7/13 Friday

No matter how much she studied, she always felt a little nervous on exam days.

As it turned out, however, she had nothing to worry about. All of her studying had paid off, as she was easily able to answer all the questions on the exam.

She just hoped that the others weren't struggling.


7/14 Saturday

She once again got through her exams with ease. Between all the studying she had done for both this exam and college placement exams, these questions seemed like nothing.

She finished the last question with plenty of time to spare, and went home for the day when classes ended.


7/15 Sunday

Exams took a bit longer for her this time, but she was still able to finish them with a little bit of time left.

When she was about to leave, however…

"Uggggghhhh…."

She heard a loud groan, as if someone was in immense pain.

She immediately ran towards the source of the groan… only to find Ann with her head in her hands.

"Ann, are you ok?!" Makoto exclaimed.

"Oh, Makoto… it's awful!" Ann cried.

"What happened?" Makoto asked.

"I-It's-"

"Yes?"

"I-IT'S-"

"YES?!"

"It's the exam! It sucks!" Ann shouted.

Makoto frowned. "Really, Ann?"

"Hey, come on, this is serious!" Ann insisted. "It feels like my whole brain's been fried!"

"Well, at least it's almost over, right?" Makoto replied.

"Yeah, thank goodness for that!" Ann beamed. "We can finally relax! Speaking of…"

"What is it?" Makoto wondered.

"Shiho's about to get released from the hospital, you know." Ann brought up.

"Seriously?! That's wonderful!" Makoto exclaimed.

"I know, I know!" Ann grinned, now full of energy. "There's this festival that's happening soon, and I wanted to bring Shiho there with me to celebrate. Do you want to come too?"

"I'd love to!" Makoto quickly answered. "It'll be wonderful to see Shiho again."

"Great! I'll text you the details later!" Ann grinned. "See you then!"

She said goodbye to Ann and went home, excited about the upcoming festival.


7/16 Sunday

The last part of the exam went just as smoothly, much to her relief. Still, four days straight of exams took its toll even on her.

She couldn't wait to get home and get some rest.

Unfortunately, it would have to wait…

"Inmate!"

Just outside of her house were the twins standing near a Velvet Room door.

"Did you want to show me something?" Makoto asked.

"We want you to show us something." Caroline stated. "Justine, do the honors."

"The next place that we wish for you to show us for the sake of your rehabilitation is… a place where one offers up faith and words of devotion.

"Every day, lost sheep flock there to pray or confess to sins or crimes." Caroline added.

"It has a similar ring to your own rehabilitation." Justine noted.

"I think… you must be talking about a church." Makoto said.

"So it's called a church. Good. Now bring us there right now, Inmate!" Caroline ordered.

"All right, all right." Makoto relented. "Follow me, you two."

Makoto brought the twins over to the church in Kanda.

"So, this is where one prays to the Gods of this world." Caroline noted.

"Such a peaceful atmosphere… it's the antithesis of a prison cell…" Justine added.

"Who is that man at the altar?" Caroline asked. "Is that a God?"

"He's a priest." Makoto stated. "Priests are men of God who lead people in prayer and worship."

"And what about that small room over there?" Justine asked, pointing to a small wooden room.

"I know! That's an iron maiden that skewers criminals!" Caroline answered.

"Err… not quite. It's called a confessional booth." Makoto explained. "It's where people confess to their sins."

"Is something the matter?"

The priest at the altar walked up to the three of them.

"We want to use the confessional booth right now!" Caroline demanded.

"You wish to confess to something? And at such a young age?" the priest asked, surprised.

"We do." Justine confirmed.

"Very well. Which of you will go first?" the priest asked.

"We're going separate?" Caroline questioned, before turning to her. "Is he trying to split us up?"

"That's just how it normally is." Makoto told them. "It's so that no one else knows what you're confessing."

"Well, we're going in together!" Caroline snapped.

"Err, well… all right." the priest said.

The priest led the two of them into the confessional room.

Makoto silently crept up to the confessional room, listening in to make sure that the twins weren't causing too much trouble.

