Chapter 22: Mine of Gluttony/Ally of Justice

June 22nd

After helping out on the cafe in the morning, Kazumi went to Shibuya around the afternoon:

-"What are you planning to do today?"- Morgana asked her as he noticed her entering the alley near the airsoft shop.

-"I have an invitation to make."- she replied to him but her sight was looking at the Velvet room's door.

-"Here you are, client."- Will greeted her.

-"Will. Can you call Victor? I want to bring you two to the place on the list."- she said to him.

-"Really? Now?"- Will seemed a bit surprised by her mood.-"Fine. He's coming."

The Velvet room opened and the other twin came from there:

-"Did you call?"- Victor said as he was adjusting his tie.

-"Woah! The two kids from before again!!"- Morgana exclaimed surprised. He didn't notice when they suddenly appeared.

-"Yes. Let's go to the batting cages."-she said with a smile to the children.

-"Very well. Guide us, client."- Victor said as he took Kazumi by the hand and Will took the other hand.

-"Huh?"- Kazumi was confused that Will held her hand instead of Victor's like last time.

-"W-What are you looking at?"- Will exclaimed nervously.

-"It's nothing."- she replied looking away and they started to walk towards the station. -"Thanks for earlier, you two."

-"If you want to thank us, get stronger and beat that shadow by yourself!"- Will said in a noisy voice.

-"I agree. You and your acquaintances are still green...including that one."- Victor mentioned and then, looked at Morgana.

-"Green? What do you kids know…!?"- Morgana hissed angry.

-"Make the cat behave, client."- Victor said to Kazumi.

-"Yes, yes. We'll train more later."- Kazumi replied to him as she smiled. She really liked to be around little kids.

-"You spoil them too much…"- Morgana complained.

They rode the train to Yongen-Jaya and went to the batting cages:

-"Welcome."- the old man with a cap said to Kazumi.-"Oh it's you! We have some new challenges since you beat your record last time."

-"That's great!"- Kazumi said excited but she looked at the twins and thought a beginner course was fitting.-"But...I think I'll go with the beginner course today."

-"What? Are you a coward now?"- Will said to her.-"Come on, show us if you can beat your record again this time!"

-"I agree."- Victor said.

-"Are these kids coming to play too?"- the man said to her.

-"Eh!?"- Kazumi was surprised he could see them.-"Well, yes, they are."

-"You're kidding. How come he can see them!?"- Morgana meowed.

-"We are paying our own entries to the cage."- Victor said as he pulled out a wallet.-"So, how much can I pay with this?"

-"Well, since it is the intermediate level...It comes down to a total of 3000 yen for the three of you."- the man explained nervously watching all those bills on the wallet.

-"I see…"- Victor just took two bills and put them on the table. Kazumi added her share as well.

-"Well, please head to the rooftop."- the man said as he took the money.

-"Yes. Thank you."- Kazumi bowed slightly.

In the batting cages, Kazumi took a bat and walked to the twins:

-"So, what exactly does one do here?"- Will asked.

-"I have read a bit about it."- Victor said.-"This place is to practice an activity of entertainment called 'Baseball' where one hits a ball with a stick called a 'bat' to throw the ball far away so another human can't catch it."

-"...It's more complicated than that. But, I will praise your understanding of what we're going to do here today."- Kazumi said.-"This is the bat."

-"Uh-huh…"-Will said as he looked at the piece of metal.

-"The objective of the batting cages is to hit that bullseye with the ball, a homerun."- she explained.

-"Morgana. Please watch them for me."- Kazumi said to the cat as she proceeded to get on the game.

-"Fine…"- Morgana purred reluctantly.

For a couple of minutes, the kids and Morgana watched Kazumi hit ball after ball trying to get the homerun. It took her a handful of 20 hits to get five homerun:

-"Uwah...So tired…"- Kazumi complained as she left the bat aside.-"How's that?"

-"I want to try."- Victor said as he stood up from the bench.-"This seems to be a proof of precision, is it not?"

-"Well, yes. You need to hit the ball in a very precise moment to get the homerun."- Morgana mentioned.

-"This will be a breeze."- Victor said as he adjusted his gloves and took the bat to prepare himself.

-"Just watch out for the ball…"- Kazumi warned him as she sat next to Will.

-"Un garde."- Victor said with a serious fierce expression and the machine shot the first ball which he sent flying over the bullseye.

-"Too far, Victor!"- Will exclaimed.

-"Don't pay attention to him! You almost got it!"- Kazumi exclaimed.

-"Stay quiet, you two."- he just replied seriously and on his distraction, he missed the second ball.-"See?"

-"Hmp."-Will just look away annoyed.

-"Geez, Will. You should be more supportive of your twin."- Kazumi scolded him.

-"I don't wanna hear your sibling's advice, client."- he replied.

