I own nothing. Monika does.

"Panther! Good work today!" Valiant was quick to congratulate her teammate. Panther accepted the hug she was offered, looking up to smirk at their leader.

Joker seemed rather nervous himself, as well as quite frustrated. His teammates were normally all very confident in themselves and their abilities, but Panther was almost reckless today. It was very obvious that she was already planning ahead for when she might win the bet. However, none of them could mention it with Sayori in their company. Not that there would be any reason too, as everyone else seemed more preoccupied with complimenting her efforts.

"Good job, Lady Ann!" Mona hopped around with stars in his eyes, excited by the loot she had helped them earn.

"Exquisite performance!" Fox added with a knowing smile. The yukata had been the first of many outfits the girl had purchased. It was likely that the blonde was planning for the next ten dates and then some, judging by the staggering amount of online shopping he had needed to help with.

While everyone else nodded in agreement, Skull giving her a pat on the back, Panther shrugged modestly. "I couldn't have done it if Valiant wasn't there, making sure my recklessness didn't come back to bite me."

The pink haired girl blushed, noticing how almost all eyes turned to her with similar looks of pride. "It-It was nothing. I'm just trying to get rid of spare energy before tomorrow night. Thank you, guys, for taking me to Mementos today. I think it helped relieve some tension."

Though Joker was on the wrong side of a losing battle, he could admit he was at least happy to hear this. Now that their two newest members seemed to be fully accustomed to the group, it was safe to say they could start looking for bigger targets once more. And even though he didn't expect any groundbreaking things to happen at the festival, he wanted his teammates to all have fun. So less tension was definitely a good thing. Still, there was one thing he wanted to check up on before he could let the bet continue.

"Valiant," he addressed her with a no nonsense tone. The noble themed thief turned to him with a questioning look. "Can I walk you home tonight? There are some things I would like to discuss with you."

"Well, perhaps not all the way home. I don't think it would be a good idea if Goro spotted the two of us anywhere near each other, both for Phantom Thief reasons, and…" While the girl blushed stupidly, Joker sighed.

Gluing a smile to his face, which felt faker than any he had ever tried, he politely responded, "Of course. I was thinking I would escort you until we were only a couple of blocks away." Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Panther giving him a suspicious look. The girl said a few quiet words to Mona, who saluted in response. Joker wondered what that was about.

"Well, team!" Skull shouted enthusiastically. "Let's call it quits today so we can crash." With everyone in agreement, the group departed.

"So what do you want to talk about?" Sayori asked, a curious smile on her face. Akira kept his gaze forward, considering how to best ask his question without revealing the wager. If it was revealed, Sayori might act differently than normal to tip the wager.

Finally, he settled on a good starting point. "I'm just thinking that Ann is getting a bit carried away trying to help you, don't you think?"

Sayori paused in her happy little jaunt home, thinking for a moment. "I guess so… I don't really know what she expects me to do, though."

"My guess is that she wants to create the perfect moment for one of you to confess."

Sayori visibly paled at Akira's sentence. Her entire body began to tremble, and the black haired boy wondered if his small statement was really enough to cause anybody else that kind of reaction.

"C-Confess?" Sayori seemed to be locked in a brief spasm of pain, before the moment was gone and she looked ready to vomit. "I don't know why I've never thought of it before, but I guess you're right, Akira. One of us will have to confess… And it will probably have to be me."

"You've never thought of it before?" Morgana poked his head out of Akira's bag, a confused look on his face. "Haven't you had a crush on him for awhile? How come you've never thought of confessing?"

"The circumstances that caused us to live together are… complicated. I don't really know how to explain, mainly because I don't really fully understand it myself. Goro doesn't either. All I can really say is that eventually, he and I are going to have to go our separate ways… I probably won't see him again after that," Sayori sniffled, but Akira was perplexed to still see a small smile on her face.

"You can't be sure of that… It's not like you guys can't call, or text," Morgana pointed out. "Afterall, you guys have thumbs! And phones!"

Sayori just shook her head, "Like I said… It's complicated. You guys have all been so helpful to me, but in the end, it can't really be helped."

"Sayori, why can't you just confess now, and enjoy it while it lasts?" Akira asked, keeping his expression neutral.

