With the recent debut of the new 'Persona 5 the Animation', I decided to start a plan for a collaborated work between me and my fellow Fanfiction writer, Coral the Leviathan. She and I both made the idea of creating OCs for the series, so here we are, going into try and work together to create a story surrounding the game and anime Persona 5. One of the OCs is Coral's, while the two that are gonna be told in this first part of the story, are mine. Hopefully it will appeal to you all, and that it will steal your hearts!

Toyota. A small area in the south-central area of Japan, located in the Aichi prefecture. It was a nice, old town, with plenty of decent people, going about their lives. Whether it was going to work, spending time with love ones, or whatever, the people here were pretty much normal here as anyone else.

Inside an old music store, a few people were examining the albums, old records, and whatnot. Standing in one part of the store, with headphones in his ears, was a third year high-school student. He had olive green eyes and dark blonde hair, tied in a small bun in the back. He wore his old high school uniform, which was brown with a gray undershirt, and beige slacks. He wore green and black tennis shoes underneath his slacks, an armband on his left arm, with a picture of a couple of teen anime characters on it, wielding swords, and wore a silver pendant of a pair of swords crossing a shield, like a coat-of-arms.

He was listening to a tune on the headphones, with the title 'Mr. Launcher' by LiSA. His eyes were closed, totally stuck in his imagination as he listened to the song. He could visualize the battle scenarios that went through his mind, going along with the rhythm of the music. He was totally hooked to it.

Just then, there was a tap on his shoulder, and he turned to see the store owner, a middle-aged man, glaring down at him. "Hey, you've been standing here for a good long while, kid. Are you gonna purchase this, or are you gonna leave?"

The high-school student was startled at how long he had been standing here, looking at his phone, seeing the time. It was late in the afternoon, and he came here after school. "S-Sorry, Mr. Takeyama…" the student apologized, "I would like this song, thanks. Can you transfer it to my phone?"

"Same as usual?" the owner sighed, "Honestly, can't you just go online and purchase this same song?"

"But this store has everything out where I can see it." the student answered, "Besides, I like it here. Don't you want me as a customer?"

Mr. Takeyama chuckled as he pointed out, "Can't argue with that. With the internet as it is, my usual customers seem to be fewer and fewer. You're one of my most constant one, Haneru. Though, from what I heard, you're gonna be leaving soon."

The student, Haneru, looked down sadly. "Yeah. My mom is transferring to a new hospital. It's in the big city, so I am pretty nervous. Thank goodness for music, anime and video games, eh?"

They went to the cashier desk as Mr. Takeyama took Haneru's phone, and burned the music from the disc onto it. "You know, it wouldn't hurt to go and talk with folks. Maybe make some new friends around your age, instead of old adults like me."

"If it only were that easy…" the student sighed, placing his money on the table, and taking back his phone, "Thanks a bunch, sir. Hope business still goes well with you."

"We'll see." he answered, "Say hi to your mom for me."

"Will do. Bye." Haneru waved him off, walking out of the store. As soon as he left, he immediately placed on his earbuds, plugged it into his phone, and went through the selection of music. He decided to go to one of his usuals, and started playing 'Egao No Mahou' by MAGIC PARTY. He shouldered his backpack, and wandered his way back home.

"My name is Haneru Kurosawa. I'm seventeen years old, and I'm a third year in high school. My birthday is May 29th, meaning my Zodiac Sign is Gemini, meaning I should be able to communicate well with others, however…"

Haneru looked to see a group of students around his age, laughing and talking together as they passed by him. One or two of them noticed him, but they didn't approach him, and continued to walk by.

"…That's a challenge to me. After all, I am an otaku. For those of you who don't understand that term, it means I love anime, manga, video games, all that jazz. I'm not afraid to admit it, even to other people. Though, that does make it difficult to get along with classmates. When I try to talk to others about normal things and stuff, I end up sounding shy. When I try talking about things I enjoy, my speech is usually defined as 'animated' to others my age. Still, I don't mind. That's who I am, after all."

Haneru crossed a bridge, reaching his way to the train station. He walked up the stairs, and made his way to the train station. He scanned his phone on the gate as he entered, went in line with other folks as he entered the train, the doors closing behind him. He felt the train move, then decided to change his music again, going to something more calming. He pulled up a song called 'Gentle Hope' by Saori Hayami, and let the music take him away as the train moved along.

"Today was my last day in this high school. A few weeks ago, my mom, who is a skilled nurse in this town, ended up getting a transfer to Saitama. I question why we are moving there when we are just fine here, and she answered that they have a better pay salary for her there than here. There was one other reason, I was sure of that. Mainly due to one person in this town…"

The train doors opened, and Haneru walked out, looking at his music, noticing it was almost done. He wandered away, going down a block, then turned right on his street. He found his home the second one on the left. It was a three story apartment complex, four apartments per floor. His home was on the third floor, apartment #302. Walking up the steps, he used his key to unlock the door and enter in.

His house was in the middle of a transition, with boxes here and there, loading for the big move happening next week. What wasn't loaded yet were just the essentials to last for the week, or in Haneru's case, something he wouldn't mind keeping out until the last minute.

"I'm home." Haneru called out, putting his backpack down next to his shoes, which he slipped off. No one answered, but he could hear someone talking on the phone in one of the bedrooms. He walked over, knocked on the door where the voice was coming from, and entered in.

The room he entered was his mom's room. It was quite cluttered, as it was still in the process of being packed up and put away. Standing near her nightstand was a woman in her late thirties, with hair the same color as her son, and eyes an orangish-yellow. Though she was a single mother, she was slightly physically fit. She wore a dark blue cardigan, slim blue jeans, her pink slippers, and a blue gem necklace with a butterfly-shaped silver frame around it. She also wore a golden ring around her ring finger, signaling her still being married.

"Yes, of course. I have made sure to transfer all of my documents to Saitama." she informed the caller, "Don't worry. I'll finish the last of the paperwork by the day after tomorrow. Yes, thank you. Good-bye."

She hung up the phone, sighing in relief from ending that call. "Was that the hospital?" Haneru asked her, getting her attention.

"Yes, it was. They're just making sure I have everything prepared for my transfer." she answered, smiling, "Anyways, it's good to see you home again. Help me out with the packing, please?"

"Yeah, okay…" Haneru grumbled, knowing that he was gonna do a lot of work for her, even after the busy day at school.

"Don't give me that tone, Haneru." the mother huffed, "As far as I saw, you barely packed anything away at all in your room. You even have all your posters still up, even though I told you to put them away a week ago."

"I'll get to it, okay?" Haneru assured her, "It's not like we'll be leaving tomorrow or anything." His mother sighed at his behavior at all of this.

