The red-light district was oppressively bright in the twilight of the day. It was just dark enough for the various neon lights to turn on even as the last vestiges of sunlight brough hands to foreheads and painted the sky in the same brilliant reds and yellows the sleaziest part of town did artificially. Combined with the sunset, it was a sensory overload that the hawkers and drug dealers on the ground were only too eager to take advantage of. "Stay close," Akira warned his companion unnecessarily. "If you're with someone they're less likely to bother you."
Kasumi was currently clinging to Akira's arm like it was the last piece of flotsam from her capsized vessel. The freshman had rightfully never been to Shinjuku and was left somewhere between being mesmerized by the distracting lights and intently focused on not making eye contact with anyone. In a way it reminded Akira of Makoto and her first trip to Tokyo's open secret of an underbelly, but the student council president had the smarts to move in the daytime when her presence would be questioned but tolerated. If a police officer saw them, it wouldn't just be Akira who would be getting arrested. "Are you doing alright? Wanna hold my paw too?" Morgana offered, feline eyes reflecting the neon lights out from Akira's bag.
"N-no, I'm just fine, thank you," Kasumi stuttered as Akira led them around a man who was already stumbling drunk down the middle of the street. "I'm just not used to this kind of place."
"It's busier than it was in the summer," Akira noted, pausing by the Crossroads bar. "If you don't want to come, I can-"
"You're not leaving me behind now," Kasumi insisted, her fierce gaze meeting Akira's slightly bemused one in an about face from her previous statement.
The thief was startled by how intense he was being regarded and looked away with a blush. One thing he'd never had to complain about since becoming a Phantom Thief was the opportunity to meet stubborn people. Perhaps his own preferences were biasing his sample pool, but Akira preferred to see it as being drawn to people with strong willingness to rebel against their lot in life. How this applied to Kasumi deciding to change into an outfit that stood out more than her school uniform was a mystery that he wouldn't be solving anytime soon. She had donned a red overcoat over a cream sweater and a pair of white shorts that complemented her brown sandals. It was as though she'd thrown a summer outfit and winter outfit into a blender, the result being one shivering freshman only half-protected against the December cold. "I asked you to change so you wouldn't stand out," Akira commented to change the subject as she sneezed.
"You told me we were in a hurry and that I couldn't use my uniform! Today was laundry day so this was all I had and these sandals are the only thing that goes with these shorts!" Kasumi complained with a stamp of her foot. "You could at least say thank you for getting us here while there was still daylight left!"
The outburst prompted Akira to smirk until Kasumi's pout elicited a half-hearted thanks. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but his kouhai was cute when she was pouting, and he'd learned quickly from Ann's interactions with Morgana that girls would take full advantage of this weakness if they ever found that out. "Right, well we're almost there," Akira announced to distract both parties as they continued their trek through the red ocean of barely legal distractions until the stand Akira was searching for came into sight.
Though Akira had texted ahead to ensure that Chihaya would be set up tonight, it still relieved him to see her booth near the entrance to a seedy alley-way. Kasumi was less impressed as Akira indicated their destination by exchanging a friendly wave with the fortune-teller. Perhaps it was the scent of booze that permeated the air around Chihaya's place of business or the fact that said place of business was a simple table with two chairs. "You took me out here so you could meet a woman?" She hissed into Akira's ear.
"Don't judge books by their covers," Morgana warned. "A true thief sees the real value in everything behind the mask of lies."
"You know it's not like that," Akira defended, purposefully avoiding talking out loud to his cat as they reached Chihaya's booth. "This is the fortune teller I was telling you about. Her predictions are unerring."
Chihaya rose from her seat with folded arms and a good-natured smile. "Says the boy who kept messing up my divinations for months. In any case, I don't believe we've met, young lady. Good evening. My name is Chihaya Mifune. I provide fortune-telling services for a small fee. How can I help you?"