"I would love it, if it could be that simple for me. It's not though. The last time I confessed to someone… I don't remember how he responded, but I know… it didn't end well. Everything I felt after that was pain and emptiness. The rain clouds were all so thick, I could barely think, or understand what I was doing. Before I knew it, one thing lead to another, and suddenly I was here…" Sayori began to cry. Akira tentatively put a hand on her shoulder, frowning as he saw the small smile still seemed to be there.

"Is being here really a bad thing? You've seemed happy enough. At least since… we took care of that thing for you," Akira tried to assure. The last thing he needed was for some jerk to see him next to a crying girl, and then get the wrong idea. For the sake of them both, he needed to get Sayori to stop.

"I know, and I'm grateful to you guys for it… I guess it just hurts… to think too far ahead. To be honest, I'm scared of what will happen if I confess. It's a bit funny, how I somehow always manage to get in my own way," Sayori wiped at her eyes as she spoke, taking a shuddering sigh all the while.

"Is that why you have that creepy smile?" Morgana pointed out blatantly.

Sayori gasped, "Oh! I hadn't realized I was doing that. Maybe I'm too tired to think straight, right now. We're getting much closer to the apartment than I thought. You guys can start heading back home if you want."

Akira shook his head. "We still have a few more blocks to go before your roommate can spot me. Who knows, with how Ann is getting to be right now, it could be a good thing that your crush notices you're walking home with someone of the opposite gender."

"O- Oh dear! Don't say that," Sayori lightly pushed Akira, her face going fire engine red. If she got any redder, Akira honestly expected that he might go blind.

"I'm just kidding. Sayori, to be honest, I don't really understand why it would have to be you that would have to confess…" Akira thought back to her explanation for Mai's "she slept with Goro" comment that afternoon in the library. Either way, the two must have been way too close and cuddly with each other for it to have been something where Akechi wasn't aware of the implications. Not to mention, if they went the entire night like that, he clearly hadn't had any objections to it. This line of thinking further cemented into Akira's mind that both of them were idiots that needed to get out more.

"What if he doesn't feel the same way I feel about him?" Sayori looked so oblivious and shy, it made Akira resist the undeniable urge to flick her on the forehead and give her some sense.

"I suppose that's one reason why Lady Ann is so insistent that you should go to the festival with him tomorrow. Although she thinks of it as a date, that's a matter of perception. She wants something to happen that will push things forward. Speaking of which... Sayori, if cuddling together on the couch doesn't do it for you, what action will convince you that he has feelings for you?" Morgana cut in, using his wisdom on perception and Ann to explain things in a clearer way.

Sayori thought to herself for a moment, her face once again gaining a red hue. However, this one wasn't nearly as intense. A light smile spread on her face as she now had conclusive results. "I'll tell you guys, if it happens. By the way, I wish you good luck on your bet, Akira. You'll need it," Having said that, Sayori began to jog the last two blocks home, leaving Akira confused.

"How did she figure that out?" Akira muttered to himself, turning back around to head back to Leblanc.

"I'm guessing Yusuke, Makoto, or Ryuji told her. Either that, or she wasn't actually asleep when you or Lady Ann made the bet in the first place," Morgana guessed. "Akira, why did you want to walk Sayori home?"

"I guess you could say I wanted to know how likely it was that I would win the bet," Akira replied, silently contemplating to himself. "I am actually starting to think that maybe, just maybe, Ann might be onto something here."

"Sayori, are you almost ready?" Goro asked, looking out the window. "We should get going before it gets too dark. There might not be any good places to see the fireworks anymore."

"I'm ready," Sayori replied, stepping out of the bathroom. "But are you? You're just dressed in your regular suit, like always." She couldn't help but chuckle to herself when she still saw him turned around. Perhaps it had been too mean to make sure he didn't get a chance to look at her until they were about to go.

"Well, I would have worn something different tonight, but everyone thought it would be good publicity for any interviews I might have," Goro shuddered. If he were to read between the lines, he might have thought they were trying to sabotage him. Then again, he had felt a striking sense of paranoia for a few days.

"So basically," he felt a shy hand on his shoulder. "They're hoping fangirls ambush you in the street, when it's supposed to be a fun time for just the two of us? That doesn't seem very fair. It just seems like they are trying to force exhaustion on you when the festival is supposed to be for relaxing."

