Wednesday, 12 October 20XX, Evening

Yongen-Jaya Dance Studio

As she promised herself, Futaba poured her heart and soul into her next lesson, and it made her feel better about the bad news and bad dreams she had been subject to within the past 24 hours. Her dedication helped her push through her latest stumbling blocks, such as consistently being able to perform walking camels as intended.

After the class was dismissed, Atsuko leaving early as per usual, Futaba held a private conversation with Ann in the locker room to discuss the recent unpleasantries. "So…" she nervously asked, "D'you get my e-mail today?"

"What? Oh, yes, I did." She brought out her phone to review the contents of that message. "This looks awful… If Atsuko's really going through all this, that would explain why she was so reluctant to talk to me about it. Do you think this could be the Yakuza or something?"

"I had thought about that," Futaba answered, fear slowly creeping into her voice upon this realisation. "It would explain why she won't talk about it."

"Me, too. It reminds me of this one other target we fought before you joined us…"

"Kaneshiro?"

Recalling the hacker's history of bugging their meeting spots, Ann nodded. Junya Kaneshiro, the third of the Phantom Thieves' higher-profile targets, was a local crime lord whose wealth and connections kept him immune from police intervention. When Makoto and the other Thieves got tangled up with him, he blackmailed them for millions of yen, and threatened to make Makoto, and possibly her older sister, sell their bodies to pay off their debt. That was, until the Thieves invaded his Palace and changed his heart, at which point he called of the debt and turned himself in to the authorities.

After Ann briefly recounted his story, Futaba concluded, "That sounds like what this other guy is doing. You think he's got his own Palace, too?"

"I… kinda hope not. We just wrapped up another Palace, and look how that ended up. He could just be a Mementos target."

"You could be right. I mean, what he's doing is horrible and unforgivable, but I don't know… it just doesn't seem like it's on the same scale as Kaneshiro."

"Of course, even if he is in Mementos, we at least need to learn his name. And that's why… I was thinking of answering his e-mail and meeting up with him."

"Ann-chan, no!" Futaba had considered, and feared, this possibility ever since her midday's nightmare. With shaky bravado, she described everything she could remember about the dream she had after replying to Ann's e-mail, including the part where the enslaved facsimile of Ann hypnotised her into submission.

Ann listened on in horror. Despite none of these events actually having taken place, they seemed to tie in all too well to what they were dealing with at the moment. Even the part where Ryuji was among the slave-masters, since their last personal interaction was not a pleasant one. Not to mention her own past exploits with Kamoshida and Kaneshiro... A soft "Holy ****..." was all she could respond with.

Tears welling in her eyes, Futaba sobbed openly as she hugged Ann tightly, her friend returning the embrace. "I'm sorry…" Ann whispered, "it's gonna be alright. It was just a bad dream."

"Don't go…" Futaba murmured in between sobs.

"Don't worry, Futaba-chan." Ann tried to console her friend by tenderly stroking down her hair, and it seemed to have some mollifying effect, as Futaba's sobs gradually lessened in frequency. "I won't let anything bad happen to me. I'll have Ryuji come along, kind of like a bodyguard. Is that OK?" She felt Futaba gently shake her head in objection. "Are you still thinking of the last time he made fun of you?" Futaba nodded. "Aw, don't worry about him, sweetie. He just doesn't understand what we do here. I'm sure if we just show him our best dances, he'll appreciate us. Would you like that?" After a lengthy pause, Futaba finally shook her head up and down, marking her approval. "Besides," finished Ann, "We're doing this for Atsuko-chan. I'm sure she's the best dancer of us all, but first we need to make her feel confident about herself. Are you with me?"

Futaba released her hug and stepped back. Her eyes were still stained with lingering tears, but her renewed resolve showed itself in the form of a nascent smile. She wiped her eyes dry and softly declared, "For Atsuko."

"That's the spirit, Futaba-chan!" Ann held out her hand in between them, and Futaba, anticipating the gesture, shared a gentle handshake with her. They held it for a good number of seconds, then broke it off and resumed changing.

Once they were back in their street clothes, and Ann headed out of the locker room, Futaba said, "Good luck… Panther," adding her code name quietly. "And may the Force be with you!"

