I own nothing. Monika does.

The group of successful thieves all sat at Akira's bedroom table, studying their obtained loot. While almost everyone investigated the lock on the gold briefcase, Ann and Sayori were busy patching Morgana up. However, they weren't doing the best job, as both the cat and blonde girl noticed the normally cheerful poet seemed preoccupied.

"No, Sayori. Don't move him to the left side of the table, shift him so I can see his left side!" Ann tried to explain, moving to apply antiseptic to the cat's scrapes. Poor Morgana released a pained cry as Sayori suddenly rushed to follow instructions, causing the chain reaction of Ann's hands slipping, spilling the bottle of fluids all over the table.

"If I were an actual cat with less self control, I would have scratched you by now, Sayori," Morgana warned, wincing at his wounds. He moved to lick at them, only for Ann to jerk his head away.

"I'm sorry… I guess I've got a lot on my mind right now," Sayori began to apologize, only for Ann to wave her hand in dismissal.

"It's fine. Just go get napkins from downstairs so we can clean this up," The blonde model went back to patching the cat creature up. Although her attention was no longer on Sayori, the pink-haired girl nodded. Getting up, the girl quietly left the room, her face red from embarrassment.

Retreating down the stairs, Sayori could only remember to be thankful that the cafe owner wasn't here. If he saw the gold case they brought with them, he would have questions none of them would be prepared to answer. This thought was a helpful distraction from the worry that had nagged at her since retreating from Kaneshiro's crumbling Palace. What was she going to do if Goro really was- Ugh! Stop thinking about your stupid theory! Sayori internally chastised herself. Just grab the stupid napkins, celebrate your stupid victory with the stupid treasure, and get some stupid sleep!

Noticing a napkin dispenser at one of the cafe tables, Sayori grabbed a handful and headed back upstairs. On the way up, she heard several sounds of alarm. "Children's Bank!?" Ann shouted. Feeling very confused, Sayori hurried the rest of the way up the stairs. What was going on?

Just as she got to the top, Ryuji moaned in despair, and Sayori noticed the golden briefcase was open. Going back to her previous spot, Sayori began wiping at her mess. "Sounds like I missed something," she remarked.

"You bet you did! Look at what we wasted so much time to get!" Ann threw a stack of money towards the girl, who was surprised when she actually managed to catch it. My nerves must be pretty wired to have reflexes for once, Sayori quietly thought to herself, examining the money. The paper at first glance might have looked real, but the picture of Shadow Kaneshiro on the front immediately disproved its credibility.

"Look on the brightside, guys! We have plenty of Monopoly Money for future game nights," Sayori suggested, waving the money in the air.

"You're out of your mind if you think I'm playin' board games with you again, Sayori," Ryuji grumbled. Obviously, his bitter loss at Candyland still left a bad taste in his mouth. "You're even more insane if you think we'd play that game with this asshole's face on the money."

"You have a point," Sayori agreed, getting up to dispose of her napkins.

"Well hey, at least it feel like we totes busted this case, right?" Ann asked, suddenly chipper. Sayori couldn't help but cringe at her choice of words.

"What do you mean?" Makoto asked, obviously not able to translate the model's mysterious language. "Is busting a case good or bad?"

"Both!" Ann exclaimed, as if it made perfect sense. Makoto considered the answer for a moment, and suddenly began to laugh. Sayori was beginning to wonder if her female comrades were coming down with something.

"To think the reward for the Phantom Thieves is feeling they 'totes busted' the case…" Makoto remarked. "How funny!" The student council president remarked.

"That reminds me… Makoto, what's your first act going to be as a lady free from debt?" Sayori asked curiously. "Considering there's no use for this fake money, I'm thinking we buy a really good paper shredder, and turn that into a party."

"Hold on second," Yusuke suddenly said. "Even though the contents were nothing more than trash, the case itself is quite nice."

"All right then, let's sell it! Glad we got that sorted!" Ryuji exclaimed, clearly relieved.