"So you listen to people's concerns and confessions?" Justine question. "Is that not a form of rehabilitation?"

"Then, ah, for your confessions…" the priest trailed off.

"Hmm, what to confess…" Caroling wondered. "It's probably not very kind to kick the inmate so much, but it's part of my duties as a warden, so it can't really be held against me…"

"Inmate? Warden?" the priest repeated, confused.

"Recently, I've been shifting my more mundane responsibilities onto Caroline…" Justine confessed.

"You WHAT?!" Caroline snapped. "I knew that my workload was starting to feel larger!"

"I am starting to regret it." Justine continued. "Because she makes so many mistakes, you see."

"Of COURSE I'd make mistakes when I have nearly twice the work!" Caroline argued.

"Well, what about yourself, Caroline?" Justine asked. "Don't you have anything you wish to confess?"

"Huh? Like what?" Caroline asked.

"I know you went out just to eat menchi katsu by yourself. Did you really think I wouldn't notice?" Justine pointed out.

"Erk… I… I was just curious about the line! Like, what could people want so badly that they'd wait in line for so long!" Caroline defended.

Justine sighed. "...Megidolao-"

"Fine, fine, fine, I won't do it again, I promise!" Caroline promised. "Confession time is over, we're out of here!"

The twins left the confessional room with big grins on their faces.

"Whew! That was much more reliving than I thought it would be." Caroline grinned.

"Indeed. It feels as if a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders." Justine agreed.

"Glad to hear it." Makoto smiled.

"You know, all this talk of sin is reminding me of your targets, Inmate." Caroline brought up.

"What do you mean?" Makoto wondered.

"There are seven deadly sins." Justine explained. "Lust, Greed, Wrath, Gluttony, Envy, Pride, and Sloth. Although… different interpretations list other deadly sins, such as Despair… many of your targets fit into these categories."

"You humans are constantly committing them." Caroline grumbled.

"That may be true, but not everyone is as bad as our targets." Makoto pointed out. "You don't think I'm that bad, do you?"

"W-Well…" Caroline muttered.

"Caroline said that she was looking forward to your next visit." Justine smiled.

"S-Shut up, Justine!" Caroline cried. "You said the same thing!"

"I-I said nothing of the sort!" Justine argued.

Makoto let out a smile at their antics. It seemed they weren't done confessing.

"Anyway… Why do people pray to God, Inmate?" Caroline asked. "Wouldn't it be more productive to solve their own problems?"

"Sometimes prayer is all they can do." Makoto answered. "For disasters or tragedies, sometimes it's out of their hands."

"Hrmp… that's real convenient." Caroline scoffed.

Makoto frowned. "Why do you have such a grudge towards humans?"

"Because our master told us how awful they are." Justice explained.

"Really? Igor told you that?" Makoto asked, surprised.

"He did! So that's how we know it's true!" Caroline grinned.

So Igor was the one with poor views of humans? But why? And why would he place his faith in her then?

As she said goodbye to the twins, she couldn't help but wonder...

At the very least, she felt herself growing closer with the twins...

Strength Confidant: Rank 4

After spending time with the twins, she finally went home, happy to get some rest.


7/17 Monday

"Niijima-san! Niijima-san!"

Right before she was about to leave school for the day, Takayo ran up to her, a panicked look on her face.

"Tachibana-san? What's going on?" Makoto asked.

"Have you ever heard of Medjed?" Takayo inquired.

"Medjed?" Makoto repeated. "I think I read about them in a book once. They're an Egyptian God, aren't they?"

"No! Err, well, yes, but I'm not talking about the God." Takayo said. "There's this hacker group with the same name that's threatening the Phantom Thieves."

"What?! Why?!" Makoto exclaimed.

"Medjed claims to hack into other's data for the sake of justice." Takayo told her. "I guess they don't agree with the Phantom Thieves' sense of justice. They've been spamming the Phansite with all kinds of threats."

"I see… I had no idea." Makoto muttered. "But are you sure that this isn't some kind of prank?"

"To be honest, I'm not sure." Takayo frowned. "Still, try and keep on the lookout for anything strange, and keep your guard up."