Ann giggled at the reference. It looked like Futaba was finally back to her old self. "And also with you," she joked as she stepped out into the hall.

Thursday, 13 October 20XX, Evening

Red-Light District, Shinjuku

The next day, several hours after school, Ann and Ryuji met each other at Shibuya's station square. Ryuji was dressed in his purple track jacket, both for the autumnal chill and to make himself look tougher, befitting his image as a bodyguard. Aboard the short train journey, Ann summarised her situation to Ryuji: why she had taken up belly dancing, why she put it to rest during the Kamoshida affair, and how Futaba had reinvigorated her passion.

"That was why you and Futaba got mad at me last time, ain't it?"

Ann nodded once more. "Plus, she's just sensitive about anyone who's too loud and too close."

"Yeah, I was kind of an ***hole back then… I'm sorry. I said a lotta immature stuff about you, and especially Futaba. Guess I was just thinkin' with my… My heart, if you know what I mean. But ya know what? If you say there's more to belly dancing than just stripping, then I'd like to see what that is. Would you and Futaba like to give me a demonstration sometime?"

"I'd love to, Ryuji. And I'm sure she'll say the same thing."

"Oh, wait a minute! Maybe we could show the other guys, too! I bet they'd really be interested."

"Hey, that's a great idea!" Ann leaned in closer alongside Ryuji. Theatrically, she added, "I shall look forward to dancing for you… Master."

A few stops later, the duo stepped out of Shinjuku Station and soon found themselves face-to-face with the mouth of its red-light district, a virtual canyon of concrete and garish neon lighting. Ryuji squeezed Ann's hand. "Just stick with me, Ann. I been around here before, with Ren-ren and Mishima and stuff."

She hugged herself close to his arm as they walked into the growing crowds ahead. As they pushed on, they were accosted by numerous touts trying to reel them in to their respective establishments, each with varying levels of legitimacy. Ryuji managed to scare them off with a fearsome glare or the occasional vulgar rebuff. As they ventured through the chaos, a young shaggy-haired man in a denim vest stepped forward and tried to invite the couple in to one such nightclub. He got a fierce shove from Ryuji for his efforts. But just after he did so, Ann caught a glimpse of the signs advertising the businesses within that particular building. Recognising one of the names from her e-mail correspondence, she said in a panic, "Wait, Ryuji! That's the place!"

Apologetically, Ryuji lent a hand to pull the man back up. "Heh… sorry dude! My girlfriend got a job interview at this place."

"Yeah, okay…" he responded nonchalantly, indicating with an outstretched hand where to lead them. "Right this way, first basement."

"Thank you!" Ann called back in English, as she and her partner headed down the staircase indicated. Beyond a thickly-beaded curtain, a sunglasses-wearing bouncer stationed himself in their way. He subtly lifted the shades to size them up, suspecting them to be underage.

"Lemme see some ID," he grumbled. "18 to enter, 20 to drink."

Ryuji was not prepared for this eventuality. He stammered unintelligibly to stall for time, until Ann cut him off and said, "Actually, I got an invitation from your boss for an interview, so if you could just let him know I'm here?"

"And you are…?"

"I'm Takamaki. Ann Takamaki. Look, just go back and ask your boss about me, okay?"

The bouncer sighed. He had dealt with minors trying to sneak in before, and this wasn't even the cleverest plan he had ever witnessed. But, he figured, it wouldn't hurt just to ask about it. Even if what they said was true, checking up on it would be better than them showing up uninvited. He ordered them to stay put, and disappeared past a second beaded curtain behind him.

Before long, the bouncer returned, accompanied by a second man. His slicked-back hair was unevenly dyed blond, and his weathered face was decorated by a pencil-thin moustache. He wore a dark pinstriped suit, its open jacket showing a leopard-print dress shirt underneath. Arms open in theatrical invitation, he said, "Well, well, you must be Miss Takamaki. Welcome to the Shag Pad, baby, yeah!" Pointing over to Ryuji, he asked, "Who's the brute?"

"She's with me," Ryuji challenged.

To Ann, he asked, "Who's he? Your boyfriend?"

"Bodyguard. ...And boyfriend."

