Hey everyone! Now, you might be wondering why the entire month of July came and went without a chapter. Funny story really. I was really looking forward to trying to get out at least three chapters. What I wasn't expecting was for my computer to decide to completely quit on me. It took me nearly two weeks to retrieve the information off my hard drive and get a working set-up again while I'm waiting for my laptop to get fixed. So…sorry? Anyway, here's a lengthy chapter for you at least.
The Birth of Thieves
Wednesday, May 4, 20XX
Afternoon, "Untouchable"
Naruto let up a deep sigh as he sat behind the counter, flipping through one of the model catalogs Iwai had placed there. When he'd returned from the hospital, he'd been anxious to start digging through his connections during Golden Week to see if he could find another possible Metaverse mark. However, the moment Naruto had stepped into the shop, Iwai had only too gleefully dropped the ball that he'd be minding the store during the break. "Since Kaoru's also off, I'll be spending some time with him," the gruff store owner had explained. "It's about time you kept your end of the bargain, brat." With no more trips to the Metaverse in sight, Naruto reluctantly agreed. It wasn't like he had an excuse, and he had promised after all. However, it seemed like the store was doomed to remain empty during Golden Week. Only a few of Iwai's regular customers had stopped by.
"It's times like these I kinda miss Kurama's snide commentary in the back of my head," he grumbled inwardly. "Even if the furball can spout but perverted crap sometimes, it'd at least make this shift go faster." The Uzumaki was almost positive that his Metaverse adventures were only just beginning (at least, he hoped that was the case); he just hadn't realized how comforting it had been to have other voices in his head again after so long, and how…empty felt now that he couldn't hear them. He shook his head ruefully. "Man, not even a week after beating Kamoshida's ass, and already I'm missing the furball. I'm sure he'd never let me live it down." Naruto placed his chin on the counter and continued to scan the specs of the various gun models in the catalog, despite practically knowing most of them by heart. Just then, the doorbell rang, signaling a new customer.
"Finally…" he muttered to himself. "About time someone showed up." Naruto didn't bother looking up at the arrival. "Welcome to Untouchable," he drawled. "You've got a model you're looking for?"
"Wow, I'm blown away by the level of customer service," a voice replied sarcastically. Naruto's head whipped up to see Akira in the doorway, wearing a tan jacket, dark slacks, and a smug smile. The blond's eyes brightened as he sat up in his chair.
"Hey, you try sitting here for hours with nobody coming in, Akira," he shot back. "See if you aren't bored out your mind after a few hours." Akira chuckled and looked around.
"Not much going on huh? I would have thought you'd be enjoying your time off from school during Golden Week, Naruto. What, did dealing with Kamoshida finally find an end to your stamina?"
"It'll take a lot more than a low-level asshole like him to exhaust me," he replied. "I'm just here because the boss roped me into tending the shop during the holidays." He raised an eyebrow at his friend. "What's your excuse for dragging your sorry ass all the way over here?" Morgana's head popped out of the bag slung over Akira's shoulder.
"We're here about selling Kamoshida's medal for the fancy buffet Lady Ann wanted to go to!" he purred. Naruto's brow scrunched up.
"Fancy buffet? What the hell are you talking about, Morgana?" he asked. The feline cocked his head.
"Didn't you see the text messages in the chat?" he asked. Seeing Naruto's confusion grow, Akira frowned.
"Ann texted the rest of us yesterday afternoon, wanting to celebrate our victory over Kamoshida by going to a high-end buffet she said she and Shiho had been looking at tomorrow on Children's Day," he explained. "Ryuji and I both agreed it would be a great idea. We didn't see you respond, but we assumed you'd be on board as well." Naruto thought back to yesterday.
"Oh yeah, my phone ended up dying on me yesterday, so I plugged it in to charge in my r-, I mean, in the storage room." Naruto quickly corrected himself. When he and Iwai had first arranged their deal, the shopkeeper had repeatedly warned him not to let on that he was crashing in the storage room, something about no need for Child Services to get on his back another time.
"That would explain why you didn't answer," Akira said. "Anyway, since the Olympic medal we got as Kamoshida's treasure isn't the real thing, we decided we would sell it and use the funds to for the celebration. Morgana and I figured you might know a person or two who could buy this without much of a fuss." Akira glanced around at the seedy looking shop. "No offense." Naruto shrugged.
"You're not exactly wrong about that," he admitted. "But in order to make up for all the time I had to ditch out of minding the store during the investigation, my boss is having me watch the store during the break." He sighed. "That's why I'm here now, bored out of my mind." Akira grimaced.
"You have any other ideas then? I'm hardly familiar with Shibuya enough to find another person."
"You mean no buffet?" Morgana said with wide eyes. "But I was looking forward to celebrating with Lady Ann!" The feline's whiskered sagged as his tail limped down from the back of the bag. Naruto sighed and held out his hand.
