Chapter 1

Mission Start

Saturday, June 11th , 2016

"Are you sure you have everything?"

Shinjiro-san sighed, but his lips twitched into a smile. "Fuuka, stop worrying. Besides, even if we did forget anything, you could just mail it to us."

"I know, I know!" Fuuka-san sighed, before smiling sheepishly at him. "I just can't help but worry."

Shinjiro-san's eyes softened and he gave her that fond smile that he reserved only for her. "Shouldn't I be worried about you? I'm not gonna come back with the kitchen burned down, right?"

"Shinji!" Fuuka-san's face turned pink. "That hasn't happened in years…"

Koromaru trotted over to Ken, letting out a bark. Ken smiled at him, before kneeling to pet him. He was going to miss Koromaru while they were in Tokyo... He knew that he had surprised everyone by deciding not to take Koromaru with him but he felt guilty enough about Shinjiro-san... Fuuka-san needed some company.

"You'll be good for Fuuka-san, won't you?" he murmured as he scratched behind Koromaru's ears. Koromaru let out an affirmative bark before licking Ken's hand. "Hopefully Fuuka-san can bring you up for a visit for the summer..."

Koromaru let out a happy bark, before lunging at Ken, knocking him down in the process. He began to furiously lick at Ken's face.

"Koromaru!" he groaned, holding up a warding hand but Koromaru wasn't to be deterred. He continued to happily give Ken a bath with his tongue.

"Koro-chan, what are you doing?" Fuuka-san scolded, as Shinjiro-san grabbed Koromaru by the collar and hauled him off Ken.

"Thanks," he muttered as he sat up. Fuuka-san knelt to offer him a handkerchief to wipe off his face.

"Jeez, we look away for two minutes and Ken's on the ground," Shinjiro-san muttered, shaking his head. Koromaru just sat on his haunches and let out a yip. "And Koro isn't even sorry about it."

"When is he ever?" Ken grumbled, before climbing to his feet. He then folded the handkerchief and handing it back to Fuuka-san. "Thanks Fuuka-san."

The intercom above their heads suddenly crackled. "The train headed for Tokyo is now boarding at station 3," the announcer stated. "I repeat, the train headed for Tokyo is now boarding at station 3."

"That's our train," Shinjiro-san sighed, turning to face Fuuka-san, a frown on his face. "We should get going."

Fuuka-san smiled sadly, her lips trembling slightly. But after taking a deep breath, she nodded. "You don't want to miss it." She stood on her tiptoes, kissing Shinjiro-san on the cheek. "Text me when you get to Tokyo, okay?"

"'Course." Shinjiro-san dipped his head to quickly kiss her.

Even though it was just a peck, Ken couldn't help but make a face. He couldn't help but feel a bit self conscious whenever any of his senpai did PDA in front of him. It was just... embarrassing to watch.

"Don't give me that face, Ken," Shinjiro-san said, turning to level an unimpressed stare at Ken. "We could do worse and you know it. Like-"

Ken immediately clapped his hands over his ears. "I am not listening!"

Shinjiro-san glowered at him. "Really, Ken?"

"Shinji, don't pick on him," Fuuka-san gently chastised. "And Ken-kun, don't egg him on like that."

Shinjiro-san huffed. "Ugh, whatever." He reached down to pick up his duffel bag, before glancing back at Ken. "Come on, we really should get going."

"Give me one second with Ken-kun, first?" Fuuka-san asked.

Shinjiro-san raised an eyebrow, but nodded. He kissed her on the top of her head. "See you, Fuuka."

"Bye Shinji."

Shinjiro-san scooped up their bags, before heading for station three.

Ken turned to her. "Fuuka-san, what's the m-"

"Please be careful, Ken-kun," Fuuka-san suddenly blurted out. She bit her lip. "You'll be the one looking for the Phantom Thieves. You'll be the one to find the Shadow nest. Please… promise me you won't do anything reckless." She looked up at him pleadingly.

Ken swallowed hard. She was more worried than she let on... He should have expected this. They were essentially treading on unknown territory.

"I will," he said quietly.

Fuuka-san smiled at him, before squeezing his hand. "Call home often, okay?"

"I'll try..." Ken said sheepishly.

