"Did I hear that right?" Mishima exclaimed. "The Student Council actually got Risette to perform here."
"Not only Risette!" Futaba grinned. "Other Idols and Idol groups too from W to Kanamin Kitchen." She smirked.
"No way." Ryuji shook his head in disbelief. "I call bull." He chuckled. "In the three years I've been in this school, the invited guests usually don't turn up."
"There was Akechi." Mishima pointed out.
The comment made Ryuji pause and made him look at both Futaba and Anne, who were also caught off guard by the mention of the detective.
"Ma-makoto-senpai was able to convince Akechi to come here." Ryuji shrugged. "Maybe she told him his favorite food was on sale here."
"When does this concert happen Futaba?" Anne questioned.
"I don't know yet." Futaba answered. "I just heard their conversation when they were discussing it."
"Bug or overheard?" Anne raised an eyebrow.
"Bug?" Mishima questioned.
"Overheard!" Futaba pouted. "I didn't have time to bug their phones or the student council room."
"Alright, alright." Anne conceded as she raised her hands in surrender. "Just wanted to make sure."
"You did bug our phones." Ryuji commented offhandedly. "I think the bug's still in place."
"Wha-!" Anne glared at the youngest person in the group. "I thought you disabled the bugs!"
"It's been disabled!" Futaba glared at Ryuji. "Only his phone's bug remain active considering recent events."
"Wha- No Fair!" Ryuji reacted indignantly. "What'd I do?!"
"In any case." Futaba changed the topic. "Are you going to make Risette sign an autograph?" She asked.
"I'll have to buy her new poster!" Mishima retrieved his wallet and saw a meager amount inside. "Aww man! I need to save."
"The Phan-site is still active right?" Anne hummed. "Aren't you earning money from that?" She continued. "Considering the traffic it's generating."
"I do." Mishima nodded. "However I still need to maintain and pay the servers." He admitted. "So I'm low on cash at the moment."
"I think you still have time." Anne consoled. "The date's still undecided." She reminded. "You can still save to buy a new poster." She chuckled.
"Although, I don't think it's possible." Futaba offered. "Those idols are notorious for having tight security." She added. "I doubt any one could get past them."
"What are you planning Mitsuru?" Akihiko questioned as he drank from a cup. "Accepting Sakamoto's mother before Human Resources made a decision." He added.
"Background check revealed that they're related to Touya Sakamoto." Mitsuru revealed.
"You don't mean…" Akihiko trailed off.
"Yes, that same Touya Sakamoto who was part of Ikutsuki's team." Mitsuru nodded. "When asked about what happened, Sakamoto-san stated that she opted to live separately with her husband and brought her son with her." She shared. "No other mention of her husband and the reason for their separation."
"If I remember correctly, you fired Sakamoto for agreeing with Ikutsuki's views." Akihiko hummed.
"Not exactly." Mitsuru shook her head as she put down a stack of papers. "He was fired for stealing company funds." She continued. "We just learnt of what his plans for the money were long after he was fired."
"When? After graduation?"
"Yes, after his funeral." Mitsuru nodded.
"Do you think it's a coincidence that after all these years, his son gains a Persona?" Akihiko questioned.
"At the very least, Sakamoto's son was never found in our records." Mitsuru stated.
Akihiko merely gave his friend a look.
"I know the implications Akihiko." Mitsuru answered her friend's unvoiced thoughts. "We could have another Minazuki or Strega on our hands."
"Do you think it's him who found and opened that one pseudo-dark hour box?" Akihiko asked. "He is the only viable suspect considering circumstances." He continued. "Other members of Ikutsuki's team were ignorant of Ikutsuki's ambitions and are still working with the Kirijo group."
"I don't know Akihiko." Mitsuru shook her head. "If you must know, I am not be using the mother-son Sakamotos as leverage against Touya Sakamoto." She sipped on a cup. "On contraire, I'm doing this to protect them if he does strike."
"For the sake of the boy, I really hope it's not him." Akihiko sighed as he picked the stack of papers Mitsuru placed down. "According to these records, the boy has gone through a lot." He continued. "No matter how resilient one can be, even they have limits." He added. "He'll eventually snap."
"Agreed." Mitsuru nodded. "I'll be visiting the boy's school sometime and donate to the school." She informed her friend of her plans. "Just in time for Kujikawa's concert at the school."
"And do what you did to Ekoda-sensei to Shunjin's current principal." Akihiko smirked.
"That should stave off negative rumors that proliferate the school." Mitsuru nodded. "And for his reputation to recover."