"I'll do that." Makoto nodded. "Thank you for telling me this."

They exchanged goodbyes, Makoto going to look for Ann.

As much as Medjed concerned her, she wanted to be there for Shiho at the moment.


With the festival now starting, she met with Ann, who brought her over to Shiho's home, and knocked on the door.

Shiho answered the door, gasping when she saw the two of them on the other side.

"Ann! Makoto!" Shiho exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"We came here to see you, silly!" Ann beamed.

"We heard that you got released from the hospital." Makoto told her. "And we were wondering if you'd like to come with us to a festival that's happening right now."

"That sounds wonderful!" Shiho beamed. "I'd love to come with you two! I'll let my parents know."

A few minutes later, Shiho made her way out of her house.

"It's… not as bad as it looks." Shiho said, a sad smile on her face.

She had tried not to look at the wheelchair, but Shiho must have noticed her…

"So, are you still going through physical therapy?" Ann asked.

Shiho nodded. "Not for much longer, though. The doctor said that I'll only have to do it for a little longer before I'm able to walk on my own again."

"That's great, Shiho!" Makoto replied.

"That's just another reason to celebrate." Ann agreed. "Come on, let's go!

The three girls took no time at all getting to the festival, where dozens of stalls with games and sweets lined the festival grounds.

"Ooooh, let's go there, and there, and there… oh my gosh, I just can't decide! I want to try every treat here!" Ann squealed.

"I really feel like I should start worrying about my waistline the more I hang out with you, Ann." Makoto sighed.

"I always made sure to get a lot of exercise in before spending time with Ann." Shiho laughed.

"Shiho! You're supposed to be on my side!"

The three girls continued laughing, enjoying as many of the stalls that they could.

As the festival began to die down, they sat down at a nearby bench.

"So… Shiho, you'll be going back to school soon, right?" Ann asked.

"Yes… I will be." Shiho quietly answered.

"But it won't be at Shujin, will it?" Ann asked, her expression showing that she already knew the answer.

"Even with Kamoshida gone… I don't think I'd be comfortable going back." Shiho admitted. "And my parents agree, which is why I'm transferring."

"I understand… Shujin must hold so many awful memories." Makoto sympathized.

"That… and I don't think that I could ever face the rest of the volleyball team." Shiho frowned.

She couldn't help but wonder what Shiho meant by that. Surely the other members of the volleyball team would understand her position and sympathize…

Makoto glanced over. "Shiho, what do you mean by th-"

Shiho shook her head. "I'm sorry for bringing down the mood. We didn't come here to dwell on those sorts of things. I had a lot of fun at the festival!"

"Yeah. I had lots of fun too." Ann agreed. "Umm… we'll be able to spend time like this again, right, Shiho?"

"Of course, Ann." Shiho beamed. "Even if I'm not going to Shujin anymore, we'll still spend plenty of time together with you and Makoto, I promise!"

"I'm glad to hear it." Makoto smiled.

She could feel her bond with Shiho growing stronger.

Sun Confidant: Rank 5

After bringing Shiho back home, she was about to head home herself before Ann stopped her.

"Hey, Makoto, did you hear about the fireworks festival happening tomorrow?" Ann asked.

"Oh! I think I remember something like that." Makoto realized. "I remember going to one when I was little. So it's tomorrow?"

"Yeah! Since exams are finally over, I was hoping that we could finally celebrate taking down Kaneshiro!" Ann beamed. "We'd invite the boys too, of course."

"That does sound nice." Makoto agreed. "I haven't worn my yukata in a while…"

"I'm sure that a certain someone will love to see you in it." Ann smirked.

"Oh, hush…" Makoto mumbled, turning away.

"I'm starting to see why Ren loves teasing you so much." Ann giggled.

"Doesn't the leader get any respect?" Makoto groaned.

Ann just kept laughing. "See you then!"

She said goodbye to Ann and went home for the day.


7/18 Tuesday

Sae didn't even question where she was going when she walked out of the door.

And to be honest, a part of her was glad about that.

She felt like it would just lead to another argument, which she really didn't want to deal with right now.

