We left the obsidian gateway and the mangled asphalt roads behind us and traveled the grassy knolls deeper into the estate. Displaying an unprecedented amount of chivalry, our rider escorts offered their steeds for our own transport, so we galloped swiftly across the open fields. The journey was somewhat unremarkable—though the grass was trimmed and well-tended, the sprawling land had no impressive features. I was riding on horseback beside a shadow, yet I found myself entirely bored until we approached the manor house.

A multi-storied, castle-esque mansion lorded over the property. It's rustic, brown bricks and wide, shiny windows contrasted beautifully with the vibrant, encompassing gardens below. Short hedges girded the path to the manor, and elaborate, stone sculptures divided the myriad flower beds. As we entered the main courtyard, the company slowed and trotted along the chiseled cobblestone path. Our informal dirt trail vanished under the layered stones approaching a central walkway.

A shadowy figure stood at the foot of the mansion in the middle of the walkway. He wore a finely pressed suit and distinct white gloves, yet he had two glowing eyes and an ethereal, featureless face. The lead rider, which I was riding behind, stopped in front of the ominous figure and nodded to his cohort.

The suited figure rolled his gloved hand and greeted us with a bow. "Welcome, esteemed guests."

As the figure extended his hand to me, I glanced briefly around the courtyard. Trusting Metaverse entities was not beyond my capacity, but ones that peaceably communicated with the Phantom Thieves were certainly unnerving. I descended from my mount with a sobering look on my face and steadily approached the shadow being.

Gradually, my teammates abandoned the horses and joined me in the center of the lot. The armored riders seemed disinterested in us now that their goal was completed, and they soon trod quietly out the garden path.

The suited shadow took stock of our team before continuing. "This is the estate of Master Nikolai Androvsky. You are all welcome here—safeguarded by his protection. I am the overseer of this property, and as such, I will ensure that all of your needs are met while you are here."

I absently tucked away my hands while I observed the looming mansion. "Why were we invited here?"

"Why?" the overseer repeated, curiously leaning forward, "Well, that should be obvious. You're the Phantom Thieves—a true inspiration to the master! Of course, he values all those who are willing to accept his peaceful ways but more so those who embody his ideal justice."

Haru cocked her head at the overseer. "His ideal justice?"

Regardless, Ryuji stepped forward, brushing past me. "Cut the bullshit, man. We just got attacked out there by one of your master's goons."

"Ah, yes," said the overseer, "My humblest apologies." The figure slowly bowed before Ryuji. "Unfortunately, those who dwell outside the estate walls are marked for destruction. Denizens of the chaotic outer world must be eliminated for the safety of those who thrive within. However, if it is any consolation, we are most pleased that you survived to make it here."

"Pleased my ass…" Ryuji grumbled.

Makoto then cleared her throat and politely addressed the overseer. "Excuse me, but if we are actually the master's guests, might we speak with him directly?"

The overseer stood upright as he replied, "Perhaps. The master is a private man and very busy, but you are his esteemed visitors. I'm sure he would allot some time to speak with you privately once the celebrations have subsided."

"Celebrations?" Mona said, perking up, "What, is there some kind of party?"

The overseer looked down at Mona and shook his head energetically. "Oh, certainly!" he replied, "The master is hosting an extravagant masquerade ball, and he would be most honored to see you take part in the festivities!"

"A masquerade ball?" Ann repeated, her interest piqued, "You mean like, one where people dance and dress up in disguises?"

The overseer nodded. "Yes, you should feel right at home in your dazzling attire."

"The hell…" Ryuji mumbled, "How is this guy so calm?"

Yusuke quietly mulled over his reserved thoughts. "If this Nikolai is deluded enough to consider us his inspiration, then perhaps he does not think we are a threat."

Haru expressed her agreement as she added, "I'm curious to see what this ball is like for myself."

Sam appeared beside me, and I felt his firm hand on my shoulder. "This is making me very uncomfortable. It's too suspicious."

The overseer immediately turned to greet our auxiliary member. "Ah, Mr. Zimmerman." The shadow's eyes seemed to give a slight smile. "You are welcome here too, of course! The master is glad you could join us even if it is a little late."

"He's late?" Futaba remarked, "Wait a sec…"

Samuel sighed heavily. "Leave it. I'll explain later."

"Well," continued the overseer, "I don't want to hold you outside in the chilly air. If you'll all follow me, I'll take you into the main hall."

Makoto sighed. "Seems we don't have much of a choice if we want to get more information."

Begrudgingly, I nodded to the shadow steward, and he happily led us onward. A broad but short staircase preceded the main entrance, carved smooth from grey stone. We followed the overseer by the wrought iron railings, and he gently ushered us through the large, wooden doors at the front of the manor. I stepped inside the foyer and was greeted by a massive room with doors on either side and two marble staircases leading to the second floor. The room's pearl white walls sparkled in the light of an opulent chandelier hanging above me, yet my attention was drawn directly to the central doors at the back of the hall. Golden light streamed through the inset windows, clearly indicating a hive of activity beyond.

The overseer gradually moved in front of us as we gawked at the elaborate hall. Stepping underneath one of the broad staircases, he motioned to an ornamental, wood table.

"Please set your firearms here," said the shadow, "Fighting is not permitted inside the master's home."

"Pfff," Ryuji scowled as he heard the overseer's request, "Sure there's no fighting now, but wait until our backs are turned—that rule's gonna change real fast."

"He only wants our guns though," Yusuke discretely added, "It shouldn't have a significant effect on our combat readiness."

Haru nodded. "I'm still a bit drained from earlier, but if everyone feels prepared, I'm confident we could escape in an emergency."

Makoto had her arms crossed as she scanned the group thoughtfully. "I think we should do what he wants for now. I'd like to gather as much intel as we can peacefully before using force."

Having heard my team's vote of confidence or lack thereof, I approached the bench and set down my handgun. Ann and Morgana were quick to follow—Ann set her submachine gun beside mine, and Mona had to jump and toss his launcher onto the table. Makoto set her pistol with the others, displaying no reservations. Yusuke then laid down his rifle, and Futaba placed her wrist blaster alongside his. Haru took out her grenade launcher and dropped it onto the pile with a thump while Sam pulled a dinky revolver from his backside and laid it gently with the others. Finally, Ryuji stamped up to the table, slamming his shotgun down in obstinance.

The overseer nodded to us as he drew closer to the rear doors. "You needn't worry about your melee weapons. You won't be able to draw them here."