"Could be…" the detective mused. "Still, as long as I don't announce my presence, the chances are slim that any unwanted attention will become too overbearing." He awkwardly pat the hand on his shoulder, trying to assure Sayori. "By the way, can I turn around now? I still don't quite get why you wouldn't let me see you earlier."

Sayori giggled nervously. "My friend said it would be bad luck if I let you see me before it was time to go. Still, I think it's safe now," she joked. Gripping his shoulder, she gently turned Goro to face her, a happy smile on her face.

"Oh wow, Sayori. You look perfect," the detective said with a smile, the girl stealing his breath away even as he spoke. Her blush pink yukata was cute enough on its own, but the bows that loosely secured the twin tails on either side of her head seemed to cement the picture of youthful innocence she was going for. Her bright blue eyes stood out, a calm sky against the passionate red and pink. Once again poor Goro thought he might be struck dumb by the adorable energy that was radiating from her.

"You really think so?" Sayori shyly smiled. She waited a moment for her roommate to nod in confirmation, as he was always so eager to assure her, only to be met by silence. Looking up in confusion, the girl could only laugh at the sight of Goro Akechi, standing stock still with a blush on his face. His expression was one of slight frustration, and Sayori could only form guesses as to why that was.

Maybe he's jealous because he can't wear his yukata? With no better conclusion, the girl shrugged and went up to Goro. "So you were saying that you wanted to leave now?"

The prompt seemed to spur the detective into motion, breaking him out of his trance and into the task at hand. "O-Of course, Sayori. I can get the door for you." With that declaration, he marched over to the apartment door and opened it, an embarrassed flush on his face inclining him to avoid eye contact.

"My hero," Sayori lightly teased, stepping through the door. Goro Akechi exited as well, dusting imaginary dirt off of his own clothing. After double checking that both of them were prepared for the evening, the two eagerly left the apartment, unaware of the events of the night that would shatter their false sense of calm. For better or for worse, yet another new change was coming.

End Chapter 32, begin Chapter 33.

Sayori's phone dinged, alerting her that Ann had sent yet another new text, asking for an update. Taking a quick look over at Goro, only to see that he was still walking in determination towards what he claimed to be a good spot to watch the fireworks, the girl dug her phone out of her pocket to read her new messages.

"How is it going?" Ann had asked.

Sayori thought for a moment, before hesitantly texting a reply. "Very slowly. I get the feeling he's trying to be a gentleman, but he's more like a stiff soldier. I suppose at the very least he's doing us both a favor by trying to find the perfect spot."

"That's not good! That's the exact mentality you don't want to have for this sort of thing! He's too focused on the destination… You need to get him to enjoy the journey!" Ann's text, though as silent as a mouse and as not intimidating as a leaf soaring through the wind, impacted Sayori with the force of a raging bull.

"How am I supposed to do that?!" Sayori paused in her frantic texting, looking back up to find Goro glancing back at her with a concerned gaze.

"Do you need anything? We're getting close, so after we get there, maybe I can find a place to get snacks?" He offered a kind smile, only faltering when his foot an uneven patch on his path. He stumbled for a moment, only for Sayori to grab pull on his arm before he could tumble to the ground.

"You should watch where you're going, instead of looking over your shoulder, Goro," Sayori said with a stricken tone. Her body had acted on its own, with reflexes faster than Sayori would have thought possible months ago. Sayori thought that perhaps she should have been happy about this, but for some reason she could only feel incredibly nervous. Attributing it to the fact that her roommate almost cracked his head on the sidewalk, the girl brushed the thought of, giving her roommate a pat on the back as well.

"I appreciate your assistance, Sayori. However, we really should be going," Goro prompted, taking advantage of the fact that Sayori had yet to release his arm to pull her along. Looking back, he noticed the girl had a sad expression on her face, as if she felt that something wasn't right.

"You need to slow him down somehow!" Ann had texted in her absence.

"Maybe you could do one of those pratfalls, like in romcoms, so you can get closer to the guy!" Ryuji had chimed in.

"Can I take this as confirmation that you watch romantic comedies, Ryuji," Ann had responded.

"Ha! No way I'd ever watch that girly crap!" Ryuji texted, too quickly to be believable.

