6/11 Monday

After classes ended for the day, she immediately went home so that she could get everything ready.

"Makoto, are you leaving today?" Sae asked, bringing in a few bags.

"I am." she nodded. "Oh, did you get some food for Morgana?"

"I figured that I should… since I have to take care of him." Sae mumbled.

From the tone of her voice, she seemed to be annoyed, but Makoto knew better.

"You must have been looking forward to it." Makoto smirked, reaching into the bag. "You got him a new cat toy and everything!"

"T-That… don't you need to get going?!" Sae stammered.

She let out a giggle as she grabbed her things. "See you, Sis. I'll be sure to get you a souvenir and get some studying in while I'm there."

"Makoto."

She turned around, seeing Sae walk up to her and patting her head.

"S-Sis! I'm not a little girl anymore!" Makoto pouted.

Sae let out a smile. "It's hard not to see you as my baby sister… try to have fun on your trip."

She beamed. "I will, Sis!"

She grabbed her things and made her way to the airport.


She quickly found Ren and Ann amongst the crowd and approached them.

"*Yawn* I'm so sleepy…" Ann mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

"You could try getting some sleep on the plane." Makoto suggested. "It'll take a little over six hours to arrive."

"I'll do that…" Ann nodded.

"Say, where's Ryuji?" Ren asked. "It's almost time for the check-in."

Right on que, Ryuji came running up to them, panting as he caught up.

"I… I wasn't expectin' to make a mad dash like that…" Ryuji panted.

"Still late, even on a day like this?" Ann asked, shaking her head.

"Ryuji, you seem a little under-packed." Makoto stated, noting that he was the only one without a suitcase.

"Nah, we're only stayin' there for four nights, right?" Ryuji replied.

"Well, I'm sure it'll be fun either way." Ren smiled. "We should probably go to the boarding gate too."

"Why don't we take a group shot before we take off?" Ann asked.

"Oooh, sounds good!" Ryuji grinned. "You wanna be the camerawoman, Makoto?"

"Oh, sure." Makoto nodded, grabbing her phone.

Ann smirked as Ryuji and her stood behind Makoto and Ren.

"Ren, scoot a little closer to Makoto, ok?" Ann requested.

"H-Huh?" O-Ok…" Ren stammered.

She could feel her face start to flush when she felt Ren's shoulder brush against hers.

"Hey, Makoto, hold the camera steady!" Ryuji told her.

"S-Sorry." she stuttered, trying to calm down despite being so close to Ren.

She could have sworn she heard Ann giggling right before she took the picture.

She was definitely planning something!

She snapped the photo, sighing to herself when she saw her blushing face in the photo.

Although… maybe it was her imagination, but Ren seemed a little flustered too…

They made their way to the gate, getting onto the plane.

The different time zone will be a little hard to adjust to, Makoto mused, I should probably get some sleep.

She closed her eyes on the plane and slowly drifted off to sleep.


When she woke up, however, she was no longer on the plane, but inside of the Velvet Room.

"The prisoner has returned, Master." Justine informed.

"Stand up straight!" Caroline commanded. "You're in the presence of our master!"

She fixed her posture for glancing at the ever-grinning Igor.

"Firstly, I must congratulate you for expelling the one tainted by apathy." Igor congratulated. "It is a sin that is all too common amongst humanity."

"Hrmp… you humans sure are lazy!" Caroline grumbled.

"It is a shame…" Justine sighed.

Igor simply chuckled.

Makoto frowned. "Not every human is like that. Some are more than willing to stand up against injustice."

"Like the ones you have bonded with…" Igor trailed off. "They have all been unfairly labeled by society and are standing up against such fates."

"...I suppose you're right." she admitted.

She knew now that there was a lot of corruption in the world… and there were people who looked the other way as well.

But still…

"The people I've bonded with… they're all willing to fight for the greater good." Makoto insisted.

"Indeed… cultivate your bond with them, as they will become the strength behind your rehabilitation." Igor advised. "...I will look forward to it."

She nodded, feeling their own bond growing deeper.

HUNGER CONFIDANT: RANK 5

She climbed back into the bed in her cage, getting back to sleep as she mulled over Igor's words.


6/12 Tuesday

When she awoke, she immediately glanced at her phone, seeing that it was almost the scheduled arrival time. She pulled out a travel guide to try and get an idea on where to go once they finally arrived.

"WOOOOAH!"

