June 5th, 20XX (Sunday)

Daytime - Shibuya

It had been two full weeks since the Phantom Thieves took down Madarame, and since Toya stopped Yusuke from murdering Madarame. In the real world, things have been relatively quiet since then. It seemed like the Phantom Thieves were simply waiting to see how everything would turn out now that Madarame's heart was taken. However, even though they had taken his heart, their minds were not sole focused on the aftermath. Rather, they were all thinking about another person: someone who goes by the name Hazard. Whoever was under the mask was still a complete mystery to them, but what they did know was that whoever it was, they were a threat. The fact that they were completely anonymous. The closest thing they had to a clue was the fact that Hazard had purple eyes, but that wasn't much for them to go off of. They even tried checking the school yearbooks, but they couldn't find a single student who had purple eyes. After two weeks of looking through the yearbook for any potential suspect, they gave up. They couldn't find anyone, no matter how hard they looked. So instead, they just took the time to breathe, waiting around for Madarame's change of heart.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the coin, Toya was laying low. He fully accepted that the Phantom Thieves saw him as a villain now, and thought he was a psychopath. Toya didn't think they'd ever understand his justice, but he didn't care. He didn't want publicity, nor to be understood. He just wanted what he thought was right, and at the end of the day, that was justice. Not all was bad with Toya, though. Due to him not entering the Metaverse after his fight with Ryuji, he got to pick up an old hobby of his, that being aikido. It was the closest he could get to training now that he was avoiding the Metaverse, and while it doesn't help his Persona get any stronger, it's very useful for his own strength. He needed it to traverse the Metaverse, after all. For all he knew, he'd have to enter Palaces himself some day, so staying in shape is the best bet. He left his house to get some fresh air before getting to training, but on his way out, he noticed a large amount of people all gathered outside. Looking above them all, he saw a screen with Madarame on it, behind a desk with a microphone. He quickly ran into the crowd, wanting to hear what exactly was happening.

"I… I have committed crimes that are unbecoming of an artist. Plainly put… I, um… plagiarized work… I-I… tainted this… this country's art world… and… even 'Sayuri'...! H-How could I… I possibly… apologize to- to everyone for… for what I've done…!?" Toya was genuinely taken aback by this. He had already seen Kamoshida's confession, but this… this reaction was far more extreme than that one. Madarame was genuinely crying his eyes out, in front of everyone. Toya understood that it was necessary, and that for all intents and purposes, Madarame was a murderer, but even still… it truly did hurt him to see. On the outside, Madarame looked like an innocent old man, who just wanted to make the world happy with his art. While it's true that on the inside, he was a despicable, selfish man… nobody else saw that. Only he did, and the Phantom Thieves.

"Phantom Thieves again…" Toya's eyes panned over to a girl who couldn't have been more than a year older than him. He stared at her for a moment, before turning away and holding his head. For some reason… he felt like he recognized her. Something about her triggered something in his memory, but as for what it was… he couldn't remember. It bothered him a bit, but not enough to distract him from what he wanted to do, which was more training. He had nothing else to do anyways, so he felt like he could get a lot stronger this way. However, as he was heading back home, he felt a vibration in his pocket. He took out his phone and checked his messages quickly.

KEN: Did you see the news?

TOYA: You mean about Madarame?

KEN: Yeah. Apparently, it was more work by the Phantom Thieves…

KEN: I think it'd be hard to write them off as nothing more than a prank by teenagers anymore.

KEN: I'm gonna be home tomorrow. I have to get some more information about that group wherever I can, and it seems like staying in Shibuya will make things easier.

TOYA: That's fine. I'll see you tomorrow then.

KEN: Yeah. See you. Oh, and if you hear anything new about the Phantom Thieves, be sure to tell me, alright?

TOYA: Got it.