"Alright, give the medal here. I'll go see my boss tonight and see if I can make it. He's not the type to ask too many questions, so I could probably sell the medal to him too." Akira looked at Naruto in surprise.
"You sure about this Naruto? I wouldn't want to get you in trouble with your boss. We can always try to reschedule this later when you're free." The blond shook his head.
"It's fine Akira. The worst boss would do would be to say no. No harm in trying at least. Plus, I think we deserve to pat ourselves on the back a bit after dealing with Kamoshida." Akira nodded after a bit.
"Alright then." He reached into his pack and pulled out the Olympic medal facsimile. "I wish you luck then." Naruto nodded and pocketed the medal.
"Thanks Akira. I'll text you guys the verdict later tonight."
Evening
Iwai's Apartment
After Akira and Morgana had left, the remainder of Naruto's shift sped by as he tried to figure out a good reason for Iwai to let him close down the shop tomorrow. He decided to just wing it in the end. Naruto jogged up the stairs of the apartment building where Iwai and Kaoru lived. The two were located a few blocks away from the shot. He arrived at the door to the apartment and rapped on it a few times. "Yo, boss, it's Naruto!" he called out. "I've got something to ask you." After a couple of seconds, he heard the sound of footsteps thumping towards the door. It swung open, revealing a young dark-haired boy. He stood about five feet tall, dressed in a grey hoodie with a picture of a popular anime, and a pair of black jeans. A pair of blue headphones were wrapped around his neck, brushing against his hair. His grey eyes seemed to sparkle as he took in the blond.
"Naruto-nii-san!" he exclaimed.
"Hey Kaoru," he said. "It's been a while. You've been doing OK?" Naruto grinned and ruffled the boy's hair. Kaoru nodded.
"Yeah, it's been alright. It's been a little boring hanging around here during Golden Week," he replied. He pouted "What are you here for, Naruto-nii?" Naruto shrugged.
"I'm here to see the boss."
"Just come on in already brat!" Naruto heard Iwai from the living room. "And take your shoes off at the door!"
"Yeah, yeah boss," Naruto said, closing the door. Slipping off his shoes on the mat, Naruto walked into the living room, where Iwai was sitting on a couch, watching something on the moderately-sized flat screen. His feet were propped up on a coffee table, which was littered with various convenience store meals. The man was in a loose sweatshirt and pants. He wasn't wearing his trademark hat, allowing for his unruly ashen hair to show. He raised an eyebrow as he looked at Naruto.
"What are you doing here, brat? Something happen at the shop?"
"Not exactly…" Naruto rubbed the back of his head and pulled out the medal from his pocket. "I've got this medal from some friends. I'm looking to sell it without much fuss." Iwai took the medal and looked it over.
"Hmm, looks pretty legitimate," he mused. "But that just means it'll be harder to pawn off easily. If you're tryin' to sell it through me, could probably give you thirty grand for it." Iwai stared at the blond. "But you wouldn't have come here tonight just to sell it to me unless you needed the money fast. So, what's really going on, brat?" Naruto sighed. Now came the much more difficult part of the discussion.
"So…those friends wanted to use the cash and go celebrate at some fancy buffet…tomorrow," he explained. "And they want me to be there as well." Iwai crossed his arms.
"I see. And you're askin' if you can just ditch your shift? That wasn't our deal, brat." Naruto shook his head.
"That's why I'm asking boss. I'm not trying to jump ship. This is just to celebrate something we've been working on for a while. It's not like you'll be losing much anyways." He saw the frown on his boss's face and hurried to continue. "I mean, it's been boring as hell for the last two days. I sold maybe a half a dozen models in that entire time. If you're really worried about me ditching, then I'll cover the costs."
"So, this celebration really means that much to you, huh?" He sighed and closed his eyes for a few moments in thought before a smirk reappeared on his face.
"You know, Kaoru's been nagging me about hanging with his 'nii-san' for a while," he said. "Since tomorrow's Children's Day and all, why don't you just bring him along with you?"
"Wait, what?!" Naruto said. "How did Kaoru get into this?" Iwai frowned.
"I've got… an 'appointment' I'd like to take care of tomorrow, and I can't take him with me. If you can take him along though, then I'll let you take the day off and I'll pay for Kaoru's entry. Not a bad deal, right?" He gave Naruto a knowing look. "So, what's it going to be, brat?"
Thursday, May 5, 20XX
Afternoon
Shibuya Subway Station
"…So that's the situation," he finished explaining to the others. "Sorry about that, everyone." Kaoru stood next to him, looking at each of the others. After one look at the boy's hopeful face, there was no possible way for him to say no. Akira nodded.
"We sprung that on you at the last minute, so it's not like we have any room to talk." He looked at the middle school boy. "Nice to meet you, Kaoru-kun." Kaoru gave a slight bow of his head.
