A lot happens in this chapter, and I have to say it is getting slightly more difficult to write in Akechi's POV, because I feel his character is developing a lot thanks to his friendship with Akira, and he himself is confused about what to think and do. However, I am making sure the frustration and confusion he is feeling transpires in these chapters, with him constantly alternating moments of tenderness to others where his darker side prevails.

Makoto will definitely have a taste of Goro's complicated personality in this chap! ;)

She woke up at dawn and, despite feeling groggy and sleepy, she managed to get up –making sure she wouldn't wake Morgana, still sleeping on her bed- and went to the bathroom to get changed. She took the first train to Yongen-Jaya and went straight to LeBlanc, circumnavigated it and jumped over a fenced area which separated the backyard of the café from the rest of the neighborhood. She climbed a few boxes she had found scattered around the backyard to heave herself up to Akira's window and looked inside: Akira was sprawled over his bed, one of his arms hanging from the side and touching the wooden floor; Akechi was all curled up on the sofa, facing the wall and, judging by the regular lifting and lowering of his chest, he was fast asleep. Makoto watched the scene in front of her, and would have almost thought it was cute had it not been a dangerous murderer she was staring at.

"Good Lord, child. If you like that guy just tell him! There's no need to spy on him."

Makoto got so startled she fell off the boxes she was standing on, landing painfully on the grass below. An old, crooked woman with a hump giggled and kept walking her own way. As Makoto massaged her back, she heard some noises from upstairs. She cursed under her breath and, before she could go hide somewhere, Goro Akechi himself poked his head out the window and his eyes instantly met hers. He blinked a couple of times, then turned to his right –probably to check if Akira was still asleep- and then stared at her again, his expression indecipherable. He then looked down and seemed to be calculating the distance between the second and the ground floor, sat on the windowsill and jumped down, landing graciously on his feet just beside her.

He silently offered her a hand, which she took, and he easily lifted her up with unexpected strength.

"Ehm…thanks" she muttered embarrassed while flattening her skirt.

"You're quite welcome, Niijima-san" he said. "Now, will you tell me why you were spying on us?"

"I-I was not spying!" she lied, her face cherry-red.

"I see… then I must assume you have a crush on Akira-kun. I mean, what other reason could there be?" he suggested with a smirk at her horrified expression.

"I don't have a crush on anyone!" she whined "It's just-"

"Wait a minute."

He repositioned the boxes that collapsed when she had fallen, and proceeded to climb them until he was back inside the room. Makoto waited several minutes and was seriously starting to believe Akechi was doing something bad, when he finally jumped back down again, wearing totally different clothes.

"Sorry for the wait" he said. "I had to return Akira's clothes and left him a note to thank him for the hospitality. He hasn't awoken yet, surprisingly" he added with a small smile, as if wondering how the other boy still managed to sleep through all the commotion outside.

"Aren't you going back inside?" she asked, a terrible suspicion forming in her head.

"No" he replied "I think I will spend some time with you, today."

"Oh, I don't think so" she grinned nervously.

"Oh, but I do" he smirked back "Unless you want to follow me to the nearest police station to explain why you were wandering around a private property."

"Well, you know Akira is my friend, right?" she insisted, his attitude getting on her nerves already.

"I know. But that does not give you the right to spy on others" he continued. "Besides, who do you think the police will believe, you or me?"

Makoto had no other choice but to follow a very self-satisfied Akechi, hating how he seemed to have the upper hand in whatever conversation she'd ever had with him.

"I'll show you someday…" she muttered under her breath.

"Mhm? Did you say something?"

"Nope" she replied flatly. "Where are we going, anyway?"

"A diner in Shibuya. I need breakfast."

"We could have had breakfast at LeBlanc!" she complained.

"Well, what if I told you" he turned to glare at her, his voice softer than ever "that I wanted to spend some time with you alone?"

She stared back at him blankly before feeling suddenly very warm. How dumb was she to fall for such an old and stupid trick?

"Really Makoto? A smile and some nice words and you let freaking Goro Akechi win?"

