Ambient silence wasn't an uncommon phenomenon in Café LeBlanc. Whatever money Sojiro had made working for the government before his impromptu retirement withstood the brunt of keeping the lights in Akira's attic and the quaint café below it on in lieu of consistent patronage. What was unusual was for this silence to be enjoyed by so many people at once. The entirety of the Phantom Thieves sat around the café, occupying themselves with their own troubles as they cast fleeting glances to the reason everyone remained mum. Since Akira had read the calling card aloud and let it rest on a booth table, nobody had found the words to comment on their situation. For a group that could keep Akira's phone vibrating well into the early hours of the morning, it was enough to make him wonder if they'd noticed something he hadn't. Ryuji was staring at the purple welt on his leg like it granted him impunity from the situation. Makoto kept her gaze fixed on the card, fingers interlocking and separating as her elbows rested on the table in contemplation. Yusuke was observing his mother's painting, possibly lost in his own world of aesthetics even now. Everyone else except Futaba, who was furiously typing on a laptop, allowed their eyes to wander. The clacking of keys was answered only by the noise of coffee being prepared by Sojiro in the background. "This is why I don't like analog shit. It's untraceable. Well, no, it's traceable, but it would take more than a day," Futaba finally declared, throwing her hands up in defeat from the counter. "Even with the nosedive in popularity there were still way too many calling card sales to track." Futaba's laptop only survived her head crashing to the counter because Sojiro pulled it away at the last second.
"Language," the café owner warned as he started handing out coffee. "So that won't work. Is there any other way to stop a calling card thing?"
"Not without knowing who sent it," Haru responded glumly. "If we did, we might be able to do something, but it seems unlikely that the sender is threatening to steal someone's desires the way we do."
"It reads more like a threat," Makoto agreed, hands now clenching and unclenching under the table. "And we only have until sometime tomorrow to respond."
The chiming of the clock echoed Makoto's sentiment. Evening sunlight filtered into the room and cast playful shadows on the otherwise somber mood of the café. While Sojiro had been able to get away with closing his store early, having everyone gather here was the exact scenario Akira had been trying to circumvent. Even if it didn't necessarily prove anything to the government about him being alive, drawing attention to Sojiro for sheltering him was the worst thing he could do for someone he already owed too much to. Such concerns were lamentably shoved aside when their alter-egos were threatened. "Come on, team. We called you all here to decide how we want to respond to this threat," Morgana announced, jumping up on the table next to the card. "Frankly, I don't know if this card is threatening action in or out of the metaverse, but they clearly know who we are and that Joker is alive. That's a problem."
"I can count the number of people outside this room who know that on one hand," Ryuji chimed in. "Sae, Boss… wait, who else knows?"
"Don't look at me. I never told anyone," Ann waved off.
The blond model's denial was mirrored by the rest of the group sans Akira. It took a moment for everyone to realize that Akira had something to say. He wasn't much of a talker himself in group settings, preferring to let the scarcity of his words allow the ones that did come from him to carry more weight. The team's leader gathered Joker's courage in his soul before rising from his seat. Direct confrontation with the truth would be the easiest way to prevent misunderstandings. "Several of my confidants know I'm alive," Akira admitted. "You all know most of them already, directly or indirectly. Some know because we needed to continue getting supplies, some because they sought me out when they saw the news about my death. As much as I don't want to, we should start our discussion with them."
"Oh, you mean like the guy we get our guns and stuff from," Ryuji nodded for a moment before his eyes went wide. "Wait, what the hell that guy's terrifying! Why couldn't you just buy our stuff online or something?"
"And risk waiting a week for garbage we might not be able to use?" Morgana countered. "I personally approved all of our leader's decisions myself. If you're questioning his judgement, you're questioning mine." This obvious lie was met with narrowed eyes in disbelief from Ryuji.
"Anybody we might want to focus on?" Makoto asked before Ryuji and Morgana could start arguing again.
