Ren awoke in the Velvet Room once again. It felt like it had been a while since he woke up here. Crawling out of bed, he slowly made his way to the door of his cell, holding onto the bars. Natrually, he was greeted by Caroline's baton striking the bars of his cell. "Stand up straight, Inmate!"

"Our master wishes to speak to you. You would do well to heed his words." Justine said calmly.

"You have defeated the invisible threat looming over you…" Igor said while staring at Ren. "And you've even made a new ally. The daughter of a Metaverse researcher, no less. This one holds a type of different power. It will help guide you all to further heights as thieves."

"Yeah, talk about a coincidence…." Ren said. Or was it fate? He really couldn't tell, but either way, there was no looking a gift horse in the mouth. Futaba was already proving to be a valuable asset to the team.

"However, it seems as though that research has been stolen by an unknown force…" Igor said.

"Yeah, that's no good…is it all related?" Ren asked in hopes Igor could provide an answer, but at this point, he knew that was pointless. Igor never answered any questions, he just spoke in vague statements.

"There may be greater trials for you coming up. You must overcome them, for the sake of your rehabilitation." Igor said. After that, there was a bell ringing. "It's now time…"

.

.

August 21st.

It was early morning. That Velvet Room conversation had Ren thinking. He tiredly walked downstairs with Morgana, where Sojiro was already waiting. The store wasn't open yet, but there was a cup of coffee on the counter. "…Hey." Sojiro greeted Ren.

"What's up?" Ren asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "You're here early…"

"There's something I came to do." Sojiro explained. "Today's the day Wakaba passed. I do this every year. Take a seat, I've got a cup for you, too."

Shrugging, Ren decided to sit, taking a sip of the coffee Sojiro made for him. "Alright."

Sojiro was quiet for a moment, reminiscing on his time with Wakaba. "Futaba reminds me so much of her mother. She's a smart girl, doesn't just go with the flow, either. Wakaba…" His eyes closed. "You and your work were so fulfilling for you…why'd you have to go and die so suddenly…?"

"….." Ren didn't say anything. What could he say?

"…That reminds me, you saw me talking to that prosecutor? I mean, that woman in the suit, right?" Sojiro asked. "I remembered you were real bothered by it. She might come back, so I guess I should tell you. That woman was trying to get information on Wakaba's research out of me. You don't need to know what the research was about. Just know there was some trouble behind it."

"That's what Futaba was telling us about before…" Morgana said. It was all coming full circle…

"Obviously, Wakaba got dragged into that as well." Sojiro continued. "Now, they ruled her death a suicide, but I got my doubts."

"…Wha…?" Ren narrowed his eyes a bit, brows knitting together in confusion more than anything else. Futaba said the same thing of course, but he didn't think Sojiro felt the exact same way.

"Supposedly, there were people who wanted to take her research and use it for their own benefit." Sojiro went on. "Don't get me wrong though. I don't have a lick of evidence. I haven't told Futaba about this, I don't want to cause her anymore pain."

"She already knows, though…or at least, has her own suspicions about it." Morgana mumbled.

"Still, there was one thing I regret…." Sojiro sighed. "It was right before Wakaba passed. She told me 'I think I might die'. I brushed it off thinking it was a joke, but if I had taken her seriously…"

"She…what…?" This one made Ren pause. It was looking very likely that Futaba's mother was killed for her research, but that wasn't what had him surprised. It was the fact that Wakaba knew it was coming. Even if she knew about the Metaverse, there was realistically nothing she could do to prevent her death. If she saw it coming, then….

"There's another reason I took Futaba in. Redemption." Sojiro said. "She went through such horrible things. Those heartless adults just yelled at the poor girl…Hey, how do you heal emotional scars?"

That was a good question, but there was only a simple answer. Thinking about emotion scars had him think of Hifumi and how she was holding up right now. "…They'll heal on their own."

"…I agree." Sojiro said. "Futaba has been making great strides lately thanks to you all. So I hope that this means her heart is finally beginning to heal."

That's when Futaba walked into the store, tiredly groaning. "Sojirooooooooo! I hunger."

Sojiro still couldn't believe this sight. But it did make him smile slightly. "Coming right up."

