KS: Well, what do you know? Another SIN-surrection update. Bet none of you saw that coming, did you? Anyway, thought I should let you know that this is where the canon will diverge. Certain events in the anime will be replaced by what I have planned in the future. Oh, one more thing, for those who didn't know, the lady Anna met in the prior chapter was Izumi Shimomura from Ajin. She'll be playing a role in this story as well as many others. Okay, on with the show.

Everyone was silent in the student council room. The tension was so palpable that one could grasp it with their own hand if they wanted to. Hachiman and Ayame also sat in silence, mainly to maintain the façade both of them are putting on at this moment. Considering that both of them were responsible for the event that transpired during the physical, they had to try their damnedest not to draw any suspicion on themselves.

"We haven't found the boys' urine that Blue Snow stole, though it seems to have been a diversion," Anna said. "The yellow herring, if you will. Which leads me to believe the target she really had her sights on was this eye exam."

She brought everyone's attention to the eye chart on the table. Goriki picked it up and inspected what was written on it.

"I see, but what was her nefarious vision for it?" he turned towards Hachiman. "Hikigaya. You have a vast knowledge of depravity. Any idea what she could have been up to?"

Hachiman took the chart from Goriki and looked at it. "Obviously, as Ms. Anna has pointed out earlier, robbing the urine samples was just a diversion for this. She, along with her mysterious accomplice known as Kumo had organized this in order to corrupt them in some way."

"According to eyewitness accounts," Anna cut in. "Students who took the exam were guided to spell out 'va-gi-n' and that's as far as they got."

"Sounds fishy," Ayame said. "You know what comes next, Mr. Hikigaya?"

Hachiman pretended to give the chart a closer look. Of course, he and Ayame knew damn well what came next, but they still had to keep the illusion that they're trying to figure it out."

"Well, if I was a guessing man…"

"Spit it out, man," Goriki insisted, leaning towards him.

Hachiman pushed him back. "Off my grill, Grodd, I'm getting to it." He squinted his eyes. "It reads… va… gi… n…"

"Ah!"

Hachiman and Ayame yelped in horror when the final part of the word was completed by Anna.

"That final letter remains a mystery."

…Or so they thought.

Hachiman sighed. "We should probably a pin on this for now and focus on redoubling our efforts to ensure incidents like this don't happen in the future."

"Agreed," Ayame said.

Izumi was driving down the street in a sleek car while talking to someone on her PM. Given the expression on her face, it was no doubt a serious conversation.

"Blue Snow has set her sights on Tokioka," she said. "And now, there's a new player assisting her. Goes by the name of Kumo."

"Kumo, you say?" a male voice replied from the PM. "The name rings a bell."

"Why wouldn't it? Kumo is an infamous vigilante and hacker," Izumi sighed. "Not a day goes by when someone isn't talking about the Spider."

"When his symbol isn't being shown on some random monitor, it can be seen on the face mask of a hooded individual after he thwarts a mugger," the man mused. "Regardless, it doesn't change the fact that he's a criminal like everyone else, and a threat to public decency."

"Even more than the terror groups that have been plaguing Tokyo as of late?" Izumi asked. "Along with the various gangs that are taking advantage of the chaos to further their goals?"

"I never said he was more of a threat, just a threat in general," the man said. "Anyway, Ms. Nishikinomiya is finding more people for the task force she's setting up. Speaking of which, have you made progress in recruiting her daughter?"

"I told her about it the night before the physical debacle, and she said she would think about it," Izumi answered.

The man scoffed. "After what happened the other day, I think she should just take the offer."

"It's her decision regardless," Izumi reminded him. "And my employer is looking forward to meeting her someday."

"Yeah, what's that like, working as head of security at Blume and answering to ol' Tozaki himself?"

Izumi narrowed her eyes. "It's Tosaki. Get it right or I'll hang up."

"Why do you care how his name is pronounced?" the man asked dryly. "Are you in love with the guy or something?"

Izumi's eyebrow twitched. "Hanging up now."

"Wait, I was jus-"

She hung up before he could say anything further.