The strategist's tone implied that she already knew the answer to that question. Given that Sae had grilled Akira thoroughly on his confidants, it made sense that she'd have had her suspicions confirmed through her sister by now. Akira took a sip of his coffee before continuing, letting Sojiro's kindness steady his hand. "Of the ones who know, Iwai, Maruki, and Ohya are the only ones I can't personally vouch for. Even then I highly doubt-"
"You told that reporter and our councilor?" Ryuji exclaimed in disbelief. "Why the hell would-"
"She sought us out," Morgana repeated for Ryuji. "And your complete lack of decorum and subtlety is the reason Maruki figured out we were the Phantom Thieves in the first place. Did you forget already?"
Ryuji sputtered for a response as Ann sighed, leaning on the counter. "That aside, what makes you so sure nobody you know would have sold us out?"
Akira folded his arms, doing his best to maintain an impassive expression. It was irritating to have to justify all his friendships the second they had the potential to be inconvenient. "Speaking strictly in terms of benefits, none of them stand to gain anything from selling us out at this point. Anyone who does would just look like a co-conspirator. The people who we're targeting would have no problem making any leaks disappear as soon as Shido's in power. They've proven time and time again that anyone who isn't willing to do whatever they say will be taken out, and that includes anyone who previously sided against them."
"Like how it doesn't make sense for Akechi to be on Masayoshi Shido's side?" Yusuke challenged, finally tearing his eyes away from his mother's painting. "Don't look at me like that. It's quite clear now that Akechi is the figure behind much of Shido's unsightly work. He would have fooled all of us had he not made his mistake with Morgana. Your face tells me you wanted to trust him anyways."
A glance around the room told Akira that he wasn't getting any support from anyone to answer this question. The leader turned to the side, still mentally clinging on to the mask of courage he needed to openly discuss going back on the bonds he'd formed over the past year. "And if I did? He would have been a powerful asset to the team, but I'm not blind. It was clear from the outset that he intended to betray us. How I treat my confidants is no different. Even if these people know I'm alive, it doesn't mean they know I'm with the Thieves."
Haru leaned back in her seat. "Oh, that's what you meant. I suppose that's alright then." She clearly wasn't the only one who had thought that Akira's life was a direct connection to the Phantom Thieves. Though the media had outed him personally, the indifference of the public to the exploits of the Thieves thanks to Shido's influence had made discerning the will of the people shockingly difficult.
Ann was less convinced than the beauty thief. "You can trust all of these people? Just like that?"
"Can I trust you all?" Akira responded evenly. "It's not a big difference, is it? Putting your life in another person's hands is no different than your own so long as you trust them. Am I wrong to trust you?"
The question startled Ann and several others in the room. Even Sojiro looked up from polishing a mug, the conversation suddenly dropping the temperature in the café by several degrees. "Exactly. I consider the idea of questioning these people as ridiculous as questioning one of you. But we have no choice, unless someone has another possible lead." Nobody jumped at the chance to provide an alternative to Akira's proposal.
"Well I can't tell anyone what's going on," Morgana spoke up redundantly. "Not that I would have if I could. That clearly makes me the most trustworthy."
"Of everyone, you pose the greatest risk factor," Makoto countered, turning her attention to the cat. "You're the reason we caught Akechi in a lie, but if anyone ever hears you talking and sees you, that's like waving a big sign around that says we're also metaverse users. I would have liked to bring up this issue another time, but there hasn't been a good opportunity."
Makoto's words were as sound as always. Just because it had worked out in their favor before didn't mean they wouldn't get exceedingly unlucky for someone who had been to the metaverse to hear Morgana talking when they weren't looking. The initial bravado Morgana had put on completely collapsed. He jumped up onto the counter where Ryuji was just starting to sip his drink and batted at the former track star with his paw. "Well, uh, if anyone is going to blow our cover, it's going to be blabbermouth Ryuji over here! How many times has he yelled in public about us being the Phantom Thieves? He's the one who tipped you off in the first place, Makoto."
"Ryuji is a liability," Yusuke agreed as he stirred sugar into his coffee. "But at least we can tell him to silence himself without looking like we belong in a mental institution."