Ryuji tucked his hands away, and his body sagged. "Ah, this day just keeps gettin' better and better."

Sam awkwardly scratched the back of his neck as he asked, "Say, I'm almost afraid to ask, but where do you even keep those weapons anyway? You guys always just seem to pull them out of thin air when you need them."

Feeling particularly bullish, Ryuji replied, "Up my ass."

Ann screeched amid a chorus of stifled groans. "Skull! Don't give him the wrong idea!"

Ryuji turned and gave the lady a coy look. "What? You don't keep yours there?" he said, chuckling, "Ah, don't tell me you keep your whip between your…" He moved a hand down his chest as if to lessen the crass implication.

"Oh dear…" Yusuke palmed his face.

Futaba breathed heavily. "I wish I could record this right now!"

Her face glowing a brilliant red, Ann had to gather every mote of her will to keep herself from flying at Ryuji. I turned on my heel to address the sudden commotion, and added, "You sound jealous, Skull."

"Mhmm, he does," Morgana said, standing at my side, "Probably because he'll never get the chance to experience the real thing for himself."

"H-hey!" Ryuji wailed and then lowered his head, "That cuts deep, man…"

Puzzled, Sam blinked at us. "I'm still amazed that these people are supposedly the legendary Phantom Thieves…" he said to Makoto, "You set the bar kinda high."

Makoto sighed before abashedly stating, "This is our team…"

Haru tepidly approached Ann. "Ah, are you alright, Panther?"

Ann took a beat to relax and release her energy. "I'm fine," she huffed, "Everything's fine. I just need to remember it's just Skull being a moron as usual."

Haru mustered a nervous laugh. "Well, I don't know. Sometimes he's funny."

Ann crossed her arms as she brushed her hair back. "Yeah," she begrudgingly replied, "I guess."

The overseer—who had been standing beside us all the while—finally addressed us. "Ahem!" he began, "I'm pleased to see you're all so at ease, but I would like to properly welcome you to our event."

Ryuji turned back to the shadow with an improved attitude. "Yeah, yeah, my b," he said, "Show us your party or whatever."

The overseer pressed on the waiting door behind him. "This way."

Passing into the golden light, I was struck by an electrifying sensation that crawled across my skin. The ballroom was larger than the typical gymnasium and more crowded. Various, masked guests covered the floor as some danced and others mingled. Finely dressed men and women indulged themselves at round tables dotting the perimeter. Although I didn't recognize any of the guests, their distinct faces indicated that these represented real people. On the other hand, nary a foot of the room was without a faceless servant nearly identical to the self-proclaimed overseer. A classical band played on a stage at the far end of the room, and looking upward, a glass viewing box provided a watchful eye on the whole ordeal. Nevertheless, these exciting faculties were not the source of my agitation.

Up further still, my gaze settled on a series of massive, illuminating crystal balls hanging from the ceiling and centered across the room. Ignoring the elaborate mural painted on the roof, I received some notion that these spherical chandeliers were interfering with my brain activity.

"Yo," Ryuji said, "My skin's feelin' all numb and tingly…" He idly poked at his arms with juvenile curiosity.

"Yes," Yusuke agreed, "I am overcome with a most peculiar sensation."

Makoto glanced around tensely. "Something's off…"

Still vacantly observing the light fixtures, I heard Akechi's voice radiate through my earpiece. "Joker, I'm detecting significant energy fluctuations near you. Something appears to be sampling that area and carefully monitoring its frequency."

I heard Futaba utter an intrigued noise from behind me. She had crouched down to fiddle with her computer. "Hmm, these wavelength patterns are super clean even with the power spike going through those chandeliers…"

"Yes," Akechi added, "They seem to be emitting an oscillating cancelation frequency to suppress that entire room if not that building."

"Woah, these wave patterns are matching perfectly," Futaba continued, "I'm going to have to carefully monitor this to see what kind of backend processing these things are doing."

"Uh…" Ryuji winced as his brain crashed, "It's like they're blasting off to space, and I'm still on the ground."

"Of course you wouldn't understand it," Ann bitterly remarked.

Ryuji cast her a sour look. "Oh, and you do understand?" he probed. In response, Ann simply stared ahead with a frown. "Yeah, that's what I thought." Then Ryuji turned to Makoto. "What about you, Queen? You gettin' any of this?"

Makoto somberly shook her head without saying a word. Thankfully, Akechi was apt to explain the situation. "If I were to put it into conventional terms, there is a system in place to ensure that nothing supernatural occurs within that cognitive space, or at least that is my guess."

Samuel glanced suspiciously at the chandeliers. "A Metaverse inhibitor…"

"Succinctly put," Akechi concurred.

"Great," Ryuji replied before glancing down, "Mona, what's he mean?"

Morgana held a serious expression as he responded. "He means we can't summon our Personas."

"Well shit…" Ryuji groaned, flailing his arms, "We might as well surrender to one of these waiters already."

"I wouldn't do that just yet," Akechi reassured, "It is likely that the system would prevent any shadows from manifesting violently as well."

"So, in other words," Makoto surmised, "For all intents and purposes, this is just a normal ballroom full of a bunch of normal people."

"Bingo-bango-bongo!" Futaba exclaimed, pointing at Queen, "She's got it."

"Interesting," Yusuke remarked, holding his chin with one hand, "Perhaps we might work this to our advantage."

"Ahem!" Abruptly the overseer stepped in front of the group and raised his voice once more. "My apologies, but before I allow you to intermingle with the other guests, I would like to direct your attention to a few things." My friends and I unenthusiastically watched the shadow as he continued. "If you look at the back of the room there, you will see the master's office…"

The shadow pointed deliberately to the glass overlook at the far end of the ballroom. Though the overseer droned on, my eyes caught a flicker of light sustained in the dark panes. A dimly lit figure approached the balcony's edge with a fur-trimmed cape draping from his shoulders. The man wore a dark olive colored suit with golden chains hanging from one padded shoulder to the buttons, and underneath, he wore a white shirt and grey tie complemented by his face's sharp stubble. Longer, black hair covered his head, but it didn't obscure his features. The hard and grizzled look he carried was reinforced by his luminescent, yellow eyes.

When I returned my attention to the overseer, he had nearly finished his spiel. "…and if you ever find yourself craving refreshment, do not hesitate to ask one of the many servants."

"Ooh!" Ryuji joyously interjected, the lingering taste of an MRE long since dissipated on his tongue, "What kinda meats do you guys have?"

