"Yea, I'm fine. How come you're here early Sae-san?"
"You won't believe this: Sis actually managed to get in contact with the Phantom Team!" Makoto gleefully informed.
"Actually I can imagine it. I was there when she got the invitation. Still doesn't explain why she's here early."
"I was… worried. That the Team had changed Makoto's heart, or yours."
"That would be counter-intuitive to what he's trying to accomplish with you." Yu pointed out.
"I… I know. But that doesn't remove the fear."
"I think he'd be a bit disheartened to hear that after meeting you. I mean, most people would be at ease once they made an alliance with someone they thought were an enemy."
"Most people are selfish, greedy, manipulative, and gullible. And the Team can always betray me."
The prosecutor let out a sigh and pinched her nose.
"But you're probably right, I'm just being paranoid. I just can't shake the feeling something terrible has happened."
"We're fine Sae-san. And if the Team hurts us, you'll kick their aaaaa…. Butts." Yu assured, removing one of his hands from its pocket to give a reassuring squeeze to Sae's shoulder. In doing so, he exposed the bandage covering it, now crimson from his blood. By the time he realized his mistake and tried to put it back, it was too late. Sae had already seen it, and she grabbed hold, examining it as Makoto let out a gasp. Sae's teeth grounded each other, and Yu could feel her pulse accelerate as fury churned within. But despite that, she held Yu's hand like she was holding a kitten.
"Who. Did. This?" Sae asked, still gingerly holding his hand. Yu only looked at the ground. He really didn't want Sae to get overprotective and start following him around, or picking him up from school and making sure he stayed at the apartment.
"WHO?!" She asked again, making Yu flinch from her yell.
"I don't know. He had a gecko tattoo." Yu half lied. If they knew he had encountered Iwai, then they'd take desperate measures for sure.
Sae's eyes widened in shock, and Makoto let out a gasp.
"You mean… you encountered Munehisa Iwai?" Makoto asked.
Shit
"I-I don't know."
Sae's hand trembled, but this time it wasn't fury, but fear, that gripped her heart. She placed her hand to her mouth as she tried to steady herself. Makoto decided to speak up while her big sister attempted to calm down.
"Do you know who Munehisa Iwai is, Yu-kun?"
"Yes. He's the one that my… our fathers were investigating before-"
"What did he want?" Sae asked, cutting him off.
Yu's mind struggled a bit as it raced to come up with something believable.
"He said… this was a warning. He's planning something, since some of his criminal rivals have died, and he wants you… he asked I passed along a message; 'if you try to get in the way, I'll be more than happy to reunite you and your sister with your daddy. After you've made me some cash getting whored out in my clubs and I killed this kid.' That's it."
"Dammit… we heard reports that the leaders for a few rival gangs have had mental shutdowns, but I didn't think Iwai would move so quickly."
Sae slammed her open palm onto the table. For a moment she looked ready to cry as she narrowed her gaze at the bloody bandages wrapped around Yu's hands, then turned to her younger sister. Sae's eyes closed, and when she opened them, they weren't filled with sorrow, but wrath and determination.
"Alright. Here's what we're going to do." Sae declared.
Please let it not be too bad…
"Starting tomorrow, I'm going to start driving both of you to and from school. Makoto, I want you to make sure all student council activities happen during the school day. If that isn't possible, I want you to step down. Also Narukami, I'm going to need you to contact Sakura-san and tell him you're quitting."
"W-what?!" Yu sputtered.
"You heard me. The only times either of you are leaving this apartment is to go to school. You are not allowed to leave unless it's an emergency or you have my permission."
No no no!
"Sae-san… you can't just coop me up here with nothing to do."
"You can study, and if you're in desperate need of entertainment, we have movies for you to watch, and a deck of cards. Makoto knows a few games she can teach you."
"B-but still, it's a bit extreme, don't you think?"
Sae's eyes lit up like a wildfire.
"A bit extreme?! Would you rather I wait until Iwai strikes again? Perhaps I should let him tie you to an electric chair? Or does chopping off your fingers and toes sound more appealing? Or maybe I should just let him cripple you before I take action to ensure your protection?!"
You're losing this argument Narukami. You have to turn this around!
I know, I'm trying!
"But-"
"BUT NOTHING! Your safety is more important to me than anything else. If you find my protection too overbearing, you're welcome to strike out on your own!" Sae barked, giving him her signature glare.
"Would you even let me? Since my safety is more important to you than anything else?" Yu barked back, not backing down.
For a moment, there was a painful, deafening silence between Narukami and Niijima. Both were unwilling to let the other get what they wanted, and neither had any intention of giving ground.
