A New Route

by Nevermore-the-Dragon-Sings

Something strange happens after Sayori is deleted. Now she's fallen into a new environment with no clue how she's gotten there. Luckily, a seemingly harmless detective has her back. Soon a new mystery arises, connections are made, and Sayori has to decide. Who should she trust? Unfortunately, not everything is as it seems.

49. Chapter 48

I own nothing. Monika does.

Futaba looked up from her game expectantly, only to be disappointed when the large windows of the airport yet again showed that the plane they were expecting had not yet arrived. She released a quiet sigh of irritation, not eager to get up from her partially comfortable chair. The only reason it was really comfortable was that it was in the corner of the large waiting area, and thus people passed by without bothering her or entering her personal space.

Conversely, Sojiro was pacing around grumpily and worriedly, clearly riled up by that phone call from Akechi he had earlier. Futaba hadn't really known what it was about, but apparently it was enough to spur Sojiro into going to the airport hours earlier than they needed to. Now he was walking back and forth, disturbing quite a number of people. Yet despite looking like he was distracted by his own worried thoughts, Futaba could see in his eyes that he was vigilant, investigating every single person that crossed his sight with a second's glance.

Futaba would willingly admit that it was a worrying sight, seeing Sojiro on such a high alert. She found herself so distressed that she couldn't concentrate, looking up from her games and personal research to stare out the window, or look at the passerby with Sojiro. No one seemed to stand out. There were business people rushing around, preparing for a long flight to wherever they were going to do whatever their jobs entailed. They could be settling debts, or loans, or some form of cooperation between companies. Whatever it was they were doing, it was probably a lot easier to handle than whatever could possibly be stressing Sojiro and herself out. Then there were the people and families on vacation. They truly had all of the luck, because they had the opportunity to not be worried about anything at all…

Maybe I should make a plan… or a schedule for when they get back, Futaba thought to herself, attempting once more to distract herself. When everyone gets back, she's need to spend time with all of them to make up for not going on the trip with them. Not that it was her fault, but she supposed it was the thought that counts.

Not to mention, she needed to have a clear window of time for… a confrontation. Just the thought of the word made Futaba shudder. She did not like confrontations, even when she was the one doing the confronting.

At least Morgana will help me… That was a small relief, knowing the knowledge they shared gave her an ally in this distressing situation.

Once again, she glanced out the window, frowning upon not seeing any plane. However, at the corner of her peripheral she noticed the tan brown, fancy, obnoxious detective outfit of Goro Akechi, otherwise known as the one who had put her in this current stressful situation.

Seeing that he had finally been noticed, Akechi rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Are you alright, Futaba-chan? You and Sakura-san both seem incredibly worried."

"No kidding," Futaba grumbled. "No thanks to you. Do you mind telling him why you decided to call so suddenly, asking us to come here to keep your girlfriend safe like we're some kind of high class bodyguards?" The girl took a deep breath, her long sentence knocking some of the air from her lungs.

"I'd prefer not to go into details, actually," the detective replied smartly, and Futaba groaned before going back to her game. "I have already explained my sudden request to Sakura-san. To put it in the most positive light, I had an important appointment that I ended up having to attend very last-minute, and I was worried that Sayori wouldn't be safe at the airport all alone."

Futaba nodded slightly, looking down and avoiding the detective's eyes, only to notice him swaying a bit unsteadily on his feet. Looking back up, she noticed that the detective looked absolutely exhausted. She wondered what kind of appointment could tire him out so much. The only time Futaba saw this level of fatigue was whenever she did anything that was even remotely taxing, or when the Phantom Thieves finished a particularly long mission in Mementos.

"Maybe you should come sit down?" Futaba asked hesitantly, patting the chair two seats away from her. The two could probably be considered closer than before, but Futaba had a personal bubble that was not allowed to be popped.

Akechi didn't really seem to care about the implications though, sitting in the seat Futaba had indicated. Though his posture was still close to perfect, there was a noticeable slump as he leaned slightly forward and took a deep breath.

"Thank you, Futaba-chan…" The detective trailed off into a yawn, running a hand over his face. He checked his phone and released a sigh of frustration. "Hopefully it will be over with soon…" He mumbled.

Futaba wondered what he could be talking about, but her train of thought was quickly interrupted by a very exciting sight. "Sojiro! They're back," She exclaimed, getting the man's attention as she pointed at the plane nearing the ground on the other side of the window.