.

.

Hifumi rolled out of bed tiredly. Once again, she had hoped that everything she heard the previous day was just a bad dream, but no, that was far from the case. It was all real. She had completely forgotten that Mika even showed up to try and cheer her up. But whether that was by her own decision or her mother's, she didn't know. She didn't feel like asking. She glanced at her phone, noticing some messages from the group chat. It was nice of the group to keep her included even when she wasn't in the mood to be social.

Yusuke: Are we all meeting up Leblanc today?

Ryuji: I'm ready!

Futaba: I'm already here eating breakfast.

Ann: Hifumi, if you're reading this, you can come join us if you want!

Hifumi: Thank you for the offer, but I don't think I'll be able to today. I'm sorry.

Makoto: That's understandable. But we are here for you.

Ren: Just reach out if you need any of us.

"Mm…" With a quiet groan, Hifumi walked out of her room, spotting Mitsuyo in the living room, watching the TV. "Mother…?"

"Oh, Hifumi…you're awake." Mitsuyo didn't look her way at first. But soon enough, she stood up and turned to face her daughter.

"…I saw the article online…" Hifumi rubbed her arm. She wanted to be mad at her mother for not telling her first. But she didn't have the energy for anger….at least not yet.

"I had to tell people." Mitsuyo replied.

"Maybe so…but why didn't you tell me first!?" Hifumi suddenly blurted out. "How did you want me to find out if you weren't going to tell me yourself?"

"You would've found out." Mitsuyo replied. "People talk. It's only been a day and the news has spread like wildfire. I wasn't worried about you not finding out."

"Wh…" Hifumi couldn't believe this. "I-I'm your daughter. I should've been the first to know…! Not the tabloids or anyone else, that's not fair, Mother! Don't you know how worried I am about him!?"

"I'm worried about him too, you know." Mitsuyo replied. "And don't you raise your voice at me, Hifumi. I know what I'm doing."

"Nn…" Hifumi turned her head to the side. She felt like she couldn't fight back, because her mother's words weren't a lie. Even without her powers, she was aware of how much her Mother's Shadow desperately wanted to save this family. But even so… "When can I visit him…? Will he be okay…?" She asked that last question, because she wanted to know if her mother in reality would tell her that same truth.

"Not for a while. They aren't allowing visitors at the moment." Mitsuyo replied. "And I don't know."

She lied. Hifumi balled her hand into a light fist, barely managing to tremble from anger. "I see…."

"But…look on the bright side, Hifumi." Mitsuyo began, a smile creeping onto her lips. "I have a match for you scheduled soon. You're going up against a male pro this time."

"Huh…!? I can't think about shogi at a time like this, Mother…!" Hifumi shook her head. "I…I can't possibly…my mind is too frazzled. I wouldn't be able to focus."

"Heheh…" Mitsuyo's lips curled up into a wider smile. "I know. That's precisely why you're going to lose."

Hifumi's eyes went wide. She could not follow her mother's logic. All this time, she was being used for victory…now she had to take a dive!? "Y-You want me to lose…!? But…I thought that…"

"It's very simple, Hifumi." Mitsuyo pulled out her phone, looking over a few messages. "You've been built up as an undefeatable queen at the top of your game. Even when those nasty rumors of your rigged matches came to the surface, you won every match after that, proving everyone that you have nothing but skill. So now…you leap back into action to play for your sick father, but you just cannot win. People are already taking pity upon you, so they would understand your first loss happening right around this time."

Hifumi could not believe her ears right now. Somehow, her mother's actions only got worse the more she spoke. She thought that blackmailing and rigging matches was bad enough, but now she was planning to use her own father's sickness as a publicity stunt!? "B-But that's…."

"Oh, but don't worry! After your first loss, I know that you will resolve to never lose again. For your father's sake, you will push on and reclaim your status! This will only boost your popularity up even higher! People love come back stories, you know! As terrible as the situation is, I cannot pass up on this golden opportunity to boost your popularity. You'll grow even more famous after lose, then it'll spike when you win. It's a perfect plan."

