I was back sitting on the roof when Sojiro's text came through. The message read that he picked Futaba up from school and would take her home.

Ann and Morgana learned what transpired in the courtyard from Ryuji. After the incident, I rarely said anything unless asked directly. Still feeling at the time, a sharp guilt clogging my throat. After reading the message, I relayed to the group that Futaba was leaving school early.

As I stared at the ground pondering Futaba's attack, someone slammed their foot hard into the roof's floor. Ann's frustrated voice soon could be heard. "God, I'm so angry I can hardly breathe! Who the hell does this Masuda guy think he is?!" She said.

Ryuji answered. "I don't actually know the guy, but he's a second-year. An ex-basketball player turned shithead."

I picked my head back up. Whoever this guy was, he apparently harassed Futaba for weeks. The others were unaware of this, not hearing what the bully said downstairs. That information was making me feel sick. My mind started nitpicking memories with her, seeing if there was some detail, some clue on her face that something was wrong. How could I have let this happened, let her go through something like that? Surely there was something I could have done.

Morgana looked equally upset at the news. With a frown, his ears bent downward, he responded saying, "I'm worried for Oracle. With everything that happened last year… this won't be good for her."

We looked around at each other, all having seen Futaba's palace last year. Everyone worked together to help her break out of her shell, I remembered our first trip to the beach together. That memory was one of my favorites. Looking around, I could see Ann worried that all that work could be damaged.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Ryuji glaring at our expressions. He looked confused, saying, "Why's everyone looking so bummed out? It ain't that bad."

Ann turned to him, still looking upset. "How can you say that?! Ryuji, she was humiliated in front of everyone.

"Well yeah, and that sucks…. but she's been through far worse, HELL we all did." Ryuji answered.
She looked unconvinced. "You might not care about what others think, but she's not like that. What if she traps herself in her room again?"

"She's not going to!" Ryuji quickly answered.

"How the hell would you know?!" Ann snapped back.

"Because I got faith in her, Ann! The hell is wrong with you guys?" His words stung but brought me back to reality. As he looked around waiting for an answer, Ann looked away, still looking pissed. The guilt that was clogging my throat, I swallowed hard and started seething the pressure away. Ryuji looked over to me. "What about you? You really think she'll just hide away again?" He asked.

He gave me a very serious look when asking the question. I imagined at first, he was challenging me to see if I got the answer wrong. Then I realized he was actually trying to push me, make me see reason. I responded, "No… he's right."

"I have to agree with Ryuji." Morgana spoke up from the tension. "She isn't the same person we picked up in the beginning. She's come a long way. Today will hurt, like any regrettable memory… but it won't stop her."

I exhaled a bit more tension from my nose. I think about the breakfast she cooked, the smile of excitement on her face. Even if the bullying went on for weeks, she still was so full of energy. Futaba was a lot stronger and deserved more credit than I was giving her at the moment.

"See?" Ryuji said, looking back to Ann. She still avoided his gaze, but he continued. "I'm telling you, before we know it, she'll be back to herself. Talking about computers or whatever other nerd stuff she's into."

Ann crossed her arms. Her angry expression switched to a somber look. Without looking at him, she replied, "Sorry. I shouldn't have been angry at you."

Ryuji rubbed the back of his nape, now looking awkward. "Nah, it's fine. Don't sweat it." Ann still looked away. He seemed uncomfortable at her refusal to look at him, now attempting to reassure her. "We're all just a bit tense. It happens…"

"It's not-." She stopped. Looking over, I could see her eyes squinting. Trying to fight back what I assumed were tears. Ann eventually looked over to Ryuji, but not to his eyes. Her voice was quavered and quiet. "This damn school… I can't watch another friend get hurt."

"Lady Ann…" Morgana murmured, appearing to understand what she meant.

Shiho, I remembered the first time I talked with her. She told me to not worry about the rumors people were spreading about me. Her kindness at the time meant more than she probably will ever realize. No one was more devastated at what happened next than her best friend, Ann.

There was a prolonged silence between everyone on the roof. Morgana seemed to want to comfort Ann without getting too close. She started whipping her eyes quickly with her sleeve, still not fully crying but fighting them back. Ann then looked around at us, probably expecting someone to respond to her.

Before someone could say anything, Ryuji suddenly got up from his chair. He stood standing still, but arms were now extended, his expression looked sympathetic but also hesitant. Looking directly at Ann but not moving closer. I was really confused at first. I knew what he was doing but was still surprised to see this.

"What are you…" Takamaki began, looking equally confused as me. She now looked back at him, saying, "Ar-Are you… offering me a hug?" She asked, sounding skeptical.

Ryuji looked as if he wanted to run away but held his ground. His voice sounded monotone, as if trying really hard not to show what he was feeling. His widened eyes however, betrayed him, showing he was seriously embarrassed. Arms still extended, he asked, "I-Isn't this what people do to help others feel better?"

