The next day, in the train…
"Ugh, today's train ride is packed full of passengers as usual, Keiko." whisper Mallory with an annoy look on her face to Keiko.
"Yeah, I know. Try to bear with it as usual, Maly." whisper Keiko calmly to Mallory.
"Fine." whisper Mallory as she nodded at Keiko.
"… Move a little more to the right, Miss Mallory. I can't see the screen behind you." whisper Morgana to Mallory as he popped out of Keiko's bag, which make Mallory let out a small sigh before she move to the right to let him see the screen behind her.
"Now for today's Train News. Today's headlines are… "Volleyball beating investigation!" The school claims to have left teaching methods up to it's staff. It has denied once again that it had any knowledge of the beatings. "Pollen Warning as of Next Week!" Greater volume and arriving later than in previous years. "Hotspots of Tokyo!" Experience art in Shibuya! The Madarame exhibit opens next week." said a male newscaster from the train monitor above them.
"People are really talking about the Kamoshida incident. No one in this train knows that we're the ones who did it, Madame Keiko, Miss Mallory." whisper Morgana to both Keiko and Mallory.
"Yeah. Also how can Shujin staffs still lied and denied that they didn't know about what Kamoshida did to those poor students who joined his volleyball club?" whisper Mallory with an angry look on her face (while her eyes turned black for a moment).
"Hey, I know you're angry at them for lying and denying it but please calm down, alright, Maly?" whisper Keiko even more calmly to Mallory (who nodded and calm down) as she noticed her eyes turned black for a moment and didn't noticed another girl about their age and wearing a different school uniform standing not far from them is also staring up with a cold look on her face at the image of an old man on the train monitor before the girl look away.
XXXX
A few minutes later, in class…
"Oh yeah, you students got exams starting on Wednesday. Don't tell me you all forgot about it. Anyway, today we'll be talking about "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter". Most theorize it's the oldest story in Japan; for some, it's the oldest science-fiction story in the world. But if any of you students ask me, it's the oldest story in Japan about a terrible woman. I mean, Princess Kaguya gives her suitors absurd tasks, demands fancy gifts, then runs off to the moon. Some men lose their fortunes, some are humiliated, and some even get serious wounds or go mad and blind." said Kawakami-sensei to the class.
"No surprises for someone like Princess Kaguya." thought Mallory slightly boredly in her mind.
"Women like Princess Kaguya actually show up in a lot of stories around the world, women like Sofia Ivanovna Blyuvshtein, a Russian con-artist, for example." said Kawakami-sensei before she glance at Keiko. "Now then, Amamiya-san. You've probably heard that a woman who uses her wiles to led people to their doom is a femme fatale. So what's the literal translation of the phrase "femme fatale"?" asked Kawakami-sensei to Keiko.
"It's fatal woman, sensei." replied Keiko.
"That is correct. The answer is fatal woman. In French, of course. Some other famous examples are the witch Morgan Le Fay from Arthurian legend and Queen Salome from the bible. Not to mention the wild, seductive dancer of opera, Carmen." said Kawakami-sensei (while the students around Keiko and Mallory start whispering about them).
"Wow, you must be really smart to be able to answer a question like that, Madame Keiko!" said Morgana proudly to Keiko.
"Thanks, Morgana." said Keiko as she glance and smiled at Morgana.
"… Let me just warn you all that exams aren't so easy that you all can pass them with a single night of cramming. Take your time and make sure you all understand the materials, alright?" said Kawakami-sensei.
"… You 2 heard her, Madame Keiko, Miss Mallory. Must be rough being students. Well, you 2 have nothing to lose from studying. Give it all you 2 have got." said Morgana.
"Yeah, we know and we will, Morgana." said Keiko as both she and Mallory nodded at Morgana before they resumed listening to Kawakami-sensei's lesson.
XXXX
Several hours later, on the rooftop after school ends…
"Got anything good for us, Ryuji-kun?" asked Keiko.
"Nope. None of these posts are any good. Everyone's just bitchin' about their parents or their boyfriends and girlfriends." said Ryuji as he glance sullenly at the Phantom Aficionado Website on his phone. "There ain't even a hint of a hint about a new Palace…"
"It's only been a day since we change Kamoshida's heart and take down his Palace, Keiko, Sakamoto. You 2 don't be so impatient, okay? I'm sure something will come up for us eventually." said Mallory in a slightly exasperated tone of voice to both Keiko and Ryuji.
"Uh huh." said Ryuji as he nodded at Mallory without looking.
"But still, we can't get everything online… Finding a post with a name and location is asking a lot…" said Ann as she shake her head glumly to them.