"Ryuji watches romcoms. It's canon now," Akira's text was so matter-of-factly, it almost made Sayori forget her growing annoyance at the rapid change of subject. A sad smile crossed her face as the texts continued to diverge, Yusuke taking the time to comment how his lack of money made romantic comedies unavailable to him, and Makoto voicing her concerns about how this was all rather unhelpful to Ann's goal.

That was probably Akira's goal when he texted that, to sabotage Ann, so he has a better chance of winning. Meanwhile, I'm floundering like a fish in a dry desert, my only source of reprieve, a cactus full of dangerously hallucinogenic water, Sayori sighed, putting her phone away, and knowing she was doing something wrong as Goro hurried them towards their destination. What was worse, the girl had absolutely no clue on how to fix it. But is it just me, or is he slowing down?

Indeed, Goro Akechi was slowing his pace, coming to a full stop on the sidewalk after a short time. He turned to face Sayori with an apologetic grin, gazing into her eyes with a look that made the pit in Sayori's stomach dissolve slightly. "I'm sorry I'm rushing you like this, Sayori. It's just that, I used to really enjoy this festival as a kid, watching it with my… with someone close. We'd watch them in a very special spot, you could say it's my favorite spot, in fact. I just really want to share that with you…" the detective looked away, trying to avoid Sayori's eyes. However, avoiding eye contact did nothing to hide the unavoidable guilty look in Goro's eyes.

Sayori couldn't help but blush in embarrassment and shame. Of all the things Ann could have discussed, all of the outcomes she could have predicted, this was most certainly not one of them. However, Sayori could recognize a lot of things, and could respond accordingly to them. In this situation, aside from the obvious mistake she had made of trusting people, who were betting on her relationship status, with her social life, she could also recognize effort.

Whatever Goro had in store for her had been thought out carefully, and perhaps it was also his way of telling her something. Whatever it was that he was trying to say, however, would be ruined if they couldn't get to their destination on time. Seeing her roommate's shy gaze, Sayori felt a wave of nausea and guilt flow through her. Was she really so awful, that she couldn't realize how hard Goro Akechi was trying?

Bets be damned… I'm doing this myself! It's what I was made for, right? Sayori resolutely shoved her phone deep into the recesses of her purse pocket, ignoring it for the time being.

Her determined energy was radiant, and upon glancing back at her, Goro found himself overwhelmed by the sudden change. Where did that come from? His eyes widened in astonishment, causing Sayori to giggle.

"Come on, let's get a move on, then," Sayori encouraged. "I've never been to the festival… Or at least I don't think I have," the girl drolled in the most vulnerable tone she could muster. "I'm so excited to see what you have in store!"

Seeing her kind smile was encouragement enough, and the detective couldn't help but want to comment how she was laying it on a little thick. However, he would refrain for now. Her ability to rebound, or lack thereof, was too adorable to deny. These thoughts once again, for some reason, left Goro with an odd sense of frustration that he couldn't pinpoint. Instead of expressing this feeling though, the young man covered it up with a happy smile and grabbed the girl lightly by the wrist, leading her eagerly towards their destination.

"Wow…"

Sayori's breathless murmur made a victorious smirk cross Goro Akechi's face. In hindsight, the wooden bridge was nothing special, but the surroundings of an almost completely average cityscape made the quaint little thing seem right out of a fairytale. There was no water beneath the bridge, but the dugout trench, which was in the process of being refilled with cement, gave away that it once had been used for park trails. Looking at the bridge again after many long years brought a wave of nostalgia and sadness over the aspiring detective. For his purposes tonight, perhaps he could one again find a happy memory to associate it with.

"It's the perfect spot to see the fireworks, even if it is a bit out of the way," Goro explained, finding it within himself the ability to monologue about the sad little collection of almost rotting wooden planks. "It used to be part of a park for a district of poor people. I think the apartment buildings they used to live in got torn down recently. In fact, if we continued to walk straight ahead, we probably might run into leftover ru… Nevermind," the detective laughed it off, not noticing the worried glance Sayori briefly gave him.

"Anyway, the bridge was going to be torn down as well, along with the rest of the park, but the local poor people that lived here protested with an intensity that almost all politicians agreed wasn't worth the effort. Surprisingly, the politicians didn't win in the end, because the people claimed that it was going to be a memorial," This particular sentence seemed to pain the poor boy immensely, and Sayori moved to hug him, to urge him to stop, only for him to reject the hug with a surprised chuckle.