She looked away from him again. Trying to hide it, I could still see her cheeks starting to become red. Her voiced sounded a bit shakier than before. "I mean yeah, but…" Ann began. She then looked over towards me. Still talking to Ryuji, she said, "It's just a little embarrassing with everyone watching."

Morgana immediately added, "EXACTLY! Let's keep this professional, Skull!"

Ryuji then quickly put his hands back in his pockets. He fell into his chair and started stammering his words. Now looking a bit red himself. "R-Right! S-s-s-sorry about that! What a dumb Sakamoto move, amirite?!"

"Uh-huh!" Ann quickly squealed out.

"Definitely!" Morgana agreed.

They all then became quiet, trying to avoid eye contact with the others. Ryuji appeared to be paying close attention to a stain on his armrest. Ann started picking at her hair while Morgana suddenly was interested in his tail.
I sat there looking over what the hell just occurred. The mood had obviously shifted, but I was the only one not feeling embarrassed. Still, watching them fumble had made me feel a bit better. It definitely cut a lot of the tension.

Now feeling cheerier, a smirk swiftly appeared. "Just so we're clear-." I said getting their attention. "If we weren't here, you would have totally hugged him?"

'UGH, Shut up!" Ann yelled at me, now becoming a lot more red.

Ryuji also murder gazed me, saying, "Oh of course, NOW you're all chipper!"

I chuckled quietly to myself as they verbally worked me over. Eventually they had enough and went back to talking. Though Ann and Ryuji still seemed reluctant whenever they looked at each other.

I always liked the idea of them together. Ryuji was obviously attracted to her and Ann showed plenty of times that she cared about him. Messing with them was always my little way of helping push the idea. It was also due to the inevitability that they would learn about Makoto and me. They would sure make it embarrassing, so this was my preemptive payback.

With that thought, a sudden panic had hit me. I remembered later that day I was to meetup with Makoto. Usually, the thought would make me excited but now I was just anxious. After today's events, the idea just felt wrong. Maybe Futaba would disagree, but it did not feel right at the time. It was something to deal with after school, I thought to myself.

Morgana then began to speak, bringing me back to the conversation. He asked, "I hate to bring it back up, but what's going to happen with this guy?"

"Masuda?" Ryuji answered. "Well, he's Kawakami's student so he's probably in deep shit right now."

Ann nodded, saying, "He's gonna be in serious trouble. Maybe even a suspension."

A smile appeared on his face. "Ain't it nice to have the teachers on your side for once?" Sakamoto asked.

"But what are we going to do after?" I asked. Everyone looked over to me, seeming a bit confused at my question. No response was given, so I asked again, "I mean we have to do something, right?"

Ryuji replied, "Whaddya mean?"

I looked over to him. I was a bit surprised to hear that coming from him, especially since he was usually the first to call for action. "It's not going to end here. This Masuda won't just stop, I know his type." I told him.

He seemed conflicted after I explained it, taking a deep breath, he responded, "Well we can start watching out for Futaba more. Maybe one of us could meet her during-."

"That doesn't stop him though." I said, referring to her bully. "That's just hiding from him, what are we going to do about specifically him?"

Ann was the one who answered the question. Sounding concerned for me, she asked, "There isn't really anything we can do. Right now, we can only hope whatever punishment he gets will make him stop."

I was disappointed in her answer, not having a good one myself. Looking around at the group, Ryuji, Ann, not even Morgana spoke up with anything better. An unsatisfied feeling washed over me. I had hoped for a plan that could solve our problem. "Is that really all we can do?" I asked.

A frustrated look appeared on all of them. Ryuji looking bummed, responded, "We can't exactly go beat his shadow up."

"Exactly" Ann agreed, giving a saddened response. "We're all just ordinary students now. We can't do what we did before." She looked over to me once more. Seeing my disappointed expression, she gently reminded me, "We're not the Phantom Thieves anymore, Akira."

I remember her saying that back on the roof. Little did I know that phrase would become the catalyst for what was to come. I should have accepted the truth a long time ago. It would have made things so much easier.

I spent the rest of the school day thinking about what she said. After I left Shujin, it still was on my mind. Now walking down the street, closing in on Leblanc, I passed the supermarket and saw the sign for the coffee shop ahead. I stopped for a moment, thinking about Sojiro and what he might ask. Realizing I had no good answer for him either.

What Ann said was not cruel nor wrong, but it still hurt. Last year, it would be certain that bastard had a shadow. Joker would beat it and change his heart, problem solved. Thing is, Joker was gone, only I remained. That kid with no power to help anyone, the same one that got thrown away by Shido.

"God damn it…" I blurted out.

