[June 12, 2020, Friday]
[Art Museum, Naha, Okinawa]
[10:50 PM]

(An art exhibition is being held in the museum, showcasing all the newly released paintings that caught the eye of the public. Among these is a painting of a tired and battered angel in a dark background, surrounded by white and gray strokes that are akin to the waves of the ocean, and splattered with blood. The angel is holding a bow and arrow while blindfolded. The painting has gathered in many people for them to see. Under the painting has a plaque, saying "Atravesar" and under it saying "Yusuke Kitagawa". Behind the crowd is Yusuke, wearing a jet black suit with a purple buttoned shirt underneath. He is watching them observe his painting.)

Yusuke: ......

(Yusuke takes the time to look at his work.)

Yusuke: (I could've refined it more, my proportion was a little off had it not been for what happened the other day. Hmmm..... I also miss that part too.)

(He then walks away, looking by the other paintings.)

Yusuke: ......

(He stops before the painting that caught his eye. It is a bust up painting of a woman looking upwards with her eyes closed and her hands going down from her face. The bottom of the painting show a part of her fading away into particles, going from her body and reaching to her neck. Yusuke looks at the plaque, bearing the name "Noiseless" with the artist being "Natsuhiko Nakanohara". Yusuke smiles.)

Yusuke: Quite an impressive work you made, Nakonahara. Even after your years as a teller, it seems it didn't make a single bother to your prowess.

(Yusuke then yawns, he checks the time on his Seiko wristwatch, displaying the hands saying "10:51". He yawns.)

Yusuke: I am awfully getting sleepy after all the work I've done.

(He then walks away.)

.....

"Well if it ain't the prodigy himself!"

Yusuke: Hm?

(Yusuke looks back. A middle-aged man in a grey suit approaches to Yusuke. His eyes briefly widened up, recognizing the man before him.)

Yusuke: Oh- Shinpachi-sama.

[Kosuke Shinpachi: A renowned artist who has a distinctive style that can match up to Madarame. He is fairly known in the art world and most of his works have received high praise, Some may say that he is a rival to Madarame but Shinpachi doesn't find it as so.]

Shinpachi: I must say, you look dashing in that suit.

(Shinpachi shakes Yusuke's hand.)

Yusuke: I say the same.

Shinpachi: I've come to see your latest piece and it must be really turning some heads. Reminds me of my older works.

Yusuke: I've been working on a lot of projects around the clock since quarantine. Though.....

(Yusuke briefly expresses discomfort.)

Shinpachi: Hm?

Yusuke: This past few months have been taking a toll on me.

Shinpachi: I know. But you never fail to show a great and exceptional art.

Yusuke: Thank you, but please, I find yours still the best.

Shinpachi: Now you're just being humble. Take a little pride in your work! At the very least, it is something you worked very hard for and the efforts have paid off.

(Yusuke smiles in response to Shinpachi's affirmation.)

Yusuke: Thank you, Shinpachi-sama.

Shinpachi: Keep this up, and sooner or later we will witness another work of yours that can rival the past.

(Yusuke nods.)

Yusuke: As long as the blocks don't get me.

Shinpachi: Hahaha! I can't argue with that. So do you plan on sticking around in Okinawa?

Yusuke: Unfortunately no, I'll be heading back to Tokyo tomorrow.

Shinpachi: Ah, that's fine. You can always come visit here if you like. Quiet peaceful around here, You can see why it's a tourist hotspot.

Yusuke: I agree, I must say it is a nice place. The beaches seem to calm me down.

Shinpachi: I heard you have a knack to walk around. Using the world around you as your reference?

Yusuke: Yes. I've met with many kinds of people and that influenced me to make my art with psychological influences. Now I'd like to make use of the world around us for a much better representation.

Shinpachi: A type of man who gets any type of inspiration. I like that.

(Yusuke pulls out a hand sanitizer, he sprays onto this hands and rubs it together. He then checks his watch.)

Yusuke: Well, I have to get going now.

Shinpachi: Sure, Take care!

Yusuke: You too.

(Yusuke walks away, he exits the museum.)

[10:57 PM]

(Yusuke exits the museum. He cracks his neck while placing his hand on his nape while yawning.)

Yusuke: (Quiet a tiring day, I hope Ren is doing okay after what happened there.)

(Yusuke's phone vibrated, he brings it out from his pocket and checks his notification. It's from the Haru in their group chat.)

[IM MESSAGE GROUP CHAT]

Haru: "@amamiya"

.....

.....

Ann: "What's wrong?"

Haru: "He hasn't been responding lately. I just wanted to check on him."

Makoto: "I understand your concern, he's been in the news."

Futaba: "he's mad busy"

.....

Futaba: "we're busy too"

Yusuke: "Considering the situation, you're only the one who has their Personas"

Ann: "Wish I have mine too right now. Sumire's our friend and I wouldn't back down in something like that."