"Eh, I guess you can come along. I don't want no trouble."

And so, he beckoned Ann and Ryuji to sidle past the bouncer and into the club itself. The room they entered reminded them of a cross between Kamoshida's Palace and Kaneshiro's own nightlife venue, only tackier than either. It was bedecked in '60s "mod" decor and tinted with hazy pink lighting, with spotlights projecting small, bright floral shapes in seemingly-random trajectories. Small tables dotted the centre of the floorspace. One wall was taken up by a bar, and another corner was lined with velvet-cushioned booth seats. On the other side of the room was a stage, a shortly-raised wooden platform in an abstract, curving shape. Part of it jutted out into the room in a round peninsular form, skewered by a chrome pole reaching from floor to ceiling. Soft vocal jazz played from unseen speakers. It was early in the night, so there were precious few patrons in the place at the moment. Wasting no time on giving his guests a tour, the boss led them straight to a door marked "No Entry - Staff Only", and down a hallway to another door simply labeled "Manager". So much for picking up his name from the wall… Ann thought with disappointment. If I'm gonna change his heart, looks like I'll have to get it myself.

The decor in the manager's office was a mishmash of old styles, mostly former futurist designs from the mid-Showa period. It was darkly lit, like the main club except in blue tones. He sat down on a couch in one corner, and bade Ann to sit in a bucket chair across a glass coffee table. There was only one of these chairs, so Ryuji just stood along the wall next to the door.

"Oh, by the way, I didn't catch your name, mister…?"

"Call me Takashi." In-between sentences, he took puffs from a blue-glass shisha on the table in front of him.

"Just Takashi?"

"Can't be too careful, what with them Phantom Thieves around."

Ann swore inside her head. Did he already know she and Ryuji were Phantom Thieves? Nervously, she played along. "Oh, yeah! Wouldn't want to get your heart stolen or anything!"

"And yet you gave me your name, Takamaki-san." Ann was completely caught off-guard by this counterpoint, but Takashi soon defused the tension. "Relax, kid! I already knew that. I saw you in them model shoots a while back; that's how I heard of ya!"

"Wow, I'm that famous already?"

"Of course! I just know you're gonna be a big hit here!"

"Thanks, I guess!" Ann's face was tinged by a slight blush of appreciation, indiscernible in the dim light of Takashi's office. "So, could you tell me a little more about this gig?"

"Sure thing, babycakes. Where do you wanna start?"

"Well, I guess… what are the hours?"

"Let's see… We got a bunch of time slots starting at 21:00."

"How long will I have to stay on stage?"

"You'll be up there anywhere from a half-hour to over an hour."

"Sounds pretty long… Will I have to memorise a whole dance for the whole time?"

"You'll learn a couple a' routines to get you started, but other than that, you'll just wing it for most of the time. By the way, you got any dancin' experience?"

"Apart from modelling? I've been taking a couple of…" She stumbled at the thought of going into such details, but reminded herself how suspected he already knew the answer, especially if he was tipped off about her by Atsuko. Swallowing her fears down, she continued, "...Belly dancing lessons, in my spare time. I even did a recital after my first course last year."

"That's just what I'm lookin' for! By the way, you wouldn't happen to know anybody else who'd be interested in joinin' our here crew, would ya? I can make it worth your while…!"

Ann's thoughts flashed on Futaba, but she knew that was completely out of the question. If Ann had her own doubts about accepting the offer herself, there was no way she'd let Futaba do the same. She was far too young to work at a place like this, and would be even more reluctant to show off her body in such a fashion. "No, I'm afraid not," was all that she answered with.

"Let me know when ya find someone. That offer's always on the table."

"Thank you, I'll keep that in mind."

"Now, you saw the signing bonus in my e-mail, right? That's yours as soon as you join. Other than that, you work for tips."

"Tips?" Ann asked in concerned confusion.

"Performers like you come and go, so we can't afford to pay you out of admissions. It wouldn't be fair to our regular staff. Fortunately, our usual clientele is more than happy to pay extra in the presence of a pretty gal… like yourself. Oh, but I will have to take a cut of your tips in order to pay for the work I put in ya."

