Shiho jumped back so fast she nearly tripped over her own feet.
She did trip over her own feet.
"—what the hell—!" she yelped, hitting the ground with a thud.
The Pixie hovered where she'd appeared, blinking once—then twice—before breaking into bright, chiming laughter.
"Ehehe! You should've seen your face!"
Shiho pushed herself up on her elbows, glaring. "…Im going to spear you."
"Pfffffffft!" Pixie blew a raspberry.
And just like that—she vanished.
Gone. No dramatic exit. No smoke. Just absence.
Shiho froze, still half on the floor.
"…I don't like her," she muttered.
Ryuji snorted. "Yeah, nah, that's freaky as hell."
Ann crouched beside Shiho, offering a hand. "You okay?"
Shiho took it, standing, still pouting faintly. "…She laughed at me."
"Yeah," Ann said. "She's kinda—"
"Mischievous?" Morgana offered.
"Annoying," Shiho corrected.
There was a small pause.
Then, from nowhere—
"I heard that!"
Shiho flinched again.
Ryuji barked a laugh. "She can talk without appearing?!"
"No," Ren said calmly.
He adjusted his glasses slightly, expression thoughtful rather than concerned.
"She's part of me now."
That… did not help.
"What?" Ryuji said.
"You'd better change that phrasing." Shiho said with a disgusted expression.
Ren exhaled lightly, organizing the thought as he spoke.
"When she turned into a mask—she became a Persona. Like Arsène." He tapped his temple once. "She said it herself. 'I am thou, thou art I.' as the mask faded into me."
Morgana's eyes narrowed in recognition. "A contract…"
"Yeah," Ren said. "Something like that. I guess. "
Ann tilted her head. "So… she's you?"
Ren considered that.
"…Not exactly," he said. "More like—an aspect."
He glanced slightly to the side, as if listening to something only he could hear.
"She's impulsive. Loud. Likes messing with people."
"Hey!" Pixie's voice chimed indignantly in his mind.
Ren ignored her.
"…So probably the part of me that enjoys being sarcastic," he finished.
Ryuji stared at him. "Dude. That explains so much."
Ren allowed a small, unapologetic smile.
Morgana crossed his arms. "Multiple Personas… That's not normal."
"That definitely can't be good for his sanity." Someone whispered.
Ren hummed.
"…Yeah," he said quietly. "I figured."
There was a brief pause before he muttered under his breath—
"…Igor. I should ask him."
"Ask who?" Ryuji said.
"Nothing," Ren replied, already turning toward the exit. "I'll explain when I better understand this."
'Igor? Uh. Uh. Lavender? No... Who?'
Morgana was lost in thought.
---
The diner in Shibuya was warm, bright, and aggressively normal.
Which, after everything, felt surreal.
They'd claimed a booth by the window. The city moved outside in a blur of neon and motion, people living lives completely unaware of demons on toilets using magic in a castle dedicated to a pervert.
Five glasses hit the table in quick succession.
Fru-teas.
Ryuji immediately took a long sip. "Man, I needed this."
Shiho leaned back in her seat, cradling hers between both hands. "Same…"
Ann looked better now—steady, composed—but quieter than usual, still processing.
Morgana sat on the table, tail flicking. "Alright. Let's review."
Ren nodded slightly.
"We have a target," Morgana continued. "Kamoshida. His Palace is stable. Distorted. He's aware enough to retreat and adapt."
"And he's gonna be *pissed* next time," Ryuji added.
"Good," Ann said, voice sharp. "I want him pissed."
"We also have a larger team now," he said. "Which helps. But coordination needs work."
Shiho nodded once. "We were reacting. Not planning."
"Exactly," Ren said.
Morgana pointed a tiny paw at him. "Which means strategy. Infiltration routes, safe zones, engagement rules—"
"And stealing his Treasure," Ann said.
That stilled the table for a moment.
Ren leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the table.
"Yeah," he said.
Ryuji frowned. "We still don't actually know what that is."
"It's different for everyone" Morgana said. "His desires. His obsession."
Shiho's grip tightened slightly around her glass.
"…so we just take it?," she said.
Simple. Direct. No hesitation.
Morgana nodded.
"Yeah," she affirmed. "We will."
Ren looked between them—Ryuji's fire, Ann's anger, Shiho's quiet resolve, Morgana's focus.
Then he gave a small, decisive nod.
"We go back," he said. "Better prepared. We map the Palace. Secure a route to the Treasure."
Ryuji grinned. "Now we're talking."
Morgana smirked. "Sounds like a group of Phantom Thieves."
Ann blinked. "Wait—are we actually calling ourselves that?"
"…We can workshop it," Ren said.
"Yeah, please do," Shiho added dryly.
A small laugh passed around the table.
For a moment, it felt normal.
Then Pixie's voice chimed softly in Ren's mind—
'This is fun.'
Ren didn't react outwardly.
But just slightly—
He smiled.
---