akira then tensed up, realizing that as well. He inched a little closer to Shiina as if to shield her. The younger girl hadn't noticed and was instead blinking obliviously as an argument rose up.

Akechi's voice was absolutely calm despite the accusation thrown at him. "Like I said before, I simply had faith in her skill."

"Yeah, it's all good and well!" Shiina chirped. "Besides, I wanted to go in, remember?"

Futaba bit her lip, shooting a brief glare towards Akechi's direction. She and Yusuke locked eyes, both expressions show discomfort at the situation Akechi was more than happy to throw their friend in.

Did Akechi truly belief that Shiina would succeed? Or did he have darker intentions in mind?

Akechi then smiled. "Come now, we should head to the bridge. This shall be our moment to shine."

"Let's go guys!" Shiina said eagerly, already strolling towards the exit with Akechi in tow. Ryuji went after them, not wanting Shiina anywhere near the suspicious detective.

They made it back to the bridge with ease.

"Authenticating member's card..." The mechanical voice from the machine said. "The required number of coins to activate the Bridge of Judgement is 100,000 coins."

"We got that! Now let us through!" Ryuji snapped impatiently.

The machine spoke again, except this time, they were hearing Sae's voice. "It seems you worked hard to gather that many coins. I never expected you would make it this far. I commend you on your vigorous efforts. However, you will never proceed to the manager's floor ahead. From this moment forward, the number of coins for the bridge will increase to 1,000,000 coins!"

"WHAT?!" Ann blew up.

"That's not fair! You can't give us an impossible task like that!" Futaba cried out.

"Ah, you finally understand? That is the point. Your task will forever be impossible! Hence, I will emerge victorious!"

"We had only just barely gotten 100,000 coins as well..." Haru trailed off.

Akechi approached the machine. "She said she would let us through if we had 1,000,000 coins, yes? In that case, there won't be a problem."

Shiina tilted her head. Akechi just always seemed to know what to do.

Ryuji, temporarily forgetting his animosity towards him, spluttered, "Y-you know how to win that many?!"

The brunette turned to them and replied, "Not exactly. I already have the requisite coins right here."

The Phantom Thieves weren't the only ones shocked by that discovery. "What...? How could that be?!" Sae nearly screeched.

"Do you remember what we were told at the very beginning?" He questioned. "Essentially, we could borrow as many coins from the casino as we already held on our card."

Haru frowned, not understanding it. "Well yes, but..."

"For example, had we borrowed the max when we had 10,000 coins, we would have ended up with 20,000. And had we then bet on Diablo at the colosseum as a guest, our total would have grown to 460,000." He explained.

"Yes, but you're speaking purely in hypotheticals. That's not what actually happened." Makoto pointed out.

"Correct, on Joker's card. However, that is not the only card in our possession." He smiled.

"You have... another card?!" Sae spat out.

He whipped it out.

"That's the Taro Tanaka card I told you to get rid of...!" Futaba exclaimed.

Shiina pouted to herself. She had seriously missed a lot during her absence.

"Exactly. Instead of disposing it, I secretly used it to gather coins and outsmart this system." He stated.

Haru gasped. "460,000 coins... that means we would have over 500,000 if we add all of our coins together!"

"H-hmph... So what? That's still clearly not close to the required total." Sae said.

Akechi only smiled wider. "Actually, once my count reached 460,000, I borrowed the maximum amount a second time. After paying back the original 10,000, I was left with 910,000. Adding Joker's total to that brings us to 1,010,000 coins. We can surely cross the bridge now."

Ryuji's jaw dropped. "W-wait! If we borrowed all them coins..."

Akechi rose a brow. "Is there a problem? The manager's room lies ahead. We won't need to worry about coins after this. Or did you honestly intend on paying back such a large sum?"

"Impossible... This can't be...!" Sae seethed.

"Damn Crow," Shiina would whistle if she could. "You're waaaaay smart! Kinda makes me feel useless for not doing much..."

He chuckled. "Nonsense, Diablo. If it hadn't been for your excellent battle at the colosseum, my bet would've been for naught. I'm glad we were both able to contribute to our Phantom Thieves efforts. Now we should hurry and let the bridge down before she decides to change the rules once again."

Quickly, they transferred the million coins into the machine and the bridge was activated. They dashed across it and burst through the doors. The room they entered was just as grand as all the others except it was void of Shadows. At the very center was a pedestal surrounded with velvet ropes to act as a barrier. On it was a shiny orb.

