Sorry for the late update! I'm in the middle of finals and have no energy welp.
-5/6, FRIDAY, EARLY MORNING, SUBWAY
As usual, both Akira and Airi were squished together on the crowded train as they made their way to school. It was packed with adults coming back from Golden Week, grumbling about their short vacations. Akira hugged his bag to himself, making sure to not hold it too tightly or else Morgana would yell at him.
Airi held onto Akira's shoulder for balance, checking her phone for news and announcements. She had another nightmare again last night, that man's face flashing behind her eyelids as his hands tightened. She didn't want to remember anymore. All she could do was try to be like Rui, to live up to her legacy. Too bad today was going to be another long day.
"I wish I had money. I'd kill for a real breakfast…" A broke-ass college student groaned from a few feet away, gripping onto the safety pole.*
"What about Big Bang Burger? The one on Central Street is holding a contest right now." Their energetic classmate suggested. "The Big Bang Challenge or whatever. If you go at night, you can eat for only ¥500."
"You gotta eat one of their giant burgers though, right? How can anyone actually finish that?" The broke ass college student replied. "Still...¥500 is a steal."
Airi tilted her head curiously. "Maybe you should go try it out." She murmured to Akira.
"I bet giving that a go will increase your guts." Morgana added, voice muffled by the fabric.
Akira huffed. "Maybe. I'd probably conquer it." He smirked jokingly.
The train stopped and slid its door open, and they made their way through the sea of people.
Feeling eyes on her back, Airi stopped and turned around. She peered through the crowd, trying to find who was staring at her but no one seemed to be paying attention to her. Who..?
"Is something wrong?" Akira asked, looking back at her questioningly.
She bit her lip. "...No. It's nothing." Turning around, they continued on their way to school.
"Like it was last week, there still isn't a gym teacher." Kawakami-sensei began, the class listening intently. "Instead of having Kimisawa-chan supervise you today, I'm supposed to give you some guidance." She took a deep breath. "The gist is, don't go around talking about the incident. That's all." She announced shortly. "The police are still investigating Kamoshida-sensei, so I can't say anything myself."
She sighed heavily, looking as if she aged several years. "As a teacher though, I'm ashamed for not having noticed that a student was suffering like that...I'm not defending him, but as a colleague, he just seemed like...well, a normal person." She reasoned. "Honestly, it still doesn't feel real. I guess people can have multiple sides to them…"
Airi frowned slightly, looking at the older woman sympathetically. It's not like it was her fault that Kamoshida chose to abuse his rights as a teacher.
"The teachers have it rough, huh..?" Morgana whispered pityingly and Akira pursed his lips.
"Oh yeah." Kawakami-sensei perked up. "I just remembered something I learned about psychology. They say that humans have several different personalities hidden in their subconscious." She explained to the class.
"Different personalities..?" Morgana frowned thoughtfully.
"Oh, to be clear, I'm not talking about multiple personality disorder." Kawakami-sensei continued. "These different personalities can be a different gender or different age from you. I mean, if you think about how gods and monsters in myths were first based on the human image…" She crossed her arms. "If you actually saw one of those personalities with your own eyes, it might look like a monster."
Akira raised his brows. It actually sounded like she was talking about Shadows. The way they looked nothing like their human counterparts, but were from the very hearts of people. How interesting. He glanced over at Airi, who had her eyes narrowed in concentration. It looked like she was thinking the exact same thing.
"Hm?" Kawakami-sensei looked at the class in surprise. "You all seem more alert than usual." She remarked, smiling modestly. "Did I say something wrong?"
"No, Sensei. It was just very interesting." Airi reassured, giving her an encouraging smile.
The teacher ran a hand through her curly brown hair. "Well, I'm just saying what I've heard. It feels like I just now understood what I learned long ago." She shrugged.
Morgana swished its tail inside Akira's desk. "Subconscious personalities...It's a fascinating topic, and it has a lot to do with us. That teacher's surprisingly smart, huh?" It remarked quietly.
Akira lowered his eyes, nodding slightly. 'It feels like gaining that knowledge made me a bit smarter…' He rubbed the back of his neck. Maybe they should look into psychology too.
