Tokyo's Phantom Thief

Asakura Rinto led the Yoshizawa sisters to the front of the castle—and found the main gate still sealed shut.

The corner of the wall where he'd escaped with Sumire yesterday still bore the marks of that explosion—an entire chunk of masonry blown clean off.

He knocked on the gate and said:

"A Palace is basically the host's subconscious, turned into something real."

"And since it's subconscious, the structure reflects their cognition. I'd guess the reason the castle gate's shut right now is because school hasn't started yet—so it's not the 'welcoming the slaves' day or whatever."

That was the phrase those grunts in the castle used yesterday—straight from the host's own psyche.

To think he saw students as slaves… Honestly, the level of shamelessness was impressive in its own way.

The sisters tilted their heads back to look up at the towering gate, momentarily awed by the surreal scene.

Sure, the sky here was disgusting—murky and nauseating—and the castle itself was creepy, its design utterly devoid of taste.

But still, standing in front of a massive fantasy fortress like this wasn't exactly something that happened in real life. It made the whole "spiritual realm" thing feel much more tangible.

"So, senpai… what now? Should we climb in through that gap from yesterday?"

"No need."

Rinto's voice carried a rare hint of smugness. "I am a Phantom Thief, but I never said I was the 'Kaito Kid' type. I prefer the kick-the-door-down style."

Phantom Thief was just the title.

In terms of approach, he was more like a classic D&D adventurer: the kind that boots the door open and charges in, sword first.

An imitation model pistol suddenly popped into existence in his hand—his cognition weapon, conjured by sheer will.

In this world, a strong enough mind could create anything, even if it didn't exist.

He raised the gun to his temple—a dangerous-looking gesture.

Then, pressing a finger from his other hand to his lips, he silently motioned for the startled sisters to stay calm. It's okay. I've done this before.

And then, he spoke the magic words of self-suggestion:

"[Persona—Eros]."

The blinding sea of light erupted once again, the same power that had scorched the Shadows yesterday. It surged up behind Rinto with a sky-splitting roar!

Within that radiant swell, the girls caught a glimpse of a towering godlike figure, glowing with overwhelming presence.

The god exhaled—

—and that breath became a solar flare of light, instantly vaporizing the castle gate.

With a thunderous boom and a hiss like metal melting under a blowtorch, the gate and most of the grand hall behind it were completely obliterated, leaving behind a massive, blackened arc of destruction.

Rinto was now clad in his silver avian-style armor—the manifestation of his inner will to fight.

As the sisters squealed in excitement, Rinto led them forward, casually glancing at the swarm of Shadows now pouring out in panic.

He explained as they walked:

"A Persona, or 'cognitive mask,' is basically the same thing as a Shadow. They're both born from the subconscious."

"The difference is: a Persona is a manifestation of desire that you can control—an embodiment of your will. A Shadow, on the other hand, is desire that's lost control. It acts purely on instinct. Palace rulers are Shadows too—just stronger and more defined."

His Persona, Eros, hovered at his side like a guardian war god, sweeping beams of light across the hall and vaporizing enemies as they emerged.

Right now, Rinto didn't look like a mere invader.

He looked like a conqueror. A walking cataclysm.

The Yoshizawa sisters stuck close behind him, their fear mingling with adrenaline.

The Shadows screeched and howled. The very air inside the castle was thick, almost alive, like it was trying to reject their presence.

But Rinto was simply too reliable. The knight-like Shadows—hulking dolls in armor—barely managed to take a step before Eros's light melted them like butter under a blowtorch.

Our senpai is way too cool, what the hell???

The sisters already had a pretty thick filter when it came to Rinto.

Now, with his calm confidence and overwhelming strength on full display, the two girls—who'd spent their whole lives grounded in normality—were swept into a fantasy more vivid than any manga or game.

That rush, that fluttering heartbeat…

No way are we keeping these feelings in any longer!

"Mmm… looks like this is about as far as we go."

Rinto murmured to himself, completely oblivious to the twin fangirls behind him bursting with pink sparkles.

He'd smashed through the front section of the castle in a straight line, cutting down everything in his path.

That had triggered the Palace's defense systems at full strength—he could feel it in the oppressive, asphalt-thick air.

At last, he and the sisters reached the castle's central courtyard.

In reality, this would've been the school's athletic field. The layout still faintly resembled it.

But now, they couldn't go any farther.

"...What is this?"

Kasumi's voice cracked as she stared, dumbfounded.

What had once been an open field was now cordoned off by an enormous cluster of construction scaffolding and safety fencing.

Signs hung everywhere:

"SAFETY FIRST,"

"WEAR YOUR HARD HAT,"

"AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY."

—All extremely mundane slogans. It completely broke the mood.

The contrast between this absurd real-world construction site and the eerie fantasy castle from earlier made it hard to believe they were in the same space.

Rinto threw up his hands.

"This is the other problem with cognition realms—subjective logic."

To demonstrate, he had Eros fire another blast of light.

But this time, the same solar beam that had obliterated the castle gate simply… disappeared on contact with the safety barriers.

Like it sank into the ocean without a ripple.

Rinto explained:

"School hasn't started yet. In Kamoshida's mind, this place is off-limits to normal people. Only a few—like club members with practice or staff—are allowed in on holidays."

"So in his subconscious, the front part of the school is the limit. No one gets past here unless he lets them in. We'll have to wait until school starts to push deeper."

These barriers—mental walls—were always a hassle.

Not even a veteran like Rinto could smash through them by force. You had to play by the rules of the mind.

But there was some good news: in the real world, this was still a school.

No matter how much Kamoshida saw it as his personal kingdom, the school was objectively a public space.

Once the semester started, places like the gym, the field, even his office would have to be accessible. That would relax his mental guard and weaken the Palace's boundaries.

So for now—

Rinto clapped his hands and turned to the girls with a breezy smile.

"Any questions, kids? We can't go farther in right now, but we can still grind XP in the accessible areas. So—are you gonna stay and powerlevel like sword masters on Tenri Hill, or head back to reality for some food and rest?"

"..."

The Yoshizawa sisters blinked at each other.

They were totally drained.

Sure, Rinto was still as dazzling and dependable as ever. That smile was bright enough to kickstart a craving.

So, licking their lips, both of them raised their hands in unison:

"We're logging out! We're heading back!"

"Mmhmm! Back to the love hotel! Time to rest!"

Their sparkling eyes looked like they'd just struck gold.

Anyone overhearing them might think something indecent was about to happen—like three went in and five came out.