"….." Hifumi had nothing to say. What could she say? This was all…so terrible. And yet, she felt like it was entirely her own fault she ended up in this situation. She didn't regret stopping Kaneshiro, he needed to be stopped. But she didn't know things would end up like this. Was this some twisted karma…? She didn't know anymore. "….I see…."

"I'm glad you do!" Mitsuyo smiled. "Oh, and before I forget did Mika drop by yesterday?"

"She did." Hifumi mumbled. "She kept me company until she had to leave…"

"She's a nice girl, isn't she? I'm glad to see you two getting along so well." Mitsuyo held her smile.

"Mm…" Hifumi turned and started to walk back into her room. "I'm going out. I'll be back later." She couldn't stand to be in this house anymore. Not right now. She needed to get out and just…do something. Now she regretted turning down the offer to hang out, but…she also felt like she'd just bring down the mood if she did go. So she thought it was best that she left the others to have fun without her.

.

.

With all her friends busy, what was left for Hifumi to do? She didn't feel like going to the church to play shogi. Her love of the game took a serious hit and she could hardly muster the energy to practice; she didn't feel like bothering Mika either. Hifumi was beginning to realize how limited her options felt when she didn't have Ann or the others around to keep her company. So she idly walked the Shibuya streets, just looking for something to pass the time. Her green gaze wandered around, yet she could feel the stares of people passing by, all mumbling about her. "…."

"Excuse me, Togo-san!" A male fan approached Hifumi.

"H-Huh? Oh, hello…" Hifumi managed a fake smile.

"I heard about your father! I hope he makes a speedy recovery! You have my support all the way!" The male fan bowed slightly.

"O-Oh…thank you…" Hifumi replied respectfully. With that she knew it all felt like an empty gesture. But people really were already taking pity on her, just as her mother planned. "Excuse me…" She walked around the fan, but she still felt people's eyes on her. This…didn't feel good, but she didn't know what to do about it. She was stuck.

"Well now, I didn't expect to see you so soon." That voice belonged to Akechi.

"Oh…?" Hifumi turned around, not expecting to see Akechi meandering the streets. "Akechi-san…"

"You look like you could use some company." Akechi gave his usual pleasant smile. "I don't have a lot of time to spare, unfortunately. But I have enough to talk, if that's what you would need."

A chance encounter, it seemed. Hifumi let out a quiet sigh and just nodded. Akechi wasn't the worst company to have. Even if she still got that strange feeling whenever they talked. "Sure. I don't mind."

"Follow me, then." Akechi said, bringing Hifumi to a café. They sat outside at a table; Akechi had coffee while Hifumi just had water. "I happened to see the news…"

"…Which part." Hifumi stared down into her glass. "The Phantom Thieves, or…" She was attempting to change the subject before it even came up. She knew what Akechi was eluding to, but…she wanted to at least hear his thoughts on the Phantom Thieves, first.

"Well, I can't lie. The Phantom Thieves victory did surprise me." Akechi admitted. "But I think it is too early to celebrate. I still believe it is too early to tell if it was truly them, or someone else who took care of Medjed."

"You don't like giving the Phantom Thieves a lot, do you?" Hifumi asked. Truthfully, Akechi's stubbornness in admitting the Phantom Thieves defeated Medjed annoyed her a bit.

"I cannot give them credit for 'saving' Japan while they are still committing criminal acts." Akechi's voice was serious, but he still had that smile on his face. "I consider this more of a lucky win more than anything."

"I suppose you wouldn't want your rivals to look good." Hifumi said before taking a sip of water. "But I can't imagine the general public agrees with you."

"Oh, absolutely not." Akechi shook his head. "Ever since the defeat of Medjed, people are quite fond of turning my words against me and trolling me online. I can't say I didn't see this coming…but even though the public looks to the Phantom Thieves as so called heroes, I will remain on the side of justice."

"The side that says they're evil?" Hifumi asked.

"Precisely." Akechi nodded. "I cannot and will not budge on my stance."

"…I see. I won't budge on mine either. They've helped people." Hifumi still felt her own voice on that waver. Helping people at the cost of another… "On the other hand, my comment on TV a while back saying I supported them has only gained more traction. Even though my mother tried to bury that remark, it's only helped my current popularity. But I can't say that is a good thing..." She never really liked all that attention to begin with after all.