"It's still so hard for me to believe sometimes, I almost can't process it… It's been so long…" The detective took deep shuddering breaths, calming himself down, before politely grinning at the concerned girl before him. "And for tonight, this memorial bridge will be the perfect place to watch the fireworks.

There's something he's not telling me… The thought hit Sayori as subtle as a pile of gold bricks, and watching her friend trying to hide his sad grin, it wasn't hard to figure out why. Edging slightly closer to him, the girl rested her head on her roommate's shoulder. She feigned tiredness, all the while hoping Goro picked up on the message she was trying to send him. It was like waiting on the other side of a closed door, hearing your closest friend crying on the other side, but unable to enter, without an invitation, all shouts of comfort falling short.

The heavy tension that settled into Sayori's heart with that thought of doors, of wanting to kick them down, or gently open them, depending on the situation, gave her a brief moment of clarity. She knew she was closer than ever to seeing something that was too far away to be seen by the naked eye, of being able to see through all of the lies and illusions that had been placed on her by some unforgiving entity. All of this was caused by the moment of peace she had, resting her head on Goro's shoulder. Just a bit further, and I'll figure it out… White bow, black hair… No wait, it might have been pink… But was it the bow or the hair that was pink?

And all at once, her peace was shattered by a harsh burst of light, followed by an even harsher sound. Sayori blinked rapidly, shaking off the sudden feeling of actual exhaustion that had settled over her, and couldn't help but glance up at Goro, knowing very well that she probably looked like a completely lost little child.

Unbeknownst to her, however, that was one of the things Goro found most endearing about her. Shifting his shoulder in a teasing way, he avoided the urge to chuckle at her tired moans. "The fireworks are starting… Stay awake, Sayori." The girl stubbornly shook her head and pressed her head into his shoulder, letting her hair just begin to touch the back of his jacket. Frowning a little bit, the detective raised a confused hand to her head, only to immediately recoil. What am I even trying to do? Maybe I've become ill…

"The fireworks are pretty," Sayori mumbled, about to nuzzle closer. However, this was interrupted when she felt something unexpected on her cheek. Looking up in surprise, Sayori backed away from Goro, who suddenly felt an aching soreness in the back of his throat. The girl held her hand up to the sky, and confirmed her suspicions with a sigh, "Ugh, it's raining!"

"It's raining…" Goro echoed absentmindedly. He swallowed the growing lump in his throat and blinked away the small pinpricks forming in his eyes. Hiding his clenched hands behind his back, the detective gave a charming smile. "We should start heading back then… I wouldn't want either of us to get sick."

"No…" Sayori couldn't help but whine. "We just got here, I don't want to go home just yet." She looked sadly up at the sky, as if willing the rain to stop, before regret surged through her. The night was ruined… Perhaps the universe was just pitted against her, unable to give her even one brief night of fleeting romance.

Still, despite the obvious signs, Sayori wasn't ready to give up on their night yet. She needed to do something, will an argument into existence that would convince the sky to stop going, the fireworks to keep going, and convince herself and Goro to stay put exactly where they were… but perhaps a bit more forward. With this conclusion in mind, Sayori looked towards her roommate with a chipper, determined smile… only for her breath to catch almost immediately.

On the outside, Goro Akechi looked like his usual polite, happy, prideful self, but Sayori had a certain skill when it came to the people she held close. That forced smile was easy to decipher, and the girl realized her roommate was holding back something different from his usual forced smile. Those were the ones she could never truly decipher, as they held back something she couldn't yet comprehend. The smile he had on this time however, was easy. It was neither the rare real smile he kept privy to her on special occasions, nor was it the incomprehensible fake smile. Sayori knew this smile well, for she often used to wear it herself on a daily basis. The sad, fake smile that always held back a deep and longing sorrow was beginning to look akin to his usual fake smile, now that Sayori thought about it. Sadness, longing, and… something else.

It was in noticing that smile that the girl no longer found herself with the will to argue, but instead the will to compromise. She couldn't help the sad sigh of disappointment that escaped as she allowed herself to be lead away. She spared herself one last glance back at the beautiful little bridge, hoping it would not be the last time she would visit it. Yet all the while the girl plotted how she would veer her friend off of his determined course home, briefly recalling where the rest of her friends were meeting up.

