When she awoke, she could already smell their dinner.

She walked into the kitchen, seeing that everyone else was already at the dining table.

"Sorry I'm late." Makoto apologized.

"That's alright." Ren told her. "The drive must have tired you out, huh?"

"A little bit…" Makoto admitted.

"Ah, the drive wasn't too bad, was it?" Ren's mother asked.

Makoto thought of all of the arguments and other incidents the others got into on the way here.

"… The traffic was fine." Makoto said.

"So, Makoto-chan, you're in your final year of high school, right?" Ms. Amamiya asked. "What were you thinking of studying?"

"Ann and Yusuke were just telling Mom about their modeling and art careers." Ren explained.

"Oh… well, to be honest, I haven't really thought of anything yet." Makoto admitted.

"I'm sure that you'll find your calling soon." Ren encouraged.

"Thank you." Makoto smiled.

"I heard that you've been helping Ren study. Thank you for that."

"You're very welcome." Makoto smiled.

With introductions out of the way, Ms. Amamiya turned towards Ren.

"So, you've been keeping up with your studies?" she asked.

"Yeah." Ren nodded.

Ms. Amamiya's expression turned serious.

"Have you been staying out of trouble?" his mother asked.

"… Yeah." Ren muttered.

"Have you really?"

"I-I have."

Ms. Amamiya narrowed her eyes at Ren as he glanced away from her.

Eventually, however, her expression softened.

"Alright. That's good…" his mother finally replied.

Makoto shifted in her seat, their conversation more than a little uncomfortable for her to listen to.

"H-Hey, Ms. Amamiya!" Ann quickly said. "I heard that there's a festival happening soon!"

"Oh, right, the summer festival." Ms. Amamiya stated. "We get a lot of tourists around this time… well, a lot for our town, anyway."

"I saw them settin' up a bunch of stands." Ryuji added.

"Right, there's going to be a lot of concession stands set up during the festival." Ms. Amamiya replied. "Food, games… things like that. And at night, there'll be fireworks."

"Woah! That sounds amazing!" Ryuji exclaimed.

They continued to discuss the festival over dinner, Makoto glad that the conversation had drifted away from Ren.

After dinner was finished, the others went to their rooms while Ms. Amamiya went to wash the dishes.

"Let me help, Ms. Amamiya." Makoto offered.

"Oh no, I couldn't. You're a guest." Ren's mother said.

"That's alright. I insist." Makoto smiled.

A silence fell between the two of them as they washed the dishes.

"Um… you know, Ren was actually really excited to go on this trip and see you." Makoto mentioned.

"He was?" Ren's mother asked.

Makoto nodded. "I think… that he really wanted to spend time with you."

"… I don't know about that." Ren's mother frowned.

"Although I suppose he did talk to me on the phone quite a bit."

The older woman let out a small smile.

"He actually spoke about you quite a bit." she continued.

"R-Really." Makoto stammered.

He spoke to his mother about her?!

"He had a lot to say about how smart and thoughtful you were." she recalled. "And the student council president? Your parents must be very proud of you."

Ah… he hadn't told her about that. It made sense, of course. It was rather personal.

"Actually… my parents both passed away some time ago." Makoto explained. "So it's just me and my older sister now."

"Oh… I'm sorry to hear that." Ren's mother whispered.

"It's alright." Makoto said. "But my sister and I… it has been tough on us, putting a strain on our relationship. But she's my only family left… so I don't want to lose her. It'll be tough, but I want to patch things up with her."

"I see…" Ren's mother replied.

Makoto noticed a thoughtful look on her face.

"Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable with all of that talk…" Makoto trailed off.

"No, no, it's alright." Ren's mother insisted. "I'm sure that you'll patch things up with your sister."

"Thank you, Ms. Amamiya." Makoto smiled.

As she walked off towards her room, however…

"E-Excuse me." Ms. Amamiya muttered.

"Yes?"