"Thank you for having me, Kurusu-san," he replied. "Sorry for intruding."
"That's alright, Kaoru-kun," Ann said. "The more the merrier!" She gave a soft smile to Kaoru, who blushed a bit. Ryuji tapped his foot impatiently.
"Come on, let's just get to the hotel already! I can't wait to eat some of that freakin' Grade-A Beef!"
"Alright, Ryuji, hold your horses," Naruto said. The group left the station and began walking towards the Wilton Hotel. Kaoru wandered around the group with his eyes darting across all the different scenery, excited to be out and about for once. Naruto made sure to keep him in his sights as he turned to Akira.
"So, where's Morgana?" he asked quietly. "After how excited he was for this, I'm surprised he hasn't spoken up." Akira softly patted his bag, which rumbled a bit.
"I'd rather not have him exposed too early. He agreed to stay hidden until we're seated in the buffet." The curly haired teen glanced around. "So, have you guys been seeing the news on TV about Kamoshida?"
"Yeah, dude! It's been crazy!" Ryuji said. A large grin grew on his face. "I knew we'd cause a scene by makin' him confess, but I didn't think it'd get this big!" Ann furrowed her eyebrows.
"Maybe too big," she said. "I heard some police were coming to our school to ask questions. With all the rumors going about, I wouldn't be surprised if our names come up." Naruto sighed.
"Damn it, and I really can't afford any more exposure," he muttered. He looked at Ann, who was looking a bit worried.
"Starting to regret keeping that bastard alive?" Ann shook his head.
"Not a chance. It's so much better for him to feel the crushing guilt and beg for forgiveness for the rest of his life." A dark smirk appeared on her face. Having to bear that weight for as long as he lives…death would probably be kinder." Naruto's eyebrows rose.
"Remind me never to get on Ann's bad side," he thought to himself.
"Damn…" Ryuji was equally in awe. "Still, we've actually got people hyped up! I've been hearin' people talk about how 'the Phantom Thieves actually stole his heart!'" Akira frowned.
"Maybe, but I can't see most people believing in such a tall tale, even if it's true. I'm still coming to terms with it myself."
"Yeah, but there are a few grateful ones too." Ryuji pulled out his phone and scrolled through a few things before holding it up to the others. Naruto and the others looked at the screen.
"The Phantom Aficionado Website?" Ann read aloud.
"Wait, we already have a fan following?" Naruto said. "It's only been three days!" He scanned the contents of the page. The website was obviously taking its color motif and style from Ryuji's calling card, with red, black, and white being the predominant colors. There were a few posts of people expressing thanks to the Phantom Thieves for what they'd done, but most of them were just people arguing over whether they existed.
"It kinda feels weird seeing people be so grateful. I was just trying to deal with my own problems," Ann admitted. Naruto felt a tug on his sleeve and looked to see Kaoru looking at him curiously.
"Hey, Naruto-nii-san, what are you guys talking about?" he asked. "I heard you guys mentioned something about a phantom?" The others froze for a moment as they hadn't realized Kaoru had been listening.
"We were talking about some lame ghost story that popped up at school recently," Naruto lied smoothly. "A lot of people were making a big fuss about it on a site." Kaoru's eyes widened.
"Wow, is your school really haunted?" he asked.
"No way, it's probably just a stupid prank," he replied. The Uzumaki had to suppress an involuntary shiver at the mere thought of actual ghosts.
"Kami, I hope there aren't any," he thought to himself. Suddenly Ann pointed at a pristine looking skyscraper.
"Hey, there's the Wilton Hotel!" she said. She began running toward it. "Come on, let's hurry up!"
The group entered the hotel and rode the elevator to the floor with the buffet. Tables lined with ritzy décor and posh-looking delicacies dotted the landscape as men in suits and ties and women in formal wear shuffled around, talking amongst themselves. Each of them was dressed in outfits that Naruto bet were worth more than all of their clothes combined. Kohta looked around at the gourmet dishes, his eyes almost literally sparkling.
"Wow, I've never seen anything like this before!" he said in awe.
"Damn, this is pretty fancy," Naruto agreed. "No wonder it's costing an arm and a leg." The attendant noticed the group and walked over to them.
"I'm sorry, did you happen to get lost?" he asked a bit curtly. Naruto frowned. Ann frowned.
"No, we've come here for the hour-length Golden buffet," she explained. The attendant was taken aback for a moment. He quickly scoped out their attire and frowned.
"I'm afraid this is may be a bit tad…expensive for your tastes. It's eight thousand yen a person, and we do not have 'youth' discounts." Naruto narrowed his eyes.
"This should be enough then, right?" Naruto took out four ten-thousand-yen bills and handed them to the attendant. He had to bite his lip and keep a passive look as the attendant actually examined the bills for a bit, no doubt to check for counterfeit. After a couple moments, he looked suspiciously at the group, but nodded.