"We have a wide range of savory dishes cooked to your liking," replied the shadow, "Shall I fetch a menu for you?" The overseer waved a hand at one of his fellow servants without prompt.

"Skull," Makoto glared at him as she chastised, "Now's not the time to be thinking of your stomach."

An approaching shadow with a towel draped over one arm quickly handed Ryuji a multi-paged menu. Ryuji began perusing the dishes as he replied, "Chill out. I'm just gonna do a bit of recon from the tables. You want me to blend in, dontcha?"

Makoto shook her head with a sigh. "I suppose that works…"

"Great!" Ryuji absently responded. He then turned to the waiter and spouted, "I'll have the rib-rack with lamb sauce, and one quarter-pound steak, medium-well, please. Oh, and for the side…"

"He does realize that eating Metaverse food won't actually sustain him, right?" Mona disdainfully commented.

Yusuke then added, "Let's opt to ignore him, shall we?"

"Motion's got my vote," Futaba happily chirped.

"Stop it," Makoto whined, "We're not voting to ignore anyone."

"I'll second the motion to ignore," Ann said as she patronizingly raised her hand.

"I'll third," Samuel said, skimming a finger along his nose.

Makoto again sighed while her shoulders drooped. "Why do I waste my breath?"

Taking the position of the devil's advocate, I interspliced myself into the discussion. "You all are severely underestimating Skull's luck."

"That's right!" Mona added, "He may be a monkey, but even a monkey can do great things when trained under my tutelage." He smirked proudly.

Haru giggled at Morgana's brash declaration. "Stop," she smiled at the cat, "You're just making him look worse."

"Ahem!" the overseer interrupted us one last time.

"What now?" Sam asked with a scowl.

"That is all," said the shadow, "I just wanted to say that if you have any questions, I will remain by the main entryway." The overseer bowed. "Thank you all for coming and enjoy your time with us." Finally, the shadow turned aside and walked back to his post.

Having finished with our idle banter, I returned my mind to the mission. "Did you see that man in the viewing box?" I asked, pointing to the figure in the dark glass.

Makoto turned her head back. "Oh, could that be Nikolai?"

"Well, it could be," Sam remarked, "But what's with that gaudy outfit? Eugh…"

"That would be Nikolai's inner representation of himself," Mona quickly explained, "How he views himself through his most repressed desires."

"Oh," Sam said, lowering his brow. He nodded as if any of that made sense.

"Ugh, seriously?" Mona retorted and frowned, "Didn't Akechi and Makoto teach you this stuff?"

Sam averted his gaze. "Well, yes, but actually…"

"He knows enough," Makoto swiftly interjected, "Now, can we focus on the mission at hand? We need to find out everything we can about Nikolai's cognition, so we can figure out what happened to my sister and the others abducted." She glanced around the group to ensure that everyone was listening. "I think we should split up for now to maximize our efficiency."

"Great idea, Queen!" Ryuji chimed in, "I'm just gonna head over to my table now and start blending in."

Ann abruptly plugged her ears. "Lalalala! I'm ignoring you!"

Ryuji turned away with a smug look on his face. "Oh, well… Guess I'll just have to enjoy all that cake I ordered by myself." He started walking in a very slow and clunky manner.

"C-cake?" Ann stammered, "Dammit, Panther, be strong." She clenched her eyes shut and grimaced horribly.

"Hoo boy…" Makoto almost seemed to wilt with anxiety, "Joker, do you have anything to add?"

Mulling over the breadth of our task, I added, "We should see if we can talk to Nikolai face to face."

Makoto straightened as her focus returned. "Right. The overseer made it seem like it might be difficult though." She rubbed her chin.

A moment passed before anyone else spoke. "This place is filled with people who have some connection to Nikolai, yes?" Sam stated, "We should see if any of them can help us."

"Ah, good idea," Haru applauded.

"Well then," Makoto continued, "The strategy should remain much the same. We'll split up and search for any clues or guests with connections to Nikolai that might talk to us."

We all nodded, and then Yusuke asked, "How shall we split up?"

Makoto glanced downward as she began to consider the options. "Hmm… Alright, Panther, you'll come with me. We'll walk the floor and see if anyone will give us information about Nikolai."

As Queen glanced at her, Ann broke from her stupor. "Oh, are we trying to persuade some people?" she asked.

Makoto nodded. "That's the gist of it, yes."

Ann returned a confident wink and smiled. "Ha, with your tongue and my body, there's no one who won't be convinced."

My mind went to other places. "Why does that sound strangely erotic?"

Ann's smile immediately lost its luster and turned to a muddled frown. She hit me on the arm, hissing, "Don't start something!"

Futaba offered her own directive before we could proceed with the banter. "Well, you guys can play your spy games while I hang out here. I don't have my disguise anyway, so I'm just gonna do some scanning."

"That would be helpful," Makoto said affirmingly, "We'll need intel on the building's layout before we can do anything else."

Yusuke then added, "In that case, I'll investigate the rest of the manor and see how far I can go before running into resistance."

Makoto nodded amicably as the discussion increased its pace. "Great, and Noir?"

"I'm going to watch the dancefloor," Haru stated, "And see if anyone there knows about Nikolai."

"Okay," Makoto acknowledged her and then cocked her head at our auxiliary member. "And what about you, Squire?"

"Me? Uh…" The businessman scratched his head.

"He's not going anywhere," Morgana interjected giving Samuel a hard stare, "He's staying here with me, so I can give him a crash course in the Metaverse."

"Wait, what?" Sam objected.

Makoto closed her eyes. "Uh, is that really necessary?"

"It is absolutely necessary!" Morgana jumped enthusiastically, "I will not allow the Phantom Thieves to be thwarted by incompetence."

Sighing, Makoto continued, "I'm guessing you're not going to take no for an answer."

"No way," Mona replied, "Someone needs to teach him the basics."

"Hey, I'm not that dumb," Samuel refuted. He rubbed the back of his head as he sighed in defeat. "But, yeah, I guess that's fine. It is my job to communicate with freaky Metaverse creatures after all."

Morgana held Sam in his stern gaze. "That's the first thing I want to adjust—your casual language. I'm your tutor from now on or your senior at the very least, so address me as "Senpai", okay?"

"You don't even get away with that pompous nonsense with your actual teammates," Sam whined.

Makoto turned away from the pair with a dead stare. "Ahum… Joker, you can check in with everyone and keep us all informed on our progress."

Returning her wayward gaze, I tilted my head. "You alright?" I asked.