Akira, Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, and Makoto were all about to go their separate ways when they noticed a horde of girls crowding by a street corner. Almost all of them were dressed in their yukatas, making the group have to strain their eyes for any one individual in the throng.

"What do you think this is about?" Morgana asked, peeking from Akira's bag, trying desperately not to get hit by the dreaded rain.

"By the looks of all of those chicks, I'd say there's some crazy guy at a booth sellin' scented candles, perfume, or cleaning products…" Ryuji theorized. When everyone shot him a confused look, he shrugged. "I mean… All of 'em either look like soccer moms or 'trendy' chicks, so I'm guessin' there's somethin' there that would catch their eye."

Two of the girls in the crowd caught Yusuke's eye, and he couldn't help but groan. "Something tells me that Ryuji is onto something. I can see those two girls from earlier, the ones that utterly disgraced the yukata… But they don't seemed to be trying to get something…" The artist continued to study the crowd, his people watching skills coming in handy. "Does any of you think that they might be trying to… lunge at something, perhaps?"

"Here's a thought," Makoto began. "Maybe we could ask other people if they know something?" The girl's suggestion immediately fell on deaf ears as any questions they could have asked were answered for them.

A group of passing school girls had caught notice of the struggle, and instantly their expressions took on a surprisingly intimidating, excited edge. "It's Akechi-kun!" They both cheered, and immediately melted into the crowd.

Everyone but Akira's jaw dropped in shock. The black haired boy merely shrugged, adjusted his glasses, and got out his phone, all while muttering a quiet, "That explains a lot…"

Ann suddenly had a panicked thought, running her fingers through her hair nervously. "But if Akechi is there, surrounded by raving fangirls, then is Sayori…"

"Is Sayori even alive in that mob?" Makoto finished for her, anxiously scanning the yukata-clad crowd for the light pink one that Ann and Yusuke had made sure to describe in exasperating detail, down to the thread count. Everyone tensed and immediately joined the girls in their search.

After a few minutes of fruitless effort, the group was beginning to give up hope, only for Morgana to suddenly perk up, jerking Akira's bag in his excitement. "I see her! She's hiding by the streetlight!"

Everyone immediately turned their heads, noting with concern the trembling girl, who seemed torn between jumping into the mob in order to conduct a hopeless rescue, and running away like a coward. Ryuji was the first to comment on this with his top notch comparison.

"Dude! She looks like she just saw her hamster get eaten by a bear!" While Morgana began to comment on the stupidity of that sentence, the rest of the group took that as a go-ahead to rush towards the stunned girl.

"Sayori!" Ann was the first to shout, running up and hugging the poor thing like how a child embraces a long lost puppy. Upon contact with the blonde model, Sayori began to choke and sputter, recounting what happened like a traumatized war veteran. Ann noticed this and quickly released her grip, instead settling for dusting off the girls abused yukata.

"Ann… There were so many… We didn't even know… Green… I feel this icky green feeling."

The others looked on in confusion and concern, wondering what exactly to do for such a bizarre situation. The only other one who seemed to have any ideas on what to try was Ryuji, who lightly patted the girl's back.

"What happened?" Makoto asked in an urgent tone. While Sayori was still nowhere near calmed down, she still had the mental capacity to tell them what had caused her such panic, all the while the Phantom Thieves silently considered the thought that these crazed fans needed a lesson in common courtesy.

"It was so sudden… It only took one girl to shout his name and suddenly they were on us like a stampede! I think the first few at least asked if they could hug him. One, maybe two, glared at me… I think it was at that point that Goro tried to resist. But then everything became more chaotic! Everything is a blur after he tried to pretend that he was sick, and began to fake-sneeze on all of them…" Sayori trembled in… fear?

No, upon further inspection, everyone could conclude that she definitely wasn't afraid. Sayori had a vacant look in her eye that none of them could really place, as none of them had ever seen her with it. Surprisingly, it was Ryuji who began to put the puzzle pieces together first.

"You said you had a green feeling, right? To me, this sounds like you had a visit from a green-eyed monster," the boy teased, earning only a confused look from the girl.

"Is that a shadow I haven't come across yet?"

"Nah! At least none I know about," Ryuji shrugged it off. "What I'm tryin' to say is that you feel very jealous right now!"

