June 6th.

Today was a rainy day. The fall of Madarame had the art world in a tizzy, while the name of the Phantom Thieves started to spread and grow popular. Because of this, Makoto was called to the Principal's office. He was the one who assigned her to figure out if the Phantom Thieves were connected to Shujin or not. It was imperative to him that she figure this out. "How are things going in regards to that matter we spoke of earlier?"

This was difficult. It had been over a month, but Makoto didn't have anything definitive. "I have nothing to report yet."

"Nothing at all?" Kobayakawa asked. "How many students are there that could provoke a teacher?"

"I don't have any proof…but I have narrowed it down to a few individuals." Makoto reported. This was better than nothing. In response to this, the Principle just sighed. Makoto narrowed her eyes. There was something that had been bugging her for quite a while now…so she mustered the courage to ask. "You knew, didn't you? About Mr. Kamoshida sexually harassing students?"

"….." The Principle said nothing. He simply turned his head in the direction of the trophy case nearby.

"SIR!" Makoto couldn't help but raise her voice. His silence spoke volumes and she did not like that.

"…What good will come of you asking that?" The Principle slowly turned to face Makoto. That response told her far too much and she nearly recoiled from his silent admission of this.

"This investigation is for a just cause, correct?" She didn't waver.

The Principle had a response for that. "I believe I understand how flustered this must be making you feel. I'm sure as Student Council President; it was shocking to see a peer attempt suicide."

Makoto's gaze lowered. That incident weighed heavily on her for many reasons. Watching Shiho jump like that…it got to her. "Yes…"

"We need to create a school environment where all students can feel at ease. That is our most pressing matter at the moment." The Principle explained.

"That is why you're so intent on these Phantom Thieves of Heart? But we don't even know if they really exist…!" Makoto said. "Why are you…?"

"I assume you've seen the news concerning that Madarame fellow?" The Principle turned his gaze away once more, not bothering to look at Makoto.

"There was a similar incident with a calling card to the one in Mr Kamoshida's case, yes…" Makoto admitted.

"I wish to believe this is unrelated to our students." The Principle said clearly. "That is my stance on the matter. I suggest you devote your time into your investigation instead of asking such pointless questions."

"…" Makoto hated that. So he did know. And did absolutely nothing about it. How could he do this and force this responsibility on her!? Makoto was withholding her anger. Instead she gave a silent nod and stepped out of the office.

.

.

It was lunch time. Ryuji was hanging out in 2-D with Ann, Ren, and Morgana, who was inside of Ren's desk. The back chalkboard in the room had a drawing of Madarame crying profusely. "Did you see Madarame's conference?" A student asked. Ryuji happened to overhear and immediately tuned into that conversation across the room.

"Is that the guy who was like 'how could I…apologize for what I've done…ahhh'," The other student said mockingly. Madarame's ugly crying gave a lot of people something to make fun of.

"Think it was really those Phantom Thieves? You know, that whole steal your heart thing?"

"I dunno…but it feels way too big to be a coincidence…"

"Heh…" Ryuji was silently popping off when he heard that. It was just like Morgana said: this happening twice was a big deal.

Ann walked forward upon seeing Ryuji. "How's it going? Find our next big target?"

Ryuji slumped back against the desk. "No way! I just started looking yesterday." And it was a day after Madarame's confession.

"Oh yeah, I guess you wouldn't find someone that fast." Ann shrugged. "By the way, I decided on the TV station."

"…Huh?" Ryuji blinked

"TV station?" Ren turned to Ann.

Suddenly, it dawned on Ryuji. "Oh crap…the social studies trip…man, I just wanna ditch it."

Morgana popped his head out from Ren's desk. "You better go to your school activities. What did we say about not standing out?"

"Wouldn't me suddenly turning into a good student stand out more?" Ryuji pouted, head dropping dejectedly.

"Quick bickering and go." Morgana shot.

"Then let's all chose the TV station!" Ann said excitedly. "I heard we're even going to see them tape a show!"

"…." Ryuji felt a lightbulb go off in his head. He had an idea. "You know…Morgana's right. Going on this trip will help keep the teachers from being suspicious of me."

"You became agreeable pretty fast…" Ren remarked.

"Well, I'm gonna head back now." Ryuji said, walking off. "TV, huh…maybe I should get a haircut…" He muttered while exiting the room.

