Yu was impressed by the Thieves' teamwork. He witnessed what happened when the mask was pulled off of a Shadow, how it transformed into its true form. He would have to keep it in mind. It made the weaknesses and strengths much easier to remember.
Rukia almost charged after a Shadow the first time she saw one, but she smacked into a wall of energy that prevented entry.
"I thought it was a Hollow," she said in embarrassment as she rubbed her sore nose.
Her instinctive action to protect them put her into the Investigation Team's good graces. They were no longer as suspicious of her.
"They're really sneaky, though..." Yukiko muttered as she tapped her chin. "Just like..."
"Thieves," Naoto finished with a conflicted face as she saw Ren rummage through a shelf on instinct.
---
The Thieves had reached the door at the far end of the hall. The other two rooms seemed to just be for storage or something. There were shelves stacked with film rolls and cinema equipment lying around, but otherwise, they were empty.
As they were about to open the door to peek through, Rise said, "Let me show you what a navigator can do. Executing scan."
Her Persona wrapped around her body protectively, and Rise closed her eyes for a moment.
"Display."
In their mind's eye, the team could see a list of the enemies they had recently fought, a marking for each of their weaknesses, and a small minimalist map. It didn't display a lot, but it would benefit them tremendously to be able to plan a route with this.
"I can't help but be jealous," Morgana mumbled.
"I don't like the feeling the size of the next room is giving me," Ryuji said. "Mini-boss vibes."
Ren cracked the door quietly and peered through using his Third Eye.
His eyes were glowing, slightly slitted, and had a pitch-black limbal ring around the edge of his pupils. It felt like his eyes should have illuminated the area he was looking at, but they did not in the least.
Rise was tempted to run a scan on Ren's body. The weird eye power Ren had been unconsciously using since he passed out in juvie was now being used consciously. She suddenly realized she hadn't even noticed his eyes had been gold for days, not until just now!
Her urge to scan him rose once more, and she was prepared to do so before a chill ran up her spine. She closed her eyes and scrunched her face hard on instinct.
She felt like she heard a deafening howl, like she had just poked a sleeping beast. But when her eyes opened, the feeling was gone. It felt like it hadn't even happened.
Her thought process was interrupted when Ren said,
"This room is weird. It's... empty. Completely empty. I don't even see any doors..."
He squinted his eyes, and they slightly brightened.
"I think there may be a puzzle or something in here? It doesn't feel dangerous, but Shadows can just randomly appear."
Ren summoned Jack Frost beside him as he gently closed the door and tapped him on the head.
"Hee Ho!"
Jack Frost stuck his finger toward the sky and created an ice formation in the shape of a giant thumbs-up. It quickly vanished, and before the team could ask what he was doing, the others were there.
"Creative use of magic." Yu nodded. "The energy barrier blocking entry vanished as soon as you reached the door. I was waiting to see if you'd call us forward. Good job."
Ren described the next room, and Yu thought briefly before saying, "Do you want me to take the lead?"
Ren hesitated for a moment before putting on a serious face.
"Not yet. I feel like this room will be important to me."
"Be careful," was all Yu said.
---
The team entered the room quietly. They immediately began to scan the area for places to hide, but unfortunately, there were none.
The room was made of white marble. A completely different design than the rest of the theater thus far.
As they approached the center of the room, the lights dimmed, and a projection started to play in front of them.
---
A young child with a head of orange hair was walking down a quiet residential road. As he rounded the corner, he saw a boy with black hair standing in place, glancing around.
The boy with black hair gave a haughty smirk, and the boy with orange hair began to yell. A young girl with red hair, alongside another young girl with orange hair, ran up giggling at the two before the projection faded.
"When..." Ren began as his head started to hurt.
"That was me...?" Orihime said. "And Ichigo, and... Ren?"
"You guys knew each other as kids?" Ryuji asked in shock.
"I don't remember," Ren said in frustration. "My first memory was in Inaba, around six or seven years old."
There was a soft flicker of light and in place of the projection, laid a small strip of film.
---