"I really hope I don't meet him soon."

In the auditorium at Tokioka, everyone was gathered. On the screen was a very beautiful picture of a boy and a girl happily eating lunch on the rooftop.

"We've assembled the entire school to honor a talented student from Class 3-1 who's earned a special award in the spring art show," the principal said. "So now I invite Otome Saotome to claim her certificate."

Hachiman drowned out the speaking and focused on the picture.

"It's certainly a beaut," he thought. "I'd like to get her input on my drawings when I meet her."

"And now, Ms. Saotome."

The crowd applauded as a miniature girl walked towards the podium. She had short black hair in a bob cut and olive-colored eyes. Upon seeing her, Hachiman's own eyes widen in shock.

"You gotta be kidding me," he said. "The artist is a Hobbit?"

The remark got him punched in the head by Goriki.

"Show some respect," he chided.

Hachiman groaned and shot him a dirty look. "Are you trying to kill me, DK?"

Goriki ignored him. "She's small, but her gifts are enormous. That girl has won countless awards. She's our pride and joy."

Suddenly, to the shock of everyone, Otome swiped the certificate from the principal's hands. Adding on to said shock, she ripped it in half, then into smaller pieces and tossed them into the air.

"At the moment, I'm at an unfit frame of mind artistically to accept an award like this," she said, walking off. She passed the student council and her eyes drifted towards Hachiman as she left, which didn't go unnoticed by him.

"Why do I get the feeling that I fucked up?"

After the assembly, all the students left the building, but the council stayed behind to clean up.

"Saotome shredding up that certificate certainly was a shocker," Goriki said as he picked up some chairs. "But hey, at least we didn't suffer anymore terrorist attacks."

Hachiman and Ayame were carrying the podium to the corner, while Anna just stood there, holding the mic stand.

"President Anna?"

The young woman gasped when her was called.

"Yes, indeed. Thank goodness. That was a huge relief."

Her behavior had Hachiman concerned.

"What's up with Ms. Anna lately?"

Goriki glared at him, causing him to flinch.

"What? What is it?"

"Well, it's probably for the best that you don't know," Ayame said, cleaning the podium.

Hachiman just stared at her in confusion, wondering what she meant.

Classes had concluded and Hachiman was at his desk, making more sketches.

"Normally, I'd say that yesterday's events have put Anna in an off mood, but I get the feeling that it's more than that," he said. "And why are Ayame and the gorilla so tight-lipped about it?" He sighed and slumped back into the chair, eyes closed. "Either way, I should clear my mind and not deal with any further nuisances."

"Mr. Hikigaya."

Hachiman's eyes shot open in annoyance. "Speaking of nuisances…"

He looked down to see Hyoka under his desk once more, dangerously near his groin.

"Do you have a moment?" Before he could answer, the tired girl rose up and got in his face. "At yesterday's physical exams, I heard from someone who heard from someone that Blue Snow was threatening to add protein to the boys' urine samples."

"What of it?" Hachiman asked, feeling all kinds of discomfort.

"Do you think it's possible that putting protein in urine has anything to do with pregnancy?" Hyoka asked in return. "Could protein-enriched urine be the key to cracking this whole fertility mystery wide open? Perhaps protein…"

As Hyoka prattled on, Hachiman felt what little patience he had dwindle bit by bit.

"Please God," he muttered. "Deliver to me a way to get out of this mess."

No sooner had he said that, he saw a collar suddenly attach to his neck, with a chain that was being held by none other Otome.

"At last, I found you, Hachiman Hikigaya."

Hachiman looked at the vertically-impaired senior in absolute bewilderment. "Wha-?"

"Come." With that one word, she dragged Hachiman off with the other students bar Hyoka looking on in confusion.

"What's the deal?! Why are you doing this?! I DEMAND AN EXPLANATION, YOU LITTLE HELLION!"

His protests drowned out as he got further away.

Hachiman was dragged and pushed into the art room. He wondered where someone as miniature as Otome got her strength from.

