Summer was over and school started back up again. The atmosphere in Shujin was different due to the Phantom Thieves buzz. Ann and Ren were in class, the former stretching her arms up over her head. "Second Term's already started…" She turned to look at Ren behind her. "I think this every year, but isn't summer vacation too short?"
"We were pretty busy." Ren said, leaning forward in his seat.
"Yeah, that's true. It's almost like we went to Egypt over the summer." Ann nodded. That was a fair point Ren made.
"Besides, Winter vacation is coming up." Ren said, like that wasn't at least three months from now.
Ann just sighed. "How desperate are you?"
"Somehow even less than you." Ren playfully fired back. Ann had no response because that wasn't incorrect.
"I do hope Hifumi will be alright at school, though." Ann frowned. Even though Hifumi was doing better, Ann couldn't help but worry about her.
Kawakami walked into classroom, clearing her throat to capture everyone's attention. "All right, let's begin homeroom. Let's see. We've just gotten back from vacation, but starting next Monday is the school trip."
Ann's eyes widen. She totally forgot about that. "Oh right…!"
Kawakami sighed. "You students are so lucky. You get an entire month off for summer and get to go to Hawaii too. Make sure none of you cut loose too much, okay?" A friendly reminder that even if they were in a different place, they were still students and getting too crazy was not ideal. But the mere mention of going to Hawaii made the students cheer loudly. She expected this and only allowed it for a second or two. "Okay, settle down! That concludes homeroom."
"School trip, huh?" Ann said, turning slightly in her seat. "I guess that means we won't be able to act as Phantom Th…"
Before Ann could finish her though to Ren, two girls approached her. "Takamaki-san! You speak English, right?"
That was sudden. "Uh, basically, yeah. I lived over there, after all."
"That's amazing!" Another girl said. "If there's something we're not sure of in English, can we ask you about it?"
"Oh, that's no problem." Ann said with a slight nod. That's when her and Ren's phones buzzed; it was Ryuji.
Ryuji: All people're are talking about in my class is the Phantom Thieves. Is it the same for you? Talk about being popular. Anyways, now that a new semester's started, let's have another operation meeting.
Ann and Ren looked at each other. Ryuji surprisingly had a good idea.
.
.
Lunch time. Kosei High's atmosphere was similar to Shujin's. Everyone was talking about the Phantom Thieves. Hifumi and Yusuke could overhear numerous students discussing the Thieves. But there was something else people in Kosei were discussing as well: Hifumi. She saw a number of students give her glances while walking past, murmuring something to their friends. Clearly it was about the news regarding her father and her recent, record breaking loss. Her current status that her mother was aiming for made people feel as if she was unapproachable.
"…" Hifumi just sighed. She could feel the alienation. There were a few people that gave their condolences for her father, but they were far and few in between.
"Are you alright?" Yusuke asked.
"I…I'm fine." Hifumi offered a weak smile. "The atmosphere in school feels a bit heavy. I suppose it is a bit difficult to ignore everyone's gazes. But I am alright, I'm not alone, so I can handle it."
"If you're sure." Yusuke gave a slight nod.
"It's best I focus on school as a whole, since I am taking a break from shogi at the moment." Hifumi placed her hands in her lap. "There's a lot going on now, so I should focus on what's in front of me."
Yusuke quirked a brow. Hifumi talked about focus but it didn't seem like she was. "Don't forget to take things one step at a time."
"Ah? I…I know." Hifumi gave a nod. "I understand." She then blinks. "Oh…are we getting out of school early today? We do have our school trip coming up. Um…to Los Angeles…?" She wasn't sure if she was saying it right; it felt foreign on her tongue.
"I think they call it L.A for short." Yusuke nodded.
"Right. L.A." Hifumi was going to have to get used to that. "I've never been overseas before…I wonder what it will be like in one of America's most popular cities." She then paused. She wasn't great at English, so she was kind of wishing Ann would be able to go with her…
.
.