There was a brief pause as everyone waited for Yusuke to continue. When nothing happened, Ryuji scoffed. "Oh, eff you guys. See if I stick my neck out for you next time we're surrounded by bloodthirsty shadows. At least I don't jump at the first sign of a neet's shadow or trigger every damn warning in a palace just to get to a treasure chest."
Makoto, Yusuke, Futaba, and Morgana spoke up at once in protest to this. It was impressive how easily Ryuji could draw the ire of the entire team with just his presence. Were he not injured, he would probably be on the ground by now. Futaba was directing Morgana to scratch Ryuji's eyes out as Yusuke and Makoto held them back while continuing to glare daggers at the obstinate Ryuji. Ann and Haru were staring between the two parties in a mixture of confusion and irritation as their meeting devolved into lunacy. If Akira was to fault himself on one count today, it was that he'd assembled his team without a clear plan in mind. Normally when he called the group together for Phantom Thieves work, there was a defined task, like exploring Mementos or a palace that kept everything on track. Without that, they were high schoolers arguing over high school problems. Despite that sobering realization, Akira was compelled to defend his friend. "Enough," Akira spoke up, waving his hand in the air. "I said that because I wanted us to reconsider our positions, not to make everyone doubt each other. Whether intentional or not, the fact is someone out there knows what's going on in here, and the fact that many of us are here is proof that none of us are perfect at keeping our secret."
"Aren't you the most guilty of that?" Futaba pointed out, drawing looks from everyone. "Don't ask me how I know. Too many explaining words."
Akira sighed. "I trust you all," he reiterated candidly. "And you've all trusted me to keep this operation going through this year. Nothing about that has changed. If the problem is on my side, I'll take care of it. Can you all do the same?"
Another uncomfortable silence passed around the table. Finally, Ann spoke up. "Well, I can cover my bases at least. What are we going to do about the threat though?"
"Without knowing who it was, there's nothing we can do yet," Akira asserted. "Futaba, I need you to scour your sources again for camera footage of the culprit. Makoto, see if Sae knows anything about this incident. Have her reference whatever files she can still get her hands on. Morgana, you and I will check our contacts for leaks. The rest of you should do the same. Any questions?"
Ryuji raised a hand. "And if we find the leak?"
"Don't act alone. Keep tabs on them and reach out in the group chat. If we act reckless here we'll never get a chance to take down Shido. Whoever did this likely wants us to act irrationally. We will do the opposite."
"Should we move in pairs? I don't think it will be safe to travel alone right now," Haru suggested.
Akira nodded. "Do as you will. I'll take Morgana. Anything else? No? Alright, dismissed. If we don't come up with anything we'll meet up again to discuss our next steps. Time is against us." Akira's tone invited no room for argument.
Ann and Ryuji left together to cover Shujin and the surrounding area, both of them complaining the whole time, while Yusuke and Haru went in the opposite direction to cover Kijijoji and the surrounding area. Futaba was dragged out of the café by Makoto, the hacker muttering something about how difficult it was to get into the LeBlanc security systems on the street since Sojiro had tampered with them. When they were alone, Akira allowed his shoulders to sag and his anxiety to show. He wasn't sure he would have been able to get out of that conversation scott-free. His comrades were absolutely right that this was probably his fault, even if they didn't directly say it. The letter had been addressed to him, after all. Even the mere fact that he was supposed to be dead meant that this wasn't just a metaverse user they were dealing with, it was someone with active knowledge of the Phantom Thieves and their operation. Thinking about the problem that way, it almost had to be one of his confidants that was currently throwing a nuclear wrench in their operations. Makoto's behavior the entire meeting implied that she had come to a similar conclusion. The three people Akira had mentioned had been a subtle directive to Makoto to focus Sae's attention on that group in particular. Trusting people didn't mean he couldn't verify his faith, and it also didn't mean that doing so enervated him significantly.
One cup of Sojiro's coffee hadn't been nearly enough to calm his raging nerves down. Fortunately, Sojiro had picked up on this problem and was already pouring Akira another round. "So you're going to head out too?" Sojiro presumed, eyes fixed on his task. "Don't do anything too stupid."
"I'll be home in time to lock up," Akira reassured his guardian as Morgana paced impatiently on the counter-top.