"Hey, what's your problem?" he asked irritably. "What did I do to deserve such-"

"Silence, dog," Otome ordered. "From this day forward, you shall be my pet."

Hachiman shot her dry look. "Cute. Now drop the charade and let me go. I'm a member of the- grrk!"

He gagged when Otome pulled him closer.

"Would you rather I everyone what you did during the physical exams or how good you look in a coat?" she asked with a smug look.

Hachiman's expression sunk slightly. "Ah, that's it. She must've spotted me taking off my disguise."

"I take it you saw me, then," he deadpanned.

Otome's grin grew wider. "Not denying it. Wonderful. I was on the roof and saw everything with my own two eyes."

Hachiman grumbled. "I figured as much. What do you want?"

"Oh, nothing major," Otome said, walking past him and picking up a candelabra. "I just need you to lend a hand and prod me out of my temporary slump."

"Uh… I don't follow," Hachiman replied.

Suddenly, he heard the door opened and turned around, only to pale when he saw Ayame standing there holding rolled posters, who saw him chained like a wild animal and Otome holding the afformentioned candlelabra. It didn't take a genius to know that this was a complete misunderstanding.

It also didn't take a shameless closert pervert like Ayame to see it in a different light altogether.

She took a deep breath.

"Please don't," Hachiman silently pleaded, although it fell on deaf ears.

"PERVERT ALERT!" Ayame shouted, running off and dropping the posters.

"And she's gone," Hachiman sighed with a facepalm.

Otome walked up to him and crossed her arms in contempt. "Hmph! Stupid wench. Irritating as usual."

Hachiman looked up at her. "I'm guessing there's some grade-A beef between you two."

Otome blushed and turned away for a brief moment. "Well, actually… That's not entirely unrealted to the thing I'm asking you to help me with."

Hachiman points to the collar with distain. "This is your idea of asking for help? Boy, you must've had a bad childhood."

Otome paid no mind to his remark and continued. "See, I want you to aid me in my romantic romantic pursuit. And that awful witch is my romantic rival."

Hachiman fought back the urge to cringe. "Ah yes, the classic one-sided crush/rivalry trope. Where would we be without it? Oh, I know. LITERALLY ANYWHERE ELSE."

"I see," he said aloud dryly.

"Oh, what?!" Otome snapped in a flustered tone. "Is the idea of me being in love really that preposterous to you?!" She raised her foot, preparing to kick him. "Stuff a sock in it, you impertinent piiiiiiiiiiig!"

She suddenly lost her footing and she landed on Hachiman's face, much to the chagrin of the latter.

"I just know this is going to get worse," he thought. And soon enough…

"Come now, Saotome," Goriki said, who was at the door.

"Someone better answer their PM," Hachiman thought. "Because I freakin' called it."

"What in the world do you think you're doing in a place like this with a boy like that?" Goriki picked up Otome like it was nothing.

"Unhand me, you gargantuan gorilla!" she shouted, flailing about.

"First the certificate this morning, now this," Goriki said, walking out the room with the short girl in tow. "You've been a bad little girl all day. I'm sorry, but even scholarship students have to obey the rules."

Hachiman sighed in relief over being free from the short menace, only to see her pop in again.

"Hikigaya! We'll finish this! You think it's over?!" She felt herself being pulled away and grabbed both sides of the door in order to deliver the last word. "Well, it's most certainly not! We shall meet again!" With that, she was finally dragged off.

Hachiman released another sigh, only this one was from annoyance.

"First Hyoka, then Ayame, and now Otome. Why is it since coming to this school that I've attracted girls who are severely marble deficient?"

"The Hobbit caught me with my pants down, metaphorically speaking," Hachiman said to Ayame with distain.

"Oh, so that explains why she boxed you in like that," Ayame said, showing a picture of Otome on Hachiman's face.

"When and how in the seven hells did you take that picture?!" he snapped.

"You really are a foul mouthed pervert," Ayame commented with her cellphone unflipped.

Hachiman grit his teeth. "Hi, Pot. I'm Kettle. Have we met before?"