-"By the way, why was the owner able to see you guys but my friends were not?"- Kazumi asked as she saw Victor throw another failed homerun.

-"We can appear to whoever we want."- Will replied.-"Besides, we can't break the rules."

-"Rules? Ah, you mean playing in the cages without paying?"- she realized.-"I see! That really makes a lawyer out of you two!"

As she said that, Victor struck the ball with the bat so hard that it hit the center of the whole bullseye:

-"Home run."-the kid said satisfied.

-"Wow, he did it!"- Kazumi said in surprise as they saw him make another 10.

-"So, it only takes to know where to hit the ball in a certain pattern…"- Victor said as he went out of the batting field.-"It is an interesting challenge, but, why do humans have a liking for this kind of sport?"

-"Uhmm...Because it teaches discipline and hard work."- Kazumi answered after thinking about it for long.-"Of course, that is because it's a team sport."

-"Oh, right. Kazumi, you were in a softball team in your hometown, right?"- Morgana said.-"That explains why you're good at teamwork!"

-"Not only precision but teamwork as well…"- Will said and stood up.-"You all are just a bunch of amateurs when it comes to Personas!"

-"Hey! Where's that coming from!?"- Morgana complained.

-"I believe in that as well."- Victor said-"But, maybe one day, you and your friends can pull up a fight against us."

-"Honestly….I don't feel like fighting any of you two, but…"- Kazumi said and took softly one hand of each of the twins.-"If that gets to happen, no hard feelings."

-"I-I see…"- Victor felt uncomfortable and took off his hand very fast.

-"What, Victor? I thought you didn't mind how pushy was the client."- Will mocked him as he also took his hand off.

-"Was I?"- Kazumi said worried.-"I am sorry, Victor!"

-"Your apology is not needed."- he replied. Will started to mock Victor a little more while Kazumi felt that her bond with them strengthened. The Strength arcana gained a sixth star.

After that, Kazumi left the twins in the Velvet Room in Shibuya and went to the train station. She checked her phone and saw a news article about the incident with Kamoshida months ago:

-"Oh, that's right. Ohya-san…"- she remembered.-"She covered her part of the deal…"

-"Uhm? What deal?"- Morgana asked.

-"Well, I agreed to give her news about the Phantom Thieves in exchange for some information on criminals to take down."- Kazumi explained.-"It is how I learnt about Furukawa's shady plans…"

-"I see. I understand how you felt like everything was pressuring you to do this…"- Morgana said.-"You won't back down, would you?"

-"No."- Kazumi shook her head.-"Perhaps, I should pay her a visit tonight…"

At night, on the Crossroads bar, the bartender Lala received Kazumi on her bar:

-"My, my, it's the lady from the last time…"-she said-"Are you looking for Ichiko?"

-"That's right. Although, she doesn't seem to be here…"- Kazumi replied.

-"Unfortunately, she is not dropping by today."-Lala explained as she was cleaning one of the glasses-"I can't serve you no more than water, so you better go home straight up."

-"You're right. Sorry to bother you, Lala-chan."- Kazumi said as a farewell.

As she moved down the street towards Shinjuku Station, she was stopped by someone:

-"Excuse me! The lady over there!"- she turned around and noticed that the fortune teller from last time was the one calling her.

-"Uh? That woman…"- Morgana thought it was familiar as Kazumi walked to her table.

-"Yes. Were you calling me?"- Kazumi asked her.

-"I knew I remembered you! You are that girl who was here the other day with her boyfriend!"- the blonde woman said-"Why are you alone today? Did you two break up? Was it my prediction?"

-"N-No, that's not it!"- Kazumi replied flustered-"We are not dating, to start with."

-"I see…"- the fortune teller murmured, feeling down for the misunderstanding.

-"That aside…"- Kazumi said as she sat down in the chair next to her.-"You are really a fortune teller, right? I have never seen one outside of TV!"

-"I am real, yes."-the blonde woman said as she coughed up to fix her voice.-"I can show it to you right now if you wish. The first consultation is free."-she added with a smile.

-"Really? Then, I will give it a try!"- Kazumi said excitedly. Perhaps, a good fortune reading will lift her mood a bit.

-"It will be my pleasure."- the fortune teller said as she took the arcana deck she had next to her.-"My name is Chihaya Mifune. I will be reading your future today."

-"Thank you. I am Kazumi Asaka."- Kazumi introduced herself with a slight bow of respect.

-"Kazumi Asaka. That's a lucky name."- Chihaya smiled.-"Now, what do you want to consult me about?"

-"Uhmm...Give me the full package! I want to know my luck on everything!"- Kazumi replied.

-"My…!"-Chihaya was surprised.-"I guess high schoolers have rough lives too…"

-"Very well, then let us start with an initial reading to test the waters of your fate."- Chihaya said as she started to mix the cards-"Oh divine power, bring forth this girl's future!"