"Can't really say that's my concern here," Sojiro responded as he served his coffee. "You look like you're about to do something stupid because you're lost. Being in charge doesn't mean you have all the answers you know."
"That's what I said!" Morgana piped up, though Sojiro only acknowledged the cat with an oblivious scratch behind the ears.
"I don't want to doubt any of my friends," Akira respeated simply, doing everything in his power to avoid looking at the card on the table behind him. "Is that so wrong?"
"Not wanting to do it isn't wrong. Actually not doing it in this case definitely is," Sojiro explained cryptically. "Look, in my old line of work, we had to be crazy not to assume everyone was out to get everyone. The stakes for you are way higher than they were for me. If I was in your position, I probably wouldn't even go outside. But being so gung-ho about cutting people off is like getting a vasectomy because life kicked you in the balls once. I'm not saying what you're doing is wrong, I'm only letting you know that the way you decided to go about handling things may have brought some extra difficulties your way."
It was an odd way of putting things, considering that Sojiro was dealing with a very large number of difficulties where the alternative was simply turning Akira and his confidents in. Sojiro could practically read Akira's mind by the way he adjusted his glasses on his face. "You think that's hypocritical. Bah, kids these days. Do me a favor and make sure you survive long enough to see that you're wrong, got it? And lock up when you're done here." With that, Sojiro sauntered out of his café, likely to follow up with Futaba and ensure she got home safely.
Why was everyone dumping the burdens of making things happen on Akira suddenly so much more difficult to bear than before? Akira was certain that this hadn't been as difficult to do since he'd gotten into the groove of his new lifestyle after infiltrating Kamoshida's palace. Whenever he was presented with an opportunity, it was like fate spat on him for doing whatever he felt was right. There had to be something obvious he was missing that could solve this entire problem, but he just couldn't see it, at least not from in here. "Let's go. Time to investigate," Akira announced, picking up his bag and gesturing for Morgana to join him.
"About time. You sure you don't want another person for back-up?" Morgana asked, showing the first signs of real concern since they'd received the anonymous threat.
Akira shook his head. "No point in calling attention to myself since I'm dead. I'm better off going on my own with you." With that decision made, Akira stepped out the door and immediately ran into one of the people on his list.
The incidental collision would have happened literally had the person who had raised a hand to knock on the door not seen the danger coming and dodged backwards gracefully like she'd expected it. Kasumi Yoshizawa held her mouth open in surprise as Akira appeared at the door. Akira was just as surprised to see someone he recognized, but not in a positive light. "Senpai!" Kasumi exclaimed in surprise. "Um, sorry! I'll come back later!" With that, she dashed off before Akira could so much as raise a hand in protest.
By the time the leader of the Phantom Thieves had regained his bearings Kasumi was turning down another alleyway. "What are you doing, get after her!" Morgana hissed, already leaping from Akira's bag to begin the chase.
Spurred into action, Akira darted off into the bitter cold of the evening after his junior. Kasumi Yoshizawa was near the bottom of his suspect list. Despite knowing who the Phantom Thieves were, she was expressly on their side regarding Masayoshi Shido and arguably stood to gain the least from selling them out to Shido. Having her show up and run away just as quickly was forcing Akira to reassess his judgement. Kasumi was speedy, no doubt as a result of her gymnast training, but there were few people who knew the streets around LeBlanc better than Morgana. It wasn't just because of his midnight prowls; security had become an absolute necessity given the recent breaches they'd been dealing with. No matter what route she took to try to lose the duo among the scattered crowds, Morgana unfailingly led Akira back on the trail like there was a red string connecting cat and girl together. Kasumi came back into Akira's sight at the same time as the train station, the girl preparing to turn around on her heels and dart into the underground. Akira cursed under his panting breath. If he let Kasumi get to the train station, it'd be that much more difficult to follow her without making a scene, and the junior no doubt knew that. A rapid hand signal was exchanged with Morgana, making use of a trick they'd picked up from Hifumi's training to indicate their next move without words. Whipping out his phone, Akira activated the app that would send him into the metaverse.