She met up with Ann in their meeting spot.

"Makoto, you look great!" Ann chirped.

"T-Thank you." Makoto bashfully stammered.

"You look great too!" Morgana exclaimed.

Ann giggled. "Thanks Morgana. Are you going to wear a little yukata too?"

"Ugh… don't say things like that." Morgana groaned.

"Let's go find the boys, ok?" Ann suggested.

Ann led her around a bit before the two of them, before the two of them ran into two girls trying to flirt with Yusuke and Ren. However, Yusuke seemed to say something that offended them, causing them to walk away.

"Man, why'd you do that?!" Ryuji exclaimed. "They were totally into me!"

"I'm, uh… pretty sure they were talking more to Yusuke and me." Ren muttered.

"If you'd just have let me talk to em' for a bit, they would have totally been into me!" Ryuji argued.

"So why don't you go follow them then!" Ann snapped.

Ryuji whipped around, gasping as he saw Ann and her approaching.

"W-Wha… Ann? Makoto?!" Ryuji gasped.

"So, you were thinking about leaving us behind, were you?" Makoto frowned, disappointment evident in her voice.

"So those are the kind of girls you're interested in, huh…" Ann trailed off.

"H-Hey, come on!" Ryuji cried.

"Heh, if you think that's disappointing, just wait until you see his exam scores!" Morgana snickered.

"Shut it, cat!" Ryuji snapped. "I'm sure that they're… not… that bad…"

"You don't sound very confident." Makoto noticed, glaring.

"H-Hey… ain't we supposed to be celebratin'?" Ryuji stammered.

"Well, I suppose you're right." Makoto relented.

During their conversation, she noticed that Ren was very silent. When she glanced at him, he quickly looked away.

Ann giggled before whispering into her ear, making her blush.

"A-Ann! I can't say that!" Makoto stammered.

"Come on, come on!" Ann grinned, pushing Makoto forward.

"Eep!"

"M-Makoto?" Ren stammered, the two of them standing close together.

"Oh, um… I, uh… you're not wearing a yukata, Ren?" Makoto asked.

"No… I left my only yukata at my hometown." Ren mumbled.

"Oh… well then, maybe next time… we can both wear a yukata." Makoto suggested. "I-I-I think… you'd look very nice in one."

"R-Really?" Ren stammered. "Then… yeah. Next time then. I'll definitely wear my yukata."

"Alright, you two lovebirds, we should get going." Morgana pointed out. "It looks like it'll get crowded soon."

"I-I'll stuff you back in the bag." Makoto threatened.

"I-I'll be good!" Morgana quickly threatened.

"Yes, we should go." Yusuke nodded. "We can also discuss Ryuji's taste in women and exam scores later?"

"Don't remind them!" Ryuji pleaded.

"Hmmp… yeah, I guess I will." Ann grumbled.

As the others walked away, Ryuji tried to call out to them.

"Don't be like that… y-you two look great in your yukata too!" Ryuji cried out. "Real Japanese beauties… hey, wait up!"

The six of them mingled with the crowd, watching the fireworks burst in the air.

Just as they began enjoying the fireworks, however, rain began to downpour on them.

The crowd immediately began to disperse, seeking shelter from the rain.

"Come on, seriously?!" Ann groaned. "The weatherman didn't say anything about rain."

"Man, I was really looking forward to this too." Ryuji groaned.

"Hmm… Well, maybe we can still salvage this." Ren noted.

"What do you mean?" Makoto asked.

Ren pulled something out of his pocket.

"Boss gave me some tickets to the Skytree." Ren answered. "It's pretty close to us, so why not head there?"

"For real?!" Ryuji gasped. "That's awesome!"

"What are we waiting for?!" Ann exclaimed. "Let's go!"

The group made their way towards the Skytree, taking in the sights.

"Haha, man, look down there!" Ryuji grinned. "All the cars look like bright little ants!"

"This view is extraordinary!" Yusuke observed. "If only I had brought my art supplies…"

"Yeah, it is pretty cool, right, Makoto?" Ren asked. "...Makoto?"

"So cute…" Makoto whispered.

