Ren just stared at Futaba in confusion. She just claimed she dealt with Medjed in the press of a button, but it didn't seem like she did? A few moments later and Ren felt his phone vibrate, so he checked to see who the message was from. It was Mishima.

Mishima: Wow, you guys are amazing!

Ren: What are you talking about?

Mishima: You know what I'm talking about! Haven't you seen Medjed's page? You guys won!

Ren: Wait, huh?

Mishima: The forum is going crazy right now! You gotta check it out! The poll is also going up too; it's moving from 40% and rising! People are finally starting to believe that the Phantom Thieves are just, just like I thought!

Suddenly, an emergency broadcast appeared on the news, catching everyone's attention. "There has been breaking news in the Medjed vs Phantom Thieves battle. It was just reported that someone tampered with the hacker group Medjed's website. The site's main page now displays what is thought to be the mark belonging the Phantom Thieves. Furthermore, it appears as though the information of a Medjed member was illegally publicized."

"…Huh, aren't those the people everyone was up in arms about?" Sojiro asked.

Ren was incredibly amazed and a little worried. Futaba did all that in a few minutes? That's scary. "Uh…yeah. Totally." His phone buzzed once more, this time it was the group chat.

Ryuji: Yo! Did you guys see the news!?

Ann: What happened?

Ryuji: Medjed got dealt with! That's what happened!

Ren: Futaba woke up. She's in the café right now.

Yusuke: She left the house?

Hifumi: That sounds a little rude when youu say it like that. Apologies for any typos…I just woke up.

Makoto: We should all gather at Leblanc.

Hifumi: .

Hifumi: 20 more minutes, please?

Ryuji: Oh, I already left.

Ann: Darn it, Ryuji.

Yusuke: I am already on the train.

Hifumi: But why…Ugh. Okay.

About a half hour later…

Everyone arrived at Leblanc. As soon as they entered the store, Futaba just kind of…hid behind Ren. She was hardly comfortable with big crowds and she took a bigger step even walking out of the house. "Oh. The others…" Futaba mumbled sheepishly.

Ryuji took a seat and was just grinning at the TV. The news was still talking about how Medjed was defeated by the Phantom Thieves silently. "Hell yeah…!"

"Ryuji, calm down…" Makoto let out a quiet sigh. Ryuji's excitement was making Futaba nervous, anyone could see that.

"What are you all so excited about?" Sojiro quirked a brow.

"Ah, don't worry about it." Ren replied.

"Well, knock it off. You're gonna scare off all the customers." Sojiro said.

Ryuji just glanced around at the empty booths. The only people in the restaurant were just…them. "But…there ain't any customers…"

"Can it." Sojiro scoffed. "My customers are on summer vacation too."

"The season has flown by relatively quickly, I'd say." Yusuke said.

"And we've barely done anything fun…!" Ann whined.

"Slogging around in the hot sun wasn't very entertaining…" Hifumi mumbled.

"Um…." Futaba wasn't really sure what to say or do in this scenario. So she just…bolted upstairs in a hurry.

"Maybe we should go upstairs as well." Makoto said. "We don't want to scare away the customers, after all."

Sojiro deflated a bit hearing this. "Not you too…"

.

.

Everyone gathered up in Ren's room as usual. Futaba sat on Ren's bed with a bowl of ramen in hand, happily slurping away at it. The others were sitting around in chairs in the room. "It is still hard to believe that a cognitive being could turn into such a being and attack us…I was aware that Shadows were not our only enemies, but still…"

Hifumi frowned, leaning forward in her seat. "I cannot say I am entirely surprised. After all, there is a cognitive version of myself in my mother's Palace, and she spared no quarter when it came to attacking us."

"Before that, I thought the other people were just victims…like the slaves at the castle or the walking ATMs. " Ann frowned as well, Palaces were getting more and more complicated the more they delved into them.

"It's just as I thought." Makoto stroked her chin. "With the cognitions of Hifumi and Futaba's mother in mind, compared to the walking ATMs or slabs, it means the Palace ruler determines the form and strength of their cognitions. Whether it be consciously or not. I would've loved to ask how far along she was in her research…"

"Yeah…" Ren asked. "I think she was looking into cognitive psciense?"

"If we put together all the information we've gathered up to this point, abuse of cognitive psicene can lead to death. It may even be linked to the psychotic breakdowns that have been happening." Makoto surmised.