Afterschool. Futaba was waiting with Yusuke and Hifumi in the Shibuya Acessway. She was on her laptop while the group from Shujin arrived. Ann was surprised to see Futaba there. "Futaba, did you come all by yourself?"
"Hifumi and I got out of school early, so we came by to pick her up." Yusuke explained.
"What a patronizing Inari." Futaba grumbled. "Hifumi is fine, though."
"Well then, let's get talkin'. Whadda we do now? Should we go after another big target?" Ryuji asked.
"That's important too, but what of the villain in the cognitive world?" Yusuke brought up a good point.
"It's almost certain that this person exists." Makoto said. "What's more, they're inducing mental shutdowns. We certainly can't turn a blind eye."
"I agree." Hifumi leaned against the railing. "But where do we begin? We have nothing to go off of…"
"Yeah, we don't got any clues." Ryuji slumped over for a second. That frowned turned into a smile real fast as he got to the real topic he wanted to discuss. "But! You know how we're totes popular right now? Everyone at school's talkin' about us, and not a day goes by you don't hear about it on TV either! We totally made it big, don't you think!?"
"True…" Ann smiled, swinging her arms a bit. "The rankings on the Phantom Aficionado Website have been crazy too!"
"Em. Rankings…?" Hifumi blinked. "I'm afraid I've missed that…"
"It's a recent feature." Ren began to explain. "Mishima told me that this is a way for people to tell us directly whose hearts we should change."
"It's true. Look." Futaba turned her laptop.
"What the…first place…it keeps changin' by the second!" Ryuji was shocked but in a good way.
"People are voting around the clock." Futaba said.
"…I-Is that so…?" Hifumi rubbed her arm. "…I can't say I think something like that is a wise idea…"
"It'll be fine!" Ryuji said with a bright smile. "This'll just help us narrow down whose hearts we gotta change!"
"If we go after these guys, I'm sure we'll score some big cash at least once!" Ryuji said excitedly.
"…" Hifumi rubbed her arm again.
"When we find the guy causing mental shutdowns, I'm totally gonna punch him!" Futaba shouted. While they couldn't entirely confirm it, the chances of that person being the one who killed Wakaba were extremely high.
"The culprit forcing mental shutdowns…if you think about it, there's no bigger target than that. If we can change his heart and get a confession outta him, we'll be on top of the world for real!" Ryuji said. If they could apprehend that criminal, they would totally be set! "Should we reveal our identities then? I bet chicks are gonna be all over us!"
"Whoa, whoa! You want us to show our faces?!" Ann gasped. "…I guess that might be okay…"
"I see. If the rule culprit is caught, then the existence of the Metaverse will be known." Yusuke said calmly. "There would be no need for us to remain in hiding in such a questionable manner."
Makoto seemed to be the one who had to rein in these three from their fantasy. "Hey! We're not here to stand out, you know!"
Even Morgana was annoyed by this. "Being 'unknown' is the allure of being a Phantom Thief."
"I have to agree with Makoto and Morgana." Hifumi added her piece. "Take it from me…as nice as fame sounds, it really can become too much in the end. I'm a little overwhelmed by my own personal reputation and the traction it's gained lately…and to be honest, the rising fame of the Phantom Thieves is a little worrying as well…"
"…" Ann frowned. She got a little carried away in hypotheticals with Ryuji and Yusuke. "I'm sorry…"
"But considering the hype now, it's gonna be one hell of a huge deal if we pull it off!" Ryuji kept going. The notion of being noticed and famous was just too deep in his head at this point.
"Are there really no clues regarding the mental shutdown cases?" Morgana questioned. "Wasn't the older Niijima sister looking into it?"
This made Makoto sigh and look dejected already. "Yes…I can pry and ask about it, but she'll just tell me to mind my own business and get angry with me. She doesn't enjoy it when I attempt to ask her about work."
There was a glint in Futaba's eyes. "If you can't ask her, you wanna just extract that data?" She dug in her pockets. "Does she have a personal laptop or something?"
