A thank you to the people who liked this story. I thank you very much for contributing your criticisms and comments throughout the plot.

I hope you enjoy.

A sensation of tense discomfort shook Yaldabaoth through his container that owned the Velvet Room when he felt like some sort of mysterious disturbance had just rocked inside Mementos.

It was strange, even inexplicable, to someone like him as a deity generated from the distorted desire of humans to live under the weight of the law in the midst of a corrupted society. His other half that was in the Depths served as a motion sensor and camera that monitored the activity of the human and his companions in his works as the Phantom Thieves of Heart. But nevertheless, the strange anomaly left him puzzled.

He could not see it even when he had Igor as his new eyes, but he could feel the aura that made up the anomaly; It was dark, surrounded by an air of malevolence that seemed like an intense and infernal flame, covered by malice, hatred, rancor, anger, nostalgia, regrets ... and above all, the desire for revenge. Those were the attributes that distinguished a human being by his nature, but Yaldabaoth had never felt that intense aura of darkness coming from a single human and whose internal energy reviewed the Shadows stronger than Mementos, as its guardian, the Reaper.

On the stage clouded by the warp's darkness, the anura of anomie intensified when he came into contact with a Shadow on the Path of Qimraunt, only to be killed in the process. The anomaly was not alone there at the time of the murder; a new power signature was from a safe area. Yaldabaoth studied him as a cognitive being in the form of a child who looked curiously at the scene; the boy was scared when the anomaly identified him. The boy ran to his toy car where he accelerated, escaping the anomaly, without even thinking that he was following.

He hid in an area that the God of Control could not determine, but he distinguished a room where the cognitive child hid. However, the anomaly had discovered it, and what was known about the room was a simple blur that led to an exploration.

The boy had died along with the room when he sent Shadows while exploring the scene of the incident.

A scar-like opening of about nine centimeters with a wide crater tore through the walls like a deep and serious wound, that was what he could see. Such power to cause that impact was not to be underestimated. He knew about the cognitive boy who had been frequenting Mementos since his appearance by keeping him monitored, but the anomaly made him disappear, as if it were something easy.

What was the mysterious anomaly? Where he came from? How could you get into Mementos? Those were the questions that Yaldabaoth asked himself internally as he was surrounded by doubt and uncertainty.

He was dealing with a third player to his stage equation, but who was he?

'He was human, there was no doubt about his humanoid composition and appearance,' he said with analytical deduction. 'That dark aura covered him like a shield, impossible to see, but do not admit that it is a human who has caused such destruction. Hmmm ... that power ... that hatred ... that rancor ... goes beyond comprehension. All those emotions combined as a double-edged sword ... hmmm ... '

The only individuals who had access to enter the Metaverse were the human Goro Akechi who followed the orders of the Conspiracy, and the newcomer who gave him Wildcard's second power, Ren Amamiya.

If he made a logically established and direct assumption, Goro Akechi was not responsible for the murder; his goal was to create chaos with the closings and elimination of competition from Masayoshi Shido who poses a threat to his candidacy for Prime Minister, the murdered Shadowed Being Youji Isshiki, the younger brother of Wakaba Isshiki, the government researcher and scientist who proposed the existence of the Metaverse when Shido decided to snatch his investigation by ordering his murder.

As reported on the Shadowed Being, Youji Isshiki was a despot who profited from financial funds by caring for his niece while wasting money on gambling; He annoyed Sojiro Sakura to give him the money after he took his niece for the bad care, coming to the point of threatening him if he did not advance his pay in inventing an excuse that the owner of the Leblanc mistreated his niece. It could be said that his death was justified by the owner's internal desire, but his heart resists living by his own internal conflicts in raising his sins.

So ... who did it? Was it a new member? It could be a possibility, but if you looked at it logically, the mysterious individual who exuded that dark aura showed a grudge against Youji Isshiki, a grudge mixed with a bitter feeling of familiarity towards the despot who benefited from the easy economic resource.

'Maybe it's him?' Ren Amamiya would be the number one suspect Yaldabaoth had come to mind after two weeks had passed since his recruitment as the one who would bring hope to humanity through his work to reform the Shadowed Beings; He saw in the boy a great spirit of struggle that was hidden deep inside him, a decisive value in being free from his own imprisonment, a rebel who would oppose the self-taught system ... although, nevertheless, there were certain doubts he did not overlook: The boy did not show any surprise when he woke up in the Velvet Room, his answers were direct when he was told about the circumstances in which society was heading towards calamity, and his gaze showed a serene and reserved appearance, but those dark gray eyes showed a different perspective; Cold, frozen, analytical and observant, having in them an air of familiarity with the environment as something that he would have been on occasion.

As for the Persona, it simply filled him with discontent over his demonic appearance in the garb of a jester in noble attire. After all, the Personas were the internal manifestations of the psyches shaped according to their own personality that represents their rebellious spirit. That manifestation that reflected the rebellious spirit was the opposite of what he was thinking: a demon in a trickster's suit, and not just any demon, but was described in Germanic folklore for his greed and arrogance in tempting both sides to win their trust and confidence. get away with evading danger.

The human, Ren Amamiya, embodied not only the spirit of a trickster, but the reflection of his own personal darkness.

'This cannot be tolerable!' Yaldabaoth grumbled angrily. 'If the human is the user of the mysterious dark aura or not, then I will have to take serious measures'

The scenario created was that Ren Amamiya would perform his role as the Trickster of Hope in his work to save society, while Goro Akechi continued to wreak havoc on his affiliation as the Trickster of Chaos in following Shido's orders as his assassin.

Those two pillars represented the internal struggle for the survival of a humanity on the verge of collapse, but this slight paradigm shift could ruin everything.

He could not allow a scenario established from a few months ago to fall into the hands of a single individual who yearns for destruction and sadism instead of saving humans.

If Ren Amamiya really hid an evil appearance underneath an innocent face, then there was a risk that a new evil could lead him to perdition ... just as Nyarlathotep and Nyx had been.

With a strong fury almost suppressed, a severe blow exploded against the desk, echoing with a crash throughout the prison and attracting the attention of the twins who were startled by the shock of their master's call.

"I want you to keep an eye on the Trickster in all his activities in the human world and then bring me his report when they are done," he ordered with direct authority towards the twins, who these two nodded without question.

'I will not tolerate a human like him making fun of me' thought the God of Control with boiling anger. 'Ren Amamiya, don't think you're going to get away with it if you hide something from my eyes'

Makoto walked down the hallways leading to the rooftop that was once closed after Shiho Suzui's near-suicide but was reopened after everything catastrophic happened during Kamoshida's arrest. She felt nervous as she approached the final stretch where the three students who always met on the roof should be when recess played, although said nervousness that was often normal in her must be subdued by the seriousness of the affair. Keeping her calm in situations where the seriousness of an investigator in dealing with a case was warranted was what Makoto admired, and so she must not have made a rookie mistake.

After all, Principal Kobayakawa had given her the task of investigating the identities of the Phantom Thieves of Heart that were supposed to be any student in the Shujin Academy, under the promise that he would give a place to a university in first level if she did her job. She did not hesitate to accept it, feeling she was responsible for notifying him when she obtained the information collected.

For Makoto, obtaining the quota was a divine blessing that she had longed for; it was an opportunity that she would not instantly miss when she accepted his job. Having that quota would allow her to enter a university with expenses paid without her older sister paying the tuition. It was a weight that took off Sae from the stress of working at the SIU as a prosecutor that many times she was busy with her work to take care of her after the death of her father, which was a great responsibility to take care of her ... although on some occasions there was a point of friction between the Niijima sisters.

As her father died from a truck in the line of duty, she forced her older sister to juggle between handling cases in court and raising her as she was a teenager alone, feeling herself like a cement sack that was impossible to do. use, increasing among them a low esteem that could break a division that kept them both as a family. Makoto was sorry for being a responsibility towards his sister, she wanting her father to be alive right now, but unfortunately one had to settle for the challenges that life posed. It was crude for her, but she made a promise to herself that she would strive to level up her subjects until she achieved high academic achievement where she could obtain a university quota to ease the burden Sae was holding.