"I'm sorry… what?" Already this was sounding like a bad deal, and Ann had every intention of walking away, but she feigned interest as long as she could in order to learn more about this man's methods.

"You're gonna need training, costumes, maybe some plastic surgery, and all that don't come free."

"Surgery!?"

"Put a couple a' implants in ya, and you'd look pretty hot!"

"I'm sorry, implants? You mean, like…" Conscious of her own body, Ann cupped her chest. She had C-cups, already above-average for girls her age, and with room yet to grow. Was that seriously not enough for this guy? "Oh, uh... I think I'm a little too young for that kind of operation! Besides, I haven't finished growing!"

"How old are ya, by the way?"

"I'll be seventeen next month. …Is that a problem?"

"Ah, that just means I'll save the really hot costumes until you're old enough."

"Speaking of, do you think you could show me what I'd be wearing on stage?"

"You got it, sweet-cheeks," Takashi said on his way out of the room.

Once they were certain that Takashi was out of earshot, Ryuji made his own feelings known. "I don't like this," he declared. "This all sounds pretty effed up to me."

"You're telling me…" Ann sympathised.

"I mean, we're not even eighteen! Are they even allowed to hire ya before then?"

"Something tells me they don't care about that sort of thing."

"I get ya, Ann. You think they're Yakuza or something?"

"Yeah, Futaba thought the same thing, too. I'm only playing along to help out a friend."

"A friend?" Ryuji asked.

But before Ann could answer whom she was referring to, Takashi pulled the door back open. He was brandishing a minuscule bikini, orange with cheap gold trim. It was heavily laden with gilded coins, beads, and other baubles, along with narrow strips of diaphanous fabric hanging from the front and back of the thong panties. He handed the costume, such as it was, to Ann. "My, this is…" she started to say, "...unlike any dancing costume I've seen. Is that it…?"

"Oh, I almost forgot," replied Takashi. He pulled something out of his jacket pocket. It was a small square of see-through fabric, just like the pieces attached to the bikini bottom, draped below a slim golden chain. "It's for your face. Put that under your eyes, and it makes you look all mysterious and sexy."

"Seriously? That's it?" For a moment, Ann wondered if she could just bring her own costume to dance in. She recalled what she had worn during her original recital: a bra that actually covered more of her breasts than it showed off, a bolero jacket that sheathed her arms in elaborate patterns, and most importantly, a skirt. A long, flowing skirt with a wide, bejeweled belt, cut only to reveal the lower half of one of her legs. Unfortunately, she had only borrowed it from her teacher, and thus couldn't bring it back on a whim. That was, assuming Takashi would let her wear it in the first place. "Don't I at least get, like, a skirt or something?"

"Come on, babycakes! Ya got some really beautiful legs there! It would be a shame to hide them gams, you know what I mean?" As Takashi said this, his gaze fell upon Ann's legs, her black tights doing nothing to mask their shapely form. Conscious of his stare, she crossed her arms over her lap, as if that would help cover them from view.

If Takashi was going to leer at her even before she took any clothes off, there was no way Ann could survive the environment of working there night after night. With barely-restrained fury, she softly but defiantly stated, "I think I've seen enough. My answer is no, Takashi-san. I would never work for a ****ing creep like you!"

The intensity in Takashi's voice began to rise to Ann's level. "...What did you say to me?"

Ryuji jumped in to cover for his friend. "What, are ya dumb and stupid? She said no!"

Don't you mean "deaf and stupid"?, Ann thought, but right now she didn't have the heart to correct her friend.

Takashi laughed. "Oh, you crack me up, kid! I might even wanna hire you too, like a bouncer or somethin'!" He glanced at a clock on the wall, which showed the time to be a couple of minutes before 21:00. "Tell ya what, babycakes. I got another performer on in a couple a' minutes who's just like what you'll be doing. Why dont'cha give her a watch, then you can make up your mind. Wanna see?"

"I guess it wouldn't hurt…" Ann answered with concern. To Ryuji, she asked, "What do you think?"

"Eh, might as well."

As an aside to Ryuji, he added, "I think you're gonna like her, kid."