"So…if we focus on the cognitive aspect, does that mean the Metaverse is involved in this somehow?" Hifumi tilted her head.

"On top of that, the research might have been stolen and used by someone else." Morgana said.

"The people who read Futaba-chan that fake suicide note." Ann suggested.

"If that is the case, then they are truly unforgivable." Yusuke replied.

"Considering there is someone else going around in Palaces…and someone causing the Psychotic breakdowns, it seems likely this is connected?" Hifumi tilted her head, attempting to figure this out. "…I wonder if it's the same person like Kaneshiro suggested. He wasn't lying about it…"

Makoto turned to Futaba, who was silently eating this whole time. "Futaba, is there anything else you can remember?" Futaba didn't say a word. She just stood up and walked off downstairs. This led Makoto to sigh. "She is quite difficult."

Futaba then returned a moment later with some more food. Everyone's eyes widened as the smell was delicious. Yusuke sat up from his chair, hungry eyes wandering to the small box in Futaba's hands. "This smell…!"

"No faiiiiir…!" Ann whined.

"C-Can I snag a bite…." Ryuji asked. Futaba just looked at him. She didn't say anything but her expression said 'no'. "Meanie…"

"I believe we are getting sidetracked…" Hifumi let out a small giggle.

"Yeah…let's take a break." Makoto couldn't see any other option.

.

.

A few customers were now in the store. Sojiro serviced them and leaned against the counter, smoking a cigarette. The news was still on but he wasn't really paying attention. Not until….

"The fact there were no damages due to the hackers' action is but an afterthought." This opinion belonged to the man currently running for Prime Minister of Japan: Masayoshi Shido. The moment Sojiro heard his voice, his eyes narrowed and he snapped to attention. "The issue I want to make clear is the attitude of the police, and more importantly, the government."

"….." Sojiro didn't say a word.

"What do you mean?" The reporter asked.

"Are they doing their best to find an effective countermeasure against these Phantom Thieves?" Shido asked, making his stance against the Thieves very clear. "Is it not the government's duty to create a society where its citizens can live without worry? Unfortunately, the current cabinet is powerless. As such, they should be disbanded. I believe now is the time for me to risk my political career in hope of making a new reality. A new political reality that goes beyond parties or factions; an ideal country of peace and order."

"I like this politician. I hope he can work to ease the anxieties of the elderly." An elderly woman customer said.

"What do you think, Boss?" The other, elderly male customer asked.

"Huh?" Sojiro blinked. "Oh, sorry. I wasn't listening…" He tended to say that a lot whenever someone asked him about the news. He was listening this time, but he just didn't want to talk about it.

.

.

It was time for a food break. Everyone but Futaba gathered around the table, while she just sat on Ren's bed, facing away from the others. She made it pretty difficult to converse. "Even if Futaba is a genius, could she really crush an international hacker organization so easily…?" Makoto asked the others. It seemed a little unbelievable that she could topple something as widespread as Medjed.

"The one who taunted the Phantom Thieves was someone in Japan. I knew the other Medjed members were nothing special, so I wasn't worried." Futaba answered.

"And…how did you know that?" Ann asked.

"'Cause I'm the founder." Futaba replied casually.

Everyone's eyes widened at this news. "D-Do we take that literally..?" Makoto asked.

"She…she isn't lying…" Hifumi was just as in shock as everyone else. Futaba then went on to explain how other people started using the Medjed name to commit cybercrimes, and how it was too troublesome to expose everyone. So she ditched the name and became Alibaba.

"So…Futaba was the real Medjed and we were freakin' out over some weakass dipshits?" Ryuji asked.

"I wouldn't phrase it like that…" Hifumi sighed. "But it does seem as though we were in a panic over a shadow. If that is the case, I doubt the 'Cleanse' was nothing more than an empty threat that attempted to force us into a corner."

"But why would they go through that trouble…?" Yusuke questioned. It didn't really make any sense if the threat was nonexistent to begin with.

"I dunno…" Ren shrugged.

"Hmm…" Hifumi started to think about it. She couldn't come up with any reason, unfortunately. "What a strange move…"

"So, Futaba. What would you like to do now?" Makoto asked the girl. "Since you know our secret, we'd like for you to join our team."

"It could help with our investigation of Mementos too!" Ann said. Makoto and Hifumi have not yet been to Mementos, but they were aware of its existence.

"Kay." Futaba replied casually.

"Er…just like that?" Makoto blinked.

