Yusuke Kitagawa sat on the roof of his highschool, Kosei High, a canvas at the ready, his brushes ready to paint whatever his heart desired. Except what his heart desired, he could not paint. In front of him was a girl many in his school swooned over, and a boy sitting opposite of her. In between them was a Shogi board.

"Check." The girl stated calmly, moving a piece into the proper position. Her opponent sunk his head low, declaring that he conceited.

The girl began to pack up her materials, and as she left to the exit, Yusuke grabbed her arm.

"Wait Hifumi. I would like to talk to you. Please." He requested.

The girl, Hifumi, nodded and sat down. She had dark black hair going down to her shoulders, dark green eyes, and in her hair was a red ribbon accessory resembling a three-leaf clover and a rope. She wore the standard Kosei uniform, with a dark blue knee-length skirt, a white dress shirt though, unlike Yusuke, she had a navy blue blazer with a star on it on top. Engraved on the star was the number two. She looked Yusuke dead in the eyes.

"What is it Yusuke? Need more time to finish?"

"There's nothing to finish." Yusuke said, revealing that his canvas was just as blank as the day it was made. Hifumi's eyes widened in shock.

"You didn't paint anything? Why?" She calmly asked, more confused than anything. It wasn't like Yusuke to not even attempt a drawing.

"Because you gave me nothing to paint with." Yusuke replied.

"What do you mean?" Hifumi asked.

"In the past, it's not just your incredible beauty, but your unique playing spirit that I attempt to capture in my art. That spirit wasn't here today. In fact, it hasn't been here for the past few weeks. If I tried to put you to canvas now, it would be like painting a doll; no life or substance. At first, I thought maybe you weren't feeling well, or having a bad day. But this has persisted long enough. I cannot ignore this. Not after Madarame. I beg you; please tell me what's wrong." Yusuke explained.

Hifumi turned her gaze to the ground, as if she thought that if she didn't look at him, Yusuke would give up this line of questioning. But this only prompted him to continue.

"I know I'm most likely prying into personal matters, but I consider you one of my few, if not only, friends in this school. I want to help you, just like you did with me after Madarame."

Hifumi bit her lip. True, she also considered Yusuke to also be one of her closest friends. He was the only boy who didn't want to know her because of her looks, and he didn't get weirded out by her… tendencies while playing shogi. And he did trust her enough to let her help with the Madarame case. And the only reason he was talking to her now was because he really was worried. She took in a deep breath.

"It's my mother." She began, Yusuke leaning in to catch every detail.

Yu was in the middle of a lecture by Kawakami, who was looking much better than when he saw her yesterday. In fact, the whole school seemed to be a much brighter place with Kobayakawa removed. The air of oppression was gone, like a winter blizzard finally giving way to a radiant spring.

News had also broken about Kobayakawa's arrest, with Ushimaru condemning his actions, and applauding the actions of the mysterious 'Phantom Team' for bringing him down. In fact, the whole school was abuzz about the Team. Who were they? How did they do it? Will they strike again? A lot of people were saying that the Team was Akechi and Makoto, but other students said that maybe the Team was using that knowledge to cover their identities. And some even went so far as to say that they were a supernatural force. Despite Kawakami's best efforts, people refused to be quiet about them. Yu smiled, glad that they were finally talking about something other than him. Well, they technically were talking about him, but still. His phone buzzed, and he looked at the newly received text.

Akechi: I have excellent news everyone!

Shiho: You got Sae to give us the reservation?!

Akechi: I did! Now, Sae-san won't be able to join us on account of the case, and sadly, Makoto-san has rejected my offer to join us.

Morgana: How is that a bad thing? We'll be able to talk freely among ourselves.

Akechi: True, but I hoped Makoto-san would be there.

Yu: Maybe next time buddy. You got it on Children's Day, correct?

Akechi: Of course.

Yu: Perfect. Let me know if anyone has to make any last-minute changes, but otherwise, hope to see you all there in a few days.

Shiho: Wouldn't miss it for anything.