She offered herself a moment to decompress. "I just was expecting everyone to be taking this a little more seriously." Makoto shook her head and permitted a tiny smile. "I shouldn't worry about it. Everyone's warming up to being Phantom Thieves again, and here we've been welcomed into Nikolai's mansion."

"That's the spirit!" Ann cried as she wrapped an arm around her friend, "Now, c'mon! I think I see some unsuspecting guests over there just waiting to spill all of Nikolai's secrets!"

As the bubbly Miss Takamaki led Makoto away, the others dispersed to their assigned stations. Haru wandered out to the middle of the ballroom; Yusuke went to speak with the overseer; and Futaba stayed put, fiddling with her laptop. Mona drove Samuel along while the cat bombarded him with minutiae, but my mind continued to churn as I stood idly.

This Palace was strange, being simultaneously hostile and accommodating. I had to wonder if this was a ploy to cover up Nikolai's misdeeds or a genuine reaction to our presence. Although my own head was swirling with charged emotions, I endeavored to stay focused on the mission. We needed to uncover the location of the missing persons for Sae, for Makoto, and for everyone whom we had ever helped. I desperately wanted to interrogate Nikolai myself and find out what he was hiding, but first, I required a lead.

I turned myself around as the gentle music of the ballroom swelled. The dazzling dresses of the dancing ladies twirled and sparkled in the brilliant, golden light, and the noblemen complemented their elegant partners with precise, choreographed movements. Altogether, the dance floor was like a bed of flowers displaying its vibrant colors in the wind. I stepped forward out of my own subconscious and spotted Haru standing timidly at the fringe of the dancing space.

Approaching silently, I manifest at Haru's side like a shadow without more than a flicker of light to indicate my presence. I took the moment of tranquility to see how she was faring. Haru appeared mesmerized as she gazed over the jubilant couples, her hands folded tensely in front of herself. Even in the shade of her hat and mask, I could clearly see the fluttering anticipation on her face—a cute shade of red obscured by her buoyant hair.

I returned my gaze to the bustling floor and thought I'd ease into the discussion of information gathering. "So," I asked, "Do you know how to dance?"

Haru turned to me naturally as if her mind had been awaiting my immediate arrival. She untangled her hands while she explained, "I do, actually. My father had me learn so that I could participate in social gatherings." She tilted her head down and laughed, slipping her hands behind her back. "Do you know how to dance, Joker?"

I rubbed my chin as I considered the question. "I'm not properly trained," I said, "But I feel like I learned in a dream once."

Haru giggled. "That's interesting," she replied, "I've dreamt of dancing several times." Her smile lessened as she pushed her hair back. "I got to dance often at father's parties but never for proper recreation."

Nodding, my mind conjured a thought, and I had to verbalize it. "Speaking of dreams…" I began, "I should apologize for taking you away from your café."

"Oh, no," Haru swiftly responded, "Don't worry about that." She lowered her gaze, becoming lost in thought. "The café—it's… it's wonderful! Watching all my efforts pay off in the smiling faces of happy customers is great. I love that feeling of accomplishment. But my duty to those customers is nothing compared to the purpose I have serving justice as a Phantom Thief."

"Hopefully we can resolve this quickly," I said, "I know the café is what you've always wanted."

"It is my dream," Haru admitted, "But it isn't very fulfilling when I could be out here helping people with you."

I smiled at her dedication. "Seems you haven't lost your drive."

Haru laughed bashfully. "Of course."

"Ah!" a stranger's voice abruptly invaded our space, "Excuse me…" I glanced at the tall, skinny man approaching us. He had pointy black shoes and a lanky frame, and he wore a grey, feathery mask. The man stopped just short of us, his coattails falling on his legs as he tucked one hand behind his back. "Could you two be a couple?"

A moment passed before my sluggish brain had processed the question, but Haru maintained her composure. She eagerly replied, "Do we look the part?"

"Well, certainly," the tall man answered, "The subtly of your outfits is something I do not see very often. You would make a strong impression if you joined the floor."

Haru smiled politely. "Oh, you're flattering us."

"Nonsense!" bellowed the strange man, "Master Nikolai has a keen eye for unique styles, and as the director of dance, it is my imperative to display the best of our patronage."

"Ah, you must be close with Master Nikolai then…" Haru surmised.

The proud director puffed himself up. "Indeed, I am, Miss…" He gestured graciously to Haru as he inquired her name.

"Okumura," Haru stated.

"O-ku-mura…" the director repeated, "Okumura? Hmm, it seems familiar to me." He shook his head. "Ah, no matter. Listen, Miss Okumura, if you and your handsome fellow ever feel like joining in on the celebrations, you come talk to me. I'd be more than happy to put in a word with the director of music for you."

Haru made a slight bow of her head. "I'll be sure to do that."

"Excellent!" cried the director of dancing, "I won't take any more of your time then. But please, enjoy yourselves! Wasting youth is such a tragedy."

The thin man strode back into the crowds of clamoring guests as I pondered the discussion that had just unfolded. While I was still in contemplation, Haru turned to me with an amused expression. "That man was quite an interesting character. I'm surprised he was so forward with us," Haru said, "Although I suppose this would be an easy opportunity to impress Nikolai."

"We should be careful," I replied, "Everyone's being too receptive of us."

"Oh," Haru touched her lips contemplatively, "Would you have preferred that I suggest we were not a couple?"

My eyes widened. "Hmm? Uh… er…"

Haru covered her mouth as she laughed. "I'm just teasing you," she said dismissively, "But since he pointed it out…" Haru reached for the hem of my jacket and tugged to pull my attention. "You'll have to be my dancing partner when I do take that offer."

A tepid smile broke through my face. "I'll start practicing."

"Good." Haru smiled as she released my coat. "Well, you should check in with me later. I'm going to see if anyone else around here knows Nikolai."

I said, "I will," and nodded.

Smiling delightfully, Haru's cheeks perked. "Let's do our very best for Niijima-san's sake." Then she turned with her smile and left me.

Once Haru had melded with the varied guests, I shook the tingling sensation from my head and started in a different direction. Next, I thought I should visit Yusuke and see how much of the manor's layout he had uncovered. He and the overseer had long since vanished from the post by the ballroom's main entrance, so I stepped outside of the grand chamber and began searching.

