Hey! UknownHero here and welcome to my first collaboration! Say hello to JGResidentEvil, who is helping me with fic. I admit, this is gonna be strange considering I'm not the biggest fan of Senran Kagura (seriously, the only game from that series I distinctly know is that cooking one)...but I am in love with the Persona series and an excuse to make a P5 story is good enough for me. Damn it, I already have two other fics I just started and I have almost a baker's dozen others, and let's not forget I have at least 3 other stories that are in my head right now.

So...let the thievery begin!

Updated! On 25/06/20.

New Game...Start!

Chapter 1: A Ninja's Mission

This is a work of fiction.

Similarities between characters or events to persons living or dead are purely coincidental.

Only those who have agreed to the above have the privilege of continuing.

I agree.

...The contract has been sealed.

The world is not as it should be. It's filled with distortion, and "ruin" can no longer be avoided.

Those who oppose fate and desire change...from time to time, they were referred to as Tricksters.

The main characters in this story are Tricksters...so rise, young ones, rise against the abyss of distortion and show the world that darkness can brighten even the smallest of lights.

(4/8, Early Morning)

(?)

Within a darkened room, illuminated by a single flame, two people stared at each other in kneeling positions with serious expressions.

One of them was a short girl who had her dark brown hair tied in a ponytail with a white ribbon, wearing just a yellow shirt and a pair of short shorts.

Her true name is not known, and those who do know will die before they would even speak a syllable of it unless they were family, but to the public she was only known as Asuka with it being her new name.

In front of Asuka was a rather old man sporting a beard, wearing dark, traditional garbs and his long silvery hair in a ponytail.

This man was only known as Hanzō, a legend amongst the modern day shinobi...and the grandfather of Asuka.

"Huh!? You're transferring me from Hanzō Academy!?" Asuka exclaimed in shock and confusion. She didn't expect such news when she was asked to come here today. "B-But why Jii-chan!?" She then asked in concern.

The elderly man sighed as he expected this reaction from his granddaughter. "I'm not sure if you have been keeping up with the news lately, but for over two years there have been a number of unusual incidents in Tokyo and it has the Council worried." He revealed. "Many cases within the city have been caused by some sort of psychotic breakdown or mental shutdown. Many have died as a result." He then stated.

To hearing that, the girl's eyes widened as she remembered hearing about it. "Mental shutdowns...!?" Asuka gasped quietly. "Do you know what's causing them?" She then asked.

Hanzō in response shook his head to that. "It's unclear, but clearly there is something in the city that could endanger more innocent lives and disrupt the peace if this continues." He replied in a serious tone. "Like all missions I have given you before, you should not treat this lightly. You will be attending Shujin Academy under the alias Asuka Shirokage, our original maiden name before your mother married your father, for one year to investigate this and if possible stop it." He then explained.

Asuka in turn nodded to that mission description before realizing something. "But...I don't have a place to stay there Jii-chan." She then reminded. "Is there a safe house I can use?" She soon asked in concern.

The legendary shinobi in turn stroked his beard to that. "You do not need to worry about that." Hanzō reassuringly replied. "I have found an apartment not too far from the Academy in Shibuya, though you do have to share with a roommate. I mustn't remind you to maintain your cover at all costs." He stated. "Do you understand?" He soon questioned.

"Yes, Jii-chan..." Asuka replied with a respected bow.

"Good." Hanzō responded with a nod. "Now, your strength is still raw. You must learn to channel that strength as sword and shield." He then advised.

"Sword and shield?" Asuka repeated, looking a little confused.

"You must not flout your strength." Hanzō continued. "But do not think for a second that strength comes from the body only. A sharp mind and a strong soul will never fail you." He explained as his granddaughter nodded to that. "Now, you may go! And start packing, your train is leaving at 6 AM tomorrow!" He then declared.

"Hai!" Asuka happily responded as she stood up. "I promise I'll fulfill your expectations and become a first-rate ninja!" She excitedly declared.

(4/8, Early Morning)

(?)

In another room with poor lighting, were two women. Even if they were sitting down or relaxing, there was a dangerous aura around them that told anyone remotely in their vicinity that they were dangerous, trained in so many ways to kill and sabotage that just merely looking at them wrong was suicide.

The one kneeling down had tan skin, her dark brown hair tied in a long ponytail with a white ribbon with the ends of the ribbon standing straight up. She wore black sailor fuku uniform with a red trim, the standard of her current school, wrist guards on her forearms with bandages underneath and white loose socks with brown dress shoes.