Morgana could only sigh. "That guy is such an idiot. I hope nothing bad happens."

"It should be all right…" Ren would at least vouch for Ryuji.

.

.

Afternoon. Ushimaru was currently teaching, but Ren and Ann were suddenly into their phone when Ryuji texted them during class. They pulled out their phones discreetly to look down at the messages.

Ryuji: Feels pretty great having everyone talk about us, huh?

Yusuke: Madarame is the only topic of conversation at my school. And as I'm his pupil, most of my peers have chosen to ignore me.

Ryuji: For real? That's bullshit.

Ann: Are you going to be OK?

Ren: We're here if you need us.

Yusuke: There is no need to worry. They had already been treating me differently from others as it stood. This is nothing new to me.

Ann: OK then…

Yusuke: More importantly, do we have any leads on our next target?

Ryuji: You kidding? There's no way we'd find a target that quick!

Ren: We can always go to Mementos!

Ryuji: Oh yeah, good idea!

Yusuke: Understood. I will keep myself available for anything that comes up.

And just as Ren put his phone down…Ushimaru noticed him. "Hey! Amamiya! Is that how you respond when someone's talking to you!?"

"Crap! I feel a murderous intent…!" Ren's eyes widened as Ushimaru geared up and hurled a piece of chalk at him at surprisingly fast speeds! And it…struck Ren directly in the forehead and everyone watched. "Guh…"

"Ouch…that looked like it hurt…" A student mumbled.

"Snicker…he hit him right in the forehead!"

Ann looked back over her shoulder at a slumping Ren. "You'll dodge it one day…"

"That's what you get for daydreaming!" Ushimaru exclaimed. The audacity of kids these days, he swore… "Kids these days have no respect for their elders."

.

.

With school now being over, it was time to head home for the day. Ren stepped outside and it was still raining, but he also ran into Kasumi who was staring at the rain. "Ah, Amamiya-Senpai." Kasumi turned to Ren with a slight bow. "What a pleasant surprise. It's really pouring down, isn't it?"

"I thought something like this might happen, so I packed an umbrella for you." Morgana said smugly.

"What a considerate kitty." Ren teased.

"Of course. This isn't something any ordinary cat could do." Morgana said, but he wasn't going to let that cat comment slide. "And in case you've forgotten, I'm a human, not a cat!"

"Well, see you around." Kasumi was about to leave.

"What about your umbrella?" Ren asked, holding his umbrella out now.

"I…actually forgot my umbrella." Kasumi admitted sheepishly. "But if I run to the station, I'll barely get wet! I'll think of it as some training!"

She was really going to risk it, was she? Ren couldn't allow that. "You want a piece of this?"

Kasumi was briefly confused. "But how…oh! Are you offering to share your umbrella? That'd be wonderful! Thank you so much."

"Not a problem." Ren nodded and set up the umbrella, holding it so he and Kasumi could walk to the station together.

"Thanks again for letting me use your umbrella. Prelims are coming up, so I really didn't want to take the chance of getting sick…" Kasumi said.

"For gymnastics?" Ren asked.

"Mhm. There are two huge competitions; one at the beginning of summer and one at the end. In order to compete I have to be chosen as the school's representative, and in order to do that I have to pass the qualifier. It's my dream to one day compete on a global level, so for that, I'm holding up a strict training regimen with my trainer."

"I'll be rooting for you, then. I know you can do it." Ren responded.

"I'd be invincible with you by my side, Senpai." Kasumi giggled. "Oh…we're already at the station!" It was a faster walk than she anticipated, but it was pleasant in Ren's company. "I can't thank you enough for today. I swear I'll return the favor som-"

Kasumi was stopped by two students who happened to watch Ren escort Kasumi into the station. "Hey, isn't that Yoshizawa?"

"You mean the honors gymnastic student? She gets the VIP treatment at school AND a boyfriend to escort her around? Ms. Special Snowflake sure is living on easy street…" The two students rounded the corner.

Kasumi frowned. "I'm sorry…you shouldn't have to deal with a misunderstanding like that."

"Don't worry about it." Ren shook his head. "If I had to be known as the delinquent transfer student or a mistaken for your boyfriend, I'd have to go with the latter."