Haru: "Me too."

Makoto: "Let's have our faith on him. We know he'll get it done."

Futaba: "actually i forgot to fill you in on what's happening lately."

.....

Futaba: "it seems we're not the only ones."

Yusuke: "Explain?"

Futaba: "@makoto you ever heard rumors about people trying to be like the phantom thieves?"

Makoto: "Yes."

.....

Makoto: "What about it?"

Futaba: "well what if i told you, we encountered one who stands in our way."

Yusuke: "I'll admire their bravery to face Ren like that."

Futaba: "well that's the thing...."

.....

.....

Futaba: "he too has a persona."

Yusuke: "What!?"

Ann: "You can't be serious."

Futaba: "his name is takumi matsushige."

Makoto: "Sounds familiar."

.....

Makoto: "Yes I now remember. He's a notorious criminal, I heard he once committed a large scale arson somewhere."

Futaba: "yeah that's true. and he's the captain of the kaneshiros."

Makoto: "Captain? We haven't heard much about him here from the force. I heard he's good at laying low. Really good."

Ann: "Wait a little question."

.....

Ann: "Does it mean his clothes can change too?"

Futaba: "yep. he even looks like ren's"

Haru: "So he too has the Metaverse?"

Futaba: "according to what he said, yes."

Makoto: "A Kaneshiro captain.... Being a Persona user like us."

Yusuke: "Connecting this to Sumire's disappearance, I'm beginning to see things lining up here."

Haru: "What's Ren up to now?"

Futaba: "readying himself while i search for the whereabouts of the kaneshiros"

.....

Futaba: "we're trying to lay low with the cops being at are butts. im constantly watching out for them in the cyberspace too considering they got the technology."

Makoto: "I take it detective Watanabe is after you?"

Yusuke: "Watanabe?"

Makoto: "A determined detective in shutting down the criminal world. But we in the force know him better in wanting to crack down us Phantom Thieves."

Futaba: "we encountered him too. in fact, he and ren fought before we escaped shinjuku."

Makoto: "That makes it all the worse, once he catches your scent, he won't stop at nothing."

Haru: "Reminds me of a special someone."

Makoto: "He makes him look like a junior. This man has done something more."

Futaba: "i figured you'd know. can't you convince him once you join the force?"

Makoto: "I can if I could, that's if I knew where I'm being placed."

Yusuke: "Well for the meantime we should lay low too."

Futaba: "im working in encrypting our chats so we all could talk safely without anyone spying on us."

Ann: "I am glad for your existence, we're all pretty much slowly hanging by a thread and you're pulling us up with it."

Futaba: "don't mention it (//∇//)"

Haru: "This is odd."

.....

Haru: "Ryuji would've been riled up enough in the chat. I know he's not that active here lately but where is he?"

Ann: "Knowing him, there are two things."

.....

Ann: "1. He's out busy finding a job since he can't pay his internet bills again. 2. He doesn't have a SIM card so calling him is out of the question."

Futaba: "yeah that's very ryuji of him im not surprised"

Yusuke: "I hope we can get news to him whenever we can."

(As Yusuke types while walking back, He accidentally bumps in by a passing person.)

Yusuke: Sorry!

(Yusuke looks back to his phone.)

Futaba: "btw inari, are you still in okinawa?"

Yusuke: "Yes. I'll be heading back there to Tokyo tomorrow."

Haru: "How's the new piece?"

Yusuke: "Grabbed a lot of attention, though im not too sure of it, I made a few mistakes here and there."

Makoto: "Don't be so harsh on yourself, you did a pretty good job if it means it turned a lot of heads.

Ann: "You can't achieve perfection, you just do what you gotta do with the best of your abilities."

Futaba: "besides i think even your own mistakes add a charm to your art ∩^ω^∩"

Yusuke: "You're right. Even my former classmates during my time with Madarame had imperfections in their art as they say and I am still amazed by their abilities."

Ann: "That's the spirit."

Yusuke: "I must get going, I'm currently outside walking back to my hotel room."

Makoto: "Yeah it's getting late, I'm just waiting for my letter of approval. Catch you all tomorrow."

Futaba: "i'll be staying up a bit and continue finding ren."

Yusuke: "Goodnight."

Ann: "Goodnight!"

(Yusuke closes his phone and keeps his phone back in his right pocket. He continues walking back to a hotel he's checked in.)

.....

.....

[Yusuke's hotel room]

(Yusuke enters into his room, He inserts his key card into its dock which opens the lights to his room.)

Yusuke: .....

(He removes his blazer and throws it to a chair. He drops down to his bed and lets out a sigh of relief.)

.....

.....

(He then thinks about the current situation.)