"I'm surprised you're not excited," Sojiro said to Akechi, walking up to the two as the plane's wheels made contact with the ground. It began to slow down as the detective glanced half heartedly and sighed in frustration.

"It will take some time before the passengers get off," Akechi seemed bitter about this fact, looking around the airport, eyes widening slightly as he spotted someone in the far corner of the airport. He was about to make his way over before Futaba suddenly grabbed his hands and lightly shook him.

"You should be more excited, though! You don't have to be a lonely workaholic now that Sayori is back," Futaba insisted stubbornly. It took her a few seconds to realize the boldness of her actions, as Akechi seemed pained with the physical contact. Futaba thought that perhaps he was like her, and didn't like to be too touchy-feely with people he was only just starting to know. She quickly backed off, not aware that the grimace the detective sported was one of barely contained guilt for simply being so close to Futaba.

Before Sojiro or Futaba could notice anything amiss, Akechi quickly brushed himself off and gave them a calm smile. "Thank you for the advice, Futaba-chan. I'll keep it in mind. There's something I just remembered I needed to take care of. I'm going to do that quickly. If people start coming out of the plane, tell Sayori and everyone that I'll be back as soon as I can."

Without waiting for confirmation, the detective transformed his tired trudge into a mostly steady, mostly confident walk. He couldn't help the slight growl of annoyance as people finally began to leave the plane, just as he reached the person he needed to talk to.

Yaguchi stood proudly, looking at him with an expectant gaze. Akechi couldn't help the small sorrow that made itself present in his heart as he looked at the once respectable officer. The man had never seemed like a venal person, but there was just more prove that even the best of people were hiding monsters inside. Shido even got Yaguchi on his side? I wonder why…

Reading the solemn expression on Akechi's face, Yaguchi glared. "You have no business pitying me. I'm just here to make sure you've done something useful… for once." The tone of his voice was not lost. It became rather clear in that moment that perhaps Yaguchi did not tolerate Akechi as much as he had originally thought. He let a scowl slip onto his face, and Akechi felt himself shrink. Yaguchi had once been one of the more respected and noble cops. He had been a strong flower in the midst of a field of corrupted weeds. How the mighty have fallen…

"You know why I'm here. Has it been done?" Yaguchi looked at his wristwatch impatiently.

It took all of Akechi's willpower not to roll his eyes. He's been having a crisis for the past month, and right now, after debating and debating, he felt utterly defeated. Ridiculous...

"Yes. The job is done. He should be dead already. If not, he will be very soon," the detective replied in a monotone. It's not like the media could hide what happened, or at least they couldn't hide it from the Conspiracy.

"You know what needs to be done next, right?"

As if I could forget something like that… Who I have to kill next… "Yes, Yaguchi-san. I am aware."

The man studied Akechi for a few minutes. The detective resisted the urge to squirm under his gaze. Yaguchi was very good at discovering the truth simply through his sharp gaze alone. He could probably sense Akechi's unease at being the center of his attention. Perhaps he knew of his treacherous thoughts and was planning on telling Shido? That possibility of being found out was one of the main reasons he had been having this month long debate with himself. For it to all go to dust in this one moment would truly be a waste-

Yaguchi sighed in disappointment, as if he had failed to catch his prey with the bait he had used. He nodded in acceptance that Kobayakawa was indeed dead, and walked past Akechi. He headed straight for the front doors, pulling out his phone on the way, perhaps to call Shido and inform him that Akechi had indeed been telling the truth when they had called earlier.

With no other purpose in the meeting place, the detective walked back to where he had been waiting with Futaba and Sojiro. His mind spun as he walked, finally attempting to process that Yaguchi had finally been corrupted by Shido and his entire malicious campaign. But why hire him, specifically? Why would he even want to join in the first place? What is even going on, anymore?! Goro felt his hands turn into fists as he shook angrily in place. Yaguchi has been one of the only people in the entire police force that he had had anything close to a relationship with. Now, the only one he could really count on was Sae…

Sae and Yaguchi are rather close, last time I checked, but I know she's not completely corrupted yet. I have to figure out where this is leading to-"

"Goro!"

It only took a second for of time after she said that for Sayori to wrap him in her tight embrace. He was slow to react, saving his worried thoughts in a safe place in his mind to be worried about later. If he looked troubled now, there would be questions asked that he just wouldn't be able to answer. For now, he focused what little energy he had left on embracing the girl as tightly as he could. However, in his state it was much weaker than Sayori's. Thankfully it was not an incredibly tight hug, but it was strong and warm for someone over a head shorter than him.

