Now that Makoto had a Persona, there was no way that we could keep her from entering the Metaverse. For that reason, I had her join our team. We could keep an eye on her while she got used to her new powers, and she could help us steal Kaneshiro's Treasure.

Giving Makoto a code name was pretty easy. She was christened Queen, because she held herself like one and her Shadow acted like a queen. Introducing her to life as a Phantom Thief, however, wasn't as simple.

"What about your strategy?" she asked, before we entered Kaneshiro's Palace.

"Strategy?" Ryuji repeated.

Makoto took a step back. "You're telling me that the Phantom Thieves were acting without any kind of plan?"

Morgana frowned, shifting from foot to foot. "Uh... I provide navigation when we need it."

Ryuji grinned. "And when we run into Shadows, we beat the shit out of them!"

I bristled. This wasn't going to impress her at all. "Due to their nature, we can't make plans for Palaces we haven't infiltrated. I make sure we're equipped to survive all of our missions. I give out the instructions during our fights so we can win as quickly and efficiently as possible. We're also careful not to get into too many fights, to preserve our stamina."

Makoto looked at me with wide eyes. "I see." She smiled. "I still think I'll be very useful."

Useful was almost an understatement. Makoto could analyze the data Morgana gave us to discern weaknesses with greater ease. She was a well-rounded fighter: strong and nimble, fairly durable, skilled at nuclear magic and a deft healer. She gave insight that helped us figure out the Palace's various puzzles at a faster rate.

One big problem came into clear view after we entered a safe room. We took time to breathe and I took stock of my progress, but Makoto was itching to leave.

"There's no time to relax," Makoto said. She stood over me, while I lounged in a chair. "We can still keep going."

I frowned. "I think we've gone far enough for today."

"Wouldn't it be prudent to get as far in as possible?"

"Not if we get beaten down in an unlucky fight," I said. "I don't want to take any chances."

Makoto's mask made her stare even more imperious. "We can afford to take more chances. You have me now. We make another push, we find another safe room, and we'll get closer to finding the Treasure. What's so hard to understand about that?"

"Hold on a sec," Ann said. "You're not going to win him over by force, Makoto."

"I'm just stating my opinion," she said.

"I know you are. I think we could make a push, too, but if we waste too much energy or we get stuck on a puzzle, it could be really bad for us."

Morgana nodded. "A leader has to consider the long game, not just short-term gains."

Makoto sighed. "I understand that. I just think you're all capable of so much more."

"Maybe we are, but we all have to make compromises," Ryuji said. "We're not in this for ourselves."

I stood up, assessing our available resources and current energy levels. I'd be taking a risk, but even if I was the leader, I could make compromises, too.

"We'll keep on going, as long as everyone agrees," I said.

That got a smile from Makoto. "Thank you."

Everyone else was willing to continue, so we all headed out. I grabbed Ann's wrist before she could leave.

"What is it?" she asked, turning my way.

I smiled. "Looking out for Makoto, now?"

She winked at me. "Someone has to." A frown marred her face. "I apologized to Makoto earlier today."

"Really?"

"Yeah. And she was sorry, too, you know? I called her a bitch behind her back, and I blamed her for stuff she couldn't control. She had her own issues to deal with, and while it doesn't justify what she did, I shouldn't have assumed she was automatically bad. I was completely unfair to her, and more than that, I was being a hypocrite."

"A hypocrite? What do you mean?"

"I heard a rumour that Makoto might have let Kamoshida get away with his abuse, and I never thought that they weren't true, because the possibility made me so mad. If I didn't get ahead of myself, I wouldn't have let those rumours shape how I saw her."

"I see." My smile slipped. "It wasn't right for you to think that way. I don't blame you, though: I wasn't any better. She didn't make it remotely easy for any of us, but I never gave her a chance, either. It's good that you realized that."

Ann frowned. "I probably wouldn't have if all of this hadn't happened. I thought I was getting better, but it looks like I have a long way to go."

"You've already come pretty far," I said. "And if you ask me, it's better that she's on our side."

Her smile returned. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks."

I caught myself staring at Ann's sky blue eyes. "Thank you for trusting me. Not just with this, but with everything."

Her smile grew more tender. She grabbed my fingers. Squeezed them. "That's what friends are for. I'm glad that you listened."

If I never listened, Makoto wouldn't be on our team. Working with her hadn't been easy, but it was worth doing, because helping people was exactly what the Phantom Thieves were made to do.

Learning to work with others wasn't the easiest thing in the world to do, and I knew that Makoto wanted to be respected. She was also very assertive and had a deep-seated desire to succeed, which led to us butting heads.

The solution I found was to value her opinion without letting her take charge, and by navigating that tightrope, Makoto was able to adjust to our team's dynamic. As a result, we made short work of Kaneshiro's Palace.

Kaneshiro never saw his defeat coming.

After that, life went on, as it always did. I continued to work on improving myself, hung out with my friends and confidants, and even took some trips to Mementos with the others. Time had a nasty habit of moving pretty quickly when you weren't keeping track, and before I knew it, the deadline Kaneshiro had imposed on me had finally come.

I wasn't afraid at all, because after school ended, he confessed to all of his crimes. We caught another criminal, and while the police took credit for his arrest, our stock was still on the rise. Now we just had to wait on Makoto to join us. She had a meeting with the principal, but I insisted she meet with us anyway. We could wait for her, and it was important that we celebrated together.

True enough, my patience paid off, and Makoto arrived at our hideout.

"Thanks for coming," I said. "How did your meeting go?"

Makoto smiled. "Pretty well. I didn't mention any of you, and as of today, I have officially concluded my investigation of the Phantom Thieves."

"Hell yeah!" Ryuji said, grinning.

Ann smiled. "One less thing to worry about."