"Right this way then, please." He quickly led the group to a small table on the edge of the room. "Please be mindful of the other patrons," he said. "They will not be very appreciative of excessive noise." Ryuji's face contorted with anger as he began to step forward, but Akira stepped between them.
"Thank you for the warning sir," he replied calmly. "We will strive to be mindful of our surroundings."
"Please see that you do." The attendant gave them a curt bow of his head. "Your hour will end at 1:30 PM. Please enjoy Wilton's excellent cuisine." He stiffly shuffled back to the entrance.
"What a stuck-up snob," Ryuji muttered. "We have a right to eat here as well." As soon as Akira placed down his bag Morgana's head burst out of the bag.
"Whew!" he exclaimed. "Couldn't you guys have gotten there any faster?" he said.
"Shh, keep it down, Morgana!" Naruto hissed. "We don't want to get thrown out of here before we even get a chance to eat anything!" Kaoru's locked eyes on the black and white feline.
"Is that…a cat?" he asked in confusion.
"I'm not a cat…" Morgana muttered. Akira ignored his grumbling and nodded.
"I adopted him recently. He likes to sneak into my bag sometimes. He must have hidden in there without me noticing," he said smoothly. Naruto nodded, somewhat impressed with Akira's spontaneous answer. He glanced at Kaoru.
"We can't exactly take him back now. Think you can help us keep him a secret, Kaoru?" Kaoru nodded.
"Sure thing, Naruto-nii-san!" he replied. The Uzumaki grinned.
"Thanks Kaoru," he said. "Now, we let's hurry up and get us some grub before our hour is up!" Ann's eyes widened.
"Shoot that's right! We're on a time limit. I've got to hurry up if I'm going to make it through the all the cakes!" She dashed off to the dessert table.
"Damn it, there's too many Grade-A Beef dishes!" Ryuji also zipped away, leaving just Akira, Morgana, Naruto, and Kaoru and all of their belongings. Akira sighed.
"Go ahead Naruto. Morgana and I can wait with our stuff until someone gets back," he said. "You and Kaoru-kun should go ahead and grab some food." Naruto nodded.
"Thanks a lot, Akira!" he said. Kaoru nodded as well.
"Thank you, Kurusu-san!" he agreed. Kaoru quickly scurried off to the nearest table, with Naruto following close behind. The blond was acutely aware of the disdainful gazes the other guests sending their way.
"Hmph, how did such rabble manage to get into this place. I thought this was an exclusive restaurant," one gentlemen muttered.
"He certainly seems like the wild type, what with those garish whisker marks on his cheeks," another lady commented. "And he's certainly well built too. Perhaps he's some sort of gigolo?" Naruto's eyes narrowed a bit. He tuned out their snide remarks as he and Kaoru checked out the spread of succulent looking meats. Kaoru's eyes shimmered with unbridled excitement as he looked at the assortment of expensive delicacies.
"Wow, nii-san!" he said. "Thank you for letting me come with you and your friends." The young boy quickly grabbed a plate and began loading it with anything that caught his fancy. Naruto grinned.
"It's no biggie, Kaoru. Sorry I haven't been around at all recently; I've been kinda busy doing some stuff with my friends." Naruto began filling a plate for himself as well, choosing whatever looked good. "So how have things been for you, Kaoru? Everything good with school?" The boy nodded.
"Yeah, tou-san's been helping me out a lot with some of the projects." Kaoru rolled his eyes. "He's hopeless with the science stuff though." Naruto chuckled.
"That sounds like the boss alright. Of course, I'm no genius either. Ugh, why the hell do I need to know how to balance the chemical equation for creating salt?" Kaoru giggled a bit. The two continued to make their way throughout the various selections available in the buffet, talking about different things. As they were finishing up at the dessert table, Naruto's overheard a balding, pudgy middle-aged gentleman talking with a younger person.
"I'm telling you Takeshi-san, with all these psychotic breakdowns and such, you can't seem believe anyone anymore. That Kamoshida fellow is just another prime example."
"Agreed sir," the younger man agreed. "It is truly a shame to see such a notable person be revealed as corrupt."
"No, the shame is that he got cowed by those silly Phantom Thieves or whatever and threw himself out in the open."
"Indeed sir." The young man nodded vigorously. The balding businessman snorted.
"Stealing hearts, what idiocy. Still, it makes for an interesting story at least."
"Of course sir," his subordinate chirped. Naruto resisted the urge to scowl.
"So people aren't even taking this seriously?" he thought in irritation. "Damn it, what's it going to take to shake these rich snobs up?" He realized the older businessman had noticed him and was giving him a disdainful glance. Naruto promptly glared back, his eyes flashing with annoyance. The portly man gulped and quickly shuffled off, followed by his yes man. Naruto turned back to Kaoru, who was desperately looking for somewhere on his overloaded plate to add another custard-filled pastry. He raised an eyebrow.