The final bell rang, and Yu realized that, for the first time in a long time, he was free to do however he pleased. But before he left for the station, he couldn't help but notice a girl struggling with some plant fertilizer. She wore a pink turtleneck cardigan with short puffed sleeves and a long-sleeved white shirt underneath, as per uniform regulations. The cardigan was zipped open up to her navel, and has two large pockets on the front. She also had the standard red and black Shujin skirt, white tights with a black flower pattern and black Mary Jane shoes. Yu decided to offer his assistance, temporarily forgetting about his reputation.

"Excuse me miss, would you like a hand with that?" He asked.

The woman turned around, her chestnut hair was cut in short waves, giving it the appearance of fluffiness. She had hazel eyes, and…

Oh my God, look at the size of that forehead. You could write a paragraph on that thing.

"Oh hello. Aren't you that criminal everyone was talking about? Yu Narukami?" She asked in the sweetest voice possible.

"O-oh. Yea, I am, but-"

"I would love some help! These bags are much too heavy to lift alone." The young woman exclaimed.

"Oh, ok. Where do you… want them?" Yu grunted, hauling three very heavy bags up.

"The roof, if you please." She also grunted, picking up one bag.

Of course that's where they need to be.

Once they opened the doors, Yu saw a beautiful garden. It wasn't a flower garden, but one that had fruits and vegetables starting to sprout. Yu set his bags down, and the girl followed suit, placing all the bags in one neat pile. Once they were done, Yu and the girl collapsed on nearby seats, taking in deep gulps of air.

"Thank you so much for your help. I think I can take it from here." The girl said, getting up.

"No problem. Did you start this all by yourself?"

"Mhm. It's been my hobby since my first year. No one comes up here, so it's my little secret."

"Heh. Bet you regretted it once Kobayakawa found out."

"Oh, he found out, but he knew better than to try and blackmail me." She pointed out, a sweet smile on her face.

"Oh yea? And what makes you special?"

"My name is Haru Okumura." From the way she said it, you'd think she was the second coming of Jesus.

"I… have no idea who you are."

At that news, Haru's already sweet smile got even sweeter, now radiating pure joy.

"Oh really?"

"Yea. Should I do my research?"

"NO! I-I mean, please don't. Too many people try to mooch off me as is."

"Ah, so your an heiress then? Or at least very rich?"

"Correct. Okumura Foods, though you may know us as Big Bang Burger."

"Wow. With that much wealth, I would've thought you'd get a private tutor."

"My father strongly argued for it, but I wanted to go to a regular high school, to try and make friends. But the closest ones are Mako-chan and Akechi-kun, and even they only talk to me to discuss school or legal matters."

"So your only friends are the plants."

"Correct. And before you ask, no, I do not talk to the plants."

"Haha! So why a garden? Why not pets to keep you company?"

"Oh, I don't have to pick up a plant's poop."

Yu was left speechless both at how nonchalant she said that sentence, and that she said it with a straight face.

"Oh."

"Yes."

"Um…. D-Do you need me to stick around?"

"I would appreciate the assistance, yes. And the company."

"Alright. I don't have much of a green thumb, so you'll have to tell me what to do."

"That's fine. I stumbled a few times myself when I started out. First thing you do is-"

The two went at it for a long time, discussing tips and tricks to how to maintain a garden, how deep to bury a seed, histories of different plants, how to cook each one, and so on. The process went on for hours and hours on end, until finally, the sun began to set. Yu got up, dirt and dust caking his pants and hands. Haru stood up as well, dusting herself off. Both looked at the time and exchanged looks.

"Well, we managed to get everything done, and there's still light out. That's a first." Haru said with a small smile.

"Heh. Yea, gardening isn't for those who lack patience, that's for damn sure."

"We should be leaving. With the plants all taken care of, we don't have a reason to stay here." Haru said, walking through the door to the school. Once they got past the gates, Haru spoke up again.

"It was nice meeting you Naru-chan. You aren't nearly as scary as everyone says."

"It was nice meeting you too Okumura-senpai."

"Oh, no need for honorifics. Just call me Haru."

"Ok Haru. This was way more fun than I thought it would be."