She resolved to look the other way, causing him to chuckle softly until they finally reached the train station.

To make matters even worse, they ran into the same old lady Makoto had seen back at LeBlanc. With a huge smile on her face, the woman said "See dear? I told you it was much better to tell him straight away! You make quite a nice couple."

Makoto froze entirely as she felt people's eyes burning into her skin, and hurriedly tried to explain Akechi was not her crush, but to no avail. The detective, on the other hand, seemed to find the whole situation pretty amusing as he plastered a smirk on his face. When the woman finally left, he turned to her once again.

"See what happens when you spy on handsome guys?"

"I WAS NOT SPYING ON YOU, DAMMIT!" she was so embarrassed and frustrated that she barely realized she was raising her voice, causing even more attention to be drawn to herself.

"But of course, how silly of me to believe that!" he mocked as he palmed his face. "But please, tell me why a girl like you would wake up at dawn, ride a train all the way to Yongen-Jaya and climb some boxes up to a boy's bedroom. Oh-" he stopped, widening his eyes as if he had just realized something important "But of course! You were simply passing by, weren't you? And curiosity got the best of you and wanted to see if your friend was awake. At 6 in the morning…"

The mocking tone he was using only made her feel more embarrassed, and she was sure her face was as red as a tomato. He had basically gotten her, and there was no lie that could save her now.

The train arrived shortly after, and Akechi gestured for her to step inside first. She walked past him and went to sit with a group of early birds, leaving no space for Akechi. The boy simply stood not too far from her, and she could feel his intense gaze on the back of her neck. When the train stopped in Shibuya, they got off in silence and walked to the diner without exchanging a single word.

"So what will you have?" he asked as he took a look at the menu on the table.

"Nothing" she replied "I don't have any money with me."

"That won't be an issue. I can pay for you" he reassured. "I am not going to let my stalker starve just because she hasn't brought any money."

"Will you stop saying that?" she snapped "I am NOT a stalker!"

"I'll stop when you tell me the truth. And I am being a gentleman and offering you breakfast, you should be more grateful" he smiled.

"No one asked you to buy me anything. In fact, I am not hungry."

Her stomach growled right after she had said it, and Akechi chuckled. "Your stomach says otherwise."

"I can survive an hour or two without eating, thank you very much Akechi-kun" she said politely.

"An hour or two? We're going to be together for much longer than that" he responded, visibly pleased at the look of pure shock she gave him.

"Good morning! How may I help you today?" a young waitress approached them and bowed down.

"Good morning" Akechi beamed "My friend and I will be having miso soup and kobachi. Oh, and a large portion of rice to share. And to drink…" he quickly scanned the coffee section of the menu "…two regular coffees, please."

The waitress bowed down once again and collected their menus before leaving.

Makoto waited uncomfortably in her seat for their food to arrive, and decided to observe the other customers all around them as a source of distraction. Akechi, however, felt perfectly at ease simply staring at her with a small smile, as if trying to unnerve her as much as possible. So far, he was managing very well.

Before she could throw a bottle of ketchup at him, the waitress appeared with two large trays of food, which she placed on their table.

"Well, bon appetite" he said happily, and took his portion in a separate bowl.

Makoto was hating herself for being so weak and surrendering to hunger, but she couldn't help herself after the smell of the delicious food reached her nostrils. Akechi watched her with an amused expression but let her eat without the worry of exchanging more words.

"Well, that was delicious" he put down his chopsticks and leaned back in his seat once he was finished. Makoto was seconds away from finishing her kobachi when the waitress arrived to retrieve the trays and left the bill on the table.

Akechi fished his wallet out of a pocket and left some cash on the table, then stood up and went for the door. Makoto was seriously considering the thought of remaining seated and eating her kobachi as slowly as possible, but it was only a few vegetables left and she would look stupid sitting there alone. She then forced herself to follow him outside, the boy waiting for her as he leaned against a wall.

"Better now?" he asked, nodding at her stomach.