Kasumi visibly relaxed slightly at Chihaya's demeanor. Though she wouldn't outwardly state it, the gymnast was probably thankful they were meeting a woman rather than the alternative given their location. "My name is Kasumi Yoshizawa. It's nice to meet you. I'm here to support my senpai with his problem."
With the ball passed back to Akira, he took a moment to look around to ensure nobody was watching them. "You're sure nobody will come by?" he asked, the most nebulous part of their planned meeting still bugging him.
"I'm not perfect, but I did not see any obstacles ruining our meeting today when I looked into it," Chihaya confirmed. "It must be difficult being deceased."
"It has pros and cons," Akira shrugged off as he withdrew the calling card from his pocket. "This is the card I texted you about." He placed it on the table in front of the fortune-teller as he sat down.
Chihaya ran her fingers over the envelope and the card contained within. "You're certain that the person responsible for sending this card actually wrote it?" she asked, her voice slipping into professional mode.
"Certain," Akira lied.
"Then give me a moment. I'll see what fate has to say about your relationship to the person who sent this card." With that, Chihaya withdrew a set of tarot cards from her pocket and began to shuffle them.
As they waited for Chihaya to finish divining, Akira became aware that Kasumi was still uncomfortable, having remained standing since they'd arrived. Nearly a minute of fidgeting and watching her breath form in the December air culminated in her leaning in to whisper into Akira's ear. "Are you sure you should be trusting her with that? I mean, I get that she figured out you're a Phantom Thief and all, but-"
"I don't trust people easily," Akira informed his companion more to convince himself than Kasumi. "I can't afford to. But I trust Chihaya. We helped her get out of a bad business deal and she helps us with her fortunes. If she wanted to rat us out she could have done it a long time ago."
"There are few people I can trust myself," Chihaya chimed in, her eyes closed as she moved some facedown cards around. "But Akira-san and the Phantom Thieves saved me. I owe them for helping me find my own fate in this life. And I don't need to divine anything to know that they are good people."
The words warmed Akira's heart and persuaded Kasumi to finally sit down at Chihaya's booth. Despite still being exposed to the elements from the waist down, she had stopped shivering. "I see. That's nice to hear. To be honest, I'd rather people not have to rely on things like fortunes or the Phantom Thieves to solve their problems, so I was a bit skeptical, but if Senpai trusts you, then I will too."
Chihaya paused in her work for a moment, locking eyes with the freshman who perhaps didn't understand that she'd insulted Chihaya's trade. "Your way of thinking is noble, but naïve, Yoshizawa-san. Most people are not of strong enough will to act for themselves, or even to understand what that means. While it may be illegal, what the Phantom Thieves do is provide a service that I consider to be indispensable for giving people hope that hearts can change. It won't spur every lethargic body into action, but that doesn't mean the effort is wasted. I've seen and experienced it for myself. Many have come to me seeking to avoid some sort of cruel fate, only to buy into the first option of escape I provided for them whether it was what they actually needed or not. Given the choice, I'd rather we have an actual cure than the placebos of the past. Is it not wrong to say one person can't be saved because another should have been able to save themselves?" Her point made, Chihaya returned to her work.
This summation left Kasumi speechless. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, only to think better of her comment at the last second every time. That Chihaya had read Kasumi's full opinion on the Phantom Thieves overall so quickly was another testament to her skill as a fortune teller. The freshman's feet crossed and uncrossed under the table as she sat pensively. Akira wasn't sure who was focusing harder between her and Chihaya. Distracting himself by watching the people passing by on the main road was the only way Akira could even attempt to ignore the tension in the air. Eventually, Chihaya broke her silence with a sigh. She held her hands out in front of her toward the table to reveal that none of the cards she'd been shuffling had ended up face up. "The base tarot cards have no connection to this calling card," Chihaya admitted, some frustration evident in her voice. "This rarely happens. Almost always some thread of fate can be seen in the common events that make up our everyday lives, but this card is free, floating into your life with no strings attached."
"What does that mean?" Akira pressed, dissatisfied with the explanation.