"I think a better way to say it is, 'concerned for my roommate's safety,'" Sayori couldn't help but mutter. "I can't even hear him through the crowd… I don't know what's going on anymore…"

"At this point, I think there's only one thing you can do…" Akira spoke up. Everyone turned to glance at him, wondering what he could possibly mean. "You need to declare dominance, and show all of these females that your roommate prefers you over them."

Ann blinked, wondering if she heard that right, before weighing the consequences of such an action. On one hand, that would be super cute, and I would definitely win the bet. But on the other, that could backfire, making this mob turn into a frenzy. But yet again… That would be super cute.

While she was considering the options, Akira decided to make one thing clear to his teammates, who were all very confused by him suddenly wanting Sayori to make such an advancement. "Listen, you guys. Any other time, I would not support this. This stupid crowd of crazed Akechi obsessors is the biggest reason why, because Sayori doesn't need anymore to deal with. But tonight I'm vouching for it, because it's late, it's raining, and none of my teammates should have to be out here."

"Also," Yusuke added, glaring at the crowd, "Sayori is far more deserving of the one she has interests in than any of the females in this crowd. I hesitate to call any of them women, for they seem to reject the concept as well."

Sayori sniffled, touched by her friends' words, but feeling that she didn't deserve their confidence. "Thanks, guys. But what would I even do? These girls… They remind me of…" For a moment, she seemed genuinely afraid of something, but the Phantom Thieves were having none of it.

"Hey, you're Valiant, right?" Ryuji asked rhetorically. "You're all noble and stuff, so act like it. You're already a few steps above these types of girls," he added this for the benefit of Ann and Makoto, who were giving him small looks of approval.

"Just be yourself, Sayori. We'll be behind you every step of the way," Makoto assured, knowing from recent experience how much support meant to the girl.

"Oh… Okay. I think I have an idea," Sayori said, more to herself than to the others. "Don't follow me in, guys. Just stay where I can see you… just in case." With that said, the girl walked calmly into the horde.

If I had to rank it, I'd say today is turning out to be the fifth worst day of my life, Goro thought to himself in utter shame. Stupid, stupid, stupid… I should have gone by my better judgement and worn something less noticeable. He really didn't have the patience for fangirls today. But the festival was like a magnet for the types of teenagers that made up his fanbase.

The detective was beginning to wish he hadn't been so insistent on leaving the bridge, because now he was wet, cold, tired, and incredibly crowded. If they had stayed at the bridge, at least then he would only be wet, cold, tired, and in the company of someone he could actually say mattered to him. He would sell all of these girls to the devil for a plate of cookies, if given the option. Either way, he was incredibly stressed, and was beginning to regret leaving the apartment.

No… I shouldn't think that. At the very least I showed her the bridge. Goro Akechi could at least pretend to tolerate these girls, and the rain, with that thought in mind. Finally, someone other than himself, and the kind neighbors who had saved his favorite playset, could understand how important it was to him.

If only it hadn't started to rain before he could fully explain.

If only these overwhelming conditions didn't force him to separate from what mattered most to him.

If only…

Someone wrapped their arms around his and pulled him tight, and Goro almost immediately tried to jerk away. However, he froze when he noticed who exactly was getting comfortable hanging off his arm. He was caught between a feeling of sheer terror and utter delight when Sayori's sky blue eyes gazed cheerfully into his own. The crowd seemed to notice his hesitation to preserve his virtue around her, because they immediately backed off and began whispering among themselves.

Goro Akechi could feel himself losing resolve. He knew the best thing would be to pull his arm away from Sayori and try to lessen the damage of looking like he was taken. Afterall, he was more attractive to the public when he appeared charming, smart, and single. Not to mention, it was safer for Sayori to stay away from the public's scrutiny. The less eyes on her the better, because it was less likely she'd get caught, both as a Phantom Thief, and as a potential way of getting him even further under his employer's thumb.

Yet at the same time, as the detective kept trying to rebuild his resolve, Sayori kept battering it down with each passing second. Now that she had linked his arm with her own, she was also leaning her body on his own, almost in the exact position to lean her head on his shoulder. Goro blushed, and realized that almost everything was betraying his better judgement. He could try to pretend that he didn't know what his roommate was doing, that he was such a charming, oblivious boy that he thought all friends did this, but in the end his stupid blush gave it away.

"S-Sayori?"