Sayori nodded, retrieving the waste basket in the corner of the room. As she started to dispose of the play money, she couldn't help but listen fondly to her friends. Despite what some others thought, Sayori wasn't stupid. Going home would probably be a real burden for her. The only way she could think of to sleep peacefully at night would be to have her worries disproven. But how exactly can I go about that?

Sayori became so lost in her thoughts that she wasn't brought out of them until Ann, as if she had read Sayori's thoughts, brought the subject up herself. "Hey, you know what Kaneshiro said at the end there? About that 'criminal' using the Metaverse…" Sayori felt her chest tighten at the new conversation topic.

"Yes, I was bothered by that as well," Yusuke remarked. Sayori felt like she was going to start panicking. She hadn't decided if she was going to tell them, at least not unless she had decided if her suspicions were correct. Was this some sort of sign from whatever cruel fourth wall breaking nonsense that she was supposed to bring it up? Sayori felt herself start to hyperventilate.

"No point mullin' over it now," Ryuji suddenly said, "Let's wait to see how Kaneshiro's change of heart goes first… Hey Sayori, you okay? You're lookin' a bit pale." The entire group looked to see Sayori holding onto the waste bucket like a lifeline, knees shaking, looking like she was going to collapse right there.

Okay, maybe whatever cruel fourth wall breaking nonsense there is, is just a really big jerk, Sayori thought angrily. Carefully setting the waste basket down, she nodded her head. "I'm fine you guys. Maybe I'm just a little under the weather."

Everyone looked at her in concern. "You should get some rest then. Exams are coming up soon, you know? You don't want to miss them because you became ill," Makoto suddenly suggested. Ann nodded, getting up to see if Sayori needed any help getting down the stairs.

Backing away slightly, the pink haired girl sadly shook her head. "Thanks for worrying, you guys. But I'm fine getting home. Save helping me, for helping me get through the tests," Sayori suddenly laughed. "I haven't even started studying yet."

"We still have a little while to study for them," Ryuji said, a relaxed expression on his face.

"Says the guy who waited until the night before, last time," Morgana remarked.

"Perhaps we can all study together, later," Akira spoke up. "For now though, everyone should go home and get some rest." With those parting words, which Sayori was sure were only because Akira wanted his room to himself again, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts parted for the day.

Sayori breathed in a shaky sigh as she finally arrived at the apartment door. At first she had wanted to go food shopping, to do anything to stall going home. However, just the act of walking had made her exhausted. Carrying plastic bags full of things that could break, or spill, or get crushed, was out of the question.

So, steeling herself, Sayori tentatively pushed open the door. "I'm h- I'm back," Sayori stumbled over her words. Sitting back on the couch, she kicked off her shoes and moaned. Goro was normally in the living room to greet her these days. Afterall, she no longer immediately went to the apartment after school, so he always made it there first. The change made Sayori start to panic a bit.

However, before she could become frantic, the detective immediately stepped out from his room with a kind smile on his face. He held up one finger, the other holding a cellphone. "I'll call you back in a little bit. It's honestly too late for this, don't you think?" Goro spoke politely. Before the person he was on the phone with had a chance to respond, the detective had already hung up.

"Sorry, Sayori," Goro took his seat next to her, not noticing the slight way she tensed up. "It was a work emergency. I got a bit side tracked." Getting out a notepad, he began writing a few things on it. "I'm sorry to say that because of that, I didn't have time to make dinner. Does takeout sound alright?"

Sayori cleared her throat, trying not to think how relieved she was that he was still there. He wasn't gone, he hasn't done anything. He's my detective roommate, not some cruel criminal mastermind. "Yeah, takeout is fine. I couldn't get groceries anyway," she spoke calmly, trying not to make it obvious how nervous she was. "Who were you talking to, anyway? I can't imagine they were too pleased that you hung up on them."