Yusuke: (With what's going on, Ren's about to confront the Kaneshiro mafia again..... And another Persona user who bears the same traits as us? We could've met him..... or did fate not let us do so? This is all racking my head. I hope he gets down to the bottom of this. If we were to reawaken our Personas once again right now, we could've solved this together within a heartbeat.)

(Yusuke then recalls Ren's texts.)

Ren: "I was looking for Sumire around Kichijoji, when I was stopped by some thugs"

.....

Ren: "Suddenly Arsène just came back, and I still turned into my "Phantom Thief" look too"

.....

Ren: "And It's not just me, Morgana too"

.....

Yusuke: (So I'm assuming in the heat of a confrontation, Ren's Persona returned..... What if..... my Persona also came back at such a moment?..... No, it could mean different things to some of us. How would it exactly come back? I remember awakening mine out of anger but this is different.....)

.....

.....

Yusuke: (I'll think it over tomorrow. Best if I start energized.)

(Yusuke yawns, He then closes the lights and goes to sleep.)

.....

.....

[June 13 2020, Saturday]
[10:00 AM]

(Morning, the sun glares into Yusuke's room. The digital alarm clock placed on a small marble table next to his bed beeps.)

Yusuke: Mm-

(Yusuke wakes up, and the glare of the sun hits his eyes. He instantly shields his eyes with his hand as he tries to snooze the alarm.)

.......

(After briefly tapping on the table. He faces himself at the alarm clock and snoozes it.)

Yusuke: ........

(Yusuke gets up and out of his bed. He cracks his neck as he walks to the large window.)

....

....

(Yusuke looks over by the window.)

Yusuke: (Checkout goes by afternoon, Best if I get breakfast.)

(He grabs his key card out from the dock and heads out of his room.)

[10:42 AM]
[Naha]

(Yusuke, after finishing his breakfast, heads out from the hotel. He takes a deep breath.)

Yusuke: (Well.... this would be my last day here, Best if I get a good look at Okinawa one more time.)

(He then begins to walk around the city of Naha, observing the city's scenery. Being a mixture of urban industrialism that's similar to Tokyo and its tropical roots.)

Yusuke: ......

(He frames the scenery in front of him with his fingers as he walks around.)

Yusuke: Hmm..... hmmmm.....

(He puts away his hands and continues looking around.)

Yusuke: I can sense a colorful vibe in this place but..... I seem to not get anything that catches my eye. *sigh* Must be my mental block up again.

(Yusuke continues walking around Naha, going along with a crowd of people as he observes at anything that might inspire him.)

Yusuke: .....

.....

.....

"Isn't that?"

Yusuke: Hm?

(Yusuke turns around, seeing a woman about her age wearing glasses and her hair down.)

College Student: Are you Yusuke Kitagawa?

Yusuke: Yes.

College Student: I-I'm a fan of your work!

Yusuke: Oh?- Well, nice to meet you!

College Student: I saw one of your paintings in Tokyo and I'm excited that yours came here too!

Yusuke: A-Ah! That's nice.

College Student: May I have your autograph?

(She hands over her small notebook.)

Yusuke: S-sure!

(Yusuke tries to find his pen.)

College Student: H-here, you can use mine.

Yusuke: Thanks.

(He then hovers his eyes to her notebook, seeing multiple signatures all around the paper. He signs his on an open space.)

Yusuke: There.

College Student: Thank you!

(She keeps back her notebook, Yusuke then hands back her pen. She slightly bows in front of him.)

Yusuke: I'm surprised you have a lot of signatures from different artists. You must have a huge enthusiasm for art.

College Student: Yes, I do! I am an art student myself and I'm inspired by the varying styles from each artist. But recently I'm a fan of your works and it played a huge role in my upbringing!

Yusuke: W-wow.... Well, I'm flattered about this honestly. Thank you.

College Student: It's a pleasure meeting you Kitagawa-sama!

(She slightly bows again.)

Yusuke: Likewise.

(Yusuke bows back as he smiles. The student then walks away.)

Yusuke: (A fan?..... That's something I don't get every day..... I never expected that I have someone who looked up to me. Maybe I am becoming like Madarame.)

(Yusuke then continues back to walking, searching for ideas.)

.....

.....

(He stops before a group of people near a crosswalk, seeing a public market steps away from him.)

Yusuke: (Hmm.....the marketplace. Maybe that would be good.)

(Yusuke then crosses the road along with the rest entering the marketplace.)

[Public Market]

Yusuke: (Such a lively place, This must be the local's go-to spot for their groceries.)

(Yusuke explores the market with the rest of the crowd. He heads to the seafood section, seeing vendors exchange their products for money with their customers.)

Yusuke: .....

(He sees a vendor selling lobster next to him. Yusuke smiles.)

Yusuke: Hehe.....

Vendor: Oooh, eyeing at a lobster? It's on sale for only a thousand yen!