It was a nice reunion after such a horrible week, but Goro simply didn't feel happy enough to enjoy it. He didn't deserve it either, he was sure. Sayori seemed to zero in on the feeling of sadness and shame, loosening her hug around him to look up at his face in concern, her arms never actually letting go of him. She gave him a comforting smile, waiting until he managed to liven himself up a bit more. She tilted his head down to be at level with her own before kissing his cheek.

Sayori felt eyes watching her, turning back to face the rest of the group. "Thank you, everyone! I had such a lovely time with all of you. All of us are tired, though…" She felt her face heat up as Ann and Ryuji both had the bright idea to wink at her. Sayori would call it suggestive, if not for the fact that despite predicting what she would say next, it was not for the reason they imagined. At least, it was not as extreme as the images that everyone, except the more innocent and oblivious members of their group, had running through their minds.

"We'll all text later," Akira finished for her, giving her a reassuring nod. Sayori smiled back at him before removing her arm from where it had been around Goro's waist. She could practically feel his disappointment as he edged closer to her, seeking her affection like the cute puppy he denied being. An idea soon popped into Sayori's head, a playful smile visible on her face as she moved as if to take her boyfriend's hand. When he reached back, she quickly bent down and picked up one of the suitcases she had borrowed, placing it in his hand. This way they shared the weight of it between them.

"Thank you for helping me carry my bags, Goro," she said, letting out a slight giggle at the detective straightening up. He obviously recognized her smart trap, not wanting to seem like a bad person for making Sayori carry her own bags. Sayori, thankfully, was not a cruel trickster, making sure their hands touched and making sure they were as close as they could be.

Still, Sayori noticed that her attempts to lighten the situation were not improving Goro's mood. His eyes were still dark, and almost unreadable. The air around him felt thick with tension and hopelessness as he stared into space. She knew that he wasn't really spaced out, but he looked like he wanted to distance himself from the situation however he could with that blankness. It invited no conversation, and none of the Phantom Thieves or Sojiro seemed to want to invite themselves.

His fake smile was still firmly in place, but it seemed even more fake than usual. Sayori frowned, wanting to wipe it off and find the true face he was hiding from her. Maybe it would be frowning and teary eyed, or maybe it would scowl and yell, but Sayori knew she needed to uncover it if she wanted to bring a real smile to his face.

With that thought locked in her mind, Sayori took her eyes off of Goro and gave her friends a polite smile and wave. "The two of us are going to go back home. You guys get back safe, and text me… tomorrow? Yeah, that sounds good. Tell Haru I said the same if you see her." Haru had left quickly, and her stiff posture as she did so had made Sayori worry. Perhaps they should have exchanged numbers.

I always seem to forget stuff like that, especially when it's important. It took me weeks to get onto the Phantom Thieves chat room because of my forgetfulness, the girl thought to herself nostalgically. It really was troubling that in both cases it was important, or at least felt important to remember. There wasn't anything she could do until they returned to school though…

"Hey, Sayori!" Futaba suddenly shouted. It was quick, loud, and awkward. Futaba blushed and looked down, squirming uncomfortably as not only did the members of their group start looking at her oddly, but also random passerby. She lowered her words so much that Sayori almost couldn't hear. "I was wondering if you could come to Leblanc in a few days? I wanted to play video games with you. We could work on our social lin- I mean have a girls' day!" Futaba blushed in embarrassment. Normally she would be perfectly fine with using her gaming terms, but it felt uncomfortable to use them in this situation. Plus, Sayori simply wasn't allowed to have their talk until she was in Futaba's playing field, where the odds would be tipped in her favor and she would be more confident.

"Alright. I'll be sure to stop by. Let's work out the details later," Sayori replied grasped Goro's hand and turned to leave.

With that, everyone parted ways. Goro lead Sayori out to the taxi he had made sure was waiting for them, not wanting to have to spend more energy waving another one down. Perhaps they could have simply gone on the subway, but this way they could have just a bit more privacy. He knew Sayori would appreciate that as well. It was clear from her slightly more wobbly movements and the slack expression on her face that she was also incredibly tired. The flight must have been rough on her.

After putting Sayori's luggage into the trunk, Goro held the door open for her, happy that the level ground the taxi was on meant gravity would put no strain on his arm. He enjoyed being chivalrous, but it would be embarrassing if he couldn't hold a simple door open. As soon as Sayori was in, Goro slid inside, shutting the door and hastily giving the driver directions. Soon the taxi started cruising down the road, and the two finally enough calm to speak.