"Sorry for the wait," the master of the café said as he walked up to Hachiman and placed something in front of him. The boy looked and his eyebrow twitched in annoyance at what it was: rice and curry in a dog bowl with his name on it.

"Compliments of the lovely lady right here," the elderly owner said while gesturing towards Ayame, who had a smug look.

"…Whatever," Hachiman grumbled, eating his food.

"Well, don't worry about the girl," Ayame said. "'Cause she's interested in getting what she wants. I don't think she'll tattle."

Hachiman swallowed his food before speaking. "I take it you know her?"

"I've had my eye on her for a while," Ayame admitted. "I'd hoped to get her to draw some dirty pictures."

"Typical," Hachiman sighed.

"This is good for us," Ayame said. "It's an opportunity to drop some sexual knowledge on her. Then we can seduce her into joining SOX."

Hachiman looked at her in confusion. "Say again? You wish for that sesquipedalian-spewing shortstack to join our ranks?"

"Come on," Ayame replied in an insistent tone. "Wouldn't it be a blast to fill such an innocent girl's mind with facts about sex until her hymen hula-hoops?"

Hachiman's expression soured. "I'll not dignify that with a response."

"Are you sure about that?" Ayame asked. "'Cause if it goes well, I know some places that have rare junk you can use to build your hacker tools."

Hearing about that made Hachiman perked up. "You mean that?"

Ayame just stared at him, then sighed. "So predictable. I shouldn't be surprised, though. It's the same old story. You nasty boys are always pitching tents in your pants like you're on safari with rhinos, elk and unicorns running through your heads."

"Are you saying that I have a tech boner?" Hachiman asked in an annoyed tone.

"It's nothing to be embarassed about," Ayame said. "I mean, so what if all you really want to do is build an RC car with a camera that can let you sneak into a girl's house and check out her body to see if she's worth you putting your flash drive into her USB port? What's wrong with that?"

"Woman, do not defile technology with your filthy vernacular," Hachiman warned. "And I do not have any intention of doing what you described to any girl, especially not a refined and diginified woman such as Anna."

Ayame's face twisted in horror. "Wait, don't tell me… it's her earphone port that you're after?!"

"I just said to curb your filthy mouth!" Hachiman shouted. "Look, I'll be blunt. I find that nice girls are man's inhumanity to man for various reasons: they're not actually nice, they use their niceness for manipulating others and said niceness is simply a mask for what ever true, malicious intent they may have. After spending time with Anna in the student council, I can say with the utmost confidence that she lacks any of the above issues, thus making her a truly nice girl. One that I can respect."

Ayame stared at him for a few seconds before shifting her expression to one of distain. "All this chastity is grossing me out."

"Figures it would," Hachiman deadpanned.

"Let me tell you something, Hachiman," Ayame said as she picked up a her teacup. "You can't just remove the nuts and bolts from boy/girl relationships. In the end, she wants every inch of your pure hard-on and you should be looking up her skirt."

"Boy, you just enjoy being a degenerate, don't you?" Hachiman asked in a dry tone. "Always having sex on the brain."

Ayame took a sip of tea, then continued speaking.

(Persona 4 OST: Reverie)

"The act of lovemaking isn't something that's dirty or immoral. When two people gradually reveal their intimate parts to one another, bringing together their most sensitive areas in sweet harmony, it's their continued acceptance of each other that forms a bond. And it's not just a physical thing. It joins their hearts. Don't you see? That's why dirty jokes are beautiful."

Hachiman was moved… for about a few seconds. He knew the moment would be over as soon as it began.

"But let's end the levity here," Ayame said, putting her tea cup down.

(End song)

"Figures," Hachiman muttered.

Ayame put on a serious expression. "Anna doesn't find any of this funny. I'm sure you've already noticed that about her."

"Yeah, that's been on my mind for a while," Hachiman said. "What's going on with her as of late?"

Anna opened her mailbox, and saw some letters spilled out. However, much to her horror, they weren't the only ones.

There were also pictures of her taken from different angles, and each of them had chilling messages taped to them.

I'M ALWAYS WATCHING YOU

I LOVE YOU

All she could do was stare, her blood getting cold.