"Me too. I've tended to the soil up there at least 2,386 times, and this was easily both the fastest, and the most fun."

"I'm glad. Have a safe trip back home."

As Yu started to walk away, he heard Haru call to him.

"Naru-chan! Will I ever see you again? Up there, I mean!"

"Sure! I'll try to stop by every now and again!" Yu yelled back.

Even from as far as they were, Yu could still see the sweet smile as he walked back to the apartment.

I am thou. Thou art I.

Thou hast acquired a new vow.

It shall become the wings of freedom that will lead thee to the truth.

With the birth of the SunArcana

Thou hast obtained the blessing that will grant thee new power.

It was finally Children's Day. The day Yu and his friends received their just rewards for what they did. Yu was dressed in a regular white polo shirt tucked into some jeans as he headed to the address Akechi sent them. He either got there first, or everyone else was inside. He pulled out his phone to ask until he heard his name being called.

"Yu! Yuuuuuuuuuu!" The voice was full of joy and excitement. At first, Yu assumed that it was Morgana, but after turning around, he saw that it was instead none other than Shiho. His jaw dropped at how beautiful she was.

She was dressed in a red, cold shoulder, lace blouse with a giant blue heart on her chest, along with a pair of jeans that fit her like a glove, knee high leather high-heels, and a pair of small, ruby earrings. Her usual ponytail was gone and in its place, her hair was tied up in a Bohemian Bride style braid. She also wore light makeup on her eyes, lips, and cheeks.

"Hey, you look gorgeous." Yu greeted automatically.

"Aww, thank you! You don't look too bad yourself, leader. You rock the simple look." She complimented, making him blush.

"T-thanks."

"Hey, is everyone inside already? I haven't eaten anything in preparation for this!"

"Nope, Akechi is on the phone with the grown up evil-eye. He'll be here soon enough." Morgana answered, walking up to the two.

"Oh hey Morgana, you look rather nice." Shiho pointed out, looking at her companion.

"Thanks! When I heard that this was a place where apparently the higher citizens went to mingle, I asked Akechi to help me pick something out."

Morgana spun around to show off her clothes. It was a black long-sleeved sundress with yellow cat paws decorating it, and held at the waist by her 'V' belt. Her raven black hair was done with in long, cascading curls, and unlike Shiho, she didn't wear any makeup.

"Hello everyone. Glad to see you made it. Shall we head inside?" Akechi asked, dressed in his usual old man clothes.

The team all nodded and went inside. Despite some doubt from the receptionist about how people so young could afford a reservation here, she was eventually forced to let them pass. What they saw when they arrived at the buffet made their hearts dance with delight. Food from breakfast, to lunch, to dinner, to dessert were stretched as far as the eye could see. Morgana took straight off to get themselves a table and the second she left, Yu saw someone spot them and make a beeline straight for them.

"Alright, while Morgana's getting us a table, everyone grab a plate and dig in! We're allowed an hour and a half, so let's make the most of it." Akechi said.

By now, the man was standing right behind Akechi, and when the detective turned around, he let out a small gasp. Then he gave a look of relief, then annoyance, then confusion. The man gave a devilish smirk, and addressed the red-eyed student.

"Goro Akechi. The Detective Prick."

The man appeared to be no older than they were, and he exuded an aura of cockiness. He had dark, unkempt hair, to the point of it being considered frizzy. He wore a pair of jeans, a plain white t-shirt and a black unbuttoned vest. He also had a pair of glasses, but behind those glasses were deep grey eyes, not unlike Yu's. And just like Yu's, these eyes held a fire behind them, one that would never be put out, and would only come back stronger if someone tried. Akechi smirked when he turned around, seeming to recognize this man.

"Akira Kurusu. Living proof that Jesus' death was for nothing." Akechi replied with a lighthearted chuckle.

"It's good to see you alive and kicking." Akira stated, holding out a hand for a high-five, which Akechi returned.

"Akira. Please don't tell me you've come back to Shujin." Shiho replied with a wince.

"Nah Shiho, nothing of the sort. In fact, believe it or not, I'm here on business."

"What kind of business?" Shiho asked, suspicious.

