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queen-ofsunflowers · 2 years ago

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Literal Theatre Kid Ren, Act 4: Our Winter

As always, please note that times given in each game have been messed around with a little to make things work out. And because of where we ended last time, this act is going to start out pretty rough. As always, spoilers for Persona 5. And for A3!, too.

It is highly recommended to reread the end of Act 3, since that is where we’re picking up from.

Prologue Chapter:

Act 4 picks up almost immediately where we left off on Act 3, which means that Ren is still unconscious after being abused by the police following his capture. The public believes that the leader of the Phantom Thieves is dead. This was something that while initially planned, still has the entire company worried. Even those who had an idea of what Ren was doing are worried. So, when Ren finally comes around, it should be to no one’s surprise that the first thing that Morgana does is go and alert the others.

Now that Ren’s awake -- and after making sure that he didn’t have a concussion or worse -- it’s time to get some answers. While waiting for the other Phantom Thieves to arrive, Ren is glad to see that Taichi’s sticking around with the troupe, and Autumn is relieved that their brat is fine. (remember that Ren left right after it was revealed that Taichi was a spy for God Troupe? He never got to learn what happened after, so closure on that part.)

The remaining members of the Phantom Thieves, along with Sae who needs an explanation too, arrive. Ren’s helped down the stairs from the attic and almost gets tackled by a few of the other troupe members. Notably, one of them almost breaks his already bruised ribs. After all that good stuff, it’s story time.

The Phantom Thieves never actually stole Sae’s Treasure. They used her Palace to deceive their own traitor that was working amongst them: Akechi. Akechi was the one in the black mask. Akechi was the one who had killed Haru’s father, he was the one who lead the police into the casino and he had tried to kill Ren. However, the Phantom Thieves were a step ahead of him this time. Outside of a Palace, the world is identical to reality. Ren’s capture and subsequent interrogation by Sae would allow a cognitive duplicate to take shape. Thanks to a bit of sleight of hand and Futaba’s hacking skills, they tricked Akechi into killing the cognitive double rather than the real Ren. (cue proud big bro kazu because of his sister’s hacking skills).

It’s also brought up that the Thieves knew of Akechi’s true nature -- or had an inkling of it -- all along. Back during the social studies trip, he let loose by accident that he had heard something that only Morgana mentioned. Normal people -- such as Masumi at the time -- aren’t able to hear Morgana speak. The only way to gain that ability is to hear Morgana talk in the Metaverse. It rewrites one’s cognition, so they’ll be able to hear him in reality. It’s why the Phantom Thieves can hear his voice while the Mankai Company can’t.

It’s also through Akechi’s slip-ups that the Phantom Thieves have learned who exactly is at the head of the conspiracy that’s plotted against them. It’s a politician by the name of Masayoshi Shido, who had some influence over the Metaverse thanks to having his hands on Futaba’s mother’s research. It was his underlings that were responsible for Haru’s father appearing on the Phan Site’s ranking poll in the first place. It was all a ploy to frame the Phantom Thieves for murder. His stance against them would boost his popularity and get him elected prime minister.

All of this has made him the Phantom Thieves’ next target. Despite some misgivings about them going after the guy who went after and nearly killed them, things would get a lot worse if Shido ended up prime minister. The older members of the Mankai Company end up promising to do what they can to protect the Thieves, but with how much power Shido has, it’s unsure how much they can do.

It’s during that conversation that Sakyo asks about what they’re going to do with the new members that are about to join the troupe, it’s here that Ren and the other Phantom Thieves go silent. Oh, crap.

They forgot all about the Winter Troupe.

The plan that the Thieves and the Company come up with is that for the time being, Ren’s going to pretend that he’s dead, with Izumi using him having to head back to his hometown briefly as an excuse for anyone who asks such as his school. For Winter Troupe auditions, they’ll have to go through with them primarily because the company is still in debt and needs to complete their final troupe to pay it off. That, and it would raise suspicions. They’re being careful about this though, with Futaba running background checks on any person that auditions and anyone with ties to Shido or the government overall will be turned away.

As for them learning about the Phantom Thieves’ IDs? ...yeah, Ren’s gonna figure that one out later.

Chapter 1: The Winter Troupe Auditions

It’s only a few days later that the Winter Troupe auditions take place. The Thieves have made very little to no progress in trying to guess Shido’s remaining keywords in order to actually access his Palace and take him down. With him being “dead” to the public, Ren has to stay behind at the dorms, much to his dismay. Haru, Ann, Futaba and Morgana volunteer to keep him company while the rest of the troupe deals with their usual daily tasks and Autumn Troupe accompanies Izumi to the Winter Troupe auditions.

Yusuke, Ryuji and Makoto go with Autumn Troupe and Izumi to audition Winter Troupe in Ren’s place. If he was caught, it would spell trouble and it’s a risk no one in willing to take despite how upset about it that Ren actually is. So, they’re there when only two people show up to auditions -- Azuma Yukishiro and Tsumugi Tsukioka. And lucky for them, neither of them work in the government.

And for those wondering about how the Thieves react to Azuma’s work? Makoto turns bright red, Ryuji had the misfortune of taking a swig from a water bottle at the time and promptly started choking, and Yusuke was honestly unfazed by the whole thing. Work is work, he ain’t gonna judge.

Chapter 2: The Challenge

As expected, the audition goes fairly well for both auditionees. And as expected by now, both Azuma and Tsumugi pass the audition. The company is running out of time, and they need all the help that they can get. However, there were only two people who auditioned. And Winter Troupe needs five members total.

Even though Izumi desperately wants to recruit the three Thieves that she brought with her, they have bigger matters to worry about for now. So they’re off the table, but she’s still not going to give up her efforts. They’re just... put on the backburner for now.

...though, what the troupes and the kids decide to do to get more actors does kind of help. Similar to what they did with the Spring Troupe, it’s time to hit the streets to see if they can find more actors that way.

Chapter 3: The Wandering Actor

The plan was to originally have Autumn Troupe pull off a street act with the two new Winter Troupe members in hope that it would draw in attention and potential recruits. However, Makoto, Yusuke and Ryuji get pulled in on the street act and Izumi notes that the three of them are better than expected. And that all three get really into it. Like... really get into it to the point where some of the passerby think that they aren’t acting.

Surprisingly though, it is what they’re doing (on top of Ryuji’s rather vulgar vocabulary) that draws in the third new recruit to Winter Troupe -- Homare Arisugawa, a poet that some of the group notes is about as eccentric as Yusuke.

It’s Taichi that gets the fourth member of Winter Troupe when he spots him in the crowd. Much to Mankai’s surprise, it’s Tasuku -- a now former member of God Troupe who had quit after finding out about what happened with Taichi. After quitting, he was blacklisted from every troupe in Veludo Way due to God Troupe’s influence. Well, almost every troupe. When it’s brought up that he could always join the Mankai Company, he accepts. Though, as Izumi and Makoto both note, the glare he gives Tsumugi makes them wonder if there’s something else going on between them that they don’t know about. Have they met before?

Izumi tries to figure out what to do about the tension between the two new members when Omi pulls her aside. During the past few conversations, he had been texting Ren and checking up on him. Ren needs them to come back to the dorms as soon as possible.

And Izumi panics when she reads about why.

Chapter 4: The Man with No Past

While everyone had been looking for Winter Troupe members, Ren was left behind at the dorms with Ann, Haru, Futaba and Morgana. With not much to do, the group chills out in the dorms’ common space while trying to figure out what Shido’s keywords could possibly be. No matter what they’ve tried so far, nothing has worked. Ren’s starting to think that maybe there’s something about the Metaverse that Shido knows but they don’t that’s keeping them from getting in. Not even TV is a useful distraction, as Akechi’s face is everywhere being praised for his actions against the Phantom Thieves.

None of them are sure that if what happens next is a good thing or a bad thing at all. With the election coming up, Shido’s been making campaign speeches around various neighborhoods, and today’s happens to be in the same one as the Mankai dorms. Hoping that they could get a clue about the keywords straight from the horse’s mouth, the girls and Morgana disguise Ren the best they can and head out.

However... that’s not exactly what they discover. Not only does Ren realize he’s heard Shido’s voice before, he’s met the man. Shido’s the man responsible for his arrest earlier that year. He was the one who sued him for assault and got him put on probation in the first place. It’s all his fault. And it kind of makes Ren spiral a little. Even the girls are shocked by this development.

Ren gets in contact with Sae about the situation, to try and figure out if there’s something that can be done about it if they bring down Shido. Even with proof of Ren’s innocence and a confession from Shido, it’ll be impossible to get his verdict overturned. And this is all something that Ren relays to Omi as the group is heading back to the dorms in defeat.

Ren’s in mid-text when he hears Futaba and Ann scream, the former jumping back and making him keysmash his latest message. Haru’s sharp gasp and Morgana racing ahead just as they get to the dorms has him concerned, and he soon sees why everyone’s suddenly on edge.

There’s a man passed out in front of the door.

It takes a lot for Ren to persuade them to help him bring the man inside because again, this might be a trick from the people who wanted him dead in the first place. Ren is quick to remind them that their enemies already think he’s dead, and they have no reason to go after Mankai. They bring the man inside and place him on the couch, and Ren contacts the rest of the troupe.

This is also how the Phantom Thieves accidentally found the fifth member of the Winter Troupe. Speaking of whom, they arrive with the rest of the Thieves, Izumi and Autumn Troupe not long after Ren told them about what happened.

The Winter Troupe gets immediately put on edge when they spot Ren and how beat up he is since his injuries haven’t exactly healed yet. And oh yeah, they don’t know about the Phantom Thief stuff and Ren’s not entirely sure if they can trust them with his secret yet, so Ren does use his probation and past experiences to explain away the situation as a hothead from school hearing rumors spawned by his criminal record and fighting him as a result.