She let out a smile when she heard Ryuji loudly expressing his awe. She couldn't exactly fault his enthusiasm.

They took a bus over to their hotel, all of them gathering together in the lobby.

"Aw yeah! We're here! Hawaiiiiii!" Ryuji exclaimed.

"Ugh… soooo embarrassing." Ann sighed. "Please don't make us look bad in front of the locals."

"Come on, aren't you excited too?" Ryuji asked. "There are probably so many different places to go!"

"Well, first of all, we have to be assigned our rooms." Makoto pointed out.

"Oh, then I wanna room with Renren!" Ryuji grinned.

"You're in a different class, Sakamoto-kun."

The four of them turned to see Kawakami approaching them.

"So we can't bunk together?" Ren frowned.

"It complicates roll call, I'm afraid." Makoto explained.

Ryuji let out a groan.

"So, who am I going to be bunking with?" Ren asked.

"You'll be with Mishima-kun." Kawakami informed him.

"Ah…" Ren nodded, trailing off.

"Niijima-san, you're with Tachibana-san." Kawakami informed.

"Oh, really?" she asked, not knowing she had come too. "Aright."

"Oh, and don't do anything stupid." Kawakami pleaded, glancing at Ren and Ryuji. "We're in another country, after all."

As Kawakami walked off to check on other students, Ryuji let out a big grin.

"Well, what are we waitin' for?!" Ryuji exclaimed. "Let's go to the beach!"


She nervously put on her swimsuit in one of the changing rooms, meeting with Ann outside.

"Let's go meet up with the boys, ok?" Ann suggested.

Makoto nodded, following Ann along the beach.

She started growing nervous when she saw several people on the beach staring at her. Or… maybe they were staring at Ann? She seemed a little uncomfortable too.

They… probably are looking at her, not me, Makoto internally reasoned.

She sighed. Maybe it was a little unfair to be constantly comparing herself to a literal model, but still…

They quickly located the boys, and her eyes were immediately drawn to Ren in his swimsuit.

She knew that he had been working out, but… wow…

Her face started to heat up, and she hoped she could pass it off as just the heat from the sun.

"Daaaamn…" Ryuji trailed off, not having noticed them yet. "I thought Ann was impressive, but these foreign girls are massive!"

"Eh-hem!"

Ryuji swiftly turned around, his face paling when he saw an annoyed Ann.

...Only for his jaw to suddenly drop when he realized that she was in her bikini.

And maybe it was just her imagination, but Ren seemed to have a bit of trouble looking directly at them.

"Hah. Got a better opinion of me now?" Ann smirked, getting closer to Ryuji.

"U-Umm…" Ryuji mumbled.

"What's wrong? Morgana got your tongue?" Ann laughed.

"C-Come on." Ryuji stammered. "I-I mean, can you blame me for finding these girls hot? B-Back me up, Ren."

"H-Huh?" Ren stuttered. "I, um… I don't…"

"Don't bother." Ann said, shaking her head. "Ren's actually a gentleman."

"Nah, he's probably just more of an ass man." Ryuji bluntly stated.

"Ryuji!" Ren snapped.

"Anyyyyway!" Makoto quickly said, wanting to change the subject. "Does anyone have an idea on what we should do next?"

"Hula-dancing?" Ann suggested.

"What about us?" Ryuji protested. "There ain't no way I'm hula-dancing!"

"We could go snorkeling?" Ren suggested.

"Sounds like a nice idea." Makoto agreed.

No one seemed to have any objections, so they went out to snorkel.

Makoto dived down underneath the water, spying several fish scampering away from her, and even a large turtle.

When she came back to the surface, she quickly tried to inform the others.

"Hey everyone, there's a lot of fish over h-AHH!"

She suddenly felt herself being splashed by a ton of water.

She whipped around, seeing Ren with an innocent looking expression on his face.

"Oh, you're in for it now!" she smirked.

She splashed him right back, causing Ren to start laughing.

The two of them continued to splash each other, having the time of their lives.

As Ren splashed her, she dived under the water before resurfacing behind him.

She took him by surprise, tackling him into the water, both of them laughing uncontrollably.

"That was so much fun!" Makoto beamed.

"Glad you think so." Ren grinned.

"I'm glad that we have some time to relax and enjoy ourselves." Makoto smiled. "Things have been so stressful for all of us lately."

"Hey! You guys!"

The two of them looked over, seeing Ryuji calling for them.

