Here's the second part, which marks the end of the Phantom Thieves' holidays! ...In a very unexpected way. Maybe.

Well, hope you enjoy it! :D

When she opened her eyes, sunlight was streaming into the room and almost blinded her. She blinked a few times and placed a hand over her eyes to shield them from the bright light. As she tried to get up, she realized she was wrapped up in candid white sheets which she didn't remember putting on during the night. Did she do it instinctively? Or maybe…?

"Good morning" Akechi greeted her as he emerged from the bathroom. "I took the liberty to use the bathroom first since you were still asleep. But I am almost done."

"Uhm…" she groaned groggily and swung her legs over the bed to finally stand up. "Was it… cold tonight?"

"Oh about that" Akechi's voice sounded a bit fainter from the bathroom. "I made sure you wouldn't freeze to death. Hope you don't mind."

So it had been him…

"N-no, I don't… Thank you."

"No sweat!"

When she walked past the large mirror hung on one of the walls of the room, she stopped in her tracks and repositioned herself in front if it: her hair was sticking in every direction, her clothes were all wrinkled and her make-up almost completely gone. She suppressed a shriek of panic as she ran to the closet and retrieved her toilet map and a hairbrush.

"There, you can go in now" he announced as he made his entrance looking bloody handsome as always. He stopped to look at her, one hand holding the hairbrush and the other what looked like an eyeliner, her expression that of someone being caught red-handed.

"No need to make yourself beautiful for me" he smirked broadly, and she quickly pouted.

"I was… I am not…"

"Hey, relax" he chuckled. "Besides, you look cute even without all that."

She froze there, her cheeks feeling suddenly very warm and she was pretty sure it had nothing to do with the temperature outside.

"I will be waiting downstairs with the others" he said as he headed toward the door.

"R-right."

Being her skin as white as the hotel sheets, Makoto had decided to join her friends to the beach in hope to get a bit of color before returning to Japan. After eating breakfast all together, they walked to the seaside and marveled once more at the sight of the beautiful ocean sparkling under the sun. The palm trees created just enough shades where they could repair themselves when it got too warm, and soon enough they were all heading to the wooden cabins nearby to get changed into their swimsuits. When Makoto was finished and stepped outside on the hot sand, Akira, Ryuji, Yusuke and Mishima –who had joined them at the last second- were already waiting for the rest of the group. Akechi came out shortly after wearing only a pair of shorts and, for the first time in her life, Makoto felt suddenly very aware of her exposed skin under his intense gaze. Ann was the last one to emerge, muttering apologies and getting on Ryuji's nerves.

"Damn, it's hot!" the blond boy whined as he began sweating. "Much hotter than yesterday. I say we start with a nice swim!"

"Yeah, I'm in!" Ann approved enthusiastically. "Are you guys coming too?"

"Last one who dives is a loooooseeeer!"

Makoto and Akechi watched as the five friends ran like never before and disappeared into the sea with a loud splash. "You're not going?"

"Uh?" she turned to him. "Oh, I think I will wait a bit before diving. I still feel heavy after eating breakfast."

They went to sit under a palm tree, with Makoto wrapping her arms around her chest, her cheeks a dark shade of pink. For some reason, the sight of an embarrassed Makoto Niijima made Akechi smile.

"Good morning, there!" a man holding a bunch of handmade and colorful sailor knot bracelets approached them with a huge grin, speaking in broken Japanese. "Want buy bracelet?"

"Oh wow!" Makoto's attention was finally piqued as she examined the bracelets with shining eyes. "They are beautiful!"

"Each of them have different meaning" the man explained. "You take one, fate decide for you."

"Does it mean I pick a random one, and you will tell me what it signifies?" Makoto asked, and the man nodded excitedly. "Aww, I am afraid I do not have any money though. I left my purse at the hotel…"

"How much is it?" Akechi asked.

"Only three dollars, sir. You pay five dollars, you get two!"

Akechi rummaged in his backpack for a few seconds before he took out a few dollars and handed them to the man. "Thank you, sir! Thank you! Now pick your bracelets!"

The man scattered the bracelets on the sand for them to choose one each. Makoto went for a white and turquoise one, while Akechi picked a black and indigo bracelet.

"Oh, interesting!" the man beamed. "Let's see. White and turquoise indicate pure spirit, willing to give its all to others. You are kind-hearted woman who put trust in others, even those who maybe no deserve. As for you, sir. Black and indigo, often mistaken as colors of dark and untrustworthy. Though they are indeed associated to mysterious people, often with difficult past, they indicate strong personality with will to sacrifice everything for people they love."