"It means that the card is likely inconsequential to your fate," the fortune-teller explained calmly. "If you'd like to change that, I have no doubt that you could, but as things stand, this has little to do with the death that whispers behind your ear and laps at your heels." Chihaya had mentioned this on several of Akira's recent visits, though Akira had assumed the shadow of death had been his gamble to let Akechi think he'd succeeded in murdering the leader of the Phantom Thieves.
"Don't look at me," Morgana snarked as Akira and Kasumi both looked behind Akira.
For a moment, Chihaya squinted in suspicion at Morgana. Akira tensed up, ready to do his best Morgana impression. If anyone could possibly detect that Morgana wasn't an ordinary cat, it would be Chihaya. Fortunately, she let her suspicions go for the moment and turned a regretful smile to her confidant. "I'm truly sorry, Akira-san. I know you would have preferred a more concrete answer, but unfortunately fate does not lend its guidance to everything."
"What about this card then," Akira redirected as he revealed Kasumi's card, unwilling to give up just yet. "This was given to Yoshizawa yesterday."
"We think they're connected," Kasumi elaborated.
Chihaya frowned at the card, studying it in relation to its partner on the table. "The origins of this calling card are even murkier than the first one, but I can try." She closed her eyes once more and began to divine, shuffling cards around while staring at nothing.
As she worked, her brow furrowed. The easy movements that characterized her previous divination became more sluggish, forced. It was as if the cards themselves were resisting Chihaya's actions as she struggled to get them around the table. Eventually, however, she opened her eyes once more, three tarot cards lying face up on the table. Justice, the hanged man, and the chariot cards stared back at Akira, with justice and the hanged man being reversed. "Whoever sent you this card has not done so in good faith," Chihaya noted. "And their gesture is perhaps a useless one. Based on this reading, I guess that you don't have to worry about whoever sent this going through with their threat."
"You guess?" Akira questioned, his eyes drifting toward the justice card, Akechi's card. "We need to be as certain as possible here."
"There is only so much the cards can tell me," Chihaya apologized with a bow. "While I understand the gravity these calling cards propose, fate is saying that they are likely the work of a devoted fan. If anything, they likely need your help rather than you need to defend yourself from them."
"We might need to break this up soon," Morgana warned. "Don't turn around, but the crowds are getting denser. I won't be able to watch for cops."
Acknowledging the warning with a nod, Akira picked up the cards. "So they have something to do with Kasumi's fate, but not mine?" Akira asked for confirmation.
"All I can say for certain is that the person who wrote Yoshizawa's card adamantly believes they are right and their belief is likely misguided. Normally I would get more information for you than that, but there appears to be some sort of outside force blocking my senses. It is vexing. I may need to meditate on this for a while." Kasumi tilted her head as she was given an odd look. "I could not see your future, Yoshizawa-san. This isn't entirely uncommon, but I couldn't see your past either. Whatever shadow has a hold of you, it is choking my abilities. I would exercise caution."
"Um, I don't feel choked," Kasumi managed to reply with a tilt of her head. "Should I?"
"I've lost visual on the nearest patrolman," Morgana announced.
It was time to go. Akira rose from his seat and motioned for Kasumi to do the same. "Thanks anyways for trying, Chihaya. Put this reading on my tab."
Chihaya only nodded in understanding as she noticed the crowds growing denser behind them. "Of course. May the blessings of fate guide you." With that, Akira practically dragged Kasumi away from the table, who was still trying to divine for herself what the dark fate Chihaya had described was.
"Why can't we stay a little longer? I wanna know what she's talking about," Kasumi protested.
"The crowds getting denser means more police will be about to control traffic flow. Blending in isn't as big a benefit as having more possible pairs of eyes on us," Akira explained as they waded through the sea of the faceless public. "And I have enough information to determine what we should do next. We're going to-"
"Hey beautiful, what are you doing wandering around a place like this dressed like that?" A man catcalled from the entrance to a nearby bar, the stench of cigars on his breath wafting from across the street. "Wanna come back inside with me, learn a bit more about each other's tastes?"