Makoto's attention was completely devoted to a certain familiar panda plushie.

In a souvenir shop at the Skytree, several plushies of the iconic panda were put on sale, and there was even a cardboard cutout of the Skytree, with a little Buchimaru climbing it.

"Buchimaru!" Makoto cried, immediately rushing towards one of the plushies.

"Hehehe… I didn't realize that someone as Makoto had a weak spot for plushies." Ann giggled.

"It almost looks like that little panda is the mascot of this place." Yusuke commented.

"Guess you're getting replaced, Morgana." Ren joked.

"What!? Do I look like a mascot to you?!" Morgana snapped.

"Well-"

"Wait! Don't answer that!" Morgana snapped.

"Come on, everyone!" Ann called. "Let's take some pictures!"

Ann quickly snapped a few pictures of the group, including a shot of Makoto tightly hugging her Buchi.

"Bet you'd like to replace Buchimaru, huh?" Morgana whispered at Ren, smirking.

"Quiet or I'll text Makoto past her bedtime." Ren threatened.

"You wouldn't dare!" Morgana hissed.

While they bickered, Makoto approached the Skytree's window, lost in thought.

"Hey, uh… is somethin' wrong, Makoto?" Ryuji asked. "Yer kinda starin' off into space there."

"I was… just thinking about something." Makoto brought today. "Something I heard about the other day."

"What was it about?" Yusuke asked.

"It was about this group called Medjed." Makoto replied. "I heard that they've been threatening us on our website."

"What?! Who are these guys?!" Ryuji shouted.

"And why the hell are they threatening us?!" Ann added.

"They're some sort of hacktivist group." Makoto explained. "They don't agree with our methods, and that would be why they're threatening us."

"That does sound rather concerning…" Ren trailed off.

"Yes… it's like fighting numerous invisible enemies at once." Makoto frowned. "The more that I think about it, the more that I begin to worry if we're up to the task."

The entire group stood in silence for a few moments before Ann spoke up.

"What are you talking about?! It doesn't matter who these Medjed guys are!" Ann argued. "If we work together, we'll be able to beat them, just like all the other targets that we've faced before!"

"Hell yeah! We've faced way worse than some hackers!" Ryuji agreed.

"I'm sure we'll overcome this obstacle as well." Yusuke nodded.

"As long as you've got me around, there's nothing to worry about!" Morgana boasted.

"We've gotten this far, so there's no need to worry." Ren assured her.

"Yes… of course." Makoto smiled. "We'll get through this together. Thank you, everyone."

She felt their bond as a group growing even stronger...

FORTUNE CONFIDANT: RANK 4

Soon afterwards, the rain began to go away, and so did the others with it.

After the others had left, she saw Ren staring at his phone.

"Say, Makoto, think you could help Boss and me out at Leblanc for a little bit?" Ren asked. "I just got a text from Boss saying that he needs help holding down the fort."

"Of course. I'd be glad to help." Makoto smiled.


The two of them made their way to Leblanc, helping out Sojiro with a rush of customers. After a little while, though…

"Hey, why don't you two head upstairs for a bit." Sojiro said.

"Huh? Why?" Ren asked.

"I need to talk to someone in private." Sojiro told them, glancing outside.

"Alright." Makoto nodded.

The two of them went up to Ren's room, waiting for a while. The whole time, she couldn't help but feel a little awkward.

"I, um… I've never been in a boy's room before." Makoto mumbled.

"You've been here before, haven't you?" Ren asked.

"I-I suppose…" Makoto trailed off.

It was different when it was just you and the boy…

While she was thinking, Ren slowly crept down the stairs.

"Wait, Ren, what are you doing?" Makoto asked.

"It's been a while. I want to see what Boss is talking about." Ren replied.

Ren began to listen into the conversation, his eyes widening when he heard a familiar voice.

"So, you're not going to tell me?" Sae asked.

"I have nothing more to say to you about that." Sojiro said firmly.

"Well, in that case, I have ways of making you talk." Sae replied.

"What are you talking about?" Sojiro questioned.

"...I understand that you're a legal guardian." Sae stated.