"Could you two please calm down?" Makoto asked, almost pleading with the two.
The younger Niijima's words had the desired effect; both Sae and Yu took deep breaths as the adrenaline started to wane. Sae let out a deep groan as she shook her head.
"Narukami… after what Iwai did to you… do you really think Sis' reaction wasn't justified? Would you prefer that she didn't do anything?"
"That's… well…"
Yu's mind worked into overdrive. He couldn't be allowed to lose his freedom, no matter what. If he did, he couldn't lead the Phantom Team, and Iwai would likely win.
"It's just… there has to be another way."
"Like what Narukami? What can I do to make sure you're safe that you're fine with?" Sae asked, now suddenly exhausted. But that's when an idea popped into her ward's head.
"Well… can't you tell the Phantom Team to go after him? I mean, the two of you made a deal after all."
Both Makoto and Sae went wide-eyed at the suggestion.
"You can't be serious." Sae stated, furrowing her brow.
"Actually… I think he has a point." Makoto pointed out.
Sae didn't say anything, too stunned at what her younger sister said.
"Iwai said that… doing this to Yu-kun was intended to be a warning. If you start taking action, he might take it that his warning went unheeded."
That makes zero sense.
Perhaps, but Makoto is on your side. Work with her, and we may come out of this with our freedom intact.
"What I think she's trying to say is that if you suddenly start causing a ton of changes, it would put Iwai on guard, which could cause him to… take certain measures."
"So I should just do nothing? Sit in my office, twiddling my thumbs?"
"No. I said you should contact the Phantom Team."
"I… I can't. I can't put your life in the hands of complete strangers. If I do… all I'll do is worry. I refuse to entrust your life to something as heartless as the whims of fate." Sae confessed, her fire from earlier now mere cinders.
"Then how about this? I'll stay with him." Makoto suggested. Both Yu and Sae shot her a questioning look.
"I can stick with him on the trip to school, and wherever he goes afterwards. You know I can handle myself Sis."
"T-that's true, I've felt it firsthand…" Sae whinced, placing a hand on her ribcage delicately.
Looks like Akechi wasn't exaggerating when he said Makoto was the better fighter.
"And while we're doing our everyday lives, you can sic the Phantom Team on Iwai."
"And what if they don't accept?"
"That would go against everything we know about the Phantom Team. I mean, they want to prove themselves to you and earn your trust. Not only that, but they go after criminals." Yu countered.
Sae looked to the floor and crossed her arms as she tapped her foot, weighing the pros and cons. Finally, she let out a sigh.
"Alright fine. We'll do it your way. But the moment something happens, you let me know and you come straight home as soon as possible."
Makoto, what would I do without you?
"You got it Sae-san."
"Sure thing Sis."
"Alright. But before we do anything, we have to get to a hospital. You're going to need stitches Narukami, and recovery will take a few weeks. Makoto and I will pick up dinner." Sae said as she pulled out her phone and sent a text.
Later that night, Yu received a message from Futaba. Sae Niijima wanted an audience.
The next day, Yu rode the train with Makoto a lot closer and a lot more alert than usual. His senpai was almost shoulder-to-shoulder to him, and she always seemed to be looking for something, or rather, someone, that didn't seem out of place. While Yu was grateful that Sae wasn't driving him to school, but on the other hand, having Makoto cling to his every move like a shadow presented a problem. Especially since Sae wanted to meet today, thankfully after school.
"Yu-kun, you sure you don't want to come to the student council room during lunch? The rumor mill is going to notice your stitches." Makoto offered.
"Thanks but no. I'm pretty sure school is safe enough. Besides, the rumors have been around since day one. I'm not gonna fold now."
"Well, if you change your mind, that's where I'll be."
Now that they knew about his run-in with Iwai, Yu couldn't allow himself to heal in the Metaverse. If he did, then the sisters would start asking questions as to how he got better so fast, and while Makoto might accept his answers, there's no way Sae would. So, for now at least, he would let them heal naturally, even if it hurt like hell.
"Hey, Makoto, out of curiosity, just how will you be following me? Are you going to be this close the whole time?" Yu asked, trying to determine how best to shake her when the time came.
"Oh goodness no. Iwai probably has people everywhere. I have a ton of manga from my earlier years with me. I'll blend in with the crowd easily." Makoto informed with pride.
A woman running around with a manga covering her face will only draw suspicion.
Yu didn't have the heart to tell her that as they came into the station, but he managed to sneak a text to Ryuji.
Yu: At lunch break, meet me in the bathroom so you can hand me the flashdrive. You remembered to bring it, right?
Ryuji: Hell yea dude! I'll meet you on the shitter during lunch.