"I was thinking that there's gotta be something more Hawaii-like." Ryuji suggested. "And I actually got a place in mind! Follow me!"

The group followed Ryuji as he led them away from the beach.


Ryuji brought them in front of a large building with a statue in front.

"This is your recommended tourist spot, Ryuji?" Ann asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yup! It's Kamehameha the Great!" Ryuji grinned.

"Oh. We learned about him in class a few days ago." Ren recalled.

"So… is this it?" Ann frowned.

"I thought that it was gonna be a lot bigger, like the Buddha statue in Nara." Ryuji shrugged.

"Well, we can still take a picture." Ren reminded them. "I can take it this time."

They all gathered around the statue, snapping another picture.

"...I guess it is just a dude wearin' a golden loincloth." Ryuji sighed.

"Well, he got a statue for a reason." Makoto pointed out. "He created a law called "Kanawai Mamalahoe."

"So, uh… what did the law do?" Ryuji asked.

"It stipulated the protection of human rights for noncombatants in times of war." Makoto explained.

"You really are interested in all this law stuff, aren't you, Makoto?" Ann observed.

"My sister is a public prosecutor, after all." Makoto told her. "I was actually considering becoming a prosecutor myself for a while."

"Really?" Ren asked. "So you changed your mind?"

"I realized that I'd just be following whatever my sister did." she confessed. "But I'm not really sure what I want to be now."

"Well, it's kinda freeing, isn't it?" Ann asked. "I'm sure you could be anything you wanted to!"

"I suppose so." Makoto smiled. "...I wonder if we could learn anything else here. The judiciary building is right in front of us."

"Huh?" So that's what's behind us?" Ryuji asked. "I ain't interested in that…"

"And whose idea was it to come here?" Ann pointed out.

"Don't blame me! I was just looking at the pamphlets!" Ryuji defended.

"You should have done more research!" Ann exclaimed.

"Hey, I wasn't the only one pumped. You were all 'There's even a song about Kamehameha the Great. I wanna see his special fighting move.'" Ryuji argued, imitating her with a high-pitched voice.

"I do not sound like that!" Ann snapped.

"Hey, hey, let's settle down." Ren insisted, trying to play peacemaker.

"He's right." Makoto agreed, helping him. "Why don't we get something to eat? It's about time for dinner."

"Yeah, I'm starvin'!" Ryuji grinned. "Let's get going!"


The four teens weren't sure where to go, so they decided to head somewhere familiar.

"I didn't know the Big Bang Burger's here had pineapple burgers!" Ann exclaimed. "They're pretty good!"

"Yeah, but ain't this just like what we'd be doin' in Japan?" Ryuji pointed out. "I figured we'd go somewhere more… Hawaii-like."

"Maybe we could try to look into some local seafood places." Makoto suggested.

"Heh, Morgana would probably love that." Ryuji grinned. "Hope he's doing ok on his own…"

"My sister is taking care of him." Makoto informed them. "He'll be fine."

"That's good." Ren nodded.

She glanced over at Ren, her eyebrows raising.

"Wait a moment." Makoto said. "I can't believe that I just noticed… you're not wearing your glasses. Can you see ok?"

"Don't worry, my glasses are fake." Ren told her.

"Really?" Ryuji asked. "Then why do you wear them?"

Ren frowned, hesitating for a moment.

"...Is something wrong, Ren?" Makoto asked, concerned.

"O-Oh, um… it's just… they don't have the Big Bang Challenge here." Ren frowned.

"Seriously? Are you and Ann just bottomless pits?" Ryuji asked.

"Hey! Don't drag me into this!" Ann protested.

She suspected that Ren was hiding something but figured that now wasn't the time to pry.

After they had finished their meal, the others left for the hotel. She moved to follow them, but noticed a familiar face at the restaurant.

"Okumura-san?" Makoto said.

"Oh, Niijima-san, hello." Haru greeted. "It's good to see you're a chaperone too!"

She nodded. "It's a little tiring, but I'm having fun."

"Me too." Haru beamed. "Hawaii is such a beautiful place."

"It is." Makoto agreed. "I'm kinda surprised that there's a Big Bang Burger in Hawaii."

"Yes, we've… expanded quite a bit." Haru whispered.

"Is something wrong?" Makoto wondered.

"It's just… well, a lot of our competitors have had difficulty expanding. Most of them have already pulled out overseas." Haru explained.

"Wouldn't that be a good thing for you?" Makoto asked.