"Well…I guess…" Morgana frowned. He wasn't so keen on another person joining their ranks so soon…considering how things played out in Futaba's Palace; he wasn't feeling very confident he'd have any place left on the team if someone of her talents joined them.

"She's gonna be a big help for us, huh?" Ryuji was excited about this.

"Say Futaba, how did you find out about us?" Makoto asked.

"Secret." Futaba brushed off the question.

Strike one. Makoto tried again. "Where did you learn to hack?"

"Private." Futaba replied just as dismissively.

Strike two. Makoto tried once more. "…When did you obtain the Nav?"

"I refuse to answer." Futaba said. Strike three, Makoto was out.

"She's…not answering anything…" Ren didn't foresee this outcome. She was so cooperative in the Metaverse, this was…a gigantic wall.

"It's as I feared. She won't talk to us." Hifumi placed her hands in her lap. She was also sweating because the others were staring at her expectantly, as if she could sniff out any lies from Futaba again. "…With the vagueness of her answers, there is no possible way for me to determine if she is lying. So I would appreciate if the stares stopped…"

"Our bad." Ren said.

"But…I can say one thing. I can say with absolute confidence that Futaba obtained the Nav prior to our attempt at stealing her Treasure." Hifumi's green gaze burned a hole into Futaba's back.

"I-I'm not saying you are correct, but I am wondering how you could know that." Futaba actually froze, sweating from Hifumi's accurate assumption. The confidence in her voice is what had Futaba shaken the most.

"When you were asked if you had the Nav and said no, I could tell you were lying." Hifumi replied, somehow switching to shogi mode in the midst of this. It was probably best for her to get this off her chest now while it was still relevant. "I have a unique power compared to the others. I can tell when people aren't being truthful. So I hope you are now aware that it is ill advised to attempt lying to me."

"She came on so strong…!" Ann was a little afraid at how sudden that was.

"Oh, but it is nice to officially meet you. I am Hifumi Togo, as I'm sure you already know. I was only worried that my silence would get you hurt…" And just as fast as Hifumi felt aggressive, she got quiet and timid again.

"Geez…! What a stone cold glare…" Futaba thought to herself.

"That aside, we still need to be able to communicate normally with her." Yusuke said. They were getting nowhere with her.

"Let's get to know her better." Ren suggested.

"That's a good idea. We'll help her open up to us. If we each spend an entire day with her, perhaps she'll get used to being around us." Makoto said. This suggestion caught Futaba's attention and she did not like it.

"I see. We do have the time, thanks to summer vacation." Yusuke liked this idea.

"We can begin the day after tomorrow and work around everyone's schedules when they're free." Makoto said. The more in detail she went about this plan, the more Futaba began to internally panic.

"Let me help as well. I don't have anything planned." Yusuke said.

"W-Wait a minute…" Futaba tried to object.

"Oh! Let's go to the beach! There'll be tonsa people there, plus we got totally dried out in that desert." Ryuji said.

"Oh! I forgot I totally haven't been to the beach yet!" Ann chimed in.

"I haven't been to the beach in a long time…" Hifumi mumbled.

"It sounds like we have our plan then." Ren nodded. With this set, everyone decided to break for the day. This just left Futaba, Ren, and Morgana alone, and the former was already lamenting the situation she was in.

"Can I really do this…" Futaba mumbled to herself. This felt like a disaster waiting to happen…

"Good luck! It'll be a disaster." Ren was not helping.

Futaba did not say a word. She just approached Morgana and began to mess with his face. "Why meeeeeeeeeee!?"

.

.

August 9th.

They still had plenty of summer left to go, plus it wasn't their time for spending the day with Futaba. Not yet. Needing some time out of the house, Hifumi decided to meet up with Ann and Ren in Shibuya. Ann was lamenting the fact she could not get any crepes until she got an email from her agency. "Huh…I wonder what they could want…huh!? Mika?!"

"M-Mika?" Hifumi blinked a few times. She suddenly realized she had completely forgotten to tell Ann that her mother made arrangements for her and Mika to star together. The exhaustion from the battle in the Palace and dealing with her mother just…made it slip her mind.

"She's contacting you? That sounds fishy." Ren said while adjusting his glasses.

"They want me to head over for a shoot now at the Skytree. It's a little sudden, huh?" Ann turned to her two friends. "Appearently this magazine is doing a Mika special to go off of and boost her popularity…but she asked for me specifically to star alongside her for the shoot."

