Tokyo's Phantom Thief

Asakura Rinto could completely understand why Takamaki Ann's thoughts were in total chaos right now.

She had no knowledge of the Metaverse, and yet she'd suddenly awakened her Persona. No wonder her mind was spinning.

So Rinto simply let her vent while gently trying to calm her down.

"Ann, just breathe. Breathe with me—inhale~ inhale~ and exhale~."

"No real-world hostess club has costume changes this dramatic, okay? This isn't reality. Try to understand that."

"...Huh? ...Wait, huh!?"

Ann, panting with adrenaline, slowly started to regain her senses under Rinto's coaxing.

Following his lead, she used a breathing technique she'd once seen in a pregnancy guide to steady herself.

Just then, one of the last surviving Shadows in the corner of the room muttered weakly:

"How... how could there be a woman in this world who defies Lord Kamoshida?"

"You pests are so ANNOYING! Go DIE already!!"

Ann snapped.

With fire blazing in her eyes, she cracked her newly manifested whip and lashed it forward—obliterating the remaining Shadows with a sharp, satisfying crack.

Still fuming, she stomped the floor repeatedly with her high-heeled boots.

"Guys like him? Out in the real world, he's just a washed-up creep! A former athlete or not, that doesn't give him the right to act like a damn tyrant! Scumbag!!"

Rinto stood to the side, nodding emphatically.

Damn, that's cathartic. She's really letting it all out now.

Awakening her Persona had clearly given Ann the release she needed. All that emotional sludge she'd bottled up was finally breaking loose.

Then Ann turned toward Rinto, who was still dressed in his thief getup.

She had a lot of questions.

"So... you are Asakura Rinto, right? What the hell is going on here? Why are we dressed like this? What are those monsters? And who the hell is that sicko 'King Kamoshida'? And—and—and what's this 'Carmen' that popped into my head?!"

She fired off all her questions in a single breath, trying to wrap her head around everything.

But the moment she stepped forward—her knees buckled, and she collapsed.

Rinto caught her in an instant, holding her like the most precious treasure in the world.

"Easy. You just awakened—it drains a lot of energy."

"I'll get you out of here first. Then I'll explain everything."

...Ann gave a weak nod. There really wasn't anything else she could do right now.

The rest was cleanup.

Rinto carried the blond, spiky-haired student who had also ended up in the Palace back to Shujin's infirmary.

That strange talking cat—who had promised to watch over the boy and explain the basics—was left in charge.

As for Ann, Rinto brought her exhausted body back to the love hotel in the real world.

The moment Shiho saw Ann safe and sound, she broke into sobs and hugged her tight.

Rinto paid for the room and told them both to rest for a while.

While they recovered, he took the opportunity to explain everything to the Yoshizawa sisters.

"—What!?" Sumire exclaimed, eyes wide. "Takamaki-senpai awakened!? She has the same power as you now!?"

Her pupils trembled in disbelief.

It felt like waking up one day and finding out the childhood friend you've had a crush on your whole life just got snatched up by a busty, rich, 8K-resolution heiress who dragged him into her mansion and devoured him—while you watched from the sidewalk, staring at the bedroom window's silhouette flicker 0.7 seconds per frame.

Meanwhile, Rinto munched on convenience store cake he'd ordered in to restore his blood sugar, nodding earnestly.

"It's true. This is the first time I've ever witnessed someone else awaken their Persona. I've met a lot of people who accidentally fell into the Metaverse, but I'd never seen someone awaken before. I didn't even think it was possible."

As he spoke, he couldn't hold back a smile.

He'd waited so long for this.

Now with Ann—and that mysterious talking cat—he wasn't alone anymore.

Of course, it would depend on Ann's own will, and he still had to sit down and talk with her.

But at the very least, Rinto finally had someone he could share his secrets with. He had no doubt Ann's curiosity about this world would only grow from here.

"..."

Sumire stayed silent for a long time, hands clenched around the hem of her skirt.

Her heart was a mess. An absolute, tangled mess.

She was the first to fall into the Metaverse. The first to be rescued by her dashing senpai.

By manga logic, shouldn't she be the main heroine?

So how was it that a senior girl who'd barely even interacted with Rinto had already awakened—becoming his first?

While she herself… had nothing?

"..."

The elder sister, Kasumi, remained her usual air-headed self.

She sipped sugar-free soda through a straw, her wide squirrel-like eyes glancing between her mopey younger sister and the obliviously grinning Rinto.

Rinto's emotional intelligence was like Schrödinger's cat. To strangers, he was surprisingly sharp.

But once someone became "his people," he let all his guard down—emotional awareness included.

For him, tact was just another Persona. Something he only wore around outsiders.

The version of him now, goofily shoveling cake into his mouth, was the unmasked Rinto.

It was adorable, Kasumi thought... but definitely a flaw, too.

She blinked and decided to poke the bear.

"So, Rinto-nii, what's your plan now?"

"Takamaki-senpai has the same power as you, right? Are you two going to become a crime-fighting Phantom Thief couple or something?"

Sumire flinched at her sister's blunt delivery—shrinking in on herself even more.

This clueless idiot of a boy still had no idea what kind of storm was brewing in his kouhai's heart.

He just laughed, scratching his head.

"Not sure yet. First I need to wait for Ann to recover, then I'll sit down and explain everything to her."

"What happens after that depends on what she wants to do. Same with the cat—I still don't know what the hell that thing is."

"But the most important thing... is still Kamoshida. He's using the school as his personal Palace. That's way too dangerous. Even just for Ann's sake—I have to bring him down."

By the end of that sentence, Rinto's gaze had sharpened, filled with absolute resolve.

He wasn't just some kid playing dress-up.

He was a Phantom Thief who had been fighting for two and a half years—longer than most full-time careers.

He'd stolen countless hearts. Dozens of cases had made national news.

If Rinto said he would "take care of it," then it would be taken care of.

"I understand."

Kasumi took a step back at just the right moment, tactfully ending the conversation.

She grabbed her sulking sister's hand and gave Rinto a little wave.

"Then we'll head home for now. If anything happens, we'll contact you right away. You take care too, okay?"

"Got it," Rinto replied with a smile.

"I'll stay here and watch over Ann and Shiho—make sure they're okay. Oh right, guess I should tell Momoka I'm not going home tonight."

This might be my first actual night not going home.

He needed to let his roommate know so she wouldn't freak out.

Rinto sent Momoka a perfectly honest message: he might be spending the night at a love hotel.

There were frozen meals in the fridge if she got hungry. And if she didn't want to bother using the microwave, there was always instant ramen.

Just in case, he even included tips on how to prepare each item, worried she'd gnaw on the raw noodles like some feral animal.

With everything accounted for, Rinto leaned back, deeply satisfied.