"She does have a laptop she brings home…" Makoto's eyes widened. Don't tell me…"
Futaba pulled out a small flashdrive from her pocket, holding it towards Makoto. "I can lend you a storage device with a special gimmick on it. "Just stick this baby in and it'll close the internal hard drive! It'll even bypass the OS password. You'll have to plug directly into her laptop, though. Can you do it?"
"Well. That's. Scary." Hifumi was at a loss for words. Futaba's brain was frightening at times.
"…I don't know if I'm comfortable going that far." Makoto was understandably apprehensive about this.
"Ooh, is Futaba gonna do something amazin' again!?" Ryuji asked excitedly.
"Are you worried about seeing how your sister truly feels?" Yusuke questioned.
"Wh…no, that's not it!" Makoto let out a defeated sigh. This seemed like the only option available to them… "Okay, fine. I'll do it." And with that, she took the flash drive from Futaba's hands. That was the easy part. The hard part now…was actually finding a way to pull this off…
.
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Principle Kobayakawa was on the phone, panicking a bit. The person on the other end of the line did not seem very pleased with the recent news and events surrounding Shujin. "What!? I was in a tabloid magazine!? But I put a gag order on the Mr. Kamoshida case!" …. "Please, wait! Please give me some time!" He panicked, not liking what he heard. It was bad for him, all because of those Phantom Thieves…which he had no leads on since Makoto turned her back on the case. "I will find evidence on the Phantom Thieves for sure! I couldn't have made it this far had it not been for your assistance, sir so…! Please…! Please let me!" They hung up. He collapsed onto this desk in agony. "NO…! NOOO!" He was cut off, up shit creek without a paddle. He had his chance and he squandered it…
.
.
Ann went to go visit Shiho in the hospital once again. With summer over and being reminded of the school trip, she absolutely had to visit her best friend once again and inform her of the news. Since the Thieves were waiting on Makoto for their next move, she had a bit of time to use as she needed. "You know, so much has happened this year, I totally forgot about the school trip…"
"The school trip?" Shiho sat up from bed. "Oh right…it was to Hawaii, right?" She asked, tilting her head.
"Mhm! Overseas and in America too." Ann nodded.
"I was really looking forward to that trip." Shiho couldn't help but frown. If there was one thing Shujin could have offered her, it was that.
"Oh…I know, Shiho." Ann couldn't help but frown as well. She knew how much Shiho was looking forward to this trip, but she wouldn't even be able to go.
"But hey, don't let that get you down." Shiho shook her head and forced a smile. "I want you to have fun for the both of us, okay? Make sure to get me a souvenir at least. Then I won't feel so bad.
Ann could smile to that one. "Okay, I promise! I'll get you something super nice!"
"Good." Shiho kept her smile, no longer needing to force it. "And I have some…other news as well. I wanted you to be the first to know. Shortly after you come back from Hawaii, I'll be cleared from the hospital."
Ann gasped. "That's wonderful news! So you're feeling better?"
"Walking up the stairs is a little difficult, but I'm doing much better than I was before." Shiho said. "As long as I don't push myself, I'll be back to normal in no time."
"I'm so happy, Shiho…" Ann could feel the tears welling up in her eyes.
"It's all thanks to you. You were there by my side the whole time, so that made it possible." Shiho's smile softened…before it faltered a bit. "And…since I'll be able to leave the hospital soon, that means…I'll be moving soon as well."
Oh. Right. Ann…wanted to forget about that part. It was going to be extremely difficult for her to meet up with Shiho since she was moving away. "Ah…that's right. Time sure flies, huh? So…after I come back from the trip is the last time I'll see you for a while…?"
Shiho nodded meekly. "Mhm. But…please don't look so sad yet, we still have a bit of time together. Besides…there is something I want you to do for me before we go."
Ann blinked slowly, making sure to dry her eyes before any tears fell. Shiho was right, she couldn't start crying yet. "What is it…?"
.
.