"That sounds like a trap. The last time you were there with her it didn't end well." Hifumi said firmly. "Besides, that actually reminds me…"

"Maybe she admires you after all?" Ren said. He wanted to offer the suggestion seriously, but the way Hifumi glared daggers at him made him rescind the seriousness of that statement.

"But I won't know what she wants unless I go!" Ann immediately said. "Come on you guys! I've decided that you're coming with me!"

"Ah." Ren should not have opened his mouth.

"I don't like where this is going." Hifumi just…had a bad feeling about how this would pan out.

.

.

Back to Skytower! The trio made it, but they didn't see Mika around at first. "…Where is she?" Ann asked, looking around.

"Maybe she's not here?" Hifumi hoped she was right. But no, there came Mika, clad in an elegant purple dress and makeup to boot.

"Oh, so you came for my special." Mika held a bland tone towards Ann. But then she saw Hifumi and her eyes lit up. "Oh, you came too, Hifumi-chan! How wonderful!"

"H-Hi, Mika…" Hifumi gave a meek smile. "You look very nice…"

"…What am I, chopped liver?" Ren asked, loud enough for Mika to hear him.

"Glad you could make it." Mika gave Ren a halfhearted acknowledgement. He got what he asked for, though Mika just kind of knew Ren only as 'Ann's tagalong'.

"…Hm." Ren wasn't expecting that dry of a response.

"I hardly recognized you! Did you lose weight? Or maybe change your makeup?" Ann asked, stunned at Mika's appearance.

"The theme for today's shoot is 'elegance of a woman'," Mika responded. "So I conditioned my body to be more elegant."

"Wait, how!?" Ann was surprised.

"Controlling what you eat, how you move, that's all. It may sound easy, but it's pretty tough. You have to write down everything you eat, making sure to check the nutritional and caloric content. I even hired a personal trainer to take special note of my diet and oversee my exercise regimen." Mika explained.

"Oooooooh nooo…" Ren had to turn away a bit. Mika was going into so much detail about how she prepared for this shoot. While Ann did say she wanted to improve, the difference between the two was still abundantly clear. Now that Mika was laying it all out like this, he now had a bad feeling about this.

Ann was honestly amazed. "Whoa, that's incredible! Does that mean you don't get to eat double chocolate crepes?!"

Hifumi closed her eyes, let out a heavy exhale through her nose, and just let her head hang low. "Ann, please…"

Nothing changed at all with this girl, did it? Mika turned away, remaining silent for a second as she digested Ann's response. "Of course I don't! I'd get fat in one bite!" She snapped, causing Ann to recoil a bit from shock. "Not to mention the other stuff I do! I take herbal medications, wear warming socks, do pilates and yoga! Day after day…how many squats do you think I do in a week!?"

"Don't answer that." Hifumi immediately said. If Ann said anything else the grave she was digging would be too deep.

"Ugh! A natural beauty like you could never understand how much work I put into my modeling!" Mika groaned.

"Natural beauty?! Thanks!" Ann blushed a bit at those words.

"Ugh…" Hifumi couldn't bear this.

"Oh…" Neither could Ren. It was like Ann only heard the complimentary words and only that! No wonder Mika looked so upset.

Mika took a breath. "Did I say natural beauty? I meant natural airhead."

Mika threw gas into the fire. Ren and Hifumi's eyes both widened from the open insult thrown Ann's way. This caught Ann's attention and she did not like it. "Who are you calling an airhead!?" Ann snapped.

Bait. As soon as Ann fired back, Mika stepped back, a meek expression appeared on her face. "Eeek! Ann-senpai, stop iiiit! You're scaring me…..!"

Those preparing the shoot overheard Mika's cry and looked Mika's way. "Mika-chan, are you okay!? Man, cat fights are scary."

This was the third time Mika got away with pulling that trick. Ann could only let out a low groan of annoyance as she felt for it just as easily as before. "Grr…."

"Heh." Mika just smirked. She then stepped past Ann and towards Hifumi, taking one hand in both of hers. "Be sure to watch me, okay, Hifumi-chan? I'll feel much better with your eyes on me!"

"W-W-W…" Hifumi's cheeks flared up. She wasn't sure if Mika was doing this to taunt Ann, because her mother put her up to it, or something else. But she was completely flustered by the time Mika pulled away.

"I'm not gonna lose to you!" Ann huffed, storming off to go change.