"Yes" she replied coolly, but then remembered he had indeed paid for both of them. "Thank you…"

"No problem" he said, uncrossing the arms over his chest and walking towards Central Street. Makoto rolled her eyes, because for a moment she had hoped he could escort her to the station and leave her be.

They kept walking side by side without speaking, until Akechi suddenly stopped and looked around. There were very few people in that area so early in the morning, and so the boy grabbed her wrist with extraordinary force and dragged her to a narrow alleyway.

"What the…?!" she exclaimed as her heart raced with fear. Akechi proceeded to pin her against the wall, his charming façade suddenly gone and replaced by a threatening look in his eyes.

"Now, Niijima-san" he breathed "You didn't look surprised at all when you saw me at LeBlanc this morning. So let's quit playing games and tell me how you knew I was at Akira's place."

"I… I didn't know!" she cried, as tears stung her eyes. Makoto tried breaking free from him, but he simply snickered and tightened the grip on her arms even more.

"I am losing my patience, Niijima-san" he said in a soft and yet dangerous tone. "I know very well you weren't there by chance. And, being a friend of Akira's, you wouldn't need to sneak around his property if you wanted to visit him. You knew I was there, but who told you?"

"You know very well who!" she finally retorted after gathering up enough courage to look at him straight in the eye. Something flashed through his eyes, and for a moment he looked scared but quickly regained his composure.

"I don't think I'm following you, Niijima-san" he said.

"Oh, I think you do" she smirked. He frowned and for several seconds they simply stared at each other. His face was so close to hers his hair was tickling her…

"Hey, you two! This is not the place to make out! Get a room!" a police officer was standing just outside the alleyway, shouting at them. As if that was a catalyst, Akechi immediately let go of her and turned the opposite way to leave. "Don't you dare mention this to anyone. I'll see you around, Niijima-san."

The damned girl knew something. She knew he had spent the night at Akira's place and she had come to investigate. Why? Why did she feel the need to check up on Akira? He knew the rest of the Phantom Thieves didn't trust him because of what he kept on stating on TV about them, but was that enough of a reason to be spied on? And how did she know in the first place? The only logical explanation he had was that the cat, the only other living thing who had spotted him at LeBlanc other than Akira himself, had gone straight to Niijima-san's place and told her what he had seen. Assuming that the cat could talk in their world too other than the Metaverse. But she had told him he was supposed to know who had passed on the information to her, hadn't she? She somehow knew he was aware of the fact the cat could talk, and he still didn't know if that was bad or not. He must have made a mistake at some point, which had alerted either the cat or Niijima-san herself. However, the more he tried to recall a particular event, the less convinced he became: after all, other than the brief conversation he had had with the group of friends at the summer festival, he didn't remember spending so much time around that Morgana, and in all the episodes he could remember, the cat had never spoken…

He obviously knew that hearing cats talk was not normal, but maybe that particular cat was special. The fact he could understand what he said didn't prove anything, right?

He had no idea what to believe, but surely she didn't know who he really was. That was impossible…

He bit his lower lip as he sat on his bed, occasionally looking out the window at the same alleyway where he had been standing a few hours earlier with Niijima-san.

He couldn't tell for sure, but the girl seemed to be a threat. If she had somehow discovered his true identity, he was screwed. Shido's plan would fail, they would be discovered and arrested. Maybe even executed. He would never get his revenge. Akira would never talk to him again…

"Damn it all!" he cursed through gritted teeth, punching the pillow until it became a crumpled mass.

When he had calmed down, he sighed and closed his eyes. All he could do was keep a low profile and let the Phantom Thieves do their job against Medjed. After that, Shido's plan would reach its peak and he could finally get rid of them all. That is, if the girl kept quiet and didn't reveal her discovery.

Akira in particular mustn't know.

He didn't have any other choice. He stood up and walked over to his desk, opened a drawer and retrieved a diary where he kept the names of all his targets. He took a pen and wrote in a clear and elegant handwriting.

Makoto Niijima

"We have finally secured our route to the Treasure!" Morgana announced happily. "And Futaba has received a calling card, the one she wrote herself. All we need to do now is steal her Treasure."