It was heavy for her to study, but the effort paid off when she became a third-year honor student and president of the Student Council of the Shujin Academy. She was happy that she achieved, although the students were not satisfied to see her incompetent and unable to work, because no one treated her seriously for her submissive attitude, receiving ridicule and unpleasant murmurs towards her person. for the irresponsibility of remaining silent in the face of the perversities that Kamoshida did towards the students in the Physical Education Classes.

The almost death of Shiho Suzui affected her so much that she felt guilty and responsible for not saving her from her cruel tragic destiny by witnessing her jump off the roof, being aware of the physical and emotional abuse that the girl had endured throughout her body. Seeing Shiho being taken to the hospital made her crack like porcelain, victim of her own reserved, shy and quiet attitude.

She was a shame as the Student Council president, a shame for her dead father, for her sister, and for herself.

She had been weak and left for not having provided help; She did not have the necessary courage as her father did when he was an officer when he was in the world of the living. She wanted to be like him, but her fragility in a world full of corruption and walking abominations kept her like a small bird among eagles and scavengers.

Then the Phantom Thieves of Heart entered the picture, and the rest was history when they did the job of mysteriously reforming Kamoshida when he declared his depraved misdeeds before all.

It was divine and miraculous justice when she heard it among the students, that the Phantom Thieves were the true vigilantes that society needed to save the oppressed and innocent, as was the example of Daisuke Takanashi's reform for his attitude of being an infamous bully who bullied others; then it was specified that Yoshimura Sakoda used Daisuke as a pawn for exposing her intimidation as a puppet; Another reformed was Yumeko Mogami who harassed her boyfriend by recording him with his phone in a hallway upstairs. Those demonstrations of justice made her feel a pang of jealousy and frustration at being plunged into her own depression hole.

With Madarame's reform from two weeks ago, a flaming spark of determination and conviction reactivated her dull spirit; If the Phantom Thieves were considered by some to be vigilantes, then she would do everything in her power to find him and compel them to show them if they really help people. And at some point in her exhausting investigative work, it seemed that fate decided to intervene in her search for the truth: Ryuji Sakamoto declared in all her honesty of a ape in heat in the schoolyard the activities carried out as the Phantom Thieves.

She recorded everything, and then she stored it on her phone; She was not going to report the revealing finding to Kobayakawa, but instead chose to follow her decision to judge the group's actions with her own eyes, wanting to have a perspective that the Phantom Thieves use their abilities for purposes of solidarity and justice towards the others, and for this, she put them to the test with a job that had done so much damage to the students ... a big shot for short.

She reached the final leg of her walk; she took a few steps toward the door, she inhaled deeply and then she exhaled. She was nervous, but she suppressed it when she stepped outside on the roof with sunlight bathing the clear blue sky. The three teenagers noticed her appearance when they saw her with surprise on their faces, especially the two blondes who gave her sharp eyes.

"What do you want?" Ryuji replied with a tone almost hiding her anger.

Nerves seeped into Makoto at the vulgar student's hostile tone, making her tense, but she didn't back down when she spoke in direction:

"The pretend appearance game ends here"

The two blonds looked at each other with inconsistent expressions, while the transfer student didn't show any emotion in what was happening.

"I know the misunderstandings are being made in what I am referring to" Makoto continued speaking, intoning her voice in one of severity that was adjusted to that of a senior officer, "but perhaps this will make them change their minds"

Makoto took her phone out of her pocket and played the recording taken when she played it, reacting alarmism and impression between the two blondes and not the transfer student who maintained a calm state, generating in Makoto a state of disagreement and discomfort.

"No way ..." Ryuji's voice was like a whisper that was lost in an echo.

"Impossible ..." Ann brought both hands to her mouth in shock, stunned and shocked.

"... That was to be expected" the transfer student's voice was so casual that it caught the attention of the three of them. "You did an excellent job in espionage, which must be said to be a great achievement"

The three of them stared at her with stunned expressions at the indifference of the matter, as if it wasn't much.

"Eh?! Did you know that?!" Ryuji questioned the transfer student critically.

The boy shrugged nonchalantly, his expression still calm without changing.

"I thought I imagined such things when I felt someone spying on my back, but I did not care ... well, or so I thought"

Makoto felt disoriented and confused; Did the transfer student know that she was spying on him but made no move to catch her? Definitely it gave her bad feelings when listening as her mind told her that she should not get into a kind of invisible danger that surrounded that aura of calm and serenity about the transfer student.

The criminal record reports were so clear that she kept a high profile as a watchdog over him; having a student with such a background in his file altered the dangers that he could be a danger to others, and as president of the Student Council it was her duty to be aware of what was happening at the institution, although her work was lousy because of her low sense.

Ren Amamiya was to be observed and analyzed after being paroled; Sometimes appearances were deceiving in the blink of an eye by showing calm demeanor. She would make sure not to take her eye off him.

"H-right ..." agreed Makoto, whose voice was hesitant and quiet. "I have followed them all this time when the Kamoshida thing happened. Director Kobayakawa gave me the task of doing it under my duty as President of the Student Council to ensure the well-being of the institution"

The two blondes muttered curses and swear words in low tones so that she would not hear him, while Ren spoke calmly:

"... How did you know it was us?"

"It was complicated when I started investigating" she admitted with a sigh, "but after doing a self-analysis of the circumstances, I came to the conclusion that the suspects that make up the Phantom Thieves must be students with rancor and hatred towards the aggressor, that is to say, Kamoshida, the first victim of the reform of the heart. To reach that deduction, it was necessary to study the scenario and those involved in the attack, which required a list of the students who were under his classes, leading me to possible suspects who were involved in the change: Ryuji Sakamoto, the person who had a dispute that led to him having an injured leg; Ann Takamaki, the foreign girl who was always by Kamoshida's side at all times to the point of being recognized as his lover. And, the cherry on the cake, the exchange student with a criminal record who was seen interacting with Kamoshida, Ren Amamiya. Of course he could It was to include its new member, Yusuke Kitagawa, a student at Kosei High School and a former apprentice to Madarame; with all united the Phantom Thieves of Heart are formed"

Ryuji and Ann were stunned by the statement perfectly explained by their heavy documentation and investigation work that she had taken based on the guidelines of the criminologists in the investigations regarding the crimes, frauds and lies that each human being exposed in their language bodily. Naoto Shirogane was his inspiration when using those detective tactics when he captured the killer in Inaba and he put it into practice by collecting information on who the Phantom Thieves were.

"Heh! Bravo, bravo" Ren applauded with a kind of lively air. "Your detective deduction is commendable with a fine sense of perception"

Makoto tried to hide her blush at the transfer student's praise or sarcasm for his research analysis, but she just got it out of her as she felt her cheeks tint almost red.

"I-It's true!" she said, between timidly cut. "I-I had to analyze their meetings that they frequented both in classes and outside of classes, reaching the point that the compilation gave an excellent point of genuineness. But I do not understand how they do that ability to make people confess their misdeeds: Blackmail? Hypnosis? How do they do it?"

There was a slight tense silence in which neither of the two blondes stood up to her for their annoying pseud-intellectualism that many hated her.

"What you gonna do?" Ren replied, her usual calm and casual voice appearing to lighten the dense, heavy atmosphere. "You have evidence that we are the Phantom Thieves by having it recorded on your cell phone, which gives you the right to accuse us as those responsible for the changes of heart and the accidents of mental closures. Do it if you want to do it; be back to the cell would not affect me at all, feeling it if it were my room. The institution cannot have ties with criminals who can tarnish its reputation than it was with a degenerate coach"

The three of them were shocked and stunned at the cold and direct response Ren had thrown like a sharp knife that managed to deepen the flesh. There was a kind of spectral flash when he adjusted his glasses, forming a white glow in them that gave way to intense and deep eyes that seemed to be made by the Void of the cosmos itself that seemed to mentally drill the president of the Student Council.

