Chapter Summaries

Duanmu Ai beat the Fat Pig Principal, used her status as Private Shujin Academy’s largest shareholder to dismiss him, and took over as acting principal. She enlisted Niijima Makoto to help restore students’ trust in the school and learned the former principal had ordered Makoto to investigate the Phantom Thieves.

• Duanmu Ai punched the Fat Pig Principal and told Dote to detain the suited man for harassment.
• Duanmu Ai used her authority as the academy’s largest shareholder to have the Fat Pig Principal removed and declared herself acting principal.
• Duanmu Ai reprimanded Teacher Kawakami and ordered her to summon Student Council President Niijima Makoto.
• Duanmu Ai told Niijima Makoto to collect students’ concerns through the Student Council so the school could begin rebuilding their trust.
• Niijima Makoto revealed that the former principal had asked her to investigate the Phantom Thieves, and Duanmu Ai told her to stop unless they caused trouble at school.

Duanmu Ai investigated a mysterious Warp Space and received a cryptic plea to save a world tied to the Holy Grail. After Niijima Makoto reported a criminal scheme targeting students, Duanmu Ai used herself as bait and followed the gang to its boss, where she revealed she had recorded their crimes and prepared to fight back.

• Duanmu Ai found a blue butterfly in the Warp Space, which warned that the world was a sealed Destiny Prison and asked her to save it so the path to the Holy Grail would remain open.
• Niijima Makoto told Duanmu Ai that criminals on Prosperity Street were coercing students into delivering drug-filled envelopes and blackmailing them.
• Duanmu Ai posed as a timid student and let a suited man recruit her to deliver an envelope, while Niijima Makoto secretly followed her.
• The gang captured both girls and took them to their boss, who recognized Niijima Makoto as Prosecutor Niijima's sister and ordered his men to threaten and exploit her.
• Duanmu Ai knocked out her captor, hurled a sofa at the men approaching Niijima Makoto, and revealed a recorder containing evidence against Mr. Fei Ai Cuo.

Duanmu Ai and Niijima Makoto exposed Fei Ai Cuo’s criminal operation, and the police arrested him and two Devil Summoners. After questioning, they left the station and were approached by a young man who recognized Niijima Makoto as Niijima Sae’s little sister.

• Fei Ai Cuo ordered his armed men to shoot Duanmu Ai and Niijima Makoto, but Alice’s barriers turned the bullets back on them.
• Duanmu Ai stopped Fei Ai Cuo’s escape and had Alice destroy the Electronic Devils summoned by his hired Devil Summoners.
• Niijima Makoto called the police, who arrested Fei Ai Cuo and the two Devil Summoners after finding illegal guns, drugs, cash, and blackmail videos.
• At the police station, Niijima Sae learned that Duanmu Ai had deliberately used Makoto as bait to reach Fei Ai Cuo.
• After Sae hurried away and Duanmu Ai and Makoto finished their statements, a young man approached Makoto and asked to talk.

During a television debate about the Phantom Thieves, Duanmu Ai argued that victims who refused to resist their abusers deserved no sympathy, drawing on the Kamoshida and Madarame cases. Her remarks sparked public and school backlash, but she dismissed the angry students and turned her attention to the Midnight Channel.

• Duanmu Ai met Akechi Goro at the police station and called him suspicious after he left.
• Niijima Makoto arranged for a prosecutor to explain the law at school, easing students’ fears about the yakuza incidents.
• At a television recording, Akechi Goro argued that the Phantom Thieves should be punished by law, while Amamiya Ren called them embodiments of justice.
• Asked for her view, Duanmu Ai called the Phantom Thieves meaningless and blamed Kamoshida’s and Madarame’s victims for failing to unite and resist.
• Duanmu Ai cited the students who fought the yakuza and got the gang dismantled as proof that people could resist without relying on the Phantom Thieves.
• After the broadcast provoked controversy and anger at school, Duanmu Ai brushed off the backlash and focused on the Midnight Channel.

Takami Anne questioned the Phantom Thieves’ growing dependence on public approval, while Duanmu Ai predicted they would eventually collapse because they could not fix the causes of injustice. Back at the office, Duanmu Ai and Rumiere watched a bizarre man enter the television, and Duanmu Ai refused to help him.

• At a family restaurant, Takami Anne argued that the Phantom Thieves had begun taking requests and chasing fame, and Sakamoto Ryuji called her a coward before she stormed out.
• Takami Anne encountered Duanmu Ai at a station and learned that Fei Ai Cuo had died in prison after his apartment burned down, though both incidents appeared accidental.
• Takami Anne asked Duanmu Ai what would become of the Phantom Thieves, and Duanmu Ai said their supporters were cowards and the group would eventually fall apart.
• Duanmu Ai explained that masked heroes could not solve the social conditions that produced injustice, leaving Takami Anne to consider whether she should remain with the Phantom Thieves.
• At the office, Duanmu Ai and Rumiere watched a nearly naked man enter the television, and Duanmu Ai refused to help him.

