"Let's hunt down that evil black bird-beak mask guy together!"
As Ren extended his hand to Yae Sakura with the invitation, the entire scene instantly fell silent. The Yae Village villagers, who had been weeping and expressing repentance to Sakura, froze, staring at Ren with utter astonishment.
"You two... aren't companions with that outsider wearing the black mask?"
Even Yae Sakura showed a hint of surprise. Although she hadn't personally seen the black bird-beak mask wearer, she had subconsciously reached the same conclusion as the villagers, assuming Ren was allied with this third outsider.
"Of course not! Someone like that, who only relies on putting up a front to hide their true self, isn't worthy of being a comrade of mine, the Phantom Thief Joker!"
Ren lifted his chin slightly. He recalled Akechi Goro's various acts of pretense throughout the P5 story – packaging himself as the righteous Detective Prince, only to gleefully backstab the protagonist with smug arrogance. Ren's brow furrowed tightly at the memory.
He responded to Yae Sakura with conviction. Now that Ren knew Akechi's true nature, he absolutely wouldn't repeat the mistakes of the original timeline and be deceived by Akechi's false mask.
...However, considering the strength of Black Mask Akechi with his true self exposed, Ren almost wished he was facing the disguised Akechi wearing the red bird-beak mask. Persona Robin Hood was manageable, just an average-level Persona. But Akechi's true Persona, Loki, named after a trickster god and embodying his twisted Wild Card power, was no easy opponent.
At this early stage of his own Persona awakening, Ren normally shouldn't be picking a fight with him.
Fortunately, Ren had allies. Although he had defeated Hare in their previous battle, Ren sensed she had been holding back, not fighting seriously due to her ability to revive. If Hare fought with her full strength, even if she couldn't eliminate Akechi, she could probably open a portal and help Ren escape.
Besides Hare, Ren could also rely on the power of this Palace's ruler—the sakura-haired miko, Yae Sakura.
There could only be one reason for Akechi Goro's presence in this Palace: Yae Sakura had become an obstacle to Shido Masayoshi in the political arena, and Akechi was here to carry out a mental shutdown operation targeting her.
If that was the case, Ren had a basis for cooperation with the Palace Ruler, Yae Sakura. They could join forces against the deranged pancake enthusiast.
"I see. My apologies, Sakura misunderstood you both..." Yae Sakura's delicate face showed a touch of apology upon hearing Ren's answer. "While Sakura was hunting the demon beasts, I noticed some had already been eliminated beforehand. Judging by the traces left at the scene, that must have been Mr. Joker's handiwork."
However, at the same time, her brow furrowed slightly as she posed another question to Ren.
"Kind-hearted individuals like Mr. Joker and Miss Hare would surely never do something like unleashing demon beasts to destroy the village... But, that person wearing the black bird-beak mask, the, er... 'phantom thief'? Is that phantom thief truly evil?"
From the villagers' eyewitness accounts, Yae Sakura knew the black bird-beak mask wearer wore strange clothes similar to Ren's. It was precisely because of this similarity in attire that Sakura had assumed Ren and the black-masked individual were companions. Since Ren called himself a phantom thief, Sakura, after a moment's hesitation, chose to use this novel term for the black bird-beak mask wearer as well.
Because her stance was fundamentally different from the villagers', Yae Sakura didn't harbor hostility towards the black-masked figure feared and hated by the residents. Instead, she could view that existence with a more neutral, objective, and rational perspective.
"Although the villagers claim to have seen that phantom thief releasing demon beasts, or causing nearby poultry and passersby to go berserk and lose their minds, that black phantom thief has consistently been moving towards sparsely populated areas."
"If he truly intended to destroy the village, that phantom thief could have simply stayed in the village center."
"While Sakura possesses the strength to slay demon beasts, Sakura is ultimately just one person, unable to simultaneously deal with the beasts swarming every corner of the village."
Yae Sakura's brow remained slightly furrowed as she slowly voiced the doubts in her heart to Ren. It wasn't just these logical analyses that made her hesitate. Or rather, these seemingly rational thoughts actually stemmed from a strong, groundless emotional feeling welling up inside her. Even though she had never met the black phantom thief, Yae Sakura somehow felt he must be a good person, perhaps even someone important to her.
"Because that guy's goal isn't simply to destroy the village. In fact, whether this Yae Village is destroyed or not is completely irrelevant to him. There's only one thing of importance in this village... and that's you, Miss Yae Sakura."
Ren replied to Yae Sakura without thinking.
"He's constantly moving, probably searching for you. Luckily, Hare and I found you first. If he had gotten to you, it would have been too late."
"But..."
"You don't need to worry so much. Whether that black-masked person is good or evil, you'll know once you see him with your own eyes. Come with us!"
Before Yae Sakura could hesitate further and try to make excuses for the black-masked figure, Ren decisively cut her off, repeating his invitation.
"...I understand. Mr. Joker is right. Rather than speculating here, it's better to go see for myself."
Yae Sakura's expression gradually firmed. She nodded resolutely, reached out her slender hand, and firmly grasped Ren's red-gloved palm.
"The last reported sighting of the black-masked person was in the southeast of the village. Analyzing the reported route... if the black-masked person's goal truly is to find me, then he should be at the Yae Shrine on the rear mountain right now!"
By consolidating the villagers' eyewitness accounts, adding Ren's testimony—and guided by the strange, inexplicable premonition stirring within her heart—Yae Sakura slowly turned around. Her blue eyes gazed resolutely towards the rear mountain of Yae Village, as if piercing through all obstacles to see the familiar sight of her shrine.
Under the terrified, silent watch of the Yae Village residents, Yae Sakura, the Palace Ruler and local guide, walked ahead, leading Ren and Hare onto the path towards the Yae Shrine.