Yusuke: Ah- no thank you.....

(Yusuke walks away.)

Yusuke: (I regret eating those two..... and now I also regret not having enough money....)

(Beginning to feel bored out, Yusuke then exits the marketplace.)

[Naha]

Yusuke then stops before a crowd as cars pass by the crosswalk.)

Yusuke: (Nothing there too..... It's as if nothing much is being an influence. I have to give Okinawa for its uniqueness but..... No..... I guess I'm just too tired. It's best if I head back to Tokyo now and give Ren a hand.)

.....

(As he waits for the crosswalk's stoplight to go green, two cop cars swerve through the traffic.)

Yusuke: !..... Huh? What's going on?

(He overhears the people around him.)

"Cops rushing? Did something happen?"

"I heard someone got murdered around here. It's not like a usual one too."

"Is it a high-profile person?"

"From what I know, Yeah."

"A news article that just published minutes ago mentioned that his body is left there right at the entrance of the art museum!"

Yusuke: ......What?

"Who was it?"

"Can't exactly remember...... I think it was Shinpachi or something."

Yusuke: !?

(Yusuke eye's widened out of shock in response.)

Yusuke: S-Shinpachi!?

(Yusuke grabs the attention of the person who mentioned Shinpachi by placing his arm to his shoulder.)

Yusuke: Excuse me sir, but- did you say Shinpachi? Was he murdered?

Person: Uhh..... yeah. The news says he's a known artist like Madarame or something.

(Yusuke is left frozen as he slowly turns his head away.)

Yusuke: .....

Person: W-why?...... You know him?

(The cars stop before the crosswalk as the sign goes green. Yusuke notices. He quickly makes his way out from the crowd.)

"H-hey! Watch it!"

(As he exits the crowd, he dashes past the crosswalk, quickly making his way to the museum.)

[Entrance of the Okinawa Prefectural Museum & Art Museum]
[11:04 AM]

Yusuke: *huff*......*huff*

(There is a large crowd ahead of him. He tries to pass through.)

Yusuke: 'Scuse me!..... Excuse me.....

(Yusuke is stopped by a police line. A police officer gets in the way of Yusuke.)

Police Officer: Hold it right there, You're not allowed to enter.

(Yusuke makes a subtle shocked expression, as he sees Shinpachi's dead body, in his grey suit.)

Yusuke: Shinpachi-sama.....

......

(He observes Shinpachi's face.)

Yusuke: Wait..... What the?...

(Shinpachi's face is marked over with his blood. The marking bears a resemblance to a mask of a fox, similar to Yusuke's.)

Yusuke: That..... marking..... No.....

Police Officer: Alright everyone please move away from the crime scene!

(A bunch of police officers fends off the crowd alongside Yusuke. He walks away from the crowd.)

Yusuke: .....

(He starts walking back to the hotel while remaining with his shocked expression.)

Yusuke: I-..... I can't believe it..... Shinpachi-sama..... But that marking on his face..... I must tell everyone about this.

(Yusuke pulls out his phone.)

.....

.....

(But it refuses to turn on.)

Yusuke: Huh?

(He holds its power button..... but his phone stays dead.)

Yusuke: Tch- I think I forgot to charge my phone last night.

(He puts away his phone in his pocket.)

[11:30 AM]
[Yusuke's hotel room.]

(It's time for checkout. Yusuke is packing up his things into his travel luggage.)

Yusuke: .....

(He finishes packing up, He then closes the zipper and heads out the door and into the hallway.)

Yusuke: *phew*

(He walks to the elevator.)

......

(He pulls out his phone and tries to turn it on.)

Yusuke: Come on.....

(As he walks while trying to turn it on, He accidentally bumps into a man wearing a black hoodie and a face mask who's walking by.)

Yusuke: Oh sorry-

(An envelope fell to the floor.)

Yusuke: hmm?

(Yusuke picks it up.)

Yusuke: Excuse me, sir, you dropped your-

(As he goes back up, the person has disappeared.)

Yusuke: What in the?-

(Yusuke runs through the hallway to find the person.)

.....

Yusuke: Where did he go?

(He looks around, finding nothing. It seems that the person is nowhere to be found.)

Yusuke: *sigh*

(Yusuke keeps the envelope in his pocket.)

[11:35 AM]

(Yusuke exits the hotel and hails for a taxi. He then keeps his luggage in the trunk and enters in)

Yusuke: The airport, Please.

Taxi Driver: Yes sir.

(The taxi drives away.)

Yusuke: .....

.....

.....

(Yusuke thinks about Shinpachi's death.)

Yusuke: (That drawing on his face..... It felt horrifying to look at..... But..... Why does it bear resemblance to a kitsune mask?)

.....

.....

(Wait..... I think I'm the last person Shinpachi has spoken with..... Does that marking refer to my..... no.)

.....

.....