The entire time Banri glares at Autumn Troupe’s Brat. Ren ignores it for the most part because there’s more important business to handle. Ren didn’t call them because of his injuries, but rather the unconscious man on the couch. Just as the group is contemplating whether or not to call an ambulance, the man wakes up briefly. Though it is difficult to get him to stay awake, they manage to get out some information from him. His name is Hisoka Mikage, and... actually, that’s about it. Hisoka can’t remember anything else besides that. He doesn’t even know why he wound up on Mankai’s front step in the first place. And there’s nothing on him that could help the others identify who he is.

When Hisoka refuses to have the police called, he gains Ren’s trust pretty quickly. After all, why would their enemy refuse to go to the police the way he did? Besides, Morgana seems to trust him plenty and that’s pretty much enough for everyone. And that’s also enough for Izumi to make one particular offer. Thus, Hisoka Mikage is allowed to stay at the dorms as the fifth and final member of Winter Troupe.

Chapter 5: A Surprise Connection

After letting the other Phantom Thieves know what Ren and the girls (plus Morgana) learned about Shido yesterday, the group heads over to the Diet Building where Shido’s Palace is located. One particular memory of Ren’s is what gives them the final keyword that they need to get in. And the palace itself? A large ship sailing through a flooded Japan.

With this twisted Palace now open to them, the mission to take down Shido and save all of Japan is a go. They have until election day to take care of this mess, which at this point is plenty of time for them to do things. With Izumi and a majority of the company knowing about their identities as Phantom Thieves, it will make working around Winter Troupe a whole lot easier than it was with the other troupes prior.

Or at least, it would be easy if the only path that they need to take to Shido’s Treasure wasn’t blocked. The only way to get through is to get letters from five cognitive beings that serve as Shido’s upper circle in the Metaverse. It’s too much for the group to tackle all at once, so knocking out as much as possible is definitely off the table.

As things settle into a new routine, the gang starts to gear up for the new Palace. And again, with Ren playing dead, there’s not much that he can really do. Haru and Makoto are on equipment duty, Ann and Ryuji can deal with stocking up on first aid and any other supplies they’ll need, and Futaba’s looking into the real-world counterparts of the people that they need to get the letters from in Shido’s Palace. That just leaves Ren, Yusuke and Morgana to... Actually, to help Winter Troupe move into the dorms. It’s not the most glamourous and Ren rather would be doing something else, but it needs to get done.

With all the members of Winter Troupe being adults, there’s no issue with them moving into the dorms other than having to do the work themselves. But again, Ren’s there the entire day to help out and Yusuke pitches in later when he gets home from school.

The only real problem that they run into at the dorms is who is going to be rooming with who. It’s not hard to make those choices, honestly. Hisoka has been staying there on his own and needs a roommate because of how easily he tends to fall asleep anywhere and everywhere -- a position that Homare is more than happy to fulfill.

Sensing the tension between Tasuku and Tsumugi, it’s finally addressed what the heck is going on between them. They do know each other. They were friends since they were kids. This gives Izumi the perfect excuse to put them in the same room together, leaving the last room to Azuma alone.

However, later on, Ren catches sight of Tasuku leaving his room under the excuse of not wanting to be around Tsumugi at all. Apparently, despite having grown up together, Tasuku can’t stand looking at him. Ren is kind of confused by Tasuku’s behavior towards Tsumugi. Every time he’s run into him before now, he had always been pretty decent towards him and his friend. So what made Tsumugi so different? Seriously, what the hell happened with the two of them?

Oh well... it can be a situation to deal with later or leave to Izumi for now. For now, Ren mostly has to keep an eye on the Winter Troupe from the background while the Phantom Thieves deal with Shido first and foremost. Then Ren can deal with Winter Troupe. After all, it’s not like Tasuku’s and Tsumugi’s situation is going to affect his own in the long run, right?

Chapter 6: Playing Shop

Winter Troupe starts their first rehearsal together that morning, and it’s also here that they learn that Ren is the assistant director for the company and not one of the actors as expected. A couple of them are surprised that they’re going to be working with a kid like this -- and they aren’t wrong, Ren is seventeen by this point. But he’s been working with the company since the previous troupes and according to Izumi, he’s irreplaceable. It’s not up for discussion. Especially after Ren starts off practice for them with the etudes.

He’s gotten better at acting in front of an audience since spring.

Long story short, it gives Izumi and Ren a good idea about where everyone’s standing at this point. Everyone shows promise and potential from where they stand, even if there are a few points that could use some brushing up on.

Chapter 7: A Half-Hearted Candidacy

Practice continues on until Ren has to head out for the day. The Thieves want to get the Palace done as soon as possible before any more shit can hit the fan, which means get as much done as they possibly can. But before he can go, there’s one more thing that needs to be taken care of and that’s who the leader for Winter Troupe will be.

To the group’s surprise, Ren nominates Tsumugi for the position. Though Tsumugi tries to deny at first, he ends up accepting the leader role.

He confides in Izumi before taking his leave that this was similar to how he himself had been nominated as the leader of the Phantom Thieves a few months ago. It really helped with his self-confidence, so maybe having Tsumugi as the leader for Winter Troupe could do the same.

It is also after this that Tasuku overhears a bit of the conversation between Ren and Izumi. Thankfully, it’s nothing about Ren being a Phantom Thief, but it’s instead when Izumi comments how similar Ren and Tsumugi are which confuses the both of them. She explains that Tsumugi acts pretty much the same way as Ren did when he first arrived at the dorms back in spring, and on top of that, his confidence in his acting skills is the same.

Though Ren’s cleared up on the matter, Tasuku is left confused. This is when he gets clued in on Ren’s stage fright and the cause for it. So, yeah. Tasuku gets the hint that there’s something going on with Tsumugi a bit earlier than he does in canon. What Tasuku decides to do with this information, Ren has no idea. He has to dash out with Yusuke to get into Shido’s Palace for the Thieves run-though that day.

Chapter 8: Hisoka’s New and Improved Digs

There’s still some tension in the air with Winter Troupe that the company doesn’t know what to do about and it’s been hanging around for a while now. It’s hard to break since Winter Troupe is made up of adults, which has a much different energy compared to the younger student members of the previous three troupes.

When Izumi overhears the troupe talking about how bare Hisoka’s room is though... she gets quite the idea for what could work for their bonding moment. The whole of Winter Troupe is gonna go out shopping for furniture and the like for Hisoka’s side of his dorm.

Because Ren is currently playing dead and is dead tired from the Palace, it’s Yusuke who kind of gets kidnapped by Winter Troupe to go do the shopping thing. It’s not really kidnapping perse, more so that he just wants to go along to make his and Ren’s attic look better. that, and just like how i had plans for ren and autumn troupe, there are plans for yusuke and winter. Yusuke’s fine with a simple futon, but the attic is huge and almost bare despite supposedly having been a living quarters before. It’s kind of sad when you think about it.

So Yusuke goes with Winter Troupe. Have fun imaging that. He definitely got separated from the group at one point. He has fun with the outing, though. He never really got to decorate his room back at Madarame’s, so this is a first for him. Having everyone help keep him from going overboard is a plus, too.

But this also means that Yusuke is there when they stop at the beach on the way back at Hisoka’s insistence. Where he remembers that this was the beach that he washed up on, leading everyone to believe that he’s in Japan illegally. It’s hard to say at the moment because they won’t know for sure until Hisoka gets his memories back, but it is something that Yusuke brings up to Ren and Morgana when they get back.

All things considered, they’re not that surprised.

Chapter 9: Urban Legends Redux

Another day of skulking through the Palace (and a letter under their belt), and Ren, Yusuke and Morgana return home to dinner and a few of the Mankai members playing Mahjong together. After the chaotic day that they’ve had fighting Shadows, it’s a nice scene to come home to. Even Matsukawa is pleased to see it. The Mankai Company is starting to heal from past wounds and return to the way it was before.

A lot of Mankai’s history gets brought up (some of which the troupe is surprised that Ren already knows, and which Ren surprises himself by knowing). It’s here that Matsukawa decides to fuck around with Winter Troupe a bit and add Ren into the theater’s urban legends when those enter the conversation... just a little, even if one was already proven to be Misumi.

There are few that have yet to be talked about: The Torment Doll, which is said to have trapped two quarreling troupe members in a time loop until they made up; the Locked Room, which is an unknown room that once locked in a troupe member who had to be let out, and finally the Loupe of Sincerity, which would allow someone to read a person’s thoughts if they looked through it. And then Matsukawa adds in a ghost that haunts the halls, beaten and bruised as he looks for the one responsible for it.

Ren just explains that last part away as such: “The closest thing we have to a ghost in the dorms nowadays is Morgana since he likes to wander around the building at night.”

It’s in this chapter that they learn the Winter Troupe’s stance on the Phantom Thieves when someone decides to bring them up as a way to defend the legends being real: Tasuku is firmly against the Phantom Thieves, especially with what they did to Okumura. He’s the only one who really is in this camp. Tsumugi and Azuma are part of the number that don’t think they killed anyone since until that point they’ve been helping people. Homare believes that they were an inspiration and Hisoka... isn’t sure, mostly due to his amnesia. (Though all can agree that since it was released that their leader was a teenager, that they didn’t deserve the fate that they got -- it’s a tragedy.)

Chapter 10: An Act-Off

So, Ren and the gang get their next letter a bit earlier than expected and therefore get out of the Palace earlier than expected. Sure, Ren and Yusuke are bit more banged up than they’d like to be, and if Morgana says one more thing about it when he doesn’t have to walk home, Ren’s gonna shake his bag but...