Kasumi knew that was a joke and she giggled. "Hehe, yeah, you're right. It happens all the time in school too. Everyone is wary of me because I'm an Honors student. The school's expecting me to get strong results in the upcoming competitions too; they even said I didn't have to participate in the cleanup, but I just don't like getting special treatment.

"It sounds like they're putting a lot on you…" Ren adjusted his glasses. He did hope she would be all right.

Kasumi's phone rang, so she picked it up. "Hello? Oh, no, I'm okay Dad. What was that? I'm sorry, this thing has been acting up recently…it's okay, thanks, Mhm. See you later." She then hung up and placed her phone into her pocket. "He was calling, asking if I needed a ride since it was raining. A bit overprotective don't you think?"

"That just means he cares." Ren said with a slight smile.

"You're right." Kasumi returned the smile. "But if you'll excuse me, I have to go now. Thanks again for today, Senpai!" With that, Kasumi was off.

Once Kasumi was gone, Ren let out a small sigh. Shujin really was the most judgmental place he'd ever been in. One rumor and everyone looked at you funny while also trying to stay away. "I guess even she has to deal with labeling problems."

"Sounds like Yoshizawa has it tough, too…" Morgana said.

.

.

June 9th.

The day of the TV station trip finally arrived and….it was not as thrilling as the students would have hoped. The PR woman was giving a redundant, boring explanation about how things worked. "And that's why we recruit sponsors to help make TV shows. I'm sure you know about commercial breaks? Well, those are actually sponsor related product placements. To sum things up, ratings are important for a station's production funding and…"

"Huh…" Ryuji seemed kind of into this?

"Everyone knows that…" Ren sighed.

"Chill, man…" Ryuji told Ren.

This boring lecture continued. "For example, soap opera reruns are shown during the day, while alluring newswoman are cast at night. Thus, the scheduling department is where we decide where to air each program. I suppose you could say it's the place where the scheduling is determined."

Ann honestly felt like she was going to die if this explanation got any more obvious or redundant. "Could this be any more obvious?" She turned to Ren.

"So…sleepy…" Ren mumbled.

"Wow. He's not even listening to what I said…" Sigh. Ann couldn't blame him, though. This just…sucked.

"So, the best parts are taken from the footage in order to cut down the program to the desired length." The PR woman continued. "The place where this filmed footage is editing is called the editing room."

Morgana popped out of the bag. He had enough. "Hey, how much longer does this go?"

"I'm…not gonna last…" Ryuji yawned.

Before anything else could be said, a man brushed past Ren, causing Morgana to yelp in surprise due to how forceful it was. "What's going on? I can't stand all this noise!"

"HEY ASS-" Ryuji did not appreciate that.

"I'm so sorry!" The PR woman said. "I'll have them leave right away. Now then, it's time for a bit of hands on experience!" Once she said that, the famous newscaster left. Meanwhile, other members of the staff approached a group of students so the hands on experience could begin.

"Who does that asshole think he is…?" Ryuji glared.

A man walked by and noticed Ann. He looked her over once and already knew. "Hey there. You wanna be on TV?"

Ann turned, wondering if he was talking to her. "Huh?"

"You got a slammin' bod after all…hehehe…" The man continued.

Oh. So this is what was going on. Ann averted her gaze, withholding her fury at being sexualized by an adult once again. "Uh…I'm on a school trip."

"Just gimme a call if you're interested. I'd greatly welcome a message from you, day or night…" The man said with a faux smile.

"Uh…yeah…" Ann just had to avoid this situation. She couldn't cause a scene.

"Greatly welcome my ass…! It's obvious what he's after!" Ryuji growled. "Do these rotten adults think about anything other than looks?! I'll yank their stupid hearts out dammit…!"

That was where Morgana drew the line. "Hey, keep your voice down!" He scolded. Ryuji couldn't be making such reckless comments like that now that the Thieves were actually on people's radars.

Kawakami happened to overhear Ryuji grumbling and approached with her usual bored look. "Look, I understand you're bored." She was too. "But please try not to cause any trouble, okay?"

Since the guy couldn't get what he wanted out of Ann, he just turned to Ryuji and Ren. "Uh…let's see…let's have you see what it's like to be an AC. Oh, that stands for 'assistant camera'. When we're moving cameras we need people to keep the cables from getting tangled up. The blonde will do…he looks like he has energy to spare. Guy next to him, you can come too if you're feeling lonely. Come on. We have an important interview coming up and we're short on hands at the moment. So hurry up."