"You said that Ren… really wanted to see me?" Ms. Amamiya asked.

"He did." Makoto smiled.

"Thank you… for telling me." Ms. Amamiya whispered. "Of course." Makoto smiled.

Still feeling a little tired, Makoto went to bed for the day.


8/24 Tuesday

If she were being honest, there wasn't really much to do in such a small town. Still, it was something that she wasn't used to, as she had never been outside of Tokyo aside from their field trip earlier in the year.

She frowned as she came to the realization that it was nice not to be home.

Not with her sister.

She took a walk around the town in order to clear her head.

As small as the town was, there were still plenty of sights to take in. While she walked, she noticed that several other tourists were taking in the sights and glancing over the different stalls being built for the festival.

One thing that she noticed was that there were a lot of couples among the tourists.

"I wonder…" Makoto wondered. "Maybe I could ask him too…"

She shook her head. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about stuff like that.

Right?

Well, they were on vacation right now, so maybe…

She shook her head again.

She didn't want to risk ruining the team dynamic by making things awkward between Ren and herself.

Then again… she recalled back at the doctor's office, where she was told that she might regret not confessing.

But then again…

"Ugh! I was supposed to clear my head on this walk!" Makoto complained.

"W-What's up, Makoto?"

She turned to see Ryuji going on a jog of his own.

She quickly noticed that he was short of breath.

"Ryuji, are you-"

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Jeez." Ryuji cut her off.

He was still putting on a brave front, and she felt like prying would only make things worse.

"So, what're you doin'?" Ryuji asked.

"Just taking a walk to clear my head." Makoto let him know. "You?"

"Heh, I was just gettin' some training in." Ryuji grinned.

"Even during our vacation?" Makoto asked.

"Of course!" Ryuji exclaimed. "I can't be falling behind the rest of you."

"Ryuji…" Makoto trailed off.

"Anyway, I got something cool to show you about the Phantom Thieves!" Ryuji grinned.

"Is now really the time?" Makoto asked.

"Come on, just check it out!" Ryuji insisted.

Ryuji showed her a page on the Phansite, where a bunch of names were posted, each of them having a number of votes.

"They got some polls on who we should go after next!" Ryuji explained. "Ain't that awesome?!"

Makoto frowned. "I don't know… having people vote on who's heart gets changed… it just doesn't feel right to me."

"Aww, come on." Ryuji scoffed. "If a bunch of people vote for someone, they must be a bad guy. And if we go after them, we'll get more popular!"

There he went again, talking about popularity. While there were certainly advantages to being popular, she couldn't help but think that Ryuji's priorities might be a little skewed.

"Is that really a good idea…" Makoto trailed off.

Ryuji groaned. "Fine, fine, but you should check this out too!"

Ryuji showed her his phone again, where she saw numerous comments that had been posted on the Phansite.

"I know who you are."

"You know what you did."

"Admit what you did or I'll expose your identity."

She frowned as she looked over all of the messages that had been left.

Some of them were quite disturbing.

"What on Earth is this?" Makoto frowned.

"If it's some kinda troll, they're pretty stubborn." Ryuji frowned. "I keep seeing their messages gettin' deleted, but they keep postin' and makin' new accounts."

"Stubborn is right." Makoto sighed. "Do you know if this person is talking about us or someone else?"

"Well, look at this comment." Ryuji pointed out.

Makoto glanced at another comment on the Phansite.

"You'll never be a successful journalist!"

That had caught her attention.

They must have been referring to Takayo…

"None of us are journalists, so I don't know what they're talking about." Ryuji said.

"One of the admins of the site." Makoto explained. "It looks like she's being targeted."

"For real?!" Ryuji exclaimed. "Then we gotta do something!"

"I'll talk to her after we get back to Tokyo." Makoto promised. "Hopefully she knows something."

The possibility that someone was targeting Takayo was very unnerving to her. If they knew of her connection to the Phantom Thieves, then she was in grave danger.