Akechi and Makoto kept examining their bracelet as they listened to the man speak. "I have to say, it is first time I see someone like you two. So different and yet so meant to be."

"What?" Akechi gave the man a quizzical look, but he was already walking his own way, snickering. "What a weird guy."

"Thank you, Akechi-kun. You… didn't have to do this for me" Makoto said gratefully. "I feel like I am learning so many unexpected things about you…"

Akechi was taken aback by her words but resolved to shake his head and smile. "I… can say the same about you."

"Loooooovebiiiirds! Quit being asocial and come play some volleyball with us!"

"Though I wish Ann stopped saying that" Makoto added, her face cherry-red. "Ah well, shall we?"

Another sunset was falling over them as the sea turned a deep orange color and the shades from the palm trees grew larger over the pearly sand. The seven friends emerged from the water laughing and chasing each other to see who would get changed first. As he shifted into more comfortable and dry clothes, Akechi could barely believe he had gotten to be part of that group. Every minute spent with them made him forget entirely who he was and what he had done, as well as erasing every thought of revenge and painful memories. He was a better person when he was surrounded by them, his friends and, in return, the others seemed to be opening up to him more. However, he knew this was a temporary reward, a small present life made him before turning into a living hell once again. He knew perfectly well that, once back in Japan, their paths would diverge once more and that he would be required to kill more and more and more… And then Akira…

But what if he decided to quit? What if he asked the Phantom Thieves to help him change Shido's heart? He was even willing to abandon his desire to avenge his mother and make the bastard pay for all the crap he had caused, as long as he could get to stay friends with them. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, however, he remembered that he was a murderer. What would their reaction be when they found out? Would they still be willing to have him by their side? Would they forgive him? Jeez, he had even killed that girl's mother, Wakaba Isshiki. How could he be one of them knowing he was responsible for their misery? Maybe he could keep it a secret and reveal only one side of him, the one in princely garbs using Robin Hood as his Persona. No need to show them his other self…

No, they didn't deserve that. They had been too kind, too understanding for him to lie to them once again. He knew there was no hope for him, no redemption. But he could still repair the damage, at least partly. He could save them. Save Akira.

His eyes fell on the bracelet on his right wrist, and he remembered the man's words. "The will to sacrifice everything for the people they love." Could it really be what it was required of him? Was this really fate? Him obtaining the Wild Card power, then meeting Akira with the same ability and then the rest of the Phantom Thieves… The fact he felt such a strong bond with them had to mean something. He could no longer deny his feelings, because he felt truly happy and whole whenever he was with them...

"Goro, you OK in there?" Akira called from outside his cabin. "Yusuke's starving!"

"I'm coming!" he responded, as he took one more look at the bracelet and finally opened the door to be reunited with the rest of the party, trying his best to push all the negative thoughts out of his head.

"Akechi-kun… AKECHI-KUN!"

"Wha-"

Akechi woke up with a startle as someone kept shouting his name in his ear, as well as shaking him in bed. His eyes stung as they came in contact with sunlight but he still managed to focus them on a very agitated Niijima-san. "What's going on?"

"You've GOT to kill it!"

"What? What're you talking about?" Akechi was now genuinely worried about the girl's behavior and got up on his feet to check she wasn't feeling sick.

"KILL IT!" she shrieked and promptly hid herself behind his back, placing both her hands on his shoulders.

Only then did Akechi see what was terrorizing her: it was a spider, probably larger than most in Japan, but looking relatively peaceful and harmless. It was crawling freely on the wooden floor, advancing toward the source of all the screaming.

"MY GOSH, KILL IT! CRUSH IT! ERASE IT FROM EXISTENCE!"

"Calm down! It's just a spider!"

"It's not JUST a spider! It's a MONSTER! And it's HUGE!"

"Niijima-san… I am seriously shocked you are afraid of a tiny thing like that…"

"KILLLLLL IT!"

She was so scared now she had started digging her nails into his skin and he actually groaned in pain when he felt it tear.

"What?! Did it bite you? Is it poisonous? Say something, Akechi-kun!"

"It's… just… your nails…" he managed to blurt out as tears stung his eyes.

"Oh, sorry!"

In the mayhem she had caused, Akechi lost sight of the spider, which made Makoto jump on his bed and freak out even more. "Give me a Shadow, the biggest and scariest ever, but not a spider! Anything but spiders!"