"Haha, now isn't that something?" Akechi said with a slight laugh. "It appears the internet has us on opposite sides of the spectrum. But they seem to like you far more than they like me."

Hifumi flashed a fake, empty smile. "Funny how things turn out, huh...? So…the other news you were likely going to mention…" Talking about the Phantom Thieves, as a Phantom Thief usually amused Hifumi. But right now, with the information she was given only a day prior, she found it a tough pill to swallow. It made her question all her actions and decisions up until that point. It wasn't a good feeling.

"Ah, well…I did not wish to pry. But I did hear about what happened to your father. You have my sincerest condolences." Akechi replied, shifting the topic as well. "Having a sick parent must be difficult. But at least you still have your mother, yes?"

"…..You could say that." Hifumi glanced away.

"I would say you're lucky to have your parents." Akechi began. "My mother died shortly after I was born…and my father was never involved in my life. In fact, he left shortly after learning my mother was pregnant."

"O-Oh…that's….I'm sorry." Hifumi frowned.

"You needn't apologize." Akechi held his pleasant smile. "I've been doing quite well for myself these days, despite being thrown around from foster home to foster home."

"You look well. I'm sure your mother would be happy to see the person you've become." Hifumi offered a smile. Even if Akechi's words did have a way of irritating her and her friends, he wasn't a bad person…

Little did Hifumi know the weight of those words. For a brief moment, Akechi's lips almost turned into a faint scowl, but he held it back. "I wonder…" He mumbled to himself. "Ah, do not pay my musings and heed. My point is, I think you are lucky to have both parents in your life. I admit, I am a little jealous of you, actually. I normally wouldn't share this with many people, but…seeing you so soon after reading that article, I thought I might try."

"That's…oddly nice of you. Thank you." Hifumi replied, before slowly turning her gaze to Akechi. "…Did you know I have no talent?"

"Where did that come from?" Akechi didn't say no, but he was a bit surprised at the comment itself coming from seemingly nowhere.

"When we played our match of shogi and you beat me…that was the first time I had ever lost. I thought nothing of it at the time…but your words did stick with me. I tried playing a bit off to see what would happen, but I still won." Hifumi began, her finger absentmindedly tracing around the rim of her glass. "Then I learned about the schemes plaguing the shogi community…how I was being used to inflict pain on people…and nothing has changed even after that…"

"I see." Akechi stroked his chin, staring at Hifumi's expression. She really did seem tired. "Well…I cannot say you have no talent, for that isn't the issue. When we played, you had a good sense of the game, but you were simply making rookie mistakes. I thought it odd for a shogi player of your caliber, but I soon realized it was a matter of your talent being stifled. It appears as though you haven't had the chance to experience true failure, if I had to guess."

"I suppose not." Hifumi rested her cheek in her hand. "I always thought I was just talented…that I was winning of my own accord. But I'm just nothing more than a puppet on a string…"

A puppet, huh? "If that's how you feel, I certainly can't be the one who tries to change your mind. You have a number of ways you can go from here. But the path you take is entirely up to you."

"…thanks." That was no help at all. Even though Hifumi knew what Akechi was trying to convey, his words were not very helpful and just stung a bit. He didn't even try saying she wasn't a puppet! Well, it wasn't like she was counting on him for encouragement anyway.

Akechi then stood up from his seat. His time was running out after all. "I must be going now. But I do hope you find an answer to your next step soon. I am still looking forward to your next challenge, and it is no fun competing against a rival if they are not at their best. Goodbye for now, Togo-san."

"…Right…." Hifumi just nodded. As if she could muster the energy to compete at the moment. "See you later." When Akechi was gone, Hifumi just sat in silence. It did feel a bit nice to get her worries off her chest, but it didn't help all that much. That was no fault of Akechi's either, it was Hifumi's. She didn't know what it was she wanted to do next.

….

"Ahh…" A heavy sigh escaped her as she was alone with her thoughts once more. Hifumi did have options, plenty of them. But she just wasn't sure what the best one was. She had plenty of self-doubt that no matter what she did, it would be the wrong move. That self-doubt turned into fear, which just kept her from moving at all. "What do I do…."