Yu was once again in his homeroom, Kawakami reminding them about their trip to a place called Togo News Station. By now, Shiho had returned to Shujin, and all kind of people were offering their condolences and teachers saying how if she needed someone to talk to, they were always available. Somehow, Yu thought that only Kawakami and Ushimaru meant any of it. The silver-haired teen was busy thinking about his Team's battle with Mika when his phone went off. Again. Yu took it out and saw the familiar sign of Alibaba.

Alibaba: I'm glad you're already making good use of my gift.

Yu: Why are you doing this?

Yu closed his eyes and sent out Izanagi, looking for a certain red-haired girl. And once he found her, he smiled. She was on her phone, typing away, showing him all he needed to see. She sent send, and Yu felt his phone buzz.

Alibaba: Because the world needs people like the Phantom Team.

Yu: Do you really expect me to believe you have no ulterior motive?

The lunch bell rang, and Yu borderline raced down to Futaba's class, hoping to find the orange-haired gremlin before she could leave. As luck would have it, she was currently walking with her back to the silver-haired teen, allowing him to get behind her and pluck her phone right out of her hands.

"HEY! Give that…back…" Futaba began, only to have all the color drained from her face when she saw who it was that grabbed her device. She immediately turned to run, but Yu put his hand on her shoulder before she could begin.

"Nuh-uh. You don't get off the hook that easily. Follow me." He whispered in her ear, in a tone that made her blood run cold. The two made their way to the student council room, where Yu pushed her inside. She let out a small eep! as Yu closed the door and locked it. Slamming her phone on the table, he turned to his classmate with a malicious look in his silver eyes, one that made Futaba ready to faint.

"You have five minutes to explain yourself."

"U-um…. Ok, s-so, I found out you guys were the you-know-what because Kobayakawa o-ordered me to watch you guys. So when you started talking about this 'M-Metaverse' and Palaces, I thought you guys had l-lost your minds. But when you guys said that you'd make a calling card, and that K-Kobayakawa would confess what he did, and then it actually happened , I thought that… well… there might be other people who could use your help."

"Then why didn't you talk to us directly?"

"Well… I thought you would still be mad about me… you know… leaking your record. And the others might've been mad about me helping Kobayakawa."

"So you decided to hack my phone and give the impression that you were some unknown factor that could turn on me or use me for their own ends?"

"W-well… that wasn't the intention. I wanted to help, honest!"

Yu crossed his arms and gave a long, hard stare and sighed. Akechi said that Futaba was just as much a victim of Kobayakawa as the rest of them, and the nerdy-looking young woman seemed honest enough. That's when an idea popped into his head. If he and the others were going to keep stealing hearts, then they would need more money.

"If you really want to help, then I need you to do something for me."

"Wait really? You're letting me off the hook that quickly?" She asked, surprised.

"Do you want me to grill you further?"

"N-no! Whaddya need?"

"A job."

"Seriously? A job? I thought you would need me to do something more… extreme. But if it's a job you need, it's a job you'll get! Just leave it to me!" She stated, her fear turning into excitement instantly. The bell sounded, signaling the end of lunch.

"Alright. Send me a way for me to contact me, and let me know when you find a place. The sooner the better." Yu ordered, opening the door.

"You got it chief! I won't let you down, promise!" Futaba promised, leaving the room.

After school was let out, most people made their way to either clubs, arcades, or straight home. Yu, however, went straight to the principal's office. After a gentle knock, Ushimaru ushered for the student to come in and take a seat.

"Narukami. What brings you here?" The stocky man asked.

"That favor you promised me."

"Cashing in already? I would have thought you would've asked to be exempt from midterms or finals. Maybe even get an automatic 'A' on a project."

"All of those things I can earn on my own merit. No, what I want you to enroll someone."

"Judging by how you're cashing in the favor for this person, I can assume that their circumstances are… extraordinary."

"She's not a criminal, if that's what you're wondering. It's just that… most of her paperwork has been lost, and it'll be a huge hassle to get it all back."

"So you want me to enroll her, no questions asked, right?"

"That's correct."

Ushimaru let out a deep sigh, before pulling out a pen and paper.

"Alright, fine. Name?"

"Morgana Velvet."

"Age?"

"17"

"What class?"

"The same as Akechi's."

"How can I contact her?"

"This number can put you in contact with her." Yu informed, writing a series of numbers on a post-it note before giving it to Ushimaru.

"Alright Narukami. You sure this is what you want to spend your favor on?"