An icy chill ran down Makoto's spine until she was shaken and, mysteriously, scared. She put aside that dreadful emotion that engulfed her and returned to the conversation:

"No ... I will not accuse them"

"Really?" Ren questioned, folding his arms and frowning; her tone was dry, sharp, and icy. "What did it take you not to do?"

Makoto gulped as she felt secreted and slapped invisibly at the hostility she received from the transfer student. For an instant, she wanted to scold him, but she swallowed it inwardly as a kind of warning that her mind told her that she had to maintain a straight and serious posture, the model that her older sister used at work as a prosecutor of the SIU.

She sighed as she spoke

"I ... I decided not to because ..." She trailed off, feeling her words being spoken with an air of fragility and delicacy, the intonation of a six-year-old girl, but Makoto had left that experience behind. childish with a father in the living world that only photographic images appeared to her as a peaceful and innocent life. At this time, in this dark and gloomy society there was no place for the weak, but for the strongest and most adapted in survival in a jungle full of lurking predators. She had to be strong like Sae, and for that reason, she sharpened her voice in showing her determination: "... because I want to verify that it is that justice they are talking about"

The student cocked her head to the side with no change in her calm expression, while Ann and Ryuji looked at her with blinking eyes.

"Than?" Ryuji had replied by raising an eyebrow.

"I am the only one who knows your secret" she sentenced directly. "If they prove that what they do is fair, I will erase the audio"

The three students that made up the Phantom Thieves looked at her curiously.

"What's the deal in return?" Ren asked askance through her glasses that sparkled an obsidian glow.

"There is a heart that I want to change"

"Who exactly are we talking about?" the transfer student deepened.

"Hmm, so it's not impossible," she corroborated quietly. "The one with a gangster"

"A gangster?!" Ann expressed questioningly.

"What are you talking about?!" Ryuji furtively questioned.

"They call themselves like that" Makoto said sincerely. "They seem to be responsible for the increase in cyber-scams. The worst thing is that, when they have you in their sights, they do not stop threatening you until they succeed. They force you to participate in your scams, threaten your family and destroy you life"

"Holy shit ..." Ryuji whispered, widening her eyes. Makoto observed that Ren Amamiya did not express any emotion on the fragile subject and continued speaking without looking away:

"It seems that among the victims there are some Shujin students"

"No!" Ann snapped.

"Her main objective is youngs" Makoto explained seriously, putting the topic very tense of what she was.

"What's the boss's name?" Ren Amamiya asked in her usual tone of voice without any change.

"No one knows," she admitted with a sigh, feeling frustrated that she was pending on the case but she was unable to obtain the provider's name. "The victims have been threatened so that they do not testify. The police do not even know what is happening"

"Do you want us to start there?" Ann replied.

"They should be able to with this ... if they really are the Phantom Thieves. Or is Akechi right that they are against justice?"

Ann and Ryuji looked at each other with questioning, while Ren replied in a calm, dry and cutting tone:

"... We do things in a cautious and careful way. Tell us the details"

"The focus of activity is on Shibuya" she reported. "It's all I know. You have two weeks. Once it's over, I'll send the police and the institution over. I hope you don't disappoint me."

When she finished speaking, she felt the same icy chills whip her, but with an intense volume that shook her. Sharp pain clenched her chest until she was fatigued and exhausting, almost impossible to breathe, as a tachycardia would have mysteriously given her when she met the transfer student's gaze; it was as if she were looking into a nonexistent emptiness that swallowed her whole soul and being completely.

She walked to the door with a balanced stride without passing out when she came out of the roof and started to rush down the stairs intending to go home, calm down, and shake off the terrifying image of the transfer student who chilled her completely, feeling that she was struck by the gaze of a demon with a human appearance.

The three watched with surprise as the president of the Student Council left them with a kind of awkward movement when they went out the door, leaving them alone with the hustle and bustle of the city that filled the dense silence that enveloped the rooftop.

"Huh ... what just happened to her?" Ryuji asked with an expression of incomprehension. "It looked like I had given her an attack or something like that"

"... Who knows" Ren cut off the answer when he called the attention of his colleagues with an icy voice. "But the real priority is to carry out our work in finding the gangster, reforming him and having Makoto delete the audio as a sign of mutual cooperation"

The two blondes were tense by the coldness that their leader commanded, but they nodded in not giving importance to the tone in which he spoke.

"The next time you talk about our work how the Phantom Thieves should keep an eye on their surroundings," Morgana grumbled as she peeked through the open zipper of Ren's backpack. "A single rookie mistake can ruin an entire operation. That was a lesson to him."

"From mistakes one learns easily," Ren replied in a casual and unscrupulous voice, leaving the image of a disinterested individualist. "Trials and mistakes help us learn so we don't make them in the future. Now what matters is finding our goal"

"And how shall we do it, genius?" the cat mocked. "Makoto said that gangster is difficult to locate because he has all the means to hide and go unnoticed"

An arrogant and proud smile was drawn on the boy's lips. The change of event in which Makoto must have called him to the Student Council classroom was very different in this alternate timeline, but the result was the same result when he was spied on by Sae's useless sister and was recorded on his cell phone as hard evidence that he didn't give a shit about that superior smile and expression of conviction that Makoto's bitch believed with her high degree of second-rate arrogance.

"Hmm ... that fox smile tells me you have a blueprint, right?" Morgana asked.

"Do you remember that journalist we met at the station on the way to Yongen-Jaya?"

"Huh? Ah! Yes, I do remember her. She introduced herself as Ichiko Ohya by giving us her number in case of anything important. Do you have it?"

"Yes," Ren agreed with conviction. "I have it written down on the cell phone when I transcribe it from the sheet"

"Hey, hey, wait!" Ryuji called anxiously. "What are you talking about? Who is that journalist you are talking about?"

"It is someone who approached me in the afternoon when I returned to the Leblanc" Ren explained. "She knew that I was a Shujin student sometimes when I got on the direct train to school. She asked me a few questions about whether she knew a little bit about whether the Phantom Thieves were there and all that journalism stuff telephone number in case of contacting her if she brought new information. I will call her now to ask that we leave at an agreed time ... "

The two blondes looked at him with amazement and emotion drawing on their faces at the initiative taken with brilliant logistics by the strategic capacity of their leader who saw him as an example to follow in the midst of the uncertainty of a wild world. It was known that this hostility for minutes had been the result of the stress of being caught off guard without realizing it: a rookie mistake.

He was internally angry when showing a mask of serenity for not exploding in front of the President of the Student Council and younger sister of a prosecutor who worked for the SIU, meaning for it as a dead end in which there was no escape, but with the new maneuver launched by their leader, perhaps they could get out of the situation they were in in an easy and simple way.

That was why Ann and Ryuji had their trust and faith placed in their leader.

"Man, you are smart, Ren Ren!" Ryuji exclaimed with childish emotion.

Ren returned the compliment with a silent nod when the call was picked up on the second ring as it was dialed and the journalist's voice was heard from the other line.

"Hello, it's me, Ren Amamiya. I'm calling if you could help me with a complicated matter in exchange for an interview. Yes ... uh-huh. Very well ... okay, we'll see you there. Bye."

"What did she say?" Morgana asked.

"Ohya told me to see her in the Shinjuku sector at night in a bar called Crossroards"

"I will accompany you" Ryuji added with a smile.

"I'd love to go with you, but I'm busy with the sessions and work," Ann admitted with disappointment.

Ren looked at them with mock acceptance through her mask of innocence.