Of all the times Kasumi could have been catcalled, it had to be when she was in the middle of a crowd of people obstinately refusing to walk faster than the world's fastest lame duck. "I'll pass, thank you," Kasumi waved off, already pushing her way through the masses with Akira firmly putting himself between Kasumi and the drunk.
"Daw, come on baby, it's just a little invitation! You don' gotta be so cold 'bout it yeah? Is it this square's fault? If I get ridda him will you come with me?" The man's belligerent nature was coming out in the worst way possible as he slurred his words just well enough to avoid throwing up.
"She said no," Akira replied forcefully, still refusing to turn to meet the drunk fully.
In response, the man lurched forward through the crowd that parted to avoid him and placed a sweaty hand on Kasumi's shoulder. "Dey allll say that. Come on, why don't you-" the man was cut off as his face met the pavement.
Several people started as Akira processed what had happened. He had been about to shove the man off himself, but Kasumi had tripped him with her leg before he could get the chance. The man groaned in pain, muttering a string of curses that would have made Kaneshiro blush. A month ago Akira would have sent the man packing without giving him a chance to get close at all, but any action that made a scene greatly increased their risk of exposure to far beyond acceptable levels. Had the man been alone, this perhaps would have been the end of the problem, but unfortunately two of his friends chose that moment to stumble drunkenly out of the bar. "Yo, Jun-kun, you gotta get back in here! What's the hold-up?"
In response, Jun pointed to the slowly retreating Kasumi as he struggled to rise to his feet. "This bitch is tryna show me up!" He lied while barely managing to remain standing. "And I'm not gunna stand for it!"
It took everything in Akira to not make a comment about how he already wasn't standing for this. At this point the man's yelling and subsequent spill had begun to attract the attention of the entire street, including a few police officers. Sensing the danger, Akira nudged his backpack. "You're up. Crossroads," he informed his friend before taking Kasumi's hand.
With a nod Akira couldn't see, Morgana suddenly leapt out of Akira's bag, badly startling the drunks that looked like they had been about to charge and drawing everyone's attention for a moment. "You damn drunks ruin the good name of the people of this land! You're going to cause everyone to be stupider just with your presence! Lady Ann would destroy you with a look if you so much as got within her line of sight! You losers! Look at me! I am Morgana, the greatest human Phantom Thief to ever life!" Morgana continued to shout out nonsense that came out as nonsensical meowing to everyone except Akira and Kasumi.
Having Morgana cause a distraction like this was dangerous for the very reasons that had been brought up in their meeting earlier, but here any potential incidents were much more likely to be hand waved away on someone who had gotten a bit too drunk at the bar. With everyone's eyes on the cat, the thief stole away into the crowd just as the police arrived to confront the drunks. By the time they'd regained what bearings they had and pointed where Kasumi had been standing, the duo was gone. Akira pulled his companion through the crowd, keeping his head down as he headed toward the nearest safe house he knew. Fortunately, they were already pretty close. The tension in Akira's hand suddenly went taut as Kasumi realized that she was being led into a bar. Reminding himself that he needed to explain his obtuse actions, Akira turned back and smiled reassuringly. "I work shifts here part-time sometimes. Don't worry, we can hang out here until things calm down," Akira insisted as his eyes scanned behind them for tails.
Only slightly comforted, Kasumi allowed herself to be led into Crossroads bar. Lala Escargot, the owner of the bar, raised an eyebrow as Akira entered with a girl in tow. "Did I have you scheduled for today honey? Sorry, must have been a mistake."
Akira shook his head as he sat down at the counter. "Not today, Lala-san. We just need a place to hang out until it's less busy." The student nodded his head to the crowds outside, where the police looked like they were about to get into a wrestling match with the drunks.
Lala assessed the situation with a glance and nodded. "Well, I won't turn down my hardest worker in need. Let me know if I can get you anything, honey."
"Just waters for now, thanks," Akira thanked as Kasumi sat down next to him.