(Yusuke pulls out his phone again and tries to turn it on for the third time.)

.....

(The phone still refuses to open.)

Yusuke: Tch!..... (I charged that thing not too long ago. Is the battery broken again?)

(Yusuke keeps away his phone)

Yusuke: *sigh*

.....

(He then remembers the envelope kept in his pocket.)

Yusuke: (This person dropped this envelope..... they certainly didn't have anything with them when they bumped into me..... And they wouldn't be far enough to even hear me calling them.....)

(He pulls out the envelope from his pocket and inspects it.)

Yusuke: ..... ?

(He notices a small writing on the bottom left corner of the envelope, he slowly squints his eyes as nears the envelope to it.)

.....

"多川"
(tagawa)

Yusuke: ta..... gawa?

(Yusuke flips the envelope to the other side, he sees another small writing at the bottom left.)

"喜"
(ki)

(Yusuke's eyes widened out of shock.)

Yusuke: Ki..... tagawa...... Kita..... gawa..... so this envelope was for me in the first place.

(He then opens up the envelope.)

Yusuke: !?

(Inside the envelope, reveals a calling card with red and black circles.)

Yusuke: (No....)

(Yusuke slowly pulls out the calling card, with a tense expression. As he expected..... It's the calling card of the Phantom Thieves.)

Yusuke: No way......

(Yusuke he flips the calling card, reading the message..)

"wElcOme, HAVe fuN!"

(His eyes slowly widened in response.)

Yusuke: Huh-..... What?

......

(He is frozen by the message as the taxi arrived at the airport.)

Taxi Driver: Sir?

Yusuke: .....

Taxi Driver: Sir? Is everything okay?

(Yusuke returns to his senses.)

Yusuke: Y-Yeah sorry....

[Naha Airport]
[12:13 PM]

Yusuke: .....

(Yusuke is sitting by the chair. Thinking both about Shinpachi's death and the calling card.)

Yusuke: (His face bearing resemblance to my mask..... and that calling card.)

(He recalls the time he bumped in with that person, examining the man dressed all in black clothes

Yusuke: .....

....

(As Yusuke gets stuck into his thoughts, a news fanfare can be heard above him.)

Yusuke: .... !

(Yusuke looks up to the TV.)

News Reporter: "This just in, the renowned artist "Kosuke Shinpachi" has recently been murdered. Hours ago he was found dead on the entrance of the Okinawa Art Museum, The police have recently confirmed that he has been stabbed."

Yusuke: ......

News Reporter: "It is also said that his face has been drawn with blood, mimicking the style of a fox mask."

Yusuke: Tch!....

(Yusuke grabs his phone that is charged to a power bank. He repeatedly holds the phone's power button but it still refuses to turn on.)

Yusuke: Damn!

(He lets out an exhale out of frustration.)

Yusuke: I really need to contact Futaba about this matter.

(The departure board starts to flicker, and Yusuke takes attention.)

"T O K Y O: BOARDING"

[In the airplane, Heading to Tokyo]
[12:54 PM]

Yusuke: .....

("Welcome, have fun"..... Have fun on what? The fact I "received" this message not too long after Shinpachi's death, and the way how his face was drawn over.)

.....

(Wait..... Now that I think about it..... Ren's situation occurred about four days ago and Shinpachi's murder followed by that calling card I received, If I were to somewhat link them up..... Someone might be possibly targeting us, as Phantom Thieves.)

.....

(But why us? We haven't done anything for the past three or four years- No wait..... It was Kaneshiro's men for Ren. But who's in it for me? It can't be one of Madarame's associates or even Shido's, not even Akechi would do this type of method.)

(The airplane then suddenly began to rumble violently for a brief moment.)

Yusuke: !?

(A chime is heard through a speaker.)

Pilot: "Uh, we are sorry to inform you that we need to make an emergency landing to the nearest runway we can find, The airplane has suffered some severe technical problems. Thank you for cooperating."

(Everyone on the plane is upset by the pilot's announcement.)

Yusuke: Tsk!

(Yusuke takes a slow and deep breath.)

Yusuke: I hope this matter would be resolved quickly.

[Fukuoka Airport]
[1:20 PM]

(A chime plays through the speaker again.)

Pilot: "We will be landing at Fukuoka airport and staying there until we're able to resolve the problem. Thank you for understanding."

(The airplane safely lands on the runway.)

[Inside the airport.]

(Yusuke discharges his phone and tries to boot it open. It still refuses.)

Yusuke: Battery should've been full by now. Maybe it has aged? I should look around for a repair shop.

(He roams around the airport.)

[1:54 PM]

(He concludes his exploration.)

Yusuke: Nothing here..... I guess this is the entire airport. *sigh* I'll just get the phone done once I come back.

(A fanfare chime plays through the airport's speakers.)