"Quiet down!" he hissed. "You're going to alert people!"

"WHERE DID IT GO?!"

Akechi began his quest to find Niijima-san's biggest fear, until he found it hiding under his bed. He took a piece of paper and wrapped the spider in it, then opened the window and released the spider, making sure it could safely make its way down the wall.

"There. It's gone."

"You… didn't kill it, though" she muttered once she had calmed down.

"Why would I? It didn't do anything wrong" he replied calmly. Maybe it was just his imagination, but it seemed to him that his decision to let the spider live had surprised the girl.

"Thank you…" she finally sat on his bed, crossing her legs. "You have no idea how much I hate spiders…"

"I think I know now" he joked, as he gave her a smile and she returned it.

The usual group of friends had gathered up at the same spot for another day at the beach. Ryuji was already feeling moody because the following day would be their last before traveling back to Japan. Unbeknownst to them, Akechi was feeling the same way because he was scared to face reality and return to his old life, a life of loneliness and misery where chaos was the only friend he ever knew.

"Well, think positive" Akira told his blond friend. "At least you can finish that shooter game you were so excited about."

"I know, right! But still…"

"C'mon Ryuji, think about Christmas!" Ann tried to cheer him up.

"Yeah, that's in three months, which means I have to survive ninety shitty days of school!"

"What does it matter?" Yusuke intervened. "It's not like you ever open a book, anyway."

"Look who's talkin'!"

"What about you, Akechi-kun? Looking forward to going back home?" Ann asked him.

"Eh, I have to agree with Ryuji" Akechi rubbed the back of his neck and smiled. "I really like it here, but I guess it can't be avoided."

"See?" Ann turned to Ryuji and gave him a hard look. "He is taking it like a man."

"Oh shut up!"

"They make a nice couple, don't they?" Makoto whispered to him out of the blue, chuckling softly.

"Yeah" he nodded.

"Aaanyway" Ryuji decided to change topic and was now speaking exclusively to the male members of the party. "Does any of you have a chick?"

"A chick?" Yusuke lifted an eyebrow.

"Yeah, a girlfriend" Ryuji specified.

All the boys exchanged a pitiful look and then turned to Akechi. "What about you, mister Handsome Detective? You must be the most experienced one, here. So, got any tips?"

"Uh?" Akechi widened his eyes as he felt everyone's gaze on him. "What?"

"C'mon, don't play dumb with us" Ryuji smirked and nudged him in the side. "We know all the girls are crazy for you."

Akechi was pretty sure he was blushing furiously now, and lifted his arms in a "time-out" position. "Sorry to disappoint you!"

"No way!" Ryuji whistled in disbelief. "You gotta be shittin' me!"

"Come on, Akechi-kun!" Mishima pleaded. "We are quite desperate…"

"No need to say that, Mishima!" Ryuji yelled, as Ann and Makoto giggled amused.

"Look at you guys" Ann mocked. "Acting all big and strong, and yet can't even find yourself a girl!"

"Hey that's… that's a low blow!" Ryuji whined, his cheeks turning a dark shade of pink.

"I am being one hundred percent honest with you. I mean, yes I am quite popular, but I… ehm, never had time for that kind of things…" Akechi confessed sadly.

"Are you serious?! I thought having a celebrity with us would finally score us a girl!" Ryuji was on the verge of crying, but Akira patted him on his shoulder with what he probably believed to be a consolatory gesture.

"Maybe you should lower your standards first, Casanova" Ann said angrily. "The only girls you ever approach all are at least ten years older than you."

"Who else would I ask out?" the blond boy widened his eyes in shock. "I want an experienced girl!"

"Then you're going to be single for the rest of your life!" and, with that, Ann angrily stomped away.

"What the hell is wrong with her?" Ryuji was left baffled as he turned to his friends for an answer. "What did I do?"

"Oh Ryuji, you really don't get it" Makoto shook her head with a smile and palmed her face.

Ann didn't show up for the rest of the afternoon until someone knocked on their room. Akechi went to open and found himself face to face with Takamaki-san herself, looking disappointed and downhearted.

"Can't believe the girl I'm sharing a room with just locked herself inside with her boyfriend. And I left my key inside!"the girl explained and stepped into the room without even bothering to ask for permission.

Knock. Knock.

When Akechi opened the door again mere seconds after closing it, he was met with Akira and Ryuji.