Toya sighed as he put his phone in his pocket. So, his brother, an ace detective, was on the Phantom Thieves case… that worried him. If anyone could crack the case, it'd definitely be him. As for how Toya felt about them himself… he was in a bit of a gray zone. The only real experience he had with them was his fight with Ryuji, and that went… less than favorable for everyone involved. For all he knew, the rest of them could be as ignorant as him, and that would make them… bad. That ignorance can get in the way of true justice, which would make them much more chaotic than they already were. It didn't help their case that they were essentially vigilantes, either. While it's true that a lot of vigilantes do things for what they think is justice, it's also true that a lot of them just do things because… nothing can stop them. Was that the truth behind the Phantom Thieves? Were they only doing this because nobody could stop them from doing it? Toya wasn't entirely sure what the answer to that question was, but what he did know for sure, was that he needed to learn more about the Phantom Thieves, somehow. Doing that would prove rather difficult though, since he was alone, and had to deal with 5 different people, one of which being an exceptionally sneaky cat. If he was going to do this, he'd have to be even more careful than he already was. However, for some reason… he felt incredibly determined to do this. He didn't know why, but there was something burning inside of his soul, something telling him that he had to do this. That burning sensation is what was driving him so far in the first place, so he might as well continue to listen to it. After all, this feeling had already given him a new purpose in life, so what's truly the worst that could happen? He felt confident in this answer, as he began got home and continued his training. His muscle memory helped this training go by much more smoothly. Whatever happened next, he knew he'd be much better prepared for it.

June 6th, 20XX (Monday)

After School - Shibuya

Another boring day at school meant another day of training for Toya. He quickly made his way home, punching and kicking away at a sandbag he purchased when he started training again. He could tell that he was getting stronger and stronger by the day, he just needed to keep at it.

"Is that… Aikido?" Toya's heart nearly skipped a beat. He was so focused on training that he didn't even hear someone coming in.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!" Toya turned away and backed up into the sandbag. He completely forgot that Ken was coming over today.

"Sorry to have startled you. I came back early since there were no real leads on anything."

"Where have you been checking?"

"Everywhere that was recommended, except for one. That being Shujin, but it's too late in the day for me to investigate there, so that will have to wait until tomorrow. So until then, I suppose I have time to kill."

"You, having time to kill? That's a first. Any plans?"

"I was thinking of continuing an investigation that's been going on that's affecting this entire city… in fact, you might be able to help with that."

"I can help you with an investigation? Does it involve Shujin, then?"

"That hasn't exactly been confirmed yet, but it's likely. To keep it short, there's a big problem going on in Shibuya as a whole. It seems as if the mafia has begun blackmailing teenagers around your age into doing their dirty work."

"Wait, the mafia is going after students…? Why them?"

"Apparently they're easy targets. The point is… I want you to try and look around the school, and see if you can dig anything up about someone named Junya Kaneshiro."

"You have his name? Is that enough to take him down?"

"Not quite. We don't have any concrete evidence against him, so we'd fail in court. If we had a confession, then we'd be completely fine… Even if that confession is from someone admitting that Kaneshiro blackmailed them. Do you think you could do that for me?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll try to ask around over the next two days. Though, I do have a trip that will last the entirety of the 9th and 10th, so I probably won't be able to do anything those days."

"That's perfectly fine. Anyways, I'm gonna head out. I found a nice coffee place not too long ago, and I could use the chance to relax. You wanna come with?"

"Nah, I've never really been a big coffee person. Besides, I'm itching to keep at this training. I'll see you later tonight, then?

"Yeah, see you." Ken began walking away. However, before he left, he waited outside the door and listened closely to Toya as he let loose on the sandbag. He was happy that his brother was exercising, but this was… different. He was going at things much harder than a normal student would, even harder than some people who would be taking actual classes for it. He was aware that Toya enjoyed Aikido when he was younger, but not to this extent… there was something going on with him. There had to be something going on. Ken began to walk out, but there was one thought that raced through his head as he was leaving.