Following my basic intuition, I decided to wander from room to room rather than contact Yusuke directly. This way I could see the mansion for myself while sifting through my temperamental thoughts. I had been unprepared for Haru's sudden wit, and my inaction still lingered doubtfully in the corner of my mind. As I passed from library to hall to kitchen, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had just done something horrible. I was dating Ann after all. Well, "dating" might be a strong word. Actually, I wasn't certain what kind of relationship Ann and I shared, but it was a special, secretive one that I had initiated. I should have given Haru a firmer response, and yet I hadn't. Suppressed emotions were influencing my subconscious. I was conflicted, and my inner turmoil was beginning to seep onto the surface.

I left the dusty parlor room I was in, and then something began to click in my head. In fact, I was not conflicted; I was merely acting to protect Haru's feelings. I needed to keep my relationship with Ann a secret as she had requested, and so I could not say anything outright without exposing the relationship or needlessly hurting Haru. Yes, that was the true reasoning behind my stuttering outburst. I was completely faithful to Ann while fully exercising my capacity for empathy. My character was thankfully intact, and my passion for Ann had only been further stoked.

As my thoughts continued along, I bumbled into Yusuke in a living space near the rear of the manor. An odorous smog blanketed the room, and it immediately brought my attention to the present situation. Yusuke and the overseer quietly observed a group of men playing a game of cards at a round table. The stench of their cigars was overwhelming, but Yusuke seemed unphased.

"Ah, Joker," Yusuke nodded at me as he looked up from the table.

"Have we found something interesting?" I asked, almost gagging on the smoke.

"This is a high-stakes game of poker," the overseer informed me, "Elite members of the master's entourage occasionally like to participate in gambling matches for currency and other trinkets."

"This game seems like a highly engaging pastime," Yusuke remarked, "Though I'm still figuring out exactly how it's played."

Just then I heard the slap of cards against the wooden table. The voice of one man rose up while the others grumbled in despair. "That's it, boys. If you're comfortable opening payment plans, we can discuss going for another round."

Another man slammed his fist onto the card table. "What the hell!?" the other gentleman shouted, "You didn't have that set two minutes ago! Just what kind of bullshit are you trying to pull?"

The first players leaned back in his seat and strummed his fingers on the wood. "Calm down, Bill. Games wouldn't be very fun if they didn't offer surprises."

Bill—the larger, brawny man—thrust up from his chair, jostling the table. "You bloody cheater, you!" The man reached for his hip and pointed a hefty revolver at the first with a metallic click.

The disheartened swearing of the other players was quickly lost in a surge of shocked cries. I pulled away abruptly alongside Yusuke, but the overseer stood firmly in place. Two shadow-faced servants emerged from the darkness amid the ruckus and swiftly placed Bill in a headlock. The bulky man growled at the faceless aggressors as he struggled, but the shadows were immovably sturdy.

"Gh, what the hell!" Bill shouted, "Get the fuck off me, you ingrates!"

"Mr. Slant," the overseer calmly addressed him, "You know that weapons are not permitted inside the manor."

As the man's face turned a seething red, he lashed out at the overseer. "Oh, piss off, you cognitive peasant! You're nothing more than a dirty roach stain in that buffoon's brain!"

The shadows holding Bill looked to their administrator, and he nodded to them. "Drop Mr. Slant into the well for a little while," said the overseer, "That should help him to cool down."

I watched restlessly while the guard dragged Bill away, kicking and hurling insults. The other men hesitantly returned to their dealings once Mr. Slant had been removed from the premises, but Yusuke pressed the overseer for information.

"You're taking that man to the well?" Yusuke reiterated earnestly, "Is that a euphemism for something? I'm bad at interpreting non-literals."

The overseer turned to my friend and mustered something of a regretful sigh. "No, we have a decorative well on the property."

Mildly surprised, Yusuke said, "I see… I don't I'll ever get the hang of this."

I added, "Who was that man?"

"That was William Slant," stated the overseer, "An associate of the master. I'm sorry you had to see that side of him, but he has been getting more irritable as of late."

"Do other guests have outbursts such as that?" Yusuke inquired.

"No, certainly not," the overseer huffed, "Most of our guests submit to the master's rules and coexist harmoniously. However, many were extended invitations as a social courtesy—not because they inherently satisfied the master's rigorous moral standards."

"So not all the guests agree with Nikolai's philosophy…" Yusuke postulated, "Hmm, interesting."

"I suppose," said the overseer, "but those who are willing to adopt the master's ways shall endure under his protection."

"How sanctimonious…" I replied.

Regardless, the overseer paid no heed to my comment and continued uninterrupted. "Well, we should leave these gentlemen to their games. Shall we continue with the tour?"

Yusuke nodded. "Yes, I'd like to see the upstairs if we could."

"Of course," the shadow replied, "Follow me, please."

With the smoky cardplayers behind us, we retraced my route back to the foyer. I was startled to find how little I recognized from the rooms I had just walked through, but I didn't want to dwell on that thought. Instead, I turned to Yusuke.

"Have you learned anything?" I asked.

He kept his eyes forward. "Well… Nikolai seems to have a very well-maintained house. Apparently, some of it was modeled after the styles employed by the Russian czars before-"

Exasperated, I gave a nod. "Right, but suspicious things, Yusuke."

"Ah," Yusuke chuckled, "Actually, I had not seen anything out of the ordinary until that man pulled out a gun."

"There must be something here. It's a Palace."

"You're right," he replied, "The desires are clearly here, but this infiltration is different. We don't know Nikolai, and we have no method to guess as to his sin." Yusuke stroked his face as he thought. "Even so, it appears a great deal of precaution has been taken to hide this place's true meaning."

I tightened my lips pensively. "Let's keep our eyes open."

As we came into the entryway, the overseer directed us toward the stairs. However, Yusuke paused in front of me. "Hold a moment, please," he addressed the shadow.

The darkened man faced us. "…as you wish."

Affirming the overseer's patience, Yusuke turned to me. "Joker, you should proceed and talk to the others. I shall continue the tour and report on my findings when we regroup." My partner and I nodded to each other, and Yusuke ascended the white stairs with the overseer.

I had learned very little thus far, and my patience was beginning to wear thin, so I trudged in haste to the luminescent, ballroom doors. In the quiet of the outer halls and rooms, one could scarcely tell that a perpetual celebration was occurring inside the central chamber. Still, I had the audacity to challenge that assumption. Celebrations inside cognitive worlds were nothing more than vain indulgences used to mask putrid evils, and the most convincing charades hid the worst offenses.

The noise of pretentious music and hollow flattery was swift to my ears as I pushed through the large doors. Guests roamed about freely doing whatever they pleased to no end, and I found this to be a grating mockery. My hunger for answers rising, I looked for a friend and found one quickly.

