Suddenly, they stopped. The Okumura Foods van, which Haru now owned, parked at a gas station. She looked around, taking in the scenery. It was beautiful. Inaba was as quiet and peaceful as it was said to be, but Haru could tell from the town's appearance that living there was definitely worth it. She was willing to spend hours just taking it in, but now was not the time for that. The gas station attendant brought her back to reality. "Greetings. I am Izanami, and this is Inaba's finest gas station, Moel! How can I help you today, miss?"

"Oh, hello!" Haru politely responded. "Can I get the regular, please?"

"Sure thing," said the gas station attendant. She went off to begin pumping the gas, and Makoto spoke up.

"Did anyone catch that? Her name is Izanami!"

"It's a unique name," Ren commented. "Why's it important, though?"

"Iza-ah, go ahead, Yusuke."

"Thank you. Izanami is known as a goddess of creation and death. It's entirely possible that the gas station attendant is a goddess, Ren."

"Oh. Well, it's not like she's gonna attack us or anything. She wouldn't go 'hey, I'm a goddess' and then suddenly go for us. Besides, if it comes to that, we're experienced with dealing with gods…" He was interrupted by the gas station attendant speaking.

"Here's the amount you have to pay, miss. By the way, kid, I'm not going to do anything to you. I'm working and living here to fulfill a promise with my ex-husband and a young man. By the way, I detect a power within you all. The same kind that brought my brief period of control to an end."

"Oh. Well, if we don't have anything to worry about, it was a pleasure to meet you. I'll probably be back at some point; I'm interested in hearing what a goddess thinks of the human world."

"Alrighty then! I'll hold you to it. Have a nice day," she said with a wave. Haru then drove off, looking once again at her GPS.

They didn't drive much longer, because Inaba isn't a very large town. The Amagi Inn, the place they agreed upon staying in for the week, was very close by. One by one, they slowly exited the van, and unpacked their things. Morgana got out of Ren's bag and stretched, while everyone else got their respective bags. As he brought the least stuff, Yusuke was currently tasked with carrying their feline friend in Ren's bag. They didn't know if the inn had a rule against pets, but they weren't willing to find out. They weren't taking any chances. They opened the door, and were greeted with the smell of fried rice. Makoto made the room reservations, so it was her that walked up to the front counter, where a young, black-haired lady greeted her. Makoto was surprised by the elegance and beauty the woman was radiating. Makoto bowed, and introduced herself. The woman smiled, and began introducing herself as well.

"I'm Yukiko Amagi, the owner of the Amagi Inn. It's a pleasure to have you all here! Niijima, correct? Your rooms will be down this hall," she said while pointing them in the right direction. "If you're curious, the smell is coming from our kitchen. Our chefs are preparing several dishes to the best of their abilities. It's a shame I'm not allowed in…"

"You're not allowed to visit your own kitchen? That's interesting," Makoto noted.

"Oh, well, it's not that I can't enter the kitchens. I'm just forbidden from making contact with the stove and oven. My friends in high school, as well as my own chefs, have said that my cooking is comparable to a bowl of cyanide," Yukiko stated while chuckling. "Anyways, if you want me to guide you directly to your rooms, I can do that."

"That'd be nice. Thank you, Amagi-san," Haru politely said.

"Oh, please, just call me Yukiko. Your group reminds me of my own friends, somehow. Alright, now, follow me!" Makoto nodded, and the rest of the Phantom Thieves followed. They all took note of the decor, which had a traditional Japanese feel to it. The atmosphere was one of a kind, and Makoto felt that she was right in her decision to come here.

"We've arrived. There are seven of you, and four futons in each room, so divide amongst yourselves. I believe I'm needed at the front desk, so I must get going. Enjoy your stay!" With that, Yukiko began walking off, and Morgana let his head out for air.

"Seven of us? It seems she hasn't noticed me, then." He then jumped out, and walked over to Ren and Futaba. "So, which one of you am I going to be with?" he asked.

"Well, you were with Ren yesterday. But there'd be five of us in one room, and three in the other. Sorry, Mona, but you're stuck with him another day," Futaba replied. He seemed satisfied with that answer, and Ren opened the door to the room on the left, causing the rest of the boys to enter. The girls all walked into the other room, placing down their stuff. Haru hadn't gotten much sleep, and she just drove for about two hours, so she laid down on one of the futons. Futaba, who just didn't have much energy, did the same, but chose to text someone. Makoto started unpacking her things, which consisted of clothes, skincare products, deodorant, and her Buchimaru pillow and onesie. Makoto was just glad none of the guys were here. They might've judged her for liking Buchimaru at the age of 18. And she was about to be 19, if that changed anything. But now that she thought about it, maybe they wouldn't have been that harsh. Ren was already aware of this fact, Morgana doesn't judge you very much unless your last name is Sakamoto, Ryuji was very supportive of his friends' interests, and Yusuke just wasn't the type to make those types of comments. She thought about this, and realized just how grateful she was for the friends she made over the last year.

In the boys room, things were going a bit differently. Morgana and Ren were all gathered around Ren's phone, which was displaying a story about Inaba in 2011. It detailed the incidents of the serial murder case, known by some as the Midnight Case, explaining how multiple suspects were found, only for the true killer to be one of the police detectives working on the case. First, was Mitsuo Kubo. He claimed to have murdered the three victims of the case, but was found to have only killed one. After Kubo, a second suspect was briefly arrested, but no connections to the murder were found… Ren paused, and noticed something was disturbing Yusuke, who had chosen to sit in the corner and text someone. As he began walking over, Ryuji and Morgana started bickering.

"Dude, unpause it!"

"I lack thumbs, Ryuji! What will I unpause it with? And besides, can't you be patient?" Ren just let them go at it, and he sat next to Yusuke. The blue-haired teen did not notice him at first, since he was so absorbed in what he was doing. Ren glanced at his phone and noticed a green messaging icon, and realized it was Futaba. Knowing it was probably private, he decided to let Yusuke handle it on his own, and went back to the others, who agreed to wait for Ren. As he sat back down, Ren unpaused the video, which now began explaining Taro Namatame's involvement in the case. He threw people into the TV World, because he believed they were in danger of being killed. He wasn't completely wrong; everyone he'd thrown in was saved, and did not die. He chose his victims based on a special television program called the Midnight Channel, which aired at Midnight on rainy nights. The true killer, Tohru Adachi, was the one choosing these victims and egging on Namatame. He was eventually brought to justice, and now lies in prison. The video coming to a close led Ren to check the weather forecast, and upon seeing the weather, he smiled. "I've got an idea…"