Fuuka-san frowned at him. "If I can call at least twice a week during university-"

"Why do you always pull that card on everyone?" Ken grumbled.

Fuuka-san giggled. "Because it's effective." Her eyes softened. "Bye, Ken-kun."

"Goodbye, Fuuka-san."

"'You don't need to worry about the cost, Shinjiro'," Shinjiro-san said in a mocking voice, poorly imitating Mitsuru-san. He scowled up at the building in front of them. "'It's nothing'." He scoffed, folding his arms over his chest. "Yeah right."

"It's… not the Yakushima mansion, at least?" Ken offered.

"It's still too much," Shinjiro-san grumbled, still scowling. "It's still a fuckin' penthouse."

Kikuno-san cleared her throat, but she looked rather amused at Shinjiro-san's griping. "Now, if you're done complaining, Shinjiro-san…"

"Shinjiro-san never stops complaining."

Ken quickly sidestepped to dodge the swipe Shinjiro-san aimed at him.

"Smartass," he grumbled.

"…Please follow me." Kikuno-san smiled politely.

But it was nice for Mitsuru-san to send Kikuno-san to escort them from the train station. He was pretty sure that they probably would have gotten lost. In all honesty, Ken wasn't expecting Tokyo to be so huge. It was the capital and everything, but it made Port Island look positively tiny.

Kikuno-san unlocked the door when they reached the top. Ken's eyebrow rose when he took in the living room. While it was well furnished, it wasn't in that obscenely opulent fashion that Mitsuru-san's residences usually were decorated in.

"Mitsuru-san ordered for new furniture when she decided this will be where you're staying," Kikuno-san offered as an explanation, before walking inside.

Ken removed his shoes, leaving them outside by the door. Shinjiro-san quickly followed suit.

"The kitchen has been fitted with state of the art appliances," Kikuno-san continued, before reaching into her pocket and laying down two card keys. "These are the keys to the suite, please don't lose them. And your bedrooms will be in the very back…"

The suite included a washing room, two bathrooms—both having a bathtub larger than any Ken had ever seen—and even an entertainment room.

"…And that's everything," Kikuno-san finished. She then reached into her pocket again. "And this is for you, Ken-san."

Ken raised an eyebrow, examining the card. It looked like… some kind of ticket.

"It's a train pass," Kikuno-san informed him. "You'll have to pay a couple hundred yen every time you use the train station, but it gives a discount."

"For crying out loud…" Shinjiro-san grumbled. "I could have paid for that. I don't give a shit on what Mitsuru says, I'm paying her something."

Kikuno-san just tilted her head, an amused smile coming to her lips. "Mm, I believe you'll have to bring that up with Lady Mitsuru, Shinjiro-san."

"Believe me, I will," he muttered darkly.

Kikuno-san just smiled, before curtseying. "If that is all… I must take your leave." Her eyes flickered to Ken. "…And good luck, Ken-san."

"…Thank you," Ken mumbled.

Kikuno-san then left the suite, firmly shutting the door behind her.

Shinjiro-san flopped onto the longer sofa, belly first, with a groan. "Ken, go find a place to order something for dinner," he said, burying his face into a pillow. "I'm too tired to cook tonight."

"You're willingly ordering takeout?" Ken raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, yeah, yuck it up," Shinjiro-san said coolly, before rolling onto his back. "We're going grocery shopping tomorrow after we go see the principal."

Sunday, June 12th , 2016

Shujin Academy just looked… plain, in comparison to Gekkoukan.

Though Ken supposed that most schools would. Gekkoukan was all steel and glass, fitted with the top technology. Mitsuru-san had commissioned for a fountain to be placed in the courtyard as well, in honor of her late father. And during Minako-san's third year, she pushed for a garden on the roof soon after she was elected class president. She said that the roof didn't have to be just a place of death… it could be a place for life too.

It didn't take them long to find the principal's office. He rose when they entered, a genial smile on his face.

"Ah, Amada-kun, correct?" he greeted. "We've been expecting you!"

His smile just oozed insincerity. Ken chanced a glance at Shinjiro-san. He remained silent, but he looked utterly unimpressed with the principal. He just… couldn't be bothered to hide how he felt.

"It's an honor to meet you," Ken said, before bowing his head. He didn't know how, but he managed a polite smile.