"Ah, there you are, Joker," Mona said, skipping toward me. Samuel plodded stoically behind him like an owner being walked by his pet. "Did you find anything yet?"

"Not much," I answered.

Morgana smirked with brash positivity. "Well, you can always help me educate-!"

"Ah, actually," Samuel interjected, "Why don't we just help Joker? I think I'm getting the gist of it, and we should probably start checking in with everyone anyway."

Mona glanced back and nodded. "Mmm, right!"

Sam continued, "I think Miss… Er, I mean, I think Queen might have been having some trouble."

"Let's go then," I said.

"Following you," Sam said, and the two trailed beside me.

We melded with the stagnant clusters of chattering guests and moved toward the far end of the room. Ann's skintight latex and Makoto's spiked shoulders were obvious amongst the crowd's dapper suits and blooming dresses despite the event's inclination for subterfuge. Makoto skimmed the guests attentively while Ann split her attention between her friend and the nearby hors d'oeuvres tray.

"It's alright, Queen," Ann said, munching, "I'm sure somebody else has found something…"

Makoto smiled back tenderly. "That's…" she stopped as she spotted us, "Oh, there's Joker."

The two ladies turned to me as I asked, "Have we learned anything new?"

Sighing, Makoto replied, "Not much… We talked to a bunch of people here, but no one seems to know anything of significance about Nikolai. All that work and we still have nothing."

"Well, not nothing," Ann swiftly corrected, "We heard that the gardens behind the manor are off limits."

"Eh, there's a lot of gardens around this mansion," Sam stated discouragingly.

"Yeah, apparently there's a hedge maze in the backyard, but no one's allowed back there," Ann said. Then she turned aside and plucked another powder-covered puffball from the adjacent tray supported by a duteous shadow servant. "Oh, and we also learned that these sweet puffs taste amazing." She took the treat by its skewer and popped it into her mouth with delight.

Makoto looked at Ann with a pitying smile, but Mona frowned in confusion. "What happened to being strong and not eating cake?" asked the cat.

Ann glanced at him without losing an iota of her exuberance. "Oh, this doesn't count," she replied, "This isn't cake." She picked up another and held it out to me. "Here! Try one."

Unable to deny Ann's cheerful smile, I responded, "As long as there aren't any Russian surprises…" and took the sweet.

Ann watched my face carefully while the others showed only passing curiosity. I stuck the powdered treat into my mouth and pulled the wooden pick through my closed lips. Immediately, the refined layers of sugar-coated my tongue, readying my palette for the crisp dough underneath. Even as a mellow smile came to my face, I couldn't stop myself from finishing the delightful treat and enjoying its rich flavor.

Ann's brow rose. "Well?"

"It's good," I replied, but as I spoke, a sudden puff of white powder exited my lips. Feeling the sweet powder sticking to my mouth and nose, I fidgeted instinctively.

Ann burst into laughter although the others did not appear as amused. Makoto scratched the bridge of her nose, and Samuel seemed more perturbed by Ann's outburst than anything. Still, Mona did muster a bemused scoff. I quickly wiped my face while Ann's joy lessened.

"Ahem, so," Makoto continued, "We should probably reconvene the group. Who haven't you checked with yet, Joker?"

I licked my lips obstinately. "I haven't checked with Skull yet."

Makoto sighed. "Well, I suppose we should ensure that he isn't making a fool of himself."

"Hasn't he already done that?" Samuel questioned.

"He'll have a chance to redeem himself," Makoto stated, "If he's actually found anything, that is."

"Let's see…" Ann said, pausing, "Skull said he was going to blend in at the tables. Alright, let's go."

With the group in agreement, we strained to pass through the transient crowds. The dining tables were on the opposing side of the ballroom to the multipurpose, mingling space, so we had to navigate the entire party. Nevertheless, I was eager to hear Ryuji's findings if for nothing more than his lax demeanor. Our shortage of substantial information had left me in an unstable state, having to question why we had entered this stranger's Palace.

Fortuitously, the dining area was less congested than its counterparts. Although there were plenty of filled tables, I quickly spotted Ryuji at a lonely one apart from the masses. Only one other person—a masked lady—sat with him, but Ryuji seemed more interested in his meal than conversation.

As soon as we approached, the downpour of berating comments began. "Skull!" Morgana wailed in frustration, "What are you doing? You're supposed to be gathering intel!"

Ann crossed her arms and sighed. "Looks like he's eating…"

"Huh?" Ryuji looked up from his plate as the moisture of a juicy steak graced his lips, "What? I am gathering intel!" He turned back to his meal before even finishing his excuse. "Just… from right here…" Ryuji popped another bite of steak into his mouth. "…at this table."

"Ah, ingenious technique!" Sam mocked, "I wish I had thought of that."

Ann held her face. "Oh, Skull…"

Having nothing to add to the rebuking of Skull, Makoto seized the opportunity to address the only other person at the table. "We'd like to apologize on behalf of our friend. I hope he didn't cause you any disturbance."

The lady sitting opposite Ryuji had long, dark hair, mostly tied in a ponytail. She had a dark red dress to go with her glass of dark red wine, and her mask had pointy ears and a rounded nose like a dog. "Actually, he's been quite entertaining." She cast a provoking smile at my friend.

Sam cocked his head at the woman. "Eh?"

"Yo, guys!" Futaba joined the conversation as she skipped to the table, "You should've called me if you were ready to meet up."

I waved my hand at the petite girl. "We were about to."

"Oh…" She smiled apologetically, adjusting her glasses, "Well, did you guys find any juicy secrets then?"

I just shook my head, and Makoto answered with a resounding, "Nope. What about you?"

Futaba cracked a grin. "I got a bunch of scan data!" she cheered, "It's gonna take a long time to process though."

Makoto nodded. "Huh, right…"

"What are we all talking about?" Haru then inserted herself into our midst.

Ann turned to her saying, "We were just discussing how little intel we've gathered."

Haru smiled somberly. "You too, huh?"

"You didn't find anything either, Noir?" asked Mona.

Haru shook her head. "It really says something that these people are more exhausting to talk to than food industry executives."

Futaba let out a loud yawn. "Makes me sleepy just hearing about it."

Stretching her arms over her head, Haru replied, "I know. Between my Persona and now this, I'm definitely going to need a nap once we get home."

Ann held a hand over her mouth as she also yawned. "Me too…"

"Aren't you young people supposed to be full of energy?" Sam interjected, "How are you guys tired already?"

