Let's pull back the camera a bit.
The moment Morgana informed Rinto that Momoka and Nina had vanished, he sprang into action.
With no time to waste trying out Palaces via the Navigation App, Rinto resorted directly to the "musician's method"—blowing his own head open!
"...Hmm?"
After successfully entering the Metaverse by "killing" himself with a beast's mindset, Rinto briefly froze, his instincts confused.
Usually, when he entered the Metaverse via a suicidal trigger, he'd simply switch planes right where he stood.
But this time, after mentally exploding himself… he wasn't standing upright.
Instead, he lay face-down, pressing down onto something soft beneath him.
Instinctively, Rinto reached out, feeling around to identify what exactly he was lying on…
"Ahnn~..."
Nina made a strange noise.
Exaggerated, like Marilyn Monroe in some old movie.
This sent chills straight up Rinto's spine, causing him to leap up immediately!
"Nina, why are you here?! Wait, no, that's not the issue—I'm sorry, I'm guilty, I've committed a crime against a minor. I don't deserve to live, I'll go kill myself right—"
Nina: "Minor your ass! We're literally the same age!" (〃＞目＜)
Having repeatedly emphasized her age multiple times already, Nina finally lost her temper and jammed an elbow hard into his gut!
"Guh…!"
That blow packed real damage. Rinto genuinely wondered if his spleen had ruptured.
Hunched over, clutching his stomach, he heard Nina huff triumphantly, glancing around curiously:
"So we ended up in the Metaverse again, huh?"
"I was just lying on the bed when suddenly everything spun around. Next thing I knew, I was here—and before I could react, you suddenly appeared right on top of me… and even called me a kid (???)"
Pervert… Nina-san glared bashfully at Rinto, covering her embarrassingly flat chest with flushed cheeks.
Although Rinto truly was innocent here—no matter how he recalled that feeling, it didn't resemble a human body—
Still, he knew he was in the wrong and apologized earnestly again.
Nina was mostly just complaining and clearly didn't intend to stay angry.
Instead, she quickly turned curious:
"But seriously, where is this place? Where's our house?"
Rinto shook his head. "I don't know. Looks like our position got displaced somehow; it doesn't match our location in reality."
Now carefully examining their surroundings, he realized they stood in some kind of enclosed structure.
In typical Metaverse fashion, the walls were covered with disgusting, vein-like stains.
There were also numerous distorted posters plastered everywhere, featuring exaggerated facial features pieced together like nightmares.
Yet they could still vaguely identify it as some sort of modern facility.
In the corner, they could even spot a vending machine and ticket counter. Somehow, it felt oddly familiar.
"...Isn't this a subway station?"
Nina, a country girl freshly arrived from Kumamoto, had been acutely impressed by Tokyo's overwhelmingly complex subway system and recognized it instantly.
Indeed, they were inside a passageway within a subway station.
But the grotesque surroundings and eerie emptiness made it far more unsettling than a real subway late at night—simply revolting.
At this moment, a flicker of blue light appeared in the corner of Rinto's vision.
Right on cue, Morgana appeared, bobbing his round, mascot-like head as he joined them:
"This place is called Mementos! It seems Nina-san was forcibly drawn here by some powerful attraction. And Boss, since you entered the Metaverse simultaneously, you got dragged here with her."
"Mementos? First time I've heard that term."
Rinto crouched down, first gently scratching Morgana's soft, fluffy head.
Next to him, Nina stared blankly for a moment before giving a clichéd reaction:
"The cat monster talked—?! This-this-this is a Shadow, isn't it?! Like those monsters we saw before, right?! ...I'll kill it right now! ( ｀д′)"
Rinto: "No, no—it's Morgana. The cat living at our place. He always looks like this inside the Metaverse."
Rinto hadn't yet explained things clearly to Nina, so he quickly gave her a crash course.
Only after directly encountering Morgana in the Metaverse and subconsciously understanding "Morgana can speak" could someone hear him talk in reality.
It was an application of collective subconsciousness—essentially brainwashing or hypnosis.
The Metaverse truly was dangerous. It could easily alter one's cognitive perceptions.
For example, that special investigator Niijima-san whom Rinto kept thinking about.
Maybe he could mess around with her Shadow, alter her cognition, make her willingly become his accomplice, and indulge his habit of bringing girls home every night… Well, he'd save those thoughts for later.
After briefly explaining all this to Nina—who listened with spinning eyes, clearly overwhelmed—Morgana continued:
"Mementos is basically the public's Palace. It's the collective cognition of ordinary people—or you could say, the collective unconscious itself."
"Everyone whose desires aren't strong enough to form their own Palace shares this one large space. Desires here intertwine, devouring, reinforcing, or eliminating each other, reaching a dynamic equilibrium… Occasionally, someone breaks this balance, giving rise to their own independent Palace."