"Oh, did everyone have the same idea?" the blonde said when he spotted Ann sat on Akechi's bed. "The dude I partnered with is currently snoggin' his girlfriend, and I had no intention to see what would happen next…"

"And Mishima is feeling sick and locked himself in the bathroom. I seriously don't want to be in the same room as a bacteria-magnet, right now" Akira said next.

"Uhm…" Makoto gave Akechi an uncertain look, asking for his approval with her eyes and he nodded with a smile.

"You can sleep here tonight, if you want. Takamaki-chan, you can have my bed. The rest of us will be sleeping on the sofa or on the floor" Akechi said kindly.

"No way!" Ann protested. "I would feel bad if you guys were forced to sleep on the floor because of us! We… we can share the beds, I guess…"

"But it's not big enough for everyone. I mean, they are single beds after all" Ryuji reasoned.

"Well, it's big enough for two. So one of you can sleep on the sofa and the rest shares the beds."

"I'll take the sofa" Akira said promptly raising a hand in the air. "You guys have fun sleeping in twenty centimeters of space."

"No fair! Why do you get to take the sofa?" Ryuji complained.

"'Cause I'm the leader. Oh, and behave. I will be watching you."

The rest of the evening went by discussing who would be sharing their bed with whom, for Ann seemed to be too angry at Ryuji to let him be in the same personal space as hers. Makoto's face, on the other hand, had turned into a perfect imitation of a giant tomato as she measured the available space in bed once she had lied down.

Akechi didn't mind sharing a bed with whoever, but he had to admit it was quite amusing to observe Sakamoto-kun and Takamaki-chan bickering like that, and so strode toward Niijima-san's bed. She eyed him carefully, studying his every move as he sat beside her and then lied down. He turned the other way, his back brushing against her and he felt her shiver slightly.

"Stop moving!"

"You are the one kicking me!"

"Quiet down, you two!"

As Akira yelled at the two blond friends, silence finally fell over them in the dark room. Akechi found it difficult to fall asleep given the lack of space, and he forced himself to remain in the uncomfortable position because he was so afraid to disturb the dark-haired girl's slumber. However, now that it was dead silent in the room, he could hear she was breathing irregularly. Apparently, he was not the only one having troubles falling asleep. Too afraid to disturb the others, Akechi pretended not to notice and forced his eyelids closed.

Makoto opened her eyes but couldn't see anything and, for a brief moment, she thought she had become blind. She tried blinking but didn't get any results. The only thing she was aware of was the hardness of the pillow and the fresh smell of shower gel. Shower gel for men.

She almost jumped back as realization hit her. Moving her head backwards she discovered with horror she had moved during the night, and had been resting her head on Akechi's chest. Makoto quickly turned to make sure the others were still asleep and, to her relief, they were. She smiled tenderly as she watched Ann curled up against Ryuji, the boy's arm wrapped around the slim girl's waist and with a peaceful expression on their faces. At least, until they'd wake up. Akira was breathing softly with his arms crossed over his chest, facing the ceiling.

She then went to examine Akechi once again. The boy was fast asleep, his lips parted slightly and some strands of hair falling on his face. He looked so young and peaceful in that moment she felt stupid for doubting him even for a second. Yes, he had secrets he was hiding from them, and yes he had looked dangerous once, but could she really blame him? She had been spying on him after all, as well as lying to him. Multiple times.

She rested her head on her pillow once again, her eyes locked onto his handsome face. As if feeling her intense gaze, his eyes opened slightly, his pupils dilated as he groggily stared back at her, before closing his eyes again and a small smile appeared on his face.

That insignificant episode made her heart skip a beat and, for once, she could say it hadn't been caused by fear.

She awoke to the sound of someone shouting. Someone familiar. As she lazily turned the other way to see what was happening, Ryuji and Ann were standing in front of each other, with the blond girl blabbing something about "invading her personal space."

Akira's eyes were now open and locked onto the ceiling above him, his arms still crossed over his chest as he patiently waited for them to stop. When Makoto looked behind herself, she saw Akechi sat on the bed, rubbing his eyes. Suddenly, she felt the bed had turned cold, too cold, as well as a side of her body, no doubt where he had been leaning against during his sleep. The memory of waking up buried in his chest made her stomach twitch pleasantly, and she frowned at the odd and unfamiliar sensation.

"Will you… will you calm down?" Ryuji was saying "Look, you woke everyone up!"