She had long abandoned her real name long ago. She hated it with a passion. Now, she was only known now by her new permanent name: Homura, one of the best shinobi in the school—Hebijo Clandestine Girls' Academy.

Her master was in the shadows, but the tan skinned girl could clearly see what she was wearing and who she was. Long, purple hair tied up in a long ponytail and a black mask hiding the lower half of her face. Donning a tight sleeveless shirt that stops exposing her stomach that is connected to a piece that covers her nose and mouth. Around her neck is a red triangular shaped scarf with white triangle marks and white dots inside of the triangles. She also wore baggy red pants with knee-length black high-top sandals, with a gray cloth wrapped around her waist.

Another who abandoned her name long ago, she was simply known as Suzune, a teacher of Hebijo Academy with mercy being no longer part of her vocabulary.

"You know why you're here." Suzune began, her voice barely a whisper.

"Of course." Homura replied. "...Who do I have to-" She started to ask however...

"This isn't a normal assignment." Suzune interrupted. "Your mission will take one year to complete." She then revealed.

"A year?" Homura said, surprised. "What kind of mission is that?" She soon asked.

"One that could change the world." Suzune answered in a serious tone.

Homura held back a gasp before asking one more question. "When do I start?" She soon asked.

(4/9, Early Morning)

(Train Station)

Today was the day.

It was quite an emotional good-bye to all her friends, but with a promise to visit them as soon as she could, Asuka Shirokage was ready for her mission.

"Bye Jii-chan!" Asuka called out, waving good-bye to her grandfather. She was currently in her Shujin uniform, which was given to her only hours ago.

"Good luck, Asuka." Hanzō replied as he patted her head, before handing her a box. "It's going to be a long journey, so I've made this for you." The girl didn't even have to look inside to see what her grandfather gave her; she just hugged him in response. "Now, your train is leaving. You better hurry." He soon advised.

"Hai!" Asuka replied with a nod before she dashed onto the train and gave him one last wave. "Bye! I won't let you down!" She then declared.

"You never will!" Hanzō called back as he waved his granddaughter good-bye as the train left the station.

On the train, Asuka quickly took a seat and pulled out her phone. "An entire year..." She tried to squeal as quietly as possible. "Mission...START!" She then excitedly declared.

"OI! SHUT UP ALREADY!" Someone yelled in annoyance.

This in turn caused Asuka to jump and blush. "S-Sorry!" She soon apologized.

(4/9, Daytime)

(Train)

Today was the day.

A briefing at 4AM, leaving no earlier than 5AM, Homura Shinkukage had left Hebijo Academy to begin her mission.

Shinkukage, her former last name before she was exiled from her family, now being her name from this day forth until her mission was complete.

"Damn assholes..." Homura quietly sighed out. She was sitting in a crowded train, waiting for her stop. She discovered that the school she had transferred to had a really lax uniform policy when she read through the rules, but she decided to not stand out very much by being too revealing and wore her uniform to code, unlike that girl across from her. After all, dealing with people would only distract her from her mission.

That mission?

She had one year, under the guise of a civilian student, to investigate the strange happenings and occurrences within Tokyo and acquire its power for Hebijo.

She had nothing to worry about. Tokyo has a deeply ingrained corruption that the Evil Shinobi have been taking advantage of. Many politicians had used Hebijo's services in order to eliminate competition, kill key figures that would disrupt social order and made sure the big guys stayed on top. I mean, who would expect megacorporation Okumura Foods to use shinobi to make sure their secrets weren't exposed? Maybe she could use that as blackmail material to convince some people to spill the beans.

This was only a mission for her. Even if she had to share an apartment with someone, they would not get in the way of Hebijo obtaining the power it needs to fight the Just.

"Still...my old last name..." Homura muttered in slight depression with a sigh escaping her lips at remembering what happened that day before shaking it off.

Getting bored, however, she looked around the train to see if there was anyone that she should take note of. She did spot one or two people wearing the Shujin uniform. Actually, she recognized one of them since she was on the same station as her, who was currently playing with her phone. It was some girl around her age with her brown hair in a ponytail, wearing a ribbon similar to her own. She must've gotten the memo about Shujin's lax uniform policy as she wore a red scarf and her skirt was worn just a little higher to the point where she could even see her green and white panties...

And now that she noticed, her panties could clearly be seen by the other Shujin student on the train.

"She's either incredibly innocent...or just doesn't realize." Homura thought to herself.

The teenage boy meanwhile had wavy black hair and dark gray eyes underneath round, black glasses and wearing the uniform to code...and completely killing it as well admittingly. He seemed to be staring into space, only snapping out of it when they hit a bump.