"You sure know a lot of people in this area," Kasumi noted with a hint of accusation in her voice.
"When you're operating outside of the law you tend to meet people in low places," Akira waved off. "It doesn't mean they're bad people. There's a reporter who frequents here that I was hoping to get in touch with, but she's been unreachable lately."
Kasumi picked at the straps on her sandals, the impromptu run having bothered her feet. She didn't speak again until Lala had provided her water. "I guess I underestimated you," she finally spoke. "I mean, I knew you were amazing, with all the metaverse stuff and the personas and everything, but I didn't think you were so well connected everywhere. I find it a bit hard to grasp, to be honest."
Akira's hands interlocked as his elbows leaned into the bar. "I do too sometimes," he confessed. "Maybe it's weird to say, but I feel really lucky. This power gave me the opportunity to meet a lot of great people, do something that has a real positive impact on society. And now, with the person who tried to ruin so many of our lives right in front of me, I can't help but feel blessed to have the opportunity to make that bastard confess everything he's done out of his filthy mouth." The words brought a cruel smile to Akira's lips that disappeared when he noticed Kasumi staring at him.
Taking a sip of water to calm himself down, Akira sighed. "Maybe Morgana is right. I might be too personally invested in this palace. But we're still the only ones who can do something, so we have to keep going regardless of the risk. If we don't, then everything I've done will be for nothing. I don't want to go back to being powerless."
"That's not the way I see it. You don't have the people around you that you do because of your powers. You have them because you're you," Kasumi insisted. "I can't imagine you went around advertising you were a Phantom Thief to all your friends, right?"
Akira chuckled. "No, I suppose not." The thief checked his phone for the time. "Morgana should get back shortly. Once he does, I'm going to get in contact with the others and see if they've managed to dig anything up."
It was only another few moments of regular conversation between Akira and Kasumi before Morgana appeared. Talking to Kasumi was easy. No matter what he said, she found a way to keep the conversation going, putting in almost twice the effort necessary to appear affable. While from an adult Akira might have questioned that behavior, he knew Kasumi well enough to understand that this was just her being her. It wasn't quite the same as talking with his fellow thieves, but there was an ease that shared secrets brought into the conversation dynamic in addition to the lack of pressure from a shared burden that made Akira almost wish Morgana had taken longer to return. His life had been rather dour since he died, and it was nice to talk to a fellow high schooler normally again, even if it was in a bar neither of them were legally allowed to be in. As soon as Morgana entered the bar he darted into the open bag Akira had left on the ground for him. "No pursuers, of course," he informed Akira quietly.
Morgana's performance was rewarded with a bit of cat food Akira kept on him specifically for instances like this. He'd never verbally acknowledge Morgana's acceptance of this prize to avoid hurting his pride, but he knew his friend appreciated it. "Good. Then let's see what the others are up to," Akira decided, putting Makoto's contact information into his phone.
There were exactly two rings before the other line picked up. "I was just about to reach out," Makoto's voice came through as Akira put the phone to his ear. "Did you come up with anything?"
"You could say that," was Akira's vague reply as he glanced over to where Kasumi was playing with Morgana when she thought Lala wasn't looking. "Nothing conclusive though. What about you?"
There was a brief pause accompanied by the shuffling of papers on the other end of the line. "Well, to be completely honest, none of the information I found on any of your suspects was particularly flattering in the eyes of the law. We knew Iwai was former Yakuza, but it appears as though the reporter and our councilor both have had negative experiences with Masayoshi Shido that led to them getting ostracized out of their professions. They both had case files in Sis's folders she's been keeping on the topic. The only one that doesn't absolve is Iwai."
Akira nodded pointlessly. He had at least suspected Ohya's involvement with Shido, but it was interesting to learn that Maruki had experienced similar problems. While his heart went out to his former councilor, it was relieving to know that it as good as crossed him off of the suspect list. "Then we'll pay a visit to Untouchable before it gets too late," Akira decided. "Good work, Makoto."