As Chihaya proceeded to place the cards to read on the table, Kazumi looked in anticipation her fortune:

-"Alright. Now to read the cards…"-Chihaya started to flip them up-"Your first card is...uh..I see. The second one…"-she kept on the task until she flipped the last one, in the middle, it was 'The Death' arcana.

-"Yes. I've seen everything: A stream of light obscuring the sun...like an arrow piercing through the sky…"-Chihaya murmured.

-"How is my fortune, Mifune-san?"- Kazumi asked curiously.

-"Well. It is your lucky day."-Chihaya smiled.-"Your wealth and job are sure to bring more fruit. As for your love fortune, it seems like five colorful people will bring you a soulmate; it is your choice to accept their help."

-"Colorful people…? M-My soulmate?"- Kazumi felt like her face was getting red. That was a really weird fortune.

-"It seems these heroes will come to you at home."- Chihaya replied.-"Rush to home to accept its invitation."

-"Are you sure…?"- Kazumi asked.

-"Absolutely! I can only speak for what I see!"- Chihaya said optimistically.-"Fate is absolute."

-"However…"- Chihaya's eyes focused on the last card.-"The flow of your future seems to indicate…"

-"Ruin? I see chains and a cell, another you looking from afar…"- Kazumi seemed to recall that scenario.-"How strange. You seem like a nice girl...perhaps you have involved yourself in a dangerous situation?"

-"You think!?"- Kazumi was alarmed. This was the worst possible fortune that she could hear.

-"Moreover, it seems like your current path might lead you to...your death."- Chihaya mentioned with a serious face.

-"No…! What can I do to avoid that!?"- Kazumi asked as she stood up scared.

-"I...I can't offer advice to that end."- Chihaya looked down.-"However! I might have just something to protect you from that!"

-"Really???"- Kazumi and Morgana exclaimed to that proposition.

-"Yes. With my special holy stone...I am sure you can attempt to avoid such fate."- Chihaya said with a smirk as she took from her pocket a red stone.-"I typically recommend it to my most frequent customers, but I will make an exception for you since your situation is too dire to ignore."

-"All you need to do is wrap it under a cloth and recharge it with moonlight power every three days."- she explained.-"As for the cost, it will be 100,000 yen. A very good price for such a powerful item, if I may say so myself."

-"I'll take it!"- Kazumi suddenly exclaimed.

-"Meow!?"-Morgana meowed in shock.

-"It is a deal then."-Chihaya said with a smile and took Kazumi's payment.-"A smart decision,since it is the only thing that can change your future."

-"Thank you."- Kazumi took the stone wrapped in a nylon bag and put it in her own school bag.

-"Please feel free to stop by and tell me how your fate has changed."- Chihana said without leaving that innocent smile out of her face.

As they left the stand, Morgana asked Kazumi about her decision:

-"Kazumi...did you go insane just now?"- he questioned.-"We don't even know if this fortune telling is true or not!"

-"It will be cool if nothing she said became true…"- Kazumi murmured at him.-"But…Somehow I believe in her fortune telling…"- she said as she remembered that Chihaya was able to describe the other Velvet room, along with the supposed 'ruin' Igor has warned her since she came to Tokyo.

As she returned home, she saw Sojiro spacing out while looking at the table:

-"I'm back…"- she said to get him out of that state.

-"Welcome back…!"- Sojiro said, taken by surprise.-"Ah, perfect timing."

-"How so?"- Kazumi asked.

-"Here. You can take this."- Sojiro said as he passed a ticket to Kazumi. It had a familiar logo.

-" Fushichou Sentai Featherman Again Great Arcade Contest?"- Kazumi asked as she noticed it was a ticket to participate in an arcade event.

-"It seems to be held in Nakano."- Sojiro said as he started to clean the counter.-"Some kid left it here earlier when he used the bathroom and never came back for it…"

-"I am too old for this as well, so, I guess that just leaves you to take it."- he explained, a bit embarrassed.

-"I see…"- Kazumi suspected his behavior since Sojiro always puts the channel where that same show airs every Sunday for some reason.-"I feel bad for the kid...but I'll take it…"

-"Yeah. Do whatever you want with it."- Sojiro insisted.

Kazumi went upstairs and put her bag on the table while looking at the ticket:

-"I wonder if this ticket has to do with that fortune reading?"- Kazumi asked out of the blue.

-"What do you mean?"- Morgana asked as he slowly came out of the bag.

-"Well, she said that five colourful people will bring my soulmate."- Kazumi said as she showed the ticket to Morgana.-"I guess it meant these five colourful people...the Featherman!"