"Easy peasy" Ryuji grinned proudly as he grabbed a heavy-looking manga and threw it straight at Yusuke. The tome hit the blue-haired boy in the head, and the wasabi snacks he had been eagerly feasting on fell from his hands.

"Why did you do that?" Yusuke asked in a low voice, massaging the sore spot. "All of these delicious wasabi chips…"

"Eh, pay attention to our meeting next time instead of stealin' all of Ann's snacks!" Ryuji reprimanded him.

"What?!" Ann exclaimed outraged, her eyes falling on the spilled snacks and the empty box Yusuke now had in his hands. "Yusuke, buy your own!"

"But I do not have any money left. I spent the last yens on the ticket ride to be here today" he justified himself.

"So, how're you gonna get back home, huh?" Ryuji asked as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"I do not know. I haven't thought about it yet" Yusuke replied dreamily. "Perhaps you can lend me some."

"Hell no!"

"Makoto, are you ok? You haven't said a word today" Ann asked the other girl, who had indeed been quiet all day.

"Huh?" Makoto seemed to have been deep in thought, but forced a smile on her face. "Oh, it's nothing. I was just… thinking about Futaba's past."

"Yeah…" Ann nodded sympathetically "Poor little girl…"

"Well Akira, tomorrow we will be stealing Futaba's Treasure. We have made great progress with Boss' daughter, but still haven't found a solution about Medjed" Morgana said, and everyone's expressions turned graver.

"Dammit, did we get more than we bargained for?" Ryuji asked frustrated.

"We will manage" Akira reassured. "But one problem at a time. For now, let's focus on Futaba. Once we have dealt with that, we can take care of Medjed."

"But we don't even know where to start!" Ann whined. "They are invisible…"

"Well, technically there are tons of pictures of the Egyptian god on…"

"Thank you, Yusuke."

"One problem at a time" Makoto muttered. "Right."

Summer vacation was almost over and Akechi still hadn't been confronted by either the Phantom Thieves or the police, which meant Makoto had kept her mouth shut. Good girl.

To make matters more interesting, the Phantom Thieves had gained a new party member after joining force with a young girl named Futaba Sakura, the daughter of Sojiro, who adopted the girl when her mother died. Once again, fate was being extremely ironic now because Akechi could remember perfectly well the day he had entered Wakaba Isshiki's Palace and killed her Shadow, causing the woman to have a mental shutdown and die in a car accident in front of her daughter: Futaba herself.

That happened some years before, when Akechi was still quite unexperienced and yet willing to follow Shido's orders like a lost puppy just to gain his trust. He had just met him, and Wakaba Isshiki had been the very first target he had assigned him. He had never really understood why Shido wanted her dead, but the man had guaranteed it was for his own sake, for Isshiki had been working on a secret project regarding the cognitive world which could potentially reveal the boy's secret identity and powers. Fearing that his identity would be revealed and his plan to take down Shido destroyed, he acted quickly and took care of the researcher.

Futaba Sakura had proven to be a fundamental addition to the party, because her incredible hacking skills had allowed the Phantom Thieves to take down Medjed in a matter of minutes, and all of the world was talking about the famous Japanese heroes. Wherever he went, Akechi heard nothing but news about the Phantom Thieves, and even saw shops selling gadgets, plush dolls, shirts, fake calling cards and food inspired by them. Their popularity, however, caused his to sink significantly for people had lost faith in him after all his accusations against the Phantom Thieves. Akechi knew this step was necessary, but he felt lonelier than ever. After all, he hadn't heard from Akira since the day he left LeBlanc after spending the night there, and to be perfectly honest he was a bit afraid to approach the other boy, just in case Makoto had warned him. It hurt to be this miserable again after knowing what it felt like to have a friend and a normal life, but he forced himself to stay strong and stick to the plan.

On the very last day of summer holidays, the TV was now talking about a scandal around president Okumura for the way he treated his employees. However, the man seemed to be particularly popular among citizens as a potential new Prime Minister. Of course Shido wanted him dead, and had made sure the journalists got to hear about the working conditions of his employees to attract the attention of the Phantom Thieves.