He couldn't give the principal a reason to suspect him.

"It's wonderful to meet you as well. I am Principal Kobayakawa." He nodded. "From your records, you seem to be a marvelous addition to our school. An honor student who constantly made it to the top ten, if not the very top rank, an athlete, and a member of the student council…"

…He was really laying it thick, wasn't he? Just… Was that really all he was concerned about? Though… the school did let Kamoshida get away with his crimes… He supposed he shouldn't be surprised.

Shinjiro-san looked completely unimpressed with Kobayakawa. "I'm glad that you know of Ken's accomplishments, but Ken isn't too interested in joining any clubs now," he said flatly. "He's been focusing on studying for entrance exams."

He immediately looked crestfallen. "Oh… Of course!" He swallowed hard. "Of course, entrance exams to university are very important…"

…He was just too easy to read.

"Is there anything else…?" Ken spoke up.

"Well… there's your school uniform…" He said, picking up a white box. "And your classroom is 3-D. The student council president is in your class… so if you have any questions, you should ask her. And please come to the office early tomorrow so you can meet with your teacher."

"Thank you, sir." Ken accepted the box, before bowing his head. "I hope I'll do well at Shujin."

"I'm sure you will." He nodded.

Shinjiro-san didn't take long to speak once they had left the office. "And I thought Ekoda was obsessed with reputations." He didn't bother to hide the scorn from his voice. "He was such a brown noser."

"At least he's not my teacher," Ken muttered. "And it's not surprising."

"I guess." Shinjiro-san just stuffed his hands in his pockets, scowling at the horizon. "Come on. We still need to go grocery shopping."

Oh yes, nothing like trying—key word was try—to stop his guardian from picking a fight with the butcher over just how fresh the meat was.

Monday, June 13th , 2016

Ken tugged at the collar of his dress shirt, trying not to squirm under his classmates' gaze. It was... difficult, considering that they were blatantly gawking at him.

"Class, we have a new student," the teacher announced. "Ken Amada, hailing from Tatsumi Port Island."

"Port Island?" one student repeated. "Hey, isn't that where the Kirijo Group is?"

"Forget that! He's so cute!"

"Look at how soft his hair is!"

"He's much better than the first transfer we got!"

"Isn't it kinda a weird time to transfer though?"

Ken fought the urge to hang his head. Of course he couldn't escape it. He didn't even know what about him attracted girls like bees to flowers. Though what was this about another transfer student?

Then there was the sound of a throat being cleared. "Shouldn't we find a seat for him?"

The speaker was a girl with short dark brown hair and piercing red eyes. She was pretty in that prim, bookish kind of way.

"Yes, of course." The teacher nodded, resting her chin in the palm of her hand. She looked thoughtful. "In fact… the seat next to you is open, isn't it, Niijima-san? Amada-kun can have that seat then."

"What?!" one girl whined. "But my seat is closer to the front!"

"That's enough," the teacher snapped. "My decision is final." She then smiled encouragingly at Ken. "Go ahead, Amada-kun."

Ken nodded, before shifting his school bag on his shoulder and walking down the aisle. Everyone's eyes remained plastered on him, making him feel incredibly self-conscious. Was this how Gekkoukan treated Minato-san and Minako-san?

It felt like an eternity before he reached his seat, setting his bag on the ground and then sliding into his seat.

His neighbor offered him a hesitant smile. "Never mind them," she murmured. "They just… gossip too much."

"That describes most of the teenage population," Ken replied, keeping his voice low as well.

This earned him a quiet giggle.

"Now then!" The teacher clasped her hands in front of her. "Open your book to page 101. We'll start by translating the entire page."

This earned a collective groan. Ken reached for his bag, drawing out his English textbook and then flipping it open. It didn't look that much more difficult than Gekkoukan's curriculum from the looks of it…

Ken sighed as his classmates continued to gossip in loud whispers. This was going to be a long day…

The first few classes just dragged on, so it was a relief when the lunch bell rang. But before he could even blink, he found himself surrounded by girls.

"What school did you used to go to?"

"Have you ever met Mitsuru Kirijo?!"

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Are you interested in joining any clubs? We have some openings!"

