It was a regular Wednesday for Yu, or as regular as it could get with fighting Mankind's demons within the hearts and minds of despicable human beings as a pastime. There weren't any good requests on the Phansite, and Akechi hadn't had any luck finding another potential target. Yu decided to head to the library to try and study, but the rather loud whispers made it clear he wasn't wanted, so he made his way to the subway to head home, but was cut off by someone at the school gate.
"Yo dude, I got a favor to ask." A familiar voice asked, running up behind Yu.
"Ryuji? Um, sure, what is it?"
"Yea, so um… sorry to spring this on ya all of a sudden, but, do ya think you could go on a run with me?"
"That… is very sudden. What brought this on?"
"Well, with that asshole gone, I figured I'd try to get back into the track team. And that means I gotta get back in shape. Figured I would get a non-runner to see how bad I've gotten."
"Why didn't you go to Akechi, or Ann for this?"
"Ann won't be able to jog three feet, let alone three miles, and Akechi… nah, I don't think he could make it either. Besides, there's something about you man. Something about you just seems, like… I dunno man, like I can trust you with anything, and you won't let me down."
"I've been told I have one of those faces."
"Soooooooo… you in?"
"You know what? Let me get changed into something, and I'll meet you back here."
"All right!"
With her rising fame, Hifumi found that she couldn't practice at school in peace anymore, so she had to seek… alternatives. Which was why she now found herself in the middle of a quiet little church in the middle of Kanda. There was no one here, which made practice a little difficult, but the Togo Queen was nothing if not resourceful. Right now, the shogi board had already been set and played on, and right now, it was time for the game to end.
"And now, you will witness the futility of your-"
"Excuse me miss, what are you doing?"
"GAAAAH!"
Hifumi screamed from the sudden voice so loudly, anyone right next to her would probably have their ears bleed. She also jostled out of the pew she sat in, completely tossing the board over and scattering pieces everywhere. The voice belonged to none other than the priest, who had his hands up in defense.
"H-h-hi…" Hifumi greeted, a blush starting to form because of what she did.
"Hello there." He said calmly after Hifumi had calmed down.
"Sorry for intruding, Father. I just needed… um…"
"A place of peace to gather your thoughts?"
"Something like that. I'm sorry, it's just that-"
"There's no need to apologize young lady. The house of God welcomes all. Stay here as long as you wish. All I ask is that you remain quiet for the sermon."
"Oh. I will, Father…" She trailed off.
"Simon. My name is Simon Solace."
"Thank you again Father Simon." Hifumi thanked, before beginning to pick up the scattered shogi pieces.
Yu was quite proud of himself for making it this far. Considering that Ryuji was a track member, Yu expected him to leave the Wild Card in the dust, but much to both their surprise, they were evenly matched. By now, the jog had taken them well outside of Shujin's area, and by now they found themselves in a more natural part of the city. The last sign they saw told them that they had entered the Kanda district, and now they were both just jogging blind. Finally, Ryuji stopped, and Yu stopped next to him, and both boys coughed and hacked their lungs out.
"Holy shit. I'm not in as bad shape as I thought. And you were way better than I thought you'd be. You sure you didn't do track back where you were from?" Ryuji asked between coughs.
"I did kendo. Lots of stamina training." Yu wheezed in response.
"Here. Let's go inside the church and rest a bit. Then we can walk back." Ryuji suggested.
"Excellent idea."
The two went to the building, passing a priest and an elderly couple on the way in, and were greeted by a refreshing cool breeze. And some obnoxious voices. Up in the front, a girl was sitting alone, and surrounded by a few jocks, and judging by the tone of their voices, trouble was brewing.
"Oh come on, you look just like her." One of them, wearing a backward baseball cap pointed out.
"Look, I already told you, you got me confused for someone else."
"You got the braid, the looks, and a shogi board. You're definitely her." Another guy, one wearing a chain around his neck leered.
"Look, we're your fans, and we just wanna show you a good time. It's gotta be better than being cooped up in this rickety shack." The final one, wearing a neon tank top offered.
"No thank you." Yu could tell that she was straining to be polite.
"Come on, don't knock it till you've tried it." the baseball guy replied, moving to grab the girl's arm, causing her to jerk back in response.
"Hey, the lady said no." Ryuji said, finally stepping in, with a tone of seriousness Yu hadn't heard from him before.
"Oh? And who the hell are you?" Baseball asked.
"Yea, we were here first, fuckface." Chain neck suggested.
"Heh. Probably thinks that he'll get laid if he gets us to back off."
The three laughed amongst themselves, while Ryuji simply smirked and walked towards the trio.
"Oh, you guys think you're super funny. Well, I got a joke for ya. What's man's worst enemy?"
Baseball cap took a step closer and asked.
"What?"
"The nutcracker." Was Ryuji's answer as he delivered a swift kick to the testicles.