"Gah… this sucks…" Ryuji groaned as he and Ren were roped into this task. The valiant battle against the long cables began.

.

.

Speaking of that big interview…it was Hifumi's. Her mother organized this a while ago and today was the day it was put into motion. Hifumi and her mother sat on one side of the stage while the interviewer had the other. "We're live in 5…4…"

"Are you ready, Hifumi?" Mitsuyo asked. This was phrased like a question but Hifumi knew it wasn't.

"Yes, Mother." Hifumi gave a slight not, staring down at her skirt. This wasn't exactly something she wanted to do, but she never had a choice in the matter. Now that she was here, she just had to get it over with.

While Ren and Ryuji had to keep constantly moving around to keep the wires of cameras from getting tangled, they did spare a moment to see who was on stage. "…Hey, isn't that the girl Mishima was going crazy for the other day?" Ryuji asked. "Man…she's pretty cute."

"I think that's the third time you've said that about her." Ren said. "And you're not wrong…but that's…Hifumi Togo." He had to remember her name.

"Huh, really?" Ryuji blinked. "Didn't notice. But still…!"

Morgana had the luxury of being in Ren's bag the whole time. So he could pop his head out and look at the stage. "She doesn't look all that happy for someone who's about to be on TV. I thought that's what people liked?"

"I was hoping we'd be on TV. Not stuck backstage doing someone else's busy work…" Ryuji grumbled. This whole moving wires thing was totally killing his vibe and it showed.

"And good afternoon everyone! We are LIVE with a special guest today! Rising Shogi pro player, Hifumi Togo!" The interviewer exclaimed and the audience applauded.

"Hello everyone." Hifumi gave a meek smile. Her Mother had been running her through several questions, so she realistically should have been prepared to answer anything her way.

"Let's get started! So, Togo-san! How does it feel to quickly rise through the ranks? Not only have you yet to lose a match, but you also defeated your senior recently too, did you not?" The interviewer asked, excitedly.

"Yes, that's right." Hifumi gave a slight nod. "All of my matches have been very tough, but I've been able to overcome them all. I love shogi with all my heart, and being able to show my skills brings me joy."

"Hifumi does such a wonderful job at winning." Mitsuyo suddenly took over, much to Hifumi's surprise. "Every time she wins a match I feel so proud of her. As her manager, her rise as a star and an idol in the Shogi world brings me nothing but joy!"

"Oh, you must be such a proud mother in that case!" The interviewer said.

"…!" Hifumi was just in shock. Did her mother really just force her into the spotlight only to then take it!?

As far as the interviewer was concerned, this was good TV. "Next question! A simple one and one everyone is dying to know. What inspires you the most? You've been playing Shogi since you were little, is that right?"

"That's right. My father inspires me to play whenever I don't feel confident." Hifumi nodded slowly. She was keeping the fact he was sick private, because that was not something the world needed to know. It was a personal issue after all. "He taught me how to play and my mother…"

"And whenever she won a match, I would always be so proud. The look on her face brought joy to me heart!" Mitsuyo stole Hifumi's spotlight once again. "It's thanks to me that she's become a Pro. And now there are posters of my dear daughter, and she's even gotten an appearance on the shogi app! She's come so far thanks to my help, isn't that right, dear?"

"Do you earnestly believe that?"

That voice…Hifumi was feeling a bit irritated, but she didn't let it show. Her gaze just went elsewhere as her mother was taking over this interview meant for her. "Yes…I owe my mother a lot. She has helped me get this far…and with my own talents; I've gotten far on my own."

"Mm…" Mitsuyo almost made a remark, but she found a way to phrase it to make herself seem even better. "I've gotten her matches with the toughest of opponents, and try as they might, they cannot beat my amazing daughter." It was a fleeting compliment to Hifumi, but phrased in such a way that she received most of the praise.

Ryuji and Ren just looked at each other. "You hearin' this?" Even Ryuji could tell that Mitsuyo was hogging the spotlight for herself.

"I hear it." Ren sighed. "I thought this was her interview…she can barely get a word in."

"Stupid, rotten adults." Ryuji lightly kicked a wire. Luckily the camera was too far away to feel this.

"Be quiet! Move those wires…" Morgana chided Ren and Ryuji. They had to at least pretend like they were doing the task forced onto them.