Takashi led them back into the club itself. As they all sat down, the tinny music of a primitive drumbeat hit their ears. Instinctively they both turned their heads towards the stage, where a long, slender leg stuck itself out from behind the red satin curtains in the back, followed by the lady it was attached to. The figure that met their gaze shocked them both, for different reasons. It was Atsuko... but not as Ann knew her. Atsuko, or "Atsu-Atsu" as she was known here, was in the middle of her regular performance.

Atsu-Atsu's dance could hardly be called belly dancing, at least as Ann knew it. Every move she made, every shake of her chest, every wiggle of her hips, was designed to draw attention to her most lustful assets. And said assets were on full display, almost completely naked but for the pasties and thong that comprised what was essentially her entire outfit. Her biggest source of modesty, by far, was the veil draped below her eyes. The room was too dark for them to make out her face beneath it, but from the way her eyes met Ann's, jumping open in shock, then drooping in regretful sorrow, it was clear that she was not enjoying herself.

The same could not be said of Ryuji, who unblinkingly stared at her body, a stupidly satisfied grin plastered on his face. But all that Ann could think about was how her friend was degrading herself so much. "Oh God, no… Atsuko-chan…" she whispered to herself. To Ryuji, she pleaded, "We have to go."

Ryuji resisted. "Hey, what the eff, Ann? This is just getting good!"

"She's in my dance class."

"...For real?" This revelation caught Ryuji off-guard just long enough for him to give ground and follow Ann when she tugged once more on his arm, eager to finally leave this den of debauchery.

"Hey, where ya goin' babycakes?" pleaded Takashi. "You're walkin' away from a great deal here!"

"The deal's off, Takashi!" Before Takashi could do anything to stop Ann, she and Ryuji stormed off, as Atsu-Atsu tried her best to ignore the commotion and resume gyrating for her remaining audience.

Ann made a nonstop dash out of the red-light district, with Ryuji calling upon all his track-and-field training in order to keep the pace. Aboard the train home, surrounded by so many anonymous commuters, they sat side-by-side in a pair of seats that they were lucky enough to find open. The couple rested in silence for a few moments until Ann, gathering her thoughts on the fly, said, "Ryuji… What you saw back there… That's not what I got into belly dance for. I wanted to feel sexy, but… not that sexy."

He paused for a moment, before his response came naturally to him. "I think I understand ya, Ann. I mean, what I saw… to be honest, it kinda wasn't even that sexy." Ryuji was only half-telling the truth; he was indeed captivated by the thought of Atsuko's body, but thinking about her sad eyes brought him out of his fantasy. "It's like, they're trying too hard, ya know?"

"I guess that's a good way to put it."

"I mean, she didn't even look like she was havin' fun! I can't get turned on if I'm feeling all depressed and ****."

"Yeah… That's why I took a break from belly dancing for a while."

"Kamoshida?"

Ann gave a silent nod.

"You did the right thing, Ann. If I was in your shoes, I wouldn't let him in on that little secret neither. He woulda tried to put you through the same **** as Atsuko."

"Thanks, Ryuji." She had long held doubts about whether her behaviour during the Kamoshida affair was in the right, considering what it led to for both her and her friend Shido. But, for the first time since his change of heart, she once again felt good about her decisions back then. Her heart feeling considerably lighter, she asked, "By the way… What do you think about me and Futaba doing belly dance?"

Ryuji stalled for a suitable response. "Is there any answer that won't get me kicked in the nuts?"

Ann giggled. "Oh, just be yourself!"

"Alright. Um…" He racked his brains to come up with an answer. "I think you'd look kinda hot doin' it, and Futaba too, a little." Ann cocked an eyebrow in anticipation of where this explanation might be headed. "But, I just know that ain't the only reason you tried it out. As long as it's something you wanna do, and it makes you happy, I don't got a problem with it."

Ann's heart warmed up for the first time that night. Fighting back tears of relief, she simply said, "Thank you… Ryuji." And with that, she gave him a swift kiss on the cheek. Ryuji blushed and sighed with contentment.

Just then, the train's PA system announced its next stop at Shibuya, where the couple was to disembark and part ways. Ryuji volunteered to walk Ann the rest of the way home. Considering what just transpired for the two of them, she agreed to stay under his guard for a little while longer.