At that question, Sayori couldn't help but cringe at how his expression immediately darkened. However, he seemed to notice her discomfort and immediately composed himself. "It was just my boss. He and I don't really agree on most things," Goro replied, getting ready to place his order on his phone. "I was hoping that we could have finished our phone call by the time you got back, but sadly that wasn't the case. He always puts me in a bit of a bad mood, and I don't want you to have to experience that."

Sayori nodded, understanding where he was coming from. However, she still had questions that would more than likely put her roommate in a bad mood. "Was the phone call about the news this morning?"

At that, Goro seemed to physically tense. "Yeah…" he spoke softly. The detective very desperately wanted to change the subject. Taking a moment to think, he suddenly smiled. "Earlier, I began to wonder when we would start reading your next book. That might be a fun thing to do while we eat."

Sayori lightly smiled at the suggestion. She too, no longer wanted to focus on her worries. "You promise you won't read ahead?"

The detective playfully put his hand to his heart. "Scouts honor," he winked at her, and Sayori went to get the book out of her backpack. Upon doing so, she noticed something that made her laugh slightly.

"Uncross those fingers if you know what's good for you!" Dropping the book on the coffee table, the pink haired girl went behind her roommate and began to wrestle his hand from his back. The detective laughed too, lunging for the book, only for Sayori to yank on his wrist and send him back to the couch.

The book had temporarily lost their attention. Now the two were more focused on their little game. Sayori was trying to grab his wrists and pin him to the couch, while Goro was trying to get off of it. Eventually, when the detective became worried that the person delivering their food would come, get curious, and see the ridiculous display, he began to think of ways to end the play-fight.

Genius struck in the form of the bell ringing. Out of desperation, Goro went limp, and Sayori successfully put his wrists together against the couch. "Victory is sw- Oof!" Before Sayori could finish her sentence, the detective suddenly jerked forward, causing the girl to face plant onto the couch. Moving quickly, Sayori flipped herself right side up, only to find she was playing right into her roommate's trickery. He pinned her own wrists to the seat of the couch, and counted to three.

"Looks like I win," Goro said, a light smirk on his face as he went to the door to get their food.

Meanwhile, Sayori had a light blush on her face as she began to pout. Darn! How can I make a clear headed decision about whether to trust you or not when you pull these stunts?! Taking a few deep breaths, trying to get the image of his brief apologetic, gentle face out of her mind, she quietly grabbed the book off of the coffee table. Just as she sat up, Goro set the bag of food on the table and sat back down.

"Let's get started," Sayori said, gently opening the book.

"Aren't you worried I'll read ahead?" Goro asked with a smirk.

Sayori rolled her eyes at her roommate. "You won, didn't you?" She gave him a fond smile and ruffled his hair. Although he complained, Sayori liked to think her roommate didn't mind when she did that. It was easier to think about these things. Her suspicions of him could be focused on later, when she was more than a few centimeters away from him.

"This method is rather intriguing, to be honest… I might have to try it," Goro said thoughtfully. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Sayori was giving him a questioning look.

"Do you really think you can catch the Phantom Thieves of Hearts with glue traps?"

The detective pretended to be thoughtful. "Well, considering what they are doing, they may be small enough for glue traps to catch. Who is to say the Phantom Thieves are human, and not some mythical creature like in your books?"

At that, Sayori couldn't help but laugh. "So you're saying you want to take elves to court?"

The detective couldn't help but chuckle as well. "I suppose it does sound strange. But it's not like I have too much to go off of, at the moment."

Sayori nodded in agreement. She yawned. Her exhaustion was finally catching up to her. Goro noticed and was about to excuse himself, only to be stopped by a tentative hand on his shoulder.

"Goro…" The girl began to lean against his shoulder.

"What is it?" the detective began to shy away, only for a sudden desire to stay freeze him in his tracks.

"How far would you go to catch the Phantom Thieves?" Sayori's exhaustion let her roommate see the completely unfiltered worry on her face.