Duanmu Ai accepted a ten-day Devil Summoner commission to protect idol Kujikawa Rise from suspected Electronic Devil attacks, giving her access to a television station she wanted to investigate. After meeting Rise at her agency, Duanmu Ai faced an unexpectedly displeased reaction.

• Duanmu Ai investigated why only televisions connected to Warp Space, and Rumiere suggested the cause might be a television station.
• Duanmu Ai accepted a commission to protect a young female idol after learning it could give her access to the station.
• Inoue explained that Kujikawa Rise had suffered equipment failures and frightening nighttime disturbances, and the company suspected an Electronic Devil.
• Duanmu Ai agreed to serve as Rise's trainee assistant for ten days until a major competition, then signed the contract and went to the agency.
• Kujikawa Rise entered the guest room, introduced herself to Duanmu Ai, and appeared displeased when she learned Duanmu Ai would partner with her for the concert.

Duanmu Ai questioned Kujikawa Rise about the strange incidents that had plagued her for nearly three months, then accompanied her through a full day of work without seeing anything unusual. On the drive home, a sudden crash left them stranded in darkness, and Duanmu Ai began to suspect that Rise’s troubles were real.

• Duanmu Ai introduced herself as Rise’s Devil Summoner bodyguard, showed her Alice, and asked her to explain the strange incidents.
• Rise described persistent unexplained knocking, frightening sounds and visions, bizarre problems at home, and dangerous accidents at work.
• Duanmu Ai followed Rise through her busy schedule and wondered whether exhaustion was causing her experiences when nothing unusual happened.
• A tire apparently blew out, sending their car into a utility pole that fell onto its roof.
• Duanmu Ai used Alice’s Physical Reflection to protect herself, Rise, and the driver, then noticed the surrounding area had lost power and searched the darkness for danger.

Duanmu Ai investigated whether an Electronic Devil was behind Kujikawa Rise’s troubles while protecting her at home and at the television station. After the day passed without anything unusual being found, Rise screamed during rehearsal, and Duanmu Ai rushed into the room.

• Duanmu Ai stayed overnight at Kujikawa Rise’s apartment, but neither she nor Alice sensed an Electronic Devil, and Rise slept soundly.
• Rise apologized for mistaking Duanmu Ai for a prospective idol and described the pressures of her work while they bathed together.
• Mr. Inoue confirmed that a specialist found no sign that an Electronic Devil caused the car’s tire blowout, and Duanmu Ai accompanied Rise to the television station.
• Duanmu Ai sent her black snake to search the television station, but it found nothing unusual while Rise moved through her packed schedule.
• Duanmu Ai encountered Fangze Xia at the station, then heard Kujikawa Rise scream from the rehearsal room and rushed inside.

Duanmu Ai intervened when a woman mistreated Kujikawa Rise during rehearsal, then learned the woman was removed from the upcoming performance. The director asked Duanmu Ai to take the vacant role of the legendary Angel D, leaving her surprised.

• Duanmu Ai caught the woman raising her hand against Kujikawa Rise and slammed her to the floor when she threatened her.
• The woman shoved Fangze Xia while trying to leave, and Duanmu Ai caught Fangze Xia before she fell.
• The director arrived, heard Duanmu Ai explain what happened, and sent the woman away before scolding the actors.
• The director revealed that Fangze Xia was his daughter and recognized Duanmu Ai from a previous television program.
• The director asked Duanmu Ai to fill the removed actress's role as the Angel D, and Duanmu Ai was stunned.

Duanmu Ai criticized a script that portrayed a survivor’s rescue as a reward for piety, then learned that Rumiere had uncovered research linked to Warp Space and suspicious incidents. Meanwhile, the Phantom Thieves selected Duanmu Ai as their next target after finding an online accusation against her and detecting a Palace.

• Duanmu Ai explained to Kujikawa Rise that the protagonist would likely despair or seek death after losing her lover, rather than feel grateful to the Angel.
• Rumiere told Duanmu Ai that research into collective cognition and another world had been restarted, and that Isshiki Wakaba’s death and the Wasteman Incident reports might be connected to experiments involving Warp Space.
• Duanmu Ai told Rumiere to continue investigating Isshiki Wakaba’s daughter and report any need for help.
• Sakamoto Ryuji found an online request from a stage actress accusing Duanmu Ai of ruining her career and insisted that the Phantom Thieves target her.
• Amamiya Ren entered Duanmu Ai’s name on his phone, and the Phantom Thieves detected a Palace.