Akechi had been careful not to mention the episode with Niijima-san to Shido, but he was still waiting for the perfect opportunity to get rid of the girl. Killing her out of the blue would only raise suspicions among the other members, and he would be the first they would be wary of.

It was quite the dilemma, because Niijima-san apparently knew about his little secret and so did the cat. That meant her sudden death- and possibly that of Morgana- would alert the Phantom Thieves and he would attract unwanted attention to himself. However, he thought he knew what to do: Shido had given him an important task, which was befriending the Phantom Thieves to help them clear their names, only to betray them at the very end and get Akira arrested, then kill him. Joining the Phantom Thieves needed to happen at a very specific moment, which was the day he would suggest them to infiltrate Sae Niijima's Palace to change her heart and reveal he could summon a Persona too. However, this wouldn't be easy now that Makoto Niijima had suspicions about him. That meant he needed to gain enough of the girl's trust to join the group, and then he would kill her as well as getting Akira arrested. After all, once the dirty deed had been done, his true identity would be discovered anyway and the Phantom Thieves couldn't do anything to stop him at that point. Then, he would watch Shido become Prime Minister only to bring him down together with his whole pointless life. After that, Akechi had no idea what would happen to him, and honestly he couldn't care less. Whether he died or lived, or got arrested or executed didn't matter to him as long as he got his revenge.

What he found himself thinking about more often than he cared to admit, was what to do with Akira. Shido had been clear enough and told him it was necessary to eliminate him, but the more Akechi thought about it, the less willing he was. After all, Akira had been the only one to give him a chance despite all the terrible things he said about the Phantom Thieves. He had called him friend, and even used his first name! Or was it only a charade?

His phone was buzzing…

"Hello?"

"Get ready. I have another target for you, and you must take care of him straight away."

Principal Kobayakawa was not what Makoto would call a highly respected man. He had made tons of mistakes during his career, and even went as far as blackmailing her once. However, his death caused quite a lot of shock among students and teachers. And it obviously happened a few days before the school trip to Hawaii for second-year students. What she hadn't expected, though, was being approached by Kawakami-sensei who asked her, with a huge smile on her face, if she could take her place to accompanying the students to Hawaii, because she and other teachers were required to stay behind and take care of the police. Despite having tons to do before her last year as a high school student was over, Makoto's sense of duty encouraged her to accept the offer. However, Kawakami had another task for her.

"I am afraid most of the teachers will be required to stay here and solve this problematic situation. That is why I would appreciate it if you could contact as many third-year students as possible who can act as chaperones for this trip."

Well, but of course! Too bad that only few third-year students had accepted to escort the second-year boys and girls to Hawaii. The rest were seemingly too busy with homework and college entry applications to bother taking up even more responsibility and wasting time chaperoning second year students.

When Makoto reported back to Kawakami, the woman smiled broadly and said: "You know what, Niijima-chan? You are more than welcome to ask students from other schools! I am confident you must know someone", before the teacher hurriedly wished her a good day and ran back to class.

Makoto stood in the hallway feeling extremely dumb and hopeless, wondering who the heck she could contact from other schools to chaperone the whole trip. After all, she never really had a social life before, and had never spoken to students from other academies.

"...Oh my…"

She took her phone and stared at the screen, where the rest of her teammates were currently discussing the death of principal Kobayakawa, and her eyes kept locking on Futaba's profile picture. The girl was an expert hacker, and she could easily find his phone number. The problem was, she seriously didn't want to bring a potential murderer on a school trip to Hawaii. But did she really have any other choice? The alternative was cancelling the trip, and that would affect the overall gloomy mood even more. Besides, this could be a great opportunity to find out more about him...

"Guys…"

She typed and tapped the "Send" button.

"I mean, he was on his way to the police station, right?"