But they get caught by a friend. It’s Sumire, who had no idea that Ren was alright at all and nearly makes a scene. Actually, she does make a bit of a scene and catches the attention of God Troupe’s Haruto. He swears that he’s going to lose his mind on this guy because today really isn’t the day to do this (especially since Ren is playing dead and doesn’t want to attract any more unnecessary attention). Luckily for him, Winter Troupe was nearby doing street acts for rehearsal that day.

Now that they’re no longer working together, Tasuku is really able to lay into Haruto for the way he’s been treating these kids. To make things... more intense, let’s say, Sumire also brings up what happened during the closing night for The Roman Episode with Kamikizaka confronting and forcing Taichi to try and sabotage the show. She had been waiting in the wings and hoping to wish Autumn Troupe luck and caught the whole thing. This pisses off Ren immensely since he had no idea about that happening, even though Morgana had been there in the first place.

Izumi’s a bit worried that there might be a fight when Kamikizaka shows up to put an end to it... or possibly make it worse. Ren’s still trying to figure out what the hell this guy has against the Mankai Company in the first place. It makes no sense... and neither why he seems to recognize Tsumugi at all.

Ren and the rest of the troupe is thrown for a loop when Kamikizaka challenges the Winter Troupe to an Act Off on Christmas Eve -- a competition between two troupes perform for the same audience and have the audience vote on the better show. In this case, if Mankai wins, they’ll get all of God Troupe’s profits from the performance. But if they lose? They’ll have to disband. For good. He gives them a week to come up with their answer.

The whole group returns back to the dorm to let the rest of the company know what happened. Ren’s a bit upset about the whole thing because the Mankai Company’s become his home over the course of the past year. He can’t lose it. He just can’t. Not to mention, there are a few people who wouldn’t have anywhere to go if the dorms closed (Yusuke and Sakuya being the best two examples).

That being said, Yusuke’s incredibly nervous about it himself, though he’s doing a better job of hiding it and pretending that he’s fine. Much like with Ren, he’s found a place where he feels comfortable and can say with confidence that he belongs. This is now home to him. He doesn’t know what to do without it since he has nowhere else to go.

No one is sure whether or not to accept. If they lose, Mankai will have to shut down. But the profits from the show will be able to pay off their debt in full -- which if they don’t take care of soon, they’ll have to close down anyway.

Since they will be the ones performing this time around, the company leaves it up to Winter Troupe to decide whether or not to accept. It’s a heavy choice to make, especially for the new recruits. But they have a week to decide, and until then, Yusuke, Morgana and Ren have other things to worry about.

Chapter 11: Responsibility and Commitment

The next few days fly by as the Phantom Thieves dive into Shido’s Palace, getting the letters that they need to clear it one by one. And for those curious, yes. The other thieves do know about what’s happening with the troupe. Ren told them. They’re just as on edge. The way Tasuku has been so irritated and Tsumugi has been so anxious hasn’t been helping either. Winter Troupe’s doing a lot, but it’s not enough.

And the Phantom Thieves’ nerves get even worse when they realize that they weren’t as careful as they could’ve been. Taking the letters from the cognitions had an effect on Shido. And it’s one effect that Akechi noticed, putting two and two together and realizing that Ren is actually alive. Just as the Phantom Thieves get their hand on the last letter, he confronts them in the ship’s boiler room with his true nature now revealed.

Here’s the thing though. Ren doesn’t want a fight unless necessary, where Akechi clearly is looking for one. Akechi and Ren are the exact opposite of each other according to the detective, even if both regret that it had to come down to this. It’s also here that a rather huge bomb is dropped in the fact that the only reason Akechi agreed to work with Shido in the first place is because the man is his father.

“I had my Persona long before then, but the moment that I discovered the cognitive world was when I realized what I was truly capable of. Someone, be they a god or a demon, finally gave me a chance!”

Akechi sought revenge against Shido for abandoning him and driving his mother to her death. By becoming his hitman, he would be able to bring Shido right to the top... only to bring him to ruin and destroy everything he worked for by making him the puppet instead. At this point, any hope of avoiding a fight is lost. And so, the Phantom Thieves clash with Akechi in the boiler room.

During the fight, it is also revealed that besides the mental shutdowns, Akechi was behind the psychotic breakdowns as well. That was the true power of his Persona, driving the Shadows around the berserk with a looming shadow that doesn’t look like Robin Hood at all. It’s new, and it’s something else. But it’s still not enough. Akechi is driving himself mad trying to defeat Ren, but Ren is still calm and steady. He’s spent time with Akechi, and their fight in Act 3 has made Ren see that there’s more to him that what they’re currently seeing. They’re both against Shido. They’re both on the same side. So why doesn’t he act like it?

But it’s not an answer that the Thieves are ever going to get. Because as much as Ren begs and pleads, there’s an outlier that arrives and breaks up their fight. Shido’s cognitive version of Akechi shows up, ready to take out the real one. Shido had been planning to get rid of Akechi after the election. If anyone found out about the murders that he committed for him... well, Shido was ready. The cognition is ready to kill Akechi and the Phantom Thieves once and for all.

Shadows flood to the cognition’s side to almost an overwhelming extent. The cognition gives Akechi one last chance to prove himself by killing the Phantom Thieves. Akechi raises his gun and... misses. Instead, he hits the controls for the bulkhead’s door. It comes crashing down, separating Akechi, the Shadows and the cognition from the Phantom Thieves and confusing the Thieves as to what had just happened. Ren runs forward, banging on the door and trying to get it to open. They hear two gunshots, and then... silence. Akechi’s gone, just like that.

As much as Akechi was their enemy, Ren also spent a lot of time with him and become close in some strange way. There’s a relationship there, a relationship that received no closure, had holes and gaps where so much more could’ve been done and THAT’S what makes it hurt worse that Ren couldn’t stop him or save him.

The Phantom Thieves withdraw from the Palace for the day, in shock and still trying to make sense of what just happened. Ren is the worst among them. The train ride back to the Mankai dorm is done in silence. And though the troupe members realize something is wrong, all Ren really wants is to be left alone.

Ren and Yusuke run into Tsumugi as they make their way to their attic, the latter holding a stuffed doll in his arms. Ren does his best to keep on a brave face, to show that nothing is wrong since he has yet to know about the Phantom Thief secret. Ren quickly shuffles past Tsumugi, leaving Yusuke to try and come up with a solution to explain why they had gotten back so late. He heads up to the attic and collapses on his bed, too tired and too much done with the day to want to do anything else.

Deep down, a part of him hopes that this was all just one, terrible bad dream.

Chapter 12: Back to the Morning

When Ren opens his eyes again, it’s the same day as it was yesterday. He thinks that what happened in the engine room was really just a bad dream... until the day starts to play out almost exactly like his “dream”. Rehearsal is the exact same, the Palace is the exact same... the only ones who show as much confusion as him over it are Tasuku, Tsumugi and surprisingly Akechi to some degree. But it doesn’t matter in the end.

Because once again, the day plays out the same as before with the door slamming shut and Akechi being taken out by his own cognitive self. The only difference is that this time, Akechi uses his own power to drive himself briefly insane, resulting in another fight. But even with that change, he still ends up getting killed and spares the Phantom Thieves without any explanation why. And once again, Ren starts to break down.

Yes, the day that loops is the day that they fight Akechi in the engine room. So Ren has to watch Akechi die again and again the more that Tsumugi and Tasuku prolong this shit. We’re traumatizing Ren more than canon does.

Ren, Morgana and Yusuke trudge back to the dorms. Unlike the day before, Tsumugi is nowhere to be seen. Ren is still absolutely DONE, just wants to sleep and be left alone. He wants to just sleep until tomorrow and forget about everything.

The next morning isn’t the next morning. It’s the same day once again. Having this happen once was strange, but then only Ren thought that it was a dream. Having this happen twice is not a dream and is getting suspicious. Even more so when Ren gets pulled to the side by Misumi as he, Morgana and Yusuke go to leave for the Palace after morning rehearsal.

Ren tries to protest as Misumi drags him upstairs to Tasuku’s and Tsumugi’s room. It’s there that Misumi finds the cause of all their trouble in Tsumugi’s hands -- the same plush that he had in Ren’s previous “dreams”. Apparently, the Torment Doll is living up to its name after all.

Chapter 13: Bridge-Mending Eternal Torment

It’s only once Ren hears the toy’s name does he remember the legend associated with it. He hasn’t been having the same dream over and over again. He’s been caught reliving the same day over and over again because of Tsumugi’s and Tasuku’s fighting. He suspects that the reason he’s conscious of the loop is due to his ability as a Wild Card, since the other Phantom Thieves haven’t been aware of what’s going on either. Misumi, though, Ren has no idea, but he’s grateful that the Summer Troupe member realizes that Ren was awake and brought him over to tell him what was going on.

Because while Misumi has only been losing the triangles he’s found over the course of the day, Ren’s been caught in eternal torment watching someone he considered a friend get killed over and over again.

And this is how Tasuku and Tsumugi become the first members of Winter Troupe to find out about the Phantom Thieves. Because Ren has to explain what’s been happening every day (for the most part, he leaves out the fact that Akechi keeps getting killed) and why he’s aware. They’re stunned for a moment but thinking back to what Ren looked like when they first met him, it kind of makes sense. So, those two are also the first members of Winter Troupe to find out about the Phantom Thieves’ identities. At least Ren’s for right now, the rest get revealed later.

The only way to fix this and end the loop is for the two members of Winter Troupe to make up and knock it off with their fight. If Tasuku and Tsumugi don’t get their shit together and Ren has to keep watching Akechi die, he’s going to punch them both in the throat. ...He’s not actually going to, Ren’s too much of a good person to do that, but he’s pretty damn close.

It’s also here that Ren learns of a possibility of why Misumi has been immune to the Torment Doll’s effects. The latter thinks it’s because of the fact that he’s one of the urban legends himself or it’s because of his Persona’s ability.