-"...That sounds too convenient…"- Morgana dropped his ears in resign.-"Besides, it's just a contest. There's no way the ones on TV will be there."

-"It might be but, Mifune-san also said that I had to accept their invitation for it to happen."- Kazumi insisted.-"That means if I go…"

-"Woah, woah, woah!!"- Morgana stopped her there.-"Even if that turns out to be true, you're a Phantom thief! It will be risky if you get involved with someone romantically now!"

-"I wonder…"- Kazumi thought whether she should go to that contest held tomorrow or not.-"I'm going! I am sure that fortune telling was for real!"

-"You really want it your way, huh?"- Morgana sighed.-"By the way, why is your bag full of dirt? I expected it to be cleaner!"

-"Dirt…?"- Kazumi checked her bag along with Morgana and saw that the supposed 'holy stone' was now a bunch of scattered dust.-"Oh no! The Holy Stone…!"

-"What will be the meaning of this?"- Morgana wondered, alarmed as he touched the dust and the smell was familiar.-"This…"

-"This is just a bunch of salt!"- he exclaimed.

-"Mifune-san...She tricked me!"- Kazumi reacted heartbroken.-"No! M-maybe if the Featherman prediction becomes true…!"

-"Agh. I can't believe she scammed you so easily for a hundred thousand yen."- Morgana said.-"We could've bought a ton of fatty tuna with that money!"

-"It's decided! I'll go tomorrow to that contest to prove whether she was wrong with everything or not!"-Kazumi said as she clenched her fists.-"Besides, I can humor Sojiro-san a bit if I get him a souvenir."

-"Why would he want something like that…?"- Morgana asked in confusion.

-"You need to sharpen those eyes, Blacky…"- Kazumi replied confident of her plan.

-"That's not my name!"- Morgana complained.

June 23rd, Thursday afternoon...

At Nakano City, a district within Tokyo, the Nakano-minamiguchi Shopping Mall near the station of the same name was holding a big arcade event. Kazumi found herself immersed among the multitude of kids, parents, otakus and casual visitors:

-"...I wonder if it is ok for me to come alone to this place."- Kazumi wondered as she was walking to the contest location.

-"It's not like you are able to go to school anyways…"- Morgana mentioned.-"Let's get this over with."

-"Right."- Kazumi said.-"A soulmate… soulmate…Just thinking about it, it sounds so embarrassing!!"

-"Then, just go to the phony fortune teller and get your money back."- Morgana commented.

-"You are not really fun, are you?"- Kazumi mentioned.-"Ah, but if she said something about your soulmate, you'll be in the same position!"

-"You underestimate my meowvelous intelect. I already have a soulmate!"- Morgana said with a proud face.

In the line up, Kazumi finally arrived at the contest table where she was asked to wear a Feather Peacock mask, which was told to her, it was a special client #200,912 mask of the heroine that was the star of the new Featherman movie:

-"Client number 200,912…?"- Kazumi was shocked that she ran to such luck.

-"Congratulations, miss. This mask is very valuable and one of a kind, I'll advise you to take care of it well."- the man at the register desk said.

-"Y-Yeah…"- Kazumi put the mask on as the other people in the line were murmuring about the sudden promotion.

However, with such luck, problems will arrive:

-"Hey, you normie!"- a obese guy much older than her, with a Feather Condor mask and a backpack full of anime merchandise called her out.-"I recognize that mask! It's the new special Feather Peacock! How did a noob like you get a hold of such a rare item!?"

-"...'Normie'? 'Noob'?"- Kazumi was confused by his slangs.-"The guy at the registration gave it to me for being client #200,912...or something like that."

-"IEEEEE!!! SUCH THING EXISTED!?"- the guy was in complete shock.-"Their social media pages never mentioned anything of the sort!!! And here I thought the only rare item would be the old Famicom Featherman R videogame!!"

-"Uhmm...If you excuse me…"- Kazumi was uncomfortable by the fact that the man did such a scandal for children-targeted merchandise.

-"HOLD IT!" -he exclaimed.-"Let me have that mask! I'll give you money! Or this Feather Condor mask and my DX Feather Robo!"

-"Sorry but I am not interested in those things…"- Kazumi was starting to feel this wouldn't get any better.

-"Miss! Forget about that man child!"- suddenly a big robust guy appeared with his three children in arms.-"I will pay you any amount for that mask! For the sake of making my little angels smile! I beg of you!"

-"No! I will pay you 150,000 yen!"- a lady stepped in. She seemed wealthy and had a child with a Feather Dokka mask.-"If that's not enough, then, 1,500,000!"

-"That much!?"- Kazumi was starting to feel like she was in some kind of auction.

-"I'll offer you 2,000,000!"- the man child said.-"...Do you accept checks!?"

-"Hey! You guys step back!"- the big guy said.-"Do you not feel any shame? Think about less privileged children like mine!"