"Wait, we? You mean you and Morgana?"
"Oh, uh, yeah," Akira responded immediately, having forgotten that he hadn't mentioned Kasumi's presence yet. "Have you heard from the other groups?" It wasn't his smoothest redirect, but it worked well enough for Makoto.
"No, unfortunately. Yusuke and Haru have covered most of their area, but Ryuji and Ann are moving more slowly. They sounded like they were arguing on the phone."
"Is that Makoto-senpai?" Kasumi whispered in Akira's unoccupied ear. "Is she a Phantom Thief too?"
Akira shot Kasumi a look that implied she should be quiet. He hadn't meant to hide her presence from the team, he'd just been waiting for a good opportunity to bring it up. It seemed as though fate had deigned now to be that time. "Alright. Listen, there's something else I need to mention. On the way out Morgana and I ran into Kasumi Yoshizawa. You might know her, she's the freshman who transferred to Shujin around the same time as me. She received a calling card similar to ours."
"Hold on, what? Why? What does she have to do with us?" Makoto asked, confusion evident in her tone."
"I have a persona too," Kasumi spoke up, unwilling to remain silent any longer. "Um, hello, senpai. I made Akira-senpai take me with him when I heard he was investigating the same thing I was."
There was a pregnant pause on the other end of the line. "…Good evening, Yoshizawa-san. Please let me speak to Akira for a moment longer, if you don't mind. Alone."
A nod Makoto couldn't see preceded Kasumi scooting her chair away from Akira's once more. This wasn't how he'd wanted to reveal Kasumi's existence to the team, but today was apparently make Akira's relationships difficult day. Though reluctant, Akira brought the phone to his ear again. "Yes?"
"What the hell are you thinking bringing a freshman to the red-light district?!" Makoto yelled in Akira's ear loud enough for Kasumi to clearly hear. "More importantly, how much does she know about us and why?" If the justification wasn't rock solid, Akira had a sneaking suspicion that he'd be feeling his mistake physically.
"She knows because she has a persona, like she said. It happened back in October, a week or so before everything that went down with Akechi. She got dragged into the Metaverse by accident and awakened a persona. I didn't tell you all because I didn't want to put undue stress on everyone." Even coming out of his mouth Akira could tell that his words were doing anything but placating Makoto.
"So you and I'm guessing Morgana knew about another active persona user besides Akechi and decided it wouldn't be prudent to tell us?" she asked for confirmation.
Morgana attempted to get out of his bag to clarify things, but Akira held him down with one hand and a stern look. "That's right. Nobody else knew about Kasumi. She was the strange signal that appeared in Sae's palace when we stole the treasure. She followed us and helped me out of a bind. More importantly, this event also appears to have been enough to trigger someone sending her a calling card of similar nature to ours, so I took her along. I wouldn't have brought her along if I didn't feel it was necessary for our case. Understand me when I say this is probably the lead we need to solve everything. We have no reason not to trust her."
Another long pause at the other end of the line gave Akira anxiety. This was somehow far more stressful than fighting any of the numerous shadows he'd come across in his travels through the metaverse. "Alright. Now isn't the time to discuss this, but we will be speaking about this with the team later. Until then, you should focus on Iwai. I'll fill everyone else in on the details. Did you figure anything out besides how to keep secrets from your teammates?"
If Makoto was being passive-aggressive right now, Akira didn't want to see anything close to regular aggressive Makoto. "No, the fortune reading revealed nothing. I had her check the card Yoshizawa-san received as well."
"Alright then. What's our next move?"
Having finally been given a chance to seize control of the conversation, Akira took it. "Get another update from the other groups and send Ryuji and Ann toward Untouchable. I'll meet up with them there to compare notes. If we play our cards right, we should solve this problem with time to spare. Futaba, I know you're listening. How's progress with the cameras on Leblanc?"