"I am."

"Alright then. I'll get in contact with her. You can head out now."

Yu got out and shot a text to Morgana, who expressed total joy at the news, even more when Yu told her that she was going to be in the same class as Akechi. He was waiting at the subway, awaiting the train that would take him home when he got a text from Futaba.

Futaba: So, I got good news and bad news.

Yu: What's the bad news?

Futaba: Almost no one in a 100 mile radius is going to hire a person with a criminal record. I can try to expunge and erase it, but it'll take months to do it without anyone noticing.

Yu: And the good news?

Futaba: I said 'almost no one'. There's one person who might hire you.

Yu: Who is it?

Futaba: It's my dad. Sojiro Sakura.

Yu internally winced at the name. That man was supposed to be his original guardian, and Yu could only imagine at his reaction would be once he found out who Yu was.

Yu: I don't think he'll hire me.

Futaba: He will if I'm there to persuade him. Besides, he's been trying to get some help for years, but no one's been up to snuff so far. It could very well be only job in Tokyo that you could get.

Yu: Fine. Where should I go to?

Futaba: It's called Cafe Leblanc.

Yu: I've been there. Damn good coffee.

Futaba: Dad'll would be happy to hear that. Here, since you know where it is, I'll wait for you outside the cafe. Trust me, the interview will go a lot smoother if I'm there.

Yu: I'll see you there.

Once he was off the train, Yu found himself wandering the streets of Yong Yen, scanning the cramped streets for a bob of orange hair. He found her, crouched down, as if observing a bug. Once he approached her, she stood up and beamed at him.

"Alright. Just let me do the talking. With any luck, mom will still be there. Then he'll definitely hire you!"

"I'm still not sure about this." Yu said, tugging on his collar.

"Oh it'll be fine. Allons y!" Futaba said cheerfully, entering the cafe, with Yu following close behind. Unlike last time Yu came here, the place was almost completely cleared out, minus a woman in a wheelchair on a computer sitting in one of the back booths.

"Ah welcome back Futaba. You're home later than usual. Who's that with you?" the woman asked with a smile.

"Mom, this is Yu Narukami. He heard about dad's job offering. And wants in."

"Really? It's about time. Poor Soji was going to work himself to death at this rate."

"If death comes for me, he'd better come while I'm asleep, because there's no way he'll take me while a customer needs to be served." A man said, stepping out of the kitchen. It took a moment, but Yu recognized him as the man who served him coffee after Shoichi's 'test run'. He turned to Yu and nodded at him.

"Oh I remember you. Why are you so interested in taking this job? It's the coffee, right? You wanna know how to make it." Sojiro guessed with a smirk.

"Actually, it's because no one else will hire me. They always say that I 'need work experience', then won't give me any work to get experience from."

"I know the struggle. What's your name again? Didn't quite hear it from back there."

"I-It's… Yu Narukami, sir."

Immediately, the friendly look and tone just melted from Sojiro, replaced by a scowl and low growl.

"Oh, now I know the real reason all those employers said no. And mine is just the same. Get out of my store! I don't want to see you here again!" He growled.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on dad! He's the only person that's shown any interest in working here!" Futaba argued.

"I don't care Futaba! I'm not letting a criminal work so close to our home!"

By this point, the woman in the wheelchair closed her laptop and gave a heavy sigh before turning to Yu.

"Narukami, was it? Is it true you're a criminal?"

"No. The crime I've been accused of is false."

"Yea, sure it was." Sojiro spat sarcastically.

"You seem honest enough. And you're a kid of Dojima's. Don't you owe him for helping us out during that nasty insurance fraud business?"

"W-Well, yes, but-"

"And where are you living Narukami?"

"In an apartment complex. With Sae Niijima."

" The Sae Niijima? Well, it would appear to me that you have a rather tight leash around your neck. One that Soji could loosen by giving you this job."

"Wakaba, he-"

"Can help. I'm not going to let your stubbornness get rid of perhaps the only help we could get in this back-end of Tokyo."

"Plus, I promised him that he'd get hired. Please?" Futaba begged, giving Sojiro puppy eyes.

"What if you're wrong Soji?" The woman, Wakaba asked. Sojiro was silent.

"Exactly. What if this kid is telling the truth about being set up? At least give him a chance, then decide if he's worth keeping around. Ok?"

"Fine." Sojiro relented. He then turned to his newly hired help.

"Alright kid, I'll pay you 1,200 Yen an hour. When can you start working?"