-"Who cares about the poor!? If my child wants it, I'll get it for him!"- the lady said.

-"Children can't appreciate the true message and art of the Featherman series! It will just be wasted plastic after you let them with it for 5 minutes!!"- the man child said.-"So, girl, give me 5 weeks and I'll...huh?"

-"She's gone!!"- the lady said.

-"Dang it! You guys scared the poor girl away!"- the man said, yet they didn't notice Kazumi was hiding behind a cardboard poster of the Feather Robo.

-"Are they gone…?"- Kazumi was vigilant.

-"It seems so...they went different ways…"- Morgana mentioned.-"However...2,000,000 yen just for a piece of plastic with the face of a peacock."

-"That's not the issue here! If I sold that mask to any of them, the other two would keep nagging me about it!"- Kazumi said.

-"True. Excuses like "seeing the true value", using his little children and offering irresponsible amounts of money…"- Morgana said.-"Even an event about the heroes of justice is full of crooked people that want their own satisfaction…"

-"Anyways, where were we supposed to see the five Featherman again?"- Kazumi asked, putting the Feather Peacock mask back.

-"The pamphlet said something about a contest where you have to win against the Featherman team in a video game."-Morgana mentioned.

-"Alright. Let's check what that is about."- Kazumi said.

As she arrived at the contest section, she saw the five colored heroes. In reality, they were just five video game experts dressed as the five Featherman and the objective of the contest was to beat them all in different types of games:

-"Oh. The Feather Peacock mask client…!"-the girl at the desk said.-"Maybe we will have a worthy challenger! Please select a color so you can meet with your partner."

-"Partner?"- Kazumi asked.

-"Yes! The challengers must beat the five Featherman along with a partner, with the exception of the last round where only one can challenge Feather Hawk."- she explained.

-"Kazumi! Could that partner be…!?"- Morgana mentioned.-"If it is….you have to choose a color carefully…"

-"...Yeah…"- Kazumi was wondering which color to choose from the four: Blue, Yellow, Pink and Black.

-"I think...this one."-she said as she picked the black one.

-"Now, we only have to get together with the other person who has a black strip."-Morgana mentioned.

After they looked around, they found a person with a curious Feather Pigeon mask and dressed in a black trench coat. It looked more like he was Feather Crow than Feather Pigeon:

-"Ah! A black strip!"-Kazumi noticed it laying on his hand and approached the mysterious person.-"Excuse me. Are you participating in this contest too?"

The person turned around and saw her. He didn't say anything but he seemed to be in shock. Although Kazumi was wearing the Peacock mask, her voice was unmistakable:

-"I have a black strip too so I guess we are partners."- she said to him in an assertive tone.-"Pleased to meet you, I am…"

-"It's fine if you refer to yourself as an alter ego."-the person said with a rather familiar voice.-"I am Pigeon. From that mask, I guess you'll be Peacock?"

-"...?"- Kazumi was confused by this person's way to introduce.-"Yes… if that works out for you."

-"My apologies. I am in a situation where no one can know who I am."- he said as if he apologized for his rudeness.

-"Oh...I see."- Kazumi was under the impression that the person in front of her was either a celebrity or just a fraud.

-"I should probably just play along until I figure out if this is the person I was looking for…"- she thought.

-"So, ummm...Pigeon."- Kazumi directed to this mysterious stranger.-"How much do you know about games?"

-"I do not come often to this place but I believe I can beat these people disguised as the Feathermen."- Pigeon replied with a different tone of voice, as if he tried too hard to change his usual tone.-"How about you?"

-"Well, I am not here precisely for the prize…"- she replied.-"So, sorry if you are in for the competition."

-"That won't do."- Pigeon said as he turned his back on her.-"Let 's make a bet. We will work together but the one with the best performance will be the one to beat Feather Hawk."

-"A bet? What are you planning to gamble on?"- Kazumi asked.

-"Well. You seem curious about who I am and I am curious about your identity."- he said.-"The one who wins the bet will get to see the loser's face."

-"Interesting. But, I have no problems revealing my identity right now…"- Kazumi replied.

-"Do you?"- Pigeon made her doubt.-"I heard that this event will be transmitted on social platforms later. You seem like a high school student, so, wouldn't your reputation be in trouble if you're found here?"

-"What is this guy proposing all of the sudden?"- Morgana thought distressed.

-"That would be problematic…"- Kazumi said thinking about it.-"Alright, then. Pigeon."

-"We have a deal, then."- the man in the Pigeon mask seemed satisfied.

In the first trial, the participants were to battle in a game of table hockey with Feather Swallow (blue) and Feather Owl (yellow):

-"Let us welcome our next challengers! The black team, Pigeon and Peacock!"- the referee announced to the present bystanders.