The Phantom Thieves discovered that Duanmu Ai’s Palace was a frozen, ruined world and withdrew, unsure whether to investigate further. Meanwhile, Duanmu Ai performed as an Angel in Rise’s production, startling the cast with her overwhelming presence before leaving the choice of survival or destruction to Rise.

• Sakamoto Ryuji accidentally set the Phantom Thieves’ destination to the whole world, and Amamiya Ren identified a cemetery as Duanmu Ai’s Palace.
• Amamiya Ren, Sakamoto Ryuji, and Kitagawa Yusuke entered a burning, lifeless wasteland filled with corpses and tombstones, then escaped back to the street.
• The Phantom Thieves discussed the terrifying Palace, and Amamiya Ren hesitated to continue as he sensed a strange whisper.
• Duanmu Ai joined the final scene of Rise’s production and effortlessly defeated the actors playing monsters.
• Duanmu Ai told Kujikawa Rise that she had not come to save her, then said survival or destruction was Rise’s choice and left the stage.

Duanmu Ai impressed the director and cast during rehearsal while Amamiya Ren and Sakamoto Ryuji suffered disturbing visions and unexplained irritability after leaving the strange world. They found Kitagawa Yusuke in a deranged state, and he killed himself in front of them.

• Duanmu Ai received the director’s praise for portraying the Angel, and Kujikawa Rise told her the cast felt pressured to match her performance.
• Amamiya Ren experienced nightmares and a vision of a grotesque wasteland before arriving at school.
• Sakamoto Ryuji attacked Takami Anne after she criticized his efforts to silence classmates, and Amamiya Ren knocked him down.
• Amamiya Ren and Sakamoto Ryuji admitted they had both suffered strange voices and visions since leaving the other world, then went looking for Kitagawa Yusuke.
• Amamiya Ren and Sakamoto Ryuji found Kitagawa Yusuke in a dark, foul-smelling apartment, where he ranted about the world’s destruction and fatally stabbed his own eye sockets with paintbrushes.

Amamiya Ren and Sakamoto Ryuji were falsely accused of killing Kitagawa Yusuke and suffered fatal mental collapses after encountering the Great Old One. Unaware of their fate, Duanmu Ai continued helping Kujikawa Rise prepare for her performance as the city remained quiet.

• Police officers accused Sakamoto Ryuji and Amamiya Ren of killing Kitagawa Yusuke, and Sakamoto Ryuji attacked an officer after hearing accusing whispers.
• Amamiya Ren lost his memories during interrogation and collapsed unconscious.
• Sakamoto Ryuji died in prison after violently attacking his cell door, and Amamiya Ren later died after fleeing from a television scene in the Mental Hospital.
• Duanmu Ai explained that the three men had collapsed after sensing the Great Old One, while she helped Kujikawa Rise review her script.
• Kujikawa Rise asked Duanmu Ai to stay as her assistant, but Duanmu Ai said their agreement ended after the performance and she had important work to do.

After Kujikawa Rise's successful performance, Duanmu Ai finished her assistant contract and returned to her office, where she learned that Maruki Takuto's research into Cognitive Kexue involved altering people’s minds. The next morning, Rise disappeared, and Duanmu rushed to investigate.

• Duanmu Ai watched Kujikawa Rise receive praise for her performance, then confirmed they were friends before taking Rise home and ending her assistant job.
• Back at the office, Duanmu Ai learned that Maruki Takuto had studied using Cognitive Space to alter mental projections and treat psychological trauma.
• Duanmu Ai condemned Maruki's proposal as brainwashing and ordered Rumiere to continue investigating Warp Space.
• The next morning, Mr. Inoue told Duanmu Ai that Rise had disappeared from her apartment.
• Duanmu Ai went to Rise's apartment to help search for her and vowed to punish whoever had abducted her.

Duanmu Ai investigated Kujikawa Rise’s disappearance and found no sign of how she had left the apartment. That night, Rise appeared on the Midnight Channel, prompting Duanmu Ai to enter the television and rescue her.

• Duanmu Ai searched Rise’s apartment and concluded that Rise had turned off the bathwater before disappearing.
• Duanmu Ai questioned Mr. Inoue about who knew where Rise lived, while he kept the disappearance from the police to avoid media attention.
• Duanmu Ai found no trace of Rise on the building’s surveillance cameras and briefly encountered Akechi Goro outside.
• That night, Rise appeared on the Midnight Channel in a provocative preview announcing a strip-show challenge.
• Duanmu Ai confirmed Rise was likely in Warp Space and entered the television to reach her.