"It would, but… there have been a string of controversies amongst our competitors." Haru explained. "There was… I think it was called Duck Duck Burger. Recently there was a scandal where one employee, um… posted a nude selfie at the restaurant."

"S-Seriously?" she stammered.

Haru nodded. "There's been so many strange occurrences amongst our competitors. There have been so many incidents of employees or managers doing or saying bizarre things, drawing tons of negative media attention. Some of them even got into accidents..."

"Very strange…" Makoto concluded.

"My father said that it was very convenient for us." Haru muttered. "And that it would help distract from some of our own scandals."

"That...That's very…" Makoto trailed off.

"Callous?" Haru finished.

"I-I wasn't-"

It's alright." Haru cut her off with a sad smile. "I've heard people talk about our company. I'm well aware of how they feel. I don't blame them for it."

"Okumura-san…" Makoto muttered.

Haru shook her head. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to bring down the mood. We're in Hawaii! We should try to have a bit of fun."

"Yes. You're right. It's a bit late now, but we can spend some time together another day."

"Oh, I'd love to!" Haru beamed. "That sounds like a wonderful idea!"

She brought out a travel guide, and the two girls went over some of the nearby tourist attractions.

EMPRESS CONFIDANT: RANK 2

As the sun began to set, she went to her hotel room. She saw that Takayo had already settled in, sleeping on her bed, so she crawled into the bed next to hers and drifted asleep.


Sae typed away at her laptop, working well into the night on her recent case.

Morgana peeked his head up from his new cat toy, seeing the exhaustion on Sae's face.

The not-cat hopped onto Sae's lap, meowing at her and trying to tap at her laptop.

"Hey, none of that!" Sae scolded. "What's wrong with you?"

Morgana let out a whine, giving Sae a pleading look.

"You must be lonely without Makoto here." Sae sympathized.

She glanced up at the time, before looking back at her laptop.

"I suppose I should take a small break." Sae reasoned.

She shut her laptop, relaxing on the couch as she started stroking Morgana's fur.

"I just hope that I can finish this case soon…" Sae muttered."That Kaneshiro… he's the one targeting Makoto's school."

Morgana immediately perked up.

"Kaneshiro! That's his name! I gotta tell Makoto!" Morgana cried.

His outburst startled Sae, her eyes fluttering open.

"Oh… I nearly dozed off." Sae muttered. "I must be more tired than I realized…"

She glanced down at Morgana, a small smile on her face.

"I suppose I've been spending a lot of time at work, haven't I?" Sae asked. "Maybe when I finish with this case, you, me, and Makoto can all go somewhere nice. It'll… be good to spend some time as a family for once."

Morgana nodded, meowing his approval.

"Heh… if I didn't know any better, I would think you could understand me." Sae smiled.

After a little while longer, Sae lay down on the couch, drifting off to sleep as Morgana curled up next to her.


6/13 Wednesday

When she woke up, she saw Takayo glancing at her phone.

"Oh, hey, Niijima-san!" Takayo chirped. "How are you enjoying Hawaii?"

"It's quite nice." Makoto replied. "What about you?"

"I'm liking it a lot!" Takayo grinned. "It's nice to have a small break for once… though I wish that Mishima-kun would relax for a moment."

"What do you mean?" Makoto asked.

"He's still obsessing over the Phan-Site." Takayo sighed. "He's been thinking of setting up polls for people to vote on who the Phantom Thieves target next."

Makoto frowned. "I'm not sure that I approve of that…"

"Yeah, it kinda rubs me the wrong way too…" Takayo sighed. "I'll try and have a talk with him."

"Thanks." Makoto nodded. "I appreciate it."


After speaking with Takayo, she went to the lobby to meet with Ren, Ryuji, and Ann.

"Man, there are a bunch of tourists here, just like us." Ryuji noted.

"Is there anything planned for today?" Ann asked. "Or are we just… free to do whatever?"

"The principal set up this field trip on short notice." Makoto explained. "That's why there isn't really much of a plan."

"Makes sense." Ren shrugged.

"By the way, Ren… you've been rooming with Mishima-kun, correct?" Makoto asked.

"Yeah." Ren nodded. "He's been talking non-stop about the Phan-Site."

"Oh! Speaking of… I actually heard a couple of people talkin' about the Phantom Thieves." Ryuji grinned. "Guess we're makin' our international debut, huh? Man, now I can't wait to get back to Japan!"

"Can't you relax for a little bit?" Makoto sighed.