Hifumi did not immediately feel like going home just yet. So she decided to kill some time in Kichijochi. There was less chance of being bothered here than at the church, and being home just made her feel heavy and sad. So she sought to improve herself and just…play some darts alone. Her aim improved considerably, though she was just shy of consistent bullseyes. "…Perhaps I should have invited someone to join me." She knew Ann was busy with Shiho and she didn't want to infringe on their time together, so that wasn't an option.
"You frequent this place quite a bit, don't you?" Akechi's voice caused Hfiumi to turn around. "Nice to see you again, Togo-san. Are you feeling any better?"
"Akechi-kun?" Hifumi blinked a few times. "What are you doing here…?"
"I was going to take a moment to relax, before going to a place I enjoy nearby." Akechi responded, setting his briefcase down. "But since I'm here, would you care for another match?"
"Mm…" Hifumi pondered the thought for a moment. "I don't think I'm in a competitive mood right now, honestly."
"Oh, I did hear about that." Akechi said. "Is that what you decided to do?" Since Hifumi wasn't in the mood to play a round with him, he just decided to boot up a 701 by himself and play alone.
"I caved under the pressure, I admit." Hifumi just took a seat and watched Akechi play. "It…was not my finest moment either. I regretted it the instant I followed through."
"I see." Akechi said while causally throwing a dart and striking a bullseye. "Would you do it again?"
"…I would hope I wouldn't need to." Hifumi rubbed her arm. "But…since you are here, I did have a question for you."
"Ask away." Akechi replied. His solo game of 701 was going swimmingly; not a single missed dart so far, all going towards the highest pockets.
"What do you think about the truth?" Hifumi asked.
"The truth?" Akechi paused for a moment. Her question was unclear, so he had to dig a bit deeper to find her meaning. "The truth about the Phantom Thieves?"
"No, not that." Hifumi shook her head. "I meant the truth as a whole. You're a detective, solving cases in the middle of the night to uncover culprits…" She couldn't help her train of thought making Akechi's work seem a lot cooler than it actually was. "So I was thinking that you have plenty of experience dealing with the truth."
"Now I understand." Akechi said calmly. Even though Hifumi was making his detective work sound more exciting than it actually was. "First off, my work isn't anything like that." He chuckled a bit. "And secondly, the truth is the truth. You cannot change the facts of something when they are laid bare. The truth is absolute."
"The truth is absolute…?" Hifumi gently swung her legs back and forth on her chair. "I…suppose that is true. You cannot change the truth of the matter no matter how hard you try…"
"Why do you ask such a question in the first place?" Akechi was curious.
"I don't know." Hifumi glanced away. "It was just a question I wished to have the answer to. The truth and I…have a very complex relationship."
"Is that so? Well, keep in mind that you cannot change someone's truth, if that's another answer you'd like to ponder on." Akechi casually replied, still throwing darts with pinpoint accuracy. "When the truth is presented to you, you have two options. You can accept it or deny it, but as a detective, I cannot say that the latter is a viable option. Even if the truth is an ugly one, one that you cannot bare to face…it does you nothing but harm if you actively ignore it. If you accept the truth, you can move accordingly."
"Ah…" Hifumi wasn't expecting that small tangent, but she could see the merit in Akechi's advice. He made a good point. But it did apply to her in a few ways she didn't like; she was faced with the truth of what her mother was doing to her and her career…but she did not want to face the truth of the fact her father might not make it to the next year. "So…just accept the truth as it is." Considering she had the power to detect lies, that didn't sound too far off.
"But that's my personal opinion." Akechi clarified. "How you want to proceed can go a radically different direction."
"Thank you for answering my question." Hifumi stood up and gave a slight nod of gratitude. "I…have somethings to think about and a trip to prepare. I don't wish to take up anymore of your time."
"Oh, farewell, Togo-san. It was nice talking with you. I hope you figure things out soon." Akechi gave a slight wave as Hifumi left.