"This is my mom, Mia Kurosawa. She's a nurse at our local hospital. Her occupations besides that are swimming to stay in shape, and also likes things as clean as possible in the house. She is a great mother, but she worries about me a bit too much, saying that I don't socialize with people as much. That is completely untrue, as I do socialize…just, more with people online and stuff. Even so, for someone who is a single mother, she handles things well."

"I don't know much about my father. He disappeared when I was two years old, so I don't exactly know what happened to him. My mom said he had gone overseas, and lost contact with us ever since, so she's unsure of where he was. She always did tell me a lot about him, and how they met in high school and fell in love. He was a brave guy, and a strong-willed one, which mom said where she gained her own strong will from. I really don't understand what she means by this, but she claims that since I'm their son, I should be just as strong as them. Like that could happen, though. I'm way too much of an outcast and shy to be counted as 'strong-willed'."

For the rest of the afternoon, Haneru and Mia spent a lot of time packing away the unessentials for the week in boxes. Haneru took care of his own room afterwards, pulling off several posters he had on the walls.

His room was essentially describing his favorite anime and video games ever. A few of his posters included a group of fighters led by a sword-wielding girl in white and a boy in black, a group of nine pirates, led by a boy in a straw hat, a music-themed group of magical girls with a white cat, a group of street dancers the the name 'Tri-Cool' over them, and much more. He had other things besides posters that showed off his love of all things anime and video games. His stuffed animal collection contained a plethora of creatures from one of his favorite games. He had a few pendants on a knob in the wall, including one that looked like a key and a sword rolled into one. He had a couple figures on the table showing off a few characters, including a blue hedgehog. It was pretty ridiculous to see how much he had.

After Haneru packed up his posters and a few other things, he settled back on his bed, looking up at the ceiling. "Only a week remains." he sighed, closing his eyes, "I wonder being in the city will change me better than here…" In truth, he was pretty lonely at school, what with people not sharing the same things he enjoyed. Still, he didn't mind the solitude. It was the life he picked.

Haneru looked to the digital clock on his computer. 5:19 PM. "I can go and still do one session tonight on the roof." he told himself, grabbing his phone and his speaker nearby, then raced out the door before his mother could say anything to stop him. However, she knew what he was doing.

Haneru raced up to the open-area rooftop of the apartment complex. It was darkening outside, meaning the lights were on up there. He found his usual space in the back part of the rooftop, and set up his music, readying one of his favorite dance soundtracks to listen to. He quickly pressed the play button, and backed away to a position.

(Cue from Soundcloud 'Tribe Cool Crew OS -Dance Side- : Change the Mind- LET ME SHOW THE BRIGHT')

Haneru listened to the music, his eyes closed, focusing on the rhythm as it started out. He thought back to the first episode of this anime, of the one kid who first started dancing to this song. He wanted to dive fully into the character, who had the same first name as him, and into the dance he did. He then snapped his eyes open and started dancing. His style was hip-hop, slightly sloppy, but for a beginner, it wasn't too bad. He was enjoying himself, and trying to match the same movements of the person he had watched.

"This is just who I am. Though I am alone, I like to dive into my imagination, and pretend I was one of those cool anime characters. Whether a swordsman, a mage, a martial artist, or a street dance performer, I always had the fascination for the heroes. No matter who or what they deal with, they overcome and keep moving forward, and rally others when they don't have a voice for themselves. I know it's all fiction, and that those kind of people are impossible to find in real life. Still, if there is a chance for me… If I could become that hero… I would truly embrace it, and go for it."

As the song ended, Haneru tried performing a backflip, the last move before he could strike a pose, but he got over half-way before he hit the ground, knocking the wind out of him. There was silence as the song was over, except for Haneru's groan from failing the technique.

"Still jumpin' and failin' to leap over the black bog, I see." said a voice nearby. Haneru looked up to see, sitting in a fold-out chair nearby, a guy that was not there before. He was around Haneru's age, with black, damp-spiked hair, and small pupils. He wore a simple black t-shirt, blue jeans and sports shoes, and wore a grin on his face at the sight of him on the ground.

"You know…that joke is getting really old." Haneru groaned, getting back to his feet again. The guy chuckled at Haneru's words, then responded, "Can't help it. I'll milk that joke till you are gone."

"This is Nikolo Hideyoshi, the only other person in this apartment complex who is close to my age. He an alright guy, but a person who tends to poke fun at me, mainly at my name, which literally translates to 'Leaping the black marsh'. Even so, I ended up getting him interested in anime and video games like me, so we can talk on the same level…well, almost."

"So, did you see any news on a second season of those couple of anime you enjoy?" Nikolo asked him as Haneru sat next to him, cross-legged, resting his back on the wall.

"Unfortunately, no. Not sure if they'll actually put one up." he answered, "Still, that one anime should have a second season, at least. It was pretty comical, with that dragon maid girl, after all."

"Yeah, not to mention that the season finalé of that American-made show ended recently." Nikolo sighed, "All we can do is wait for the new stuff to come rolling in."

"Yeah…" Haneru agreed, looking up at the sky, "Plus those new games that are suppose to come out this year. I'm anxious to get them, as well as those manga to be posted online."

"Geez, whenever you talk, it's nothing but anime, manga and video games." Nikolo pointed out, "You seriously are an otaku, aren't you."

"Never denying it." Haneru answered, grinning, "I chose this life, and it's how I roll."

"And…you're okay with that?" his friend asked.

"What do you mean?" Haneru asked, looking curiously at him.

"I mean, don't you want to be more?" Nikolo asked, standing up and turning about, "You're pretty amazing at classes, and you are a somewhat skilled dancer, but you spend so much time just focusing on those otaku things. You're gonna be moving in a week, so why don't you take this opportunity to decide whether you want to continue this path when you move."

"Hey, I'm fine as I am." Haneru retorted, flipping onto his feet again, "I still have a future, and just like a brand new anime episode, I never know what's gonna happen next. So I wait for the path made for me to come."

"Suit yourself." Nikolo sighed, "I'm just trying to help you out, since you'll be gone in a week. At least, as long as Mr. Oda doesn't get in the way."

"Why would he want to interfere with our move?" Haneru asked, "Seriously, I would think he would be glad to get rid of me. He hates me, you know."

"Remember before when I said there was one person that we would like to get away from. Mr. Oda is the landlord of this apartment complex. In fact, he owns several of them in this area. He's a grumpy old guy who likes to stick his nose in other people's lives where it doesn't belong. And the worst part is that he seems to get his way with people who live in one of his apartments. He is manipulative, and greedy, and he hates kids like me, for some reason. I don't get why, though. Just probably because I am not a kid from his era. I'm glad of that, though. I hate to be like him."