Morgana tunneled his head out of my pack. I heard his worried voice behind me. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing." I told him. Pulling out my phone, I quickly came up with a believable excuse. "I just remembered I have to cancel with Makoto. It's doesn't feel right to go out tonight."

I quickly typed a message for Makoto, explaining my unexpected cancelation. I only gave her the bullet points of what happened. Someone threw juice at Futaba, she had to leave early. I did not feel right going out today, so I will see you tomorrow at the reunion. Sorry for this being abrupt.

Message sent, I looked over the text and there was no instant response. Before I put my phone away, I looked around my apps quickly. No metaverse navigation, figured as much. As I close my phone up, I realized through my rapid pace that I should have called her instead. That would have been more considerate. I rubbed the side of the phone onto my temple and take an extremely deep breath. Despite that, the stress I was feeling at the time remained.

As I put my phone up, Mona called from my bag. "Look, Joker I think-."

"Mona just-." I quickly stopped him. He became quiet and I felt bad for snapping right there. I apologized soon after, saying, "Look, I'm sorry… Just trust me right now. I'll be fine, promise."

He retreated into the bag, not saying a word. I started making my way towards LeBlanc, thinking how much of a jerk I was there. I decided for later to treat Morgana but for now, I needed to do something to distract me.

I walked into the café to find it almost empty. Sojiro stood behind the bar, having no customers to serve. He was cleaning out a mug with a rag before I got his attention. As the bell on the door rang, he looked over. Noticing it was me, he gave a nod.

Going over to the bar, I was glad he did not immediately bombard me with questions. Perhaps Futaba and the teachers gave him enough information, but I still felt uneasy walking towards him. I approached and asked, "How's she doing?"

He stopped whipping and gently tossed the rag onto the bar. His voice did not sound angry or sad, but instead like his regular voice. "She's in her room right now." He replied. Mentioning her room reminded me of the argument earlier today, making me feel more nervous. He continued, saying, "I was about to go check up on her."

"Boss, I'm really sorry." I said to him.

"Sorry?" He asked, looking confused. He studied my face for a moment and let out a sigh. "Of course, let me guess… you've been beating yourself up all day about it. Haven't you?"

A part of me at school worried he would yell at me. I should have figured that was a stupid thought. It was just my imagination and guilt running rampant. I ignored his comment however, saying, "Let me take over the shop for the rest of the day. You should go spend time with her."

"Don't you have a date tonight?" He asked, sounding worried. "It'll be fine over here. Let me lend some money and you go enjoy the evening with your girl."

"It's okay. I already cancelled." I responded.

"You cancelled!?" He shouted. He adjusted his glasses and looked at me, now seeming upset. "You really cancelled on that sweet girl, are you out of your mind?"

"She'll understand." I explained to him. Hoping I was right, Makoto was a patient woman. Surely, she would be more worried about Futaba than our date. "It just didn't feel right to go out tonight. Not after what happened." I continued.

Sojiro took his glasses off, now pinching the bridge of his nose. He calmed down a bit, saying, "Unbelievable…" In a hush voice. "You get a good girl, top of her grade too. Not to mention pretty AND knows kung-fu… but you still choose to work in this crummy place instead?"

I looked around. "This place isn't that bad."

"Not the point kid…" He said putting his glasses back on. "Look, you already have done enough around here. You can go enjoy your-."

"Boss." I said interrupting him. He remained silent, looking keenly at me. "I appreciate it, but if you want me to feel better… please just let me feel useful right now."

He looked me over, I could see his wrinkles squashing together while looking at me. "Fine…" He said, taking his apron off. "The ship is yours. Make sure you treat our customers right. I still got a reputation to keep."

I nodded my head and headed over to put my own apron on. Sojiro started to walk out but stopped at the door. Turning around, he shouted, "Oh, and one more thing, Kid." I looked over to him. "Thanks." He said while looking at me.

"For what?" I questioned.

"Heh… for what, he asks." He mumbled to himself. He then looked over to me more seriously. "Ask yourself that for a moment. Then get some sense, Kid." He then opened the door and walked out. Leaving LeBlanc in my care.

I sent Morgana up to my room, with a treat as an apology for earlier. He seemed happy and that made me relived.

Working the remaining hours at LeBlanc, the café did not get too busy. Usually, one or two people would stop by, mostly for a drink. A few asked for meals and that was no problem. A nice old lady even left me a tip, so there was a positive for such a crap day.

The restaurant was quiet for a moment before suddenly the door rang again. I put away some dishes before turning the corner to see the new customer. When I looked, I was shocked to see who it was. "Hifumi?"

She smiled. "Hello, it's been a long time." My former Shogi partner said. I realized with her standing there that she was right, it had been a long time.

I shake the remaining water from my hands and walked over to the bar. I smiled back at her, saying, "I wasn't expecting a surprise visit today."