Could the same conspiracy that Kaneshiro was a part of be targeting her? Or was it someone else…?

She inwardly sighed. There was little point in speculating with so little to go off of.

"Thank you for informing me." Makoto said. "Let me know if you find anything else."

"Got it!" Ryuji nodded.

What had started as a walk to clear her head ended up giving her more trouble than before.

She had a lot on her mind when she went to bed for the day…


8/25 Wednesday

"So, why are we here again?"

"I told you, Makoto, it's so that I can pray for good exam scores." Ann replied. "I already prayed to a shrine in Tokyo, so if I pray here too, I'll be, like, double lucky!"

"Or you could just study." Makoto pointed out.

"Ugh, I knew you'd say that." Ann groaned.

"Because it's true." Makoto replied. "You should… you should…"

Makoto let out a yawn.

"Tired?" Ann asked.

"I didn't sleep well last night." Makoto admitted.

As embarrassing as it was, thoughts of Ren had kept her up the entire night.

Certain moments in particular, like when he had saved her from the pillar in Futaba's palace, really stuck out.

"Everything ok, Makoto?" Ann asked.

"Y-Yeah." Makoto muttered. "I was just…wondering what else we could do here."

"Well, there's a beach." Ann pointed out. "We could all go there before we leave."

Makoto nodded. "Yeah. That sounds good. I think Futaba would like it too."

"I already got her a swimsuit, and the others brought theirs, so we're good to go!" Ann grinned.

"We should probably get some extra towels and sunscreen, though." Makoto noted. "Why don't you go and tell the others while I get them."

"Got it!" Ann exclaimed, running off.

"And make sure you study!" Makoto advised.

"Whaaaat! Sooooory, Makoto, you're too far away I can't hear yoooou!" Ann giggled.

Makoto sighed, punching the bridge of her nose before heading to a nearby store for some supplies.

When she got back to the Amamiya household, she found Ann sitting on the couch.

"Hey, Makoto!" Ann greeted. "I told everyone about the beach trip, and they were all super excited to go!"

"Even Futaba?" Makoto asked.

"She seemed a little nervous at first, but she calmed down a bit when we assured her that we'd all be there for her." Ann explained.

"That's good." Makoto smiled. "I'm sure that she'll enjoy it."

She sat down on the couch next to Ann and turned on the news, curious what was happening in Tokyo.

The news started out normally enough, simply focusing on recent and upcoming events.

Eventually, however, the newscaster began to speak about a few murders that had occurred.

A member of the Yakuza and a police officer.

They had both been found in alleyways, bleeding into the street…

"Geez… how brutal." Ann muttered.

As the newscaster listed the victims' injuries, Makoto noticed that they were very similar to the injuries she had heard of "The Cleaner".

"Say, Makoto… you don't think that this is that masked man who did this, do you?" Ann asked.

Makoto thought about it for a moment before shaking her head.

"The masked man would probably use the Metaverse to take out their victims." Makoto reasoned. "So I doubt that this was their handiwork."

"Yeah… that makes sense." Ann nodded. "But it's still kinda scary how there's another killer on the loose."

Makoto nodded. "I wonder what their motive could be…"

She remembered a conversation that she had with Akechi, where he had told her that there was a killer that even the police were having trouble catching.

Could there be a connection?

Or maybe he was connected to the conspiracy that they had uncovered.

Makoto frowned, spending the rest of the day wondering what it could be before going to bed for the day.


8/26 Thursday

After she had eaten breakfast for the day, Ren had offered to take her on a tour of his hometown. One by one, Ren showed her all of his favorite hangout spots from when he was a kid, and other places around town.

A small pond that he used to fish in, a local bookstore, a museum, and now…

"There's my old school." Ren mentioned. "Not as grand as Shujin, but…"

"Hopefully the staff isn't quite as bad." Makoto finished.

Ren gave a small chuckle. "Yeah, I guess they weren't as bad, but…"

"But what?" Makoto asked.