Homura did also note that he was there in that seat before she got on, so she assumed he was from out of town. Plus the luggage he had only supported her theory.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for riding with us today." A woman's voice came from a speaker, snapping a lot of people out of their thoughts. "We will be arriving at Shibuya shortly. This is the last stop of this line. Please transfer here for all subway lines. The doors to your left will open." She then advised.

"Looks like I should be getting off soon..." Homura muttered to herself as she made sure all her bags were safe. As she did so, she overheard a few girls in different uniforms chatting and gossiping with each other.

"What are you for real? A mental shutdown?"

"It's the truth!"

"To a person though? It's gotta be a joke! You really love all that occult stuff, don't you?"

Homura meanwhile narrowed her eyes to hearing that. "Mental shutdowns..." She muttered to herself before shaking her head.

Mental shutdowns caused by some supernatural element? What a joke.

(4/9, Afternoon)

(Tokyo, Shibuya)

"Oh...where am I...?" Asuka groaned to herself. "This place is so much bigger than home..." She admitted as was currently; well, lost as she searched up directions on her new phone.

She had to be updated on today's technology or else people would get real suspicious of her very quickly. She swore if she could use her shinobi abilities, she could search for her apartment in no time flat, but there were too many people and not enough hiding spots to allow her to use them.

Somehow, she made her way to the Shibuya Scramble Crossing, one of the busiest places in all of Tokyo. It was a wonder how she hadn't bumped into anyone yet.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

"Eh? Is someone calling?" Asuka muttered to herself in confusion as she closed the GPS app, only to spot something that wasn't there before on her Home screen. It was a red icon with an eye on it, a star replacing the pupil. "That wasn't there before..." She got out in confusion. "Moh, don't tell me I got a virus on this thing already!?" She exclaimed with a pale face.

Though, there was something in the back of her mind telling her it was safe. Suddenly, the icon expanded and took up the bottom half of the screen.

"Stupid piece of...Why now...?" The brunette then heard someone growl from her left over the noise of the crowd. Looks like she wasn't the only one having phone troubles.

Still, Asuka tried turning off her phone, but it didn't work. "How did this break already?" She soon wondered out loud before looking up...

Just in time to see time slow down to a halt.

"W-What the..." Asuka got out in confusion before quickly realizing that she wasn't the only one as she saw a boy with pale skin and a girl with tan skin looking around frantically, all of them in the same uniform.

"What the hell..." The boy muttered, wondering what was causing this to happen.

However this was before all three saw something in front of them at the middle of the crossing.

"What?" The three soon thought in confused unison at the sight.

FWOOOOSH!

There were three colored flames. One in Crimson Red, one in Emerald Green and the final one was in Sky Blue. All forming into...something.

All they could do was stare at the flames as it started to form into humanoid shapes before seeing menacing smiles appear on them...all focusing on those not frozen in time.

Suddenly, there was a flash of an image in Asuka's mind. One of her smiling wildly without a care in the world, her eyes going from brown to golden as bright green flames surrounded her, engulfing every inch of her body as her grin became wider and wider.

And strangely enough, it felt good.

I am thou...Thou art-

And, as quick as the image appeared, it disappeared. Looking around, Asuka gasped as she saw that time had resumed and everyone was going about their day like it was nothing. She tried to find where the boy and girl were, but they were lost in the crowd.

Why were they not frozen along with everyone else?

There was definitely something going on here.

Or maybe she was just really tired from the trip. So she just went into her settings, deleted the mysterious app without a second thought and continued her way to her apartment. "Well, that was weird. Come on, Asuka. Get yourself together." Asuka muttered to herself as she slapped her cheeks. "Gotta get to my apartment. Moh...I hope my roommate is nice..." She then mumbled to herself in concern as she reopened the GPS app and melted into the crowd as well.

(Shibuya)

Asuka let out a sigh as she got to the top of the stairs. Why were city trains always so packed? "Let's see...it says to go here and then take a left..." Asuka whispered to herself as she looked around before going off in a direction, hoping that she was following the map right. She soon stopped as she noticed there was something interesting on a nearby TV playing in a store.

"A public transit bus was driven down an opposing lane with its customers still in it!" A male tabloid host exclaimed. "The citizens can't live in peace if this keeps up." He then declared.

"Something really is going on here..." Asuka muttered to herself in concern as she frowned, ignoring the whispers of worry around her. "I need to find the source of this fast." She mentally told herself as she then continued walking, following the directions to the apartment.