"We have one more question for you, Togo-san!" The interviewer cleared his throat. "You've heard of the news regarding the…Phantom Thieves, correct? Do you have any opinion on them?"

"Don't be ridiculous." Mitsuyo waved the question off. "We hardly have time to be thinking about what miscreants are doing. All that matters is my daughter's rising career. Did you know that she'll be appearing on a magazine cover soon? Keep an eye on it; the Venus of Shogi!"

"Mother…!?" Hifumi turned to face her mother. "You didn't tell me about this…!" A magazine cover was far too much.

"I'm sure I did." Mitsuyo presented a sweet smile. "We're still in production talks, but expect it soon!" That did make the crowd applaud. These were all fans of Hifumi after all, so they were eating this up.

Hifumi could not believe this… "…You asked about the Phantom Thieves, yes?"

"Hifumi, you don't have to answer that." Mitsuyo waved. "It's best to avoid answering such reckless questions."

Hifumi shook her head; she wanted to. She was going to answer the question asked to her. "I found it hard to believe at first. But when I saw the news, I was just ask shocked as everyone else about Madarame. My first thought was to check on someone who I knew was close to him…and it sounded like the Phantom Thieves saved them from something horrible. So…if their actions are helping people, then I think they could be good. I think giving people courage is a good thing…they sort of do the same for me, too."

"She gets it…!" Ryuji whispered loudly. She said something similar during the night they ran into her for Operation Maidwatch, but it sounded much more firm that before. "We're just tryin' to help people."

"Looks like we really are having a positive effect on people." Ren said. "That person she mentioned, is it Yusuke?"

"It has to be…" Morgana chimed. "She was at the art exhibit, right? I think she said that Yusuke gave her a ticket, so they probably know each other."

"Hifumi!" Mitsuyo gave a slight look to her daughter.

"It was a question for me, right…? This interview was for me, wasn't it…?" Hifumi questioned. The question was phrased a bit differently in her head, but she was far too soft spoken for that. Mitsuyo just had to laugh it off since anything else would make her look bad.

"Haha! Of course, this has all been for you!" Mitsuyo said with a laugh.

"You heard it here, folks. The Venus of Shogi is a supporter of the Phantom Thieves!" The interviewer said with a grin. "I think that wraps up this interview! Thank you all for your time." With that, the cameras cut and the interview was over, the Togo mother and daughter exiting the stage.

"Come on you two, we're not done yet." The bossy AD from before ushered Ren and Ryuji to keep tugging cables.

"Gaaah! What a pain in the ass!" Ryuji groaned.

When Hifumi and Mitsuyo were backstage, the mother snapped at her daughter. "Just what were you thinking, responding so recklessly to that question!?"

"I don't see the problem, Mother…" Hifumi was unable to meet her mother's clearly upset stare. "I answered the question…"

"This is about your reputation. What if those Phantom Thieves turn out to be villains? You've publically admitted that you support them, and if they turn around and do something bad, your reputation will plummet despite all the hard work I've done to get you this far! You need to think more carefully about your public statements, do you understand me? I will not tolerate all of my hard work into your career going into the trash."

"….." Hifumi's gaze went elsewhere. Anywhere but her mother's face. Clearly she screwed up…it was her fault and defying her mother was…simply not possible. "Yes, I understand…I'm sorry, Mother…"

"Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some damage control to prepare in case things go awry." Mitsuyo huffed and walked off, leaving Hifumi on her own with those scathing remarks in mind.

.

.

After that, it was a very long day of pulling cables. Eventually Ren and Ryuji were finished and they were not happy about it. They were in a hallway and Ryuji just had to vent his frustration. "I'm so pissed off! Aren't we supposed to be guests? Why the hell are we doin' manual labor!? This is bullshit! Going to the bathroom didn't even make me feel better!"

"Yeah…that was…not fun." Ren agreed.

Ann rounded the corner from the left, letting out a sigh since she heard Ryuji yelling all the way down the hall. "Quiet down, will you? Although, I get how you feel. That sucked for the both of us. I had to do lights…"

"Ugh…and we gotta do more of this tomorrow…?" Ryuji groaned. This social studies trip was just straight ass.

"No flaking out Ryuji." Morgana said.