"Let the hunt begin"

The night had fallen like the blanket of a sheet on a well-made bed. The stars in the sky shone like pearls submerged in a vast ocean of the night that predominated over Shibuya, and whose urban and commercial sectors parade in an endless number of artificial lights between the various domestic and urban establishments. The Shinjuku sector was one of several that fulfilled their task of being awake at twenty-four hours at nightfall and where traffic activity is high. Shops and markets congregated in mazes stuck together and separated by meandering avenues of asphalt that ran with others that connected to other sectors of the modern metropolis of Japan.

For Ren, the Shinjuku cityscape was the same as the murals of paintings that reflected the same drawing unchanged, although the difference was at school when Makoto confronted them by having the recorded audio of Ann and Ryuji's conversation in the playground. That was a change, an unidentified paradigm that altered an entire specified equation in the past, in the old timeline where he was called into the Student Council room with a Makoto in a state of conviction and pride for his dense research.

Another paradigm could include the reform of Futaba ahead of time, but it could be concluded as an enormous benefit by stopping the cyber attack by the Shido puppets.

... Speaking of Shido, he had his first encounter with the bald bastard in the restaurant that Ann had invited them to in the VIP entrance on their way out; the corrupt Prime Minister candidate went to his advisers where Ren had to side with Ryuji to let him pass politely, giving another change in the new timeline. When the elevator doors had opened, Ren decided to take advantage of the opportune moment to remove his glasses in front of him, causing a surprise and consternation reaction in the bastard who screwed up his life. It filled him with exuberant joy like the intoxicating breeze of spring that engulfed him with exhilaration and excitement, but the real satisfaction was yet to come when the whole show ended once and for all.

He had Futaba as a docile dog that could be sent to him with a single word after having sodomized his Shadowed Being in the dream by means of an unlawful tamer act that involved treating her as a sex addicted nymphomaniac by just sucking on her buttocks, fingering her in her groin, and grope her nipples under her mummy bandages. He tamed her like the wild animal that she was ... a simple toy in which to use and then dispose of, like the rest of her ex-friends who would soon serve their purpose.

However, there was another change in which he was not aware, and that was that the class was not taken to Akasaka Universal Studios where Akechi would send training and sinister questions to the spectators, including him; But assuming the way things were, Ren found it indifferent to return to the ungrateful son of a bitch who kept harassing him from diseased and depraved wood.

Would you recognize it? Possibly there was a zero chance that the young hitman detective with a double spy job was certain that he would be identified as a member of the Phantom Thieves, since his image was still neat without being slandered by his criminal record; although in his old timeline, Akechi would have spotted them in a corner by keeping quiet while listening to them. He would make a mental note to tell Ryuji's ape to keep his mouth shut when the moment came, just like for Ann.

"Then where's the path?" asked Ryuji who was next to him, carrying with him the same clothes as in his previous timeline; a red T-shirt with the words printed in yellow that said "NO MO RULE" and the typical black checked pants with suspenders that hang low.

Being in his own thoughts he had forgotten that they had their mission.

"... The bar is facing the front, then we will cross to the right" Ren explained with a hand gesture.

Morgana leaned out from Ren's backpack and glared at the blond ape, calculating the moment to cut off his response in time:

"Why are you wearing your school uniform?"

"It's a pain, then I thought, why bother taking it with me?"

"Well, I should tell you it's a serious mistake on your part," Ren scolded, adjusting his glasses that reflected the brightness of the night lights. "There is a policeman right there"

"Ehh?" Ryuji sharpened his sight, and swallowed as he stiffened that his friend was right; in the sea of pedestrians was an officer reaching the age of forty who was patrolling a corner in the surroundings.

"It is better that we hurry already" Morgana called with tension.

"... Agreed" Ren nodded calmly. "Come on, Ryuji"

The two teenagers continued forward as they sneaked in a straight direction along the avenue full of human activity at a trot, leaving an urban jungle of smaller buildings immersed with many shops and stores in their maximum splendor compared to other cities. in the world. The neon signs gleamed like galactic nebulae that gave a great intensity of attraction with names and the slogan that some customers came to them as if they were flies. The bars were full, the prostitutes made their night rounds of sex-servants before any client who was interested, the junk food stalls enjoyed good diners who satiated the taste of fat and sweets ... everything was alive.

Although as much as one saw it as a peaceful place, it was only a simple appearance to the peripheral eye: drug trafficking, sales of illegal items, purchase of stolen gadgets and other inappropriate things was always the order of the day in the deepest of gaps newly opened in unseen sections. Corruption grew like cancer through the stagnation of a society that found its peak of evolution and then fell like a simple tree cut down by the individual who built it.

Urban areas in modern sectors was home to all kinds of people who were tired of living a daily life that made them slaves to their own choices, these areas were the true face of the human being in total depravity in the madness of a well bottomless; people dressed as men and women without any harm, clubs and bars provided exotic relaxation due to sexual dread, the consumption of harmful substances in discotheques and corners devoid of pedestrian activity were considered sacred to a certain mental point of view, the Corruption of law enforcement officers was mostly prevalent in leaving assigned work

Gangs arose between anarchy and the dissatisfaction of living in an age of authority or one of submission; The territories that were once protected by the arm of the law are now nests of rats in their leisure to do what they please, infesting and corrupting in their path; the values that had to be respected were left behind by the freedom to express displeasure at the harshness of a system without any qualms. The slums and urban areas were the epicenters where autonomy was stained by the crude putrefaction of the human being in his vain arrogance and despotism of living in unscrupulous ignorance, where evil was the new law.

Stagnation and the lack of autonomous progressivism were the main causes in which corruption escalated to form a vicious circle that had no end; Such examples of corruption among the great civilizations could be cataloged in the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Alexandrian Empire, the Holy Roman Empire, the kingdoms of India, the kingdoms of Africa, among other civilizations that were swallowed by the cancer growing from the internal corruption of a society entering decay, and when it entered the phase of decay, there was no salvation.

'... And yet, this is what the idiot Minato Arisato had done' Ren thought with venomous bitterness; 'save a species that is destined for self-destruction... what a waste of potential'. For all the avenue of people that the two had passed they got people of the worst kind who did not stop promoting the entry into nightclubs full of sex servants and drug use in less explicit words so that no one knew, they also ran into with some that showed perverse or degenerate features or that had been induced by alcohol and then recovered and returned to normal; There were prostitutes who beckoned or seduced winks to stop them like succubi who induced men to then suck their spirits out; there were men dressed as women, and some bad boys in leather suits. This place was a rot in its entirety.

"This area gives me a bad feeling," Ryuji murmured with disagreement, shooting furtive and cautious glances at the surroundings.

"... We're almost there" Ren assured with a calm tone. "One last block is missing that is in front"

"Hmph! As long as everything is fast so that the gangster information is conclusive for us to leave this place. I can feel how all eyes are on us."

"It will be fast, or that depends on her not being drunk"

"... Damn, I hope she is not with him"

"No one can control his guilty pleasures" Ren said with a dark humor; "They are so attractive that it is impossible to fight internally to indulge yourself. It's like eating junk food every day no matter how harmful they are to the human body"

"I like hamburgers and pork broth noodle soups," Ryuji commented excitedly, "but it hurts if you don't have an established balance; athletes eat a diet of carbohydrates and calories for energetic muscle function and bombardment of adrenaline. I follow that medication in being in the international games "

"... And speaking of sports, does your leg hurt?"

"No" he replied with affirmation. "I applied a healing spell if I could heal my leg that Kidd provided, and it seems the effort paid off. My leg is healthy and ready for action when you order!"

Ren laughed falsely as he complimented him on his improved limb damaged by the degenerate Kamoshida. No matter how many broken legs or dislocated bones in Shadow fights, a jerk would always be a jerk, and that was what Ryuji Sakamoto made up of: a gross ape who only likes stupid things and gets mad when he rebukes him for some idiocy that did, even with the beating of his team members it was only a mere spanking or slapping. Ryuji Sakamoto would never change at all, and that ape attitude almost fractured the group, something that would never forgive him even when the time came to kill him.