There was silence on the line before another voice crackled into existence. How Futaba pulled this sort of thing off Akira had no idea, but it only made him feel more fortunate that she was on his side. "Sorry, didn't want to butt into mom and dad arguing. As I said, Sojiro did a number on those cameras to prevent anyone from seeing that you're alive. Nobody has come to repair them, so my hands are kinda tied here. I might be able to salvage some footage from nearby streets, but there's no guarantee the culprit went down any of those routes."
"That's okay. Review the footage and look for any of the people I mentioned. If it's anyone else don't worry about it. Call us if you find anything."
"Yessir. Just remember you owe me a new game for this," With that, the crackling noise subsided and Akira was back on the line with Makoto again.
"Did you hear that?"
"Yes, I did. I'll fulfill my role on my end. You just make sure you fulfill yours." With that, Makoto hung up as well.
A breath Akira didn't realize he'd been holding was released. Talking to his teammates wasn't supposed to be this nerve-wracking. It didn't help that he'd been caught keeping a secret from them on top of already having them doubt his confidants. "Are you alright?" Kasumi asked, sliding Akira's water a bit closer to him.
Shaking his head, Akira offered a small smile. "I'm alright. They know what the job is. They'll follow my instructions."
"I'm not concerned about that, I'm concerned about you. Aren't you worried about your friends?"
"Their safety comes before what they think about me," Akira waved off. "Besides, once we take Shido down…" The clear train of logic Akira had been following was headed for a station he didn't like, so the thief trailed off.
There was an awkward silence in the room. Akira had never wanted to address the issue directly, but in all likelihood their days as Phantom Thieves would end with Shido's defeat. Sure, they could keep raiding palaces to their heart's content, but doing that would only eventually bring some other force up to meet their advance until they were eventually put in checkmate. The ties that held them together were primarily professional, and when those were severed, it was inevitable that they would drift apart. Had Akira been able to think like that, perhaps facing the potential truth would have hurt less. But there wasn't time for those kinds of thoughts. All that Akira was permitting himself to focus on in the moment was dealing with the threat to his friends. "In order to take Shido down, there can't be anything that stands in our way," Akira determined firmly. "We're the only ones who can do that."
"When it comes to other problems, I might be inclined to disagree with you," Kasumi admitted. "But based on what you told me about Akechi, it seems pretty clear that you really are the only ones who can do this. That's why I want to help-"
"Enough," Akira cut off with a wave as he rose from his seat. "We're short on time already. We need to get to Untouchable before Ryuji and Ann get there. I have some questions I want Iwai to answer before we make our next move."
Kasumi rose as well, her posture decidedly unsteady for someone with her balance. "Why didn't you tell Makoto-senpai about my reading? Wasn't it different from yours?"
Akira shrugged as he shouldered his bag. "Sort of. The implications of Chihaya's readings for me could mean something very different if she directs them at someone else. If I was interpreting the results she got for your card as my own, I would still say visiting Iwai is our best bet. There's nobody who's more devoted to his way of life than he is, maybe because he's seen a lot of the worst people have to offer."
The reassuring endorsement for Iwai's character somehow didn't galvanize Kasumi to start charging forward to break his door down. "Are you sure about this? That we aren't, well, going in circles right now looking for leads?"
Akira shook his head. "We're just chasing every lead we have. If anything, this is due diligence."
"He's right," Morgana agreed. "When these guys started out, they were baby fledglings that jumped at the sight of a shadow. With my guidance, however, they've become a strike force of unparalleled power and precision."
"Is that right?" Kasumi asked, apparently unconvinced. "Well, I suppose Joker is a lot different from Akira."
Dropping some money on the table for Lala's trouble, Akira checked outside one more time before holding the door open for Kasumi. This gave him time to reflect on just how right his kouhai was. Joker never had any trouble keeping his affairs in order or managing people. Forming connections in the Metaverse was as simple as being relatable to shadows. Real people were much more complicated. The door closed with finality behind the duo as Akira turned his thoughts towards the next phase of their plan. If he was going to launch a counterattack against the person behind this calling card, he'd have to do it tonight. "He's probably more different than you know."