"…I wish there were breaks on this ride." Ren said, his eyes obscured by his glasses. He was a bit worried for Ann since Mika's tricks were high level.

Ann got changed and the shoot began. Mika was hogging all of the attention, but that was to be expected since this was about her in the first place. "Yeah, yeah! That's it, Mika-chan!" The camera said, taking numerous pictures of Mika.

"…I see. So this is a test." Ann scoffed quietly. She was tired of Mika making a fool of her every time they interacted! So it was time for her to step it up! She stuck her arm out proudly and gave a wink. "Teehee!" Capturing it all with a giggle!

…Unfortunately, that didn't fly very well with the cameraman. "Um, Ann-chan? Could you try to be a bit…sexier?"

Before Ann even had the chance to respond, Mika took the chance, placing her hands on her hips and sticking her right leg out a bit more. "Like this~?"

And just like that, all of the attention went to Mika once again. "Yeah, that's perfect! That's exactly the expression I'm looking for." Mika giggled in response and did another pose. "Wonderful! Wonderful!"

"…This is hard to watch." Hifumi wanted to cover her eyes, but she couldn't look away.

"She is not doing well out there, that's for sure." Ren said quietly.

Ann couldn't fathom what was happening. Why was she brought here if Mika was just going to do all this!? "Mika, I don't understand…"

"Ugh, of course you wouldn't." Mika rolled her eyes. "Stupid amateurs like you really piss me off. You better not drag me down, okay? You're already doing plenty of that to poor Hifumi-chan, you know?"

"…!" Ann couldn't muster a response to that one. It just struck right where it hurt. Her expression fell slightly. Not like it mattered to the cameras, since they were all focused on Mika right now. Eventually the shoot ended and Ann was just left in a sour mood.

"…You okay?" Ren asked.

"…..I'm so pissed off right now…" Ann grumbled. She had enough of Mika one upping her like this. "I swear I'm gonna…!"

"Wait, Ann…" Hifumi was about to say something, but Mika broke away from the people she was conversing with to interrupt Hifumi. "Oh, Mika…."

"What did you think, Hifumi-chan? Did I look elegant or what?" Mika's tone was so friendly. The difference between how she talked to Ann and Ren, and Hifumi was night and day.

"W-Well, you did look very nice…" Hifumi shuffled awkwardly.

"I'm so glad to hear you think that!" Mika clasped her hands together. "And I'm so glad you and I will be spending more time together as well."

"…What?" Ann said.

Uh oh. Hifumi's failure to inform Ann of the arrangement was now coming back to bite her. "W-wait, hold on. It was…"

"Your mother's brilliant decision." Mika finished the sentence for Hifumi. She was enjoying the silent rage in Ann's eyes. "I'll be sure to skyrocket your career! And in my next shoot, I'll make sure to include you as well. You were such a popular catch in the Venus of Shogi magazine; I can only imagine how you'd look alongside me. I think we'd make a lovely pair, don't you?"

"W-Well I…um…" Hifumi stumbled over her words.

"You don't have to answer her." Ann said. She wasn't even mad that Hifumi didn't tell her about this; more so upset that Mitsuyo and Mika were teaming up against her. It was extremely frustrating when all she was trying to do was just be there for her friend.

Mika then took one hand, gently cupping Hifumi's chin as she leaned in just a bit closer. "She's right, you don't have to answer. But it would mean the world to me if you did. After all, your mother actually likes me, so I think us working together would be…"

"…..I…." Why was Mika so close!? Hifumi's cheeks burned red and she was just stunned. Mika placed her into a quick checkmate and she had no idea how to respond. Was Mika getting closer or was she just imagining things.

"Huh-!?" Even Ann was stunned silent.

"WELL!" Ren took Hifumi by the shoulders, pulled her away from Mika, and turned her away. "I think we should be going, you're a busy woman after all. We don't want to hold up all of your time."

Hifumi was fanning herself. She was certain steam was coming from her ears from how hot her face felt. "…"

"Mm, you're right." Mika's expression suddenly turned into a look of annoyance. She was so focused on taunting Ann with Hifumi, she completely forgot about Ren. He was too quiet. "I'll see you later." She gave Ann a sly smirk, while she gave Hifumi a wink. Mika then turned and walked off, returning to chat it up with the staff members.

"Ann, I'm sorry…" Hifumi's cheeks were still red, but she tried to muster an apology.

"It's alright." Ann flashed a slight smile. "…I have some things I need to think over, so I'm gonna go home. See you guys later!" With that, Ann decided to leave.