"Yeah! He most likely knew something and wanted to report it. But never got to talk to an officer"

"Well, Kobayakawa was a bastard but didn't deserve to die like that"

Makoto rolled her eyes and typed the message once more, which was promptly ignored once again.

"Morgana suspects Akechi has something to do with this"

"GUYS! I HAVE GOT NEWS ABOUT AKECHI!"

"Jeez Makoto, no need to shout at us"

"Then READ my messages next time! Anyway, let's meet up at LeBlanc today after school"

"Aye aye Queen!"

"Roger!"

"May I get a short briefing via text? I only have 12 yen left…"

"Seriously Yusuke, what do you do with all your money?"

"Well, the list is long: brushes, canvas, pens, paint, tuition fee, books, accommodation…"

Makoto pocketed her phone and bit her lip: this was not going to be fun.

It took quite a lot of effort to convince Futaba to leave the safety of her bedroom and the house to meet up with the others at a diner in Akihabara. And of course, she demanded Akira picked her up first and escorted her. The younger girl was now sitting in a chair between Akira and Yusuke (who had seemingly managed to gather enough money for the train ride by asking for a small loan to his fellow Phantom Thieves member), trying to ignore the chatting all around her. Even though she had made great progress since the first time they had met her, she was still scared of crowded places, but Akira's presence somewhat soothed her. And a happy Futaba was all Makoto needed in that moment.

"So, you've got news?" Ryuji broke the ice and asked the question everyone was thinking of.

"Yes" Makoto answered "And you won't like it one bit."

Makoto explained in details what Kawakami had told her, and how she was considering asking none other than Akechi himself to chaperone the school trip.

"No effin' way!" Ryuji protested. Ann and Morgana simply exchanged a worried look, and Akira put on his usual poker face. Makoto couldn't tell what Yusuke was thinking, but she'd bet it definitely had nothing to do with what they were currently discussing, for the blue-haired boy was persistently eying a steak which had just been served to a couple sat at the table nearby.

"Then we must cancel the school trip" Makoto continued calmly.

"HELL NO!"

"Ryuji, lower your voice, please" Ann whispered in embarrassment.

"Don't we know anyone else?" Ryuji asked frustrated. "Yusuke, can't you ask someone at your school?"

"Uhm, I do not know any third-year students who would be willing to accompany you. They are all busy organizing an exhibit which is mandatory for third-year students. I am sorry I cannot be of help" the artist replied in his usual dreamy voice.

"Ok then, can't we leave without him? I mean, it's only one person we're talking about! We will manage."

"According to the school regulations, it is mandatory to have at least two per classroom. Now, we have found enough for the other second-year classes, but yours is still missing one" Makoto explained.

"Well Ryuji, for all we know Akechi will decline" Ann suggested.

"I ain't sure whether I should be hopin' for that or not" the blond boy sighed.

"There's only one way to find out!" Futaba finally spoke for the first time, and went to retrieve her expensive laptop from her bag.

The red-haired girl spent some minutes typing on her keyboard, humming softly as she browsed through a series of complicated-looking codes until she snapped her fingers. "Here we go!"

Futaba turned the screen the opposite direction so that Makoto could read the phone number that had appeared, and she quietly saved it on her phone.

"Now" Futaba continued enthusiastically "You have the opportunity of a lifetime. Beginning Quest: drown the fake detective! Look out, it's a red-flagged one, so you will want to prepare before you embark upon this journey."

"Futaba, this is not a videogame. And we are not going to drown Akechi-kun" Makoto sighed exasperated.

"Well" the hacker continued, pushing the large glasses up the bridge of her tiny nose. "Drowning is only one of the many options available…"

"Futaba…"

"Sowwie!"

"Niijima-san! Niijima-san!"

A numerous group of second-year girls was running towards her, looking extremely excited.

"Is it true that Akechi-kun is chaperoning our trip to Hawaii?"

"Ehm, yes" Makoto replied, suppressing a loud sigh.

"Oooh! But is it confirmed?"

"Well, I texted him and asked him. He said yes. So I suppose that answers your question" Makoto answered, trying to sound as polite as possible when surrounded by a group of Akechi's fans.