Meanwhile, Homura felt like she was being followed. Ever since she left the train station, she had this feeling she wasn't alone on her way to her apartment.

Was it an enemy?

Someone who was planning to steal the power that Hebijo Academy wanted?

Or did someone want to take advantage of her?

It didn't matter. All she wanted to know was if she needed to eliminate them before they got in her way.

Still, the tan skinned girl chose to ignore it for now. If she attacked first, someone was definitely going to notice and there was going to be too much trouble which would mean she would have to abandon the mission before it even truly began.

"I need to lose them." Homura hastily thought before speeding up her walking speed.

"Hey, looks like there's a shortcut through here!" Asuka exclaimed as she cut through the alleyway to get out of the crowd of people.

"Damn it, they're catching up to me." Homura meanwhile cursed before breaking out into a sprint.

Someone was definitely following her.

"I can see the apartment building!" Asuka happily got out as she started running. "I can't wait to meet my new roommate!" She got out before sweatdropping. "Hopefully she won't be like Katsu-nee with her liking to grope me..." She then mumbled out in embarrassment and a red face.

"I can see the apartment..." Homura muttered to herself. "I can fight them there, but I have to hurry." She mentally told herself.

(4/9, Evening)

It wasn't anything special, a boring four-story building in the middle of a quiet street. The only thing of note was the admittingly fancy (and probably super expensive) green colored neon sign.

Shin Megami Apartment Complex

True Goddess Housing since 1992

"And...I'm here." Asuka got out, staring down at her phone as she approached the front entrance of her new home for a year. "Let's see...it was Room 269...WAH!" She exclaimed as she bumped into someone, causing both of them to crash to the ground. "Owie..." She got out as she rubbed her butt from the pain.

"Ah! Watch where you..." Homura groaned as she held her head before she stood up. She looked to see who she crashed into, only to realize she recognized her. It was that girl from the train. "Hey, are you alright?" She soon asked in a kind tone as she offered a hand.

"I think I am..." Asuka replied as she grabbed the other girl's hand and got up with her help. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention..." She then apologized with a small bow.

The tan skinned girl however waved it off. "It's fine. I should've watched where I was going as well." Homura sheepishly replied before she rubbed the back of her neck. "I was in a rush. Well, I am in a rush." She then revealed.

"Well, I hope I didn't make you late." Asuka responded as the other girl took out a piece of paper before looking at the door of the building.

"Actually, this is where I should be." Homura replied as she looked at the sign. "So garish..." She mentally remarked.

"Really?" Asuka questioned in surprise. "Because this is my destination as well. I'm actually moving in for the year to attend Shujin Academy." She then revealed before looking down to see how the other girl was dressed. "Hey, are you attending Shujin as well?" She soon asked.

Homura in turn slightly narrowed her eyes at that as she looked at the strange, large breasted girl's uniform, especially the pin on the blazer's lapel. "Yeah...We're even in the same year." She muttered to the coincidence before turning to the entrance. "Well, let's not waste anymore time." She decided as the other girl nodded in agreement as the two girls entered the building. "Why don't you go ahead and get your room first? I'm willing to wait a bit." She soon offered.

"Sure, thank you." Asuka replied with a bow before heading up to the front counter and ringing the bell. "Hello?" She soon called out.

After a few seconds, a middle-aged woman came to the counter. "Hello, welcome to the Shin Megami Apartment Complex. How can I help you?" The middle-aged lady asked.

"Um, I'm moving in here." Asuka informed. "My grandfather rented an apartment for a year under the name Asuka Shirokage?" She revealed.

The middle-aged lady then looked through her book as she nodded to that. "Ah, yes!" The lady replied. "Room 269." She then revealed.

"That's my room." A familiar voice from behind the brunette revealed, who turned around and saw it was the tan skinned girl she crashed into. "I'm Homura Shinkukage. My guardian requested me to have a roommate." She then revealed.

"My Jii-chan also requested me to have one too." Asuka replied with a smile before gasping. "Wait, that means you're my roommate!?" She soon exclaimed her question in realization.

"I guess so..." Homura answered as the lady left to get their keys. "So I guess we should formally introduce ourselves. The name's Homura Shinkukage, it's a pleasure to meet you." She greeted as she held her hand out.

"Um, I'm Asuka Shirokage. I hope we get along." Asuka replied with a bright smile as they shook hands.

"Well, we are roommates for a year so we don't have a choice." Homura chuckled out that reminder. "But I hope we do too." She then added as she closely examined the girl. "Hm, she has a strong grip for someone so...weak-looking." She thought to herself.