"Could he be… no, that's impossible…"

June 7th, 20XX (Tuesday)

After School - Shujin Academy

As Toya was leaving school, he noticed something that was on the bulletin board in the hallway. He slowly made his way over, reading out the sheet of paper.

"A request to the student body: If you have any information about events that are transpiring around the school, please consult the student council president: Makoto Niijima."Toya sighed, holding his head again. That name… he recognized it from somewhere. He couldn't remember exactly where he remembered it from, but he knew he recognized it somewhere. He stood there for a moment, before he decided to go upstairs. When he got up there, he saw the girl he recognized from the day before walking in, meaning she was probably Niijima. However, even still… there was something he was forgetting, he knew it. He waited outside by the door, listening on on the conversation that was going on.

"President… What is the meaning of that posting?"

"Principal Kobayakawa put that up without my-"

"We've already received some anonymous information. 'I heard some students are getting threatened. I'm so scared… Please do something'"

"What…!?" Toya's interest was piqued. This sounded similar to what Ken was talking about- a little too similar.

"'They have dirt on me, and they're demanding money. I can't go to the police… What should I do…?' Isn't this talking about the crimes that have been rumored to be occurring in Shibuya…?" Whoever was there was thinking the same thing as he was. Maybe he could get some information for Ken if he kept listening in on this.

"So there are even victims at our school… What should we do…?"

"This isn't the responsibility of the student council. This is frightening for us too… Principal Kobayakawa called you in yesterday, right? Did he tell you anything about this?"

"Well, no… He's out today, but I will ask him tomorrow. Please wait on this for the time being…"

"If you say so…"

"...My apologies for the confusion. Don't worry, I'll do something about all of this…" Toya heard the sound of two people getting up out of chairs. He backed away slightly, taking his phone out and opening his messenger, trying to blend in with the crowd until the two passed. He looked up to see two people leaving the room, but Makoto wasn't one of them. He considered his options, before he slowly walked into the room himself. He saw Makoto looking down, sitting on the table as if she had no idea what she could possibly do. He could sympathize with her, this couldn't be easy for someone anyone- especially not a high school student.

"You're… the school council president, right?" Makoto shook for a moment, looking up in shock. She heard that voice… somewhere. But where?

"U-Um, yes. Is there something you need? Information about what's been going on around the school, perhaps?"

"Sorry if it disappoints you, but I don't know how much I can tell you from what I know."

"Why's that?"

"I don't think my brother would be okay with that. He wanted my help looking into a case he's working on, about teenagers around our age being targeted. I was walking by and overheard your conversation, and I was wondering if you knew anything else."

"I'm sorry, but- what exactly does your brother do…?"

"Oh, my apologies. My brother is a well-known detective, Ken Kazero. I'm his younger brother, Toya. Anyways- just from what I heard, I think the case he's working on plays into what those students were talking about. Do you think you could help me and my brother out?" Makoto said nothing in response. She simply stared for a moment. Toya Kazero… that name, and those eyes… she recognized him. She knew she did.

"I'm sorry to change the subject so suddenly, but… have we met?" The question surprised Toya. They were both getting the same feeling from each other, but… why? Did they actually know each other?

"Admittedly, I feel like I recognize you as well. But I can't exactly remember where I remember you from." The two stared at each other for a while, trying to recall. However, no matter their efforts, they simply couldn't. They broke their gaze at each other, trying not to make things feel even more awkward than they already did.

"So… you wanted my help with your brother's case?"

"Yeah. If it's targeting the students at our school, then I think it's necessary. I already have the name of a suspect from my brother, but we need a confession from either him, or someone who's worked for him that has proof. The problem is that there's no way he'll just admit to things, and I don't know anyone who could give proof… but maybe a student can?"

"I suppose that could work." Makoto held out her hand out and looking to Toya. "You have a deal." Toya shook her hand, as the two nodded at each other.

Together, the two of them could fix this mess, and save all of the students who have been targeted.