The ring leader clutched his groin and fell backwards, his two buddies failing to catch him in time. The one with the neck chains stepped forward and clenched his fists, and Ryuji put up his guard in kind, with Yu standing by his side, ready to brawl. Before any fists could fly, a voice stepped in.
"Enough! This is a holy site, and any who disturb it will answer to the police." The priest threatened, holding up a phone. The thugs looked amongst each other, and with a grunt, each left one by one, making sure to glare daggers at Ryuji, who simply shrugged at the hostile stares. Once they were gone, Ryuji turned to the girl, who had finished packing up her Shogi board.
"Yo. You alright?"
"I am, thank you."
"Those assholes come by often?"
"No. And sadly, those were one of the more… polite groups."
"That bad?" Yu asked.
"I had to come to this church because I thought it was the only place that I could practice in peace. But, I thought wrong, as you clearly saw."
"Why were they after you?"
"I'm rather popular at my school. They were just admirers." It wasn't technically a lie.
"Oh, that… makes sense. Do you think that those guys will come back again?"
"Most likely. And others worse than them."
"Oh. Well, in that case… um… this church, it's on my usual run routine. You don't mind if I come by every now and then to make sure that you're doing ok?"
"Why? I don't even know who you are" The girl asked, suspicion dripping from her voice.
"Well… if I'm gonna stop by figured I might as well check up on ya."
"Oh really? And you're doing this all out of the goodness of your heart?"
"Well yea."
Hifumi narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Yu decided to intervene.
"If you're worried about him trying something like those guys, you always have the priest guy."
"Well… it's not like I can't stop you from coming in and talking to me. Fine."
"Cool. Oh, I'm Ryuji Sakamoto by the way."
"Hifumi Togo. I'll see you around." She stated, picking up her bag and heading out of the church. Once the two were alone, Yu turned to Ryuji.
"Hey, just so you know, I won't be able to come and jog with you every time, so if you run into those guys, you might have to deal with it alone."
"Ah, it's no biggie. Dad told me I have a killer right hook. But man, Hifumi… she was pretty cute, right?" Ryuji asked with a toothy grin.
"That's exactly why she was super cautious about your offer Ryuji."
"Oh come on man!"
"But yea, she was pretty cute. Just some advice; when you first start out, just keep your distance. You two are complete strangers, so make sure she knows you're there, then get back to your jog."
"Relax man, I'm pretty sure she's a total nerd. Not my cup of pee."
"Tea. It's my cup of tea."
"Wait really? Huh. That makes way more sense than 'pee'."
"How long did you think that was how the saying went?"
"Um… let's head back yea? Who knows how long we've been gone."
"Race you there?"
"Loser has to buy ramen!" Ryuji dared.
"You're on!" Yu accepted, and the two boys sprinted for about two seconds before their muscles started to cramp.
"How about… we walk, and split the bill?" Yu suggested.
"Yea. Yea, that sounds good." Ryuji agreed, wincing from the pain.
After they had gotten changed, the boys went to the ramen shop as before. Unfortunately, the line was much too long, so they instead headed to a beef bowl shop, and feasted there. After they had their fill, the two began to go their separate ways at the subway, but Ryuji tapped Yu on the shoulder.
"Hey dude…" Ryuji started.
"Yea?" Yu asked as the train pulled in.
"Thanks for coming. Shit's always more fun with a buddy."
"Anytime. And good luck with getting a date out of Hifumi." Yu teased.
"Thank- Hey! I ain't gonna-" Was all Ryuji could sputter before the train doors closed and Yu speed away with a smirk.
Yusuke was hiding in a bush.
Why is Yusuke hiding in a bush, you may ask? Well, originally, he came to learn the routine of Hifumi's mother, then confront her about what she had been doing to Hifumi and try to get her to stop. The problem was that she never came out of her house, forcing him to wait and wander the premises like a stalker.
Not the best plan, he would admit, but as he had been loitering for a good few hours outside the Togo residence, he had to hide to avoid the attention of anyone who might call the cops on him or tell him to go away. And so, he was hiding in a bush. For three hours. And his muscles were starting to cramp, on top of the fact that bugs were beginning to come out. He was about to get up from the bush to head back, but he then saw the door open and out stepped none other than Hifumi's mother: Mitsuyo Togo.
Ducking back into the bush to observe her, he then saw a car pull up in the driveway, and a man stepped out. He approached the house, and Mitsuyo's features contorted in frustration. Yusuke pulled out his phone and began to record.
"I thought I told you, if you need to meet, we have to do it at a private location."
"I'm sorry madame, but this is important. It appears Suki wants to back out."
"Oh really? Has she gone to the police yet?"
"Not yet. She wants to get her family out first."
"I see. Well, this needs correcting. Call up our special contact and give him instructions to her house. I'll handle the snitch."