Yup! Misumi is a Persona User, wielding Myrddin (merlin) of the Aeon Arcana. The ability that Misumi is talking about is something that he’s been calling “Illusion Breaker”, which strips something of its falsehood and reveals the raw, real thing underneath. Misumi compares it to taking away the mask a person wears and making them face their own Shadow. It’s literally the ability to show someone’s true self or just the truth of something in general.

From here on out, Misumi’s going to be helping the team and filling the gap that Akechi left behind. The Phantom Thieves are quite stunned about this, but there was always something a bit weird about Misumi since he could understand Morgana from the get-go, and now they have an answer for it that makes sense.

So, Misumi is taken into the Palace with them and becomes a Phantom Thief in his own right. (He’s kinda happy about it, getting to show off his skills and use his Persona again, as well as getting to keep an eye on their troublemaker. he thinks izumi would be proud of that one.) Which means, yes, Misumi is involved with the fight against Akechi in the boiler room.

Right up until Ren holds out his hand, inviting Akechi back so they can take down their common enemy together, everything has been playing out the same and Ren is shaking with what he knows is about to happen. But Misumi’s present this time. So when Akechi starts to have his own breakdown, things take a shift. With Myrddin’s Illusion Breaker, Misumi is able to reveal Akechi’s true self underneath Robin Hood’s mask and free what he’s been keeping bottled up.

And if we’re being honest, it’s not something that anyone was expecting. Because without something holding him back, Akechi fucking snaps. His princely attire starts to flicker, wrapping around with shadows and twisting into something else as he shows the Thieves who he really is. It’s at this point that the that their theory is confirmed and the Black Mask that they’ve been looking for and chasing has been Akechi the entire time. Akechi once again drives himself berserk, revealing his other Persona -- that looming shadow from the past loops -- Loki as the Black Mask rises to the surface.

But even then, it’s not enough for Akechi to be able to win. He’s taken down, and just like before, his cognition shows up to finish him off when the Thieves try to help. And just like before, the bulkhead door comes down. Akechi makes them promise to take down Shido in his stead and then... he’s killed. The group disperses, and Ren faceplants into his bed while Misumi takes care in explaining to the company what happened. Hopefully tomorrow will be easier...

That would be if it were actually tomorrow. The day loops back again, and Ren’s growing more and more frustrated. Misumi’s the only reason he doesn’t snap on Tasuku and Tsumugi when they talk after rehearsal that morning. The latter two are really bad at making up with each other. How hard can it be just to tell the other person what you’re really thinking?

That being said, Ren and Misumi go to catch up with Yusuke and Morgana so they can head out with the rest of the Phantom Thieves for the Palace. As Ren is rehearsing his explanation as to why Misumi is coming with in his head again, Misumi forces something into his hand. It’s a glove that Akechi had given him a few weeks ago, when they fought each other in Mementos. A reminder that they promised to have another duel again. He’s calling it a lucky charm.

Ren really hopes that this time, he’s right.

Chapter 14: Now and Then

Everything goes the same as it did in the last loop -- from the fight with Akechi, Akechi making himself go mad and reveal Loki and the Black Mask. Though Ren hesitated to let Misumi use Illusion Breaker, he knows that it’s probably for the best that Akechi loses his shit the way he did in the last loop. Keeping all those feelings bottled up... as much as they hurt to hear, they needed to get out. So, things start to play out the same way as they did in the last loop, though this time Akechi seems more defeated -- emotionally speaking. There’s remorse and pain that he’ll never be like Ren in the fact that Ren is surrounded by people who love and care about him. Even when the Mankai Company discovered they were the Phantom Thieves, they chose to support Ren and help him rather than turn him away. It’s that that Akechi wishes he had. Maybe things could’ve been different if he did.

Ren holds out his hand to Akechi again, promising that maybe he could, and for a second, he thinks that he’s going to take it. But then the cognition appears. And makes Akechi draw his gun. And... Akechi double-crossing his double by shooting it just as it shoots him in the side. With the cognition injured and stunned, Akechi shoots the bulkhead’s controls and brings the door down.

Remembering what had happened this morning and the glove in his pocket, Ren rushes forward to do one last thing as Akechi makes them swear to take down Shido.

“I promise... so you better deliver on your own, alright?! I’ll be holding onto your glove for you until you do!”

Akechi is... kind of surprised that Ren remembers this. He only laughs, and Ren is given no clear answer other than the sound of two gunshots, just like before. And then... silence. The Thieves, wanting to head out for the day, actually continue on under Ren’s direction. He remembers what he and Misumi had told Tsumugi and Tasuku that morning. Telling the other person what you’re really thinking... that’s what showed you were friends. That’s how you can fix a broken bond. And if they break their promise, Ren’s pretty sure Akechi might come back from the dead to make their lives hell.

And so, the route to Shido’s Treasure is secure. All that’s left is to send their calling card. And Misumi has the perfect idea in mind. All that they need is a little help from Yuki and maybe Taichi and Banri too, for an extra set of hands.

When the Mankai group gets back to the dorms, there really is no time to ask Yuki for his help with anything, as everyone is gathering in the common room for a meeting. Ren takes note that Tasuku and Tsumugi look more relaxed than they were that morning as Tsumugi tells the troupe what had happened in the past: how he had auditioned for God Troupe with Tasuku, how Kamikizaka told him that he had no talent, how he had run away from acting as a result... but this time, he’s not going to run away. Though he can’t promise that they’ll win, he wants to accept the challenge and do the Act Off.

Everyone agrees. They’re going to take down God Troupe, and the Phantom Thieves are going to bring down Shido. The pieces are finally starting to fall into place, and Ren is tired.

Chapter 15: An Old Maid Showdown

While the rest stay downstairs to talk about their upcoming show and how they’ll take down God Troupe, Ren is just tired from everything that happened that day. He excuses himself early to go upstairs and just sleep the rest of the day away. And possibly cry. Because even though everything was still out on the table and resolved, Ren still couldn’t save Akechi in the end.

Tsumugi goes to check on Ren because he recalled how Ren came back every day looking like the world collapsed around him. His heart breaks when he realizes what kept repeating for Ren. In an effort to make it up to him, he gets him out and downstairs to join everyone for their old maid tournament instead of having him lock himself away up in his room all night like he had been doing previously. He found out the hard way that bottling up everything isn’t good and can only drive away those that you care about.

if anyone remembers the confidant post, this is absolutely when tsumu’s gets established. ren now has all his confidants established and in play.

Ren does get dragged into playing as a representative for the Mankai’s crew members. He does a pretty good job, slipping into his Phantom Thief act a little bit to throw the others off, and being surrounded by the people he cares about does do something to make him feel better.

When he notices Hisoka is missing, though, he goes to look for him. Today was still a lot, and while he does feel better, he does still need some space to breathe. He finds Hisoka outside, halfway asleep and decides to be a brat and play a little prank by scaring him. It... doesn’t work out as planned, as the moment that Ren has his hand on Hisoka’s shoulder, Hisoka has his hands pinned behind his back.

So, Hisoka actually does hurt Ren a bit, even more than he would normally because Ren’s still recovering from his stint in the interrogation room. When Hisoka realizes who it is, he apologizes and lets him go. And though Ren brushes it off, he’s still left wondering...

...what the fuck was that?

Chapter 16: A Leader Meeting

The next morning is actually the next morning. There’s a sense of relief that washes over Ren when he realizes that the time loop has finally ended. Though there’s still the lingering pain over losing someone and being unable to do anything about it, talking to Tsumugi and being with everyone doesn’t make it hurt as much as it should. He’s going to solider on. He has a promise to keep, after all.

Later after rehearsal and Izumi calls Kamikizaka to let him know that they’ve accepted God Troupe’s challenge, she gathers the troupe leaders and Ren for a meeting. It’s also here that Ren reveals that he might’ve told Tasuku and Tsumugi about the whole Phantom Thief thing when he cracks a joke about him being present at the troupe leaders’ meeting because he’s the leader of the Phantom Thieves and not just because he’s the assistant director. ...that also reminds him that he should let the other Thieves know about Tasuku and Tsumugi, too...

Anyway, the theme that they’ve been given for the Act Off is “angels”. Their show has to surround this concept, and it’s one that God Troupe takes an advantage in since it’s different from what Mankai has done so far. Tsumugi’s slightly nervous about it all, especially since Winter Troupe isn’t a cohesive unit like the other troupes yet. He’s reassured that they were all like that at first, and Winter Troupe will come together soon enough.

Chapter 17: Pleasant Bickering

With the short amount of time that Mankai has to prepare for their latest show, it is something of a relief that Tsuzuru has already something written. He had been writing a couple of shows in his spare time just to keep himself from getting rusty with his writing skills. All he needs to do is make adjustments to have it fit with the “Angel” theme, as well as the Winter Troupe’s actors, and they’ll be good to go.

It’s with talking about the show to Winter Troupe that the troupe decides to differ from their past shows and do a tragedy this time, befitting how most stories with angels in media tend to go. A tragedy with a calm, mature feel to match the vibes of the Winter Troupe, seeing as they’re all adults.

we’re speedrunning the winter troupe here because i have an idea for the ending, kind of like what I did with act 3.

Not even a day later, Tsuzuru has their script done: a tragic love story that Winter Troupe is prepared to begin rehearsing.

Chapter 18: Roles that Click

Rehearsal gets started and Ren is still trying to process how different Tasuku and Tsumugi are acting with each other now that they’ve made up. It’s like someone flipped a switch, but hey. He’s not complaining.

Seeing the others act out the show for the first time, Ren nearly starts to cry at the end of it though at this point only tsumugi and morgana might be able to guess why. He reassures the others and Izumi that he’s fine, and that they should continue on with practice.