Packing her books back into her bag for now and leaving Akira's bento on his desk, Airi walked up to Mishima who was fiddling with his phone, unaware of her approach. "Mishima-kun?" She called out softly. 'I should ask about that site…'
His head shot up and he almost fell out of his chair. "Huh?! Oh, Senpai…" He breathed out in relief, clutching his chest.
She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry for startling you. You don't have to call me Senpai, you know." She shook her head. "Anyway, I wanted to ask how you were? Since Kamoshida's arrest, I haven't had time to talk to you…" She looked down guiltily.
He looked at her hesitantly. "Well...I'm OK now. All the bruises are gone." He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "...My parents didn't care though. They were angry that I won't be able to put the volleyball tournament on my college application anymore..." He looked down resignedly. "But that's not much of a surprise…"
Airi looked at him in horror, covering her mouth. What was with these terrible parents? "That's horrible of them...I'm so sorry, Mishima-kun." She whispered sorrowfully. "If there's anything I can do to help, please tell me, OK? I want to be there for you." She promised determinedly. "The book you gave me on my birthday really helped me and I want to help you, too."
Blushing brightly, he shook his head rapidly. "No, Senpai! I-I don't want to worry you even more. You already have a lot to do what with being a phan-" He covered his mouth.
She gave him an odd look. "A fan…? A fan of what?" She looked at him curiously. 'Was he going to call me a phantom thief?' She furrowed her brows slightly.
Mishima opened and closed his mouth several times. "A fan of...Niijima-senpai, of course..!" He stuttered nervously.
She blinked. "Um, I suppose…" She coughed. "Well, don't worry about worrying me. Your worries are my concern too." She smiled reassuringly. "I am your class president."
Hesitantly, he nodded. "OK…" He agreed, a blush covering his face.
"Airi!"
Looking up, she saw Akira was gesturing for her to come out of the classroom.
She nodded and waved, indicating she got his message. "Well, I'll leave you to your lunch. Remember, you can tell me anything, OK? I'll do my best to help." She smiled again before maneuvering her way through the desks and out of the room. 'I'll ask him later…'
Turning around the corner, she saw Ryuji and Ann were also there next to the stairwell. "What's up?"
They crowded around Ryuji's phone, opened to a certain website. "It ain't much, but we've been gettin' more postings on the Phantom Aficionado website." He grinned and read some of the posts. "'I want to make my friend apologize for not returning the stuff I lent him.' Ugh, deal with that yourself!" He rolled his eyes.
Hearing the door to their classroom slide open, Ann looked up and frowned. "Hey, those girls…"
Airi turned around and saw two girls from their class, Ando and Fujiwara, standing a few feet away, having not noticed the group standing just a few feet away. They turned their heads to listen as the two began to gossip in the hallway, their voices carrying down the hall.
"You know that phantom thieves rumor about stealing Kamoshida's heart? I wonder if it's true." Fujiwara wondered, playing with the hem of her blazer.
Ando rolled her eyes. "It's got to be made up. Do you seriously believe they exist?" She asked skeptically.
"But look at what happened to Kamoshida." Fujiwara argued.
"He probably just couldn't keep hiding it after that girl tried to kill herself." Ando commented callously, flipping her hair.
Fujiwara hummed. "Yeah, you might be right. I guess there's no way they really exist."
Ando crossed her arms. "Most importantly, it seriously sucks that our school is gonna be known for stuff like this!" She complained. "It was bad enough that Kurusu came here, and now this?"
"Yeah, he's scary. I worry he might hurt Kimisawa-senpai." Fujiwara bit her lip. "I wonder if this will affect our college entrance…" The two walked away, not noticing the five pairs of eyes glued to their backs.
Airi frowned. "How rude..." She looked at the two departing girls with disappointment and glanced at Akira who looked on with a blank face. The class was still wary of the transfer even though he hadn't done anything and she was getting so sick of it. Couldn't they see how kind and polite he was?
Ann nodded in agreement, scowling at how heartless they were.
Akira shifted his balance, sighing silently. Whatever...He didn't want to say anything but he was getting sick of people talking shit about him. Of course they would keep mentioning how amazing it was that Airi could tolerate him, and it only dampened his mood.