Truthfully, Akechi's advice just made Hifumi more confused and uncertain. Accepting the truth sounded easy when he said it, but it was much more difficult than that for Hifumi. There was the truth that because of her actions, her father was in the hospital. "I still don't know what I want to do…" She thought to herself, a frown on her lips the whole time. When you could tell the truth from lies every time a person spoke, it made it difficult to think about anything other than what their words mean at face value. Not to mention, Akechi spoke about truth, but she still had that feeling something was off about him, That feeling she got when she heard someone lie was consistent every time she was near Akechi, but she just didn't understand why…
.
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September 2nd.
The atmosphere in Shujin was a little different. The magazine article about Mr. Kamoshida slipped through the cracks and there were a lot of people who heard about the cover ups. Ren heard many people whispering about it on the subway, and even Akechi talked to him about it while waiting for the train. Ohya was going to get a lot of mileage out of this. As he walked to school, Ryuji was catching up to him.
"Whaddup!" Ryuji said to Ren, and Haru who was nearby, watering the flowers on the front steps.
"Oh, hi, Ryuji!" Haru smiled.
"Hey." Ren nodded.
"Did you see the ad in the train?" Ryuji asked. "It said the media's gonna come to our school again. Cover up by faculty and principal of Shujin, where the Phantom Thieves first appeared. It's been a huge deal already!"
"I wonder what will happen to the Principal…" Haru wondered.
"Anyways…w…" Ryuji had to remember Haru was RIGHT THERE, so he backpedaled on what he was originally about to say. "I mean…the Phantom Thieves made a good choice going after big targets! Everywhere I go people are talking about them!"
"Nice save, idiot…" Morgana mumbled.
"Oh, I have to go water the rest of the flowers before school starts. I'll see you later." Haru smiled and walked off with the watering can in hand.
When Haru was out of earshot, Ryuji turned to Ren. "You know…don't you think Haru is fine? The Phantom Thieves are on fire right now, and she's a fan of them. You think I got a chance if I asked her out?"
"I think that's a bad idea." Ren shook his head.
"It SUCKs I can't just actually say I'm a Phantom Thief to anybody…" Ryuji sighed. Ren patted his shoulder then proceeded to walk inside the school with him.
.
.
There was still some time before class started, so some students were loitering in the hallway. Kawakami was walking past a group of students when one spoke out to her. "Did you do it too, Teach? The whole cover-up thing?"
Kawakami immediately took offense to that. "This is the first time I'm hearing about it too! And if the police ask you anything, you better not make any irresponsible remarks." She then sighed heavily. "Why does this keep happening? Now my relatives are gonna call me again…" She could not catch a break…actually, she just did! Makoto was walking by and there was something she had to inform her of. "Ah, perfect timing."
"Hm?" Makoto blinked. "Did you need something, Ms. Kawakami?"
"Yes, follow me." Kawakami nodded and led Makoto off. Once they were alone, she began to speak. "I think you might've been told this already, but it's about the school trip. Since the police are coming to the school because of the incident, a number of senior faculty are going to be called in for questioning. That day just happens to align when the school trip…"
"Yes, I've been told." Makoto confirmed.
"Now, this came up at the faculty meeting, but the plan is to have third-years act as our proxies. I'm so sorry to drop this on you, Niijima-san, but we'll be counting on you." Kawakami smiled.
Wait. "What?!" Makoto wasn't expecting to be pulled into this trip.
"You know…a lot of the second years this year happen to be…unique." Kawakami wasn't going to name names. "You must have your hands full with the entrance exams, but I'm sure you'll be fine with your grades. Don't worry! There will be a couple more people going besides you."
Makoto pondered the news for a moment. It actually wasn't that bad at all. "Very well. If that's the case."
"Really? That's wonderful!" Kawakami was so glad Makoto agreed with no fuss. It felt like a weight off her chest. "I'll go and tell them the news." She then walked off, hiding a small cough and grimace. She was still pretty exhausted…
"This actually works out nicely." Makoto said to herself. This way she could keep an eye on Ren, Ann, and Ryuji without having to worry about anything. This wasn't a bad idea after all…