Yu sent Izanagi to keep an eye on Makoto. Thankfully, now that they were off the train, she was giving him his personal space, allowing him to text without fear of being spied on. He shot a message through the group chat.
Yu: Guys, we have a few new problems.
Shiho: And school hasn't even started yet.
Hifumi: What's wrong?
Yu: Well, for starters, I had a rather unpleasant run-in with Iwai yesterday.
Shiho: Are you ok? How badly did he hurt you?
Yu: I'll be fine. I put his name in the Nav and got a hit.
Morgana: We were already planning on taking his heart. This just gives us extra motivation.
Yu: Yea, but we have other problems. Sae wants another meeting with Izanagi after school.
Shiho: That shouldn't be too bad.
Yu: That would be true if it wasn't for the final and biggest problem: Thanks to my encounter with Iwai, Makoto's going to start following me everywhere for my own protection.
Hifumi: Makoto?
Akechi: Sae-san's younger sister.
Morgana: Oh crap. There's no way we'll be able to go into the Metaverse if lady evil-eye is watching!
Shiho: Right. Is there a way to convince her to stop following you?
Akechi: Doubtful. The Niijima women are unbelievably stubborn. We'll have to trick Makoto if we want to get her off Yu's back.
Yu: Do you have an idea?
Akechi: My friend, not only do I have an idea, but I have a plan. Just go on meeting Sae-san when school's out. Shiho and I will handle Makoto-san.
Shiho: Wait, what?
Akechi: I'll see you at lunch.
And just like that, the chat went dead as the bell rang, signalling that school had begun.
Yu's visit to the bathroom was accompanied by noise, all of it generated by his peers, and none of it good.
"Did you see the stitches in his hands?"
"I heard he took on three yakuza guys!"
"Geez, his drug dealer must have tried to scam him or something."
By now, Yu was more than able to just block out the noise as he made his way to the bathroom. Hopefully Ryuji was there already, but if not, he could wait. Upon seeing the infamous 'delinquent' enter the restroom, all the other boys decided that they could hold it in for at least until lunch period was over. Entering, he looked around, and saw a pair of feet in one of the stalls. Yu cleared his throat.
"Ryuji? You here?"
The door flung open, revealing a Ryuji that still had his pants on.
"Yo! Here ya go." Ryuji said, pulling a flash drive out of his pocket and handing it to his new comrade. Yu noticed that the blonde flinched when he saw the stitches.
"Damn dude. I bet Makoto musta freaked when she saw that."
"She did. Now she's going to start following me around with a manga covering her face."
"The hell? That's just gonna draw attention to her."
"I know. But anyway, thanks for coming on short notice."
"Dude, you told me to meet ya in the bathroom. At school. What else would I be doin', studyin'?"
"… Good point."
"So, uh, whatcha gonna do with that?"
"I'll have Futaba take a look at it, after that, we'll see."
"Alright cool. Just let me know if you need my help with anything, yea?"
"Of course Ryuji."
With that brief, but important, meeting over Yu sent out Izanagi to seek out Futaba. The sooner he gave her the hard drive, the better. In all likelihood, she wouldn't have to do anything too much, but still, it was better to have a backup plan. Izanagi found the orange-haired girl eating with Haru on the rooftop, so Yu headed there immediately. Lunch time was already short enough. Futaba and Haru looked at him with surprise.
"Oh hello Naru-chan. Are you here because of the… matter involving my fiance?"
Oh. Forgot about that. Tomorrow should be the day when the time limit expires. Guess that means I'll have to add 'pretend to be boyfriend' to my already busy schedule.
"Actually no. I'm here for Futaba." Yu said, turning to his boss' daughter.
"What's up? I'm ready to join you on any co-op quest!" Futaba declared before Yu pulled her off to the side and spoke in a hushed tone.
"I need you to analyze what's on this flash drive. It's supposedly a virus that can take down the SIU servers. I need you to see if you can find a way to defend against it, or if it's really as powerful as the guy claimed it was."
"The SIU is no joke. Who gave you this?" Futaba whispered back, holding the flash drive like it was a bomb.
"The same guy who gave me these stitches. I'm looking to return the favor."
Futaba's eyes moved around, as if trying to connect imaginary dots before they finally settled back on the flash drive. Her chocolate-colored orbs shone with determination as she gave a silent nod.
"My loremaster stats won't let you down! I'll send you a text when I'm done."
"Good. I appreciate it. And don't forget to be on standby for my meeting with Sae today."
And the bell rang, signalling the end of lunch period. The ringing was met with a gurgle of annoyance from Yu's stomach, but he could worry about eating later. Right now, he had one final obstacle to get rid of.