"Think you can eat all of that Kaoru?" he asked. "I don't want the boss to yell at me tomorrow because you're complaining of a stomach ache." Kaoru scowled and pouted a bit.
"Naruto-nii-san, I'll be fine." The blond shrugged.
"If you say so. Anyway, come on; let's get back to our table. We only have so much time to eat." The two made their way back to their table. Ryuji was gorging himself on a small mountain containing probably every dish on the meat table. Meanwhile, Ann was digging through the first of a multitude of confections.
"Mmm," she squealed blissfully, "this cake is sooo good!"
"Mph, yeah, and this beef is fuckin' incredible," Ryuji said in between scarfing bites of Wagyu beef tips. Morgana was looking between the two in disbelief.
"We're at a super high-class buffet which we'll probably never get to go to again, and all you guys want to do is eat meat and cake?!" the feline exclaimed.
"Hey, at least we tried to get you something," Ryuji replied. Akira looked down at the strange bean stew mixture and grapefruit tart.
"Um, thanks for the thought, but I'm just going to get something for myself now," the curly haired teen said standing up.
"Yeah, Akira, let's get some real food instead." Morgana hopped in his bag. Kaoru looked to Naruto in a little bit of confusion.
"Kurusu-san's cat seems…really expressive," he said. Naruto could help but laugh a bit.
"You don't know the half of it." He sat down at the table. "Come on Kaoru, let's dig in!"
"Damn, I think I went overboard with that third piece of prime rib," Ryuji groaned.
"Pretty sure that happened with the eighth beef strip," Akira said wryly. He patted his stomach. "Not that I have any space to point fingers." Kaoru moaned a bit. He was leaning against the side of the booth they were sitting at.
"Ugh, too much." Naruto shook his head.
"I warned you. You barely got through half of your plate. I had to come in and help you out." Ann raised an eyebrow.
"Now that I think about it, you probably ate the most of anyone here," she commented. "How come you seem to be ok?"
"I've always had a pretty large stomach and high metabolism," Naruto replied. "Just one of the many perks of being awesome. You should see me with ramen!" He sighed. "Not that this place had any. Come on, fancy ramen is the best!" Everyone stopped and stared at Naruto for a few moments in stunned silence.
"Well, good for you," Akira said finally. "I think I've gotta use the restroom."
"Same here," Ryuji agreed.
"I think I'll come as well, then." Naruto added. "This bandage has been itching me a bit." He looked at his charge. "How about you, Kaoru?" The boy sluggishly shook his head.
"I think I just wanna lie here for a bit, nii-san," the boy replied. Morgana stretched a bit.
"And I'll stay here with Lady Ann," the feline said. Naruto shrugged.
"Alright. Hey Ann, mind watching over him for me?" She nodded hesitantly.
"Um, sure thing, Naruto-kun." The blond beamed at her.
"Thanks Ann! You're a lifesaver." Ann blushed a bit and looked away.
"I-it's no big deal. Just go ahead and hurry; I don't want them trying to kick us out while you're gone." Naruto gave her a thumbs up and followed after Akira and Ryuji.
"Ugh, at least I feel better now," Ryuji grunted on their way back to the elevator. "I still can't believe that the bathroom on the buffet floor were down for cleaning and we had to come all the way to this floor."
"With how much meat you stuffed your face with, I really shouldn't be surprised how much you vomited," Akira said. He smirked a bit. "I'm sure the hotel would be in tears if they knew how much Wagyu beef had just been flushed down the drain." Naruto chuckled.
"Maybe I can ask the hotel for a refund, then. I'm pretty sure Ryuji just puked up everything he ate." Akira nodded, smirking a bit. Ryuji sent them a half-hearted glare.
"Ugh, can you get off my back?" he asked. They got to the elevator and pushed the button to go down. Ryuji frowned. "Um, anybody remember what floor we were just on? I completely forgot."
"I think it's Floor 14?" Akira replied. Naruto shook his head.
"No, it's on Floor 17." The former ninja had long developed the habit of always memorizing his position relative to his target. Akira raised an eyebrow, his curiosity apparent.
"You sound pretty sure of yourself Naruto," he commented.
"I just remember reading it on the directory map in the lobby, that's all," Naruto said quickly. He chuckled a bit nervously. As they waited for the elevator to arrive with a couple other people behind them, Naruto noticed a small group of four black suited individuals advancing towards the elevator, surrounding a bald man and another younger bland-looking man. Beneath their suits, he could make out their defined builds, with muscles that were certainly not built for office work.
"Bodyguards," he realized. As Naruto paid more attention, he noticed they were subtly positioned to allow at least one of them to be able to react to something from any direction. On top of that, on more than one occasion he spotted a slight bulge beneath their suit jackets as they walked, most likely from a concealed gun. "These guys are no slouch. These are the kind of guards only high-ranking members of the Daimyo's court would have," he determined.