"Don't you dare bring her into this!" Sojiro roared.

"You seem awfully concerned… I wonder what a court of law would think of her condition." Sae smirked.

"Get out!" Sojiro yelled.

"Is something wrong, Boss? I heard… shouting..." Makoto trailed off, noticing the source of the commotion.

"Makoto?!" Sae gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"I-I… um…"

"Wait… that apron… are you working here?!" Sae shouted.

"What, you didn't even know?" Sojiro scoffed. "Aren't you her guardian?"

"This isn't about me!" Sae snapped, before turning towards her. "And what are you doing working here, Makoto? Do you know who this man is? And do you know that he has a criminal living with him? One that I explicitly told you not to be around?!"

"He's not a-"

"Enough!" Sae cut her off. "Why can't you just do what you're told?!"

Makoto clenched her fits.

"I want you to stay away from this man as well, Makoto." Sae ordered. "He's being investigated for being an abusive guardian."

"I've had it with your threats and accusations!" Sojiro exclaimed.

"Boss isn't like that!"

They all turned around to see Ren at the base of the steps, glaring at Sae.

"You…" Sae muttered.

"We did get off to a rocky start, I admit, but Boss has never been abusive to me in any way!" Ren argued.

"You're not the only one under his care. And what exactly do you think abuse is?" Sae scoffed.

"How about calling someone 'useless' or that they 'eat away at your life'!" Ren snapped.

The room turned dead silent.

No one moved a muscle.

A shocked look overcame Sae's face, but it quickly morphed into a look of pure rage.

"So…what was that about abusive guardians, Niijima-san?" Ren glared.

Sae stood still for a few moments before turning to glare at her.

"Sis, I…"

"Do whatever you want. I don't care." Sae muttered, before walking out of the door.

The three of them stood still for several moments.

Right now, she wanted nothing then to just cry.

To cry and cry until at least some of the pain went away.

But she had to be strong…

"I-I'm sorry, Makoto…" Ren trailed off. "I think I just made things worse…"

"No, it's not your fault." Makoto sighed. "If anything, I should be the one apologizing to you and Boss. Things only escalated to that point because I was here."

"It's fine. What happened here isn't either of you kids' fault." Sojiro sighed. "Just let me handle this, alright."

"What about what she said before?" Ren asked. "About you taking care of someone else."

"Don't worry about it." Sojiro quickly said. "I told you, leave it to me and stay out of trouble. And… Niijima-san, do you… need a place to stay for the night?"

"M-Me?" Makoto stammered. "T-Thank you Boss, but I'll be alright."

Sojiro nodded. "Offer's always open if you change your mind."

When Sojiro closed up for the day, however, she couldn't help but wonder why her sister was threatening him.

And in the dark, solitary atmosphere of her home, she thought back to her encounter with Sae at Leblanc and allowed herself a few tears before drifting off to sleep.


Makoto's Confidant Progress:

THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 7

THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 6

THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 5

THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 5

THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 5

THE TOWER - Chiaki Yasui: Rank 5

THE SUN - Shiho Suzui: Rank 5

THE MOON - Takayo Tachibana: Rank 5

THE HIEROPHANT - Sojiro Sakura: Rank 4

THE TEMPERANCE - Naoya Makigami: Rank 2

THE STAR - Hifumi Togo: Rank 3

THE DEVIL - Mitsuhide Matsuoka: Rank 2

THE HANGED MAN - Munehisa Iwai: Rank 2

THE EMPEROR - Yusuke Kitagawa: Rank 3

THE EMPRESS - Haru Okumura: Rank 3

THE LOVERS - Ann Takamaki: Rank 3

THE STRENGTH - Caroline and Justine: Rank 4

THE JUSTICE - Goro Akechi: Rank 3

THE PRIESTESS - Kasumi Yoshizawa: Rank 1

THE FORTUNE - Phantom Thieves of Heart: Rank 4

THE JUDGEMENT - Sae Niijima: Rank 4

THE COUNCILLOR - Takuto Maruki: Rank 5

Are the Phantom Thieves just? Yes 40.9%