"Actually, there's something else that bothers me," Morgana spoke up as he summoned his Persona to heal everyone, confusion evident on his round cat face.
"Leader, you can use many different Personas, right? Considering your incredible ability, why don't you have any healing-type Personas?"
That was indeed a good point, and Rinto paused thoughtfully.
He had shown the Phantom Thieves his unique ability to switch between multiple Personas. Aside from his original Persona, [Eros], the rest had gradually emerged over his long career as a Phantom Thief, manifesting from various emotional experiences.
With this in mind, he had a guess:
"Maybe it's because I've never had companions before. Even if I wanted to heal someone, there was never anyone for me to heal—so naturally, a healing Persona never appeared."
As he spoke, the words turned unintentionally self-deprecating.
Morgana sighed sympathetically, leaping onto Rinto's shoulder and patting his head with a comforting paw. The other Thieves quickly surrounded him, patting his shoulders and back warmly—Kasumi even took the opportunity to stealthily pinch Rinto's backside.
"All right, all right, I don't need cheering up!" Rinto blushed, swatting away their affectionate teasing.
"Let's hurry up. I want to clear most of this Palace today, including preparations to steal the Treasure. I have work this weekend—I'm pretty busy."
"Yeah!" everyone shouted in unison.
With everyone chatting loudly and enthusiastically, it truly felt like they were on a team-building excursion.
"Hmm? Meow-meow?!"
As they advanced deeper, entering a vast hall resembling the school's auditorium, Morgana suddenly perked up, looking as excited as a cat sniffing catnip.
"I smell it! The rich scent of intense desire! …There must be something special here, related directly to the Palace's ruler!"
"Here?" Rinto raised an eyebrow. "But we're still a long way from the Treasure room… Ah, I see."
Experienced as he was, Rinto quickly realized what it meant.
He summoned [Eros], releasing a visible ripple of energy like a web spreading across the room. When it touched a particular corner on the second floor, everyone present felt an intense surge—almost as if the space itself distorted briefly.
Ann shuddered, hugging herself uneasily. "It feels cold… and kind of nauseating. Leader, what's that?"
Rinto immediately replied, "A crystallization of the Palace ruler's desire."
The others didn't know about Sumire's Palace, nor did Rinto intend to reveal it, so he only explained in terms of Kamoshida's Palace.
"Typically, the longer a Palace exists, the more it expands—because human desires are endless, continuously growing greedier until they destroy themselves."
"When a Palace reaches a certain size, aside from the central Treasure, smaller sub-treasures sometimes form—fragments of intense desire. These 'nodes' further expand the Palace's influence."
"Ohhh…" The team nodded, half-understanding.
Ryuji scratched his head impatiently. "So basically, if we steal that thing, we can weaken Kamoshida's Palace, right? Then let's hurry up!"
"…Yeah, I suppose so."
Rinto knew exactly what would happen once they took it, but decided to let them experience it firsthand.
They searched for a path forward, relying on their enhanced physical abilities to leap and climb through a hall littered with narcissistic statues of Kamoshida, eventually arriving at the hidden attic.
The observant Sumire quickly noticed something odd:
"This place feels strange. Everywhere else in the Palace flaunts the ruler's desires extravagantly, but this area seems deliberately concealed, as if he doesn't want it found."
Kasumi nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and the design's completely different. Look, the doors are even sealed with caution tape. It doesn't fit with the Palace's extravagant style… It almost looks like a condemned building in reality?"
Rinto explained, "That's because these are memories the Palace ruler himself wants desperately to forget. They clash with the rest of his desires. You'll understand once you see."
He cut through the tape, guiding everyone into the dimly lit room.
The cramped space was enclosed on three sides, and in the center stood an eerie pedestal holding a skull-shaped ornament glowing scarlet.
Even without Morgana's heightened senses, everyone could clearly sense the disturbing aura of Kamoshida's suppressed desire, distorting the very air around them.
"Be ready," Rinto warned again seriously. "This is a crystallization of the ruler's hidden desires, memories he desperately wants to bury—in other words, his 'dark history.'"
"It has a strong influence over the Palace, and those who touch it can also be affected. Keep your guard up, and remind yourself you're only an observer. Don't get pulled in."
Everyone nodded firmly.
Rinto picked up the glowing red skull.
Instantly, the world flipped upside down.
Dizzy, everyone found themselves immersed in a faded memory.
They stood inside a brightly-lit TV studio, cameras trained on a towering figure—none other than the athletic Suguru Kamoshida himself, seated awkwardly under the spotlight.
Ann recognized the neon-lit studio set immediately, gasping in surprise:
"I know this show—I watch it every week! It's a famous celebrity interview program. A lot of big names have appeared on it."
Ryuji stared incredulously. "Whoa, Kamoshida looks super young here! And huge, too! He's built like a gorilla—way bigger than in real life!"
Even Ryuji, normally fearless, looked intimidated, feeling certain he wouldn't stand a chance against this younger, stronger Kamoshida.
The memory continued playing.
With exaggerated enthusiasm, the show's host smoothly introduced the guest to the camera:
"Good evening, everyone! Due to overwhelming viewer requests, today we've invited the gold-medal-winning captain of the men's volleyball team from the recent Olympics—Mr. Suguru Kamoshida! Kamoshida-san, please greet your adoring fans!"
"Uh… Hello, everyone. I'm Kamoshida."
Much younger than the Kamoshida they knew, he appeared awkward, shy, and genuinely embarrassed, offering an uncomfortable smile nobody could imagine him wearing today.
Witnessing such a scene, knowing exactly what kind of monster he had become, the Phantom Thieves were left utterly speechless.