Naruto examined their ward, the bald man. He was rather tall for a Japanese man, with a goatee and tinted glasses. His suit looked completely immaculate, complimented by a golden watch, and a signet ring on his finger. Every step the man took exuded confidence. Overall there was an exceeding air of refinement and class that seemed more impressive than practically anyone Naruto had ever seen, which was no small feat. The man's face was shaped in an irritated glare as he conversed with the fidgety man next to him.
"I don't care if it seems trivial to you," he heard the man growl in a commanding voice. "I didn't hire you for your opinion, I hired you do what I say, when I say it. Now keep looking into the situation!"
"Y-yes sir," the man beside him replied, cowing a bit. When the bald man's group arrived at the elevator, the other people behind Naruto, Ryuji, and Akira backed away quickly. However, the bodyguards didn't stop, pushing the trio aside as they took the front. Ryuji stumbled back a bit before glaring at them.
"Hey, there's already a line here!" he said. "You can't just cut to the front!" One of the bodyguards turned to look at Naruto's group with a dismissive glance.
"Did you need something?" he asked in a low voice. His large build towered over Akira and Ryuji, only matched by Naruto. Akira glared at them, but didn't say anything. His eyes seemed to be focused on the bald man.
"I believe we were standing here first," Naruto said. The bodyguard glanced at him for a moment.
"We're in a hurry," he replied.
"And that makes it okay to shaft the rest of us?" Ryuji said angrily. The bald man didn't bother to turn and look at them.
"Apparently this establishment's client base has fallen since I was last here," he said offhandedly. "It was hardly a hangout for teenage nuisances."
"What was that?" Ryuji said. Naruto narrowed his eyes as well. Just then, the elevator pinged, opening its doors. As Ryuji tried to move into the elevator, the bodyguard in front of them moved to shove him out of the way. However, Naruto sidestepped into the way, stopping Ryuji. With his free hand, he stopped the incoming palm. He could see the surprise in the man's eyes as he resisted being pushed back. This drew a look of alarm from the other body guards and a calculating look from the bald man. Before any of them could advance Naruto stepped back.
"There's no need to get shove-y," he said calmly. "If you're really that impatient, then go ahead." His eyes narrowed a bit. "Just don't forget to ask next time." The bald man stared at Naruto for a while before proceeding into the elevator.
"Hurry up, we don't have time to waste with them," he said to the bodyguard, who was still staring at Naruto.
"Yes sir," he replied. After the elevator closed, Ryuji turned to Naruto.
"Thanks for that," he replied. "I can't stand jerks like that! He didn't even try to pretend like he wasn't lookin' his nose down at everyone."
"I got that," Naruto murmured. "But it's best next time not to get into it. That bald guy was definitely a lot more powerful than you think." Ryuji continued scowling for a moment before sighing.
"Fine, I'll try to be a bit more careful," he replied. He clicked the down button again to summon another elevator. He glanced at Akira, who was still staring off at where that bald man had been standing. His face was contorted in concentration. "Yo, Akira, something wrong?" Akira looked up with a start. He quickly shook his head.
"N-no, I'm…fine," he stumbled. He held a hand to his head. "Just feeling a little dizzy. Anyway, hopefully Ann isn't too annoyed with us for taking so long." Naruto nodded, thinking it was just some memory.
"I'm sure Morgana is happy to be getting some alone time with her at least," he said chuckling. "He's probably trying to climb into her lap."
When the group arrived back at their table, Kaoru was snoozing, laid out in the booth. His head rested in Ann's lap as she absently played with his hair. Morgana looked on from Akira's bag. Naruto could practically hear the feline's teeth grinding as he looked on enviously. Before Ann could react, Naruto took a picture with his phone. "Priceless," he whispered. Ann looked up at the click and glared at them.
"What took you all so long?" she muttered. "We've only got like ten minutes left here."
"Sorry Ann; we got a bit held up," Akira replied. "You seem to be looking at home though." He gave her a knowing smirk. Ann blushed a bit.
"I just didn't want him to be resting on this hard seat," she said quickly. "For being such a posh place, their seats aren't that comfortable."
"Lucky bastard," Naruto heard Morgana hiss under his breath.
"Riiiiiight," Ryuji said. A shit-eating grin was on his face.
"Really!" she persisted. Seeing that none of them were believing her, she sighed and leaned back. Naruto and the others sat back down at the table. "I got a lot of disapproving looks from the adults around here while you were gone," she explained. "I couldn't help but feel really out of place."
"Hey, we paid for this meal like everyone else," Naruto said. "If they want to have a problem with us, then too bad!" Ann nodded.
"Thanks Naruto-kun," she said. After a moment of silence, Ryuji cleared his throat.
"Hey, Morgana," he said quietly. "What happened to Kamoshida with the whole Palace thing…it can't just be him, right?" The feline stopped sulking and turned to him.