"No way! People are waitin' for us to keep changing hearts!" Ryuji argued.

"Overseas travel provides an interesting perspective, although we should remember that there are still people targeting Shujin." Yusuke warned.

"Yeah, you tell them Yusuke!" Ryuji grinned. "See, we still gotta help out those- YUSUKE?!"

Everyone looked shocked at Yusuke's sudden arrival.

"When the eff did you get here?!" Ryuji exclaimed. "I thought your school was going to the capital of the U.S!"

"They were going to Los Angeles." Makoto corrected.

"Yeah, that's what I said!" Ryuji replied.

Makoto pinched the bridge of her nose, hearing Ann's sigh and Ren snickering in the background.

"They couldn't land the plane due to a terrible storm brewing on the west coast." Yusuke explained. "They just changed our destination on the spot."

"What a coincidence." Ren commented. "Well, if there's really nothing planned, I guess I'll go shopping for some souvenirs."

"Are you getting something for Boss?" Ann asked.

"He gave me some money for souvenirs, so I figured I could get him a few too." Ren shrugged.

"That's very thoughtful of you." Makoto smiled. "So are the rest of you going shopping?"

"Yeah, I gotta get somethin' for my mom." Ryuji told her.

Ann nodded. "I'm shopping too. Wanna come?"

"Sorry, the teachers want me at the beach to chaperone." Makoto said.

"I was going to head to the beach myself." Yusuke brought up. "Perhaps we could go together."

Makoto smiled. "Yes, of course."


The two of them made their way to the beach in their swimsuits.

Or rather, she was wearing a swimsuit, while Yusuke...

"Yusuke, why are you wearing a hoodie to the beach?" Makoto asked.

"My skin is quite pale. It burns easily." Yusuke explained.

"Oh. Well, in that case, take some sunscreen." Makoto offered, pulling it out of her bag.

"Thank you Ma-"

"ULTIMATE EXCALIBUR ATTACK!"

They were interrupted by the sound of a loud girl's voice.

"What on Earth was that?" Yusuke asked.

"Let's find out!" Makoto answered, running off.

They ran across the beach until they found two students sitting at a table, playing a game of Shogi.

"FOOLISH KNAVE!" one of the students shouted. "You call yourself a swordsman, yet your blade is as dull as your wit!"

"A-Ah! D-Don't scream at me!" the other student cried, frantically looking around until he spotted them. "N-Nijjima-san? Yusuke?"

"Makigami-kun?" Makoto questioned.

She quickly realized that, as a Kosei student, it made sense for him to be here.

She didn't recognize the girl he was facing, but she seemed to be around their age, so she assumed she was also a Kosei student.

Naoya quickly ran behind her and Yusuke, rapidly waving a stick he had found.

"S-Save me, you two!" Naoya pleaded. "This girl is crazy!"

"I apologize for my classmates, Makoto." Yusuke stated. "They're quite eccentric."

She gave him an 'are you serious look'.

'He's… certainly one to talk,' Makoto mused.

"Hmm? Is something wrong, Makoto?" Yusuke wondered. "It seems like there's something you really want to say to me."

"...No, no, it's nothing." she insisted. "So, she's a classmate of yours too?"

Yusuke nodded. "Her name is Hifumi Togo. Apparently, she's a master of Shogi who's been dubbed 'The Venus of Shogi' by the media."

"Is that so…?" Makoto trailed off.

See remembered Akechi's advice to her. To get better at her strategy. Maybe this could be a great opportunity.

"Is there no one who can match the might of General Togo?!" Hifumi exclaimed.

As Makoto walked over towards Hifumi, Yusuke turned towards Naoya.

"You're not in your swimsuit." Yusuke pointed out. "Aren't you hot?"

"N-No, no, I'm fine." Naoya insisted.

"Are you not going to swim?" Yusuke asked.

"I didn't bring a swimsuit." Naoya explained.

"Oh? Well, I'm sure that the school could supply some if y-

"I don't like swimming!" Naoya suddenly shouted.

Yusuke's eyes widened in surprise.

"Sorry for raising my voice." Naoya quickly said. "I just… never mind."

Yusuke raised an eyebrow at Naoya's strange behavior, but decided not to pry, instead looking over as Makoto approached Hifumi.

"Excuse me, Togo-san." Makoto greeted. "Could you please quiet down. You're disturbing other students."