When Ren decided to look around if a Kaneshiro thug was following them, he noticed a movement of two tiny figures that were moving among the pedestrians without them being aware of their existence. Digging deeper with sharpness perfected by his Persona, spotting the twins' blue velvet uniforms of security guards.

'... They're watching me,' Ren concluded as he kept a scrutiny of the crowd where the twins moved like a beam of velvety lights. 'Hmph! It seems that Yaldabaoth decided to moderate his surveillance system in my progress. Tsk! Typical of the God of Control'

"Something happens?" Ryuji asked, watching him with concern. "Is anyone following us?"

"... Let's see" Morgana leaned half an inch from the backpack, monitoring the cobblestones. "Mmm, there is nobody, except for some punks and a policeman who drove in the left direction; the rest only passers-by. All normal, for now"

"... Dude" the blond aple called desperately.

"... Calm down," Ren replied. "We are close, observe"

Ryuji directed the glance indicated by his friend, noticing the sign of the bar that coincided with the name where the journalist must have been. The premises had two floors with two yellow electrical signs and purple wall outlines. Inside was a door and a staircase leading to the first floor above.

"... Man, finally" Ryuji exhaled wearily. "This night has been the most intense since we faced Shadow Kamoshida"

Morgana looked at the establishment with an analytical gaze.

"Beer, whiskey, wine ... typical of night bars"

'Don't tell me, cat ...' the Trickster of Chaos thought wryly.

"Pff ... I suppose they will possibly let us in if you find the journalist" Ryuji stretched out his arms. "I'd better be outside in case something happens; walking will ease the tension I carry."

Ren nodded as he opened the door and entered the establishment.

'Mmm, it seems to continue as it was before ...' In himself he was right to see the interior of the bar with a rectangular space that divided the two dark blue bars that shortened it, impossible for people to fall, except that they can accommodate a minimum seventeen consumers with four private rooms. The tiles were black and white checkerboard-like patterns. The ceiling was made of wood with grayish metal arches with reflectors of various colors that gave a festive sharpness. The shelves full of different types of liquor were still in place without any change, to which its ten black-lined chairs and the barman and owner of the bar, Lala Escargot, a robust and dark-skinned woman wearing a color yukata of the night with centers of golden flowers and a golden haori that kept the place stable and in order. And...

"... So that's the student you spoke to, Ichiko?"

"... Yes, that's right. That's the boy I was talking about, Maya. Hello, hello!"

He was speechless, he knew perfectly well that the changes in the new timeline surprised him a lot, but this surpassed another level, one in which the old knew the new; an old generation that went through so many personal problems to guarantee a peaceful future and tomorrow to the new generation.

Next to Ohya was Maya Amano herself, a former journalist for the teen magazine Coolset and current writer for Kismet Publishing in Sumaru, and also a former Persona user. Although unlike her young counterpart in the visions given by Tzeentch, Maya still carried that feminine beauty that contrasted with an age of about thirty something that highlighted a careful image of her appearance; her wavy black hair was shoulder length with a sleek, sleek hairstyle, her skin was light, and her purple eyes sparkled with a youthful and childish touch. His clothing was a two-tone brown jacket with matching pants and boots and a navy tie around his neck.

Ren had to break out of a five-minute trance as he walked towards the two journalists with a blank expression, trying not to be startled by the inexplicable ex-user of the second-generation Persona.

"Lala, we need to use the seats in the back" Ohya's tone was a bit of childish joy and looking at her for her almost drunken state. "Come on in. Shall I buy you some water?"

Ren accepted the offer with a nod as the three sat in the quadrangular lined seat that previously recalled the lightness of sitting in it.

"Poof, how his breath smells ..." Morgana muttered in disgust from the backpack.

"I agree with you on that" Ren said to himself as he slipped his hand over the semi-open backpack and began to caress him until he purred.

"Ha ha! What a surprise" Ohya laughed humorously. "I thought it was a joke, but here you are. Let me introduce you to a friend; she is Maya Amano"

"Hello ..." Ren said as he shook hands with the old female Persona user, feeling in his touch the energetic recognition between old and new, but that was only a thing of the past, of a past he wanted to forget.

"Nice to meet you" Maya replied with a smile from ear to ear. "It must have been difficult for you to get here as a young"

"... It was" Ren agreed, forcing a monotonous tone before the two women. "I came with a friend who decided to take a few walks around the district. I told him it would be quick when"

"Heh heh!" Ohya laughed. "Surely your friend can get into trouble if we take longer"

"I can agree on that," Morgana muttered approvingly, while Ren laughed at that, which was true when he knew perfectly the blond ape's attitude.

"... And also" Maya intervened, "Ichiko told me that you were the student of Shujin that she gave you the number in case you called, do you have any information that you want to tell us?"

"... Something like that" Ren said with simplicity. "It is I want to know how dangerous Shibuya can be"

The two female journalists looked at him questioningly.

"Eh? I don't understand?" Maya asked, tilting her head. "What do you mean?"

"What I'm trying to explain is that the situation is becoming tense at school"

Both women raised their eyebrows.

"How tense are they?" Ohya asked with a look that conveyed curiosity and hunger for information. "Did another Kamoshida-like problem happen?"

"No," Ren denied. "It is different; it has to do with the use of extortion and manipulation of young people like me who are used as pack mules in drug trafficking"

The two women showed expressions of surprise and horror at the profound explanation given by the chosen one of the Ruinous Powers.

"God ... that, that horrible" Maya expressed with concern.

"It seems there is always one problem at a time when you remove bad ivy," Ohya commented with disgust, frowning at her. "Unfortunately it always happens in schools where young people are easily manipulated in a dangerous world. The heads of each criminal group always use stratagems to mobilize their influences to grow in power. All cities and all countries have their own internal problems with respect to mafias, cartels and gang members that populate every remote place. Japan is no exception in this, with its high crime rate recently being compared to Mexico on scales of crime acts"

"Although with the boom of the Phantom Thieves it is a different thing" Maya pointed out when drinking her drink. "It is possible that the groups are secretly mobilizing about maintaining a state of anonymity; unless one armed himself with enough courage to give the location of his provider. Sometimes the mafias use dirty tricks to get away with it, but I doubt it is impossible to get a clue as to the name of the chief who manipulates Shujin's students. Threats and extortions are orthodoxly old-fashioned uses as a security and precautionary tool. "

"... I see" Ren agreed with the head, agreeing that the two women were right that it is impossible to approach the barracks and the names of those involved in said mafia group without knowing that they are always at both of the circumstances in case there was an infiltrator. "I guess it is difficult after all"

"However," Ohya argued, "it turns out I know something about it. I'd tell you, but ..." She took a sip of her icy alcoholic drink. "Do you know the Phantom Thieves of Hearts?"

"Because what you say?" Ren asked.

"Both Maya and I investigated about people who suddenly get out of control, but there is no information"

"Both?"

"Yes" Maya replied with a brief frank affirmation. "The events linked to the strange disease of mental closures from six months ago is one of the points that I have begun to investigate. It is not known with certainty what causes accidents, but it adds up to a great comparison with the Syndrome of Apathy that plagued Tatsumi Port Island after mysteriously disappearing in January 2010. Mental closures have the same symptoms as Syndrome of Apathy, but it differs in a kind of psychological trance until the person's motor behavior is lost. The Phantom Thieves of Heart appear in their first demonstration of changing the former Olympian Suguru Kamoshida who expressed his misdeeds, which is reminiscent of the modus operandis of the Masked Circle that related to fulfilling personal wishes, although in the case of the Phantom Thieves they only changed the attitude of the individual through the so-called change of heart"

"... A very precise and readable detail" Ren said when drawing a false smile and recognition before the intellect of the old female Persona user who had previously participated in that group after fighting against his counterpart from another timeline. The curious thing was that their leader was called Joker (not to mention that the subject was very related to Yusuke), the same epithet that he also carried when commanding a group that wore masks that answered the call of the poor innocent souls, but with a completely different task: the Masked Circle collected the energy of ideals to create a new order, while the Phantom Thieves reformed the dark counterparts to make society a better future free of corruption. It could also be added that both groups were formed by two deities born from the flow of psychic thoughts that represent the actions of the human being: Yaldabaoth embodies the ideals of a world governed by power where the law is the primary authority through the Phantoms Thieves, and while Nyarlathotep embodies the ideals of anarchy and devastation where the Masked Circle would create a world where the survival of the fittest is essential.