"Well, better get back home." Nikolo told Haneru, walking to the door back downstairs, "Dad's coming back early today, so we're having homemade sushi. If you want, we can get you guys some."

"Sure." Haneru answered with a grin. With that, his friend opened and closed the door, exiting the scene. Haneru stood there, looking at the door, then up at the clouds, wondering. If he was honest with himself, he had always fleeted between reality and fiction, not wanting to completely embrace in either one. Still, when he said that he awaited whatever the future brought, he meant it. He wanted something to come his way, like in those anime or video games, that'll suddenly change his life, and make him find that path. However, that was fiction, and this was reality. Things didn't really work that way. But he was too worried about wanting to make the first step on his own, thinking it won't work for him, and that he would live a sad life. What was his future? He had no idea.

Deciding to shake off these thoughts, he packed up all of his stuff in a pocket, and departed the rooftop, heading back downstairs. This was his life, after all. Always stuck in his habits, and wondering where to go from here.

He returned to his home, opening the door and closing it behind. He could hear a pair of voices, and could tell who the second voice was, unfortunately. He entered the main room. Passing the kitchen, he noticed, sitting at the dining room table, an elderly old man, bald, with white wisps of hair on the sides. He was hunched over, based on his bad back. He wore a black blazer over a red shirt, blue velcro jeans, shoes designed for comfortability, and a wristwatch.

"Oh, great. The little brat is home." he grumbled, seeing Haneru standing there.

"Mr. Oda…" he greeted, frowning at him. His immediate thought is that, once again, he avoided taking off his shoes at the door, as he should've done.

Mia was pouring tea for him as she stated, "I was just telling him that I had finalized the papers for my transfer to Saitama. We should be able to move smoothly."

"Yes, that is true…" Oda replied, taking the tea and sipping it, "And good riddance to you, kid. I swear, causing a commotion to the others with your stupid music, show and whatnot. You are a constant pain in my butt."

"That is not true!" Haneru argued, "No one has told me that in the slightest. Besides, I always put my headphones in when I play games and watch videos. You are obviously making stuff up!"

"And what if I am?" he huffed, glaring at him, "Don't forget, I still own this complex, as well as several others in this part of the district."

"Still, that doesn't give you an excuse to hate me!" Haneru retorted angrily, "What did I ever do to you?!"

"Haneru, that's enough." Mia stopped him, silencing her son, "Mr. Oda, every time you come to this house, you have constant disrespect for my child. I don't see why you hate him so much."

Oda sipped his tea again, ignoring the comment, then looked up at Mia as he continued, "Never mind. Anyways, about your final pay for the apartment. Considering how things stand, I am feeling you owe me a lot more for several things, like the installments you placed in this apartment…"

"Which you allowed me to add, if I might add." Mia reminded him.

"…And the constant complaints and troubles your son has made…" Oda continued.

"Stuff you made up!" Haneru added, "I haven't done anything wrong!"

"Let me remind you of that incident you pulled a few months ago." Oda told him, "You know, the one involving throwing that brick through my window, twice!"

"That wasn't me!" Haneru retorted, "I was with Nikolo at the arcade that day!"

"Yeah, and he isn't much of a trustworthy kid, either, just like his father." Oda retorted, "Besides, there were eyewitnesses who saw you throw that brick into my house." Haneru curled his fists, wondering why someone would think they saw him do such a crime. It was true that Oda didn't go to court with this, but he still hung this over Haneru whenever he had the chance.

"Now, back to my last payment." Oda continued, turning to Mia, "Considering all these claims, I think you should be able to pay, say, ten times the previous amount."

The words shocked both Mia and Haneru, the former adding, "But why?!"

"You can't do this!" Haneru barked, "You don't have the right to do this!"

"Come now, Mia. You are a nurse. You should be very loaded right now." Oda pointed out, smirking, "Surely, you can pay that amount."

"I…" Mia started, the teapot in her hands shaking, along with her hands.

"This is blackmail!" Haneru retorted, "You were waiting for something like this to happen so you could fine us like this, weren't you?! That's why you were so lenient on stuff!"

"Oh, don't be so imaginative, boy." Oda retorted, "Why don't you go to your room and play with your stupid toys, and leave the adult stuff to us."

Haneru was having so many thoughts of how many ways he could strike this guy down. His fists were curled, and his teeth were grit. He didn't care what this guy said. He was taking things too far.

Just then, Mia placed the teapot on the table, then glared calmly at Mr. Oda. "I'm sorry, sir. I don't see any reasons to pay for the price you are asking me for. I will pay the previous amount, as you told me, and that'll be the end."

Oda sighed, then shook his head. "Honestly, I do see a reason for you to pay the amount I am asking for NOW." he stated, looking up at her with a glare, "If you don't, I will sue you and your family for illegal installations into my apartment complex, as well as property damage to my house, along with other things, if I may add."

Mia was startled at this, while Haneru was seething with anger. He came at him and smacked the teacup out of Oda's hands, causing it to shatter against the wall. "Haneru!" his mother gasped, racing over and stopping him from going any further. Never had she seen him go this far in anger.

"You asshole!" Haneru roared at the landlord, "You set us up for this, didn't you?! Just admit it!"

"Looks like I'll have to add physical abuse to me on your charges, as well." Oda added, ignoring Haneru's accusations.

"Haneru, stop it!" Mia barked.

"You're gonna allow him to get away with this, mom?!" Haneru demanded, shocked his mom would just allow this to happen, "Whether we pay the amount of money he's asking for or not, we won't have enough to start off with in Saitama!"

"In that case, I have another proposition." Oda decided, standing up and walking towards the door, "I can reduce the price back to normal, but only on one condition…" He looked back at the two as he continued, "…That boy leaves this apartment, but not you, Mia. He leaves this district and never comes back, or else I take all of you to court."

Mia and Haneru looked startled at his proposition, then Mia stated, "But why would you want me to stay?! Besides, I already finalized the papers for my transfer. I can't go back to my normal job anymore, and I have to leave in a week."

"I know that. Don't worry about it, though." Oda continued, walking away, "I can allow you to be my personal nurse at home. Besides, with a young and healthy lady like yourself, you should be able to get 'other kinds of jobs', too." The way he phrased the last words, he knew what he was planning for Mia to work at. He was not only twisted, but sick as well.

Haneru felt like he would break his teeth the way he was gritting them. It took all he had not to swear or strike. Mia had a good grip on him, but the way her hand quivered, it told her how frustrated she was at the monster before her.