Ryuji shrugged it off. "That's prolly a normal reaction for now, but...they'll see soon enough!" He advocated weakly. "If we can take care of two or three famous guys, people'll have to believe we exist." He grinned.
Ann crossed her arms. "So about those big shots...We don't have any leads yet, right?" She voiced hesitantly. "Plus there's that rumor about you two threatening Kamoshida too…" She trailed off.
"Maybe we should just do some research for now, check the Aficionado site a bit?" Airi suggested with a shrug.
Morgana popped out of the bag. "Looks like you'll just have to live a normal, honest school life for the time being." The feline gave them a stern look. "Still, make sure you stay prepared just in case anything comes up, all right?"
"I'll keep an eye out for info on any big shots that might be comin' around." Ryuji proclaimed eagerly.
"And I'll try to dig up some dirt online." Ann added with a smile.
"We went and formed the Phantom Thieves group, but we can't even find a target.." Ryuji rubbed his head, putting his phone away.
Airi sweatdropped. "There, there…" She patted his back comfortingly.
He sighed. "I guess sometimes things just don't go the way we want 'em to…"
Akira checked his phone. "Lunch is almost over. We should eat." He suggested quietly.
They nodded and headed back, Airi making sure to hand the extra bento to Ryuji.
In the middle of Hiruta-sensei's lecture, three phones buzzed. They took their phones out discreetly.
R: The police are really here...I saw 'em at the entrance.
An:I saw them too! They were talking to the teachers!
Ai: If any of them approach you, don't say anything weird, OK?
R: Got it.
R: But that change of heart thing is seriously amazing, huh?!
An: I hope they don't find out we're responsible...
Ai: Keep calm and look innocent.
R: I'm pretty sure we'll be fine. There's no proof it was us.
Ak: We don't need to worry.
An: You sound sure of yourself…
An: But I mean, haven't rumors been going around about how you guys threatened Kamoshida?
Ai: Oh, yeah…
Ai: Well, I don't think anyone would mention that to the police.
Ai: School pride and all that.
R: Yeah, I doubt the cops would believe rumors.
R: Plus, this world's Kamoshida shouldn't know anything about what actually happened to him.
An: Still…
R: We did what was right. Don't go freaking out over some label.
An: I guess that's true…
Ai: It'll pass. Just believe in us.
R: Man, I really can't wait to keep living this double life!
Ai: Don't let it get to your head. You have to improve your grades.
R: Yes, mom...
R: All right, Akira! We're gonna be counting on you!
Once the last bell rang, most of the students got up and left, leaving school for home. Airi sat at her desk, writing down the last notes as well as making sure her schedule for this week was correct. Leaning against his desk, Akira browsed his phone, waiting for her.
Hearing footsteps approaching their side of the classroom, they looked up.
Mishima waved. "...Hey." He greeted, resting his hands in his pockets and stopping in front of the two. "Have you seen that Phantom Aficionado Website?" He asked lightheartedly.
Akira nodded. "I've heard of it." He replied quietly.
Airi perked up. "Oh, right! I was going to ask you earlier, but it completely escaped my mind." She looked up at their classmate who looked back at her questioningly. "You're pretty talented with web design, aren't you? Are you the one who made it?" She inquired. "I remember you did a website for last year's cultural festival."
He rubbed the back of his head bashfully. "Yeah, I'm the one who started it." Moving closer, he was inches away from Akira's face. He tilted his head back, a little creeped out by how close his classmate was.
Airi stared attentively. It was kind of hot, with cool and collected Akira and cute and stammering Mishima...Silently clearing her throat, she glanced away awkwardly, a blush overtaking her cheeks. Don't be a pervert.
"Um..!" Mishima stuttered. "...You guys are the Phantom Thieves, aren't you?" He whispered.
Akira blinked. "What..? Give me some space." He coerced, giving him an odd look.
Mishima blinked, noticing their proximity. "...Sorry." He backed up a bit, embarrassed. "Although...if things really are as I think, I should keep it a secret." He proclaimed quietly, giving them a tiny smile. "Kamoshida used me, and I did some horrible things to you guys." He looked down sullenly.