It was simply the same game of tossing the coin and seeing which face would win the contest, something that did not matter because it was always the same stupidity of a used cliché that was good against evil, although in the situation in which Ren found himself was different; It was not a primary confrontation, but a battle between realistic ideals from different points of view of each player on the board.

"It is, I always hit the target" Maya smiled confidently, further enhancing her youthful beauty. "My training as a journalist has helped me delve deeper into the world of a world full of events and mysteries that are hidden from the optical view. You just have to give yourself a boost by curiosity, and with only, you can find a story. It is as well as the profession of a journalist"

"... Very fascinating" said Ren; He directed his gaze to Ohya. "So it's kind of a barter for information?"

"Yes!" Ohya exclaimed with determining emotion. "I need you to give us all the information collected about the Phantom Thieves to make a story about whether or not they are indeed vigilantes; since the phenomenon of mental shutdowns may somehow be related to the Phantom Thieves, assuming they are the truly responsible for creating the accidents"

'I must admit it's a pretty close correlation' Ren thought sardonically. Everyone agreed that the mental shutdown accidents and the changes of hearts that the Phantom Thieves performed were very similar in using an unknown method that began to gain great animosity among the people of Shibuya, reaching the point of hysteria collective where people would distrust each other to fear that someone was the Phantom Thieves. The police would also take sides as simple thugs seeking revenge against those responsible for losing their jobs, as well as some foreign governments and criminal groups that would search every hidden place in the city to find the Phantom Thieves as the cockroaches they were.

"So those are the conditions?"

"Mmm ... yeah, something like that" Ohya replied as she took another drink. "After all, you were studying at Shujin when we saw each other while wearing your uniform. I thought that, studying there, you would know something about the Phantom Thieves. The first incident where they made an appearance was with Kamoshida. I would like to get an interview with a student who had suffered from their abuse. It would be great if you introduced someone who fits in the profile" a playful smile was drawn on his lips passed in red, showing her attitude similar to that of a live one. "It seems that we must operate in secret, so ... what do you tell me?"

"Mmm, a student suffering from abuse ..." Morgana muttered thoughtfully inside the backpack. Ren knew perfectly well that Yuuki Mishima was the one to do the barter of information just as he had done in his old timeline. Poor Mishima suffered long before his arrival in Shibuya, seeing him covered in bruises and bruises that reminded him of the training that the Spartans did to the new generation that suffering was the tool of converting a weak child to a strong warrior; Kamoshida did the same, but his own cult of his personality ruined him into a depraved and bastard who did not care about the suffering of the students.

"I know someone who was abused by Kamoshida," said Ren.

Both women drew faces of acceptance on their faces at the new scoop as a form of payment.

"Well, I'm done" Ohya replied with a happy smile. "Give me your friend's number later"

"You have a very active naive" Morgana congratulated him from the backpack. "Well done, Joker"

"Now that I think about it," Ohya began to say through a change of subject, "mental closures and Phantom Thieves are supernatural" she looked at her journalist friend. "Do you think they are related or do I see coincidences where there are none?"

"According to what I said, there may be" said Maya, "although there is a high possibility that they did not, reinforcing in my own theory that it could be someone who could replicate the same disease that was Syndrome of Apathy for create panic in the city, while the members of the Phantom Thieves decide to use it for another purpose, I'm only saying because it's a theory of mine, but it would depend on the opinion of the boy who suffered the abuse of Kamoshida"

'... And in that you are right, Maya Amano' Ren thought with a dark and evil feeling. 'Maybe I can make you an appointment with Goro Akechi himself to give you the whole truth of his tragic past that led him to create mental closure ...'

"Well ... I guess the promise is debt" Ohya said as she took another drink. "Junya Kaneshiro, is the name of the guy you are looking for"

"We did it!" Morgana said triumphantly from the backpack.

'... just play our move, again' Ren thought.

"... Well, ladies, it was a nice evening to spend with you, but time flies and I have my friend waiting outside" he took the backpack with Morgana inside and finished drinking his freezing water devoid of ice. "The next time you need a testimony related to Shujin, don't hesitate to call me."

Having done an act of chivalry when leaving the bar, Ren walked down the night street full of lights and people towards the cinema where Ryuji was waiting for him, remembering very well the address with the preserved memory of his first visit and the tragic destiny of the ape blond.

"Hey! How did it go there? Do we have the name of our heist?"

"Yes, we do," Ren told him, "but don't speak out loud if I tell you the name; I don't want you to get the attention of some of his employees who patrol the streets."

"I promise"

"Well, her name is Junya Kaneshiro"

"Junya Kaneshiro?!" Ryuji repeated, his voice not raised to Ren's liking. "Let me write it down in the Navigator" Ryuji spoke the name in the app, and it was automatically saved in it. "Here we go! Now we just need to know more about the distortion, and then, to the Palace!"

"It is better that we return tomorrow with the whole team" Morgana advised from the backpack.

"I agree with that" Ren said as he stretched out his arms.

"Okay, well I tell the others that we will see each other in Shibuya" Ryuji said. "What madness, this is a big fish! You want to go into his Palace"

And just as the night was going to pass normally on the way to their respective homes, it seemed that nothing would change in the new timeline that Ren was when observing how the Butterfly Effect was repeated, just as he had anticipated.

"... You're right!" a familiar voice behind the two teens had answered, a voice that Ren recognized, but he didn't dare turn around. "If it would look good on him! But a print shirt with check pants? Not crazy"

Ren watched lazily as the two drag of Angel and Julian appeared in love poses before the blond ape.

"How wonderful! No one will say that the drag roll is going" Angel had said with emotion reflected in his voice. "You have to teach him the basics!"

"You can not deny it!" Julian had replied with eyes that twinkled playfully. "We saw you snooping on Crossroads. If you're curious, we'll make you divine!"

"Hey, wait," Ryuji objected, coming out of his stupor, "it's not what ..." He looked at Ren, pleading for help needed. "Dude, help me! Tell them we were just investigating!"

Seeing that the situation was as fun as it had been in his old timeline, Ren decided to improve it further to delight in seeing his former teammate suffer.

"... End them"

Inside the backpack, Morgana kept laughing.

"What?! How do you want me to do it?!" the blond ape snapped annoyed. "What happens is that they are going to leave me a picture if you don't help me!"

"Oh, darling, I shameless," Julian had said boldly. "And look what cheekbones ... I love it! It has everything to be a star!"

"You follow my example, men!" Angel had said. "You will reach the top! And I have the perfect dress for you!"

"But what the hell are you guys?!" Ryuji bellowed furiously.

"Devils don't whistle anything, sweetheart. I'm Angel, fallen from heaven!"

"And I am Julian. Julie for friends! Now you will come with us"

"Aaaaah!" The blond ape had screamed in horror as he was dragged against his will by the two drags, unable to escape the fateful fate awaiting them alive.

"Hopefully Ryuji finds his calling and everything," Morgana replied wisely from the backpack. "I hope he comes out alive"

"I agree with you" Ren replied, unable to contain his laughter at imagining how Ryujji was tortured with some garments that would make him look effeminate and lower his impertinence of manhood. Although the most sadistic thing would be that, when he decided to betray his friends after killing Yaldabaoth, that Ryuji's soul ended up in the Warp where it would be a toy for Slaanesh's daemons as eternal punishment; He would not wait for the right moment to see him sitting in the front row.

But, before he went to look for the blond ape, he decided to pay a visit to his ancient oracle.