Ryuji just slumped. "I know, I know. I gotta be a 'good boy', right? Man…being Phantom Thieves ain't easy…"

"That reminds me, we get to go home straight from here today." Ann was at least providing the silver lining of this situation. We don't spend much time in this area, so why don't we relax and look at some shops in the meantime?"

"Oh, I know a place!" Morgana popped out of the back. "I wanna go to that delicious pancake looking place we passed on the way here! What was that?!"

"Oh, you mean Dome Town?" Ryuji said. "The round part is a baseball stadium, and along the outside is an amusement park!"

"It's right in the middle of a business area, but they pretty hardcore rides too." Ann added.

Morgana had an idea. "All right, let's go. I'll show you how courageous I am!"

"Going on a scary right doesn't prove any kind of courage." Ann said.

"Not like cats can get on anyway…" Ryuji said with a widening grin.

"Really…?" Morgana seemed a bit disappointed by this.

"Well…you could stay in the bag. But you'd totally puke if you did that." The blonde male snickered. "But let's go to Dome Town! I'm really feeling it now!"

"Me too!" Ann beamed.

"I'm all for it." Ren was just as excited.

"I, uh…I think I'll pass on the puke rides…" Morgana sighed. So much for his idea.

That's when a pleasant boy dressed in a suit walked in from the right. As he passed by, he stopped to greet the trio. "Excuse me…are you students of Shujin Academy? I couldn't help but notice your uniforms."

"That's right." Ryuji spoke up first. "What do you want?"

"I happened to be passing by, so it seemed polite to greet you. We'll be filming together after all." The boy said. "Ah, where are my manners? My name is Goro Akechi."

"Akechi…?" Ann tilted her head. It felt like she heard that name before…

"Filming? You a celebrity or something?" Ryuji asked.

"Only to the extent of appearing on TV a few times." Akechi said with a slight smile.

"Oh!" Ann gasped. Now she knew where she recognized him! This guy was…!

Akechi then checked his phone, frowning a bit. "My apologies, I truly was just passing by. I have to be going. There's a meeting for tomorrow's recording I must attend. So…you're going to have cake now?"

"…?" The trio stared at each other.

"Uh…" Ren wasn't sure where to begin with that.

"…Am I mistaken?" Akechi seemed genuinely surprised. "I thought I heard something about delicious pancakes…? No matter. Welp. See you tomorrow." With that, Akechi was off.

"That guy's gotta be some kind of startup entertainer or something." Ryuji rubbed the bottom of his nose with his index finger. "No way he'll get popular with that kind of hair, though."

"You don't get it…" Ann shook her head.

Just as the group was about to leave, Hifumi walked through the corridor, coming from the direction Akechi walked towards. She paused in the middle, lightly hitting the wall with her first in a bit of frustration. She didn't see anyone around so it was pretty sudden. "Ugh…"

That wasn't exactly something Ren could ignore. Especially since he and Ryuji bore witness to that train wreck of an interview. "Togo-san?"

"Huh?" Hifumi immediately turned, her green eyes wide as she saw Ren. "You're…from the other day…I didn't know you'd be here."

"Yo, you all right?" Ryuji asked.

"That was a pretty heavy sigh…" Ann folded her arms. "Is everything all right?"

"You're Kitagawa-san's friends, aren't you?" Hifumi asked.

"Yusuke? Yeah." Ann said. "You're…Hifumi Togo, aren't you?" She only remembered this because of Mishima's gushing the other day. "It's nice to meet you. My name is Ann Takamaki."

"It's nice to meet you, Takamaki-san." Hifumi gave a curt nod. "What brings you to the TV station? It's a school day…"

"We're here on a school trip." Ren explained. "And it…has not been great. Ryuji and I were busy being Assistant Cameras for the day. But we did see your interview as a result."

"O-Oh…you saw that?" Hifumi turned her gaze to the ground. "I'm…very sorry about all of that. I wasn't…"

"Why are you apologizin'?" Ryuji was quick to say that. "Your mom was the one hoggin' all the spotlight from you. Aren't you a bit upset about that?"

"Ryuji, you have to ask these things more carefully!" Ann snapped. She could tell Hifumi was upset but it wasn't something to just blatantly ask! Plus she had no idea what they were going on about. "What happened, Togo-san…?"