"I'll give you the end of the week before you make a decision." he stated, walking out the door, looking back at them with a grin, "Don't be too long on it." With that, he closed the door, leaving an empty silence after the door clicked shut.

Mia relinquished her grip on Haneru, who turned back at her as he demanded, "How could you let him get away with this?! He's totally blackmailing us!"

"I know, I know." she answered, "I seriously don't know his reasons for this, but he clearly is trying to destroy us, especially you."

"If we pay his demands, we won't have enough to start a proper life in Saitama." Haneru pointed out, "In fact, we'll be flat broke because of it! And if we don't pay for that, he'll bring us to court!"

"He has connections to the court, including our defense attorney." Mia pointed out, "He could make it for him to not be able to defend us at all. And with those demands, we'll be paying more than what he is demanding us."

"I bet he was waiting for this specific moment, wasn't he?" Haneru huffed, stomping back and forth in the room, "He wanted to make sure that we would be leaving soon, and then surprise us with this blackmail JUST as you got the finalizations for the transfer to the other hospital, just so that we would be trapped, no matter which way we'll go."

Mia was cleaning up the broken teacup on the floor, muttering, "He will reduce the price on our final payment if you left, though I won't be able to work at that hospital anymore…"

"But, mom, I can't go out there by myself!" Haneru pointed out, "I…don't have anywhere else to go. I need you…cause, I'll be helpless, out there."

He and Mia were both frustrated at this situation. This was clearly a pinned down situation that Mr. Oda put them in. He was cunning enough to pull it off, and also cruel enough to allow it to happen. He was greedy, manipulative, and hateful to Haneru. Why? Why would he detest Haneru this badly?

"Haneru, I know you are angry, but it's late." Mia told him, "You should head to bed."

"Yeah, right. Like I could go to bed with all of this happening to me!" the otaku boy mentally retorted. He stomped towards his room, slamming the door behind him, leaving his mom alone in the kitchen.

She looked down at the broken teacup in her hands, dumping them into the garbage. She looked at her hands, and noticed a part of the cup had cut one of her fingertips. Her eyes wavered, tears starting to form from them. "I'm sorry, Haneru…" she apologized, "I'm so sorry you have such a weak and helpless mother like this. Your father would've known what to do in this situation. I just…I can't…" She fell to her knees and cried, her hands placed over her eyes, not caring for the blood that dripped from her fingertip, down her forehead.

Inside his room, Haneru was laying on his back, looking at the ceiling. He was angry he couldn't do anything to help his mom. He was angry that Mr. Oda had put them in such a bind like this. It was just like that incident a few months ago, as the old landlord had explained.

He and Nikolo were just walking home, having enjoyed going to the arcade together. However, they were stopped by the noise of something breaking through a pair of windows. They rushed to the scene, where they stood in front of Mr. Oda's house, which was a two-story house, surprisingly large for a man of his age and being alone.

He came out of his house, showing a pair of bricks and accusing Haneru for breaking them, along with a few other things that were broken inside the house. A few of the people living in the place said they saw Haneru do the deed, even though he and Nikolo pleaded that he had not done it. However, among the people, Nikolo's mother was also there, trying to tell her son the truth that he also saw Haneru do it, baffling him. In the end, Mr. Oda just stated that he was trying to defend his friend, and also chose to not charge Haneru of assaulting his house. However, when they parted, Oda gave the most malicious grin the otaku had ever seen. He knew he was gonna hang this over him, and use it when the time was right.

The time was now. He was gonna use this, along with an assortment of lies, to further his case. He might even put Haneru into Juvenile Hall, giving him no future to look forward to. He had no where else to go, and no way to progress further.

"God, I'm so useless!" he told himself, slamming his fist onto his pillow, "I can't believe there's no way out of this! This is what I get for not acting, and waiting for a path to show itself. Why…why couldn't I just be the hero, like in all those stories? Why…?"

For the longest of time, he wanted to cry, but he just couldn't. His frustration at the situation was too great. All those anime and video games, and none of them showed a realistic way to get out of this.

He pulled out his smartphone, ready to plug it in. As he looked at the screen, he noticed something. There was a new app on it. It was red and black-outlined, with a picture of a creepy eye, with a star-shaped pupil on it. He didn't remember downloading something like this, before. Where did it come from? He tapped the icon, and it zoomed the app thumbnail in, showing a bar underneath for something to type in. After examining it for a bit, it looked like some sort of navigation app. "Why would I need this?" he asked, "It's not like this will help me out of my predicament."

He flopped his hand gripping his smartphone to one side, grimacing. "Damn, that Mr. Oda. I wish…I could do something to stop that spiteful, manipulative old man."

"CANDIDATE FOUND." his phone suddenly spoke, startling Haneru. He looked at it, and noticed the words, 'Mr. Oda' and 'manipulation' on it. "What the…" he asked, looking at the screen, "Did it…did it just pick up what I said?"

He sat up, looking at the present app on his phone. This wasn't normal. Why would his phone react to him mentioning Mr. Oda and talking about his manipulative personality? "What's going on?" he asked himself, looking at the app, "I wonder…could this app be able to tell what crimes people have done? If so, maybe this app is telling me Mr. Oda's crime!"

He shook his head at this thought though. "On second though, no way. There's no way a digital app is this good. It's not like any of those anime I watch. Still…" he looked down at the details on the app, "…It is a navigation app. Maybe…I need to put in a location? Maybe the house he lives at…"

"CANDIDATE FOUND." the app spoke again. For a moment, things almost looked distorted around him, but it disappeared the moment it appeared. "What the…?!" Haneru gasped, looking about. What was that? Some sort of hallucination? Was it made by this app?

Just then, there was a clatter on the ground outside. "Mom!" Haneru gasped, and he raced out of his door. His mother was standing there, the mop handle dropped on the ground, which was the result of the noise. She looked around, shocked and puzzled. "Mom, are you okay?" he asked, worried at her expression.

"Y-Yes…" she answered, her tone not completely truthful. She had just sensed something a second ago. Something she had not felt since her high school years.

"What is it?" Haneru asked, wondering, "Did…did you feel that, too?"

Mia looked to him, startled. "You felt it?!" she asked.

"Yeah. For a split second, everything looked funky." he explained, showing his smartphone, "The weird thing is, it happened when I placed in Mr. Oda's house in this app."

"An app?" Mia asked, looking closely at it.

"Yeah. I never installed it, or nothing. It appeared there." He looked at the phone screen again, "I said Mr. Oda's name, the word 'manipulation', and where he lives. This app seemed to have reacted to that."