"Guess we just gotta find one ourselves then!" suggested Ryuji.
"Are you seriously suggesting we look for a target that even the police have overlooked?" said Morgana as he glance at Ryuji with an unimpressed look on his face.
"Any other better idea besides the previous one you suggested, Sakamoto?" sighed Mallory.
"…Yeah, you two are prolly right. We should prolly just hold off 'till exams are done with, huh?" sighed Ryuji. "We can wait and see for a little longer, then worry about comin' up empty-handed if it happens…" added Ryuji to them before he got cut off by the sound of someone opening the door to the rooftop, which surprises him, Keiko, Mallory, Ann and Morgana before Morgana quickly jump off the desk he's sitting on toward another desk then jumped up onto the large air-conditioning unit, out of their sights.
"Oh…" said Ann when she and the others saw both Makoto and Keith approaching and stopping in front of her and the others.
"Who are these two?" thought both Keiko and Mallory in their minds as they glance suspiciously at both Makoto and Keith.
"This place is off-limits, you know." said Makoto as she raised her eyebrows questioning at them.
"So what are the 4 of you doing up here?" asked Keith as he crossed his arms.
"… We'll get outta here once we're done chattin'." replied Ryuji as he scowled at Keith. "Anyways, what's Miss Student Council President and Mister Vice-president want with us?"
"Huh? These two are the student council president and vice-president?" thought Keiko as she slightly widened her eyes in surprise at both Makoto and Keith.
"The troublemaker, the girl of rumor and the 2 infamous transfer students… Interesting combination." said Makoto calmly to them as she tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear.
"Great way to start a conversation…" muttered Ann darkly under her breath.
"No kidding." thought Mallory in agreement with Ann after what she heard from her.
"By the way… It seems as though you got to know Kamoshida-san pretty well." said Makoto as she glance at Keiko.
"Somewhat since he try to push himself onto me like how he try on poor Ann-chan." said Keiko coolly to Makoto.
"Yeah, what she said about a pervert scumbag like him." said Mallory coldly to Makoto about Kamoshida.
"Yeah, y'know they've only been here a month or so." said Ryuji, defending both Keiko and Mallory.
"Is that so, Sakamoto?" said Keith as he raised his eyebrow suspiciously at Ryuji.
"We heard that Kamoshida-sensei used a volleyball team member to spread details of your past record. Don't you hate him for doing so? Kamoshida-sensei, I mean." asked Makoto.
"What about you? Why are you still calling him Kamoshida-sensei after he confessed to each of the terrible things he did to the students that day during the morning assembly?" Keiko retorted coldly back to Makoto (which make Keith narrowed his eyes at her).
"I…" said Makoto, taken aback by her cold words.
"What's all this about? Our 2 friends here are upstanding girls." said Ryuji as he leaned forward a little and resting his elbows on his knees.
"I don't mean to offend them or anything. Many students have been shaken up by what happened with Kamoshida-sen… Kamoshida." said Makoto as she composed herself and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Plus, the rumors about those odd, calling card-esque posting on the school's bulletin boards aren't going away either." said Keith (which make both Ann and Ryuji briefly glance and exchange looks with each other).
"I didn't expect someone like you and Donovan-senpai would care about that tactless stuff, Niijima-senpai." said Ann with a surprise look on her face.
"I dunno that it was tactless…" muttered Ryuji under his breath before he glance at Makoto. "Anyways, we done here? We can't leave if you two keep talkin' to us."
"At least try to understand our positions. Being forced to deal with this horseplay…" said Makoto as she and Keith scowled darkly at them.
"Horseplay…!?" said Ann as she glared incredulously at them both.
"Ah yes, by the way… It's been decided that this place will be closed off due to the incident." said Makoto as she tucked another strand of hair behind her ear and gave them a thin smile.
"We heard some people are coming up here without permission, after all… We're sorry to have interrupted you all." said Keith sardonically to them before he and Makoto turned around and walked away from them and the rooftop.
"What was that about?" said Ann as she stood up and glared at the door where both Makoto and Keith just went through while Morgana jumped down from his hiding place and landed on the table.
"…They're on to us. We should be cautious of them both, especially the girl, who seems rather sharp." said Morgana grimly to them.
"They really pisses me off!" growled Ryuji.
"Calm down, Ryuji-kun. We need to be careful from now on to prevent them from figuring out our other identities and what we did to Kamoshida." said Keiko calmly to Ryuji.
"Keiko's right, Sakamoto. Calm down." said Mallory in agreement with Keiko.
