After years of fighting with her teammates against the tower, Ann Takamaki or 'Panther' to her closest friends, was currently 19 years old. She sat in her room, reviewing documents that the Phantom Thieves of Hearts intelligence center had sent her—reports of new Persona users appearing, unexplained attacks, and the disappearance of her two teammates. The fluorescent light hummed overhead as she traced a pattern in the documents with her finger.

She found an interesting document about her companions' disappearance, noticing a distinct pattern that suggested not a mysterious vanishing but a carefully planned kidnapping. "My friends... they didn't disappear mysteriously... they were kidnapped by some new Persona user..." she whispered, her voice trembling slightly as she began connecting the pieces. Her heart raced with a mix of fear and anger as she studied the case more deeply, determined to find her friends. "I'm going to find out who it is... and I'm going to make him pay..." she said, her tone sharp with anger as the veins in her neck stood out.

A month passed with Ann chasing clues and information until one day she met a mysterious man who claimed knowledge of the kidnapper. He told her the culprit would appear inside the tower at midnight, recovering his Persona energies and vulnerable. Against better judgment, Ann trusted him. "I'm finally going to save my friends...." she said excitedly as she walked home, already planning her equipment. Unbeknownst to her, the man was the kidnapper himself, smiling sadistically as he walked away.

The next day at midnight, Ann stood in the tower, frustration building. "Where is that coward...? This story ends here..." she muttered, walking through the shadowy corridors. Before she could finish her thought, multiple Personas attacked her. "Damn it! Why didn't I think of that!? It was a trap!" she cried, dodging and counterattacking through the night until daylight streamed through broken windows. As she moved toward the exit, a sharp pain in her neck made her gasp—a sedative. "Damn you..." she whispered before collapsing to the cold stone floor.

Hours later, Ann woke in a damp basement, her heart pounding with fear. She tried to move but discovered she was tightly bound. Ropes bit into her wrists behind her back, ran over her shoulders and chest, and wrapped around her waist, hips, thighs, and calves, keeping her legs firmly together. The nylon material felt unyielding against her skin. A door creaked open and a man stepped into the dim light. Before she could speak, she felt featherlight touches against her bare feet. She bit her lip, trying to resist. "S-stop it! I-I'm not... hahah- I'm not going to laugh..." she declared, but her resolve wavered as the tickling intensified.