Airi gave him a concerned look. "Mishima-kun, we don't blame you…"
"Still…" He shook his head. "I still spread your record." He looked at the transfer apologetically. "This isn't much of a way for me to apologize for it…" He crossed his arms, staring at them resolutely. "But if there's anything I can do to help the cause, just let me know!"
Akira blinked. "That's great, but…" He trailed off, looking over at the class president for help.
Airi sweatdropped. "Thank you, Mishima-kun. But we're not the Phantom Thieves. You should announce it on the website so they'd see it." She suggested lightheartedly.
He nodded. "I know you can't admit it." He looked away. "There are many more evil adults outside of Kamoshida." He furrowed his brow in resentment. "But I'm sure the Phantom Thieves will do something...They can't let this end after just one target." He looked back at them with a determined expression. "That's why I wanted to make a forum where people could post their problems. There are probably a lot of people who have high hopes for the Phantom Thieves' next move." He smiled. "So I've also implemented an anonymous poll on the site."
Taking out his phone from his pocket, he animatedly shoved it in front of Akira's face, the screen almost smacking his nose. "'Do you believe in the Phantom Thieves, or not?'" Mishima recited. "I...hope someday my forum is filled with supporting posts. I'd really like to help out in the Phantom Thieves' acts of justice!...Can I, please?" He looked at them with hope filled eyes.
Akira chuckled slightly. "Sounds like fun." He humored his classmate. It would be useful to have someone outside of their team who could give them information, especially the very founder of their...fan site.
Mishima smiled widely. "I'll live up to your expectations...I promise." He swore quietly.
'I sense abundantly high expectations from Mishima…' Akira sweatdropped and nodded.
"Anyway, I have to get going. See you." Mishima waved and ran away.
Once he left the room, Ryuji and Ann entered and walked up to them. "We heard all that." Ryuji stated, resting his thumbs in his pockets. "Geez...It was a little awkward tryin' to figure out when to walk over here."
Ann grasped her chin. "So that forum is Mishima-kun's…" She marveled.
Morgana popped its head out of Akira's bag. "Has he figured out our identities?" It asked, eyes wide with the possibility.
Airi hummed and rested her chin against her palm.. "I think so. I was talking to him earlier and he almost called me a phantom thief."
Ann shrugged. "Even so, I think it'll be fine. He seemed to be playing it cool."
Ryuji deadpanned. "I guess we should have a little chat about this later."
Airi leaned back in her chair, closing her notebook. "Well, if he does know, we should be glad to have him." She smiled. "Since he's the one who made the site, he can reach out to us personally about the problems instead of having us scroll through the posts."
Morgana nodded. "A forum where people can post problems may prove useful to us like that."
They all nodded.
"Anyways, we gotta get lookin' for a new target." Ryuji urged.
"And we need to stay sharp until we manage to find one." Ann added. "Once we do, we'll have to head into another Palace, so we should prep our equipment and-"
"Wait, oh CRAP!" He shouted.
The others jumped at the loud outburst. "What's with you?!" Ann yelped, staring at him with wide eyes and holding a hand to her fast beating heart.
Ryuji looked at them in horror. "D-D-Don't we have an exam comin' up?!" He squawked.
Airi let her head hit against her desk, sighing heavily. Akira sweatdropped.
Ann gave him an unimpressed look. "...Judging by that reaction, I'd assume you're going to struggle this time too?"
"I-It's not like you're any better! All you're good at is English!" Ryuji argued indignantly.
"I'd rather that than be bad at every subject!" She shot back.
Morgana grinned mischievously. "Even your Japanese is questionable at best, Ryuji."
Ryuji pouted and kicked the floor. "What's questionable is whether you're really even a human." He remarked, before grinning at Akira. "Good comeback, huh?"
Morgana glared sharply. "...Let's discuss this with our fists!" It bristled, fur heckling around its neck.
The ex-runner crouched, ready to pounce. "Bring it!" He replied darkly.
Slamming her hands against the desk, Airi stood up between them. "OK, children, I'm angry now." She smiled serenely.
The two took a step back, staring at her with wide eyes. Akira and Ann covered their mouths, and watched attentively.