"That's correct," he replied. "Anyone with a strong, distorted desire could develop a Palace."
"So, we could do the same thing we did to him?" Ryuji continued. "Steal their Treasure and make 'em have a change of heart?" Morgana nodded. Ann pursed her lips.
"Where did this come from?" she asked.
"I was just thinking. We were dealin' with another shithead on the way back. Thought he was so better than the rest of us. I was wonderin' if we could change people like him too." Both Akira and Ann's head jerked towards him. Naruto's reaction wasn't nearly as overt, but he was still taken aback.
"So you want to continue our work as Phantom Thieves?" Akira asked. Ryuji nodded.
"We really pushed it tryin' to change Kamoshida's heart, but nobody really believes we exist. And we actually made a difference for those guys could just had to deal with it. They're even thankin' us!"
"You mean on that Phan-site thing?" Naruto asked. Ryuji grinned and nodded.
"That is kind of unexpected," Akira agreed. "But still…" The group sat in silence for a few seconds, looking down.
"My chakra only came back when I went to the Metaverse," Naruto thought to himself. "It's gotta have something to do with why it's locked. Not to mention Kurama and Saiken's new abilities. They're not the same as they once were. The only way I'm going to find my answers is to continue. Not to mention, I was really able to change someone's heart…" He mentally shook his head. "Anyway, I'm down for it, but I definitely can't do it alone." He looked up at the others. "I'm going to need their help." Ann was the first to look up.
"I…agree," he said. Her jaw set as she became more convinced. "I don't want to go back to being the same girl who was able to ignore someone else in trouble." Morgana perked up.
"Well, you guys are my pupils as phantom thieves." He grinned. "I'm sure we can accomplish anything we set our minds too!"
"Awesome! You're all right for a cat!" Ryuji said with a grin. Naruto noticed Morgana about to open his mouth to refute him as always, but stop midway and look down, his whiskers drooping a bit. Ryuji was oblivious to this as he eagerly turned to look at Akira.
"Well? What do you think, Akira?" he asked. The curly-haired teen closed his eyes.
"I guess…I've always wanted to be able to make a difference somehow," he said slowly. "While I certainly never dreamed of being able to steal people's desires and change their hearts, if that means I can actually help out people tough..."
"Wait a sec," Ann said. "Does that mean we'll have to fight Shadows again?" Morgana nodded his head.
"There's no escaping them in the Metaverse," he said. Naruto grinned.
"Then I guess it's a good thing you've got me along for the ride then!" The others looked at him. "What, you thought I would miss this? Someone's got to watch your back in battle." He crossed his arms. "Plus, I really can't ignore this now either."
"Then I guess we're all in then," Morgana said. "Though you might still be fledgling phantom thieves, there's no denying we're now a real organization now!"
"Fledglings?" Ann repeated. She giggled. "That actually kinda fits us." Ryuji pumped his fist.
"Alright! Look out world! We're gonna show all these stupid adults and make sure the world knows who we are!"
"Shh! Keep it down Ryuji," Ann said. "We don't want to wake Kaoru-kun!" Ryuji settled down and looked sheepishly at her. Ann sighed and turned to Naruto and Akira.
"So, which one of you is going to be the leader?" she asked. Naruto's eyes widened almost impossibly. That was the last thing he was expecting. Akira had a similar expression.
"Wait, what?" they said together.
"Oh, good idea, Ann!" Ryuji said. "I'm totally bad with the whole responsibility stuff."
"Again, what?" Akira repeated.
"Hey, don't I have a say in this?" Morgana said. "But I'll go along with it since it's Lady Ann's recommendation."
"Can you guys please hold on a sec?!" Naruto said. The others stopped and looked at him.
"Yes," Akira chimed in. "Why exactly do you think one of us should lead?" Ann shrugged.
"Well, you both had a pretty good grasp on how to do things throughout the infiltration," she explained.
"Lady Ann's right," Morgana said. "We wouldn't have made it through Kamoshida's dungeon without Akira's incredible intuition and Naruto's excellent attention to detail."
"Yeah! Not to mention you guys are totally the best fighters," Ryuji agreed. "Between Akira's ability to snag Shadows and use them, and Naruto's different Personas and sweet skills, it's gotta be one of you guys." Naruto and Akira looked at each other.
"I'd rather defer to you," Akira said. "You are certainly savvier with the infiltration and battle aspects." Naruto shook his head quickly. He wasn't really keen on adding more to his work load, not to mention his very mixed feelings about being responsible for leading a team of fledglings. No, it was better that Akira got the position. He turned to the curly-haired teen.
"Don't sell yourself short, Akira," he said. "You were the one who got this ball rolling in the first place. That crazy intuition of yours definitely makes you a great candidate." Akira grinned ruefully. He seemed to have picked up on Naruto's hesitation.