Instead of Tetsuro jumpscaring the group, it’s actually Yusuke who came to ask about the sets since remember, he’s the one helping to work on them. The whole thing makes Winter Troupe think that he was the ghost Matsukawa was talking about (even though that was actually Ren).

And Yusuke bringing up the sets reminds Ren... aside from asking Tsuzuru to write something out for the Phantom Thieves, he needs to borrow Yuki for a little commission that he has in mind. And that involves a trip down to the subway station.

Chapter 19: Holding the Fort

Ren is over the moon to learn that Yuki and Tsuzuru are willing to help out the Phantom Thieves for their hopefully final heist. They have to hurry, though, since elections are coming up and that’s their deadline to stop Shido. Yuki has to get taken into the Metaverse to get a decent look at the Phantom Thieves’ uniforms and masks to recreate them, so as of right now, he’s the only one outside of the team who is able to understand Morgana. First time he hears the cat speak, though, he screams.

While Yuki gets to work (and after he calms down about Morgana) Azuma’s begun to act a bit strange. He’s been going out after practices and getting home rather late. Azuma’s an adult, so Ren tries to brush it off as adult business, but that doesn’t mean that none of the troupe members aren’t worried or concerned.

Since they really can’t do anything else until Ren’s commission from Yuki is done, Ren and Yusuke decide to take a look and follow Azuma to see where he’s been going every day, with Tsumugi coming with to keep an eye on them. Eventually, the group tracks him down to a bar where he’s meeting with a woman... and then proceed to get caught. Yeah, not the kids’ best moment considering they’re Phantom Thieves. Azuma’s more perceptive than most Shadows.

Though Azuma is disappointed that Tsumugi went along on the whims of two teenagers, he does understand that they were worried about them... especially when Yusuke flats out states it. Azuma is quick to brush them off. And he doesn’t come back home that night.

Ren’s worried that he, Yusuke and Tsumugi might’ve overstepped a boundary so when Azuma comes back that morning, he’s quick to apologize to him, even though Azuma didn’t think much about it. In fact, it’s what helped him make the choice to go back to work and move out of the dorms. He assures him, Izumi and Winter Troupe that he’s still going to take part in the show, just that it would be better this way.

...will it, though?

Chapter 20: Morning Will Come

There’s not much that the others can do in order to persuade Azuma. He’s an adult. He’s allowed to make his own choices. A few of the troupe members lend their hand with packing Azuma’s things when the latter falls a bit behind on it. While the others start to get to work, Yusuke shows Azuma where the cardboard boxes are since he has a majority of the storage rooms’ layouts memorized from his set work at this point.

That is, he thought he did because there’s a door to a room that he hasn’t seen before. A bit curious, Yusuke decides to investigate without telling Azuma what’s going on. This leads to both of them getting trapped in the room when the door shutting on them and getting stuck.

Yeah... Instead of Izumi getting stuck in the Locked Room with Azuma, it’s Yusuke.

And they end up stuck in there for hours, waiting for someone to realize they’re missing. But time ticks on and the pair eventually fall asleep.

Chapter 21: An Inedible Dream

Morning eventually comes, and both Azuma and Yusuke are still locked in the room together. While Yusuke thinks it’s strange that no one has come looking for them yet, Azuma’s current sleeping state catches his attention quicker than that. He wakes him from his less-than-peaceful dream and being curious and lacking in social boundaries, asks what happened to cause it.

Azuma isn’t about to explain this to a child. Possibly the director if the need arises, but Yusuke’s not at the top of the list. A bit concerned, Yusuke continues the conversation while they wait for help to arrive since there’s nothing else to really do, and this is slowly starting to remind him about his time under Madarame’s care.

The fact that Madarame had one student left under his care was something that was brought into the public, but since Yusuke is still a minor, his identity was never revealed to the public. So Azuma is

The two end up talking about their shared experiences: the loss of their parents, etc, etc. More importantly, Yusuke brings up how the Phantom Thieves changed him and made him feel less alone.

Yes, Azuma is the third to find out about the Phantom Thieves. When asked why Yusuke told him, he simply replies with that he and their leader trust him. And this is what leads into Azuma giving in and telling Yusuke about what caused his nightmare in the first place and that he can’t stand sleeping alone because of it.

To Azuma, no matter what he does, he will never be able to rid himself of that feeling of loneliness. Yusuke finds this strange, since -- as he voices out loud -- Azuma doesn’t seem like he is alone when he’s working on the play with the other members of Winter Troupe, or when he’s with them in general.

Before the conversation can continue any further, the two are rescued from the room by the troupe members plus both directors that had been looking for them. There’s not much time left before Azuma has to get all of his things out, so they’d better get a move on--

Except that Azuma has changed his mind. Thanks to his conversation with Yusuke, he’s decided to stay in the dorm. As Winter Troupe heads off to their morning rehearsal, Yusuke pulls Ren aside to let him know that he had told Azuma about the Phantom Thief secret. Ren wishes that Yusuke had talked to him about it before he decided to do it, but he’s fine with it either way since he did the same with Tasuku and Tsumugi.

However, when Yusuke does ask about the storeroom that he and Azuma were just locked in, he’s confused as to why Ren gives him a weird look, saying that there’s not a storeroom there. There wasn’t even supposed to be a door. When both boys look back, the door is gone.

...they decide it’s best to keep this to themselves.

Later on, Azuma finds that Ren let Morgana into his room for the night when the cat’s curled up next to him in bed.

Chapter 22: On Love, Winter Edition

When it comes up that Winter Troupe goes out drinking in order to sort of bond the same way that the other Troupes have. Since the Phantom Thieves are underage, Ren is thankfully saved from getting teased by Winter Troupe like he had been with Autumn when they get to talking about their relationships. However, that doesn’t mean there’s not going to be teasing abound here.

Back at the Mankai Dorm, the target of the group’s teasing is going to be Tenma this time around. Mostly by Summer Troupe, with the younger members of the remaining troupes and Yusuke joining in. It turns to a conversation about previous relationships that the teenagers have had. Turns out, between all of them, there’s not that much experience.

This sort of turns to the group teasing Taichi and Tenma about crushes that they have (Taichi with Sumire and Tenma about someone that he’s determined to keep under wraps). It gets a bit out of hand and Sakyo has to come and get everyone to quiet down.

Chapter 23: Seamsters Union

With Yuki working on both the costumes for the Phantom Thieves and the Winter Troupe, his sewing machine has been going almost all night. Tenma has taken refuge in the attic with Ren and Yusuke to escape it.

When it comes time to put the final fittings together for Winter Troupe’s costumes, Ren feels a bit bad about the state that both Yuki and Taichi -- who had been assisting the former in his sewing binge -- are in. They’re both exhausted, and Ren’s not sure if it’s because of the time crunch they were on or because he had them also working on the secret project for the Phantom Thieves. Even with Ann and Makoto working to help them in the background when she could, the bags under their eyes aren’t going to go away for a while.

Speaking of which, while Winter Troupe tries on their own costumes, Taichi comes up to Ren with a few boxes. They’re the costumes that he had asked Yuki to make. With them ready, it shouldn’t be long before the Phantom Thieves can put their plan into action.

...all they need to do is borrow Kazunari’s expertise and Tsuzuru’s script and they’ll be set.

Chapter 24: Seeds

The Phantom Thieves have wrapped up filming a short video with Kazunari. After getting changed, they head out with the Troupes to advertise Sympathy for the Angel. Well, everyone but Ren and Morgana, since Ren is still technically in hiding and playing dead.

Passing out flyers went well according to what Ren had heard, so he doesn’t quite understand the heavy tension that’s in the air during rehearsals that evening. And Winter Troupe seemed to be starting to get along, too. That’s when it comes up that Winter Troupe members were approached by a few people who had overheard rumors about them. There were even a few going around about Hisoka being in Japan illegally, something that only the company should know.

Ren’s blood runs cold when Tasuku tells him that he overheard the assistant director’s criminal record brought up as well. Outside of the troupe, the only ones who know are students from Hanasaki. Even then, it was confined solely to the school and no one outside of the Phantom Thieves and the troupe members know about his involvement with the Mankai Company since he’s almost always backstage and unseen.

Azuma immediately turns this around, calling out Tasuku for hanging around Haruto, who had most likely been the one to tell him (which isn’t wrong, Tasuku even says so himself but knowing how Ren and Haruto interact, he kept that part quiet). It turns into an accusation of Tasuku being a spy for God Troupe, and then an argument between Tasuku and Azuma since the former thinks that the latter might’ve let something slip while out working one night.

Things aren’t looking to be too good. Ren knows that Tasuku wouldn’t say anything about his criminal record, nor would Azuma. He trusts both of them, and both of them also know of his identity as a Phantom Thief. If they wanted to do some real damage as a spy, they could’ve easily leaked that and ruined Mankai because of the association.

...so what the hell happened? And is Winter Troupe’s fracture going to mend or break them apart entirely?

Chapter 25: Discord

While Kazunari goes about editing the video, Ren has to get back to rehearsals and it feels like it did when Winter Troupe first started. It’s worse now than it was back then, especially with the performance right around the corner. Azuma and Tasuku threaten to start arguing again when Homare decides to step in to put an end to it.

Homare is... incredibly blunt in what he says to try and get Azuma and Tasuku to calm down. And while he’s not entirely wrong and gets to the root of the problem, it’s not exactly something that should’ve been said out loud like that. This extends to Tsumugi, Hisoka and even Ren as well -- the latter of whom stepped in to try and let Homare know that maybe he should’ve kept his mouth shut about Azuma’s feelings concerning his job, Tasuku’s about his previous affiliations with God Troupe, Hisoka’s about his amnesia and Tsumugi’s about his failure at God Troupe’s audition. With Ren, it’s targeting his feelings over being labelled a criminal and how that has been affecting him.