Airi looked down at the feline. "Morgana, don't insult Ryuji's intelligence." She chided, then looked over at Ryuji. "Ryuji, don't demean Morgana just because they don't look human." She gripped their collars tightly and brought them together. "Now say you're sorry, or no more bentos or tuna." She declared firmly.
They looked at her incredulously. "B-But..!" Ryuji began, but stopped when Airi glared.
"Lady Airi, I..!" Morgana snapped its jaw shut when she turned to frown at it.
Sighing, they gazed at each other grudgingly. "Sorry…" They muttered.
Airi smiled serenely and let go, ignoring their grumbles. "We're a team, remember? So be nice."
Ann clapped her hands slowly. "Good job, mom." She snickered. Airi shot her a dirty look.
Akira smirked faintly, looking at them all in amusement. "Anyway, exams are next week?" He asked.
Ann nodded. "Yep, it's midterms. It'll be from Wednesday to Saturday." She confirmed.
Ryuji rubbed his head. "Ugh, I'm gonna die…" He groaned.
Airi rolled her eyes. "Not to brag, but did you forget that you're good friends with the top scorer in our grade? We can do a study group." She offered.
His head shot up. "Really…?" He whispered, gazing at her with hope filled eyes.
Ann clasped her hands together. "Oh, please, please, please!"
Akira leaned back against his desk. "Yes, please help us idiots." He snickered quietly.
Airi gave him an unimpressed look, then giggled. "All right, all right." She acquiesced. " I work today and tomorrow but I'm free afterwards. My boss gave me the week off to focus on the exams. Just text me whenever if you need help." She smiled before getting up. "I better get going or I'll be late. I'll see you guys tomorrow." She shouldered her bag.
"Oh, wait! I want to go to Shibuya too, so I'll go with you." Ann piped up, grabbing her bag from her desk.
"Same." Akira added, zipping Morgana back in.
"I'm gonna hang out around school for a bit. Tell me if you wanna go for a run, Akira!" Ryuji waved, hopping out of the classroom.
Leaving the school, the three teenagers walked together to the station and waited for their train. Ann glanced around, furrowing her brows at the occasional fellow passenger.
Airi blinked, noticing her friend's nervousness. "What's wrong?"
The model bit her lip. "It felt like someone was watching me this morning…" She whispered.
Airi tensed. "...You, too?" She murmured, hunching her shoulders. That was strange. Was it someone else, or was it the same person?
Alarmed, Akira furrowed his brow. "What? Why didn't you tell me?" He pressed, before he tensed with realization. "It was this morning when we were going to school." He stated quietly.
Airi nodded. "Yeah...I don't know though, it could just be a one time occurrence." She tried to shrug but it must've been ineffective since he frowned worriedly at them.
They got onto the train once it pulled into the station. With a start, it sped toward Shibuya, the windows consumed with darkness as it entered the tunnel.
Ann scrunched up her face. "Should we tell the authorities? No, but then…" She trailed off, looking down before she shook her head rapidly. "Ugh, never mind! It's nothing!"
'I should say something…' Akira thought to himself, though he hesitated. He was much closer to their other female teammate.
"Ugh, you're pathetic." Morgana whispered to him, the girls unaware. "A real man should know how to sooth a lady's heart, especially these two ladies!"
Deadpanning at the insult to his manhood, Akira opened his mouth. "Why don't we hang out today?" He offered. "If you feel someone's watching you, tell me."
Ann looked at him in surprise. "Uh...sure! If you're OK with that." She stammered. "We could go shopping at the underground mall so we don't leave Airi alone." She suggested, looking at the class president.
Airi shook her head. "Don't worry about me. There's a lot of security around my job." She smiled reassuringly. What was more important was their safety. It could've just been a one time occurrence.
"This is Shibuya. I repeat, this is Shibuya. The time is now 4:22PM, the next stop is…"
-Broke ass college student is literally his name inside the game lol
-A lot of names for characters that aren't technically part of the story are ones I've made up for them. It wouldn't make sense if Airi didn't know the names of her classmates, especially since she's C.P. Don't worry about memorizing them though, they don't really matter lol