What he didn't notice was a petrified look from Mia. No…no, there was no way THAT would appear. There was just no way something like this would happen again, would it? And to her son, no less. She had to stop him.

"Haneru, delete that app, now." she ordered him.

"Why?" he asked, confused, "This app might help accuse Mr. Oda of what he is doing to us."

"I-It's probably junk!" Mia stammered hastily, "It might cause a bug if you do anything more. Please, just delete it."

"No, wait." Haneru stopped, "It's asking for something else. From what I could see…wait, what is this? His cognition?"

"Give me your phone, so I can delete that app!" Mia asked him, stepping forward with a raised hand.

"Why?" Haneru asked, holding his smartphone close, "Mom, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I don't want you to go any further with that." she demanded, "Just delete the app, now!"

"Mom, you are acting strange." Haneru stated, very hesitant, "You've never been this like this to me and my stuff, before."

"This…this is different." Mia retorted, grabbing Haneru's wrist to snatch the smartphone, "Now delete that app, or I'll delete it myself."

"No!" Haneru relinquished his grip from his mom, and raced out the door.

"Haneru!" his mother raced after him. Haneru was athletic, but so was his mom. Haneru had just reached the ground floor when his mom grabbed ahold of him. "Give me that phone, Haneru!" she demanded, struggling for his other hand.

"Let…go!" Haneru ordered, straining against his mom's grip, "Why are you so against this app?! Do you know what it is?!"

"Never mind that!" Mia answered angrily, "I will not allow you to go any further with that wretched thing!"

"But why?!" her son demanded, "What do you know about this app?! It might help us stop Mr. Oda!"

"The only thing it will do is drive this family apart even more!" Mia barked at him, "I won't let you go like your father did!"

At this Haneru stopped struggling, as did his mom. She realized she had just said something she didn't mean to say. "What…?" he asked, wanting his mom to repeat what she just said.

"I…I…" she was trying to find a way to take back what she said. However, this was an impossibility. He had just heard what she said.

"What do you mean, the same way as my dad?" Haneru asked, "You told me he went overseas. What does this app have to do with him?"

Mia clenched her fists, refusing to tell him the truth. There was no way he should know what really happened to her father. What happened to him and some of her friends. She couldn't allow that. "Listen to me. You cannot use that app." she ordered, "I will try to figure out some way to reason with Mr. Oda. We don't need something like that to change his mind."

After a few seconds, Haneru muttered, "I can tell you know what this app is. I know that you were lying about my dad leaving overseas. It's written all over your face, mom. You don't think I wouldn't know? I'm your son!"

"Haneru…" his mother muttered, wanting to say something, but he continued, "I don't know what you have against this app. I have a bunch of questions, right now, but I know one thing; There's no way for us to reason with Mr. Oda. You know he hates me! And let's face it, he is attracted to you, mom! That guy's sick! He manipulates everyone around here, and treats them like a tyrannical king would treat subjects! To him, this place might as well be a village of peasants, surrounding his palace at his house!"

"RESULTS FOUND." his smartphone spoke again, startling the two. Haneru looked at it, noticing a new word added to the list of words already mentioned; 'Palace in a village'. Suddenly, his app spoke, "BEGINNING NAVIGATION." Suddenly, the area around them went weird, turning a purplish color.

"What the heck?!" Haneru gasped, looking about.

"No…we're going there!" Mia muttered, fearfully examining the scenario.

The screen on his smartphone suddenly became black, with the weird eye filling the screen, going red, then getting glitchy on them. In fact, the entire place started to distort around them in red and black waves. All of a sudden, the area changed drastically. What were the usual buildings became old, Japanese living residents, like something out of Feudal Japan era. Their apartment building changed into something similar, with some brighter colors to it. Suddenly, right before their eyes, they were standing in the dirt street of an old Japanese village.

"Wha-!" Haneru gasped, looking about, "What happened?! Where's our apartment?! And the entire street?!"

Mia went from startled to concerned, looking about the street. "So…this is what Mr. Oda thinks of our home…" she muttered, "The Metaverse still truly exists. I can't believe it…"

As Haneru and his mom wandered into the middle of the street, with Haneru saying, "It looks like something out of my anime, if it were set in the Feudal Japan. Just what the heck is this place? And how did we get here?!"

"It's because of that app." Mia answered, getting his attention, "It's thanks to that that we ended up in this reality."

"Wait, what?" Haneru asked, "This reality? What the heck do you mean by that?"

Just then, the two heard some footsteps from the side streets. They turned to see a pair of soldiers, dressed in the attire of palace guards, wielding nagintatas in hand, approaching their position. Their faces were hidden by black, shogi piece-looking masks, with their red eyes peeping out through slits.

"Halt!" shouted one of them, both raising their lances to the startled pair. "Lord Oda gave orders to arrest any outsider who tries to enter his palace!"

"Lord…Oda?" Haneru asked, "What's with these guys?"

"Shadows!" Mia noticed, scared slightly by them, "Haneru, run!"

"Wh-why?" he asked, startled at his mother's fear.

"Arrest them!" one of the soldiers ordered, both of them readying their lances.

"Oh, that's why…" Haneru answered as Mia grabbed his arm and ran away with him.

Their pursuers kept on their toes, but Mia was making sure they were several steps ahead of them. Haneru then noticed something. Every time they stepped, it gave off a splash of something red, despite the ground being dry. "What the heck is going on?!" Haneru demanded as they rounded into an alleyway.

Mia looked hastily and whispered, "Here!" she shoved Haneru and herself by a pile of wood, making sure their figures were in the shadows. They held their breath as they heard the two soldiers round the corner, racing up the alleyway.

"Where did they go?" one of them demanded.

"Search onward!" the other answered, and they raced past the Kurosawa family as they pursued towards the other side of the alleyway.

Haneru and Mia sighed in relief, then Haneru asked, "Mom, I get the feeling you know what is going on here. Is this the reason why you didn't want me to come here? Who were those guys? Why did they say something about 'Lord Oda'?"

Mia looked to her son, then down at the ground, thinking. It was obvious there was no way of avoiding talking about this place. It was time she divulged the truth about this place.

"This place…is not the realm of reality you and I know." she started, "This is a cognitive reality, known as the Metaverse."

"Cognitive reality? Metaverse?" Haneru echoed, "What the heck are you talking about?"

"In other words, we are in a reality formed by Oda." Mia further explained, "The distorted desires in his heart became strong enough to form this place. It is how he views our town."

"Wait, what?!" Haneru gasped, "Hold on, hold on! Let me thing for a moment… In other words, we are in another world, formed by Mr. Oda's heart? How?"