Hifumi blinked before shrinking back in embarrassment. "O-Oh, I'm sorry." she said. "I just get a little carried away while playing Shogi."

Makoto began to wonder if all Kosei students were this eccentric.

"Maybe I could play with you?" Makoto offered.

"Do you play Shogi often?" Hifumi asked.

"I play more chess myself, but I still like Shogi." Makoto answered. "Although I feel like I'm still a little lacking in strategy. Maybe you could give me some general advice."

"Very well." Hifumi nodded. "But first, we should play a match. I can gauge your skills from that."

Makoto nodded, helping her set up the board.

She hoped that, even with her limited experience with Shoji, that she would be able to hold her own with the help of her tactical mind.

She was horribly, horribly mistaken…

"Check." Hifumi calmly said, shocking her with a move she hadn't seen coming. "Please coincide."

"What?!" Makoto gasped. "H-Hold on, I can still-"

"Accept your defeat with grace!" Hifumi scolded. "There are times when a general must cut their losses and accept defeat."

"Oh… I suppose that makes sense." Makoto admitted.

"Your skills are that of an amateur, and yet, I can sense a powerful tactical mind from you." Hifumi stated. "Would it be alright with you if we continued to play matches when we get back to Japan? I feel like you'd make for a good practice partner."

"Really? I'd love that." Makoto beamed.

"Good. I like to practice in one of the churches in Kanda." Hifumi explained. "I can give you more specific directions later."

As the two of them shared contact information...

I am thou, thou art I… thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that carry you to thy future. With the birth of the Star Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…

STAR CONFIDANT: RANK 1


As night set in, Ren lied down on the couch in his hotel room, hoping to get some sleep.

Ryuji and Ann had come in at some point, both having troubles with their roommates.

And Mishima…

"BLARRGH!"

Was having stomach troubles.

"So, you guys get some souvenirs?" Ryuji asked, trying to ignore the sound of Mishima vomiting.

Ren nodded. "Yeah, I picked up a few."

"So did I." Ann answered. "Shiho… was really looking forward to this trip. She said she wanted to try hula dancing with me. So I thought…"

"Oh… yeah." Ryuji mumbled.

"Sorry for bringing down the mood." Ann apologized. "But wow… It's been two months since everything with Kamoshida happened. It feels like so long ago…"

"Yeah, tell me about it." Ren agreed. "I never thought that things would turn out like this, but despite everything, I'm glad I met you guys."

"Same here, man!" Ryuji grinned.

"I'm still kinda new here to the team." Ann brought up before grinning. "Maybe I could learn a bit more about you guys. Liiiike… What kind of people do you like? You first, Ryuji."

"What? Me?!" Ryuji gasped. "Well… I guess I'd be fine with anyone who's modest or nice."

"Ok, but what if two girls with the same personality confessed to you?" Ann asked.

"Well, then I'd just go with the one with the hotter bod." Ryuji answered honestly.

"So, looks are what's most important to you." Ann accused.

"What?!" Ryuji snapped. "Aww, come on! What was I supposed to say?!"

"So, you're that kind of guy…" Ann sighed.

"Heh… you seem disappointed, Ann." Ren smirked.

Ren narrowly dodged the pillow she threw at him.

"Alright, funny guy, so what about you?" Ann asked.

"Me?" Ren asked. "Well, I guess they'd have to be smart and mature… but also kind, but strong. Someone who I can rely on when I need help, and someone who I can help when they're in need."

"Interesting...So what about looks?" Ann asked. "How would you describe their looks?

"Elegant, I guess?" Ren mumbled.

"Oh?" Ann smirked. "You mean… like a Queen?"

Ren's face immediately flushed. "Queen?! Um, well…"

"For real?! Ahaha! I've never seen you so flustered!" Ann laughed.

"So… you and Makoto, huh?" Ryuji grinned.

"Not so loud!" Ren hissed.

"Hah! Told you he was an ass man!" Ryuji yelled.

Ann rolled her eyes, turning to Ren.

"So, why don't you ask her out?" Ann asked.

"I-I couldn't do that…" Ren mumbled.

"Why not. It's the perfect time!" Ann asked. "It's not every day you go to Hawaii! It's now or never! You don't want to miss this chance, do you?"

Ren seemed to hesitate for a few moments, considering her words.

"Man, and I was going to ask you to go babe hunting with me." Ryuji groaned. "Wonder who I'll hang out with now?"

Ann let out a sigh.


"I'm terribly sorry for imposing on you two." Haru said.