"Whenever you need me. Except sundays."

"Alright. You'll be here every day after school-" Sojiro started

"Every Friday and Saturday." Wakaba interrupted.

"From after school to nine on Fridays and Saturdays. That sound good?" Sojiro finished.

"It does sir, I'll start this Friday. Thank you." Yu thanked with a small bow.

"Don't thank me just yet. The second something goes missing, I'm reporting you to the police." The coffee house owner warned.

Despite the obvious animosity, Yu left with a smile on his face. Once he was out, Futaba skipped to his side and tugged on his arm.

"Sorry about Sojiro. But he isn't as bad he might seem back there. Just give him a chance, and I'm sure he'll warm up to you." the girl explained.

"I'm just glad he actually hired me. Thanks for that."

"No problem. And my support won't stop there. I'll keep monitoring the Phansite for anything, and let you know if there's anything that you should take care of."

"You don't have to, your debt has been cleared."

"Yea, but I want to. If feels good to know that you're making a difference. Like with that Mika lady. Lovers 06 reported that she came clean, and now the other models have a chance to make it big because of it. I want to be a part of that."

"Alright. You can act as our 'guy in the chair', you know, the-"

"Tech support, master hacker and info gatherer. Heck yea!" She cheered.

I am thou. Thou art I.

Thou hast acquired a new vow.

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

With the birth of the MoonArcana

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

"Alright, if there's nothing else, I need to start heading out. See you tomorrow Futaba." Yu said, leaving the small cafe.

It was all quiet at the Togo residence, which Hifumi took as a blessing. Right now, she was in her parent's bedroom, by the side of the man she called father. For the past few years, her dad had been gravely ill. Once, he was the light and love of the Togo household, but the gloom of death hung ever since he got sick. Once, he was the one of the greatest, if not the greatest, shogi player in all of Japan, and now he was reduced to a coughing shell. Hifumi used to wage war against him countless times on the playing board, but even that was a luxury on certain days. Thankfully, today was one of those days, and she was being thoroughly destroyed by his master tactics. Her father was feeling better today, and the doctors predicted a full recovery in a few months. Maybe then, he might be able to talk to his wife about how she was treating their daughter. But Hifumi didn't hold out much hope, she knew that by that point the damage would be done. With another clack , Hifumi saw that she had been defeated by her father and teacher yet again.

"Check. You're improving." The man rasped.

"Good match." Hifumi declared, albeit with little to no emotion.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing. Just a little tired."

"Hifumi…" He strained.

Hifumi bit her lip. She couldn't give her father any news that might deteriorate his health, especially if that news involved his wife. He was on the road to recovery, and she refused to jeopardize it for her own selfish desires.

"I said I'm just a little tired. And worried about you dad. The doctors have said you were getting better before, but then some bad news hit, and you'd go right back to the way you were before."

"And you're afraid that if you tell me the truth, it'll set back my recovery." He guessed.

"As observant as always."

"Hifumi, you're the light of my life, I always worry about you, and your mother. And if you don't tell me what's wrong, then it will only cause me to get even more worried, and then we're back to square one. Now, tell me what's bothering you so."

Hifumi bit her lip and looked away. Perhaps spending time with her father wasn't such a good idea after all. She wanted to get up and leave, but she knew what would happen if she tried.

"There's… a boy I'm interested in." She lied.

"Oh?"

"Yes, but… I'm not sure if he's interested in me."

"What's he like?"

"Well… he's honest, doesn't let what others think about him decide what he does. And he's a stupid romantic, the kind that will read poems they made to confess their love. He also has similar tendencies that I have when I'm playing Shogi."

"Really?"

In truth, all Hifumi did was describe her ideal boyfriend, but her father seemed to buy it, so it was good enough. She simply nodded her answer, and her father smiled.

"Well, if he ever does notice you, I would like to meet him."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind. I'm going to go study before heading off to bed. Goodnight dad."

"Good night Hifumi. I enjoyed playing with you."

With their farewells said, Hifumi started up her computer so that she could do some research, and found that her social media site had blown up in popularity. Though if the comments were anything to go by, it was for the wrong reasons.

'Where are the pics? Isn't this supposed to be Hifumi's account?'

'I came here for Hifumi's sexy ass, but all there is is stupid shogi.'

'Who the fuck cares about this game? I thought Hifumi was supposed to be a model.'

There were several other comments similar to those, and Hifumi let out a groan and exited out. It was going to get worse from here on out, and she knew it.