"This place we are in is basically a place where desires take forms." Mia explained, "There does exist a place where almost all people's negative and corrupt thoughts are at, but there are some who's thoughts are so strong, that they can form their own area that is based from the person's viewpoint of a particular place in the world. These places manifest in the Metaverse, creating places known as Palaces."

This was quite a bit to take in for Haneru, who's head was spinning from all the information dumped onto him. Still, he used all his fantasy know-how to formulate what she was saying. "So…what your saying is that we are inside Mr. Oda's heart or something?" he asked.

"More like his subconscious, but you are right." Mia answered.

"But what about those soldiers we saw?" Haneru asked, "Who were they? More distortions?"

"They are the residence in this world, Shadows." Mia explained, "I don't really know much about them, other that they represent certain parts of our hearts. They usually take the forms of monsters we know from folklore and such. However, in Palaces like this, they suppress these forms by turning into a human-like character that best represents the Palace they are in, such as soldiers. They protect the Palace, as well as a Shadow version of the person who created the place."

"Shadow version?" Haneru asked, confused.

"Probably this 'Lord Oda' that they speak of is the Shadow version of the Oda in reality." Mia assumed, looking about to see if the coast was clear, "Come on, we need to get out of here. Let's head back home."

They had stood up, and was just about to move when they heard someone shout, "OVER THERE!" They turned to see the previous soldiers they avoided before return, charging back at them.

"Run!" Mia shouted, and the two charged out the alleyway from the opposite side of the alleyway, with their enemies in hot pursuit. However, just as they reached the other side, they came to a halt in shock. Four other soldiers had already appeared, with their naginata weapons at the ready. The Kurosawa family turned behind, seeing the two that chased after them raise their weapons to prevent them from leaving. They were trapped.

"You are to be taken to Lord Oda immediately!" one of the soldiers barked, "And then, after hearing your accusations, you WILL be put to death!"

"P-Put to death?!" Haneru stammered, "Th-this has to be a joke, right?"

"I'm afraid it's not." Mia answered, startling her son, "If we die here, then we die for real." Haneru paled at this revelation. They would kill the both of them? For real?

"Move along with us!" bark one of the soldiers from behind, prodding Haneru with the blade of his naginata. The sharpness of the blade forced behind him made him yelp in pain. That immediately told him that those were not props. Those could cut and kill him. He had no choice as he and Mia were escorted along the path by the soldiers.

As they continued on the path, Haneru and Mia looked about the other houses. None of them looked like the buildings in their real world. Not only that, but there didn't seem to be any real people around, apart from the soldiers guiding them. The windows were closed and the doors were barred from the outside on each and every house, as if to prevent people from leaving their homes at all times.

"What is going on with this place?" Haneru asked, "Why are there no people out here besides us?"

"Don't play dumb!" one of the soldiers spat, "Lord Oda placed in a curfew on the village, so that no one is allowed to leave their homes at this time."

"A curfew?!" Haneru echoed, surprised, "Why would there be one on an entire town?! That makes no sense…"

"Silence!" one of the soldiers prodded him in the back, making him yelp, "No one defies the rules of our lord without severe punishment!"

Haneru massaged the part of his back that blade poked him at. He then felt something slightly moist, and looked at his hand. His eyes shrunk a bit. A bit of blood had started to form on his back. "Th…this is…" he muttered, his fears starting to rise.

"Haneru, calm down." Mia told him, "If you start to panic, it will only make things worse."

"But… Mom, I'm bleeding!" he exclaimed, "They are legitimately stabbing me! How can I not be calm?!"

"The punishment you will gain will be far worse than this." the soldier warned him, "We are arriving at the palace." The eight of them stopped, and the Kurosawa duo looked up at something that took their breath away. It was a feudal Japan-styled palace, four-stories tall, with red walls decorated with silver and gold trimmings, and brown-tiled roofs. It was surrounded by a wall too high to climb over. The door was a thick, solid oak, and was twice the height of either Mia or Haneru. More soldiers guarded the doors as well as the corners of the palace walls.

"This is Mr. Oda's house?!" Haneru questioned in shock, "It's hardly the two-story place he lives in before!"

"This is the cognitive version of how he views his home." Mia explained, "He thinks of his house as a grand palace amongst the lowly people in our town, to fit his status as a landlord. To think he would think of his home with such grandeur…I never knew."

Without words, the doors in front of them opened up slowly, and they were forcefully escorted inside. There were more soldiers patrolling the grounds inside, which were that of a decorated Japanese garden. The pathway was cobblestone, and they led the the front steps of the palace, where they were introduced to an even bigger shock. Mr. Oda was standing there, but he was clearly different from the man they knew.

He was standing upright, and had his 'longer than real life' hair styled in a spiked ponytail, tied by a decorated rope. He wore a black and red-trimmed coat, with a red and gold-trimmed underside, over silver and gold-trimmed armor that covered his chest, shoulders, arms and waist. He wore a brown hakama for pants, and wooden clogs underneath.

"Is that…?" Haneru gasped, seeing a man he knew, but didn't recognize.

"So you two are the rule-breakers my soldiers caught, eh?" Oda spoke, his voice having a sort of eerie, ethereal echo to it, "I should've expected as such from you, boy. But you, Mia Kurosawa. How dare you not only encourage your son to roam outside during curfew, but even join with him. Such a disappointment…"

"What are you talking about? What's with that outfit?!" Haneru demanded.

"Be silent! Kneel before Lord Oda!" barked one of the soldiers, shoving him and Mia down with the pole of his naginata into a kneeling position.

"So this…is Oda's Shadow." Mia grimaced, looking up at the man before them.

"Shadow?" Haneru echoed, not sure what she meant, "What are you talking about?"

Lord Oda didn't pay attention to them, but instead started off, "The crimes you have committed are as follows: Leaving your home outside of curfew. Attempted escape from my soldiers. And disrespecting me, the lord of this dominion. These are serious crimes, and all of which lead you to the same judgement: execution."

Haneru looked shocked at this judgement, not able to believe he would go to such lengths. "E-Execution?!" he stammered, "You can't be serious!"

"Oh, but I am." Lord Oda smirked, "Your death, in particular, will be swift and painful, Haneru. Usually, I don't mind slowly torturing my victims. However, you are an exception."

Haneru clenched his teeth, hardly believing this. Mr. Oda was far crueler than the man he knew. The one he knew did hate him, and did treat him worse than any other person in the apartment building. However, this was more than just him hating Haneru. He wanted him out of his life…permanently.

Just then, Mia stood up to her feet without hesitation, getting the attention of Shadow Oda and her son. "I will not allow you to do that to my son." she scowled, "He has done nothing wrong to you, so why should he be treated in such a way? You have no right in the other world OR this one to be so cruel to my son!"