"Oh my! Niijima-san, you have got his number?! Can I have it too?!"

"Sorry, I do not want troubles with Akechi-kun. But you are free to ask him yourself when you see him" she said, and finally turned to leave.

It had been a long day, organizing the details for the trip at the last second as well as summoning up the courage to send a text message to Goro Akechi, considering what had happened during their last encounter.

Truth be told, she was afraid of him: the way he had pulled her in that alleyway and that look he had given her… she would still shiver whenever she thought about it. It felt like she was the only one who had seen the real Goro Akechi, the side he made sure no one ever saw in public: the handsome and well-mannered boy everyone praised suddenly turned into a more menacing version of himself. His features still handsome, maybe even more than when he pretended to be the charming detective, and yet in such a dark and dangerous way. No doubt there was something really wrong with him, and Makoto was scared. However, knowing that Akira and the others were there too made her feel much better.

She looked at her phone once more and read again the brief conversation she had exchanged with him.

"Hello Akechi-kun. This is Makoto Niijima. I am sorry to bother you and send you a message without your permission. I took the liberty to ask my sister for your phone number to see if you could help our school out."

"Hello Niijima-san. It is not an issue. Please, go ahead."

"Well, you must have heard about the tragic death of our principal, and all of our teacher who were supposed to escort the second-year students to their school trip to Hawaii cannot leave Japan at the moment. They therefore asked third-year students to take their place, but so far we still need at least one more. I was wondering if you could join us? I understand perfectly well if you are busy…"

"Well, I am quite busy to be honest. However, I would feel responsible if the school trip got canceled because I couldn't participate. And I do owe you an apology. I guess you can count me in."

"Thank you. I will send you the details of the school trip later today. Have a nice day."

Makoto frowned as she studied his texts once more, especially at the "I owe you an apology" part.

She checked her wristwatch and mentally cursed: she needed to hurry back home, prepare dinner, pack her suitcase and send the details of the trip, as well as his travel documents, to Akechi.

She was definitely not looking forward to the next days.

Akechi's phone buzzed and a blue light kept flashing to remind him he had an unread message. He lazily stood from his bed and went to grab his phone. Apparently, Makoto Niijima had finally remembered to send him the details of the school trip. Normally, he would have declined but he couldn't miss the opportunity to spend some days with the Phantom Thieves, away from home… And being Goro Akechi, it had been extremely easy for him to convince his teachers to allow him on a trip for another school. They had simply praised his kind heart to help fellow students from another academy, and they instantly wished him best of luck.

He smirked broadly as he downloaded his travel documents and the reference code which he would be needing the day after tomorrow. The only thing that currently bugged him was the check-in time, way too early for his tastes.

However, he could already imagine himself using his charm on Niijima-san, apologize to her for being so direct and rude, and then befriend the rest of the thieves. Once that was done, the rest would be child's play.

He then decided to read the rest of the message Niijima had written, and learned he and the prosecutor's sister had been assigned to class 2-D, Akira's one…

Well, how to kill two birds with one stone: that meant Niijima-san was forced to spend most of the time in Hawaii with him, and he had the chance to fulfill his plan as well as talk to Akira…

After all, if their school trip was going to be any similar to the one he had had with his own school the year before, and considering the fact there were no teachers around, students would probably spend time with their own friends or significant others. So he didn't see why he couldn't spend some quality time with his friend, too…

Damn, what was he thinking? He was supposed to embrace this opportunity and find out useful information about the Phantom Thieves, and gain their trust so that Shido's plan could work! He had no time for friendship. He had secretly declared war to the Phantom Thieves long time ago, and now there was no turning back.

So why couldn't he discard the thought of enjoying a few normal days with the people that haunted his thoughts day and night?

The next two chapters will be all about the school trip to Hawaii, and a LOT of interaction between Goro and Makoto, as well as Goro and the other PT's, will take place! Also, possibly some unexpected fluff? :D

Make sure to tune in on for more! And let me know what you think ;)

Peeeeace out!