"Well, they weren't really fond of me. Thought I'd be a problem child." Ren shrugged. "I guess I was."

"Why did they think you were a problem child?" Makoto asked.

"That's just what people thought about people like me." Ren explained. "Orphans or kids with only one parent."

"But if they treat them like that, that'll only ensure that they act like that." Makoto frowned. "That's just not fair…"

She had noticed that a few people had stared at Ren, whispering when they saw him.

"It isn't… there are a lot of things in society that are unfair." Ren acknowledged. "So I want to help those people who have no one in their corner. People left behind by society. Because I know how awful that is."

She smiled, a warm feeling spreading over her.

"I'm glad that you convinced me to visit." Ren said. "Despite everything, I did miss this place… and my mom, too."

"Is everything with your mother… ok?" Makoto asked.

"It's better than I feared." Ren admitted. "I think that I just need to work up the courage to sit down and talk to her."

"No matter what happens, we're here for you." Makoto promised.

"I know." Ren smiled. "Thank you."

They went back home shortly afterwards, Makoto once again finding her mind drifting as she tried to fall asleep.


8/27 Friday

The day of the festival had finally arrived. She did her best to freshen herself up for it, and put on the same yukata that she had worn during the last festival.

Her eyes widened when she met up with the others.

Ren had told them that he had left his yukata at home while they were at Tokyo, so she was seeing it for the first time.

It was a simple black yukata with a red sash, but she couldn't stop her mind from wandering.

"He looks… really nice in that." she thought to herself.

"Oh! Oh! Look, Ren, it's Mothman!"

Futaba was pointing at a plushy at one of the stalls.

"Do you want me to get that for you?" Ren asked.

Futaba nodded, grinning at him.

Ren paid for the plushy, Futaba happily snatching it from his hand.

If there was one thing about him that she liked the most, it was his kindness.

"Come on, don't just stand there! Say hello!" Ann exclaimed, giving a mischievous grin.

"Eep!"

Ann pushed her towards Ren, who quickly caught her when he saw her stumbling towards him and about to fall.

"Falling for me?" Ren whispered, so that only she could hear.

"Shut up." she replied, loud enough for everyone to hear.

As night fell over the town, paper lanterns lit up the streets, the festival still going strong.

At some point, Ryuji and Ann had separated from the group, although they were a bit too preoccupied with Futaba to give it much thought.

"Oh! Oh! I wanna go there! And there! And there!" Futaba exclaimed.

An excited Futaba started pointing to every food and game stall she saw.

"One at a time, Futaba!" Makoto cried, chasing after the younger girl.

After indulging her for a little while, Ren pulled Makoto aside.

"Hey, uh, Makoto…?" Ren asked.

"What is it? Are you running out of money to spoil Futaba?" Makoto giggled.

"N-No!" Ren insisted. "… Well, yes, actually, but that's not why I called you over."

"What is it then?"

"I just… wanted to show you one last place." Ren muttered, looking nervous. "Um… could be just the two of us."

"Ok, sure." Makoto nodded. "Let's go."

"… Just the two of us." Ren stressed.

"Oh." Makoto realized.

Makoto walked over towards Yusuke.

"Yusuke, could you watch over Morgana and Futaba for me." she asked.

Yusuke nodded, taking Morgana from her arms.

"Ugh, I get stuck with Inari?" Futaba pouted.

"I don't need a babysitter!" Morgana snapped. "Why can't I come?"

"Behave, or we won't get you dessert." Makoto warned.

Both of them quieted down.

"Really taking charge, Mamakoto." Ren grinned as they walked off.

Makoto rolled her eyes.


"Wow! Look Ryuji, there's fireworks!"

Ann gazed into the sky, seeing fireworks exploding among the stars.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Ann asked.

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah, sure." Ryuji said.

Ann frowned. Ryuji wasn't paying attention to her at all.

"Ryuji, what are you-"

"Woah, check this out!" Ryuji exclaimed, pointing at one of the stands. "They've got Phantom Thief merchandise!"