Ken inched his chair back, even though it wasn't much help. Did he have the words please try to flirt with me plastered on his forehead?

He managed a polite smile, before speaking. "I used to attend to Gekkoukan, and yes, I know her. We used to live in the same dorm, because of special circumstances. And no, I don't have a girlfriend, but I'm not interested in one right now. And I'm sorry, but I don't want to join a club right now."

"Hey, what do you think of the Phantom Thieves?" one of the girls demanded.

"That's enough, all of you." A stern voice, so similar to Mitsuru-san's, cut through the air. "You need to give him some breathing air."

The girls grumbled but backed away. They parted to reveal that it was his seatmate.

"Why do you have to hog him?" another girl huffed.

…What?

She just raised an eyebrow at the girls, looking at the speaker sternly. "I am not 'hogging' him. You're invading his personal space, so I'm telling you to leave him alone."

The girls began muttering to themselves but began to disperse. Ken couldn't help but sigh in relief.

"…Niijima-san, was it?" Ken asked.

She smiled at him. "That's right. I'm Makoto Niijima, the student council president. It's nice to meet you, Amada-kun."

"Likewise." Ken nodded. "And… thank you for getting the girls to back off."

"It was nothing." She waved a dismissive hand, "You looked overwhelmed… I'm not sure how none of them picked up on it."

"Because they just don't care," Ken muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Niijima-san frowned.

"Oh, nothing…" Ken waved her off.

"How are you holding up?" she inquired. "It has to be overwhelming to start at a new school..."

Hmm… if she was the student council president… maybe she had an idea who the Phantom Thieves were.

"Niijima-san?" he began, before he could chicken out and stay silent.

"What is it?" she asked, frowning slightly.

Looking closer at her made Ken realize that she looked tired. Dark rings were under her eyes. Her skin was unusually pale.

"Ah… I was wondering what you knew about the Phantom Thieves," Ken said slowly. "Since well… Kamoshida was their first target."

Niijima-san's face became ashen. "It's… not something the faculty is proud of," she mumbled, her gaze lowering to the ground. "Kamoshida had hurt the entire volleyball team. Not to mention Amamiya-kun, Sakamoto-kun, and Takamaki-san…"

Huh… those three names… That could be a clue.

"I didn't realize his targets weren't just the club he coached," Ken said.

He remembered when Kamoshida had confessed... The newspapers had been all over that. But they had only focused on the abuse he had heaped on the volleyball team...

Then Niijima-san looked up, narrowing her eyes at him. "…Why are you so interested in them, anyways?"

"Ah…" Ken scrambled for a quick excuse because that stare was rather frightening. "It's just… the Phantom Thieves are like real life superheroes, aren't they?"

"I suppose you could think that…" Niijima-san said, relaxing her entire stance.

Ken released the breath he didn't realize he was holding. That was... a close one. He needed to be more… subtle than that from now on. He couldn't be broadcasting that he was interested in the Phantom Thieves like that.

"But if you're okay now, Amada-kun…" Niijima-san straightened her posture, before brushing her skirt with one hand. "I should probably get going… I have a lot of work to handle."

She turned to leave, but Ken found himself blurting out, "Wait!"

Niijima-san turned, eyebrow raised. "…Yes?"

"It's just… ah… you looked tired." Ken felt like facepalming. Why couldn't he be more eloquent with his thoughts? "Have you even eaten lunch yet?"

"I… didn't bring one today," she admitted with a wince. "I woke up late, so I didn't have time to make lunch."

"Well… you could always share mine," Ken offered. "My guardian always makes me too much…"

Niijima-san's eyes widened. "Oh, I don't know… That may create more rumors."

"Was what you said this morning again?" Ken raised an eyebrow. Niijima-san opened her mouth to protest, so he added, "Please. It's not healthy for you."

…Shinjiro-san was rubbing off on him.

"Well…" Niijima-san tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, before smiling shyly at him. "…If you insist."

The latter half of the day went by fast. Before he knew it, the bell was ringing shrilly, signaling the end of the day.

"Amada-kun." Niijima-san caught his sleeve, holding him in place. "I know that you're not particularly interested in joining clubs right now but… I thought I let you know about the clubs that are accepting new members right now, since you transferred later in the year."