"How was the trip?" Goro asked, leaning back to relax as Sayori rested her head against his arm, fighting to stay awake.

A sweet little yawn escaped Sayori as she thought back on the few things she did in Hawaii. "It was alright. I had a lot of fun… But I got worried a lot, too. Goro, were you alright without me here?"

The detective managed to keep himself from stiffening up. It was only natural for her to worry, anyway. Bringing it up made him think it was for a reason other than their call near the beginning of the trip. "I am now. I admit I missed you quite terribly, but it was worth it," He felt the movement of Sayori nodding against his arm, and he allowed himself some relief.

Normally, that sort of statement would have sounded an alarm in Sayori's head, marking it as something she needed to pay attention to. However, jet lag was once again taking its toll. The only response Sayori could summon was only to comfort. It didn't even cross her mind to ask why it was worth such a terrible feeling, or why Sojiro had been watching her like a hawk when she had gotten off the plane.

"I missed you too. Things are okay now, though. I don't think I'll be going on a trip like that again, honestly," Sayori said. She was close to nodding off when she felt Goro begin to tremble and shiver. After a few seconds of this, something wet landed on the side of her face. It was small, but it seemed to carry the weight of a world on it as Sayori looked up in concern.

Things aren't okay. They have never been okay. They never will be. Not after everything that's happened… Goro couldn't stop the overwhelming sorrow and guilt from overtaking him. Memories of the atrocity he had committed only a few hours before flooded his vision, making him unable to concentrate on Sayori except to think of how wrong everything about this was. She didn't deserve the treatment she was getting. Shido shouldn't use her as a tool like he was using Akechi, and she shouldn't be used as the detective's own justification.

Goro wasn't aware that he was crying at first, All he knew was that his body felt weak and frail. It could be like a shattering glass if the taxi hit the smallest bump. There was a pit in his stomach that seek and a pressure on his throat as he remained stubbornly quiet. His face felt off and sticky just below his eyes. Never once did the detective believe that he might be crying, or that those sticky trails might be tears until a warm tingle made its way across his face. It was encouraged by the smallest of pressures as Sayori gently wiped at his face and offending tears with her thumb and index finger.

"Goro… did something happen?" Sayori whispered, her concerned frown shooting through his chest like an arrow. She was so calm about it, but the answer to her question… How could he even answer?

The detective turned his head away from her, instead leaning it against the cool, vibrating window of the taxi. He didn't say a word for the rest of the ride home, not able to even find the words to answer. It wasn't even possible. How could it be?

Despite his silence, Sayori didn't give up on comforting him. That feeling of fear began to once again bloom in her mind as she remembered the signs. His fear over one of their first calls, the uneasiness in most of the others, and the same refusal to address what was happening as their ride to the airport on the trip to Hawaii. Suspicion stubbornly tried to make itself known, but in that moment the size of Sayori's loving heart won. She was tired of doubting and fearing him… She was too tired to worry. All Sayori wanted was to make Goro feel better. True to her determination, Sayori spent the rest of the ride doing just that. Even though she failed to get his attention, his limp, unfocused form was easy to move until she could comfortably hug him and attempt to cuddle him.

In their shared silence, there was sorrow and hope mingling together. Though it was unknown and unheard of, it could not be denied that in both of their cases, one could not be without the other.

---

Sayori lay motionless on the couch, clutching her blankets to her chest, unable to go to sleep as she stared at the closed door in front of her. When they had gotten home, Goro had rejected all of her attempts to be together. Instead, he had immediately gone to his room and refused to come out.

I wish he would let me in… Sayori drowsily thought, beginning to muse about the idea of being able to go in there and spend quality time with him that she had recently been deprived of. She knew that Goro had missed her too.

For some reason though, he had kept his distance from her since they got home. Goro was avoiding her for some reason, and it hurt Sayori to think about it. The detective had offered her no reasons. He had simply trudged to his room and closed the door. The only indicator that he wasn't angry was how careful he was to not slam or stomp around. He just seemed to want solitude.

What Sayori wasn't putting together was that the detective wanted to give her peace as well. Goro also didn't want to be there when the truth was inevitably revealed. He didn't think he could handle the anguish on the girl's face when she learned the news of her teachers "suicide" by the detective's own hand.

