4/26
Ryuji walked up the stairs to the rooftop of Shujin Academy. School had taken so long to get out today he was extremely restless. On top of the boring lesson plans and annoying questions in class, it was a bright and beautiful day. The sun was shining bright, illuminating the baby blue sky over Tokyo as a nice breeze scattered smells and sounds of the city to new places. But Ryuji was stuck inside the school with closed windows and AC.
Ryuji arrives at the door to the rooftop and pushes it open. Akira's head pokes around an air duct to verify it was someone they were expecting as he smiles and nods in recognition of Ryuji. Ryuji smiles back, feeling the giddiness enter his body as they had their penultimate meeting before delivering a calling card to Kamoshida and finally stealing his heart. All their work the past couple of weeks had led them to this.
"Alright, now that Ryuji is here, we can begin," Morgana says as he hops down from the AC unit. "All that's left now is to send out the calling card and take Kamoshida's heart!"
"Remind me again why we couldn't have sent one at the beginning of all this…?" Ryuji asks, slightly confused.
"What I said in the treasure room," Morgana explains. "A treasure isn't materialized until a person is aware that they have it. And once it materializes, it won't stay that way long until they get over the realization and lock it down in their heart. I've theorized we'd have about a day to get it once a person becomes aware. Could be more, could be less; so, the sooner the better."
"That's not much time then…" Ryuji says looking at the others. He's prepared to skip school if need be, but Ann has almost perfect attendance and Akira is on probation. So, odds are they won't skip unless they must.
"We've likely gotten everything out of the castle we could want or need, which is good since the palace will disappear once we take the treasure. There'll be no going back," Morgana says.
"Ok then," Akira says. "Let's send the calling card."
"Ohhh I've been waiting to hear you say that!" Ryuji says, the excitement evident in his voice. "That bastards going down! Tomorrow will finally be the day we get that asshole back for everything."
"So, I'm guessing we'll send the calling card in the morning, and carry out the plan by the end of the day?" Ann asks.
"Yes, that'd be best since we don't have anything more than a vague time frame," Morgana replies. "Are you worried Lady Ann?"
"Heh. Nope. I've waited too long to finally get back at Kamoshida."
"Perfect," Morgana says as a smile breaks across his face. "So, who's going to write the card?"
"Leave it to me!" Ryuji enthuses. "I've already got some ideas for what it could say."
"This is important," Ann says. "Are you sure you can handle the pressure?"
"I must agree," Morgana chimes in.
"C'mon guys, I really wanna get him good! Let me write it. Please?"
"Alright Ryuji," Akira says, "you're in charge of writing the card. I trust you."
"Yeah! I got this! Besides, if they find out our identities then I'm a perfect culprit!"
"Good enthusiasm," Morgana says with a chuckle. "Alright, tomorrow it is! No slacking off! From any of you! We need to be as ready as we can be."
"Meeting adjourned," Akira says as he stands from the old school desk on the roof. "Ryuji, text us if you need anything."
The three students agree and head towards the door. They stagger their exits from the roof to avoid suspicion, with Akira and Morgana going first, followed by Ann, and then Ryuji. Ryuji stands alone on the roof waiting the few minutes he's supposed to to make his own departure. He stares out at the skyline visible from the roof as the sun begins to set and add a hint of orange hue to the sky.
I've done it, he thinks to himself. I've made genuine friends who will stand with me against shitty adults and who trust me. I've finally gotten out of the hole that Kamoshida threw me into all those years ago. I'm going to make a card, no, I'm going to make a ton of cards for this! I'll plaster the walls of this school with Kamoshida's treachery and expose him for who he really is!
XXXX
Ryuji sits at home in his room staring over an index card he'd bought from the store. It needs to be flashy and eye catching! It needs to lay out all Kamoshida has done. Ryuji's brain flashes with ideas and words so fast he can't stop them from coming and struggles to find a single thing to write down.
Ryuji: Man, theres so much i want 2 rite on the calling card. Its kinda tough figuring out what to say.
Ann: Are you sure you're capable of this!?
-And type like an adult! I hate having to decipher your code!
Ryuji: But this takes so much longer!
-And yes, I got it. I've already got a logo made for us!
Ann: …a logo?
Ryuji: Yep, you'll get to see it tomorrow.
Ann: That's worrying…
-It's not going to be some part of the male anatomy is it?
Ryuji: How old do you think I am?
Akira: Debatable at times
Ann: This ^^^
Ryuji: Ha-ha. Very funny.
-Anyways you guys should rest up.
-If we screw up tomorrow, we're totally done for.
Akira: I'm counting on you guys.
Ann: Yup, I'm sure we can do this.
Ryuji: Just remember, we can't trust shitty adults.
-It's why we've gotta do it ourselves.
-We'll surprise everyone if we can pull this off!
