"I can't believe we had to fight Eligor again..."
The team was sitting in the safe room, which they assumed was the last. The tower didn't seem to go any higher.
"What was weird was that he didn't talk the second time around," Morgana said.
"No, that was a weird battle overall. No banter whatsoever," Ryuji said in discomfort.
"I think we're out of material," Ren added.
"Stop. I want to get this over with already." Ann dropped her head in defeat.
---
"I feel like this huge door is the entrance of the throne room," Shiho said sarcastically as the team gazed upon a massive wooden door. "A 60 ft tall door is some real compensating."
"Pfft." Morgana began to choke on his breath.
Meanwhile, Ryuji and Ren were pushing the door to no avail.
"No way we can open this," Ryuji huffed before turning around and sliding against the door to the ground. "Grappling hooks, I guess?"
The team looked around before seeing a statue of a woman showing off her butt that was perfectly aligned with other statues in a way that pretty much turned it into a staircase onto a window into the presumed throne room.
"Done... I'm done!" Ann snapped in frustration as her eyes landed on it.
"Nice, a butt staircase," Ryuji added.
"You got that right, brother."
By the time the two were done with their comedy act, Morgana, Shiho, and Ann had already begun their climb. The two followed behind them and jumped through the window onto a balcony in the throne room.
"Have the intruders been located?" Kamoshida commanded in a way Ren presumed he believed kings spoke.
"Just go," Ren whispered, pointing towards a door that was situated in the middle of the balcony.
The team snuck past, ignoring the shadow guards being reprimanded and punished by Kamoshida.
Slipping into the room, the team let out a breath of relief and stretched.
"TREASSSSSURRREEE!"
Morgana began to sway like he had found catnip, beginning to purr and meow before dashing into the back of the treasury.
"Cat's got the zoomies. I think we found it," Ren called out with a laugh, waving the team onward.
Walking into the room, the group saw mounds of gold and precious gems piled to the ceiling, with a massive pale gold mist swirling in a ball in the center of the room, like it was on display.
"Mona," Ren began.
"Stop acting like a cat if you aren't a cat!!" Ryuji cut him off, picking up Morgana, who had been rolling on the ground and purring, by the scruff of his neck and carrying him away.
"Where is the treasure? Is it this?" Shiho asked as she walked around the pale gold mist. "How can we steal this?"
"We have to make it materialize!" Morgana said.
Arsene appeared behind Ren. His face was covered with his demonic mask, but everyone could tell he was hiding a massive grin, mirroring Ren.
"A Calling Card."
"A Calling Card."
Morgana, Zorro, Ren, and Arsene's voices all overlapped at once.
"Okay, first of all, weird," Ann said. "Second of all—"
"LIKE REAL PHANTOM THIEVES?!" Ryuji exploded with excitement.
"That's kind of awesome, but also opens up a whole world of complications." Shiho brought them back to reality.
"Oh yeah. Fingerprints and DNA and video surveillance and all that stuff."
"How can we pull this off without anyone finding out?" Ann muttered.
"If his heart really does change, won't people look into such a calling card?" Shiho worried.
"Damn it! We're so close."
"I can handle planting the cards. I think Ren has an idea on how to actually make it, though."
"Maybe..." Ren shrugged, thinking of Yu and his friends. If they really knew about the Metaverse....
"Tell us when you're ready to send it, Joker." Shiho smiled.
"Me?"
"You're pretty much the leader at this point. Even Morgana defers to you most of the time," Ann said.
"Hey! I let him make his mistakes. I'm a good mentor!"
Ren was smiling at the group's playful argument.
'They're counting on me,' Ren quietly thought.
'They trust you,' Arsene replied.
---
The next day Ren woke with a yawn. He streched and began his morning work out. He had been exhausted lately, so he had been skipping his work outs, but this morning, he felt full of energy.
"Ren, it's like 4am, go back to sleep." Morgana groaned as he moved from the end of the bed onto his tuna plushie.
"Not. Huff" Ren said as he continued his pull ups "Tired."
"Well be quiet!"
---
Ren decided to go down and do something nice for his caretaker. Sojiro had been nothing but kind to him. Sure he was a little rough the first few days, but the care was real. Ren could tell the difference.
'I believe that the Hierophant will appreciate this, my liege.' Berith suddenly said.
'It's fine, even if he doesn't. I'm doing this because I want to.' Ren replied.
He could feel the Personas grin in his head. Silky humming a tune as Ren began to mop.
---
"Wow kid, it looks amazing in here." Sojiro said as he walked in, seeing the floors cleaner than they had been in years. "What made you do this? Wait, Why are you up so early? Did you sleep?"
"I just felt like it." Ren smiled, sitting at a booth reading a book on psychology. "But yes, I slept. I just woke up really energetic."
"So what I heard is that you don't need Coffee." Sojiro snarked with a laugh as he went behind the counter and put on his apron.
"Oh no, I'm so exhausted I won't be able to get to school and they'll expel me and-"
"Jeeze, you weren't kidding about that energy." Sojiro laughed as he began brewing his signature blend for the two.
'Kids in a good mood. I wonder what happened?' he thought with a smile. Hearing Morgana, meow loudly from the loft as if to tell them to quiet down.
Another morning in Leblanc.