"No, no, it's fine." Makoto insisted. "You can stay the night with us if you'd like."

"Yeah, I don't mind. But, umm… why do you need to stay here?" Takayo asked.

"I was rooming with Ms. Kawakami." Haru explained. "But, uh, I think she might have had a little too much to drink. She forgot to unlock the door to her room when she went to sleep, so I couldn't get in."

"I see…" Makoto trailed off, surprised at her teacher's behavior. "Well, you can stay with-"

*Knock Knock*

Makoto opened the door to her room, finding Eiko on the other side.

"Eiko?" Makoto questioned. "What are you doing here so late?

"Uuuurgh!" Eiko groaned. "You won't believe Ms. Chouno! She got drunk and fell asleep in her room, but she forgot to unlock the door!"

Takayo, Haru, and Makoto all glanced at each other.

"Hey, what's going on?" Eiko asked. "There a party or something?"

After getting Eiko up to speed, the four girls went to bed, Makoto offering to sleep on the floor.

"Sooo…" Eiko trailed off. "Do you guys have anyone you like? A crush, maybe?"

"Huh?!" Haru squeaked.

"A-A crush." Takayo stammered, her face reddening. "N-No, of course not!"

"Hehehe… your face says otherwise." Eiko giggled.

"T-That's… why would you ask that?!" Takayo snapped.

"I was just curious." Eiko shrugged. "I wanted to know what your ideal partner would be like."

"I think… my ideal partner would be someone who loves and supports me." Haru answered. "And someone who I could share meals with."

"I'm sure you'll find someone like that someday, Okumura-san." Makoto encouraged.

"Thank you, but… I already have a fiancé." Haru informed them.

"WHAT?!" the other girls exclaimed.

"Wow… I mean, Miss Prez and I have boyfriends, but that's crazy." Eiko gasped.

"Aww, come on!" Takayo groaned. "I'm the only one here that's not with someone?!"

"I-I'm sure that you'll find someone someday." Makoto comforted. "And, well-"

"Makoto's dating the transfer student!" Eiko exclaimed.

"W-Wait, y-you mean Ren Amamiya?!" Takayo gasped. "I-Isn't he the scary c-criminal? He-"

"He didn't assault anyone!" Makoto cried, starling the others.

"W-What do you mean?" Takayo asked.

"S-Sorry…" Makoto whispered. "It's just that he told me that he was framed, and I believe him. The entire time I've known him, he's been nothing but kind and considerate."

Eiko let out a smile. "Look at you, sticking up for your man! He's real lucky to have you by his side, Miss Prez."

Makoto couldn't help but blush at him being referred to as 'her man'.

"Hmm, well, I suppose that he hasn't caused much trouble." Takayo admitted. "All right, I'm sorry about that."

"It's alright." Makoto told her. "It's just that, if you get to know him, he's a great person."

"My Tsukasa-kun's such a sweetheart too!" Eiko squealed.

"Having such a loving partner must be really nice." Haru replied.

She was smiling when she said it, but Makoto thought that she saw a bit of melancholy behind her expression.

"But you know… the student council president and the delinquent transfer student dating…" Takayo smirked. "That's definitely front-page material."

"You are NOT putting that in the school newspaper!" Makoto snapped.

The other girls began to laugh as Makoto shook her head.

"I-I'm going to bed!" Makoto stammered.

A bit later, the laughter died down, and Makoto drifted off to sleep.


Makoto's Confidant Progress:

THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 4

THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 5

THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 3

THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 4

THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 4

THE TOWER - Chiaki Yasui: Rank 4

THE SUN - Shiho Suzui: Rank 3

THE MOON - Takayo Tachibana: Rank 3

THE HIEROPHANT - Sojiro Sakura: Rank 3

THE TEMPERANCE - Naoya Makigami: Rank 2

THE STAR - Hifumi Togo: Rank 1

THE EMPEROR - Yusuke Kitagawa: Rank 2

THE EMPRESS - Haru Okumura: Rank 2

THE LOVERS - Ann Takamaki: Rank 1

THE STRENGTH - Caroline and Justine: Rank 2

THE JUSTICE - Goro Akechi: Rank 2

THE FORTUNE - Phantom Thieves of Heart: Rank 3

THE JUDGEMENT - Sae Niijima: Rank 3

THE COUNCILLOR - Takuto Maruki: Rank 3

Do you believe in the Phantom Thieves? Yes 17%