"…Fine. Talk about 2 pain in the ass." grumbled Ryuji.
"That reminds me… Study hard, especially you, Ryuji." said Morgana warningly to Ryuji. "There are bound to be traps that requires out brains to solved them. Keep in mind that everything you all do in your daily lives has an impact on your abilities."
"True, studying won't be so bad if we just think of it as helping us prepare to be phantom thieves." said Ann as she nodded to Morgana.
"Hey, how about we do a group study to helped with each other studies even more?" suggested Mallory.
"You know what, that's not a bad idea, Maly." said Keiko as she gave a small smile to Mallory.
"I guess you all got points to yourselves… But man, it's just so lame… I was all fired up about helpin' people, not about studyin'…" sighed Ryuji in frustration to them.
"Well, I do have somewhere interesting to show you all beforehand. You guys did originally promise to help me out with my mission, after all." said Morgana.
"Yeah, we did, Morgana. So where is this interesting place that you wanted to show us?" asked Keiko.
"It's at the station square in Shibuya, Madame Keiko. Come on and follow me!" replied Morgana as he jumped off the table, went through the door and left the rooftop. Keiko, Mallory, Ann and Ryuji immediately left the rooftop, grabbed their bags in their classrooms and they left the school and head toward the station to take the train to Shibuya.
XXXX
Outside the entrance of the partially crowded subway station of Shibuya…
"What're you bringin' us here for?" asked Ryuji as he glance up at the ledge where Morgana is lying on while he sat on the ground and leaning against a small building next to the station while Keiko stand and leaned against the ledge next to Morgana to his left and both Mallory and Ann stand to his right.
"Just do as I told you." replied Morgana as he glance down at Ryuji (who grumbled under his breath as he, Keiko, Mallory and Ann pull out their phones and pressed the Phantom Aficionado Website).
"All right, I've got the Phantom Aficionado Website up. Now what?" asked Ryuji.
"Look for a post with a full name in it." Morgana instructed Ryuji.
"I already said there's no info on any big shots. Don't you remember?" sighed Ryuji as he rolled his eyes at Morgana but he listens to him and scroll down the website to search for a post with a full name in it. "But man, people actually go put someone's real name on here. That's some scary shit…"
"Here's something, "He won't listens to what I say"… No wait, there's no name on this one." said Ann absentmindedly to them.
"Someone bumped into me and insist that I apologize to him"… Nope, no name on this one either." said Keiko.
"Someone's bad-mouthin' me in online chat rooms"… This one's got a name." said Ryuji as he raised his phone to show them the post he just read.
"Ignore those. Aren't there any posts about serious trouble?" said Morgana.
"How about this one, guys? "I don't know what to do about my ex who's stalking me. His name is Natsuhiko Nakanohara. It says he's a teller at City Hall. Wow. His name is quite a mouthful." said Mallory sarcastically about the guy's name, which make Keiko smirk at her.
"A government worker stalkin' someone…?" said Ryuji with a disgusted look on his face.
"That should be a suitable target. All right, now get the Meta-Nav ready." said Morgana as he nodded to Ryuji.
"We're just gonna jump right into a Palace? Fine by me!" said Ryuji with an excited grin on his face as he activated the Meta-Nav per Morgana's order.
"Hey, what happened to all that talk of "unanimous decision"? What do you think we should do, Keiko?" asked Ann as she glance at Keiko.
"Let's do it." replied Keiko.
"That's what I'm talkin' about!" said Ryuji as he glance and smiled widely at Keiko.
"OK then. Let's go!" said Ann in agreement to them.
"We need a name and a place, right? So the name is…" said Ryuji before he got cut off by Morgana.
"Actually, we don't need a location this time. Just enter exactly what I say. The keyword is… "Mementos"." said Morgana.
"Mementos?" said Mallory in confusion to Morgana.
"Didn't I heard him mention that before in Kamoshida's Palace?" thought Keiko in her mind.
"Huh? What're you tryin' to pull?" said Ryuji suspiciously at Morgana.
"Just listen to me. It should work… I think." said Morgana with an unsure look on his face.
"Geez… that again? Uhhh… "M-e-m-e-n-t-o-s", was it?" sighed Ryuji as he entered the word into the search bar.
"Candidate found." said the robotic female voice from the Meta-Nav.
"We got a hit!?" said Ryuji in surprise as he stood up from the ground.
"For real!?" said Ann in surprise as well.
"Just as I thought!" purred Morgana happily as their surroundings fizzed, warped and turned red, purple and black and Ryuji's phone transported them to the other world.