"Mom…" Haneru muttered, amazed at her daring to stand up in this situation.

"Oh, Mia. You are a lovely vixen with such a daring heart." Oda stated, "It reminds me of how you use to be back when you were younger. But look at you, now. A peasant who believes her voice can still be heard from those higher up than you. Give it up! You have no choice in this matter, and you never will! Why can't you just behave like my wife…?"

He turned to the doors behind him, which opened up to reveal a figure that startled both Mia and Haneru. She was dressed as a geisha girl, with a white and sakura petal-patterned yakuta and red obi. A rose petal on a metal stem holding her hair in a bun. However, there was no doubt who this person was.

"M-Mom?!" Haneru gasped, seeing his mom's look-a-like stepping out to join Oda's side.

"Here I am, my lord." the other Mia spoke up, bowing to him.

"There you are, my sweet." Oda responded, taking one of her folded hands and kissing the backside of it.

"What's going on, mom?!" Haneru questioned, standing up and looking at her, "Why is there a second version of you?! Is this one of those Shadows you spoke of?"

"No. That's not my Shadow." she answered with a growl, "This is merely a cognition. A version of me Oda's Shadow created. A version that is submissive and dedicated to him."

"That's sick!" Haneru spat, turning to Oda, "Why would you think of my mom that way?!"

"All who lack superiority in this world are nothing more than servants to me." Oda answered, "Mia is an exception, as she is not only smart, but beautiful to the eyes. There is no one in this village more worthy to be my wife than her."

"So this is how you view me? This is why you don't want me to leave?" Mia questioned him, her tone getting angrier with every question, "You are THIS obsessed about me, that you are going to any lengths to keep me close to you?!"

"All I ask is for you to behave and stay by my side as my 'personal' caretaker." Oda's Shadow told her, "If you only just agree to my terms, then I won't have to kill you. It is a one-time offer from the great Lord Oda himself. Not a bad deal, wouldn't you say?"

"That'll be no different than asking her to be your slave!" Haneru barked angrily.

"My son is right. I can't agree to such an agreement." Mia declared, and without warning, she turned and kicked one of the soldiers in the gut, grabbing his naginata while she was at it. "Run, Haneru!" she shouted, slashing one of the soldiers down to make an opening. Haneru didn't waste time, and took off towards the front gate.

"Stop them!" Oda ordered his soldiers, and four more appeared to block the path forward.

Haneru stopped, but Mia kept going, and slashed one of the soldiers, only to be forced to the ground by another. "Mom!" Haneru shouted, about to race to her aid, but found himself grappled by two of the soldiers, restraining him by the arms.

Mia tried to raise herself up, but was forced with her face to the ground once again. 'Damn it!' she thought to herself, 'Why isn't that power coming to me? Why is it not here? Could…could it be…that I forced it away?'

"You still don't get it. Neither one of you has a chance of escaping me, here or in the real world." Oda stated, walking towards them.

Haneru turned his head back at Oda as he shouted, "Let mom go!"

"Why should I even listen to a worthless little brat such as yourself?" Oda questioned, "You're just a day-dreamer who lives a life in a fantasy, filled with ideas of freedom. Wake up! Freedom only is given to those in power like myself! What you try to seek will never come to pass!"

"Shut it!" Haneru barked, giving a harsh glare, "What gives you the right to take other's ideas of freedom?! We are not your property! We have our own freedom!"

Oda narrowed his eyes as the soldiers pulled Haneru around to look him directly in the face. There was no waver in Haneru's gaze. He was angry at what he was doing to his mom, and the ideals he was speaking of.

"That look…you look just like your father." the Shadow spoke, "It irks me every time I see it! He never seemed to submit to me, even in his high school years. I thought you would be different, but here you are; Trying to justify your ideals, rebelling against those in power, just like he did!"

"What?" Haneru questioned, taken aback at the change in the subject. Mr. Oda knew his father? And he was just like him?

"I thought I could stomp out that rebellious nature out of you, but no matter what I did, it never seemed to work." Oda spoke, "Then I thought of an idea; I could do something that could ruin your reputation in this town, and even allow me to blackmail you with when the time was right. Oh, the attack on my house so long ago became a perfect way to do it."

The news shocked both Mia and Haneru to their hearts. The one crime that Haneru was said to have done, even though he didn't. "What do you mean, you staged the attack?" Haneru asked, "You…you set it up?!"

"It was easy to do the damage to my own house." Oda snickered, "And as for the eye-witnesses…well, anyone can be persuaded when you know their weaknesses, right? Money, secret pasts. You name it, I can do it."

"You…" Haneru growled, his mind racing and raging at what he had done, and what he had hanging over him all this time. The false accusations people placed on him. And for what reason?

"You know, I think it would be better to kill you now." Oda stated, "That's one less fool of a dreamer in this world to deal with. Soldiers, on my mark!" Three soldiers came in front of him, readying bows and arrows, pointing them at Haneru, as the two soldiers held his arms apart, leaving him defenseless.

"No! Haneru!" Mia screamed, fearing the death of her child.

As Oda snickered, Haneru started up, in a quiet, raging tone, "So let me get this straight. You hate me because I am like my father, who you also hate? You lust for my mother, that you blackmailed her to stay here? You staged that attack on your house out of spite for me? You despise me, even though I never did anything to you, but only because I wasn't submissive to you. What kind of crap is that?!"

"I'll shut your insolent mouth for good, boy!" Oda growled, "Ready to fire, on my mark!" The soldiers pulled back their bows, ready to release. Mia pleaded with tears in her eyes, trying to force off the soldier holding her down. Haneru gritted his teeth, hating the man before him with all his might. He wanted to fight. He wanted to stand up against the tyranny of this monster of a man before him. He told himself before that he wanted to be a hero from the anime he watched. But now, he didn't care. Hero, villain or anti-hero. Whatever role he took, he would be it, just so he could fight for the freedom Oda stole from his mother and he.

"My, what fortune this is to finally awaken." said a voice in Haneru's head, startling him. All of a sudden, he started to get the most severe headache he had ever felt in his life. He gasped and grimaced as he struggled to release his hands from the soldiers holding him, just to grasp his head.

"You have been living in a fantasy for far too long. The freedom you seek will never come to pass if you don't shout your justice to the reality of the world." the voice continued to speak, "Fight back with the rage in your heart. Drown out the tyranny that holds back your dreams. Become their personal nightmare."