After the lady gave them their keys, they headed up the stairs to get to their apartment.

"Oh man..." Asuka yawned out as they walked. "I'm so tired from that trip. I just wanna sleep." She then added.

"It's only 6 PM though." Homura pointed out. "And it's a Sunday tomorrow so we should at least unpack everything we have then if you're that tired." She then suggested.

"But don't we have to report in to confirm our enrollment tomorrow?" Asuka asked before hearing her stomach growl. "Plus, I'm too hungry to go to sleep..." She moaned out before remembering her gift Jii-chan gave her before she left. She quickly took off her bag and reached into it to grab a box. "Here we go!" She said as she opened it up, revealing rather five long, thick, and moist...rolls of sushi. She took one out and started eating. "Want one?" Asuka offered to her new roommate. "Jii-chan made these before I left, Homura-chan." She then revealed.

Homura in turn nodded to that as she took the sushi roll. "Thanks." She replied before taking a bite, her eyes widening in amazement. "Wow, this is really good Asuka-san!" She soon complimented as she continued eating the roll.

Asuka in turn rubbed the back of her head to that. "Yeah well, Jii-chan used to run a sushi restaurant back where I live and he's super good at making thick and big futomaki rolls." She giggled out as she put away the sushi box for later. "He's retired now though and my parents have been taking care of it ever since." She then added.

"It shows..." Homura muttered before sighing as quietly as possible. "Anyway, this should be it." She soon informed as they approached their new apartment. She pulled out her key and unlocked the door. They entered and saw what they would be living in for the next year.

The entire apartment was pretty large, but only having the bare essentials. A living room, a bathroom with a shower and tub that looked as though it could hold up to three people, a bedroom and a kitchen.

Asuka looked inside the bedroom and saw it was just two beds with their own bedside tables and a closet.

In the living room was an old CRT TV, a couch, an empty bookcase and a table. The kitchen was well equipped, even having pots and pans already in the cupboards. All they had to do was go shopping and they would be set for the week. Out the window, they could clearly see the city, which looked amazing at night with all the lights.

"Well, this isn't so bad..." Asuka muttered as she opened up her luggage. "And it's near the school, so we shouldn't be getting affected by all those transport incidents." She then admitted. "That I need to figure out soon." She mentally added.

"Yeah, it's causing so much trouble for people here..." Homura agreed with a nod. "And that's why Hebijo Academy needs it." She silently added.

"But most of all I can't let her know as I finish this mission." Both kunoichi thought as the brunette pulled out a few scrolls while the tan skinned girl pulled out a wooden katana before they quickly stuffed them back into their bags upon realizing they were unpacking the wrong ones. "Too close!" They then thought in relief.

"Well, we can always do the rest of it tomorrow." Asuka quickly declared as she pulled out her futon while gathering up her other bags. "I'm going to sleep early. Feel free to eat the rest. Night!" She quickly got out.

And with that, she slammed the door to the bedroom, threw her futon on the bed and threw herself face first into it.

The other girl meanwhile sighed as she looked back at her stuff. "So this will be my life for a year." Homura muttered to no one in particular before sighing and went to eat more of her roommate's sushi rolls. She wondered how life would be with her new roommate, if she would get in her way or somehow help her in her mission. She didn't seem too bad, maybe a little annoying like some of her friends back in Hebijo, but she could tolerate it. After eating the rest of her sushi roll, she decided to start unpacking after placing the leftovers in the fridge before going into the same bedroom to sleep in her own futon.

However under her covers, Asuka was already in her pajamas as she was searching up what was going on with Tokyo, hoping the internet would give her at least a starting off point of her investigation. But, all the information she found wasn't helpful in the slightest, all of it saying the cause of the mental shutdowns plaguing Tokyo couldn't be explained. After an hour or two, she gave up and exited to the Home Screen, reminding her of that eye app from before. It wasn't there anymore, but it was quite strange.

"What was that...from before..." Asuka mumbled to herself. She sighed before placing her phone on her bedside table, shifting a little to get comfortable. "One year..." She muttered to herself before yawning. "I wonder what school will be like here..." She mumbled tiredly.

"I hope I can complete my mission." The two kunoichi then thought before they both drifted off to sleep.

Who knew that school or even their missions for that matter, would be the very least of their worries.

Save Game...Quit!

Whew! Done! Now...to figure out their whole Confidant storyline centered around their Arcana. Ugh...

UknownHero signing off, my friends!