When both teams entered in position, Kazumi noticed how their play could have issues:

-"You are left-handed…?"- she asked as she noticed their position could pose problems to block any attacks.

-"Does that pose a problem? Or is it that you're unable to play like this?"- Pigeon asked with a tone that was certainly mocking her concerns.

-"Not at all. Just make sure to keep my pace."- Peacock replied with a frown.

The game started with both sides battling to avoid the hockey puck entering their goal hole. The intensity of the match made some bystanders outside of the contest come and see where it could be said that Pigeon and Peacock seemed to try to take the advantage over another rather than to score a goal to Swallow and Owl.

The player disguised as Owl lost his focus at one point, throwing the pluck with less strength:

-"Oh no…!"- he realized his mistake just as soon as his opponents.

-"Here's my chance!"- Pigeon and Peacock thought simultaneously. Although the pluck curved to Kazumi's side of the field, Pigeon went ahead and blocked her in one move to score the goal himself. It shocked her.

-"First goal to the black team!"- the referee said.

-"Good defense. If you want to score, you'll have to keep my pace, don't you think?"- Pigeon said to his partner.

-"..."- Peacock felt mocked once again by him.-"It seems like it. But, I would rather win against our actual opponents, huh?"

-"Good enough."- Pigeon replied while fixing his trench coat.

Meanwhile in Shujin Academy, Makoto was in the student council room by himself. Even if the Phantom Thieves achieved the change of heart, he still had to deal with the consequences in reality:

-"Now that I know about Asaka's condition, how should I approach this situation?"- he thought as he was starting to write the report Kobayakawa asked him for.

-"..."- The more he thought about Kazumi, the more it reminded him about the palace, the cognitive Kazuya and, that also tied up somehow with his own relationship with his sister, Sae.

-"Older sisters have it rough, huh?"- he commented.

In the Arcade Contest, after defeating Swallow and Owl, the black team passed to the second round where they were in a racing game against Feather Swan (pink) and Feather Condor (black):

-"Wow. She's taking it seriously…"- Morgana thought as he peaked as Kazumi's score for a bit. Not a single time had she crashed and she was toe to toe with her partner, Pigeon.-"More than finding the soulmate, she seems like she's trying to teach that crow guy a lesson…"

Looking at the screen, the person behind the Feather Pigeon mask had a pleasant smile of excitement as he looked his 1st placement heading toe to toe with both Feather Peacock in 2nd and Feather Condor in 3rd:

-"Not so bad…"- he murmured.-"It wouldn't look well if we both arrived in 1st and 2nd, would it now?"

As the game was approaching to the last lap, the contestants were approaching to the part of the lap with tricky obstacles. Pigeon started to slow down as they approached a rocky road section:

-"What is he doing…?"- Kazumi wondered as she paid attention to him.-"Is he trying to give the victory to the rivals…?"

-"Huh?"- the man disguised as Feather Condor also thought it was odd but he accelerated as he could take advantage of Pigeon in such terrain.

-"Go, Condor!"- the kids in the audience seemed to support their favorite hero to take the advantage. Pressured to fit his role, Condor took the 1st place only for seconds later be hit by the accelerating motorcycle of Pigeon and lose control of the motorcycle, and crash it on the side of the road.

-"Noooo!"- Condor lamented as his motorcycle was returned to the beginning of the lap.

-"That's playing dirty, Pigeon!"- Feather Swan accused him.

-"This is a race game. There's nothing wrong with taking advantage of the obstacles."- he replied.-"Isn't that right, Peacock?"

-"..."- Kazumi was troubled to reply him as she had to focus on the new set of obstacles. She felt it was likely for Pigeon to take her out of the race too as to win, one of them taking the first place was enough.

-"Don't worry, Condor. I got this."- Feather Swan said faking a reaction of frustration, as she was still in the role of the heroine.

The following obstacle in the lap was large and short cones in the road to avoid. This is when Kazumi slowed down and stopped going after Pigeon who was now followed intensely by Swan:

-"What are you doing!? If you lose the race, that guy Pigeon will make you reveal your identity and everyone will see you playing instead of preparing for the infiltration!"- Morgana murmured to himself watching the screen from the tiny opening in Kazumi's bag.

-"It will be fine…"- Kazumi thought to herself as she resumed.

In between the cones, Swan was looking and following Pigeon's path avoiding the cones in the same manner as him:

-"The idea was for Condor to win…He's the expert in these type of games after all."- the woman inside the Feather Swan disguise thought.-"But it's literally impossible for him to keep up with these two now…"

Her partner Condor was accelerating to catch up at least with Peacock, but he was barely in the middle of the lap:

-"The goal is approaching."- Pigeon thought as he saw the goal in between the last few cone roads. As he avoided one of the large ones, Swan followed him only to crash over another large one.