Honestly, this caught Hifumi off guard. She didn't really have…anyone to talk to about how frustrating her mother could be sometimes. She knew Ren and his friends were friends with Yusuke, so they couldn't be bad people…and something just made her feel like sharing. "I don't want to burden you too much with my problems…but to make a long story short, my mother organized an interview for me and proceeded to take most of its time. I didn't get to speak as much as I was led to believe…"

"She was puttin' her down a bit too…for being a fan of the Phantom Thieves." Ryuji added.

"That's putting it lightly…" Morgana said. But all Hifumi could hear was a muffled meow that confused her for a moment.

Even though she didn't really even vent any of her issues, being able to talk about it was nice at least. So she offered Ren and his friends a slight smile. "I really didn't mean to bother you with this…but thank you for letting me talk. I was on my way out, so…"

"We were going to Dome Town. Do you want to come with us?" Ann offered. It was sudden and caught Hifumi by surprise.

"W-What?" Hifumi blinked several times.

"You look like you could use a little bit of fun." Ann gave a slight grin. "You guys don't mind, right?"

"Not at all." Ren gave a nod.

"Yeah, c'mon. It'll be fun!" Ryuji was giving a smile.

"Well, I…" Hifumi was taken aback by the offer, but it did sound…fun?

And then Mitsuyo came along. "Ah, there you are, Hifumi. I had to take care of that irresponsible comment you made. Come on now, we're leaving. We have to discuss that magazine cover you're in after all."

So much for that. Whatever happiness Hifumi wore faded rather quickly. "Well, Mother, I was actually…"

Mitsuyo glanced at Ren and his friends, furrowing her brows. "Who are these people?"

"We're her friends." Ann said quickly.

Mitsuyo scoffed at those words. "Don't lie to me. My daughter doesn't have any friends, nor does she have the time for any. Come on now, Hifumi." With that, Mitsuyo started to leave. Ren, Ryuji, and Ann held defiant expressions at how cold Mitsuyo just was to her own daughter.

Ouch. That remark was heartbreaking, but not entirely incorrect. Hifumi let out a small sigh. "It was nice of you to invite me, but I…" Hifumi turned to leave, but stopped when Ann gently took a hold of her wrist. The action surprised her, and when she turned to look at Ann, the look the blonde wore said something along the lines of letting her handle it.

"Of course we're her friends…!" Ann was serious but also panicking a bit, so she ended up slipping into her 'acting' voice. "We invited her to Dome Town just yesterday!"

"Oh, here we go…" Morgana sighed.

"…" Mitsuyo stared at Ann. She worked in the industry and Ann's acting was dubious at best. "Do you really think you can fool me?"

Crap, she wasn't buying it. "W-We're not lying…! Right guys?" Ann turned to Ren and Ryuji. She really needed them to pull through. They may not have been acting as Phantom Thieves, but they could all see how upset Hifumi was and they already swore to help anyone they could, somehow.

"Y-Yeah! That's right!" Ryuji caught the hint and snapped to attention. "We were just about to head out to Dome Town, ya know?"

"If you want someone to corroborate the story, we did just pass Goro Akechi." Ren added. "He heard us talking about heading over there. But he did seem a bit busy, so I don't know if bothering him is the best option right now." This was just a bluff on Ren's part. He didn't know anything about Akechi really, but he did give off the impression that he had some type of reputation.

"Akechi…?" Mitsuyo paused. She…couldn't exactly bother him about a matter so trivial. It didn't seem like they would exactly lie about that either, since she did pass by him as well. Mitsuyo relented. "Be back before it gets dark." She told Hifumi before leaving.

"Whew…" Ann let out a sigh of relief. "That was close…"

"You…did that for me?" Hifumi was both shocked and elated at the same time.

"Of course!" Ann nodded. "You looked like you were having a hard time and we couldn't leave you like that. I don't…like standing by when someone's in trouble." She had already made that mistake with Shiho once before, but now she had the determination to change and help people.

"Thank you." Hifumi gave a slight bow.

"Not a problem." Ren said with a small smile.

"That's just the kinda thing we do, you know?" Ryuji was a bit smug about it, since he was also cleverly (in his mind) eluding to the fact that they were the Phantom Thieves, helping out someone who believed in them.

"Don't be such an idiot about it…" Morgana sighed.

"Don't mention it!" Ann said with a gleeful grin, grabbing Hifumi by her wrist to pull her along as they went to Dome Town. "Now c'mon, let's go!"