Ken raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening."

Niijima-san began to recite. "There's newspaper club, the track team, and well… the student council could always use more help. I heard from the principal that you've been pretty active in student council since middle school."

"It was nothing, really…" Ken rubbed the back of his neck. "I only was elected in my last year at middle school and the past two years."

Though wasn't the track team disbanded? Maybe it got reinstated because of Kamoshida's confession.

But there was a newspaper club, huh? Maybe someone there could tell him just who Amamiya, Takamaki, and Sakamoto were.

"You don't have to be so modest, you know. But um… you shouldn't really talk to me…" Her voice was whisper-soft, her eyes lowering to the ground.

Ken frowned. He had noticed that people had steered clear of Niijima-san for no reason, how people had been whispering about her throughout the day. He had no idea why, since she seemed nice enough. "Why?"

"Um… it's just…" Niijima-san winced. "I have a certain reputation…"

"And…?"

"And what?" She blinked at him.

Ken sighed, before zipping shut his pencil case. "Niijima-san, believe me when I say that I know about bad reputations… My guardian was viewed as a delinquent, but he's not. Rough on the edges, yes, but not a delinquent."

Ken couldn't help but grimace. He remembered his teachers muttering about Shinjiro-san. Several times. It was... upsetting at first, but he eventually learned to ignore it. Shinjiro-san didn't really care about the rumors anyways.

"A delinquent look-a-like… who cooks delicious food," Niijima-san said slowly. She laughed, a smile tugging at her lips. "That's… an interesting image."

Ken laughed as well, nodding. "Yeah, he gets that a lot."

Niijima-san opened her mouth to reply, only for her eyes to grow wide. "Ah…! I'm sorry, Amada-kun, but I have to speak to Miss Kawakami about something urgent..."

"Of course." Ken nodded, even though he had no clue who this Miss Kawakami was. "I'll see you tomorrow."

He watched her leave the classroom, before he looked back down at his desk. The newspaper club… It could be a good lead. If not, maybe he could visit the volleyball club.

It took him a few minutes to find out where the newspaper club met, but he soon found himself face to face with a dark haired girl wearing a pair of glasses.

"Can I help you?" She frowned uncertainly, tilting her head slightly only for her eyes to widen. "Oh… you're the new transfer student, aren't you?"

"Yes, that's right." Ken bowed his head. "My name is Ken Amada."

She giggled. "You don't have to be so polite. We're the same age." She then pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Is there something you needed…?"

"Oh, I was just wondering…" Ken began.

…Crap, what should he say? Why didn't he think of what to ask first…

"…Who's this other transfer student? I was just curious, since… people keep comparing me to them."

"Yikes, that's a complicated question…" she sighed, adjusting her glasses again. "His name is Ren Amamiya, a year below us. He assaulted some bigwig and he got put onto probation. He was sent here and Kamoshida took an instant disliking to him." Her expression darkened. "He tried to expel Amamiya and Sakamoto—who was the former track star—for trying to assault him."

Was she serious? Kamoshida thought he could've gotten away with it?

…He probably would've, if it wasn't for the Phantom Thieves.

But hmm… Amamiya and Sakamoto would have a grudge against Kamoshida. Maybe they were possible Phantom Thieves.

"Amamiya is one scary looking guy though," the girl continued. "He's not super tall but he's got that aura, y'know?"

Ken's mind immediately veered to Shinjiro-san. He was on the taller side, but still. "…Yeah, I know what you mean," he muttered.

"You know… we're accepting new members," she began. "For the newspaper club. Are you interested?"

Ken offered a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry… but I'm not particularly talented in writing."

"Oh…" She looked disappointed. "Maybe I'll see around then."

"Yeah-"

The girl suddenly grabbed his sleeve. "That's him actually—with the student council president!"

Wait, what? Ken followed her gaze to see that Niijima-san was following a boy who was probably slightly shorter than him. Though he didn't know what about him was intimidating... He had dark hair that was wavy, bordering being frizzy. His huge glasses just seemed to magnify his dark eyes. He was even carrying a cat in his bag. It was a cute cat too, its black fur sleek and its blue eyes bright and intelligent.