"I guess…we could do it together?" he offered. "It wouldn't hurt after all to have a second opinion on things." Naruto thought about it for a moment before shrugging.
"I suppose there's no good way for me to completely refuse, especially since the others know my skills," he thought to himself. He nodded. "Sounds good to me," he agreed. "So what are we going to call ourselves then? Are we still going with the 'Phantom Thieves of Hearts?'"
"Nah, it's gotta be something cooler than that," Ryuji said.
"It sure definitely be something that sounds exotic and fancy," Ann said. "Ooh, how about, 'the Diamonds?'" Ryuji shook his head.
"No way, sounds like some little league team," he replied. "How about…" Before he could give his suggestion, Naruto spotted the attendant from before approaching their table.
"Looks like we'll have to pick this up another time; we've got company," he told everyone. "Morgana, get back in the bag." The feline nodded and disappeared into Akira's bag, but not before giving Naruto an unreadable glance. Akira stood up and looked at the attendant. "Is there something wrong?"
"I'm sorry, but it appears as though your hour is up," he said stiffly. "I must ask you to please leave the dining area, unless you are prepared to pay for another hour." Naruto frowned.
He lightly tapped on Kaoru's cheek. "Come on Kaoru; time to split." Kaoru sat up and yawned sleepily.
"OK, nii-san," he mumbled. The group grabbed their belongings. The attended escorted them to the entrance of the buffet. He gave the group a stiff bow. "We hope you enjoyed your experience at the Wilton Buffet." A small, near-mocking smirk appeared on his face. "We look forward to you dining with us in the future." Naruto scowled.
"I'll bet you do," he muttered. As the group walked back to the station, Ryuji leaned into the others. "So, I guess we're saving the rest of our conversation for school tomorrow?" he whispered.
"It seems so," Akira agreed. He frowned a bit. "We also have yet to figure out how we're going to find another target." Naruto noticed Morgana was about to say something, but ultimately kept his maw shut.
"Wonder what's eating him?" he thought to himself. He shook his head. "Hopefully we'll figure that out soon enough." The group soon arrived at the station. "Alright, I'll be taking Kaoru home now. I'll see you guys tomorrow then."
Evening
Iwai's Apartment
Naruto was surfing the news on the couch when Iwai walked into the apartment.
"Hey brat," he said. "Where's Kaoru?" Naruto jerked a thumb towards the bedroom.
"He's taking a nap right now. He practically ate himself into a food coma," he replied. He sniffed a bit, smelling the pungent scent of antiseptic and medical supplies wafting from his boss. He grinned a bit. "How was your 'appointment?'" he asked. Iwai smirked a bit and hung up his coat.
"Heh; it went pretty well, all things considered." He sat down next to Naruto on the couch and looked at the blond. "So, did Kaoru enjoy himself?" Naruto nodded.
"I'm pretty sure he did. I've rarely ever seen him so excited." Iwai frowned.
"I see…" he muttered. He chuckled a bit as he unwrapped a sucker. "It must have been a blast for him to go eat at some fancy buffet instead of some diner with this old man." Naruto scowled a bit.
"Hey, don't sell yourself short, Iwai," he said. "I'm sure Kaoru would have been even more excited if you'd been the one taking him. It doesn't even have to be that fancy either. As long as you make it special for him, I'm sure he'll be just as stoked." Iwai looked up at him in surprise.
"Is that so?" he said. The grizzled man chuckled a bit. "I'll have to remember that then. You know Naruto, for someone who claimed not to have any parents, you can give some good advice sometimes. Still, I'll probably ask you to watch over him occasionally. Having a dad is nice, but there are some things only someone closer to his age can do." Naruto nodded.
"Sure thing, boss!" he replied." Once again, in the back of Naruto's mind, another chain link broke. He got up and stretched. "Alright, I'm gonna head back to the shop and crash. I've got school to worry about tomorrow. Tell Kaoru we'll hang out again soon."
"Will do, brat," Iwai replied. He smirked. "Glad you're taking school seriously. Would hate for my favor to go to waste." Naruto rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah boss," he said as he strolled towards the door.
Whew, finally finished. As you can see, I'm trying something new with this chapter and trying to tackle multiple days at once, with the idea of trying to cut down on some of the unneeded fluff. Again, I'm sorry this took so long. Between the computer crash and the length of this chapter, it's been a bit crazy. However, I do have some good news. I'm already a decent bit into the next chapter, which also brings in Mementos and more fights. I'm also adding some new content and am majorly changing how the Mementos missions will go down, which I think a lot of you will enjoy. However, right now, I'm at Gen Con and have some work to do for a D&D session, so I'll be a bit delayed on fully diving into the chapter. I am trying to return to at least biweekly releases, so HOPEFULLY no more long stretches.
Thanks again for reading this chapter! I'm extremely grateful for all of the many followers, reviews, and favorites I've gained in the year I've now been doing this. As always, read and review, and PMs are welcome!