"It looks like this is her base of operations. Perhaps her Treasure will appear on that pedestal." Morgana stated. "A lot has happened, but we managed to get up here! Miss Manager's days are numbered!"

Sae's voice echoed throughout the room. "How uncouth of you to simply barge in here. Elegance is necessary for victory as well, you know. I entertained you with all of my 'games', but it appears you are still far from satisfied. Very well. I've made preparations especially for that possibility. This will be a game of life and death from now on."

Shiina could've help but roll her eyes. "Hasn't it always been a game of life and death?"

Sae continued on as if she never interrupted. "No matter who I face, I shall not lose!"

Beside Shiina, Makoto reached up to rub her forehead. "Sis..." She took a deep breath. "Our infiltration route is secure. We need to head back out and send the calling card." She said to the group.

"And once the calling card is sent, Sae-san's Treasure will appear, correct?" Akechi asked.

Morgana nodded. "Yeah. Once the target is cognizant of the danger, that cloudy thing will take shape."

Akechi placed a hand under his chin. "I wonder... what will the Treasure look like?" He mused.

"That depends on the person," Ann began. "For Kamoshida, it was a medal. Madarame's was a painting, and Kaneshiro's was fake money..."

"Father's was a plastic model..." Haru said, her tone somber.

"And mine was an Endeavor toy I lost a long time ago..." Shiina muttered.

"In other words... the Treasure is what marked the beginning of the Palace ruler's aspirations." Akechi concluded.

Yusuke nodded and added: "It could also be what caused their desires to swell."

"Thinking about it won't get us anywhere though. Let's head back and prepare the calling card." Morgana ordered.

Everyone was just getting ready to leave, but Makoto was still staring at the shiny orb.

"Hm? What's up? You curious about the Treasure?" Futaba asked.

"Speaking of that, it actually looks like there's a shape formed in the haziness..." Haru pointed out.

"If I had to guess... I'd say Sis's Treasure is a police notebook." Makoto sighed heavily.

Akechi frowned. "Right... Your father was..."

"She... probably thinks dad died because the police were using him." She finished. "That's why she believes justice is meaningless, and that there's no point living a subservient life... Dad's death is even the reason she aspired to become a prosecutor and she grew so obsessed with winning... She really loved him..." Her voice broke at the end.

"Sae-san's heart must be exhausted from living in such a fiercely competitive world..." Akechi trailed off. "Honest beliefs alone are not enough to get you through. Even I understand that pain... But that's exactly why we need to change her heart."

Makoto was quiet for several moments. "...Yes, you're right."

— ❤ —

When they returned to reality, Shiina was relieved to see that she still had an hour and a half before her curfew ended. Fuyumi would seriously have her grounded for a whole year if she had missed it again especially after the incident...

Akechi was the first one to part ways which was understandable since he was the only one in the group with an actual 'job-job' as Shiina called it. On the walk back to the station, Akira suddenly froze.

"What's wrong?" Shiina asked, peering up at him curiously.

He didn't say anything and instead opened his bag. "Morgana's gone."

"What?!" Everyone gasped.

"Did—did we leave him back at the Palace?!" Haru fretted.

"No, he said 'bye' to Akechi remember!" Futaba pointed out.

"Then where the hell did he go?!" Ryuji grumbled, looking around fruitlessly.

"MONA?" Ann called out.

"We should spread out and look for him," Makoto suggested, and they all agreed. Everyone separated to go look for their lovable team cat in various degrees of worry (Ryuji being the least worried and Akira being the most).

After about ten minutes passed and no sign of Morgana, Shiina started to grow annoyed. "Okay, seriously where did he go...?!" She still had a curfew to worry about!

"You're so much better than the guys I'm stuck with! They never bother to give me ice cream...! Oh, but I really do think you need to sleep more though." A familiar voice said.

Shiina blinked. "Huh?" She turned a corner and spied a head of gravity defying purple hair. There was a teenage boy sitting on a lone bench with a familiar black cat on his lap.

"Morgana!" She fumed, storming towards them. "We were looking everywhere for you! Akira's two panic attacks away from getting an aneurism and you've been here eating ice cream the entire time?! Without sharing with me?!"

"Shiina you scared me!" Morgana hissed, paw placed over his heart.

"I don't care if I scared you, get over here!" She grumbled, snatching the cat off the random boy's lap.