Ryuji sets down his phone and smiles. Something in that conversation made the click in his brain happen and he begins writing. Ryuji finishes writing and looks at the first prototype card and feels pride in the work he's done. He grabs a pair of scissors and some magazines to cut out the letters he'll need to make the final prototype before using his laptop and printer to copy the rest. Let's see how you handle this, Kamoshida!
XXXX
4/27
Akira walks along the alley towards Shujin. Today was a day just like any other they've had recently. The sun was as high as the temperature and the light breeze helped only a little to cool underneath his black uniform. A girl runs past Akira toward the school, holding her phone in front of her as she reads a text message. Looks like Ryuji got the card out. Akira turns the corner and walks up the stairs and through the front door of the school. His eyes widen at the sight of the school's hallways.
Deep red cards are tacked up everywhere. Along the halls, on every locker, and on pieces of corkboard hanging on the walls. Everyone was crowded around clusters of the cards, while some people were holding them and flipping them over to read them. Akira smiles as Ann walks up to him.
"Hey," she says with a soft voice and smile. "Here," she hands him a card, "Look at what someone posted all over school." Akira takes the card and reads the cut-out letters.
Sir Suguru Kamoshida, the utter bastard of lust. We know how shitty you are, and that you put your twisted desires on students that can't fight back. That's why we have decided to steal away those desires and make you confess your sins. This will be done tomorrow, so we hope you will be ready. From, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.
"Wow," Akira says under his breath.
"I know, right?" Ann whispers back. Ryuji walks up behind her with small bags under his eyes.
"Not bad, eh?" he says in a whisper for once. "I had to get up early to get them all over the school before the instructors and students had arrived. Thank god there's no security cameras here."
"Um… yeah…" Ann says with a slight downtrodden look on her face. "I know what you wanted to say… but it sounds like an idiot trying to be an adult."
"Your logo is a little lacking too," Morgana says popping his head over Akira's shoulder.
"It's fine," Akira says, "as long as it gets the intended effect." Two first year students walk by them as Akira stops talking.
"Did Mr. Kamoshida do something wrong?" one asks the other.
"I don't know! It might mean the rumors are true!" the other hisses back.
"See, it got everyone excited. So, it's all good, yeah?" Ryuji says as the girls turn the corner down the hall. As Ryuji says that, the whispering amidst the halls grows silent as Kamoshida rounds the corner and walks up to a piece of corkboard with the cards stapled to it. Students part as he gets closer, not wanting to be associated with the cards or be in arms reach when he reads them.
"Wh-who's responsible for this!?" Kamoshida shouts. Students in the hall begin to scatter at the sound of Kamoshida yelling.
"Look at that," Morgana whispers to the group. "A predictable reaction for someone who knows what we mean by distorted desires."
"I think it's hitting him pretty hard," Ryuji says back. Kamoshida then grabs a male third year student by his collar.
"Did you do this?!" As he grabs the wrist of a first-year girl, "Or was it you?!" Kamoshida looks over directly into Akira's eyes as he lets go of the two students he was holding.
"Or… was it you two?!" he shouts as he makes his way to the three students.
"What're you talking about, Sensei?" Akira replies.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about," Kamoshida spits at them.
"What if it was?" Akira replies coolly.
"What garbage…" Kamoshida growls. "Eh, it's not a problem. You'll be expelled soon enough anyway." Kamoshida seems to have regained control of himself as he turns and walks away from the students, ripping down an entire corkboard of calling cards as he passes by.
"Judging by Kamoshida's response, I'm sure we had an effect on his palace," Morgana says.
"Does that mean the treasure's appeared? And we'll be able to get it today?" Ann asks.
"It's not just today, it's only today," Morgana says. "The impact of seeing that calling card won't last long and cannot be repeated. This will be our one chance to steal the treasure."
"Then we'll meet on the roof after school, like always. Off to class everyone," Akira says as Morgana returns to the inside of his bag.
XXXX
Makoto Nijima sits in class absorbed in thought. Today was supposed to be a regular Wednesday but when she'd arrived, she'd found the halls littered with cards all saying the same thing. Someone knew about Kamoshida and was going to do something about it.
She had wanted to tear them all down, but something inside her told her to leave them. She stared at the card in her hand now as her mind wondered what could be happening tomorrow. Who would dare do something like this to Kamoshida? To so publicly call him out and inform him of a plot to oust him. Akira Kurusu? No, he may have had issues with Kamoshida, but this seemed too forward. Too sudden for someone being so recently threatened by him. But the next board meeting was this Monday. If Kurusu-kun knew that his time were running short, he may get desperate to do something to save his skin.
Makoto tries to push thought from her mind as she slides the card into her desk. But with the whole school talking about it, mostly in hushed whispers, she knew it'd be in the back of her mind all day.