Rinto nodded. "Ah, makes sense. So those random Shadows I usually encounter in the Metaverse escaped from here?"
No wonder those stray Shadows outside were always hostile and dangerous.
Shadows capable of escaping here were "Palace-candidates," volatile entities on the brink of forming Palaces themselves.
Given Morgana's explanation, the subway motif now made perfect sense.
In modern society—or at least Tokyo—the subway strongly symbolized daily interactions, movements, and interwoven desires.
But enough theorizing. Rinto's mind was elsewhere:
"Why did we appear here, exactly? And Momoka… does she have a Palace now?"
His heart felt unusually heavy.
If Momoka had awakened a Palace, Rinto knew he bore responsibility.
As her boyfriend, it'd be unacceptable if he failed to resolve her psychological burdens.
But this time, it wasn't Morgana who answered.
"No. Momoka-nee doesn't have a Palace."
Sharp red-black spikes suddenly clustered together, forming a human figure beside them.
When they recognized that familiar voice, both Rinto and Nina froze in shock.
Because the one speaking… was Nina's Shadow!
This red-and-black Shadow, identical to Nina, emitted countless sharp spikes from her body, her eyes the trademark Shadow gold.
Nina shrieked in horror:
"Scary! Scary, scary, scary! (?>д<) Are you a Swamp Thing or what?!"
Rinto: "You're thinking of a Swamp Creature, probably. Those belong to sci-fi, unlike Shadows, which lean toward fantasy… Wait, do Shadows and Personas count as sci-fi?"
Rinto momentarily derailed himself into a philosophical tangent, wondering exactly where the line between fantasy and sci-fi lay…
But regardless, he'd never encountered such a calm, clearly non-hostile Shadow before.
Shadow-Nina was even quieter than the real one, simply gazing steadily at him.
Rinto asked directly: "Are you the one who brought us here?"
"I sense no hostility. What exactly do you want to say?"
Shadow-Nina nodded: "I brought you here. Because I want to save Momoka-nee."
"Momoka-nee attracted something very dangerous. Unlike those 'escapees,' Momoka-nee doesn't have strong desires. Instead, she's rapidly losing desire, trapped in her own cage. If this continues, she'll be devoured completely."
"…Where is she? Tell me now."
Rinto's expression turned extremely serious.
Through experience communicating with Shadows, he clearly understood that although Shadows could speak normally, their fundamental logic differed entirely from humans.
There was no need to doubt her words or question her terminology—he just needed to understand the message.
Momoka was in danger. That was enough.
Shadow-Nina raised a hand, pointing down the dark passage:
"Straight ahead. At the twisted end of the tracks, Momoka-nee was taken inside."
Rinto nodded, immediately scooping Nina into his arms and running forward!
With his enhanced Metaverse abilities, he easily carried Nina through the corridor without even breaking a sweat.
But when they reached the location Shadow-Nina indicated, Rinto hit a literal wall.
"Oof?!"
Rinto crashed headfirst into a sudden barrier, seeing stars.
For some reason, the subway passage was abruptly blocked by a large door resembling a backstage room.
Judging by the posters and graffiti nearby, this was clearly a Live House backstage from Momoka's subconscious.
Shadow-Nina caught up behind them: "You can't enter."
She continued calmly:
"Momoka-nee's emptiness originates from musical failure. It has nothing to do with you, and she refuses your intervention."
"You're her fan. She wants to remain your idol forever. You can't enter an idol's backstage—you can only go to the audience seats."
"…What kind of logic is that?"
Rinto grew increasingly annoyed.
"I'm her boyfriend—why the hell can't I enter backstage? I'm even learning bass and regularly perform with her. How can she say it's unrelated?"
This stubborn woman was honestly infuriating. Rinto was fed up with her absurd pride.
Frustrated, he summoned his Persona, Eros, intending to blast the door open…
"You can't do it."
Shadow-Nina continued calmly: "This is Mementos, the public's Palace. Momoka-nee's cognition is supported by the general public. If you force your way in, you'll become an enemy of everyone. Literally 'everyone.'"
"Even if you succeed, the only one you'll break is Momoka-nee. Do you want her to become useless? A soulless puppet with no desires or cognition, obediently serving your every whim?"
Nina: "...That actually sounds kind of hot..."
A certain monkey-brained high-school girl audibly gulped, oddly intrigued by her Shadow's explanation.
She briefly fantasized about Rinto toying with an obedient Momoka, who wouldn't resist at all…
...I could eat three bowls of rice watching that.
Completely oblivious to Nina's delusions, Rinto just felt troubled.
If this was backstage, only people recognized by Momoka's subconscious as part of the "band" could enter.
What now? Did he have to go back and drag Bocchi and Nijika here?
"…No, wait. Nina—you're the key."