It brought a smile to my face, too, and I could feel everyone's relief. We did it. We really did it.

"So what do you plan to do now?" Morgana asked.

Makoto took a step towards me. "I'd like to join the Phantom Thieves permanently. If you'd have me."

"What do you guys think?" I asked.

Ryuji clapped his hand against his fist. "I'm down. It wouldn't end well if Makoto didn't join us."

"I agree," Yusuke said. He smiled at Makoto. "You've been a great help."

"We might've had a rough start, but Makoto's proven herself," Ann said. "I'm in."

"So am I," Morgana said.

All eyes fell on me. It was time for me to say my piece.

"The Phantom Thieves were formed to help people in need and fight for a better society by exposing the truth to the world. Because of that, we hold ourselves to a high standard. If you join us, you'll be held to that standard, too. You'll join a team where you don't have to hide behind a mask, a place where misfits can truly belong."

I stared straight into her red eyes. "However, you must take responsibility for your decisions, no matter what happens. If you make a mistake, we'll help you improve, but there is no point in being a Phantom Thief if you lie to yourself, or any of us. Do you understand?"

Makoto nodded. "I do."

I smiled. "Then welcome aboard."

As leader, my decision held a significant amount of weight, and I thought long and hard about what to choose. On the one hand, Makoto had been a good teammate, she apologized for how she treated us during her investigation, and she really wanted to do good.

On the other hand, she had knowledge of the Metaverse and knew all of our identities. Since she gained a Persona, there was no way her heart could be changed. It would be trivial for her to ruin our lives.

But she wouldn't do so, and I could say that with the utmost confidence.

"Thank you very much," Makoto said. "I hope I can continue to get along with all of you, and be the best Phantom Thief I can be."

"I'm looking forward to seeing that."

There was just one more thing that I wanted to settle, and to do that, I needed some privacy.

"Can I talk to you for a bit, Makoto?" I asked.

Makoto blinked. "Sure. I'm not busy."

"Guess you guys want some alone time, huh?" Ryuji said, smiling.

"It won't take too long," I said.

Ann smiled. "Come on, guys, let's get some crepes."

"Can we get some Quelorie Magic to go with them?" Yusuke asked.

"Only if you're buying," Ann said.

Yusuke chuckled. "Very well."

Ann led Ryuji and Yusuke away from our hideout. Morgana stayed with me. I always wanted to try a crepe out, but the shop that sold them was always sold out. If they sold Quelorie Magic, too, I had to go there.

"What did you want to talk about?" Makoto asked.

I let out a deep breath, and stowed away any crepe-related thoughts. I pulled out a white envelope from my bag. "Here. This is for you."

Makoto took the envelope, carefully opening it from its side. Stacks of yen bills were held within, and she looked at me with startled eyes. "How much is this?"

"It should be enough for you to buy a new phone," I said.

"I'm sorry, but I can't accept this." Makoto thrust the envelope back into my hands. "Besides, I already replaced my old phone." She unveiled a simple smartphone, and it made me wonder how she got it.

"Take it," I said, holding the envelope out to her. "You can use it for something else."

"Are you sure about this? This is a lot of money."

I shrugged. "It's the least I can do."

Makoto's eyes flickered between the envelope and me, then she gently took the envelope and placed it inside her bag.

"Thank you."

"I'm sorry that I broke your phone," I said. "I shouldn't have done it in the first place."

"You shouldn't have," Makoto said. "But I didn't give you much of a choice, did I?"

I always had a choice. I just had to take a step back and assess my options, instead of letting fear and desperation make my choices for me.

"You didn't."

Makoto frowned. "I'm sorry that I pushed you so far."

"Why are you sorry? You already apologized to us."

Makoto's face fell. "I know, but I treated you a lot worse than I treated the others. I invaded your privacy, I tried to blackmail you, and I thought that I was justified because you were a delinquent who deserved that level of scrutiny. I never thought you were doing good, and when I found out, I was already in too deep. I'm sorry for how I treated you."

"Thank you," I said.

"No, thank you."

I still hated how Makoto had made me feel so powerless, how she pushed me to make all those choices and double down because I believed it was the only way out. It had been an awful time. But I could tell that Makoto was sincere, that she wanted to right her wrongs.

"There's just one thing that's been bothering me."

I raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Back when we met on the rooftop, you said that there wasn't any point in treating me like a pushover. It was so specific, it was almost like you read my mind." She clutched the strap of her bag. "Did you talk to my Shadow or something?"

"I did."

Makoto sighed. "I had a feeling that was the case. I used what I knew against you, so it shouldn't be a surprise that you returned the favour."

A smile cracked my face. "That's why I did it."

"Also... I saw a black blur when I was talking to the principal." She stared at Morgana. "Were you involved, Morgana?"

"Yeah," Morgana said, bowing his head.

"I asked him to do it for me," I said, sobering up pretty quickly. "I did things I wasn't proud of doing because I wanted to beat you. I assumed you were our enemy, but you weren't, and meeting your Shadow helped me realize that."

She smiled. "I see. We've both done things we shouldn't have, but the least we can do is learn from them. That's what Phantom Thieves do, right?"

"That's right."

Makoto stared at me for a bit, like she was gathering her nerve. "Do you mind if we started over? I'm not saying you should forget what we went through, and I'm not asking to be your friend. All I want is for you to give me a chance."

Saying yes didn't mean we were buddies. It wouldn't wipe the slate clean. This was a chance for Makoto to prove herself, a chance for us to start fresh and see where things went.

I smiled. "I'd like that."

We shook hands, forging a bond of confidants signified by the High Priestess. It fit.

By trusting my friends, I was able to accept the High Priestess' insight. And by realizing I couldn't earn true freedom alone, I was able to grow and become the person I needed to be.

The End