As Yu began to walk to the SIU Headquarters, he sent Izanagi out to see if Makoto was actually following him.
Oh. My. Self.
What? Is she not following us?
Look through my eyes and see for yourself.
And Yu did just that; closing his eyes and seeing the world as if he was Izanagi. And right behind him was Makoto, holding a manga that finished its run two years ago. She had it so that it was low enough to let her see where she was going, but high enough that she could pretend she was reading it. Or at least she would, if it weren't for one tiny detail.
She was holding the manga upside down.
You know, if it wasn't for the fact that she was stalking me, I'd find it cute.
Before Yu could start walking, he soon found himself intercepted by Morgana of all people.
"Morgana? What are you doing here?" Yu asked, clearly confused.
"I'm here to help with a certain meeting. Akechi said that you'd need a second person to bring back Sae." Morgana explained.
Oh yea, I forgot about that. Good thinking Akechi.
As if that thought summoned him, Akechi sprinted up to Makoto, shouting her name. Curious as to what he had in mind, Izanagi hovered closer to the pair.
"Hello Makoto-san! If you don't mind, I need your help with something." Akechi said with a bit of a wide smile.
"Oh, hello Akechi-kun! Sorry, but I'm a bit busy."
"Reading manga?" He teased, purposefully getting in the way of her line of vision with Yu. Makoto tried looking over his shoulder, but Yu was already on the move, and Akechi constantly moved to block her.
"So, Ann got it in her head that the two of us were dating!"
This caused Makoto's face to go blood red as she gasped. By now, Yu had to look through his own eyes again, but he was still able to hear what was going on.
"W-what?! I mean, don't get me wrong, I like you, and the performance you gave during our celebration of Kamoshida was certainly something, but-"
Wait, performance?
"Y-you don't need to give me the details Makoto-san! I-I was there, after all." Akechi hastily declared, do doubt because he knew there was a chance Yu was listening in.
"R-right."
"Anyway, that's why I need you to come with me right now. You know how Takamaki-san gets when she gets her hands on drama. She yells the wrong thing to high heaven."
"Well, Akechi-kun, I'm actually really interested in this manga right here. I-"
"So interested that you're reading it upside down?"
"I… well… it's just…"
"Come on Makoto. It'll only take a few minutes."
Huh. I'm curious as to how Akechi managed to pull this off.
Focus on getting to the SIU Narukami. Right now, Akechi is dragging her away into the school. She's trying to fight back.
"HEYA LOVEBIRDS!" A voice cheered with joy so loud and obnoxious there was no way it could be genuine. Yu knew that brand of acting anywhere.
Ann.
"T-Takamaki-san!" Makoto gasped, looking around at the precious few students that were actually still here. Students that would no doubt spread what they just heard to the rumor mill tomorrow. Makoto winced as the blonde walked up to her with a bounce in her step.
Narukami, let's go. I can't bear to watch anymore of Ann's acting.
But she just started.
Exactly. If you're reaaaaally curious, you can text Akechi later.
Before Yu could try to protest, Izanagi returned of his own free will, and the sounds of the city began to flood Yu's ears. He kept himself focused on getting to the SIU headquarters, moving deftly through the bustling crowds with his thief skills. It didn't take long for him to find and board a train and make his way toward the SIU headquarters, where Sae was no doubt still hard at work. Walking into an alley with Morgana by his side, he sent a text to Futaba, telling her to let Sae know Izanagi was ready for the second meeting. Summoning Izanagi once again, Futaba sent a reply that Sae was already making her way to the rooftop.
Alright. I'm ready.
Do you want me to take control this time, or want to stay independent?
We'd be better off if I'm my own person while meeting Sae. She's bound to pick up on any inconsistencies
Yu typed up the message to Futaba to let her know when to activate the Nav, and had his thumb hover over the 'send' button. Not only that, but he could see that Morgana brought up the Nav on her own phone, and was waiting for Yu to tell her when. Izanagi hovered in front of the door on the roof, and before long, it creaked as it opened, revealing Yu's caretaker.
"Now!" Yu ordered, sending the message to Futaba as well.
For Sae, entering the Metaverse second time around was much easier. The headache was virtually nonexistent, and the colors shifted almost naturally this time, rather than clashing violently for dominance. Her brain recognized the sensation, and thus, there wasn't a sense of alarm. But the final major difference was that Izanagi wasn't hiding in the stairwell this time around, instead hovering in front of her, and his helmet couldn't contain his smug grin upon seeing the beautiful prosecutor.
My my Sae. I didn't think you'd find me so charming that you'd want to spend time with me again so soon.