The metaverse app was an odd piece of coding, if that was even what ran it. It could pull in nearby people when the user transitioned between the real world and the metaverse, but the user had to either be extremely close to their target or they had to be viewing the phone directly. Futaba had extensively researched the properties of the app in preparation for playing their trick on Akechi, but even she had failed to do any more than discern how the app works without digging into the code itself. Pressing the button, Akira hurled the phone out in front of him as Kasumi finished rounding the corner, milliseconds away from disappearing. Morgana jumped as Akira made his play, snatching the phone in his mouth while landing in front of Kasumi with one graceful leap. The gymnast spared only a brief glance to the cat that had appeared in front of her, but this glance was all Akira needed. Combined with Morgana entering the metaverse, Kasumi had more than met every condition necessary to leave the real world behind. Beginning navigation. A female voice echoed from the app as Kasumi leapt past the odd passerby that had stopped to gawk at the scene. Had anyone continued to look as she rounded another corner, they might have noticed she'd disappeared.
As Joker rounded the same corner and approached the subway stairs, his clothes finished shifting from his hoodie to his metaverse regalia. The thief felt his stamina and confidence surge merely by the virtue of visualizing his rebellious spirit. Kasumi's outfit had shifted as well, though this detail was all Joker could discern before her form disappeared into the gaping maw that was the entrance to Mementos. Wasting no time, Joker leapt down the stairs after her, Morgana right by his side. "Car?" Morgana offered, already preparing to transform.
"Not yet. Let's try to get her out quietly first," Joker denied, taking off in a full sprint after the figure in the distance.
Entering Mementos was a large gamble. It certainly allowed Joker and Mona to act to the best of their capabilities without fear of identification, but they were inviting both shadows and the ever-shifting landscape of the people's palace to cause them to lose either Kasumi and their way back at any moment. Mona didn't question Joker's decision, but these thoughts were clearly running through his head as they continued their pursuit. "This isn't the main entrance to Mementos," Joker explained as they turned down a corridor to avoid a wandering shadow. "It doesn't go very deep." Joker didn't comment on why he knew that, opting instead to maintain his pace so as not to lose Kasumi.
As they approached the dead-end Joker knew they'd eventually reach after some minutes of sprinting turned into walking, the thief found himself appreciating Kasumi's tenacity. To flee so boldly through hostile territory took a resolve of will that Joker wished he could take better advantage of. Kasumi herself came into view as Joker and Mona rounded a final corner. The gymnast was exhausted, leaning against the off-putting crimson walls that made up the dead-end she'd found herself in. When she saw her pursuers, she tensed up, but didn't flee as they approached. The thieves slowed down, Joker allowing his hands to enter his pockets as he assessed their quarry. Her eyes darted around, as if the macabre walls and echoing winds were just now being acknowledged. If Joker wasn't careful, he might spook her into trying to fight her way out. "Why'd you run?" he asked as he stopped short out of range of Kasumi's rapier.
Contrary to his expectations, Kasumi looked away guiltily instead of asking any questions. "Um, well I kind of needed your help with something, but when you came out of the café looking all upset, I felt like it wouldn't be right of me to add on to your problems when you're already dealing with all your phantom thief saving the world business. I can't exactly say my problems are relevant to that, right?"
"So you decided the best way to deal with it was to flee?"
"I didn't ask you to follow me!" Kasumi snapped before covering her mouth. "Oh, um, sorry senpai. But seriously, what's going on here? Did you create this place?"
"This is Mementos, a palace of the general public. It exists almost everywhere in Tokyo, but it's most visible in the subway system," Mona piped up as he drew his scimitar. "We used it because we have a serious problem today, and we can't afford to have anyone suspicious running away from us." The cat was doing his absolute best to sound authoritative despite being a fifth of everyone's height, but Kasumi was unmoved.
The gymnast shook her head emphatically. "I'm not suspicious! It's the other way around! I think someone's targeting me too!"
"And I'm a talking cat," Mona fired back sardonically. "How gullible do you think we-" Mona cut himself off when Joker raised a hand for silence.
"Too?"