He looked… harmless. He didn't look too happy to be around Niijima-san though…

"I wonder why…?" the girl mused. "I thought Amamiya and Takamaki had a thing for each other."

Oh, right… that was one of the other people Niijima-san mentioned. Though he probably should follow them at a safe distance… Maybe he could discover some kind of hint.

He bid the girl farewell, before following Niijima-san and Amamiya-san. They led him to a populated walkway. Leaning against the railing were three teenagers. The tallest looked like… a beanpole. He had dark blue hair and gray eyes. The second tallest was a boy with bleached hair and brown eyes. The shortest was a girl with blonde hair that had to be natural and bright blue-green eyes. The two blondes wore the Shujin uniform, while the taller boy was wearing some kind of other uniform.

"Is that a friend of yours…?" he heard the blue-haired boy ask, only to be swiftly interrupted.

"What are you doing here?!" the blonde female demanded. She was all tensed up, her hands clenched tightly into fists. Her eyes narrowed at Niijima-san. "Ren, what happened?"

While they were distracted, Ken ducked behind a pillar. He wasn't exactly close, but whatever works… And they were talking just loud enough to hear. Though he had to wonder why the girl was being so hostile.

"She was… talking to me when I got the call from Ryuji," Amamiya-san said.

The girl immediately rounded on her male counterpart, glaring daggers at him.

…He was getting Yukari-san and Junpei-san vibes.

"Hey, how was I supposed to know that Miss President was around?!" he defended. "Why are you getting mad at me?!"

"That's why I told you to wait, Ryuji!" she snapped, smacking his arm.

…Yep, they definitely were like Yukari-san and Junpei-san. The only thing missing was a foot stomp.

Niijima-san cleared her throat. "Ren Amamiya. Ryuji Sakamoto. Anne Takamaki… All three of you were victims of Mr. Kamoshida… And you're constantly seen in each other's company. Isn't that a bit strange?"

"What's it to you?" Sakamoto-san scowled, crossing his arms over his chest.

"And Yusuke Kitagawa…" Niijima-san turned to look at Kitagawa-san. "…The former apprentice of Madarame."

Kamoshida and Madarame… Wait, she wasn't saying…

Kitagawa-san's mouth tightened at her statement, before looking away.

"Seriously, what is your problem?" Takamaki-san demanded, her stance still tense. She looked just about ready to pounce on Niijima-san.

"Anne." Amamiya-san put a hand on her shoulder. "You need to calm down..."

Takamaki-san scowled, but nodded, before dropping her arms to her sides.

"You're the Phantom Thieves, are you not?" Niijima-san calmly made her accusation.

"You sling accusations without any proof," Kitagawa-san bit out, but he looked nervous.

"Oh really?" Niijima-san smiled sweetly, before pulling out her phone. She played a recording. The voices were tinny, but obviously belonged to Sakamoto-san and Takamaki-san.

Did they really... talk about this... in public?

The other three all slowly turned to Sakamoto-san.

…So, he had a good idea who had the big mouth out of the group.

And Niijima-san was investigating the Phantom Thieves… But the question was… why?

"What?" He scowled at them, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I'm not the only one talkin' in the recording!"

"Now, I want you to listen to me carefully," Niijima-san said flatly. "This doesn't have to be released to the public."

Amamiya-san's expression was wary. "What do you want, then?"

"I want you to prove your justice," she said, folding her arms over her chest. "And we have a little problem plaguing the students of our school. Steal the heart of this criminal and I will delete everything. I will leave you alone. It is a good deal, isn't it?"

She was… blackmailing them. But why? Why was it so important for this criminal to go down?

"So who do you want us to target?" Kitagawa-san asked slowly.

Niijima-san clasped her hands behind her back. "A mafia boss."

…Well, that answered his question.

He was going to have an interesting first report to give Mitsuru-san...

Update in honor of Shinji's birthday~

But thank you so much for the positive feedback!

But for my decision for Koromaru... there are a few comments in Ultimax that Koromaru is getting older and since this is 4 years after Ultimax, Koromaru is most likely too old to fight on a constant basis. But don't worry, Morgana and Koromaru will have their interactions in the future. As for whether Ken and Shinji will be able to understand Morgana... you'll find out in the next chapter.

But anyways, please review! I'd love to hear your thoughts about this chapter.