-"What?"- she screamed as she saw that Pigeon had actually gone circling the big one towards the other side.

-"Swan is back on the beginning! Condor is just in the middle and Pigeon of the black team is ahead."- the announcer said as the map of the lap showed.-"But what is Peacock doing?"

Kazumi was going through a corner of the race path where the cones didn't spawn and quickly reached Pigeon's motorcycle:

-"Ah…!"- he gasped, surprised to see her on the screen right next to him again.

-"..."- Kazumi was hyperfocused on accelerating to pass him without saying a single word.

-"I knew there was another trap if I followed them closely. There's no way he wouldn't take the clear path otherwise…"-she thought.-"He 's good. If I didn't keep my eyes on him, I wouldn't be so close…"

-"The goal is close! It seems like a total victory for both members of the black team!"- the referee said.-"So why is it that the tension just keeps going up?"

The audience of the contest seemed disappointed in the favorite heroes being defeated but some of them were now picking sides between both players of the Black team. The both of them continued keeping each other toe to toe until the end of the lap where the results showed them both tieing in first place:

-"The black team ties for the first place!"- the announcer screamed as the hype continued. The four participants unmounted from the prop motorcycles of the arcade and the opponents shaked hands in good competitive spirit.

-"A tie was it?"- Pigeon mentioned to Peacock who was trying to recover her breath.-"Here I thought we would decide who battles against Feather Hawk based on the race."

-"You are not the only one disappointed."- Peacock told him. -"It was really fun, regardless."

-"So, black team, any decisions in who will challenge Feather Hawk?"- the announcer asked them.

-"Yes."- Peacock was about to give the answer herself.-"I'll let Pigeon go for it."

The public that supported previously was sort of disappointed. Pigeon noticed her take a deep breath before turning around to him and trying to take off her mask:

-"Wait a moment."- Pigeon stopped her from doing so.-"I refuse to go alone."

-"Eh??"- Kazumi was surprised that the seemingly competitive Pigeon refused to win their bet.

-"But, only one of you can take on Hawk. It will be a disadvantage if it was two against one."- the announcer said.

-"Feather Hawk is a hero of justice with the power of the five."- Pigeon mentioned.-"Besides, it won't be a two against one…but a three all against all."

-"An all vs all? What's this guy talking about?"- the audience was surprised by Pigeon's suggestion.-"Is this whole thing scripted? I thought it was a contest."

-"That sounds good. I will be happy to comply."- suddenly, the person disguised as Feather Hawk appeared.

-"...Just what's going on…?"- Kazumi thought confused. She had thought earlier that Pigeon was not whom she was looking for, and decided to put an end to their little bet.

She looked at the guy next to her trying to figure out what was going through his head:

-"Could it be that he knows me…?"- She wondered.-"Aghh, soulmate or not, I am curious on who this guy is!!"

-"Well, Peacock? Are you still deciding to give up your spot?"- Pigeon asked with a tentative tone.

-"Let's do it."- Peacock replied with determination.

The third and last game was a shooting game called Gun About. It was a long wait since the staff felt troubled by the last minute change Feather Hawk agreed to:

-"This is a target hitting challenge. The person who hits 3000 points first will be the winner."- the announcer explained.-"Then…"

In the screen, the countdown started and soon enough, the shooting game did:

-"Alright, Kazumi. Show them how the Metaverse has honed your shooting skills!!"- Morgana mentally cheered for her.

-"..."- Pigeon and Peacock were again focusing on their respective games without missing a single target.

-"There it is! 3000 points!"- suddenly and with no rush, the two of them were surprised as they heard that 3 seconds before the screen even showed that score.

-"No way, did he win?"- Kazumi asked herself confused and looked over to his screen but Pigeon's score and time were just half a second above hers.

-"It seems we got way ahead of ourselves."- Pigeon said to her with a disappointed tone.

-"Let 's go!!! Very nice, Feather Hawk!!"- the audience announced with hype the winner.-"You beat them!"

-"Eh??"- Kazumi screamed surprised as she saw the person disguised as Feather Hawk be 3 seconds above them.

-"Amazing! Even when his four partners had been defeated by such a rough team, Feather Hawk prevailed!"- the announcer said.-"A shame for the black team…"

-"You two aren't half bad."- Feather Hawk went to them to give them the obligatory handshake.-"Maybe if you weren't at each other's throats or competing like two lovers, you would have a chance against me."

-"L-Lovers…? It's the first time I have seen this person…"- Kazumi commented embarrassed.-"Thank you, Feather Hawk. It was a nice challenge."

-"Not short on jokes, are you?"- Pigeon commented to him as they shaked hands.-"I certainly didn't expect this outcome but it was all for better. Thank you."