PA Speaker: "Attention for passengers who were boarded for Flight 1286, We inform you that your flight is further delayed and will be expected to resume by tomorrow. Thank you."

(Yusuke exhales through his nose, feeling a little indignant over the announcement.)

Yusuke: *sigh* Guess I'm calling the night here...

[11:00 PM]

(Nightime, as the airport is close to being empty, Yusuke is looking for any open benches to lie on.)

Yusuke: Hmm.....

.....

.....

(Yusuke has found himself one, being near the check-in facilities. He lies down, then tries to put himself in a comfortable position due to the uncomfortable nature of the bench.)

.....

Yusuke: *yawn*

(Yusuke crosses his arms and closes his eyes.)

.....

.....

[11:37 PM]

(Yusuke is asleep, along with the passengers who boarded at the same flight with him.)

.....

.....

(The lights suddenly went out, A loud clunking sound is heard echoing through the room. Yusuke is awakened by the noise.)

Yusuke: Hm?

(He finds the lights out.)

Yusuke: What in the?.....

(A shadow looms past Yusuke before his eyes could catch it. It was fast enough to leave its trail of air blowing at him.)

Yusuke: !?

(Yusuke gets up, and the shadow quickly goes past him again, feeling the wind. He quickly looks around trying to find where is it coming from.)

Yusuke: What was..... that?-

(A scream was heard from afar, echoing through. Yusuke becomes alarmed.)

Yusuke: !

(The shadow goes past him again, and more screams are heard along with the sound of liquid gushing through. He quickly gets off the bench and begins slowly walking ahead through the dark atmosphere.)

Yusuke: .....

.....

(The air blows at Yusuke again with the shadow going by, he quickly looks to his left.)

.....

.....

(Seconds have passed, nothing seems to happen now. Yusuke slowly becomes tense.)

.....

(A loud clunk is made again, The lights opened back up. Yusuke sees himself only steps away from the bench he is sitting on. He then looks around.)

Yusuke: !?

(Yusuke's eyes widened out of shock, seeing dead bodies on the floor, lying on their pool of blood. He rushes to one of the bodies, it being a middle-aged man. His eyes widened in shock again, seeing his face. Being marked with the design of a fox's mask.)

Yusuke: What the!?-.....

(He looks at the rest of the bodies, all having the same exact marking on their faces. He slowly becomes petrified by the sight of it.)

Yusuke: .....

.....

.....

"Flabbergasted by my piece, aren't you~?"

(Yusuke is alarmed by the voice of a flamboyant man echoing through. He looks to his back, seeing nothing but just the benches. He then becomes confused as he looks around for where the voice is coming from.)

Yusuke: Who are you!?

"That doesn't matter, what matters if you're having fun."

Yusuke: Fun?

(Yusuke recalls back to the message he received. He begins to sense a connection.)

Yusuke: What do you want?

"I want to see if you're what people believe what they see..... Phantom Thief."

Yusuke: !?

(Yusuke briefly freezes at the voice's statement, he then continues looking around.)

"And all I just see is..... "

(A figure then stands behind Yusuke.)

???: A startled boy~

(Yusuke hears that same voice now neared behind his back, he turns around, seeing a man wearing a fox mask along with a black hoodie with purple linings, equipped with scaly armored pads on the shoulders and forearms, and black leather gloves. He takes notice of the mask.)

Yusuke: That..... mask.....

(Yusuke briefly looks away as he begins to connect the dots.)

.....

(He looks back to the masked man, his eyes filled with anger.)

Yusuke: So you're the one who murdered Shinpachi-san and sent that calling card.

???: Oh the likes of him aren't usually on my list. Merely I only did that as part of our game~

Yusuke: Game?

(The masked man silently disappeared in a blink of an eye before Yusuke.)

Yusuke: !?

(His eyes alarmingly widened, and he begins looking around for the masked man again.)

.....

.....

???: Hehe.

(Yusuke heard the voice coming from his right, he shifts his eyes there, seeing the masked man.)

Yusuke: Tsk-

???: You're quite a difficult man to reach, Kitagawa-kun. Odd for such a normal person. Which is why I take pride in creating this game for you~.

Yusuke: Why? What is it that you want from me?

???: This game we're playing~ I call this an endurance run.

Yusuke: Endurance?

???: To see how competent.....

(The masked man raises his hand, aiming it towards Yusuke's face.)

???: You can be.

(He flicks his fingers towards Yusuke. A dark and ghastly humanoid spirit appears, dashing its way to him.)

Yusuke: !?

(His eyes widened in reaction to the sudden appearance of it. Before Yusuke could act, it punches down to his body.)

Yusuke: UCKK-

(The punch was devastating enough to rock Yusuke into his core, his eyes slowly dilating as his mouth is slightly opened with saliva flying out. He is sent away, flying, then tumbles on the ground on impact.)

