Akira had gone to the clinic to stock up on supplies, it never hurt to be well prepared. Right when he was about to leave, the doctor spoke up. "It's about time that girl will come to visit. I want you to see how she is doing." Oh, so the cranky doctor had been caring for her the entire time, despite acting all shady. "Alright." The girl was much better than the first time he saw her, with the typical kid energy making her unable to sit still.

He smiled while watching Tae have a love talk with the girl, almost laughing at the kid's confusion when the doctor used big words. He felt lighter knowing that the girl was healthier. "That girl's gotten a lot better..." Tae grumbled a little over her constant visits, but her tiny smile told the truth. "Which reminds me, the new medicine will be completed soon." Oh, so his stint as a guinea pig wasn't useless after all. "That's good to know, that my boring profile was so helpful."

"By the way, how have I been doing? Have I been helpful?" Uh, her questions were a bit weird for his ears... "... For your escapades with the Phantom Thieves, I mean." It was useless to try to bullshit her. "I visited Oyamada in jail." Tae knew that he wouldn't confess without some extra incentive. "Isn't the only logical conclusion to think that it's you?" She could have snitched on him, but she wasn't such an upstanding citizen, and he did help her with her pet project.

The teen had looked like a cat caught by a sudden rain, his secret was out in the open. Tae watched from the window as the young thief walked away. "Good luck with your heists." He had helped her break free from her regret over a perceived failure and had nudged her into becoming more welcoming towards the locals, rekindling her passion for her profession. She noticed a black and red blur messing with the trash, seeing a kitten dart into the alley. "There sure are a lot of strays in this area..."

~m~

Naoto was bored from being confined in the hospital, the nurses had said something about having overworked her body and aggravated the injury, so she attempted to distract herself by reading a novel on her phone. "Can I come in?" Rise had come to visit her, sporting a slight frown. "... You put yourself in danger again." The detective averted her eyes at the scolding tone. "I survived. And he'd die if I hadn't interfered." She just sighed in aggravation and took a seat by the bed.

"I was worried for you when I heard you got shot." The sight of Naoto looking somewhat sick sat wrong with her, she prayed for a swift recovery. "As you can see, I'm healing. Sorry for causing you stress." She waved aside these words. "We're friends. I'll always care about you." Then she got a serious look. "Have you thought about how they will react?" Rise hadn't approved of the plan she had hatched with Mikumo, those two were using the teens to further their side's goals.

"I'll accept their scorn when they find out." That was one part of Naoto's personality that irritated Rise, the detective was willing to put herself into harm's way if it helped her case, not thinking about the damage she could suffer. "I only hope you made the right choice..." While her friend could have hard skin, there were things that not even she could shake off. "Even if it wasn't, I'll endure it." Naoto patted her shoulder in assurance and gave her a grateful smile. "If you say so..."

~m~

Yusuke was a little worried as he looked up at the posh residential high-rise, was he taking the right path? Would he end up the victim of another Madarame? Well, now he had the Phantoms to give him the courage to walk away if that was the case. He spoke with the receptionist and waited for permission to enter. "There's a Kitagawa Yusuke asking for permission to go up" Garyū's voice had a tinge of surprise, but he welcomed him in eagerly, so the receptionist told him the floor and door number.

The artist had expected a gaudy home to go along with his looks, but the décor was surprisingly tame, being just a little more expensive-looking than Sojiro's furniture and having more art on display. "I have come to discuss the sponsorship." A normal person would assume that his stunt back in the holidays would sour the relationship, but Mister Merman had no grudges from the beach incident, being all smiles and helpfully exposing his intentions and answering questions.

"Have you come to a decision?" Yusuke assured him that he thought that his terms sounded quite fair. "The thing is, I have received an offer from Kawanabe as well..." Kyouya recalled hearing the name, the man had some kind of foundation under his name. "That's good for you, it could open some new doors as well." The prosecutor was waiting for him to elaborate. "Will you let me hear his conditions first?"

While Yusuke had heard many voices vouching for Garyū, he wanted to check other options. "I understand. I was like you back in my times as a singer." There would be no hard feelings if he decided to go with Kawanabe, he only wished for Kitagawa's talent to flourish. "But before you go, have something to eat." Garyū had just gone for a snack run and wanted to share. "If you insist, then I'll accept." Yusuke didn't have the will to refuse, heartily digging in the pastries and tea offered.