The man bowed and pulled out his phone, walking to the car and driving off as he dialed a number. Mitsuyo pulled out her own phone, and a sinister sneer appeared on her face.
"Hello Suki. A little birdie told me that you've decided to… terminate your employment with us. Tell me, do you need a reminder of what happens to those who try to run?"
There was some noise from the phone, but Yusuke couldn't make out what they said.
"So what? You think because you did my dirty work for me you'd be exempt from what you dealt out?"
Yusuke's eyes widened. Whatever this woman was talking about with Mitsuyo was far more serious than forcing her daughter to be a model.
"And on top of that, you decided to try to run to the police. Such a shame. Your daughter had just moved out too."
Mitsuyo's smirk grew as the noise from the phone increased.
"There we go! I knew you'd see reason eventually! Now, I'll be in touch with you, but remember;"
Her grin suddenly faded, and her voice lowered to a growl.
"You signed a contract for me. You don't get to bail because you suddenly grow a conscience. Got it? Good."
And with that, the woman turned and went back into her house. Yusuke waited awhile before getting out of his bush and heading straight home in a mad panic. Once he was back in the safety of his shack, he pulled out his phone. It was still recording. Making sure to delete the part of him screaming like a madman, he then scrolled through his contact lists. This was much bigger than him and Hifumi. Once he found it, he dialed the number, hoping his friend wasn't already asleep. But they picked up the phone, Yusuke breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hello Akechi-san. I need your help."
It was Thursday, but after Yu arrived at Shujin, he found out that it wasn't going to be an ordinary Thursday, if the rumors were any indication.
"Did you hear we're getting a new transfer student?"
"Oh really? I hope he's not another criminal."
"Apparently, it's a she , and she's going to be in class 3-A."
"Wonder why the sudden transfer?"
"I heard she's a foreigner, so maybe that's why?"
"Hopefully she isn't a slut like Takamaki."
Yu knew full well who the new student was, though he was surprised that Ushimaru was able to get Morgana in so quickly. As he took his seat, he sent Izanagi to Akechi's class, just to see if Morgana's introduction to the school would be as bad as her introduction to sushi. The young woman in the Shujin school uniform stepped up in front of the class, the name 'Morgana Velvet' written on the chalkboard clearly for all to see.
"Everyone this is Morgana Velvet, our new transfer student. Now, in case you couldn't tell by the name, she isn't from around here, so please, be patient with her since she isn't used to our customs. Now, Morgana-san. Say something about yourself." The teacher instructed.
"Well… um… I really like sushi! And I'm a huge fan of the Phantom Team! I'm really looking forward to staying here!" She said with a smile that was a bit too wide to be genuine.
Akechi probably told her to say that so she wouldn't raise suspicions.
"Thank you Morgana. You're seat will be… right over there!" The teacher said, pointing at a seat right behind Akechi. Morgana practically skipped to it and Yu had to pull Izanagi back as he felt his phone buzz.
Akechi: Everyone, I do believe I have found our next target.
Shiho: Awesome! Who is it?
Akechi: Her name is Mitsuyo Togo. I don't have anything concrete yet, but I got a tip about her threatening a co-worker with threats. My contact even showed me evidence.
Yu: We need more to go on Akechi. What exactly did this Mitsuyo do?
Akechi: According to the recording he took with his phone, she had a minion named 'Suki' whom Mitsuyo used to do her dirty work, which is most likely illegal, as the whole reason Mitsuyo called Suki in the first place was to warn her about the consequences of going to the police.
Morgana: I also made sure to put her name into the Nav last night. She has a Palace.
Yu: What else do we know about her?
Shiho: Togo… hey, aren't we going on a field trip tomorrow to Togo News Station?
Yu: Sounds like the perfect opportunity to go and find out more about how she thinks. Once we do discover her keywords, we should concentrate our efforts on Mondays-Thursdays.
Morgana: Why those specific days?
Yu: I just found a new job. One I have to work on Fridays and Saturdays.
Akechi: And on Sunday, you'll have to work with me and Sae-san.
Yu: I know. I'm sorry I can't dedicate myself completely to this.
Shiho: Maybe it's for the best. If we focus non-stop on our job as the Phantom Team, the rest of our lives; grades, family, and so on, will just fall apart.
Yu: Good point. I'll see you guys at the field trip.
Akechi: Morgana and I won't be able to accompany you two. It's only second years.
Yu: Really? So we'll have to be the ones who obtain any info on Mitsuyo.
Morgana: Are we sure about this? Yu is still on probation, and if he gets caught…
Shiho: I'll do it. What should I do?
Akechi: Well, I highly doubt Mitsuyo will carry her personal computer on her person. It'll most likely be in her office.
Shiho: And where will that be?
Akechi: I don't know. I'll have to pull up the files on the building. And then there's the matter of getting past her security on her computer…
Yu: Actually, I know someone who can help with that.