???: Hmph....

(Yusuke then tries to get back up, his knee on the ground while facing down with his hands planted on the floor as he coughs and pants. He begins to comprehend what just happened to him.)

Yusuke: (What was.... that? What I just saw..... Could it be..... a Persona?)

(The masked man then approaches Yusuke.)

???: Oh that's a shame, I expected more from you, Kitagawa-kun~.

(Yusuke looks up to the masked man as soon as he neared to him.)

???: I hate to admit it, but I guess I picked the wrong candidate.

(The spirit hovers next to the masked man, and the two look down on him. Yusuke notices.)

Yusuke: (There is no doubt about it..... that is a Persona!)

(Yusuke gets back up to his feet while clenching his fist. The masked man's head follows.)

???: .....

Yusuke: *pant*..... *pant*..... HmmmMPH!

(He throws a punch at the masked man, but the latter quickly takes notice, he disappears before the hit is made.)

Yusuke: !?

(Yusuke gets pulled by his own punch, and he stumbles for a brief moment. The masked man appears from his right. He snaps his fingers, his dark Persona rams Yusuke with his shoulder.)

Yusuke: NGGH!-

(He is sent flying away again, hitting one of the benches with his back before hitting the ground. He is lying on his back on the cracked floor with his eyes closed, as the pain lingers. The masked man slowly approaches to the downed Yusuke.)

???: Don't hold back.

(The dark Persona flies ahead then upwards. It dives down into Yusuke while readying his fist. Yusuke opens his eyes, seeing the Persona coming down to him.)

Yusuke: !

(The Persona makes its strike into Yusuke's body, the sharp pain of its attacks causes Yusuke to briefly spit out blood.)

Yusuke: GUUUUUH!

(The Persona then hovers back to the masked man. Being steps away from him, he smiles under the mask.)

???: Ohh~ how the mighty have fallen.

(Yusuke lifts his head and glares at the masked man.)

Yusuke: Nggh-....urngg...

???: You're not as what the people perceived you as. I honestly didn't think I'd finish you at this very moment, our first encounter.

Yusuke: Tch-..... Taking- my life..... is the least..... thing you want to do.....

(The masked man slowly walks further near to Yusuke.)

???: Oh you're still full of yourself even as you draw your last breaths. I will commend you for that, but the ego you garnered for yourself just to display in front of the public doesn't quite match up to the type of person you really are.

(Yusuke further displays his anger while he struggles to breathe. He clenches his fists. The masked man now stands before him, being at Yusuke's right side and looking down at his angered face.)

???: You Phantom Thieves have deceived my expectations, but it is reassuring to know how easy you can be toyed with.

(He slowly nears to Yusuke, crouching to the ground. He lays his hand on Yusuke's face, slowly running it down.)

Yusuke: !?

???: I find it a little gut-wrenching seeing the last of anyone's face, the last emotion they make before I take their life away~ But tonight? You made it so special, Kitagawa~.

Yusuke: Tch-

(The masked man then grabs the collar of Yusuke's shirt and nears it to him, lifting his upper body and bringing his face near to him.)

???: Compared with all the lives I took, yours will be like no other~ I'll take pride and pleasure in making the first blood from the Phantom Thieves.

Yusuke: Grr-

(Yusuke begins to feel a tingle down his spine as everything begins to slow down. His eyes then widened in surprise.)

Yusuke: (What..... the?)

.....

???: I have been laid dormant in you for a while. My strength never waned because of your firm principles. They never fluctuated for all these years.

(Yusuke hears those words echoing through, the voice sounding akin to his own albeit much more deeper and formal. He wonders in surprise as the masked man remains still.)

??? (cont'd): You have never parted with that aspect of yourself, which is why that mask you don is rightfully yours as always.

Yusuke: (Could this..... be!?)

???: Our contract remains, and I will uphold this duty as rightfully so. Till the day death do us part, We must prevail from this distortion. Now, vow to me. I am thou, thou art I. You've journeyed through the world against its dark vices, painting it with the strokes of its golden beauty.

(A fox mask slowly appears around Yusuke's face, as he remains frozen.)

??? (cont'd): It is in your hands once again, to show the masses which is which! Speak my name from your very tongue, and you will assert the painful beauty known as the truth!

.....

(The voice then fades off along with the mask. Yusuke comes back to his senses as time flows again. Yusuke's eyes then slowly transitioned into anger before the masked man as the latter slowly raises his right arm. A dark flame appears around the masked man's hand, forming it into a shape of a black katana before it materializes into being as one. He grabs hold of the handle.)

???: You have disappointed me with your lack of prowess, I only find it fair that you will bite my blade as your punishment~. I might see you again in another lifetime, goodbye.

(The masked man then begins to drive down the tip of his katana into Yusuke. The latter alarmingly notices.)

Yusuke: GOEMON!