"I'm ready for you to take me home, Goro," The girl replied sweetly. "I wouldn't want either of us to get sick. I know how much you adore your fans, but you've kept them up all so late…" The girl continued to fawn.

Goro frowned. When did she find the time to become such a good actress. Or maybe she had always been good at it, and he just hadn't noticed because she acted differently when it was just the two of them. However, her acting would mean nothing if he didn't play along. Still, how would everyone else react? Already he could see the media blowing up, everyone at work would see it, including…

What's he going to do about it? Why would he even care? It's not like he's ever cared about anything you've ever done before… Goro couldn't help but stiffen slightly. There was so much that he wanted to argue against, but he wasn't sure which part of himself was even making that argument. It definitely wasn't true though. There were some things he did that that man cared about, and all of them aligned with keeping Sayori out of the public's attention.

What can they do to her, that you couldn't repay in double? If they try to ruin her in some way, you can make them see their error in the Metaverse. Besides, there's always the slim chance that you're just being a paranoid little minion, too afraid of your master's whip to act out…

Sayori noticed the way he stiffened, and immediately began to worry. Did he think she was becoming one with the crowd? Had she gone too far? Surely he could see that she truly did want to go home at this point… Noticing the way the crowd was getting over their shock, and seeing the hostile looks some of the girls in the crowd were giving her, Sayori hugged her roommate tighter. Not because she was scared, but because she was honestly curious of what he would do. Not to mention, before this entire spectacle, Goro had simply seemed to need a hug, or some form of comfort.

To Hell with it…

Sayori perked up in shock when Goro finally reacted, bending his arm to better link his arm with her own, and giving the crowd of girls around them a sheepish smile.

"I'm sorry everyone, but my roommate is right," The detective rubbed the back of his head, before pointing up at the sky. "If you couldn't already tell, the two of us are very much… under the weather."

The Phantom Thieves all simultaneously cringed at his pun. Sayori cringed in her heart, but laughed along with the rest of the crowd. Goro Akechi took the reactions in stride, before doing something none of the surrounding parties had anticipated.

Before Sayori could process it, the detective was unfastening his jacket and draping it across her shoulders. Having gone through this once before, Sayori felt herself doing the familiar motions of holding the collar hem closer, essentially making it seem like a cape.

However, Goro merely tsked at her before doing something even more unexpected. In an incredibly slow way, he began to button the jacket up, making it incredibly obvious that he wanted the surrounding crowd to get a good look. After finishing up with that, the incredibly cocky detective hugged Sayori in one final act of affection that sent most of the silently suffering fans into heartbreak. The Phantom Thieves were surprised none of them dropped dead on the spot.

"Sayori, can you help me keep my jacket dry while I get us a ride home?" Goro asked, noting in the corner of his eye the familiar group of her friends. Specifically Akira, who was silently muttering to himself in annoyance.

"Sure," Sayori murmured shyly, not understanding how any of this was already happening. His cologne smells nice, at least… It makes me feel pretty.

A few moments later, Akira and Ann both watched the cab Akira had rented drive away.

"It was nice of you to admit defeat by getting them a ride home, Akira," Ann teased.

"You haven't won until Sayori gives us her feedback," Akira claimed, knowing it was basically hopeless to argue. "And I only rented the cab because I wanted them both home before Akechi had a chance to take off anymore clothes."

"You may say that now, but we'll just have to wait and see. Face it, Akira. We may all not really like Akechi, but almost everyone on this team can agree that Sayori deserves to be the happiest she can be," Ann retorted.

"I want her to be happy too, but I also don't think her being happy will result from her going out with a cocky, narcissistic, poster-boy, know-it-all-"

"Are you done?" Ann asked, turning around to head to her own home. "Akira, I think you should follow Morgana's advice and get some rest. You're a real pain when you're cranky."

Akira bitterly admitted that Ann at least had a small point there. Besides, a soaking wet Morgana was not a happy Morgana.

"What do you think they're doing in that cab?" The cat asked from inside the boy's bag.

"Probably apologizing over and over for overstepping each other's boundaries," Akira shrugged it off, still deciding to be stubborn. "They'll probably still be doing that when they get to their apartment."

Oh, how wrong he was.

I hope you guys enjoyed this rather long chapter. I also appreciate your patience as well. I hope you all have had happy holidays. Please read, review, and I'll see you all in 2019!