So everyone gets quiet and kind of winds up pissed off at Homare for blurting out their innermost feelings like that. Everyone leaves, practice cut short. What Homare said might’ve been true, but sometimes there are just things you don’t say out loud. Once again, Homare has made a mistake.

...wait, again?

Chapter 26: A Broken Cyborg

Instead of Izumi having this discussion with Homare on her own, it’s Yusuke who joins them since I think Yusuke can also relate to Homare on this matter to some degree. He had come to get Izumi’s opinion on the set design when everyone had stormed out of the practice room, so he’s here now.

As Homare explains it, he’s something of a “broken cyborg”. He has difficulty understanding how others’ minds work. His own only thinks in logic and art. Not emotion. To him, if he had made the root of the problem obvious, that would fix everything.

Izumi and Yusuke try their best to help Homare with the issue he’s having. Communication and explaining your own thoughts is the key, but Homare is just afraid of hurting the other members of the Winter Troupe again.

Yusuke takes Homare to one of the storage rooms to help him clean out a few props, hoping that it would help him clear his head somewhat. And maybe he’ll be able to divulge some advice like he had with Azuma -- keeping the Phantom Thief secret this time of course.

What happens instead is that Homare finds something rather interesting hidden away within the storage room that might just help him out -- one of the urban legends. The Loupe of Sincerity, a simple magnifying glass that can allow someone to read another person’s thoughts.

Chapter 27: The Loupe of Sincerity

Before rehearsal begins that day, Homare asks to call a short meeting. Ren’s a bit confused by the magnifying glass he’s holding up to them and worried that Homare’s vision might be going. He has no idea what’s going on, but Homare seems to be reading the room better today. He explains that he wants to understand the others, and he meant no ill will with what happened the day before.

Not only does the Loupe help him read and understand the thoughts of his fellow troupe members, but those of the director and the assistant director as well, using them to help smooth things over. It’s also because of this Homare learns of the Phantom Thieves’ identities by reading Ren’s thoughts, who is still thankful that it was his probation record that got leaked again this time around and not the fact that he got arrested as the leader of the Phantom Thieves.

After rehearsing, Homare catches Ren on his way back to the storeroom to return the Loupe where he found it. It’s here that he also confronts and explains to Ren what had happened. It doesn’t take long for Ren to figure out what’s going on.

Homare is... surprisingly calm about the whole Phantom Thief secret as Ren explains it to him, since he is a member of the company and has a right to know as three thieves are currently living under Mankai’s roof. Homare had an idea about something being kept secret from Winter Troupe, and no one has exactly been subtle about their preparations for helping the Phantom Thieves with their final calling card. He just hopes that they can continue to be an inspiration not only to him, but to those who need courage as well. He promises to keep their secret, as well as to let Izumi and the others know that Ren had told him about it so Ren doesn’t have to go through the trouble of stammering over another explanation... especially since he has to be the one to tell the Thieves.

So that’s everyone except Hisoka knowing the Thieves’ identities now.

Speaking of which, Yuki’s put the finishing details on the commission that Ren gave him (with some help from Ann, Makoto, Taichi and Banri as well to help speed things along and work on the Winter Troupe’s costumes at the same time). With Kazunari and Omi lending their assistance, it’s time for the Phantom Thieves to make their calling card shine.

Chapter 28: Better and Better

For the Phantom Thieves, it’s finally go time. They tell the Mankai Company to keep an eye on the news and set out, with Futaba leaving Kazunari a flashdrive containing the calling card that they made. All he has to do is follow what she tells him to do to send it out when she calls him before heading into the Palace with the others.

So, later that night when he gets the call during Winter Troupe’s dress rehearsal, he plugs it into her laptop and... well, let’s say that these siblings make quite the scene in downtown Tokyo as their little video acts as the calling card, projected over every single screen in the urban streets and hijacking the news’ airwaves. Even when they try to take them down, Kazunari is able to keep the video rolling until the very end with Futaba’s instructions.

The police are scrambling to understand what’s going on, as they had believed the leader of the Phantom Thieves to be dead. Meanwhile, the Phantom Thieves themselves duck into Shido’s Palace and make a beeline for that Treasure. They made a promise, and Ren’s sure as hell going to keep it.

They are met with a grand stage for their battle, as well as the mastermind behind it all. The Phantom Thieves confront Shido’s Shadow, who reveals his plan to use the changes of heart that Akechi had done for him to basically manipulate the public into making him Prime Minister. He shows no remorse, regret or care for those who got hurt or lost their lives because of his actions. He sees it all as necessary for the one who was chosen by God -- himself -- to fulfill his plans. He offers the Phantom Thieves a chance to stand with him and join him.

And after all that he had done to them -- what he had done to Ren...? There is no way in hell that they would ever accept that offer. And so, the battle begins. It is a long and difficult fight, involving Ren completely losing his shit on Shido and nearly one-shotting him in his fury. It’s only when Misumi reminds him of something that Tsumugi told him that he calms down.

The Phantom Thieves barely have enough time to swipe Shido’s treasure when the Palace starts crumbling around them. It’s being destroyed, only explained as something happening to Shido in reality to cause it. He’s trying to take them out while they’re still in his Palace. They race out, barely able to make it out in time and causing Ryuji and Misumi to apparently sacrifice themselves in order to protect everyone else. It was luck that they make it out alive, getting yelled at and tackled by the others in relief that they’re okay. Misumi had activated Ryuji’s MetaNav before the ship exploded to get them out.

In the end, they’ve done it. They’ve changed Shido’s heart. All that’s left to do is to return home and wait.

Little do they realize that as they made their move, the police and Shido’s conspiracy made moves of their own against those connected to the Thieves, such as Sae and the Mankai Company itself. By the time Yusuke, Ren, Morgana and Misumi return, the place is in shambles and no one can be found. No one is answering their phones, either. Before they can start panicking, the entire company returns to their relief. Izumi is happy to see that they’re back safe and sound.

The company goes on to explain what had happened. As soon as rehearsal wrapped up, there were police at the dormitory and at the theater to catch Izumi and the Winter Troupe. Since they had connections to multiple suspected Phantom Thieves (such as being classmates or directly related to them in Kazunari’s and Banri’s cases) and their leader himself, they were taken into custody and questioned heavily. Suddenly, they had been let go... right around the same time It was luck that Yuki thought to store the costumes he made at the theater instead of in the dorm, otherwise they might have been in even worse trouble after the dorm had been searched so much.

Ren is just relieved that everyone is okay... even if they all have to clean the dorm from top to bottom now. Though, it comes as a second thought and is only brought up in the explanation but... While they thought Hisoka was clueless as to why they had been all taken like that, he flat out states without batting an eye “it’s because we had connections to the Phantom Thieves and their leader, right?”

So... yeah, Hisoka’s known this whole time. He can’t remember how or why he knew, but he’s known, claiming that the others weren’t very subtle about it. He didn’t have any strong opinions on the matter, so he kept it to himself. That... is something of a weight off of Ren’s shoulders. He wasn’t sure how to tell Hisoka at all.

But now, all that’s left to do is wait...

Chapter 29: Debut Night

The next morning, despite being exhausted from all the work the night before, Ren is woken up to get back into his normal routine and to see if Shido’s change of heart had taken effect. Not only was it the day of the election, it was also opening night for Sympathy for the Angel. He’s already on edge with the election and the possibility that their change of heart might not have worked.

Luckily, Tsumugi is there to remind him that all their changes of heart have worked before. Though it hasn’t always ended in their favor, they have worked. He needs to relax and believe in himself and his friends. Ren swallows his fear, choosing to focus on the show that night instead.

With Yusuke and Morgana working backstage with him, Ren has little difficulty focusing on the show as Winter Troupe makes their debut performance. A wave of relief comes crashing down over Ren when their play is met with a resounding applause. It gives them and Ren some confidence that maybe they might win the Act Off that’s ahead of them towards the end of the week.

As they leave the stage, Yusuke has a video ready for Ren. It’s of Shido. Although he won the election in a landslide vote, he also made a speech where he confessed to everything that he had done.

Everyone -- be they Mankai member or Phantom Thief -- gathers at the dorm to celebrate their victory and a successful opening night. It feels like a dream to Ren. Something that’s almost too good to be true. The efforts one both of the fronts have paid off really well.

The celebration is brought to a halt when the adults -- Sakyo and Sae mostly -- remind everyone that Ren has to go back to school just in time for exams, which Sakyo tells him that he’d better not fail. Just because he might have just saved Japan from a sociopath doesn’t mean that he can fall behind in his studies.

Don’t worry. Sakuya (and a semi-reluctant Masumi) promise to help him catch up on what he had missed.

Chapter 30: Theatre Junkies

Ren feels like he’s on top of the world. Despite having been out for almost a month, he’s been finding his exams easy. Though, that might be due to Masumi’s and Sakuya’s studying sessions with him and the rest of the thieves each afternoon before Winter Troupe takes to the stage for their showings. Even with the high that he’s feeling, Ren still needs a break. That might be why Izumi sends him out with Tsumugi and Tasuku on a small shopping trip. Ren IS Mankai’s little gofer, and the fresh air could do him some good. That, and Izumi thinks the kid should be walking around the streets by himself until the whole mess with the Phantom Thieves is resolved since their enemies know his identity.

Ren finds it amusing that Tasuku’s and Tsumugi’s relationship has improved so much to the point where they seem to be back to what he guesses what they had before. It’s a strange in-sync that Ren finds comforting. ...though, they get so into their conversation at one point that they forget that Ren is even there.

While they’re out, Ren heads off on his own for a moment to go and get some personal things that he forgot to pick up at the last minute. He assures Tasuku and Tsumugi that he’ll be fine and heads off.