Kasumi tilted her head. "Yeah, I got this letter in the mail and-"
"And you assumed it was connected to the calling card we received when you went to ask me about it," Joker finished. "The only thing that doesn't explain is how Mona failed to see you when he was supposed to be watching LeBlanc the entire time the card was posted."
Two accusatory glares turned towards the cat. Realizing his mistake, Mona quickly sheathed his weapon and looked away in embarrassment. "Uh, I think I hear a shadow coming! We should get out of here while we can. I'm gonna transform, so let's leave and not discuss this again, okay?" Before Joker could protest, Mona transformed into a car, badly startling Kasumi.
"You can become a car, kitty? Or is that your true form? How does-"
"Don't worry about it," Joker interrupted. "He's at least right that it's not safe here. Let's retreat for now."
With a nod, Kasumi joined Joker inside the Mona car, the leader taking the wheel to drive them out of Mementos. As they drove, Joker realized just how far in they'd come. He'd meant to catch Kasumi as soon as they entered the metaverse, but she'd been far more slippery than he'd anticipated. This thought, however, wasn't as pressing in Joker's mind as the implications of Kasumi's earlier statement. "Since you've seen the calling card, you already have the general idea of the situation. Someone has somehow figured out I'm alive and is targeting the Phantom Thieves, as well as you apparently. We don't know how."
Kasumi tilted her head. "Are there a lot of people who know you're alive? Have you allowed yourself to go outside much right now? Since you're ah, dead I mean."
For a moment Akira had no idea what to say. He wasn't sure if there was anything to say when someone like Kasumi suddenly showed up on your doorstep and then proceeded to run away without a very good explanation, but being reminded he was dead only served to emphasize how strange his life had become. Worse, things had been a bit awkward between them since he'd instructed Kasumi to lay low following the events at Sae's palace. Though she'd proven herself an asset in helping Joker escape from the shadows long enough for their plan to be enacted, he'd rejected her offer of assistance for infiltrating Shido's ark. There were several reasons for this, not the least of which was the danger involved. Much as his team could use another capable set of hands, he couldn't involve someone with a monster like Shido in good faith. Besides, the bastard was his target anyways. "I can keep a low profile," Akira responded evenly as he looked around to make sure there were no shadows in the area. "What made you want to come back to LeBlanc after seeing the card? We're usually closed this time of day."
Blushing, Kasumi shook her head. "Oh, no, like I said, it's not for the coffee. Not that the coffee is bad, I just wanted to see if you'd returned to find the card on the door. I considered taking it in myself but I didn't want anyone to see me and there were people around." A glance Morgana couldn't see was shot in his direction. "I know you didn't send my card, but it seemed like something I should bring to your attention." The freshman withdrew a calling card that appeared to be identical to the one Joker had seen taped to Café LeBlanc earlier. Already feeling his heart begin to sink all over again, Akira glanced at the card as he drove, Kasumi reading it aloud for Morgana to hear.
Yoshizawa,
This is your only warning. If you continue your association with the Phantom Thieves, I will be forced to sever your ties to them myself without fail. You have until sundown tomorrow.
"Still no signature," Akira muttered, lost in thought.
"You think that there should be one?" Kasumi piped up.
"When we steal a treasure, it's basically a necessity to indicate who's coming to take it," Morgana explained. "Maybe we should continue this somewhere outside of the Metaverse. There's too great a risk that someone will attack us out here."
"No, this is actually a good opportunity," Akira countered, parking Morgana near the Metaverse entrance. "Kasumi, can you summon your persona?"
Kasumi responded by getting out of the car and summoning Cendrallion without any effort. The graceful persona bowed once, awaiting further orders. "Can people with palaces have personas?" Joker asked the expert.
Morgana shook his head after he finished transforming. "I've never heard of anything like that, but I guess it's not impossible. Your persona is another side of yourself, much in the same way a person's shadow is. I suppose the main difference is how well you can control a persona versus a shadow. If you remember, Futaba was able to exist in her palace with her shadow for a little while, but doing this destabilized the whole palace. With all that in mind, I think it's reasonable to conclude that Kasumi probably doesn't have a shadow running around somewhere. If she did, her persona or she would be reacting in some way." To prove the point further, Akira summoned Arsene with no effect.
