Sorry for the surprise arc! We will get back to finishing up Madarame's palace afterwards. This arc is important to the continuity of the story! But don't worry. The bleach stuff will quiet down for a bit. The team has to grow more before tackling that mess!
-Raoul
---
The teams explored the area.
It was quickly deduced that it was simply a normal-looking lobby of a high-quality cinema.
"Yu, this place kind of feels like the Velvet Room." Ren furrowed his brows and looked around.
The fabric on the walls and cushioned benches didn't seem to be velvet, but he was no Kanji.
"It sort of is?" Yu said in confusion. "I'm not sure either. Let's see if we can find an entrance to the Velvet Room."
"I doubt we'll be able to do any fusions or Compendium summons," Ren muttered.
"I hope we can. My roster is pretty much a meme right now..."
---
While Yu and Ren were searching around, Yosuke and Morgana hit it off, as did Chie and Ryuji.
The other girls were all sitting together, chatting. Both groups had looked around the area, Rise even running a scan with her Persona, as weakened as it currently was. The current rooms were safe. They could unwind here.
"So, Rise-san—"
"No honorifics!"
Yukiko and Naoto facepalmed.
"Ignore her. We can answer questions if you need us to. My name is Naoto Shirogane," the small, androgynous girl spoke.
"Yukiko Amagi. Charmed."
"I've heard about the Amagi Inn!" Shiho said.
"Oh, so we're ignoring that the former Detective Prince is Ren's friend and knows about us?" Ann said with a raised eyebrow.
"Have you broken the law?" Naoto asked evenly.
"No."
"I'm not human," Rukia added.
"Then I don't care."
"Enough!!!!" Rise interrupted before looking around.
"Tell me about your date with Ren!" she added while poking Ann.
Orihime and Shiho pouted, and Rukia was staring at Ann curiously.
"It wasn't a date!" they all snapped, save for Rukia.
"Oh no. A Wild Card does it again," Yukiko giggled.
"Harem..." Orihime squeaked.
Rukia exploded into a blush.
"WHAT?!"
---
Meanwhile, Ren and Yu stopped in front of a shimmering door.
"Wanna make a bet this is it?" Yu asked.
"Fool's bet. It's like asking if the reason everything is fucked up right now is because of a god." Ren shook his head.
"Well, you're both right and wrong at the same time!" Elizabeth chimed in.
"Fuck?!" Ren said before drawing his handgun and aiming it at Elizabeth.
"Don't do that," he added with a sigh as he re-holstered it.
Yu, to his credit, was unfazed.
"So it isn't the Velvet Room?"
Elizabeth blew a raspberry.
"It is and it isn't. But you guys need to share a Compendium for this! I don't have Mr. Trickster's Compendium!"
Ren and Yu looked at each other.
"Is it Yu's Compendium?"
"Is it my Compendium?"
"Nope! I'm not Margaret!" Elizabeth said cheerfully.
Yu's hand shot out and gripped her head. "Since you broke your contract with the Velvet Room, you're more human than before."
He squeezed her head. "Be serious. This is confusing."
Elizabeth had a scrunched face like she was in extreme pain before she stuck out her tongue.
"Fine, fine." She pouted. "No fun."
"You'll be using my former guest's Compendium. But not the whole thing," she added with a wink.
Ren's eyes widened. "Can you tell us about him?! I think I know who it is, but I keep forgetting."
"Nope!" Elizabeth said. "But come back before you head out to look for the lost films!"
She flickered and turned into a group of butterflies that flew upward and faded.
"I miss Caroline and Justine."
"I miss Margaret."
Yu and Ren met eyes and then gave a silent prayer for her guest.
They thought they vaguely heard a voice apologizing to them. But overall, it sounded amused.
Which irritated them more.
---
Yu and Ren returned to see Chie teaching Ryuji karate kata and Ryuji asking for exercise tips, pointing out that his leg had been slowly improving since they started healing it in the Metaverse.
Yosuke and Morgana were swapping ideas for flirting.
Maybe.
They were whispering.
The girls, however, had atomic blushes. Except for Naoto and Yukiko, who looked amused, and Rise, who looked like she had accomplished something grand.
"Alright, Team Dumbass, let's get down to planning," Ren said in defeat.
"Sorry, Team Dumbass is mine. Pick a different name," Yu said stoically.
"This is going to be a shitshow."
That was the common belief among all the people present.
---