On his way back to Tsumugi and Tasuku, Ren has the misfortune of running into Reni Kamikizaka. Like before, Kamikizaka acts strange around Ren to the point where it kind of sends the feeling of spiders up Ren’s spine. It’s like Kamikizaka knows him, or more about him. He keeps asking Ren questions that makes him feel like he’s in the interrogation room all over again.

He basically says a lot of things that confuse the fuck out of Ren, delving in pretty deep into something that Ren had repressed and forgot about until Tsumugi shows up to kind of save him. It backfires, as Kamikizaka turns his attention onto berating Tsumugi for his acting ability, crushing the confidence that they had spent so long building back up. It’s only when Ren finally tells him to (in a polite way) fuck off does he leave.

Tsumugi is off when they return, and Ren doesn’t blame him. It gets a bit worse when Hisoka isn’t at the top of his game, either. Turns out, he accidentally fell asleep in the courtyard and is under the weather. Ren has an idea that might work -- even if it means diving into the first aid supplies that are strictly meant for the Metaverse. He wonders if it could do something to help with Hisoka’s cold so that he could go up on stage that night.

But before he has a chance to try them, Hisoka is nowhere to be found.

Chapter 31: Memento

Hisoka is missing. Even without being under the weather, this would be a bad thing. Everyone scrambles, searching the dorm from top to bottom to try and find the missing Winter Troupe member. Eventually, the search stretches beyond the dorms. Ren grows worried, lingering back in case Hisoka returns and to call in the rest of the Phantom Thieves for help. He also wants to try and find something that might be able to work on Hisoka and help him with his cold.

It’s pure luck that Morgana leads Ren right to one room that they haven’t tried before because it was locked. Ren silently thanks Morgana for teaching him how to lockpick before picking the lock and getting inside. And there is Hisoka, collapsed on the floor. Ren heads inside, not thinking twice before the door shuts behind him and locks him and Morgana in as well.

Not that they realize it. They’re too focused on Hisoka, trying to get some answer out of him about why the hell he’d do something like this when he’s under the weather and trying to get him to take the medicine that Ren’s offering. According to Hisoka, it was what he was taught to do. Though confused, Ren doesn’t question it for now. He attempts to call the others to tell him they found Hisoka, but his phone isn’t getting reception. And they can’t open the door.

It is only then that Ren and Morgana realize that they’re in the exact same room that Azuma and Yusuke got locked in a few weeks ago, much to Ren’s dismay. All they have left to do is wait.

Hisoka, in his feverish state, starts talking to Ren as Ren tries to get him to sleep off his illness and let the medicine he gave him take effect. It’s then that he says something... strange.

“...I remember... I remember what I did... How unforgiveable it was... What I did to August... ...I’m so sorry, June...”

And then proceeds to pass out, calling Ren “June” rather than his actual name. Ren gets confused as hell over this, since he actually has no idea what Hisoka is talking about, but he guesses whoever “June” was must’ve looked like or acted him in some way.

Not long after, they’re found and saved by the other company members. Thanks to the medicine Ren gave him, Hisoka recovers remarkably quickly. Though when Ren asks him about what happened and what he said, Hisoka can’t remember what he’s talking about.

...Hisoka is definitely one of the more eccentric members of Winter Troupe, he’ll say that much.

Chapter 32: The Night Before Closing

The past few days for Ren have been... strange. What Kamikizaka had said to him and Tsumugi, what happened with Hisoka... it’s all been dwelling on his mind. At the afternoon show before closing night at the Mankai Theater, Ren happens to overhear some of the audience members critiquing the troupe’s performances.

He understands that there were bound to be some people who perferred Tasuku’s performances from when he was in God Troupe, but dragging Tsumugi’s acting through the dirt just to lift up Tasuku?

...he will not deny that he had to be held back from saying something he shouldn’t have.

Chapter 33: Regret Bubbling Over

Apparently, Ren hadn’t been the only person who overheard what the public had to say about Tsumugi. During the closing performance at Mankai, Tsumugi changes his approach to his character while on stage. It’s different than how he was before, and it surprises Izumi, Ren and the rest of Winter Troupe. It’s not Tsumugi at all. It felt like he was trying to mimic Tasuku instead.

It... doesn’t exactly go over well with everyone. With the way Tsumugi just performed, there wasn’t any chance that they could win the Act Off like that. Tasuku... goes off on Tsumugi somewhat, trying to figure out what was going on with him, but Tsumugi is tight-lipped and leaves fairly quickly, believing that he might have been in the right.

It’s only later that Ren reveals what exactly Kamikizaka had said to Tsumugi in the first place to Tasuku and Izumi while everyone’s getting ready to head back to the dorms for the night. Suddenly, things make sense to them and Tasuku leaves to go and talk to Tsumugi and hopefully help him get through the funk that he’s currently in.

... things are starting to look up.

Chapter 34: Stand By Me

Morgana lets Ren know that Tsumugi and Tasuku talked things out and things might actually go well with the Act Off. And now with the Phantom Thieves on their winter break, the rest of the team can finally help out with the show and packing things up to take over to God Troupe’s theater for the Act Off.

Ren feels a little bit relieved to see both parts of his life meshing so well together. He feels comfortable. At peace with everything. As he’s cleaning up and making sure all the props are accounted for (not wanting a repeat of what happened with The Roman Episode), he’s approached by Tsumugi who was wondering what he was still doing here so late at night.

The two of them have another heart-to-heart moment where Ren is reassured that no matter what happens, he’ll always have a place to go. Tsumugi and the rest of the Winter Troupe promise to make this performance the best one yet to assure that it would happen.

However... When Ren feels good, things decide to take a turn for the worse. Yusuke calls out for Ren, saying that he and the rest of the Phantom Thieves need to speak to him about something important.

Despite his confession, the news talks about Shido’s inauguration as Prime Minister. It was like nothing that the Phantom Thieves did matter. The public is acting like they don’t even exist. They still believe in Shido, and Sae is having difficulty assembling a case against him because of all of this. Even after everything that they had gone through, the Phantom Thieves are still labelled as criminals by the public. There are some people even calling for them to be hunted down.

Needless to say, it’s bad. It’s worse than that.

Ren tries to calm down, but the group needs a plan to fix this. To him, it was like dealing with a hydra: even if they cut off one of the conspiracy’s heads, there was going to be another to take control of the main body... or even worse, two more would grow back in its place. At this rate, the crimes committed using the Metaverse will escalate. Not only are the Phantom Thieves themselves in danger, but so are the Mankai Company as they know the truth. Putting them in danger is the last thing that Ren or anyone of the Thieves wants to do.

So what can they do?

...It’s then that Morgana reminds them that Mementos still exists. It is technically the public’s Palace. It is the source of all cognitive distortion and a direct link to the collective unconsciousness. But it is still a Palace, which means that it has a Treasure. Stealing it would have an effect on the public... and might just be what they need... even if it means that it will lead to the collapse of the Metaverse, and the end of their actions as the Phantom Thieves. It’s risky, but it’s a risk that the Phantom Thieves have to take. And there isn’t a lot of time to do it.

Though Ren had made it a rule to not go into Palaces on show days, this time has to be an exception. During the day, they’ll dive into Mementos and carry out their mission... and be back in time for Winter Troupe’s closing performance.

It looks like tomorrow will be a day that they won’t soon forget.

Chapter 35: Refrain

It’s Christmas Eve. Ren explains everything to the Mankai Company, and while they understand the severity of the situation, they warn Ren to be careful. Izumi reminds him to be back in time for the show. He’s a member of the company, too, after all... they all are (Misumi quite literally). He should be there. Ren promises that he wouldn’t miss it for the world, and if he does, then Masumi has every right to kick his ass.

So... the Phantom Thieves dive into Mementos for one last heist. It is there in the depths that they discover something unsettling: the Shadows of the public locked away in cages on their own accord, including all those that they changed the hearts of sans Haru’s late father. They’ve allowed themselves to be imprisoned by the pressure society has placed on them. They think that it would be better to allow someone to control them rather then make decisions on their own. It’s sad and pathetic to see, but the Thieves need to do something about it. It isn’t right to sacrifice and eliminate one’s own free will like that.

And it doesn’t take them long to discover the cause behind it all. At the bottom of Mementos is the Holy Grail -- the true ruler of Mementos. It speaks to them, trying to get them to submit to its will. But these are the Phantom Thieves its talking to. There is no way that they would submit after all they’ve been through.

And it seems like they’ve done it. With one last blow with the screams of the masses to stop on their ears, the Phantom Thieves take down the Holy Grail. There’s a bright flash of light before they can watch it crumble and they’re ejected from Mementos. The MetaNav is gone from their phones. They believe that they did it. That they won. The battle wasn’t made difficult, but they’ve done it.

At least, they’re all certain of it. Morgana and Misumi aren’t entirely sure, but there’s little time to dwell on it. There’s one more thing that they need to do that night.

The team makes it just in time to help set up Mankai for their performance, to the elation of everyone present. Even Sumire shows up to lend a hand, despite not officially being a member of the Phantom Thieves in this timeline. At first, the company thinks that they’re going to be sitting in the audience and watching but no. With how big the stage is, Ren’s going to need some help managing it from backstage. At this point, they’re basically Mankai’s stage crew. It’s time for them to start acting like it.

Besides, they do need to make up for making them worry so much.

Chapter 36: Like Praying

They’ve come a long way, and now it’s time to shine. The Winter Troupe even pulls a surprise on Yusuke, pulling him onto the stage with them for a small, one-line role that one of the Winter Troupe members usually fulfilled from backstage. Even if they failed, the entire company puts everything they have into blooming on stage and making their performance count. Ren has to agree with Izumi when she says that this might be Winter Troupe’s best show yet.

