The school trip had Akira stand in an airport late at night to await the time to embark. Many felt sleepy, so Makoto told her teammates to sleep in the plane. "You will have over six hours before we arrive there." Ann nodded, she felt that she'd go out like a light if she sat down. "I wasn't expectin' to make a mad dash like this..." Ryuji had to run to not get left behind, any later and he'd miss the time for check-in.

When they took a group photo, Futaba began sending messages, chiding Ryuji for having sand on his eyes. Ann had asked how she was able to guess it. [I snuck an app on Akira's phone.] Ah, it was the spyware Naoto had found. Futaba added that she could also see through the camera. "Talk about a nasty trick..." The others were relieved that the hacker was on their side. [I even got to see you crossdressing, you make a pretty girl, kek]

Akira froze, he hadn't thought of that possibility, the others stared at him with weirded-out faces. "I was forced by Mikumo, alright?" Nobody seemed to take his words at face value. [😒 Says you.] He was saved from having to flounder himself deeper in the grave by Mishima, who warned them to go and gather at the boarding gate.

~m~

Futaba got startled by the sound of the doorbell, Sojiro had just gone out. She looked out the window to see a certain trio waving at her. "Oh, hello!" The girl stomped until the front door with Morgana on hands. Naoto greeted her as the others stared at the cat with sinister auras. "We're going to Mementos." Rise cracked her knuckles, sending a shiver down his spine. "D... don't you have your bikes...?" Morgana was quivering in fear. "You can't run, 'kay?"

The singer explained that Mikumo wanted to know the big deal about her driving. "Take me along!" Futaba latched on Naoto, unwilling to stay cooped up while they had exciting adventures. "Alright~ Just warn the Boss you'll be coming with us, 'kay?" Sojiro had been intrigued when his daughter asked for permission to go out with the detectives, ut figured she would be safe around those two. "Bring her back before it gets too late."

Strix regretted coming along with the trio of nutcases, she was thrown around in the rear seats every single time Muse did a swerve to chase after a Shadow. "They learned to fear the MonaCar..." The first few times looked like flukes, but she had noticed that the constructs would try and turn tail at the sound of peeling tires. "Meewww! I'm gonna get siiick-!" Shade and Oracle were speed demons as well, cheering Muse on her crazy driving.

They wouldn't go deep, they were here to show Oracle the basics. The girl was also asking Muse all sorts of questions about the TV World, amazed at the differences between realms. "Oy, Strix, why the bad vibes?" When Shade saw her ungodly frown, she tried to get her to see the fun side. "Come on, Strix, pretend you're in a rollercoaster!" Mona was on his hands and knees, dry heaving a storm. "Mya... my stomach is a goner...!"

~m~

Akira had been searching for an interesting place to visit with his team until he got a message from Mikumo. "... What the fuck." The pair of blondes tried to get a peek at his phone when his jaw dropped. "Dude...!" The thieves stared at the screen with huge eyes, Mikumo had just sent them a photo of the goddamn Reaper, along with many others. [Yo, what do you think, interesting, no? I never felt such a thrill before~]

Makoto was shocked to see the Metaverse in this way. "I thought that phones couldn't be used there." Akira could swear that one of the photos had Strix looking utterly done with her bullshit as Shade made a pose while stepping on a downed Anzu. "Man, I wanna strike a rad photo too..." Ryuji got the idea of asking Mikumo for a photoshoot. Sure, the images were grainy or choppy, but Kirijo must be doing their best to resolve these issues.

Akira pondered about some of the consequences that this could bring, but first things first, he sent a message when the others lost interest. [Take a photo of Naoto in that suit.] Mikumo sent a few laughing faces. [Roger dodger~ 😉 You know what you like, eh?] He blushed slightly, could you blame a guy for liking cool ladies? [Don't you dare say a word to her.] He wasn't down to find out how Naoto would react. [😏 Don't worry, I'm a tomb.]

With that dealt with, Akira asked what they would do today. "I want to get souvenirs, get it out the way." The others agreed with the idea and began exploring the shops. Akira saw a pair of wristbands. One had red stones, while the other held blue ones. "Yo, got a chick you like?" The seller grinned when he got flustered. "I'll give ya a discount for these." Between the insistent seller and his own interest, Akira haggled some more before he handed over the money.

"I'll put on the blue one. Wrap the red one." He cringed when he read the packaging, there was some bullshit about love and whatnot, he'd have to trash it and get a new wrapping. The blue band had fit him well, he wondered if Naoto would like the souvenir. "She doesn't need to know it's a set purchase." The teen then saw a pretty sea turtle wood carving. "I should get something for Mom too." And the shot glass with a Hawaiian dancer seemed to be right up his father's alley. He then for something that would fit Morgana, settling for a yellow neckerchief with fishes and waves. "Excuse me, how much for this one?"

~m~

While most of the Phantoms were overseas, trouble was brewing in Tokyo. Mitsuru frowned at the ongoing results of the Phan-site poll. "Okumura has stabilized in the first spot..." From what she could glean from Fuuka's reports, that man was in cahoots with the conspiracy. "So they are trying to cut ties." She tapped her pen on the desk, lost in thoughts. "Time to call Shirogane." She'd need the detectives to resolve this issue.

The trio of thieves was gathered in a meeting room, wondering why they were summoned. "I got a bad feeling..." Mikumo was messing with Sissel's cheeks as they waited for Mitsuru to arrive. "I'm sure it's about the poll." Naoto had been worried about what could go wrong. "Where is she? I'm getting nervous." Rise fiddled with her hair as a weight settled in her gut. They faced the door when their host arrived. "Thanks for coming, despite the short notice."