"What are you doing?" Moragana asked from the backpack. "Where are you going? Didn't we have to go back to the Leblanc?"

"... I just want to go back to a corner where I came from, I felt a strange fluctuation of rare energy" Ren lied as he walked the way he had come, heading towards a corner near a building, where he spotted his ancient spirit guide and oracle of fate, Chihaya Mifune.

He felt the twins watching him from a corner, but he pretended not to recognize them.

"Huh ... excuse me," Chihaya had said in a shy tone when he caught his attention.

"Yes?" Ren replied casually, continuing his innocent role.

"I ... wouldn't you be interested in making some predictions for them?" she stuttered like a shy girl, then her tone changed to a scholarly and wise attitude. "It's weird ... I see that her aura is completely strange, as if everything was starting to change in a strange way. Wouldn't you mind if I did ...?"

"... Do I have to pay for it?" Ren questioned in a serious tone, laughing internally at how Chihaya's expression was scandalized.

"No, of course not!" she denied frankly. "It is free. I just want to see in the letters what makes you stand out"

"Heh, I guess a look at my future wouldn't be too bad" Ren said with a nod of acceptance.

"Many think that knowing about their own events was seen as a waste of time," Chihaya explained in a friendly tone, "but there are some who are clogged up in a spiral with no way out, letting in the despair and uncertainty that they would prepare the new tomorrow. By the way, my name is Chihaya Mifune, and today I'm going to make your guess. Could you start by saying your name"

"I'm Ren Amamiya" he introduced himself with a condescending tone.

"Ren Amamiya, I see. Your name indicates good fortune"

'... I feel praise for it' she thought to herself with blatant arrogance. 'It also had another meaning, but that was lost long ago'

"Well, as we introduce ourselves, it is time for me to see your future" Chihaya put the Tarot cards in orderly positions on the violet cloak. "Oh divine power, show me this boy's fortune!" After she recited the prayer Ren had heard before. Chihaya started turning the cards over. "The first letter ... is Mm, I see. And the second ... Geez!" The flip cards had been the same in their old timeline without any changes. Chihaya spoke: "Yes, I have seen it all. A torrent of light that darkens the sun like an arrow piercing the sky. That means fortune, but only to an owner who runs a cafeteria where he will win the lottery, while with you, it is different..."

'Sojiro's thing was to be expected that it would happen again' Ren thought uniformly, 'although with the latter it must mean that nothing will be like before after seeing this whole world burn. See if your precious destiny can save you from your death, witch'

"Hmmm, it's strange" Chihaya continued saying; "The cards always show the glimpses of the events established by fate when glimpsed in hidden signs. But this ... this is illogical. It is impossible that there was an inexplicable change that completely destroyed the order of the Tarot. Let's see ... "What ?! The arcana sequence has completely changed. Death still presides in the center, but somehow it doesn't seem to affect the order you are in. Everything is confusing; it just shows me the owner's luck in your home." ... but in you, it doesn't belong in the equation"

"You mean that?" Ren asked curiously, internally thinking that the Ruinous Powers blocked Chihaya's sixth sense when she was cut by the veil of the future.

"I ..." she stuttered, bewildered and distressed. "I ... I really don't know. I want to see your future, but the arcana sequence does not allow me to see. Everything is in its place, although the strange anomaly that clouds my ability to observe the threshold of what will happen more Go ahead. This ... this doesn't make sense to me. My gift has never disappointed me much; I always manage to highlight the internal feeling of people being predestined by the threads of fate. But, even so, the letters explain a kind of ruler of Order and Law plans to reestablish the balance on extreme anarchy that devours the stage. Then, as for you ... well, let's say it is complicated to see that you have a strange profession that is difficult to see"

"... I see" Ren agreed nonchalantly after adjusting his glasses. "I suppose that must be a bad thing, right?"

"Well ..." Chihaya hesitated. "This ... this is very complicated; it goes beyond my expectations"

"Is there something I should be aware of?"

"Hmm. When the letters speak so clearly, their truth is undeniable. Although, now that I think about it, there may be a way for you to have an existence in your reality" Chihaya took out from her purple pants the same object that she had given her previously on the old timeline. "You only need my special spirit item ... the Sacred Stone!"

Ren looked at him blankly at the so-called "magic stone" that had neither magic, but a simple seasoning used in food.

It was obvious that it was fake, a dirty trick used by the chairman of the Divine Power Assembly, Yuichi Fukurai, a village scoundrel who had first come to Tokyo to a vocational training center, but he was fooled like all scammers who They made the innocent of a promising future. Fukurai had spent all his money on the alleged tuition, until he was left alone and bankrupt. He asked the police for help, but they laughed turning a blind eye to him and left him to his own devices. Fukurai promised himself never to be deceived by others again, and to his poor luck, he became a deceiver and con artist when he joined the organization as part of his "revenge" against those who would suffer the same fate as him.

The irony of the human being in its stupid and shameless complexity.

Ren picked it up and shook it in his palm.

"Are you saying this will help me?" he questioned.

"Of course yes!" Chihaya stated with false emotion that Ren noticed it. "With its power in your hands, you can avoid even the most unfortunate destination ... surely! I usually recommend it to clients with experiences, but your situation is too delicate"

'... In fact, that "was" before' Ren internally corrected. 'My situation is no longer as delicate as it was a long time ago. Now, everything has changed when I had my second chance, thanks to my masters who saved me and gave me a new purpose'

"You see" Chihaya continued saying with pretended enthusiasm, "the stone has an aura of joy that will make all the fatal energy around you ..." Her sentence was cut when she saw Ren lick the stone with his tongue.

"... It's salt" said the Trickster of Chaos roughly.

She blanched.

"Salt? W-What do you mean, salt? What you have is not a piece of salt, it's ...!"

"... It's salt" Ren clarified, raising his voice in a cold and icy tone that made Chihaya shiver as he smashed the piece of salt with the palm of his hand. The seer girl stared at her with trembling black eyes.

She looked down regretfully and nodded.

"You are correct" she said gently and sadly. "The stones are not magic, they never were, but a fraud, a commercial fraud ..." Then she proceeded to tell her sad story, beginning as a girl who had been born in a traditional and rural town lost in the mountains where she predicted a terrible earthquake that would violently hit her town, in which they did not believe her, but it really happened. Locals revered her as a kind of messenger from God, a spiritual guide in the land of mortals. But, over time, she began to predict more catastrophes, and as a result, people in her town began to blame her, calling her a monster, a demon, being cursed, among many insults that made her feel scared. She related that she spent several days locked in her house while the villagers threw stones at her window and threw threats at her. For a time, nothing changed for her, until one day her house was set on fire by a pissed off gangster. Then she got to the part where she moved to the city when she finished high school, she also told him that she had no money to live in an apartment, which she had had no choice but to work in a night club to support herself Then Fukurai got it there, and the rest is history.

"... I see" Ren understood with an expressionless image and deep tone. "So he rescued you from there so you could start a new life"

"Yes" Chihaya agreed. "When I told him why I left my town, he invited me to join the DPA"

"Then there they gave you a new purpose ..."

"That's right" she agreed again. "It was then that he named me the Oracle of Relief. He told me that he possessed a divine power with which he would save his neighbor from misfortune. That he could be much more than the monster than the others"

"But they hooked you up"

There was pity and helplessness in Chihaya's expression as her black eyes narrowed.

"I thought I was doing the right thing when I joined them. I thought I could change my destiny by starting a new life from scratch, but there are always obstacles along the way when you least expect it. I've always known that stones have no powers, but I thought I could save people despite being a monster. Or maybe that's why I'm a monster, the truth is that I've been selling them to make money. I'm a bad person"

"No, you are not," Ren said with false encouragement to get her into a mood, and it seems to have worked easily.

"I'm not?"

"Of course not," Ren expressed with mock sincerity. "What you're doing was because you needed money to support yourself financially when you saw that there was no other option. You didn't do it out of selfishness, but out of necessity, and that doesn't make you a bad person"

"Do you really believe it?"