"Next time you learn to keep your hands off me!" she ignored him completely and kept on shouting.

Akechi brushed the unruly strands of hair away from his face and looked at Akira first, then Makoto. "Breakfast?"

"God, yes" Akira sighed as he instantly shot back up on his feet.

None of them was surprised when they found Yusuke filling his plate with all the food he could grab at the hotel buffet. He greeted them all with a satisfied smile and asked how they had slept.

"Good until fifteen minutes ago" Akira told him, and then proceeded to explain what had happened.

"Aaah, Ryuji is one lucky man!" Yusuke smiled contentedly, before groaning in pain as Makoto intentionally stepped on his foot. "You perv!"

"I wonder how Mishima is doing" Akira muttered and then shrugged his shoulders. "No matter. I'm digging in!"

They all took a plate and filled it with delicious food, then sat at a large table by the window. Being so early in the morning, they were the first ones to arrive and could claim the best seats which overlooked the pool outside. Their peaceful breakfast, however, was interrupted by the arrival of Ryuji and Ann themselves, still bickering though more quietly. The two blondes sat at opposite sides and decided to ignore each other for the time being.

"So, today's the last day, uh?" Yusuke spoke first as he buttered his toasted bread.

"Yeah" Akira sighed. "It's gone too fast."

"Indeed."

"Hey guyph!" Ryuji butted in, his mouth full of scrambled eggs. "Hwowh abwoh we mwhakhe a phonphire funaght?"

"Excuse me?" Makoto asked politely, raising an eyebrow.

Ryuji swallowed hard –Ann giving him a disgusted look- and repeated. "How about we make a bonfire tonight?"

"Sounds like an excellent idea!" Yusuke chuckled. "We could grill something on the beach."

"I'm game!" Akira agreed enthusiastically.

"Well then, I say we go shopping for souvenirs and food, and then chill on the beach. And after sunset, we can change into warmer clothes and meet up at the beach!" Ryuji suggested enthusiastically and everyone nodded.

"Let's make the most out of our last day here!"

Akira and Akechi had been assigned to the grill, with Ann nominating Akechi their "trustworthy master chef". He still didn't know whether to take it as a compliment or not.

Ann and Makoto were preparing the table with chairs they had borrowed from a street restaurant, Ryuji was making the bonfire and Yusuke was painting on his canvas. It was a beautiful night, the starred sky their main source of light and with the moon mirrored in the gentle waves of the sea.

As the delicious smell of grilled meat rose from the disposable grill they were using, Ann and Makoto came with large paper plates for the two chefs to place the food in.

"Holy moly, this is gonna be a party in my mouth!" Ryuji commented excitedly as he grabbed fork and knife.

"That's the first sentence I hear you say which does not contain a vulgar word, Ryuji" Yusuke said as he stabbed a sausage.

"That's SO not true!"

"Any news about Mishima?" Makoto asked Akira.

"Uhm, yes. Apparently he drank tap water and got poisoned. He is much better now" the dark-haired boy answered calmly.

"What an idiot! Who the hell drinks tap water away from home?!" Ryuji laughed.

"Yuuki Mishima."

"Hah!"

Akechi had never felt better before, as he enjoyed grilled food with his friends and the gentle breeze caressed his skin. He'd give anything to be able to stay like that forever…

"Want more salad?"

"Sure! Thanks."

They were all chattering amicably, for once avoiding bickering, even though that part amused Akechi immensely.

The peace he was feeling was suddenly interrupted by a text he received. He frowned, because he knew only one person who would send him a message from Japan that late at night. And he was not wrong.

"Come straight to my office when you land in Japan tomorrow."

Akechi stared at the words on his screen wide-eyed, as raw fear pervaded every nerve of his body. How the hell did Shido find out he was in Hawaii in the first place? He had made sure to keep it a secret…

"Something wrong, Goro?" Akira was the first to realize something was bugging his friend, but the brown-haired boy shook his head and forced a smile on his face. "No, just checking the data I've used so far here in Hawaii. Gonna regret having the 4G on all the time when the bill comes."

"Meh, don't tell me. Been talkin' to my mom for over an hour today, and I don't even want to imagine how much I will be needin' to save up to pay the bill…" Ryuji whined.

Akechi chuckled amused, but his smile almost immediately vanished. He was extremely concerned…

From the other end of the table, Makoto was studying his strange behavior. Something was definitely off.

