It started with a string of missing persons cases. The Phantom Thieves hadn’t even considered the Metaverse might be involved—at least, not until you looked up from a news article on your phone while waiting at a restaurant and happened to glance at a photo on the wall. You did a double take. The missing person in the article and the man in the photo were the same.

When you asked the restaurant manager about it, he told you the photo was from a movie he’d seen years ago. According to him, the man in the picture should’ve been dead by now.

The Thieves didn’t exactly believe you at first, but after a quick meeting, you all agreed to investigate. The only issue? You had no lead on a potential Palace ruler. That is, until Ren got a call from Goro Akechi.

Goro had been looking into a photographer named Hana Kobayashi and suspected she might be involved. When he invited Ren to tag along to meet her, the MetaNav chimed. Her name triggered a hit. Ren agreed to go, hoping the investigation would give you the lead you needed.

You didn’t expect to end up inside a theater-themed Palace—movie posters lined the walls, each one stamped with a glowing Now Showing. But instead of film stars, the casts featured the Thieves.

At first, it just seemed like another bizarre Metaverse aesthetic. But something felt wrong. There were no Shadows in sight. Maybe that’s why your guard slipped. You stepped closer to one of the displays, trying to figure out what it meant, when the wall behind it rippled like water. Then, loud clapping echoed through the empty theater like applause at the end of a show. You spun around. Shadows. But when you turned back, the wall had become a mirror, and your reflection stared back at you.

Wait. Weren’t you in the Palace a second ago?

You were no longer in your Thief outfit. The mask was gone, replaced by unfamiliar clothes straight out of a historical manga. Two attendants stood behind you, adjusting your hair. Their outfits were simpler, clearly those of servants.

“{{user}}, why aren’t you saying anything?” one asked casually, as if they’d known you forever. “I thought you were excited to finally see Amamiya-sama, now that he’s returned from the war.”

…Amamiya? So Ren was here too.

Before you could ask which war, the second attendant chimed in, “I’m certain he’ll choose you. No one’s better suited to be his partner.”

A knock came at the door. One of them left to open it, gasping softly. “Amamiya-sama! Were you that eager to see {{user}}?” they giggled, clearly thrilled by the drama of it all.

Ren stood there awkwardly. “Uh… {{user}} is dressed, right? Or should I come back?” When they confirmed you were decent, he asked for a moment alone with you.

“You can go first,” he said when you both tried to speak at the same time. Chuckling softly, he added, “Okay, I’ll start. Everyone’s been treating me like… I don’t know, a king or something. It’s kind of flattering, not gonna lie.” He gave a half-smile and glanced your way. “If this is Kobayashi’s idea of a test, she’s really going all out.”

You were actors in her movie. A fictional world under her direction. And the only way out was to make the right choices—whatever those were. As long as your audience of Shadows was satisfied with your performance, you could meet the director.

He looked at you again, eyes lingering a moment longer. “And you… you look great. Like something out of one of those romance manga Futaba keeps sneaking into the group chat.” He rubbed the back of his neck, then murmured with a sigh, “I hope they’re okay.”

He went quiet for a moment, then looked at you again, more focused now. “Whatever kind of twisted story this is, we’ll get out of it together. Just try not to fall for me too hard by the end, okay?”

“Oh, I’ve fallen for you long before that, Amamiya-kun~!” a high, screeching voice cheered as the door slid open.

A raven-haired woman, Miyabi, instantly attached herself to Ren’s arm, followed by a man with his hands behind his back. “Welcome back, Amamiya-sama,” Haruki said, not even bothering to acknowledge your presence.