-"Of course, we won't leave our most intense participants empty handed!"- the announcer exclaimed as it seemed like their effort was to be rewarded.-"For you both, a set of Super Phoenix Robo, coupons for discounted meals at the Featherman Curry Cafe and a CD for the new Fushichou Sentai Featherman The Movie single!"

-"Thank you for all the fun, black team."- he said as the audience and the Feathermen clapped at them.

After they left the contest section, Kazumi followed Pigeon to an uncrowded exit:

-"Wait."- Kazumi stopped him from leaving.-"What about our bet, now that we both lose in the final challenge?"

-"I thought winning wasn't your interest."- Pigeon asked her.

-"It wasn't. But, I got curious about who are you really."- Kazumi immediately took off her mask.-"Since both of us lost the bet, I will introduce myself. I am Kazumi."

-"What is your name, Pigeon?"- she asked him but he took one of her hands to give her his reward from the contest.

-"I knew exactly who you are. But, I was curious of why you would be here."- he replied.-"Once again, I am impressed by how our interactions are so fruitful. Let 's resume this another time, Kazumi Asaka."

-"..."- Kazumi took the reward and felt her heart throb. In the tip of the tongue, she could just name who Pigeon was.

-"Yes. Let's meet again, Pigeon."- she told him with a confident smile and he left in a hurry. It was then when Kazumi felt closer to this person. Her bond of Justice Arcana had lost one chain.

-"I feel so out of place here. Who was that guy in the end?"- Morgana asked.

-"I think it was the person that Chihaya-san mentioned."- Kazumi replied.-"In the end, soulmates aren't supposed to be romantic."

-"What do you mean? Did you figure out who he was?"- Morgana said.

-"My soulmate. See? Chihaya-san's prediction was correct."- Kazumi excused.-"Now then, we better head back and give this to Sojiro-san and thanks to Pigeon, we got one to keep ourselves!"

-"Why would you even want this piece of plastic!?"- Morgana asked, irritated as he was not having it with Kazumi wasting her time anymore in that contest.

At a distance, one person was observing her leave. A black haired kid with a blue jacket and white sleeves, blue jeans, blue shoes, and a red hat with the words "GET SMOKED" written on it. He was also holding the helmet of Feather Hawk on a side:

-"King. Thanks for your help earlier."- a guy much older than him but about the same height thanked him.-"I am definitely getting scolded for lateness but at least you got the contest going!'

-"No need to thank me. I was trying to get a few yen."- the kid replied as he gave the helmet back.-"Honestly, acting like a Featherman is so childish."

In the evening, Kazumi arrived back home. Sojiro's usual customers were just leaving the place:

-"I'm back."- she said to him as she sat down by the counter.

-"So you went to the convention? Did you go on your own? How was it?"- Sojiro bombarded her with questions. He seemed surprised that she would actually go to something like that.

-"It was fun. Here, I won second place in the contest."- Kazumi gave him one of the sets.

-"Hey, why are you giving this to me…?"- Sojiro was taken off guard when she passed the bag to him.

-"I thought a Featherman connoisseur like you would appreciate it more than me~"- Kazumi smiled, teasing her guardian.

-"What's this about a connoisseur?"- Sojiro seemed to take a scarily serious tone in his voice when he asked.-"I don't recall ever talking about it."

-"Eh? No…It's just that…"- Kazumi was nervous in an instant because of Sojiro's reaction. It was like she touched a delicate topic and instead of teasing, it was like he felt blackmailed about it.-"I noticed that every Sunday you turn the channel on to Featherman…"

-"And suddenly you also gave me the tickets instead of just giving it to some kid in the neighborhood…"- she replied feeling really ashamed.-"I'm sorry. I didn't want to offend you in any way!!"

-"Ah!"- Sojiro now felt that he was the one offending her.-"That 's all? I see. Don't apologize then."

-"Sojiro-san…?"-Kazumi felt that the whole interaction was pretty tense, for both of them.

-"It was a rough day here on my own. My bad for what just happened."- Sojiro said as he turned around to clean some glasses.-"You can leave the reward here…I will check it out later."

-"Sure…"- Kazumi left the counter worried.-"I will go to my room now."

-"Right. I will close the place when I finish here."- he replied without turning back to look at her.

Later, Kazumi left for the bath house and relax for a bit. She tried to not think about Sojiro at all. She knew he was hiding something but it was now becoming more apparent:

-"I better leave that aside."- she concluded. -"First of all is to change Furukawa's heart and fulfill my promise to him."

Then later, she texted her friends that everything was ready. Tomorrow will be the day they will start the infiltration of the mine. The events of the last days have given her skills and she has prepared well for what is to come. But in her mind, Kazumi was still lingering to see the supposed "cognition" of her dear brother again. Who was to say he wouldn't be helpful to Haruka Furukawa's fall after all?

Take your time…