Things wound down for a while, the Phantoms could only wait until Okumura's confession. But the unsettling thing was that people now pictured the Phantoms as bloodthirsty, pinning Shujin's principal's death on them. And the group only got more nervous when their leader still seemed to be stewing in negative thoughts.
In an attempt to distract Akira from his sullen mood, Ann suggested he come with her for a training session with Ryuji. "I was thinking of getting into shape. And who better to help with that than him, right?" She looked at him expectantly, hoping he wouldn't refuse. "Alright, let's go." Ann rushed him, saying that Ryuji would meet them at the gym.
Akira was looking forward to some jogging but waited until the blondes decided on what to focus on. "Anyways, uh... what're you tryin' to do here?" Ryuji was pumped up, eager to help his friends. "I want to slim down!" He tried suggesting some activities, but she wasn't satisfied with just aerobics, listing some results she wanted. "You have some real guts." Akira thought she was being too greedy and hasty, but she took it as a compliment.
"Mm-hm! I'm a guts demon!" Ryuji grimaced at the demands. "Motivation's good n' all, but you won't be able to move tomorrow if you do all that shit today." Ann then told him to make up a schedule for her. "Ugh, you're such a pain." The guy refused, he wasn't her lackey. "If you do that for me, I'll go on a date with you as a reward!" Both boys scoffed at the offer. "Eff that. It's sad watchin' you like this." Even if she tried to act sexy, she failed at it, not having a charm point to emphasize.
To make things worse, the girl found that one scheduled photoshoot was canceled because she would blend in. "Guess you just gotta find somewhere you do stand out then." That had the girl recover some of her spirits, she would find it. "There's no doubt in my mind." Akira offered his moral support in her endeavor. "Uh, where...?" Akira had to suppress a laugh when Ryuji slipped, then he made it worse by giving his thoughts about Ann's rival, Mika. "... You dick!"
The girl was furious at the 'betrayal' and asked to find her a machine for her to break. "Whoah, dude..." After some vigorous exercise powered by spite, the trio was now tired and sweaty. Ann went home after the training, but the boys weren't done hanging out. "Let's go grab some ramen!" Ryuji led Akira to his favorite place. The blond went for heavy pork stock with extra meat while his friend settled for a lighter miso stock. "By the way, the track team's up and runnin' again."
Those were good news, one of the boys Ryuji fought with had told his mother what was going on with the club and the sham coach was replaced. "Man, it serves that dick right!" Although he used to be afraid of facing his former friends, of facing the consequences of his brashness. "Hey, this ain't like me, but..." Ryuji confessed that Akira had made him change for the better. "So... thanks, man." Akira shrugged, not seeing the big deal. "You're welcome."
He had moved on from wanting to rejoin the club, his place was with the Phantoms now. "If anything comes up, you tell me. I'll help you with whatever you need." Akira let himself smile, Ryuji was his first true friend in this unfamiliar city, fellow misfits rejected by society. "Pals for life, bro." They paid the bill and left, chatting lightly as they walked home. "Man... the wait's killin' me." The blond was impatient by nature, he just wanted Okumura to hurry up and confess.
~m~
Makoto wondered if there was an issue with the adults that had Akira down in the dumps. So, she decided to go and interrogate Mikumo about the subject. [You want to talk? Well, I'm at Shinjuku, here's the address.] It was a little complicated to figure the directions given and the woman didn't stay put, but she managed to figure it and met her by a riverbank. "Yo~ Makoto~ I'm here!" Once the girl was close enough, Sissel hopped on her arms.
"Oh, hello." She petted its fur as they walked towards a small park. "So, what do you want to ask?" Makoto fiddled with the cat's red scarf, getting an annoyed swat. "Well, Akira has been looking down since that day, do you know why?" The detective informed her that Shirogane got wounded in action, which understandably had Akira worried for her health. But his overreaction didn't make sense, as the woman was on the road to recovery, no?
"Don't ask me, girl, 'cuz I have no idea of what goes on in his head." Mikumo preferred to stay out of personal affairs, so she hadn't held onto that track. "Well, it made me worried that our mission failed somehow, and only he knew." The woman patted her shoulder in reassurance. "Let him sort it out. Worry for yourself first. By the way, how's your sister?" That was something the guy would have to deal with Naoto when the time came. "Now that you asked..."
~m~
Haru looked out the window, seeing a silver sedan with tinted windows pull up to the front door, but she didn't recognize the license plaque. A redhead woman stepped out with a briefcase on hand, perhaps she was a new business connection her father didn't have time to brag about. She had a bodyguard as well, how important was she? Haru watched her enter the office and managed to hear the name Kirijo, recalling her father's efforts to get into the graces of that group in the past.
Once behind locked doors and with Labrys standing guard, the meeting had started, although the man sounded dispirited. "Was that young lady your daughter?" Mitsuru gazed at the man who had sold his child to rise into the political world. "Yes, but we should move onto business." Greedy for power, much like her grandfather was, until those thieves found his Treasure. "I agree." Now, the once-proud businessman was a shell of himself.
They talked for a few minutes, but soon he cracked, he had a gut feeling that she didn't come for regular business. "Why did you ask for a meeting?" He had tried to make a connection before, but Kirijo had rebuffed his offers. "I am here to propose a deal." The woman took a pensive pose, unsure if he deserved mercy. "Protection in exchange for information." She wanted data on his dealings linked to the Metaverse hitman and the mastermind.
The man frowned, already suspecting what she sought after. "He will know. You're just delaying the inevitable." Okumura was cowering in fear, resigned to an inevitable execution after getting bested by the Phantoms. "He has a hitman, one who's impossible to catch." He knew it, he had contracted hits on men far more paranoid than him and with better security, yet they fell. The woman didn't let his tone affect her. "Shido Masayoshi won't reach you."
Okumura flinched, stunned that this woman knew the name of the mastermind. "... I understand. I'll collaborate." Mitsuru opened the thin briefcase and handed over a contract outlining the terms and conditions he had to abide for. Ichiyanagi had vetted the document and permitted her to offer the deal to Okumura, as long she didn't cause issues with his case. There was a larger fish to catch, she and Mitsurugi had no plans to let Shido go scot-free.
~m~
Naoto looked at the door, Badou had come to visit her. "Yo, junior... How are you?" She felt a little awkward under his scrutiny like a child caught doing something. "I will be fine, thanks for coming." The old man hadn't bought the cover story as to why she got wounded. "None of those groups have any interest in the area she was found in." He knew that something was brewing behind the scenes, something that had some big players about to clash, but he hadn't been told anything by Mikumo yet.
"Look... I wasn't informed of what you lot are planning..." The woman met his eyes, keeping a neutral expression. "But I want you and Mikumo to keep this in mind..." He discarded the plastic stick in his mouth. "You can count on me for help. I still have some fight in this body." Naoto sighed, he was quite perceptive. "I don't have clearance to tell you." He huffed at that, scratching his beard with an irritated frown. "A gag order, hm?"
He got up from the chair and turned to leave. "... Alright, I'll go ask him." The only person who could make Mikumo keep her mouth shut was Mitsurugi, and he had a few questions to ask the prosecutor. "Stay well, we can't lose you, Shirogane." She waved as he walked to the door. "I'll keep that in mind."