"Seriously?" Ann questioned. "I didn't realize that we- err, they were that popular."

"Yeah, it's pretty awesome." Ryuji grinned.

"Yeah, it is, but…"

"But what?"

"Notice anything different about me?" Ann asked, smirking.

"… Uhhhhh…"

"… Ryuji." Ann frowned.

"… Uhhh… did you do something with your… makeup?" Ryuji asked.

"I LET MY HAIR DOWN!" Ann snapped.

"Oh." Ryuji replied. "Why?"

"Well… I just thought you'd like it. That's all." Ann muttered, turning away.

"Why would you care if I liked it?" Ryuji wondered.

"Ugh… are you gonna make me spell it out?" Ann complained. "I just wanted to… spend time with you."

Ryuji's eyes widened. "Ooooh, I see now…"

Ann gave a relieved expression. It would be too embarrassing to just say her intentions straight.

"You just want me to buy you a ton of sweets, don't you!" Ryuji shouted.

Ann's expression immediately fell.

"No! I mean… maybe? I don't know… I guess it depends on how it goes… between us." Ann whispered.

"What do ya mean, 'between us'?" Ryuji questioned.

"Oh, that's it!"

Ann couldn't take it anymore!

"I'm asking you out on a date, you idiot!" Ann snapped.

A moment of silence passed between them, Ann looking away in embarrassment.

She couldn't believe she had just said it out loud.

Ryuji's mouth hung agape for nearly a minute before he responded the only way he knew how.

"FOR REAL?!"


"Hmmm…"

"Something wrong, Mona?" Futaba asked.

"I feel… a disturbance." Morgana muttered.

"Why do you think everyone went on their own?" Yusuke wondered. "Normally Makoto brings you with her."

"That's what I'm wondering about!" Morgana exclaimed. "Everyone just kinda split off from each other! I can't believe Makoto just left me behind!"

"I can't believe that Makoto packed a cat sized kimono for you." Yusuke said.

Futaba giggled as Morgana grumbled at his attire.

"That's the thing, she said she didn't pack it!" Morgana snapped. "But it somehow ended up in her suitcase, and as soon as she saw it, she immediately put it on me because she said it looked cute!"

"If Makoto didn't pack it, then who did?" Futaba wondered.

The three of them pondered the question for a moment.

"Doesn't Makoto have an older sister?" Yusuke asked.

"What, you mean Sae? Nah, there's no way she would bother with something like that… right?" Morgana muttered.

All of them thought for a moment before shaking their heads.

There was just no way…

As they were thinking about it, they gasped upon hearing fireworks.

"Fireworks!" Futaba exclaimed. "I gotta see!"

"Oof!"

Futaba started trying to climb on top of Yusuke.

"W-What are you doing?!" Yusuke exclaimed.

"Trying to see the fireworks, duh." Futaba explained.

"It's not my fault that you're so tall!"

"I think it's more you're just really small…" Yusuke muttered.

"Ah, so pretty!" Futaba exclaimed, pointing at the fireworks.

Morgana started to climb atop Yusuke as well before hopping atop Futaba's shoulder.

Yusuke simply resigned himself to his fate and sighed.


"This is beautiful…"

Ren had brought her to a flowerbed atop a hill.

At the top of the hill was a tree and a view overlooking the entire village.

Makoto gazed at the people celebrating down below, the lanterns like fireflies dancing in the air.

"This is the last place I want to show you." Ren explained. "It's my secret hideout. I haven't shown it to anyone else."

"Really?" Makoto asked.

Ren nodded. "When I was a kid, I'd come here whenever I felt angry or upset. I'd just look at the clouds and think until I calmed down."

"But you're not upset now, are you?" Makoto asked.

"Nah." Ren answered. "I'm pretty happy right now. Especially since I get to spend time with you."

"O-Oh…" Makoto stammered.

