Tokyo's Phantom Thief

Once Ann had finished her bread and washed her hands, the two of them finally got down to business.

"So, how exactly do we make Kamoshida have a change of heart? Like in all those Phantom Thief legends—making big shots cry and repent their sins!"

Ann leaned forward excitedly, crossing her long legs and resting her chin on her hand, flashing a dazzling smile at Rinto.

This girl's casual displays of charm were seriously lethal, far beyond most girls her age—just looking at her felt like a critical hit sometimes.

Though Rinto typically preferred the sexy older-sister type, even he struggled to resist Ann's stunning model-like figure, occasionally sneaking glances at her dangerously eye-catching red tights.

But thankfully, as soon as he reminded himself that Ann was his soon-to-be bro, he straightened up with a cough:

"It's pretty simple, actually. We just need to steal the Palace's Treasure."

Rinto had already briefly explained the concept of Palaces to Ann. She knew the castle was a manifestation of Kamoshida's distorted desires.

And every Palace like that always had a core—a central Treasure symbolizing the root of those desires.

Ann blinked her long eyelashes thoughtfully:

"So basically, if we break into the castle again and steal something from inside, Kamoshida will reform?"

"Yes and no," Rinto clarified patiently.

"The theory's correct. But right now, if we went straight back, we wouldn't find the Treasure yet. Palaces are built from subjective perceptions, after all. You can't physically steal someone's psyche out of nowhere."

Though you can definitely kill someone's psyche, he silently omitted the more violent part.

"To make the Treasure appear, we need to trigger the Palace owner's sense of crisis. Make him feel like, 'Someone's about to steal my most precious thing.' Only then does the Treasure manifest."

This was actually the hardest part about being a Phantom Thief—the part that had exhausted Rinto the most these past three years.

If they could simply steal the Treasure remotely, without any interaction, it'd be too easy.

But reality was trickier—if you wanted to avoid outright killing the Shadow, you had to engage with the real-world target first.

Ann frowned thoughtfully, clearly sensing the risk involved:

"That's why Phantom Thieves always send a calling card first, right? You deliberately alert them so they become cautious, making the heist even harder... How did you handle that before, Leader?"

"Great question, Team Member Takamaki," Rinto played along, easily embracing Ann's dramatics as he took the mantle of "Leader":

"Since Shadows can't lie, I'd usually approach the target's Shadow first. By defeating it, I'd extract every secret, every personal detail of the target's life."

"Then I'd leverage those secrets in the real world. For example, if the target was a corrupt official, I'd find his private number, send him anonymous messages threatening to expose his crimes, and he'd panic immediately. That's when I'd steal the Treasure—simple."

Whoa…

Even though this started out sounding fantastical, suddenly bringing real-world blackmail into it made it feel disturbingly criminal.

Not that it wasn't justified… I mean, it definitely is justified, but still…

Feeling a bit guilty herself, Ann quickly uncrossed her legs.

Scooting closer to Rinto, she asked cautiously:

"Um, Leader, just to double-check… Not that I don't trust you or anything, but after hearing that… have you ever, well… you know…"

"No."

Knowing exactly what Ann was implying, Rinto answered immediately and firmly:

"I've never used those methods for personal gain, like extorting money. If I did that, I'd be no better than a common criminal."

Phantom Thieves were thieves precisely because their motives went beyond money—or at least followed a strict code.

After all, that's what made it romantic—something worth risking your life for.

Seeing the absolute certainty in Rinto's eyes, Ann broke into a genuinely happy smile.

She nodded vigorously, proudly declaring like a little kid:

"I knew it! You really are a good guy, Rinto! Joining you was absolutely the right choice—I'm going to be a Phantom Thief too!"

"Well said, meow!"

…Nani?

Just as Rinto was recovering from Ann's heart-melting smile, he heard an unexpected meow.

A black cat with white paws jumped gracefully from the bushes, hopping onto the table between them.

It sat down casually and began scratching itself with a back leg, speaking confidently:

"I always said, those who awaken to a Persona can't possibly be bad people, meow~! Boss, Ann-san, you two are truly worthy models of Phantom Thief greatness! =ω="

Rinto groaned slightly, "Look, I've said it before—I'm not exactly a good guy. Ann, don't take this seriously either. If someday we meet another Persona user who's bad news, letting your guard down would be dangerous."

After all, in manga-style settings like this, heroes and villains coming from the same power source wasn't uncommon.

Rinto had often imagined encountering another Persona user as an opponent—though unfortunately, he hadn't met one yet.

Ann nodded blankly at first, taking his advice seriously.

Then suddenly she jolted upright, eyes wide as saucers:

"Did… did that cat just TALK?! Rinto, Rinto! Did I seriously hear this cat speaking!? And wait—were you actually talking back to it?! Am I losing my mind!?"

"Calm down, calm down. Deep breaths, Ann—inhale~ exhale~."

Rinto gently held Ann's shoulders, guiding her through breathing exercises again—good practice for any future childbirth scenario.

Ann obediently followed his lead, breathing slowly, her chest rising and falling rhythmically until she calmed down again.

Then Rinto introduced them properly:

"Ann, this cat's Morgana. It's the strange creature I met before rescuing you. It was also trapped in Kamoshida's Palace and even uses a Persona."

"Exactly, meow~! I'm Morgana—Ann-san, you could say I'm your senior in this whole Phantom Thief thing! Just call me Mona!"

Ann exhaled deeply, shoulders slumping, eyes blinking dully.

Luckily, she was an adaptable girl with a big heart.

Quickly convincing herself, she said resolutely:

"Yeah, I suppose it's not that weird. I mean, if I can enter other people's hearts, a talking cat isn't exactly shocking, right? Stories like this always have a cute mascot anyway… I get it now."

Young people these days adapted to new things incredibly fast—Rinto felt oddly like an elderly man experiencing a proud parental moment.