"...No Calling Card sent? Then the Treasure shouldn't have materialized yet. How did you manage to steal it?"
Detecting from the white-haired girl's reaction that she hadn't actually sent a Calling Card, Ren raised an eyebrow in surprise. He quickly turned to look at Yae Sakura beside him, only to be met with the sakura-haired miko's completely bewildered gaze.
Seeing Sakura's utter confusion, clearly having no idea why he had suddenly looked at her, Ren was doubly certain: Yae Sakura had truly never received a phantom thief's Calling Card.
And thinking about it more carefully, although Phantom Thief Violet kept claiming she had stolen the Treasure, the Palace showed no signs of collapse, remaining perfectly intact.
"Although the Treasure hasn't fully formed, that doesn't prevent it from being contained within this box. Simply holding the box is equivalent to having stolen the Treasure... As a fellow phantom thief, Mr. Joker, can you not see this?"
Phantom Thief Violet took a few quiet deep breaths, gradually recovering from the embarrassment of being a phantom thief who hadn't sent a Calling Card. A faint smile touched her lips as she responded to Ren.
"..."
What kind of new mechanic is this? Having only played P5R and being completely clueless about the other twenty-five potential lettered sequels ATLU$ seemed determined to release, Ren felt deeply behind the times.
Nowadays, could you just seal the energy-form Treasure in a box and steal it without sending a Calling Card?
And they say a god gets killed off in every P5 spinoff... Ren wondered if some deity was watching over this Phantom Thief Violet. He really hoped not. Being targeted by some unfamiliar pseudo-god or evil deity before even dealing with the known evil god Yaldabaoth would be incredibly tilting.
"Excuse me, have we met somewhere before?!"
Watching the seemingly enthusiastic exchange between Phantom Thief Violet and Ren, Yae Sakura felt an inexplicable weight settle upon her, like something pressing down on her vibrant sakura hair. A strange sense of irritation and unease washed over her. Spurred by this inner turmoil, Sakura couldn't help but take a step forward, proactively addressing Phantom Thief Violet.
Just as Yae Sakura said, although Phantom Thief Violet wore a black bird-beak mask covering most of her face, Sakura still felt a strong sense of familiarity emanating from her. It was as if she had already met and known this unfamiliar girl, bound by some extraordinary, special connection.
"Using such a line to approach someone might be considered cliché by some, but when it comes from a lovely miko like yourself, I find it refreshingly novel~~~"
Interrupted by Yae Sakura, Phantom Thief Violet shifted her gaze from Ren to notice the sakura-haired miko. Before her eyes fully landed on Sakura's figure, Violet habitually let slip a flirtatious remark. And when the white-haired girl's gaze finally settled completely on Yae Sakura's face, her azure eyes suddenly lit up.
"Eh? How strange. Now that you mention it, Miss Miko, I also feel like I've seen you somewhere before. Perhaps this is what they call 'ketsuen' [a fated connection]? It seems we share quite the bond... Shrines, aren't they mysterious!"
Phantom Thief Violet also sensed a hazy feeling of déjà vu from Yae Sakura. However, she didn't dwell too much on this strange, ambiguous feeling. Noticing Sakura had taken a few steps closer, Violet simply took a few discreet steps backward, increasing the distance between them.
On a previous whim, she had already lingered in this shrine for quite long enough. Now, the once deserted shrine had visitors other than herself. Phantom Thief Violet was already planning a grand farewell to her fellow phantom thief, Ren, followed by an elegant and high-profile exit. This time, betting on her aesthetics and honor as a phantom thief, Violet would absolutely ensure Ren couldn't track her!
"...Huh? What's happening? Oh no, something's wrong! Miss Miko, don't come any closer to me!!"
Just as Phantom Thief Violet had decided to retreat and was preparing to turn and leave, something unexpected happened. As Yae Sakura continued to approach, the black box Violet held cradled in her arms suddenly began to emit unnerving pulses of eerie, blackish-red mist.
Moving from the densely populated Yae Village to the secluded Yae Shrine, the black box, the Treasure, had finally quieted down upon arrival. Violet had assumed the shrine was particularly sacred, capable of suppressing the surging evil within the box.
She hadn't expected that after only a short while, the black box would once again start spewing tides of strange, malevolent black-red smoke, attempting to corrupt everything around it.
And this time, the box's reaction was exceptionally violent, so strong that even Violet, who had been suppressing it all along, was struggling to contain the spread and surge of the corrosive black-red mist.
No wonder it went quiet after arriving at the shrine! It was just waiting here to build up for a big one!!
"Ngh—Hnghhh!!"
Illusory golden chains wrapped around the black box suddenly materialized and then shattered. Phantom Thief Violet's slender body was violently thrown back by the furious blast of black-red mist erupting from the box, slamming her against one of the thick pillars outside the shrine.
After crashing into the supporting pillar and likely breaking it, Phantom Thief Violet collapsed to the ground, momentarily stunned. Even the black bird-beak mask hiding her identity fell off due to the powerful impact, revealing the white-haired girl's exquisite, flawless face – as perfect and beautiful as a doll's.
"Miss Miko, get away from there! Don't touch that box!!"
The white-haired girl seemed unusually resilient. The impact and pain of breaking a thick wooden beam only kept her stunned for a brief moment. Opening her eyes again, she saw Yae Sakura starting to walk woodenly towards the black box floating in mid-air.
The white-haired girl didn't even have time to retrieve the fallen mask beside her. She yelled a warning to Yae Sakura with all her might while scrambling back to her feet as quickly as possible, lunging towards Yae Sakura's direction.