Rinto suddenly had an epiphany.
In Momoka's heart, Nina was uniquely special.
She saw Nina as herself from three years ago—
Back when she was bright and fearless, before reality ground down her sharp edges.
That was why Momoka took special care of Nina, secretly hoping she could live freely and fulfill the dreams Momoka herself had lost.
And what had directly shattered Momoka's defenses today was Nina's successful stage performance.
Nina, who at least had prior experience surviving the Metaverse, quickly caught on.
She swallowed hard again:
"So… it has to be me saving Momoka-nee?"
"I'm willing to do it! But… what exactly should I do?"
Nina was definitely nervous.
At heart, she was just an ordinary girl who happened to recall her Metaverse experiences.
Having her fight Shadows directly would basically be suicide.
But Rinto already knew what to do.
Shadow-Nina had appeared precisely for this moment.
"[Thou art I, and I am thou.]"
The Shadow stood before her original self, far more confident and determined.
Without even needing input from Nina herself, the Shadow pushed the conversation forward:
"I want to save Momoka-nee. Her song saved me; now it's my turn to save her."
"…Yeah! That's exactly how I feel, too!"
Encouraged by her Shadow, Nina clenched her fists.
"I also like Rinto. I want him to hug me, kiss me, and do naughty things with me, just like he does with Momoka-nee."
"…Hm?"
Things suddenly veered off course, leaving Nina blinking in confusion.
"I'm jealous of Momoka-nee's sexy figure. Even though I met him first, that jerk Rinto went and hooked up with another girl. Even if it's Momoka-nee, I still can't forgive her. I want to steal him for myself."
"But I also know I lack womanly charm. Besides, it was my fault for forgetting our promise—someone else filling that gap was inevitable."
"After some thought, I figured sharing Rinto might actually be okay. And after a few days fantasizing, I realized being together with Momoka-nee doesn't seem bad at all. Actually, it's pretty exciting—I've been using that fantasy as a side dish every night."
"Ahh—! Aaahhhh—!!! Rinto, don't listen! Don't look over here! Cover your ears right now! (?>д<)"
Having her embarrassing secrets exposed, Nina flailed in panic!
Rinto wore an ambiguous smile, momentarily unsure what to say.
Morgana, however, grinned mischievously, hopping onto Rinto's shoulder with his round mascot-head bobbing happily:
"How wonderful, meow~ Sweet, sweet desire, meow~ (ฅ́˘ฅ̀)♡"
Rinto: "You really are watching a funeral and wishing for more casualties, aren't you? If I ever actually get stabbed in the future, remember to collect my body."
For some reason, this strange cat seemed eager to stir more girls into falling for him, complicating his already chaotic relationships.
He especially adored romantic and sexual desires—did that count as being a picky eater?
Meanwhile, Shadow-Nina's self-exposure continued unabated:
"I won't compromise. I like Rinto, and I like Momoka-nee. I want everyone to be happy, and all our efforts to be rewarded."
"…I want the same thing!"
Nina finally gave up fighting, embracing full honesty.
She clenched her fists, the same red-black spikes appearing on her body as on her Shadow's:
"Momoka-nee's music is clearly amazing, yet she's not getting the recognition she deserves. She even had to go through the pain of quitting her band—it's totally unfair! I want the whole world to acknowledge how awesome she is!"
"Then go and do it."
Shadow-Nina extended her hand:
"Do what you want to do, and crush everyone's judgment beneath your feet."
"We don't need lies. If we desire something, we take it. We'll never surrender, even at the last moment. Love, friendship, career—I'll have it all."
"…Yeah!"
Empowered by her own words, Nina raised her hand, interlocking her fingers with her Shadow's.
No one needed to teach her. She already knew exactly what she had to do:
"You are me… and I am you!"
Both Nina and her Shadow exploded with matching red-and-black spikes.
In perfect harmony, they merged into one, releasing an immense shockwave that swept away even the stagnant air around them!
"…What a scary girl."
Rinto watched, astonished and speechless, but ultimately could only smile.
It was the first time he'd seen anyone quite like Nina—she was terrifyingly impressive.
Yoshizawa Kasumi's awakening had been similar, admittedly.
That confident, shining gymnastics queen kouhai had similarly faced no inner hesitation. She'd awakened her Persona immediately upon entering the Metaverse.
But witnessing Nina accomplish the same right in front of him, with such absolute agreement and conviction, was utterly mind-blowing.
Unlike Ann and the others, whose awakenings came through desperate rebellion against oppression, Nina had achieved hers through complete harmony with her own Shadow.
In fact, her Shadow had initiated it entirely on its own. They'd never disagreed to begin with.
As expected of this stubborn girl who refused to compromise or lie.
Miss Momoka—with a name containing the word "peach," whose only peach-like quality was her ass—really needed to learn from this.