~m~

"Time's going by so slowly..." While waiting for Okumura's confession, Akira could only do his best to pass time, hanging out with his friends and confidants. It was both a relief and a chore, there were moments in which all he wanted to do was to laze on his bed all day long. "Hang on strong, our efforts surely won't go to waste." Morgana had tried to lift his spirits with a pep talk, but both knew what loomed in the future.

He trudged into the cafe only to come to face with the last thing he wanted to see. "Good evening. I am intruding in your home once again." The fake detective had come to darken his doorstep. "Don't do anything rash, Akira!" He had to swallow his anger and restrain himself, despite knowing what this dipshit did. "It's just such a calming place for me." Whereas Akira could feel his blood pressure rising. "Don't worry about it."

"Regardless, it's time I go on my way." But the detective wasn't done talking. "I heard a calling card has finally been sent." He really wanted to punch this guy, but Sojiro was watching and he might get arrested for real. "Hypocrite..." The teen simply listed to the bland drivel until the fly went away. "Good riddance." After exchanging a few words with Sojiro, it was time for bed. "Akira...?" Morgana shivered at the look on his face after that brief encounter.

~m~

When the day of Okumura's confession arrived, Haru had invited the Phantoms to an amusement park, making use of a reservation that was left unused. It was also a welcoming party for her as the newest member of the group. After an afternoon enjoying the attractions, the group was resting at one of the lounge areas, setting the souvenirs on a table. The Phantoms tuned into the streaming channel, waiting with bated breath for Okumura's confession.

"Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to gather here." He would talk about the matters regarding Okumura Foods, focusing on the treatment of employees and sanitation, addressing the accusations that he was running a sweatshop that violated human rights. Then, just when he was about to reveal something, perhaps the culprit behind the mental shutdowns, Okumura suffered the effects of one, spitting dark fluid and collapsing.

Although Akira knew that it was all faked, it was startling to see such realistic effects as Okumura wept black tears and collapsed. "F-Father...!?" The Phantoms were shocked to see their target suffer a mental shutdown, that wasn't supposed to happen! "Haru..." Morgana met his eyes, both felt guilty, wanting to assure the girl that her father was still alive, but they had no way to prove it. Nor could they justify such knowledge.

"Mona-chan, what's going on...?" Lying left a bad taste in their mouths, yet they had to feign cluelessness. "We did everything the same..." The cat nodded at Akira's words, it wasn't their fault. "We only took the Treasure..." But the damage was already done, Haru was trying to reach anyone to get info on her father and the other thieves were getting insecure about their methods. "If it wasn't for her and Sissel..." Then, it would be a cruel reality.

"A-Ah...!" Futaba let her phone fall on the table, finally getting a visual trigger to recall that day. "It's just like... what happened to my mom..." Makoto tried to puzzle out how and why Okumura was targeted, as stealing the Treasure would make the Shadow and Palace disappear. "Um... I-I have to go." Haru was distraught and wanted answers, and the thieves weren't in the mood to enjoy the park anymore, thus ending the celebration abruptly.

~m~

Kirijo and Mitsurugi were watching Okumura's live confession, knowing that it would fool most of the population into believing the Phantoms had caused a mental shutdown. "What about the obituary?" The prosecutor wanted ironclad physical documents that could uphold their charade, otherwise, their operation could face risks. "His body will be cremated quickly, for it presents a biohazard risk like past deceased victims." Thus, there would be no corpse to examine.

The woman knew she was taking high risks, but the gamble was worth it. "I see... I expect it to be flawless." He steepled his fingers thoughtfully, using tricks and gimmicks to reach their goal broke a few of his personal standards and went against the law. "Fear not, I have screened the employees who will deal with the setup and fallout." Yet, it was a necessary evil, their foe was cheating from the very beginning. "... I have a critical piece of information to announce here today."

He grimaced at the depiction of a collapse, there was no need for the camera to zoom into his face. "Frankly... It looks quite gruesome. Can it impact anyone?" Thankfully his fianceé had confirmed that he had no Shadow to be targeted. "Yes, but not you." Mitsurugi also had her check some people he trusted, satisfied with the report given. "And I'm grateful for that small mercy." As of today, Okumura Kunikazu was 'dead' to the world.