Duanmu Ai rescued Kujikawa Rise from her Mind World, where Rise reconciled with the parts of herself she had denied. After they returned, Rise explained how she had lost consciousness at home and asked to stay at Duanmu Ai’s place.

• Duanmu Ai found Rise facing a monstrous Soul Projection that had transformed after Rise denied it, and Alice and the Yellow Dragon drove it back.
• Rise acknowledged that her stage persona and her quieter self were both parts of her, and her Soul Projection accepted her before disappearing.
• Duanmu Ai rescued Rise and later learned she had opened her apartment door after hearing a knock, then lost consciousness without seeing anyone.
• Rise refused to return to her home and asked Duanmu Ai if she could stay at her place.

Duanmu Ai moved Kujikawa Rise into her office for protection while investigating the serial murders, whose victims had all appeared on television. After learning that the Phantom Thieves were dead, she comforted Takamaki Anne at school, while Mishima Yuki secretly blamed her and vowed revenge.

• Duanmu Ai arranged for Kujikawa Rise to stay in an empty room at the office because someone had reached her supposedly secure apartment.
• Rumiere told Duanmu Ai that the victims had no known connection to the Yamano Streamer, but all had appeared on television.
• Duanmu Ai learned that Kitagawa Yusuke, Sakamoto Ryuji, and Amamiya Ren had died, while Takamaki Anne seemed to be safe.
• Duanmu Ai returned to school and comforted Takamaki Anne, who regretted leaving the Phantom Thieves and doubted that Amamiya Ren and Sakamoto Ryuji had taken their own lives.
• Mishima Yuki decided that Duanmu Ai had murdered the Phantom Thieves and vowed to avenge them.

Duanmu Ai confronted Maruki Takuto about his research into Cognitive Kexue and condemned his plan to reshape humanity’s cognition. After arranging for his dismissal from Xiujin Academy, she killed him with her power as he left, and walked away with Alice.

• Duanmu Ai questioned Maruki Takuto about Cognitive Kexue, and he admitted that he wanted to use it to create a world where everyone was happy.
• Duanmu Ai argued that altering people’s wills was brainwashing and warned Maruki Takuto that he would suffer the consequences.
• Fangze Xia waited outside the nurse’s office, and Duanmu Ai warned her to stay away from Maruki Takuto.
• Three days later, Xiujin Academy dismissed Maruki Takuto, and he left the school after failing to challenge the decision.
• Duanmu Ai used her power to kill Maruki Takuto in the street, then left with Alice.

Duanmu Ai and Rumiere struggled to find leads in the Phantom Thieves and serial murder cases until Kujikawa Rise’s remarks about politician Shido Masayoshi suggested he might be behind the crimes. Duanmu Ai ordered Rumiere to investigate him, leaving Shido as their new target.

• Kujikawa Rise returned home from work while Duanmu Ai reflected on how their investigations had stalled and considered waiting for the culprit to act again.
• Rise changed the television channel and introduced Shido Masayoshi, a politician campaigning against the current government by blaming it for recent scandals and crimes.
• Rise told Duanmu Ai that Shido had once rudely pushed past her and said she did not trust him despite his promises to help the public.
• Duanmu Ai connected Shido’s political ambitions, his government ties, and the benefits of the recent scandals and murders, including the attempted killing of Rise.
• Duanmu Ai ordered Rumiere to investigate Shido and identified him as a likely target.

Duanmu Ai entered Shido Masayoshi’s inner world to investigate him and encountered Akechi Goro, who revealed his role in the serial murders and his partnership with Shido. After Akechi trapped her away from her Demon Companions and summoned his Persona, Duanmu Ai confronted him with a war hammer.

• Rumiere discovered that Shido Masayoshi had taken the Cognitive Kexue research and that Amamiya Ren had once been sentenced for assaulting him.
• Duanmu Ai entered Shido Masayoshi’s inner world, which took the form of a cruise ship surrounding a submerged city.
• Akechi Goro confronted Duanmu Ai and admitted that he had arranged the serial murders to help Shido Masayoshi seize power.
• Akechi Goro sent Electronic Devils against Duanmu Ai, but Alice destroyed them, and Duanmu Ai pursued him through the ship with Alice and Yellow Dragon.
• Akechi Goro separated Duanmu Ai from her Demon Companions with a security door and summoned his Persona, Robin Hood.
• Duanmu Ai drew a war hammer and taunted Akechi Goro as Robin Hood swung its greatsword at her.