"Yup, it's just you, me… and that four foot tall Buchi plush I won you at the festival." Ren said.

Makoto laughed as she cuddled the large panda. "He's so fluffy…"

Ren turned away, trying not to make his jealousy for a fictional panda obvious.

"Um… so, how's everything with Eiko-san going?" Ren asked, changing the subject. "Is she still dealing with that boyfriend of hers?"

Makoto nodded. "I'm still worried about her. It's just a gut feeling right now, but I don't trust Tsukasa."

"So are we going to have to be a couple for longer?" Ren asked.

"M-Maybe." Makoto mumbled.

"Well… um, I… ah, don't really have much experience with that sort of thing." Ren admitted. "It would be nice if I have someone to learn with…"

Was he suggesting…?

No, it couldn't be…

But what if it was?

This would… probably be the best opportunity for her to say something.

Summoning every ounce of courage that she had, she said the first thing that came to mind.

"I could… be your study partner…"

She sounded like such a dork!

Of all the things to say, it was something so embarrassing…

She just wanted to run away right then and there.

After a few moments, she worked up the courage to look at him, and his flustered expression.

"Ren?"

He blinked, as if she had snapped him out of a stupor.

"W-Wait." he stammered. "I'm sorry, I don't… um, do you… like me… a-as more than a friend, I mean. Or… did you want to actually... 'study' romance?"

This would be a good chance for her to back out. But that wasn't what she wanted.

"I mean… I would like us to date. For real." she whispered. "To… be your girlfriend."

Ren went silent, and if it wasn't for the shocked look on his face, she would have thought he didn't hear her.

"Hehehe…"

He let out a light chuckle, and instantly, her head drooped.

She was such an idiot. Of course he wouldn't like her like that. All those signs… that was just wishful thinking. He was just being friendly to her. He could do so much better than her…

"You beat me to it."

She raised her head, confused.

"What?"

"You beat me to it." Ren repeated. "I wanted to confess my feelings to you first."

Confess his feelings?!

Did he…?!

"Ren, do you mean…?"

She let the question hang in the air, too afraid to finish it.

"I've had a crush on you for so long…" he admitted. "I… I would love to be your study partner."

Her expression immediately changed into a bright smile.

"T-That…!" she exclaimed. "T-That's wonderful. I'm g-glad that you feel the same!

As embarrassed as she felt, that feeling was dwarfed by how happy she was.

"I… look forward to growing our r-relationship together." Makoto beamed.

Now officially dating, the two study partners laid in the flowers, their fingers brushing against each other as they watched the fireworks.

FOOL CONFIDANT: RANK 9


Makoto's Confidant Progress:

THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 9

THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 7

THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 7

THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 6

THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 6

THE TOWER - Chiaki Yasui: Rank 5

THE SUN - Shiho Suzui: Rank 7

THE MOON - Takayo Tachibana: Rank 5

THE HIEROPHANT - Sojiro Sakura: Rank 5

THE TEMPERANCE - Naoya Makigami: Rank 5

THE STAR - Hifumi Togo: Rank 5

THE DEVIL - Mitsuhide Matsuoka: Rank 3

THE HANGED MAN - Munehisa Iwai: Rank 3

THE DEATH - Yohei Kiritani: Rank 4

THE EMPEROR - Yusuke Kitagawa: Rank 5

THE EMPRESS - Haru Okumura: Rank 4

THE LOVERS - Ann Takamaki: Rank 5

THE HERMIT - Futaba Sakura: Rank 2

THE STRENGTH - Caroline and Justine: Rank 6

THE JUSTICE - Goro Akechi: Rank 4

THE PRIESTESS - Kasumi Yoshizawa: Rank 3

THE FORTUNE - Phantom Thieves of Heart: Rank 4

THE JUDGMENT - Sae Niijima: Rank 5

THE COUNCILOR - Takuto Maruki: Rank 5

Are the Phantom Thieves just? Yes 57.4%