"Hey!" Morgana chastised, "I haven't seen you doing any fighting."

Sam grunted and shook his head. "I just listened to you monologue for a good twenty minutes, didn't I?"

As the pair glared derisively at one another, the missing member of our group arrived. "Ah, everyone's already here," Yusuke remarked.

I turned to him and asked, "Did you discover anything, Fox?"

"No," Yusuke said dejectedly, "It seems the upstairs are just as conventional as the downstairs—lots of sleeping quarters and the like. There was an attic I did not get to see, but apparently, that's where the main ventilation system is."

Makoto's face was downcast. "So, we've come up completely empty-handed." She sighed. "This infiltration isn't going very smoothly."

Then our discussion was interrupted by the stranger sitting beside us. "You are the Phantom Thieves, correct?" inquired the lady, "If you're trying to speak with Nikolai, I wouldn't worry. It shouldn't be too hard getting him to notice you."

The group turned in puzzlement to the unfamiliar woman, and Sam made a face like something had flown up his nose. "Ah-em…" he stuttered, "Uh, Amanda, is that you?"

The lady took a long sip from her glass, shifting her irritated gaze away from Samuel. "Yes, hello Sam. I see you there," she muttered grumpily, "You really should be wearing a mask, you know. This is a masquerade ball."

Sam looked upon his sister in perplexity. "I… I didn't bring one."

"Um, I'm sorry," Haru apologetically uttered, "Who is this woman?"

Sam heaved a great sigh. "That is my sister."

"Ah, your sister," Makoto blankly stated, "Yes, I think I recall meeting her once or twice before. She's a very demanding person."

"Wait," Ann interjected in amazement, "I didn't even know Squire had a sister!"

Ryuji looked up with a mouth full of steak. "His thithter!?"

Futaba immediately followed, saying, "Amanda Zimmerman—owner of the Zimmerman Corporation, or Z-Tech, and currently acting as director for United States Extradimensional Intelligence and liaison to international Metaverse research."

Mona frowned. "Why am I not surprised you knew that off the top of your head?"

Amanda let out a snide laugh as she glanced at Futaba. "I wish I had someone like you to announce my presence everywhere I went, darling." She familiarly touched Futaba's arm before glancing her over again. "Although, you are a bit short… Ah, it's nothing some heels couldn't fix."

"Uh, thank you?" Futaba sputtered.

"So, a close relative of Squire is appearing as a cognitive being in the Palace of our supposed enemy?" Yusuke said, crossing his arms, "I'm sensing this situation is more complicated than I was led to believe."

Sam proceeded to interrogate his sister. "Why are you here anyway?"

Amanda scoffed. "Are you really that dense? I know Nikki well enough."

Sam shook his head. "No, I mean, why are you sitting here with this oaf?"

"Hey!" Ryuji hissed.

Rising from her seat, Amanda laughed peculiarly. "Well, he certainly looks cute." She stepped around the table with her glass of wine in one hand and using the other to feel Ryuji's shoulders. "Though I haven't decided if he's my type yet."

Ryuji's jaw hung open as he entered a light stupor. "Uh-uh…" he gawked, "Uhh…"

Sam frowned. "Isn't he a bit young for you?"

Amanda removed her hands from my friend and strutted toward her brother. "Oh, I was only joking," she said. The lady glanced back over her shoulder at Ryuji, rubbing her glossy lips together. "But he would make a nice boy-toy."

Ryuji looked down at his plate and swallowed hard. "Nh…"

Sam shut his eyes. "Amanda…"

His sister faced him with a sharp grimace. "Oh! what, Samuel!?" She stamped her heel. "Did you think I just wouldn't be here, or that I'd be too stupid to figure out that the real me doesn't want you infiltrating Nikolai's cognition!?" Amanda shook her head as she glanced around at the group. "And you brought the damn cosplay kids too!" Her white face becoming red, she glared at Sam. "Haven't they gone through enough! Do you even know what's going to happen if anyone finds out about this?"

Sam took a step back from his sister. "They know the risks."

"No, they don't!" Amanda cried, "If the UN catches you, they'll go to prison for the rest of their lives! And that's if you're lucky! If the Russians catch you, no one's even going to know."

"We were already attacked on the way here…"

"Dammit, Sam," Amanda said, hitting her head, "I move heaven and earth to keep you out of trouble, but you just can't sit still. Right when we're on the precipice of doing some actual good, you've got to go and screw everything up with your damn rivalry!"

Suddenly, Sam clenched his teeth and shouted back. "Don't give me that shit!" Sam flamed, "If you were actually concerned about doing good, we wouldn't be having this discussion!"

"Oh?" Amanda replied, "Did I finally dig deep enough into that shell of yours to get you to show some backbone?"

"Woah," Futaba chirped, "Destruction 100."

Haru eye's shifted worriedly between party members. "Ah, is Squire really arguing with his cognitive sister?"

With the two siblings sharing heated glares, I took the moment of levity to break the argument. "We're just looking for our friend." It wasn't entirely a lie, just an oversimplification.

Amanda turned her reddened eyes upon me. "Is that supposed to console me?" she asked, "How am I supposed to take the word of a thief?"

"Take your brother's."

Distraught, the lady turned back to Sam. Her brother sighed. "He's right. We're trying to find a friend of theirs who was kidnapped using the Metaverse."

"And I just have to believe you chose Nikolai's cognition as the first place to investigate?" Amanda laughed and then let out a long sigh. "Fine. Whatever. Just don't cause any trouble."

Sam's mouth skewed. "Well, I can't make any promises about the cat." He motioned to Morgana.

Glancing down at our smaller companion, Amanda jumped with a start and lightly patted her breast. "Oh… my," she heaved, "I didn't even notice that hideous thing."

"What!" Mona wailed, "Excuse me!"

"Ahem," Makoto inserted herself into the dialogue, addressing Amanda, "Perhaps you would like to share some information on Nikolai with us since you seem to know him so well."

Amanda sighed and took another sip of wine. "Why not?" she responded, "I was getting bored anyways. All these drab businessmen and scientists leave a girl feeling so lonely." She gazed condescendingly over the crowds.

"Lonely?" Ann repeated in confusion, "But it's a party. No one talks to you?"

"No," Amanda said with a shrug, "I would talk to Nikki, but he's preoccupied with his work these days—always keeping to his office, only permitting the occasional visitor by invitation."

Ann propped her head on one hand as she thought. "Only by invitation, huh?"