The boy blankly stared at her. "...Do you have a cat whispering quirk or something?"

"Huh? No, 'course not." She scoffed. A cat whispering quirk? How ridiculous!

"Shiina you idiot..." Morgana sighed to himself.

The boy had the audacity to look amused at her answer. "So you're saying you're just a crazy cat lady huh?"

Her eyes bulged out. "HUH?! How am I a crazy cat lady?!"

He snorted. "You're talking to a cat."

"..."

FUCK THAT'S RIGHT! She internally screeched. Not everyone's able to understand what Morgana's saying!

Her face reddened in pure embarrassment as she tried desperately to save herself to no avail. "Er, um, well..."

Morgana facepalmed. Or face-pawed in this instance. "Oh my god, you really are Ryuji's best friend huh..."

"Don't bring Ryuji into this!" She barked at him.

The boy couldn't help himself. He tried suppressing his chortles, but Shiina's red face just made it too hard for him to do so.

"I-I-I—!" She stuttered. "Stop laughing at me! I'm not crazy, I swear!"

He was trying very hard not to laugh at her. "Whatever you say, crazy cat lady."

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" Her face was as scarlet as her hair at this point! Morgana started laughing as well. "AND STOP LAUGHING AT ME, YOU!"

"Stop responding to me!"

"AAAARGH!" She cried out in defeat, hanging her head in shame.

The boy bit his lip to cease his bubbling laughter, feeling just a teensy bit bad after seeing her face which was basically close to tears. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry." He apologized.

She glared weakly at him. "Are you really?"

He nodded, chuckling only just a little. "Yeah, I am."

"Good! You should be!" She huffed.

Morgana, unable to help himself, tried to trick Shiina. "Tell him I said thanks for the ice cream."

And stupidly, she fell for it. "Oh, he said thanks for the ice cream."

"..."

"..."

Her face fell, realizing what she just did. Her face grew red once more. "Oh, I hate you Morgana!"

The boy's amused smile stayed. "Are you sure you don't have a cat whispering quirk?"

"No, I'm Quirkless." She replied automatically.

The boy's eyes widened a bit. "O-oh... Um... Oh."

She pouted, recognizing the expression on his face. "Oh don't give me that pitying look... Being Quirkless isn't that bad..." Actually, it kinda was, but whatever. "Do you have a Quirk?"

He nodded hesitantly. "Yeah, um... It's Brainwashing." He mumbled, as if ashamed of it.

"Ooh that's like your Marin Karin!" Morgana exclaimed.

Shiina wisely chose not to respond to him. "That's cool!" She complimented. "So do you like stare at someone and then order them around? How does it work?" She asked eagerly. He had such a beneficial Quirk! She wondered what she could do if she had it... She could definitely take her shitty old man down, that's for sure!

"U-um, well," now it was his turn to stammer, a slight pink color speckled over his cheeks. "I just speak to someone and when they respond, they get brainwashed." He explained awkwardly.

"Ooh, sounds—Wait!" She just noticed his school uniform. "You're a UA student?!"

He winced at her high-pitched volume but nodded nonetheless.

"My brother attends UA too!" At this point, she was bouncing on her feet, hearts in her eyes. "You probably don't know him since he's kind of a loner, but onii-chan's sooooo cool! He's in the hero course and one of his teacher's All Might! Isn't nii-chan so lucky?! Anyways, onii-chan's super antisocial so can you please be his friend?!"

The boy's eyes widened at how talkative she suddenly became. Her brother must be her favorite topic to talk about... "Er, well, I'm kind of a loner too so..."

"Ugh," she pouted. "Why is everyone a loner these days?" She muttered to herself. "Oh wait, I never asked for your name!"

"...Shinsou Hitoshi." He said.

"I'm Kiberi Shiina, it's nice to meet you!" She exclaimed. "I really gotta go now, but thanks for feeding Morgana. He likes you by the way."

He rose a brow, an amused smirk dancing over his lips. "Okay, crazy cat lady."

"Can you not—?!"

— author's note —

I'm sorry for being so bad at fight scenes... What's worse is that both Persona and BNHA are full of fight scenes and I just c a n t. Please forgive me...

Anyways, have you noticed that the chapters are longer? I've been trying to make longer chapters since short ones just annoy me. IDK, I kinda got disappointed when I saw that some of my chapters were only a little over 2,000 words.

Hope you enjoyed the brief Shinsou encounter!