>>714143665
she becomes part of the plot later

>>529467919
>>529468136
After she sees Lufel in Wonder's bag during Chapter 2, Polter (real name Aran Hirano) starts stalking Wonder during Palaces 2 and 3. During Palace 3's climax, Aran catches sight of them preparing to send out the calling card and puts together that they're the Phantom Thieves

Aran formally meets the group during Palace 4 during a culture festival between their schools. She's revealed to be a reclusive manga writer under the pen name ANRI. When she recognizes them, she immediately blurts out that she had a strike of "inspiration", volunteering her drama club schoolmate Shoki (the guy at >>529481586) and the party in a theater production whose script she'll writer - as an excuse to start hanging out with them. She even helps them with investigating the Palace ruler no questions asked, and reveals to them that she knows their identities, but has no intention of exposing them.

However, after being dragged into the Metaverse alongside Shoki (and immediately attacked by one of those Shedim snake Shadows that was very unusually persistent) and realizing it wasn't the new guy who pressed the button, they see that Aran's phone has the Metaverse App on it and that she was in the area when they got sent in. The PTs at this point have figured out that there's a mastermind orchestrating things, and they now suspect that she's involved...

>>529482198
He's actually closer to the Haru analogue.