"HMPH!"

(Before the katana reaches Yusuke, a large smoke appears as the masked man is sent away from Yusuke.)

???: UGHH-

(The masked man tumbles on the ground before recovering to his feet. He goes into his battle stance, with his katana readied. He sees the smoke from where Yusuke is, behind it is a blue light glowing through.)

???: .....

.....

Yusuke: Hmph..... hehe..... The spectacles of the world's malice never fail to disappoint me. But my wrath is not meant to set upon.

???: Hmph.....

(The masked man smirks under his mask.)

Yusuke: You treaded through the lives of people, and you drown them to their demise. But what goes around, comes around.

(A hand appears through the smoke, covered with a light blue glove. It's pointing at the masked man.)

Yusuke: I will make you taste the same pain those people's lives you took tasted.

???: Hmph, how can you be so sure?~

(The hand retracts away, and as the smoke is about to dissipate, the masked man further grips his katana as he continues smirking.)

Yusuke: You planted the seed of evil. In this world, it has enough of it.

(The masked man then begins to slowly approach the smoke.)

Yusuke (cont'd): It is fated that they will perish.

(The smoke is now completely gone, revealing Yusuke in his Metaverse form along with his Persona: Goemon. The two are in a mie pose.)

Fox: And you cannot alter fate.

(The masked man tilts his head for a brief moment.)

???: Hehe, perhaps I was right. You are what they say.

Fox: Indulge yourself in your satisfaction, for that will be the very last time you will be doing so.

???: Hehehe..... now that's the spirit I am looking for~...... Go!

(The unknown Persona dashes to Fox and Goemon.)

Fox: Goemon, Now!

(As the Persona is about to reach the two, Goemon gets in its way.)

Goemon: YAAA!

(Goemon makes a backhand slap on its head as soon as it nears him. A loud crack echoes through as the Persona is sent away. The masked man watches it in awe, distracted, Fox takes the chance and charges into him.)

Fox: Hmmph!

(Fox then throws a punch, only for the masked man to instantly disappear. Fox stumbles for a brief moment before regaining his footing. The masked man then appears before him.)

???: Oooh you think it'd be that easy?~ HaaAH!

(The masked man makes a swing into Fox, and the latter instantly ducks, avoiding the katana's blade. He then soon lets out both his fists into the masked man's body.)

???: Ungh-

(He is pushed away.)

Fox: Goemon!

(Goemon charges into him, he readies his fist. As soon as he neared to him, he lets out an uppercut.)

???: UGH-

(A loud boom echoes through as soon as the hit is made, the masked man is sent upwards. Goemon intercepts him as he readies his fist for another punch.)

Goemon: DeeiiYAH!

(He makes the punch, only for the masked man's Persona to get in the way and protect him. Goemon's punch has been stopped, the Persona raises out his arms, putting away Goemon's fist. The Persona then makes a straight punch into Goemon's face.)

Goemon: URRNG!

(Goemon is sent down, falling into the ground fast, whilst The masked man along with his Persona disappears. Goemon then crashes into the ground.)

Fox: Come back here!

(Goemon fades away, he then reappears next to Fox. The two look around, as the masked man is nowhere to be seen.)

Fox: .....

Goemon: .....

.....

(Fox hears a muffled flapping sound from his back.)

Fox: .....

(The sound gets louder and louder.)

Fox: ..... Now.

(Goemon faces to his back, seeing the masked man about to attack Fox from the air. He grabs for his neck as soon as the latter nears, completely stopping him.)

???: UCK-

Goemon: HmmmMPH!

(Goemon then slams him into the ground, making a large crack to it.)

???: GAAAAAH!

Fox: ..... Return.

(Goemon is withdrawn, he disappears. Fox then walks to the downed masked man.)

???: Heh..... Splendid~...... You're much more than what I'd expect!

Fox: Tch-..... I warned you. My wrath is not to be set upon.

(The masked man lightly giggled as Fox stopped before his body, he looked down at the masked man's brown eyes.)

Fox: Now..... I will not kill you, I find you witnessing your conclusion more suffering.

???: Hah..... I figured you'd say that.

(He snaps his fingers, disappearing from Fox's naked eyes again.)

Fox: !

(Fox begins to look around.)

.....

.....

??? (echoey): We're getting a little too far now, Kitagawa~

Fox: .....

(Fox's eyes sharpened as soon as he heard the man's voice echoing through the hangar.)

??? (echoey): The game's not over, I'll let you be, as you won this round. I look forward to the rest of this.

(A light wind blows at Fox as the man's voice fades. Fox remains.)

Fox: ..... *tired exhale*

(Fox switches back to his normal form.)

Yusuke: .....

(Yusuke then looks at the marked dead bodies.)

Yusuke: So now I know who you are..... Alright, I have to head out before anyone finds this.