By the time the curtain falls, everyone’s holding their breath. And then... an applause so loud that it makes the company’s cheers go deaf on Ren’s ears. And it shows no signs of slowing down when the Winter Troupe steps out on stage to take their bows, including bringing the stage crew with them. After what they did that day, they deserve a round of applause... for everything,

Chapter 37: The Votes Are In

Finally, the time has come. After the applause calmed down, the audience cast their votes. Both the God Troupe and the entire Mankai Company -- every troupe member, every Phantom Thief... all of them that had participated one way or another. They wait patiently and with high levels of anxiety as the votes are counted. Ren is among the most nervous. After all, he could lose his home if this fails. Sakuya, Misumi, Tenma, Banri and Tsumugi try to reassure him that there’s nothing to be worried about, but he isn’t the only one with a lot riding on this vote.

In the end, they were right.

Mankai manages to beat God Troupe by two more votes. The whole of Mankai’s team screams and cheers, revealing in their victory. And as promised, God Troupe hands over all their profits from the showing. It’s enough. It’s enough for the company to pay off their debt. They can continue performing. They get to continue blooming on stage. This could be the happiest night of their lives.

Except... for one thing. The audience has filed out of the theater, Mankai has packed up everything to store away for a possible revival performance. The whole company and their thieves are still elated after they leave the theater, planning their celebrations when they get back to the dorm. But as Ren’s learned by now, when you’re at your most comfortable and vulnerable, that is when your enemy will strike.

Remember when Misumi and Morgana felt that something was off? That their mission wasn’t done? They were right. As it turned out, they had been tricked by the Holy Grail into thinking that they had defeated it. In reality, it had been protected by the masses’ wishes. And now that the Thieves have let their guard down... it’s time to strike.

Mementos and the real world begin to fuse together, and since the Phantom Thieves are no longer in the public’s cognition anymore... they begin to fade to, right in front of the Mankai Company’s eyes. To the Holy Grail, they don’t have a place in the new world now. Ren fades into unconsciousness, hearing his friends and newfound family screaming his name and the names of the rest of the Thieves.

And then... he opens his eyes.

There is one thing that I have yet to bring up while outlining this crossover, and that would be the Velvet Room. During Ren’s journey, he has been aided by Igor, an old man that resides in the Velvet Room and allows assistance to Persona Users like Ren... those that are able to use more than one Persona. A Wild Card. The room takes the shape of the guest’s heart, and in Ren’s case, it’s a prison that he’s locked in with Igor serving as the warden. He has been assisted by two girls: Justine and Caroline. They helped him grow his power and fuse his Personas together to create new ones to help his journey. They said that they would help him face ruin and rehabilitate himself.

But when Ren opens his eyes and finds himself in his cell in the Velvet Room, he has no idea what is happening. Igor berates Ren for having failed in his mission, ignoring Ren’s shouts and pleads for where his teammates are and if they’re alright. He orders Caroline and Justine to execute Ren to punish him for his failures. Ren is forced to put up a fight, one that he can’t win.

Just before he can be killed, he’s able to use the one thing he has to his advantage. His words. He manages to get through to the two girls, making them realize that something is wrong. Their duty wasn’t to kill, but to rehabilitate. Memories of theirs come to the surface, and they reveal Igor to be an imposter who took over the Velvet Room and split the girls into two. With Ren’s help, they use the same mechanism that they used to fuse Personas to fuse with each other. Justine and Caroline are restored to their original self: a young girl named Lavenza.

Lavenza goes on to oust the Igor Imposter as the mastermind behind everything that had taken place that year, creating a game to decide the fate of humanity with Ren as one of the players. The other was Akechi. If Akechi had won, then the world would have been destroyed and rebuilt anew. If Ren had won, then it would have stayed as it was. However, the game had been rigged from the very start to prevent Ren’s victory.

The imposter offers Ren a choice. If he allows the imposter to control humanity, then Ren will be allowed to become his assistant. The world would be restored to normal, but people wouldn’t be allowed to think for themselves.

Ren looked the imposter dead in the eye and begins laughing. He must have been insane if he thought that Ren would ever accept something like that. There was no way that he ever would do that to the people he cared about, or to people in general. No one deserved to be oppressed and pushed around by a higher power. The imposter leaves, and the Real Igor is freed.

Lavenza guides Ren through the halls of the Velvet Room to free his friends and teammates, stoking the fires of rebellion in each of them and giving them hope that they still could win. Being in the Velvet Room allows Morgana to regain his own memories, too. He had been created by Igor using humanity’s hope. He was meant to find Ren from the beginning and guide him so he could stop the Holy Grail and the entity behind it. The Thieves promise to help Igor and Lavenza put an end to the Holy Grail’s plan and return to reality.

When they are returned to where they had been taken away, reality and the Metaverse’s fusion has rapidly progressed. Shadows are beginning to crawl out of the depths and devour people. Very few people are able to see them, so they fight as they rush to get to the Holy Grail. And along the way, they come across some familiar faces that are relieved to see them back and in action.

Thanks to Sumire’s Cendrillon, the Mankai Comapny were able to keep themselves safe... which has been difficult since Hisoka is struggling with something at the time. Misumi calls his Persona, and stays behind to help Sumire manage the Shadows while the Thieves tend to the bigger problem at hand. With reality and the Metaverse merging the way that it is, summoning their Personas now shouldn’t be much of a problem.

It’s also here that another bomb is dropped in the form of Hisoka calling upon a persona of his own -- Morpheus of the Death Arcana -- to assist Misumi and Sumire in crowd control.

...that is something that they are going to deal with later, when reality isn’t trying to merge with the Metaverse. He tells the Thieves to go and make the wrongs right again. With one last nod, the Thieves rush off to take down the Holy Grail once and for all.

They battle the Grail once they find its hiding spot on top of a nearby building. And this time, they shatter its form to reveal its true self: the God of Control, Yaldabaoth. Yaldabaoth unleashes the power of the Seven Deadly Sins on the Thieves, but even that’s not enough to stop them. They’re determined to find their freedom and free society as they pledged to do.

But eventually, Yaldabaoth exploits their weaknesses and brings them down. They can’t do it alone, and Morgana does his best to stoke humanity’s memories and hope.

And then Ren hears a very familiar someone scream at the top of her lungs from the crowd down below. It’s Izumi. She’s crying and cheering for the Phantom Thieves, and that she believes in them. Soon, others join in... Sakuya, Sumire, Misumi, Sakyo, Tenma, Omi, Taichi, Banri, Juza, Tsumugi... One by one, the rest of the Mankai members join in, shouting and encouraging the Thieves to keep going. Their words and belief are just what was needed to stoke the general public’s belief and faith in them. And it’s the cheers and rallying cries of humanity that gives Ren the strength to stand again.

It gives him the strength to do more than that. He hears the echoes of his Persona on his ears and grabs the chains that bind Arsene to free him... and awaken his true form: Satanael, a fallen angel with the power to punish a god with the sins that has been forced upon him.

Quite literally, actually, as his Persona creates a bullet from them and shoots Yaldabaoth directly in the head to deal one final blow. All that’s left behind is the lifeless shell of the grail itself. With it in hand, reality begins to return to normal and for the Metaverse to collapse.

Chapter 38: Party Time!

Sadly, though, not all of the Phantom Thieves make it back. Morgana’s existence was heavily tied to the Metaverse, so when it went... he went with it. The Metaverse is gone, and reality is normal again. Strangely, those connected through Ren’s bonds are those who retain their memories, which includes the entire company since Mankai as a whole represents The Fool Confidant. Everyone else in reality seems to have woken up from a dream.

It’s hard to stay cheerful without Morgana there, but Ren and the rest know that Morgana wouldn’t want them to be upset, so they celebrate for him. They celebrate the Phantom Thieves’ win, as well as Mankai Theater being allowed to continue on with its productions. And maybe, as Ren is reminded, that he could join them soon.

And this time, Ren accepts. Unfortunately, though, Sae approaches Ren during the celebration and takes him off to the side to speak to him privately before she takes Makoto home.

At this point, in order to prosecute Shido, Ren would have to turn himself in as the leader of the Phantom Thieves. Without Akechi (the true culprit behind the mental shutdowns), it’s the only way to avoid the rest of the Thieves from facing arrest. In the process of turning himself in, Ren would be violating the rules of his probation. He would be sent to juvie.

But it’s the only way to ensure that their efforts weren’t a waste. That everyone would be safe. So Ren accepts, asking Sae to not tell anyone about it. Not right now. He wants them to be happy about what they’ve done today... He doesn’t want to ruin it.

Chapter 39: Again and Again

The next morning, Ren leaves a note and heads out early to meet with Sae and fulfill his end of the deal. When the rest of Phantom Thieves arrive to celebrate Christmas, they find that everyone’s spirits are gone. Izumi tells them about what Ren did for them. Without the Metaverse around, there isn’t a way for the Phantom Thieves to do anything.

...or is there?

Ann reminds them that Ren is their friend, a member of the “weird” family that they’ve created. If they can’t use the Metaverse, then they’ll find other means of getting Ren out of juvie. The only reason he’s in there was because of his probation. So if they could get that sentence overturned and prove his innocence, then there’s the chance that they could free him.

The Thieves are on board with the plan, but they’re not the only ones. The Mankai Company offers them their support in any way possible. In the words of Banri, “[they] aren’t about to let that self-righteous brat take the fall when all he was trying to do was help people.” Ann said it herself. Ren is one of them. He’s a member of their family. And like hell Izumi is going to let him fall behind when they were just getting started. The Mankai Company and the Phantom Thieves are going to bring Ren home, no matter what.

And that brings us to the end of the first year! It took me a LONG time to get to this point, and I apologize for such the long wait. But the story still isn’t over. After all, I have plans for Year 2, and Ren’s still in juvie. That’s not going to last for long...

Anyway, thank you for reading!

Act 1 | Act 2 | Act 3 | Masterlist

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