Haneru cried out in agony as his head gave a huge spark of pain, feeling as if something suddenly appeared on his face, as the voice finished, "Time to make our contract. I am thou. Thou art I. The fantasy you seek can become a reality. Show the world, and make them see thy true self!"

Haneru glared at Oda, who was startled to see him with a mask over his eyes. One that looked like the upper part of a monkey face, black, with orange, mane-like hair around it. Mia looked shocked, seeing what her son was wearing. "It…can't be…" she muttered, "That's…"

"I don't know what this it, but it ends now!" Oda growled, waving a hand forward. The archers fired their arrows at Haneru, who miraculously found the strength to pull one of the restraining soldiers around, making it take the shots in the back, releasing his arm. While everyone was startled, he used his freed arm to grab the naginata that was dropped, and slash the other soldier restraining him, making him fall and disappear into nothingness.

Oda was in shock, while Haneru pounded the blade end of the weapon he used on the ground. "You pissed me off. Now, it's time I fight back!" he roared, grabbing one end of the mask on his face and started to pull it off. For some reason, it felt like it was part of his face, and it was a bit of a painful struggle. However, after a couples seconds, he yanked it off, taking some of his own blood with it. As soon as he ripped it off, he roared as his body exploded in blue flames that encompassed his body, startling the soldiers, Oda, and Mia.

When the flames revealed him, he was standing there, his entire clothing changing drastically. He wore classic black ninja garb, with red outlines on it. He had shoulder guards with muddy orange fur on the ridges. He bore a black beaded necklace around his neck, and a brown belt going diagonally across his chest. The naginata that was there before had transformed into a staff, red, with gold pieces on either end.

However, what had truly surprised everyone was who or what was behind him, glowing with the same blue flames that encompassed Haneru before. He was big, and slightly clear. It looked humanoid, with wild long, brown hair, and a mask hidden by a silver ninja headpiece. His garments were full-body black and green, with armored gloves that went up to his elbows, steel leggings that went up to his knees, and a long black obi around his waist, which was so long, that it hovered in the air behind him, before draping the ground at his feet. In his hands were twin short katanas, both held in a reverse grip, as it took a fighter's stance with them.

"Wh-What is this power?!" Oda gasped, stepping back as the archer soldiers stepped forward to protect their Lord.

The soldier who held Mia down, along with the others beside it, stepped back, also scared. Mia stood up on her feet, looking wide-eyed at her son. "Incredible…" she muttered, witnessing the power her son was exerting, "He…became a Persona user!"

"I won't keep living my life wishing to be a hero." Haneru growled, twirling his weapon, placing it in both hands, "It's time I make that dream come true, and it starts by punishing you, Oda!" He pulled the staff on either end, splitting it in half to reveal hidden blades inside. "Sasuke, let's go!" He made a leaping dash at the man before him, ready to start a fight that would lead him on a path to a future he never imagined.

A future where he would become a Phantom Thief.

(Opening: Life will Change (Persona 5))

(Music intro)

(Starting in a backdrop of a city with gray and black buildings and a red sky, the camera pans through the place, while the white shadows of eleven individuals racing and leaping passed walls. Then the words 'I am thou. Thou art I' form in cryptic newspaper letter cutouts, followed by the title of the series)

It's not a game. I'm not a robot AI challenging you.

(Ren Amamiya steps out of Leblanc, heading to school, with Morgana in his bag. Guren Sakura joins his side as they both leave, and the screen freezes as they appear in their Phantom Theives looks, with the names 'Joker' 'Mona' and 'Lioness' under their respective people.)

I'm not a phantom. I'm in your face and I'm here to see it through.

(Mia puts on her shoes as she heads to work, with Haneru racing up behind her, dislodging his slippers and putting on his shoes to go to school. He waves his mom goodbye as the both open the door to walk out. Screen freezes as they appear in their Phantom Thieves looks, with the names 'Kong' and 'Pixie' under each of them.)

Right before your eyes, watch us multiply

(Ryuji, Ann, and a silhouetted figure appear in three parts of the screen, then, with a flip of their respective confidant tarot cards, changing into their respective Phantom Thieves attire, with 'Skull' and 'Panther' listed to their respective owners.)

Come to claim our rights - it's time

(Three more silhouettes appear of the three remaining members, which shift to silhouettes of them in their Phantom Thieves outfits like the others.)

As our power grows, trying to stop us shows…

(Inside the interrogation room, Ren looks to Sae Nijima, who glares seriously at him, while she has pictures of victims he and the Phantom Thieves targeted on the table. Ren sees a sparkling blue butterfly pass his eyes, and he closes his eyes)

(You) Might as well go try'n stop time

(In the velvet room, the camera pans through the bars of the cell, past the twin prison wardens to Igor in his seat. He looks up at the protagonist with his usual grin, and the Metaverse Navigation app button appears behind him as he fades away, and the app activates.)

(Song break)

(From an overhead view of the central street of Tokyo, the area starts to shift as it changes to the Metaverse point of view. Tarot cards of every confidant fall down to the ground in the middle of the big street, where the Phantom Thieves stand, ready to go.)

So you know that we're out there, swatting lies in the making.

(Joker leads off summoning Arsene to his side, readying his dagger as he lunges at a masked Shadow, pulling it off and slashing at it. Lioness leaps in, stopping a pair of unknown Shadows with her rapier and stabbing them through the chest with a pair of thrusts.)

Can't move fast without breaking. Can't hold on or life won't change.

(Kong leap onto a head of a Shadow, whacking him in the back with his quarterstaff, knocking him to the ground before turning his staff into swords and making a falling stab onto him. Pixie uses Magaru with a twirl of her scythe, blowing away a bunch of Shadows. All four Persona users draw their guns out, pointing at four Shadows in the center of their circle, and fire at them.)

And our voices ring out, yeah. Took the mask off to feel free.

(Mona in van mode drives the known thieves, with Pixie at the wheel, as they journey through Mementos. They encounter a bunch of the main Shadow versions of human enemies, each transforming into large silhouettes of their respective monster forms, their eyes glowing.)

Fought it out in the debris, now we know that life will change.

(Mona transforms to normal as they all leap up into the air, Joker, Lioness and Kong taking off their masks to reveal their Personas, ready to attack.)

(Music ending)

(The scene shifts to several of their supporters doing their routines, from Sojiro running the Leblanc, to Mishima walking while looking at the Phan-Site on his phone, Akechi being interviewed on television, Takemi writing something at her clinic, to Kawakami teaching her class, Mifune flipping her tarot cards, then flipping over a calling card made by the Phantom Thieves. The scene shifts to a red and black, spiraling backdrop as the card along with all confidant cards fall into an abyss, replaced with the title of the series again.)