Mitsuru detailed her deductions about Okumura Foods, of how their rivals all suffered from defaming incidents, of Medjed's overlook, and the sudden interest from the chairman in the world of politics. "I believe that man has collaborated directly with Akechi's boss." And now, with the Phan-site poll, that boss had a means of cutting down the man and sullying the thieves' image. "I believe the Phantoms will be forced to shoulder the blame if Okumura ends up dead."

A collective groan filled the room, their own worries become reality. "I feared as much." Naoto mulled over the issue, there was no way those teens would back off from a challenge. "So, will we just watch this trainwreck happen?" She shook her head at what Mikumo said, they could help the teens in other ways, she got up and looked at her teammates. "I have an idea. Will you assist us, Kirijo?" The redhead rubbed her chin, interest piqued. "Very well, it will be an honor to help."

~m~

Akira and Mishima were confused when Ryuji barged in their room, complaining about how his roommate was shacking up with a girl and made him feel uncomfortable. Soon after, Ann came with a story of how she was locked out of her room because her roommate went to her boyfriend and took the key along. "It's definitively the same people. Good grief." Then they stared at the girl. "You're going to sleep here...?"

Akira felt uneasy, if the teachers or chaperones got a whiff of this, things could go to shit in an instant. Nobody had the balls to suggest Ann sleep on the couch or on the floor, so the boys played rock-paper-scissors to see who would get what. "... Seriously? I lost to Sakamoto?" Mishima pouted, the floor would be a killer on his back. "Not my fault you suck at this." Ryuji took the couch while his teammates got the beds.

"So, time to come clean, Ryuji." After lights-out, the blondes began talking, with Ann asking the thug about his preferred type. "So looks are what's most important for you." Then she turned her aims at her leader. "What about you, Akira?" He got rattled out of his almost sleep when Ann kicked the bed. "C'mon, spill the beans. What kind of girl is your type?" Akira hummed, pondering how to answer. "Older women. You know, I like that mature air." He felt attracted to serious personalities as his father did.

The girl wondered if he was talking about one of those three. "Dude, you ain't crushing on some old hag, are ya?" He got offended at Ryuji's guess. "Not that old. Anywhere within ten years and I'm game." Then they heard somebody dying in the bathroom. "Wasn't he drinkin' the tap water earlier...?" Mishima wouldn't have a chance to sleep on the floor, he was too busy wrecking the porcelain throne. "Dude... gotta feel bad for the guy..."

~m~

The traffic accident was a grisly scene, Mikumo grimaced at the ground paste staining the asphalt and the truck. She asked one officer about the victim's identity. "So the guy was the one in the news?" A kitten popped up from her hip pouch, peering over the scene. A woman with ashen hair frowned at the feline, glaring at its owner. "Bringing a pet into a crime scene? How unprofessional." The detective scoffed at Sae, brushing off the rebuke. "Bah, Sissel knows more about not messing with a crime scene than you!" The prosecutor frowned at the dismissive disrespect.

"Mew..." The cat worked his magic, tinting the world red and making a blue wisp appear. The cat tapped the soul, attempting to get a reaction from it. "Anything of use, Sissel?" Mikumo could hear a garbled murmuring from the spirit, but it didn't sound like anything coherent. "His soul is... strange. It's unresponsive even though enough time should have elapsed." Sissel's whiskers twitched in annoyance, not even a hard bat managed to net them a response from whoever the deceased was."It's like poking a dead bug, there's no conscience in there to answer." Mikumo groaned at the news.

"So it must be an attempt to cover up a mental shutdown... Like Isshiki..." Killing a Shadow had more effects than they had expected, Sissel was unable to use his usual testimony gathering. "Tch... So the guy's really cutting loose ends!" She petted the cat, he may not have gotten a statement, but at least they knew that Akechi was involved. "Keh-! We got to warn everybody." Now she was sure that Okumura was a pawn to be used in the Phantom's downfall. "They won't get away with this." Sissel nuzzled her hand. "Count on my aid, I also wish to stop them."

Mikumo sighed, there was no way she'd paint herself as a target. "Hn, I'll wash my hands off this case." She barked at some officers to set up a perimeter and to hurry up with the getting statements from any bystanders. She'd do her part until that weasel arrived on the scene, then she'd beat it. As the detective worked, the sour prosecutor watched her face, Sae noticed the brief snarl Ichijou sported, it was as if she knew exactly what happened.

Once the detective turned to leave, the prosecutor shadowed her until they were in a more deserted street. "What do you want, Niijima?" Brown met green. "Won't you collaborate with me?" Mikumo sneered, cradling her cat. "There's no need. Seeing how you want to be in charge, these cases will be in Akechi's territory. We respect boundaries." Sae was undaunted by the resistance, it only made her surer that Ichijou had valuable knowledge she had to take.

"I'm sure you know something pertinent to the case! Tell me, or else!" The detective spat a mocking laugh. "Hah, it's my word against yours. Besides, my fiancé won't be happy if you threaten me." The prosecutor gritted her teeth, there was a detail she forgot. "Tch-! Then Shirogane-" Mikumo grabbed her throat and slammed her to the wall, making her gasp in shock at the strong grip. "Don't you fucking dare go after Naoto."

The detective had her features twisted in a feral snarl, intent on defending her friend. "I know you have been using unsavory tricks to get ahead..." The growl made Sae gulp, she was at her mercy, and she didn't look like she had any to spare. "Mess with her, mess with me!" With this Mikumo threw the woman on the curb, patting her coat clean of trash. "Consider this your single warning." Sae grimaced at the pain, the fall would give her some bruising.