"That's right," Amanda replied, confidently approaching Panther, "Of course, I doubt you—of all people—would have any difficulty securing one." Without flinching, Amanda reached out and placed her free hand directly on Ann's hip.

Ann let out a wail as her face filled with shock. "Ah!" The remainder of us showed great apprehension to Amanda's brazen advances.

"Feel that…" Amanda mumbled to herself, "Damn… skintight latex." She maneuvered behind Ann, allowing her hand to follow to the other hip. Amanda looked up and smiled. "Honestly, I'm kind of jealous. I'd be having a lot of fun if I could fill out a latex suit like you do."

Ann shivered in burning paralysis. "Umm…"

Sam's brow furrowed intensely. "Amanda…"

Nevertheless, his sister continued her fascination with Ann. "Oh, you're that model, right? Seems the pictures don't quite do you justice." Amanda stepped back and took in Ann's figure.

"Eh…" Ann wavered, "That's me."

Amanda tapped her lips as she smiled mischievously. "A female model… That'd be a first."

"Amanda," Sam interjected, "Would you please leave her alone?"

"Oh, Sam," Amanda called back, "It's your own fault for keeping them under surveillance for so long. We had so many magazine issues! What was I supposed to do with all those pretty boys and girls posing on the covers?"

Having heard enough mindless blabbering, I stepped confidently between Amanda and Ann, granting the former a cold stare. "Quit harassing her."

Amanda glanced at me, widening her eyes. "Oh, I see. I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were so territorial." She smiled while her eyes scanned my body. "Though I guess it's a small consolation seeing she did so well for herself."

Then Yusuke put a swift end to the nonsense with a loud rebuke. "Would you kindly stop this indecency!?" he shouted, "This is truly repugnant behavior, especially for an adult!"

"Woah, Fox!" Futaba cheered, "Destruction 200!"

Amanda took another sip from her glass as she turned away from the group in frustration. "Hmph…"

Makoto crossed her arms. "Well, this is going nowhere fast."

Sam scratched his head and sighed. "Maybe we should reconvene elsewhere. It appears my sister has had too much wine for her own good."

Ryuji nodded earnestly in agreement. "Right," he began, "Let me just finish my steak, and…"

Ann groaned irritably. "Haven't you had enough imaginary food!?" she growled, "Now you're just making the rest of us hungry!"

Shoving another hunk of meat into his cheek, Ryuji gave his retort. "Hey! It ain't my fault you ran off and ignored the opportunity."

Mona sighed. "Let's just go already. Leave him if we have to."

Makoto nodded. "Agreed. We've wasted enough time already."

The group fell into line as we parted from the tables, but Ryuji jeered after us. "Hey, wait!"

We regrouped in an empty corner of the ballroom far from any prying ears and began to debrief the team on the situation. Compelling details were lacking, but I had some questions on my mind following the appearance of Amanda. While infiltration was our only course of action, my suspicions of Sam had risen considerably. We had no evidence of the missing being inside this Palace, and now Sam's sister was here. One way or another, I was going to get some answers.

"I must apologize for my sister's behavior back there," Sam began, "She was acting like…"

"Like a drunken fool?" Yusuke firmly added, "Yes, we noticed."

Sam closed his eyes and swallowed. "Well, I guess that's one way to put it."

"Why is she here anyway?" Mona asked, "It's awfully suspicious for her to be in Nikolai's cognition without any significant alterations."

"It's just some weird, fake cognition, right?" Ryuji said, "No way a government employee acts like that in real life."

Sam's mouth wrinkled. "Eh…"

Skull recoiled. "What!? She actually does!?"

"Look," Sam continued, "It's just like your…" He glanced at Futaba and paused.

"Oracle," Haru supplied.

"Oracle," Sam restated, nodding, "It's just like your Oracle explained. My sister is the one coordinating Metaverse research across pretty much the entire world. Nikolai and Russia—they're a part of that initiative though only tenuously at best."

"Hmm," Ann considered Sam's words, "Amanda seemed pretty familiar with him for a "tenuous" relationship."

"Well…" Sam shifted from foot to foot. "What they do in their personal time is not really something I want to concern myself with."

Ann's face drooped. "Oh…"

"Then, is that why you're considered late?" Yusuke asked, "Because you know Nikolai by association."

"Something to that effect," Sam replied.

Having sufficiently vetted Samuel, I directed the conversation to the objective of our mission. "So, what information do we have?"

"Well, not much," Makoto somberly replied, "If I recall, we didn't find anything particularly incriminating."

"At this rate, talking to Nikolai directly might be our best option," Yusuke stated.

"Yes, but he's so reclusive," Makoto went on, "Amanda said we'd need an invitation just to get in to see him."

"Even if we get inside, then what?" Ryuji inquired, "It's not like we can just beat the info out of him. There are shadows crawling all over this place! Even if we did rough Nik up, there's an army of butlers waitin' to kick our asses. Not to mention those weird inhibitor things…"

"Perhaps we should expand our search area," Haru offered, "and use more clandestine methods to gather information."

"That would be best," Makoto agreed, "But what places are left to investigate?"

"There is the attic," Yusuke said, crossing his arms, "Although, I doubt there are any secrets hidden up there."

"Ooh, what about the hedge maze we heard about earlier?" Ann added.

Makoto nodded as she considered the idea. "Yes, the gardens still could be hiding something."

Sam scratched his chin. "Yes, but like Skull said, this place is swarming with shadows. If we go outside, there will be eyes on us. Whether it be that overseer or some of those patrolling riders, it'll be really difficult to get around the yard unnoticed."

"What we need is a better infiltration route," Mona said, "We'll never be able to sneak around if we have an escort the moment we step onto the property."

"Maybe there's another entrance through that black wall we passed through," Haru added.

"Hmm, might take a while to find though," Sam stated, "That thing seemed to go on forever."

"Well then," Makoto responded, "Why don't we return to reality for today? Oracle's scan data also needs some time to process."

Hearing her friend's suggestion, Ann stood on her tiptoes and stretched her arms high into the air. "Mmm, sounds good. I think I'll catch a nap on the car ride back."

Yusuke nodded as he adjusted his sleeves. "I can agree with that. We learned a lot today, despite the setbacks."

Morgana nodded happily. "Yep! Great work today team!"

"Are we all ready then?" I asked.

Makoto smiled at me. "Seems we're all in agreement."

Ryuji abruptly yawned. "We sure had a productive run."

Futaba glared curiously at him. "But… all you did was sit around and eat…"

I sighed. "Let's go."