"Afraid I can't tell you. Top secret work. But don't worry, it's perfectly legal."

"You always say that when it's illegal." Shiho replied.

"If you want Shiho, you could hang out with me to confirm. I promise to make it worth your while." Akira suggested with a sly wink and cheeky grin.

"Care to introduce us?" Yu asked, jealous anger starting to rise up.

"Ah yes, that's right. Akira, meet Yu Narukami." Akechi greeted.

"Narukami? Of course, I should have guessed. At first I thought you were some old man, and Akechi brought you here to discuss a case."

"What made you think I'm old?"

"Your hair is grey, and it's in a bowl cut. Only old guys have bowl cuts."

"Oh that's a load of BS."

"No it really isn't. Go back to school, see how many young people have bowl cuts."

"Well at least I don't have a mop for hair." Yu retorted.

"Ahahaha! I like this guy, Akechi. Oh, and I heard that Kobayakawa is finally locked up. Congrats."

"Thank you Akira. In fact, that's why we're here; to celebrate his removal."

"Really? Because I heard it was a group called the Phantom Team, not you, that put him away."

"True, but we were all victims, so we're all celebrating all the same. How have you been, Akira?"

"I've been great. Made a few new friends at Gekkoukan High. There's the one rich girl who totally has the hots for me. She just doesn't know it yet." Akira answered, getting an eye roll from Shiho in response.

"In fact, I've joined a club there. Very special, and exclusive. How exclusive? You don't ask to be a part of it. You get asked." Akira continued, his devilish smirk returning.

"Well it's standards must be pretty low if it's asking you." Yu replied, but this only made Akira's smirk grow even bigger.

"And their standards would be even lower if they asked the son of a drunk, washed-up cop to join."

As soon as those words left Akira's lips, Yu's anger spiked.

"You take that back!" Yu demanded, ready to lunge at Akira, but Akechi stepped between the two, stopping a potential fight before it began. Akira's watch beeped and he took a step back, his grin never faltering.

"Well, it looks like the guy I'm supposed to meet is going to be here soon. You guys have fun. See ya." Akira said, turning around and walking to the elevators.

"Akechi, who was that guy?" Yu asked, his anger still in his voice.

"That was Akira Kurusu, my rival at school."

"Your rival?"

"Yes. Akira and Akechi were very alike. Both were popular with the ladies, highly intelligent, highly athletic, and worked with other people in mind" Shiho started.

"The difference is that I like to work within the rules, whereas Akira preferred to bend, if not outright break them. And he was damn good at hiding his tracks, to the point that only I was able to uncover what he was up to. But, he did enjoy helping people, though I think it's because of the fame that came with it." Akechi finished.

"Hey guys, what are you standing around for? We have a limited window to eat, don't we?" Morgana asked, returning with two plates full of sushi and other sea food.

After the group had gotten their fair share of food, they each returned to the table Morgana claimed for them and dug in. Akechi got mountains upon mountains of pancakes, waffles, bacon and sausage. Morgana stuffed her plates with sushi, fatty tuna, and every other kind of fish that the buffet had to offer. Shiho piled herself with steak, pork ribs, and other kinds of meats, with some chocolate sweets. Yu was feasting on a mix of all those, along with some beans and veggies thrown in. For a time, the group was content with reaping their hard-earned reward, but it wasn't long before their bodies began to voice their displeasure.

"Hey guys, I need to use the bathroom." Shiho said, clutching her stomach.

"Yea, me too." Morgana added.

"As do I." Akechi also added.

"Let's go. Man, eating a ton of food at once is a lot more work than anime makes it out to be." Yu stated, grabbing his stomach.

Unfortunately, the building had its restrooms down on the bottom floor, most likely to make room for more food at the buffet area. But, the group was able to make it in time before anything too disastrous happened. After relieving themselves, they were now standing by the elevators, ready to head back up.

"We still have approximately 30 more minutes." Akechi said, looking at his watch.

"Yea. You know, I still have some room for dessert." Yu said.

"Oh, I can show you where." Shiho replied.