She then took a seat, putting her bag down. "You never came visit after coming back." She explained.
"Right… sorry about that." I apologized, walking over to the coffee machine. "Want something?"

Hifumi nodded. Soon I placed a coffee in front of her. She took a sip, seeming delighted with the results. She then put the drink down and looked back to me. "Delicious. Thank you, Akira."

"No problem, it's on the house too." I told her.

"You don't have to do that." She replied. Looking surprised at my charity.

I waved my hand. "It's no problem. Honestly, it'd make me feel better doing something nice right now."

She squinted at that comment, appearing to notice my wording. "Feel better?" She asked. "Is something wrong?"

I put my elbows down on the bar. I do my best default face, trying to keep my composure. "It's… been a stressful day, but don't worry."

"Would you like to talk about it with me?"

I shake my head. "It's nothing. Just some stuff from school, y'know how it is. Besides, you're my customer now, we got a reputation to keep." I replied.

"Customer…" She said, I noticed she looked disappointed in that statement. I was not sure why. She continued, saying, "I was hoping to come by as a friend."

"Well, you are my friend." I relay back.

"Right…" She whispered. A few flags were going off in my head now, something seemed wrong with her.

I thought for a moment about her sudden appearance. "If you wanted to hang out, you just had to ask. I know Kosei is a bit out of the way from here."

She took another sip of her coffee before talking. "I did want to see you but assumed you were busy. My sudden appearance is… I don't mean to offend, not just for you or the coffee."

"None taken… well a little for the coffee part." I said and she chuckled a bit. Now looking more relaxed than earlier. "What's up?" I asked.

I could see her tapping at her mug, from her expression, it seemed serious. I was nervous at this, worried something bad had happened. She then began to speak before I could think further. "Over the past month… I unfortunately acquired a very dedicated stalker."

Looking tensely at her, I said, "God! I'm sorry to hear that. Are you ok?"

"Yes, actually... Everything is ok." She answered.

This made me confused. "Stalkers can be dangerous though. Are you sure you're alright?"

She took another long sip of her coffee, not looking phased at what I just said. She then responded, saying, "Well, it was scary at first. At one point, it got very bad. I could see him following me after leaving school."

"He followed after school?" I asked surprised. I knew she was famous online, but how could someone have such a sick obsession.

She nodded, looking down at her drink. "I was close to filing a restraining order on him… but-." She stopped.

"What?"

She looked back at me. "Yesterday, my mother received a call." She paused. "Apparently, he wanted to apologize for causing me distress. Saying he would seek out professional help soon and never bother me again."

"Oh…" I said, amazed at how happy this story ended, especially when stalker was in the first sentence. Still, I said to her, "Well that's good to hear, I sure hope he goes through with it."

"Me to…" She began, taking another long sip of her coffee. "That's why I wanted to talk to you so abruptly."

I raised an eyebrow. Thinking for a moment, her story was pleasing to hear but it was also keenly familiar. "I see." I told her, now understanding what she implied.

"I know the-." She looked around the room, making sure no one could hear. "Phantom Thieves went dark a long time ago… but I suppose I wanted to make sure my guardian angel wasn't back."

I gave her a small laugh, one that sounded a bit sad. "Afraid not…" I told her honestly. "We're retired now. Whoever's watching over you, isn't me." I said joking about the guardian angel part.

"I thought so." She said, looking a bit disappointed a first. She then finished her coffee and smiled again. "I suppose miracles can come from many different places… but I just wanted to make sure."

We talked for a bit before she eventually headed out. I waved to her as she left the café. Sitting at the bar alone, I think to myself about her story. "Strange…" I said to myself. The timing of the story seemed very convenient.

Soon the hours passed, and I turned the sign in the front to closed. I then went back to the bar and started to clean up. Taking my apron off, I remembered my earlier text to Makoto. I had not received a notification since.

Taking my phone out, I scroll to our messages. There was no new message from her, but the old message I sent had "read" under it.

"Shit…" I said to myself. Now a bit scared. "I should have just called."

I was about to put my phone up when I started to remember Hifumi's story. I scrolled through my apps again, and still did not see the metaverse navigator. I checked one last time before telling myself I was overthinking it.

"People changed before we came along." I told myself. I then chuckled a bit. "I mean just look at me."

I began to walk around the counter to upstairs. I was up the first few steps before I heard the door to LeBlanc open. I curse to myself for moment, then made my way down. Beginning to say, "Sorry! We're closed now-."

I stopped mid-sentence to see again, another surprise visitor. This time, it was my girlfriend. Makoto was inside, looking over to me peaking around the corner. She picked up her phone, showing it to me. "You couldn't give me a phone call instead?" She asked.

I walked fully down the stairs. "Makoto…" I said surprised.

"Uh oh." I could hear Morgana say upstairs.

She put her phone up, looking not upset but annoyed. She then said, "I believe you owe me a date."