"Doesn't the letters say so?"

There was a long pause when only the sound of pedestrians, the bustle of conversations, and the illuminating clamor of the buildings behind her were heard. Chihaya's face had changed from a sad expression to one of enlightenment through her black eyes that shone with a slight tone of hope.

"I ..." she stuttered, "I ... I had not thought about it. I never thought before if it was really a mistake or something I had to bring. I never contradicted my own destiny by seeing me in this situation. But, even so ... "

"It is not necessary to be carried away by the teachings of a force such as destiny or to see fortune in your own cards, but in the decision-making that one must make, whether for something good or for something bad. We are governed by our own actions to achieve our own destiny. What you do is to be stuck in your own abyss where you are guided by something theological instead of doing it personally. You have the right to do as you please through your own actions that can lead you to a better life"

Chihaya was stunned for a few minutes that returned to normal when she regained her composure.

"It's ... it's true. Everything you say is true" in her purple eyes shone with determination. "I never thought I was contradicting the same fate, now I see how wrong I was. I will not continue to go through injustices! From this moment I will have to make changes in my life for the better. And for this, I will fight against the DPA"

"Why don't you ask the Phantom Thieves for help?" Ren suggested.

"Eh?"

"Think about it; if you are going to confront the organization that had taken you in for their own convenience, they will do their best to keep you silenced by threats. All religious organizations have power over people of low self-esteem, which can manipulate them at their liking it, including those on the business and advocacy side as well as using lawyers as a shield. Keep it perfectly in mind that what you would do is take a chance against a powerful fraudulent organization that has it all. See it as a battle strategy: the Phantom Thieves would attack the president to confess all his misdeeds, while you will go to the seminars and explain the whole truth, even if there will be doubts and questions, but it is a win and win"

Chihaya was thoughtful to herself to assimilate all the planning Ren had given her as a good way to face the inevitable.

"The Phantom Thieves ..." she murmured if she repeated the song of a melody. "Since they made an appearance to mysteriously change the heart of that sports coach, everything has suddenly changed; the people, the emotions, the weather, everything. It is as if a purifying air had lashed all Tokyo in sweeping the afflicted discomfort. Letters showed a slight change in the scheme of events when the Phantom Thieves began with the disturbances and behavior of people. At first I doubted that they could be the cause of the mental closures, but the letters said with were not them, but another, someone with much regret or something like that. Sometimes it is impossible to alter your own destiny no matter how hard you try, although, as you said, it is possible to alter it by our own actions, and I think the Phantom Thieves are an example in which We humans can decide for ourselves without being tied to the indications of fortune and destiny. I will follow your advice and make everything change for the good of the people you work for n in the DPA so that they are not exploited like me"

"It's a wonderful determination that you can finally take charge of your own decisions," Ren praised, hiding an acid mockery without being noticed. "Maybe you should call me in case everything goes well"

Chihaya gave her her phone number after saying goodbye, saying that she would call her when the Phantom Thieves reformed the DPA president, which would happen when she found Ryuji dressed in pictures and made up in the extroverted nightlife of Shinjuku.

After the fun and wacky events in Shinjuku, Ren had returned to the Leblanc at just the right time before closing. During the course of his night shift in Shinjuku he had passed without incident after searching for an annoyed Ryuji when they dressed him against his will, although the blond ape managed to regain his masculinity; He also could not forget that Justine and Caroline had spied on him when they were going to the Crossroads when perceiving them among the crowd, it was to be expected that Yaldabaoth would have him in a maximum scrutiny in the progress of the rehabilitation, advising to himself that he would have to be on guard for the rest of the day.

"Ah, you're home now" Sojiro said as he looked at him as the door behind him closed. "I was waiting for you"

From his expression, Ren was able to deduce that the owner of the cafeteria was happy to have won the lottery, something seen in his old timeline and in the potential of clairvoyance that Chihaya Mifune genuinely had in glimpsing the veil of the future through the letters of the Tarot.

"Did he win the lottery?" Ren asked with interest.

Sojiro's expression hitched to such a point that his smile was that of a happy child. On the wooden bar he put a yen bill on its surface.

"You guessed it" he replied. "I won the lottery and I wanted to share the money"

"Five thousand yen ?!" Morgana exclaimed in shock from the bag.

"That's a lot of money" Ren observed.

"But enough to live financially and have it saved for important things" advised Sojiro. "Come on, take it as a token of goodwill for helping me at the Leblanc. After all, you've improved a lot to be someone with a criminal record"

Ren smiled vehemently.

"Thank you" he thanked while taking the money.

"No problem. Anyway, remember to close as always"

Seeing him leave the Leblanc, Morgana emerged from inside the bag.

"So ... does that mean the fortune teller was right?"

"Well it seems so" Ren said with hidden irritation. "That was why I decided to visit her, something about her was strange, and it seems that it was her clairvoyance ability that caught my attention. Curious, don't you think?"

"I can't deny that," said the cat. "It usually happens in fiction, but it seems that his first vision of Sojiro winning the lottery means that his power is true. You have done well to investigate"

"It is always my duty to investigate the occult; you know, trickster talent," Ren said mischievously. "Though, thinking that her powers are genuine, does that mean that he may be linked to the Metaverse?"

"What makes you say that?"

"I'm just saying it out of curiosity," he said casually with a shrug.

"Hmm ..." Morgana thought. "There is a high probability that she developed a sense of perception in her psyche at an early age when she was born in her hometown. The Metaverse is linked to the human world because it represents a counterpart created by collective distortion, allowing me to create a theory in which a person can feel the threshold of the psychic essences that the Metaverse promotes as an attractive energy to the sensory instincts, developing in them an affinity as it is of clairvoyance. Yes, in that I can be sure of it. Sojiro's winning the lottery is proof of his ability ... but what he said later leaves me with a lot to think about "

"Who knows?" Ren replied nonchalantly with a shrug. "We will discuss that another time; tomorrow is a tiring day"

"You are right" Moragana said when he let out a yawn. "Tonight has been very exhausting for us. Sleeping would make us feel better to regain our strength."

He nodded wordlessly as she closed the Leblanc and arranged everything in its place. After finishing his work, he walked to the attic as he went up the stairs; He changed his clothes and turned off everything, plunging the room into a warp of darkness while the moonlight bathed the room with its warm whitish light.

At the time of lying down, Ren did not sleep, but was kept awake by the uncertainty and the questions that rioted in his mind while he had Morgana sleeping next to him: What had happened? How could everything possibly change suddenly? It made no sense. What must have been one night in the Shinjuku sector looking for information led him to meet a former user of Persona, a Philemon toy who had no choice but to get involved in another conspiracy created from a deity he wants create a new order, although this god was affiliated with the law and not destruction as Nyarlathotep was.

Given by the information stored in its fullest totality in his mind, Ren knew perfectly well about the life and determination of Maya Amano; her past, her childhood, her power, her friends, all about her in just one divine revealing snap given by Tzeentch.

It was impossible for everything to happen so suddenly, he knew that the dimensional change of this new timeline promulgated the appearance of two new Persona users, but the appearance of the old generation was a big surprise for him, which leads him to think that sooner or later some other Persona user would appear in Tokyo to investigate the phenomenon of Phantom Thieves and mental closures.

Who would he meet? The Kirijo Group led by the Frost Queen? The Chad-led Investigation Team? Or maybe the two groups of old generations? The odds were high, and with just entering the training phase by the Ruinous Powers, he was barely achieving further growth in increasing his bonds with his friends in storing all the trust planted in him and using him to become stronger in order to defeat them. everyone and destroy the Earth.

It would be a long week, but it would be worth it to end up exhausted and fatigued in achieving your goal that your masters had entrusted to you.

He would not disappoint them and would not allow his second chance to be squandered. I would do everything that was to end everything.

See you in the next chapter where the real action will begin.

Leave a criticism and comment.

Bye.