"Yea, show me too. I wanna see what a-OUCH!" Morgana cried out, a man shoving himself past her. And he wasn't alone. Standing with him were several mean-looking men, presumably his bodyguards. He was completely bald, and had a stubble of a beard, and yellow-tinted glasses that were half-rimmed at the bottom.

"I don't care if it could be an isolated incident. I want this investigated, thoroughly." He ordered. Yu suddenly felt a sense of deja vu upon hearing this man's voice.

His voice… where have I heard it from?

"Excuse me. We were here first." Akechi pointed out.

"Yes, what of it?" One of the men asked. The leader turned to Akechi.

"Apparently, this place's standards have dropped since I last came here. Have they opened a daycare?" He mocked.

"Hey!" Morgana called, walking to the man, only to be shoved back by one of the bodyguards, forcing her to land on her butt. There was a ding, signaling the elevator.

"Don't bother. We have better things to do than deal with brats." The leader told them, and they soon followed him into the elevator. Shiho helped Morgana up.

"You ok?"

"Yea, I'm fine. But what jerks! Can't even let us have a damn elevator." Morgana answered, rubbing her sore butt.

"Come on. Let's take the stairs." Yu suggested.

The celebration was almost over. By now, everyone had almost their fill of cookies, cake, and other sweets. Right now, they were waiting for Akechi to get them some milkshakes so that they could make a toast, then they would lounge around, waiting for the time to run out. Akechi arrived with some milkshakes, one last thing before they left.

"Here you go everyone. A toast, if you please."

They all leaned forward, grabbed a milkshake and with a clink , Akechi made his toast.

"To end of President Kobayakawa's reign. May no one ever come to take his place."

"It was fun while it lasted." Shiho added, pulling her straw out and blowing the wrapper to hit Yu's face, to which he responded in kind.

"Wait… that's it? We're going to disband?" Morgana asked, confused.

"I'm afraid so. We all gathered to see Kobayakawa removed, correct?" Akechi asked, albeit with a forlorn look.

Yu was ready to agree with Akechi, but then he remembered the words of his contract. If the world was to survive, he would need to find the truth, and according to Igor, that truth was whoever really brought him to Tokyo, and why. And as of right now, Yu had no leads other than the Metaverse. If he wanted to go at this, he knew he couldn't go alone.

"But why stop at Kobayakawa?" He asked, earning a pause from the others.

"What are you getting at Yu?" Shiho asked, breaking the silence.

"Well, it's just that…. We have the ability to change people's hearts, to make criminals confess and put them away, when no one else is able to. Corrupt bankers, assassins, crime bosses, corporate businessmen. There is so much good we can do with the Metaverse. So I say we stick together, that we use this gift we have to remove people like Kobayakawa, and be heroes to people who are being hurt because of them." Yu explained.

"You don't have to ask me twice!" Morgana exclaimed.

"I like the sound of being a hero. I'm in." Akechi said, not even trying to hide his smirk.

"Count me in too. If there's people out there who are hurting others like Kobayakawa was, then I want to take them down." Shiho said, slamming her fist into her open palm.

"Alright, but if we're going to do this, there's a rule I'd like to have: After we find a potential target, we only go after them once we've unanimously agreed to so." Yu suggested.

"I like that. That way, no one goes behind the others' backs for their own reasons." Akechi approved.

"Yea, me too. Makes it seem like we're in a pact!" Shiho said excitedly.

"Alright then. I say we keep calling ourselves the Phantom Team, unless someone has something better?" Morgana questioned.

"I have something better." Yu stated.

Everyone leaned in close as he paused for effect.

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"The Hamburglars."

Dear Diary:

Well, we did it. Kobayakawa's now locked up, and I hope they threw away the key. To celebrate, we went to an all-you-can-eat buffet. Despite some assholes present, notably this one jackass that looked like Pitbull, and a smug bastard named Akira, we managed to have a fun time. To say Shiho looked stunning would not do her justice. And speaking of justice, we decided to continue our work in the Metaverse. I suggested we change our group name to the Hamburglars, but my friends have no sense of humor, so we're sticking to the 'Phantom Team'. This year has only just begun, and I can't wait to see what awaits us.