"As I suspected," Joker agreed as he called Arsene back. "Alright, we can pull out now. I've confirmed what I needed to confirm."
With that decided, the trio retreated to a nearby alleyway after exiting the Metaverse. Morgana had wanted to return into LeBlanc, but Akira had insisted otherwise, citing the scene they'd likely made for passerby and his desire not to return without concrete leads. When he was sure they were alone, Akira sighed as the weight of his situation fell on his shoulders once more. "Someone knows our secret and is threatening us," He summarized. "If you got a calling card then maybe some of my other confidants did too."
Kasumi's brow furrowed. "What can you do about it? Are you going to stop trying to infiltrate Shido's palace?"
Akira shook his head in tandem with Morgana. "We can't afford to stop now, not after everything we've been through to get to that bastard. It's because of people like whoever sent this card that we have to take him down."
Kasumi looked at her feet. It was no secret that she wasn't entirely on board with the philosophy of the rest of the Phantom Thieves. Akira placed a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "I know it's not how you feel, but there's nobody else who can do this. If we let Shido have his way and become the Prime Minister, it can only spell disaster for Japan, maybe even the world."
"Then you should let me help you," Kasumi pouted. "At least then I don't have to feel bad worrying if you're going to be alright."
"It's not your fight," Akira denied quickly. "My team can handle this. I don't want to repeat our conversation again." Morgana shot Akira a look when he mentioned his team's competence that was ignored.
"Neither do I," Kasumi agreed half-heartedly, turning away towards a wall. "But that doesn't mean I can't help you with this. Clearly whoever sent these letters thinks I'm directly involved with you somehow."
"Which doesn't make sense," Morgana chimed in. "If you're being singled out, it stands to reason that whoever is doing this somehow saw you entering the metaverse. Have you done that since Sae's palace?"
Kasumi shook her head. "I even tried deleting the app, but no dice. There was no reason for me to infiltrate anywhere anyways."
Akira had mostly tuned out of his friend's conversation and was concentrating on the task at hand. In order to find whoever did this, I need to think in terms of who could have potentially seen all of us enter or exit the metaverse and also wouldn't want to try and kill or arrest us on sight. This person also needs to know that I survived the attempt on my life, but I don't necessarily know that they know that, or even that I know them in the first place. Putting that point aside for now, there's only a handful of confidants that have both the knowledge and means necessary to fit that description. And if I want to narrow that list down further, I need more information. Assuming I'm being monitored, the natural choice is obvious. Akira came out of his mind palace in time to notice Kasumi and Morgana staring at him. "What's up?"
"Apparently nothing important enough for you to pay attention," Morgana groused. "I was asking you if you're okay with taking Kasumi along with you. She doesn't seem inclined to leave." Kasumi was emphasizing this point by holding Morgana in a comfortable yet firm grip.
Frankly, Akira didn't want to bring Kasumi along where he was going, but leaving her to her own devices considering the situation wasn't much of an option either. "She stays with us to keep her safe," Akira decided. "Unless you think she'd be better off on her own."
"She might not, but we might be in trouble. You're dead, remember?"
"Then we'll have to be inconspicuous," Akira shrugged off. "What happened to the charming gentleman thief in you who said I should bring a companion?"
"That's just for Lady Ann's sake," Morgana waved off with a paw before jumping back into Akira's backpack from Kasumi's arms. "Do as you will. Just don't expect me to be any help when the cops start asking questions." It appeared as though Morgana was following the line of thought that Akira had regarding their next ideal destination.
Kasumi looked between the two. "You're both really good friends, aren't you?"
"I keep him well-fed," Akira shrugged off as he gave Morgana a scratch behind the ear. "If you're coming, you're going to want to change out of your school uniform. It'll make getting around where we're going even more difficult."
Kasumi tugged on her uniform. "Why, are we going swimming or something? It's a little cold for that, isn't it?"
Akira shook his head and smiled cryptically. "We're going to get our fortunes told."