"Anna's being stalked?" Hachiman asked as he and Ayame walk down the street.

"Yep," Ayame replied. "For the last week, she's been receiving letters and creepy photos."

"And CtOS has not detected who's responsible?" Hachiman asked, with a raised tone. He saw Ayame nod, making him grit his teeth. "Tell what I should do. If there's anything I within my power I can do to help Anna, say the word."

Ayame turned around to face him, then looked ahead. "No, there's nothing you can do for her."

"What?!" Hachiman snapped.

"Oh, don't worry, she'll be fine," Ayame said. "Right now, you need to focus on Otome Saotome."

Hachiman blinked. "Huh?"

Ayame turned towards him again with a smile. "If you do that, then I can concentrate on keeping Anna safe."

Hachiman's expression softened slightly, as if he sensed Ayame's resolve. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you truly care for Anna."

"What do you mean?" Ayame asked.

"I believed that you were just putting on a front to stay in Anna's good graces so she wouldn't suspect you," Hachiman explained. "But I can see that I was mistaken."

They continued walking for a few minutes before Ayame spoke some more.

"Ten years ago, Anna befrended me right at the moment I was most depressed about not being allowed to tell dirty jokes. It's because of Anna that I'm able to blend in with polite society now, even if it is just barely. I really…" She turned around with the cellphone in hand. "Blow her big time."

"Owe her," Hachiman corrected.

"Anyway, I'll leave the matter of Otome Saotome in your capable hands," Ayame said.

She laughed as she walked off with Hachiman trailing behind her.

"God, I can only wonder what you were like before you put on the mask of a decent member of society."

-The Following Day-

(Persona 4 OST: Youthful Lunch)

Hachiman sat across from Otome, who was devouring steak. The only thing he thought was more shocking than her putting it away like it was nothing was the numerous plates stacked up in front of her, indicating that she was at this for a long time.

"What even," he said flatly.

"An artist needs plenty of calories in order to create," Otome replied with her mouth full. "Gotta eat!"

As she stuffed more steak into her mouth, Hachiman cleared his throat. "Explain to me how you expect me to aid you with your love problem."

"I haven't come up with any specifics, yet," Otome admitted. "That's why I asked you to meet you here."

"I see," Hachiman said. "In that case, who do you have affections for?"

Otome gasped, then blushed. "I-I can't tell you that. But I will say… I worry sometimes that I might be making my love uncomfortable and that they may even detest me and those fears are what keep me up at night."

Hachiman couldn't help but chuckle at that, finding Otome's concerns adorable. Otome, on the other hand, noticed his smirk and took exception.

"Hey, why are you grinning at me like that, you creeper?!" she snapped, grabbing Hachiman by his collar. "Is the notion of someone like me being in love really that ridiculous?!"

"If anything is ridiculous, it's you freaking out on pointless slights," Hachiman deadpanned.

Otome pouted, but let him go and crossed her arms.

"Listen, while I got you here, I was wondering if you could take a gander at some of my drawings."

This caught Otome's attention. "Really now?"

Hachiman took out his sketchbook and showed her the drawings he made. Once her eyes landed on them, she was beside herself with amazement.

A dragon with laser cannons strapped to its back, a yukionna ninja and a giant mechanical spider armed with machine guns and cannons.

"Oh my goodness… this is so inspiring," she breathed out.

He flipped another page and showed her sketches of weapons. There was a bow and arrow with a smoke greanade attached to said arrow, a paintball gun resembling a large cannon and a rather unusual pistol.

"I might have went on a bender with these ones," Hachiman admitted. "But I enjoyed drawing them and got in the groove. As for the weapons-"

"Hachiman Hikigaya."

He paused when he heard Otome used his full name.

(End song)

"What is it?"

Otome smirked. "I think I found another way of getting out of my slump. And it's all thanks to you."

All Hachiman could do was blink and utter one word.

"Huh?"

KS: And like that, we have some divergence. Looks like Hachiman's going to give Otome the spark she's been looking for. What will it be, only time will tell.