"Er…" Hifumi sighed as Ann left. "That really was a disaster…"

"Are you okay? That was…a situation." Ren pushed his glasses up.

"I'm fine…" Hifumi shook her head. Her cheeks were just now returning to normal coloration. "Um. I hate to be a bother, but could I borrow just a bit more of your time…?"

.

.

It was a little out of the blue, but Hifumi escorted Ren to Book Town. "I come here all the time when I'm looking for shogi strategies to use. I was thinking perhaps you could find some material to use for yourself? Or we could look for something together to broaden our horizons? …There is also a curry restaurant around the corner. I may be biased, but while Boss' curry is delicious, I recommend the Katsu Curry. I eat some before every match…and every infiltration for good luck."

"Boss' curry isn't doing it for you, huh? Maybe I should pass that by him…" Ren said teasingly.

"W-wait, don't…!" Hifumi waved her hands frantically. The joking didn't last much longer, as a brown haired girl walked past her and Ren. The girl immediately recognized Hifumi from the crowd and scowled. This was also the same girl Hifumi defeated in her last match.

"Hifumi…." The girl scowled.

"Oh! I hope your match went well today." Hifumi recognized her senior and tried to be polite.

"What are you talking about? Today's our day off." The girl rolled her eyes.

"Oh! I…forgot. My brain has been elsewhere lately…" Juggling Thieving activities and her shogi life had her forget some details.

"Out shopping with your boyfriend? How nice for you, hmph." The girl huffed.

"O-Oh no! He's just a friend…!" Hifumi waved off the accusation.

"…" Ren was silent. He wasn't sure if his input was appreciated here. Because this was not the first time he was mistaken for a girl's boyfriend. Was it the way he was standing or something?

'I shouldn't be surprised. You ARE a famous shogi player…so of course you get everything handed to you without even needing to try. Well, I won't intrude. Bye." And she left.

"Well. That was…" Ren said.

"I'm sorry. She was only glaring at you because you were with me." Hifumi closed her eyes. "She's my senior and she was unhappy that I defeated her the other day."

"Must've been the katsu curry." Ren made the lighthearted joke to ease Hifumi's mood. It seemed to work as she was unable to help the smile that cracked on her lips.

"That's very kind of you, Ren." Hifumi let out a sigh of relief. "I think I've mentioned this before, but I am not very well liked by my seniors. Or anyone for that matter. I thought that after we defeated Kaneshiro, the shogi community would see that I've been winning on my skill alone. And yet…it doesn't feel like anything has changed. The more attention I get, the more enemies I make, and the more lies spread about me. It's been…very difficult lately. My mother doesn't do much to dispute the claims, she just tells me to focus on winning…"

"It sounds like a lot of pressure…" Ren said.

"Mhm." Hifumi nodded. "It has been very lonely at home, with my father sick and my mother…being my mother. I still am not sure about this whole deal with Mika either, but I know she's only doing this to boost my popularity. But I never cared much for being famous…at least not in the way my mother is promoting me. But it makes me very glad I have Ann and all of you. I don't know where I'd be now without your companionship."

"It's no problem. You're a friend and a part of the team." Ren nodded. "To those around us, it's clear that they don't want us around. But everyone needs a place to belong, and yours is with us, right?"

"Yes…that's right. As long as I can belong somewhere, I know I'll be alright. Thank you, Ren." Hifumi managed a soft smile. Her mood improved considerably. "Since you have lifted my spirits, I think I can show you another special move of mine! Eternal Abyss Yagura Gate. It will turn the board into hell. Care to play a game?"

Ren may have done a bit too well….

.

.

In the prosecutor's office, Sae was extremely irritated at the turn of events concerning Medjed. It was complete and utter nonsense that things turned out like this. Akechi, however, was attempting to keep her calm. "Stress is the enemy of beauty, you know."

"How can I stay calm after that!?" Sae exclaimed.

"I understand how you feel, believe me." Akechi said.

"Thanks to the incident with those hackers, people are calling us incompetent! And on top of that, the Phantom Thieves are claiming justice is on their side. Don't make me laugh." Sae was too frustrated at all of this.

"Medjed was either dealt with by the Phantom Thieves themselves, or by an avid supporter. They must be quite skilled as well, there were no tracks left…" Despite that, his red eyes held a burning look of determination. "For the sake of my justice, I won't forgive them…"