She made sure to sound the same as always when they returned back to their hotel room to spend the last night before departing. She was waiting for the perfect opportunity, and it came when Akechi went to the bathroom to take his usual evening shower. By now, Makoto had memorized all of his daily routines: when he'd take a shower, where he'd keep his stuff and, particularly, where he left his phone.

As soon as she heard the water pouring from the shower, she stood up and quickly went to push his pillow to one side, revealing his smartphone resting under it. She grabbed it and tapped on the screen before it could lock up. Luckily, he had been using it mere moments before and had forgotten to push the lock button.

With shaking hands, she tapped on the Inbox icon and it revealed dozens of messages from an unknown number. All of them were short texts, mainly asking him to come to his office. She then proceeded to open the most recent message.

"Come straight to my office when you land in Japan tomorrow."

Could that be a teacher? Or the principal? Or maybe someone from the TV station? She was quite surprised at how rude those messages all sounded, as if the sender had been in a hurry or had no consideration at all for Akechi-kun.

She kept scrolling down, examining the messages one by one until one particular text caught her eye.

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

She almost dropped the phone as she brought a hand to her mouth. A new target…? Did that mean…?

She was so shocked she didn't even notice the sound of the running water had stopped and, shortly after, Akechi was emerging from the bathroom as he dried his hair with a towel. "Dang, that was go- what are you doing?"

He froze where he was, drops of water falling from his hair onto his shoulders and his eyes flashed dangerously.

"I- I was…" she stammered, quickly dropping the phone onto his bed.

He strode directly towards her and pushed her to one side before collecting his phone and checking the screen.

"How much did you read?" he asked, his voice calm and controlled which she knew was never a good sign.

"I… nothing, I swear!" she lied, feeling suddenly in danger again, just like that day in Shibuya.

"Niijima-san" he slowly turned to face her. "Do you think you're talking to a fool?"

"N-no, but…" she was taking small steps backwards, trying to put as much distance as possible between herself and a very threatening-looking Akechi.

"I will ask again, then" his voice slightly louder. "How much did you read?"

At this point, Makoto wasn't sure what to do: should she keep lying or tell him the truth? Either way, she doubted it would end well for her.

"…HELP!" she screamed as loud as she could, before being slammed against the wall by a pair of strong arms, as Akechi's hand covered her mouth.

"You foolish girl!" he hissed angrily "Do you have the slightest idea what you've done?"

Unable to speak, she eyed him fearfully as her heart beat out of control. If the messages were true, she had just been cornered by the most dangerous murderer Japan had ever seen, and she was defenceless.

"Fine then" he continued, sounding almost resigned. "You got me. Now you have your damn confirmation."

He suddenly let go of her and turned around, pacing nervously back and forth.

Her legs felt like jelly and she let them buckle as she slid down the wall, tears escaping her eyes without control. She couldn't believe it: just when she had started to believe in him, to trust him even, he had to turn out to be a monster.

He clutched his hands behind his back and seemed to be thinking hard.

"What will you do with me now?" she asked in a tiny voice, and he stopped pacing furiously.

"…Nothing" he replied.

"You're not… you're not going to kill me?" she widened her eyes in surprise.

"No" he said. "But I need to talk to you and Akira alone. No one else."

He had so much to do and very little time left. He knew it. And since Niijima-san had discovered his true identity, he only had a few minutes to come up with a plan to save both his life and those of the Phantom Thieves.

He had been a fool to believe he could travel to another country with the Phantom Thieves and get away with it. Of course Shido had put someone to spy on him. And his negligence had put the lives of the people he ever cared for in danger.

After making sure Niijima-san could walk on her own, he ordered her to call Akira and tell him to meet up with her on the rooftop. He would understand immediately something was off.

So far, his plan was working. Akira opened the door with more force than it was required and strode straight towards them.

"Make yourself comfortable, Joker" Akechi said in a dead serious tone. "We have a lot to discuss."

I had so much fun writing this chapter and both the funny and serious conversations in it! Also, there will be other pairings throughout the story if you haven't realized yet :P Of course, not as detailed as Goro's and Makoto's, but still... And yeah, I think the game kinda makes clear who it wants to end up with whom (at least, that's my personal opinion. And particularly the pairings Ann-Ryuji and Futaba-Yusuke, because all the bickering couples are the best couples!)

And since we are heading towards the Great Conspiracy plot, I decided the overall story is going to get darker. But don't you worry, I've got this!

Show some love if you like what you're reading, and see you all in next chap! :D