Tokyo’s Phantom Thief [50]

After entering Kamoshida's Palace, Rinto encountered yet another unexpected development.

He'd originally planned just to protect the Yoshizawa twins as observers, while training Ann and Morgana to get the team coordinated in battle.

But the moment they reached the castle's entrance, Rinto noticed something strange.

"Wait a sec… someone's already here?"

What's going on? The entire group tensed instantly.

There was someone sitting at the gate of Kamoshida's castle, and they quickly stood upon noticing Rinto's group approach.

The person moved awkwardly, clearly limping as he stepped forward.

As they got close enough to clearly see the person's face—especially the distinctive, spiky blonde hair—Ann was the first to react:

"Sakamoto?! You're Sakamoto Ryuji, right? Why the heck are you here…?"

"Yo, Takamaki. Long time no see."

The spiky-haired youth had bandages wrapped around his forehead, and one of his eyes was so swollen he could barely open it. Despite this, he greeted Ann calmly.

Immediately afterward, his gaze settled firmly on Rinto.

Of course, Rinto remembered him. Just yesterday, he'd rescued this same boy from the palace's dungeons—where he'd been on the brink of death.

He'd been trapped for hours, beaten mercilessly by the Shadows, exactly like Kamoshida's image of his "student slaves."

It mirrored the brutal discipline Kamoshida inflicted daily on his volleyball club members.

Noticing Ryuji's intense expression and the baseball bat he gripped tightly in his hands, Rinto already had a good idea what he intended.

"You're Sakamoto Ryuji, right? I'm Rinto Asakura, a second-year at Shujin, just like you."

"Morgana already explained most of the basics to you, didn't it? Did you deliberately use the navigation app to come here again?"

"Yes," Ryuji admitted without hesitation.

Not only that—he was brutally honest:

"I didn't know when you guys would show up, so I've been waiting here since noon. Luckily, as long as I stay outside the castle, those monsters—Shadows, you called them?—don't come after me."

"Are you insane?! You could've died!" Ann shouted, horrified.

From the determined look in Ryuji's eyes, Rinto knew the boy fully understood the risks. After experiencing hours of torture and imprisonment firsthand, he had no illusions about how dangerous this was.

Yet, he'd come anyway, dragging his battered body here. He clearly had only one thing on his mind.

"—Please!"

Without warning, Ryuji suddenly fell to his knees before Rinto, pressing his forehead to the stone pavement. His voice cracked with desperation:

"Leader—Phantom Thief Boss! I've heard of your exploits; I know you're incredible! I absolutely cannot forgive Kamoshida—I want revenge! I need to beat him myself, make him pay!"

"Takamaki ended up in this weird world the same day I did, right? And she awakened the power to fight here! If she could do it, I know I can too! Just give me a chance—please! Let me try just once! Please!"

Rinto sighed, "...Morgana, exactly how much did you tell him?"

He glanced downward at the odd-looking cat by his feet. In this world, Morgana had transformed into a cute, two-headed mascot form, making its oversized head even more adorable.

Morgana shuffled awkwardly:

"I might've… told him basically everything, including your identity as Phantom Thieves, and even Ann's Persona awakening. I got carried away, alright? Sorry! (>ω<)"

Of course. Rinto had figured as much.

If Morgana had just passed it off as a dream or given vague explanations, Ryuji wouldn't have known Ann had awakened a Persona. Knowing this fact was precisely why he'd developed the desire to fight.

Rinto could clearly sense Ryuji's intense emotions right now—the desire strong enough to make him grovel and beg for a chance to fight.

"…Well, it's safer to let him try this than risking Kasumi and Sumire…" Rinto muttered to himself, indulging his own selfish curiosity.

Truthfully, he was intrigued to see if Ann's situation could be replicated—if it was possible to deliberately trigger Persona awakenings.

Compared to sending the Yoshizawa twins, who had no direct grievances with Kamoshida, Ryuji was undeniably a more suitable candidate.

After a moment's hesitation, Rinto spoke up:

"Alright. I'll let you try. You can enter and fight the Shadows. If you genuinely awaken a Persona, I'll officially accept you into the Phantom Thieves."

"But if I think you're in danger of dying, I'll stop you immediately. There won't be a second chance. If you come back later using the navigation app on your own, you're on your own. Deal?"

"—Deal! Thanks, Boss—you're an awesome guy!!"

Ryuji raised his head gratefully, tears welling up despite himself. The sheer depth of his hatred and desire for revenge left Rinto quietly stunned.

Me, a good guy? Hardly. I'm just a selfish thief, after all.

With the hot-headed Ryuji joining, even Sumire Yoshizawa—the most eager of all—forced herself to calm down and obediently followed behind Rinto.

Ryuji took point, brandishing his baseball bat as the group entered the now-open palace gates again—

"KAMOSHIDA, YOU BASTARD! COME OUT AND FACE ME!!"

Ryuji's furious roar echoed through the palace as he charged inside.

As the Shadows within quickly sensed the intruders, Rinto and Ann instantly transformed into their Phantom Thief outfits.

Ann held her forehead in frustration:

"That spiky-haired idiot… He's already been beaten half to death, doesn't he feel any fear at all? Is he seriously looking for death?"

Rinto shook his head grimly. "Sometimes, it's precisely because you've already felt fear that you stop caring about the consequences."

He knew the real Shadow Kamoshida was sealed away safely, unable to appear.

But the Palace still functioned normally, and its guards had sensed their intrusion, swiftly emerging to intercept them.

Rinto quickly summoned his Persona, ensuring the Yoshizawa twins were protected.

Meanwhile, Ryuji charged straight at a suit of animated armor, striking ferociously with just his baseball bat, recklessly going on the offensive.

Observing Ryuji's furious frenzy, Rinto turned to Ann curiously:

"Ann, what exactly happened between him and Kamoshida? I remember hearing before… that Kamoshida once broke his leg?"

"…Yeah."

Shielded by Rinto and not yet needing to fight herself, Ann slowly removed her mask, recalling an unpleasant memory…