But what exactly is she worried about? Is she worried for her teammates, or is this worry for my safety? Goro Akechi wondered, unaware that she was worried about both. Thinking carefully, he sighed. "I don't really need to go far, to be honest," he replied, looking at the girl with worry. He wasn't prepared to handle the situations that would arise in the coming weeks. If Sayori got caught, he needed to find a way to get her out of harm's way. If he knew about this… She might get hurt, I might have to hurt her.

The detective watched as Sayori nodded, accepting the answer. Goro was about to get up, go to his own room, chastise himself for thinking he deserved this moment. Even if he did want it so desperately… Only for Sayori to grip his shoulder tightly.

"Let's stay like this for a little longer…" she suggested. "I like things like this…" Sayori's tired, pleading smile rooted him to his spot.

"I like things like this too, Sayori," Akechi replied, not liking the way his voice slightly cracked. But they can't stay like this. I need to get you home. Before anything can go wrong. Before he finds out about you. Before you get hurt.

"Sayori…"

"Hmm?"

"No matter what happens, I need you to know something…" the detective waited for a response, only to find that Sayori had given in to sleep. Seeing her like that made him realized he was rather tired himself. Leaning his head up, looking at the ceiling, he sighed to himself. "I'll tell you later…" The detective closed his eyes tightly, trying to find enough peace to sleep. It came easier this time…

Mai, as usual, awaited her coworker's entrance at the Shujin library. It was yet another boring day on the job, spent checking out books to the few souls who bothered to walk in. After a while of twiddling her thumbs, a bored Mai watched as a red-faced Sayori walked through the door.

"Woah, woah, woah, what's with the tomato face?" shouted Mai, surprised.

"U-uh, nothing. Nothing at all," Sayori attempted to give a casual smile, failing to conceal the truth as usual.

"Yeah, totally. Come on, we got work to do," Mai said, assuming a determined stance in the process.

"What's that look about?" asked Sayori, almost condescendingly.

"This is my determination form. I'm determined to work, y'know? To please the Student Council Prez so she'll leave us alone," replied Mai.

"Y'know, you can just call her Makoto. We're kinda friends with her now, after all," corrected Sayori.

"Yeah, you are. Not me though. To me, she's still just the Student Council Prez," said Mai.

"Alright, have it your way. So, where's this work we need to get done?" Sayori asked, looking around the empty room.

"I don't... know. It'll show up. I hope," Mai said, still determined.

"Well, be on the lookout, then. I've got things to do," said Sayori, reaching for a book in her backpack.

"Woah, woah, back it up there! If I'm gonna stand here and be the lookout for work, then you need to keep me awake. So, tell me what the red face is about, girl!" Mai insisted.

"Ugh… fine. I kinda… slept with Goro."

"YOU WHAT!?" shouted Mai, her face zooming in front of Sayori within a split-second of Sayori's statement.

"Wait a minute, not like that! I mean we took a nap together!"

"That's almost as bad! Goodness, here I was thinking that you were a pure and sweet sugarplum, but now you're sleeping with your roommate?"

Sayori began to get flustered at Mai's continual misunderstanding of the situation. "I must not be doing a very good job of explaining this situation to you."

"No, I get the idea. Just… be careful, alright? Boys are 99% trouble, 1% okay."

"I'm worried about that. I'm starting to feel like he might be one of the 99%."

"Then, like I said, be careful," Mai said, looking at Sayori and seeing her discomfort. "Alright, I take it back. It's more like 75% bad, 25% good."

This cheered Sayori up just a bit. "Well, I suppose that raises his odds, then. We'll just have to see," said Sayori, smiling just a tad.

"So, what else did you get up to, then?"

"Well, I robbed a bank," Sayori said, calmly.

"Really!?" shouted Mai, throwing her hands in the air in surprise.

"No! Why would you even believe that one!?" The two girls filled the library with laughter.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'll include a poem in the next chapter. I was going to do it in this one, but in the end it made more sense to wait. It's good to be back to writing slice of life stuff. Hopefully you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. Anyway, please read, review, and I'll see you all next time!