That was how Sayori found herself wide awake in the middle of the night. Dark bags hung under her eyes, lying perfectly still as she tried to force the first stage of sleep on herself. The girl was so exhausted, but her eyes remained wide open in anticipation. For what, she had no idea. Her body refused to slow down as Sayori could practically hear the seconds ticking on a clock that did not exist. It was a timer to a bomb. One can only wait and watch in fear as they are powerless to stop the inevitable.

Tick…

Tick…

Tick…

Ping!

The screen on Sayori's phone lit up from where it lay on the coffee table, filling the dark room with a faint white light. Bolting upright in surprise, Sayori grabbed her phone off of the table, seeing that she had gotten a new message in the Phantom Thieves group chat from Makoto.

"Is anyone awake?"

Sayori looked at the phone, an innocent curiosity replacing the cold anticipation from moments before. They had all agreed to not talk to each other tomorrow. That way, nobody would be disturbed from their rest. So why was Makoto texting this late? Sayori thought it over, before finally deciding to answer the text.

"Yeah, I am. Why? Can't sleep?"

After that, most of the other Phantom Thieves also answered the text. They had most likely been stirred awake by the repeated notifications their phones had given them. In the end only Ryuji, Ann, and Yusuke responded. When everyone was sure neither Akira or Futaba would be responding, Makoto decided to explain why she had texted so late.

"Sis told me something when I got home. They're probably going to have an assembly for it at school tomorrow…"

Dread filled Sayori's heart. Why would the school need to announce something that had to do with a member of the police? Had a crime been committed? Were the authorities closing in on them? Sayori began shiver and sweat as worse and worse scenarios filled her head. She knew only so many scenarios could actually be possible, especially if they were concerning to her and the group. It was selfish, but she hoped desperately that something bad had happened that didn't affect them. Perhaps as Phantom Thieves, they would feel inclined to get involved.

That foolish optimism was brought to a swift halt as Sayori's worst fear was realized. Her theory, the one that she had stubbornly decided to ignore and debunk for so long, was proven right.

"Kobayakawa committed suicide."

If this were anything else, Sayori would have been fine. Yes, knowing from personal experience, she would feel horrified at the terrible tragedy that Shujin's principal had inflicted on himself. It wouldn't have involved her, or any of her friends, though. It would be a tragedy, but Sayori would let go and move on. It would have most likely ended up taking a while for the grief to pass, but eventually it would have as life moved on and the world kept going.

But it did involve her…

"Sis is almost certain that the Phantom Thieves were the cause."

Ryuji and Ann were both quiet on the other line, and so was Makoto… and so was Sayori. No one knew what to say, and no one knew what they even could say, especially through texting. In those few seconds of silence, Sayori only had to look at Goro's bedroom door for the puzzle pieces to click together. She could no longer ignore everything, no matter how much she wanted to deny and doubt the obvious. It was a message written in blood…

"What!? Are you serious?" Ann's frantic reply came first. Makoto was quick to confirm.

"This isn't real! It can't be real!" Ryuji came next, and suddenly neither him or Ann were responding, for Ann had decided to call when it became apparent that he was panicking on the other side of the phone.

"If it's labelled as a suicide, why does she blame us?" Yusuke asked after a moment.

Because it wasn't us… It was the only other person that can use the Metaverse, Sayori thought to herself, about to type the words in. But she couldn't bring herself to do it as the weight of what would happen after that occurred to her. They would question what she meant, how she had come to the conclusion…

And everything would fall apart.

I've thought that Goro might be Black Mask for so long… They'll hate me for not saying anything… Sayori knew that this concern should be all the more reason to come clean now and not make the situation worse, but there was still a problem with that. At least, it was a problem in her eyes.

I'd just be interfering… It's not my secret to tell… Sayori's eyes began to sting as she tried to rationalize what she felt that she should do. What was the best decision for her to make in this moment?

But she couldn't…

I was right… Sayori realized with a strangled sob. I was right I was right I was right… She didn't want to be. She had hoped that she was wrong, and that she could hold on to this selfish fantasy where she didn't feel horrible for pursuing happiness. She was happy when her friends were happy, and they were happy to support her. She was happy to support them..

All of them.

Live for myself… I've failed, and a man is dead because of that. Just because I'm happy here, and I wanted to stay happy here- Right here. Now everyone is miserable.

A hiccuping sensation formed in her throat, and Sayori felt the familiar sensation of popping in and out of existence. But she couldn't bring herself to care. It was painful to go through, but she knew she deserved to not exist. At the very least, she deserved to not exist here, where her existence caused people to get hurt. If she were home, she could die and nobody would care. No one would be burdened or troubled…

We both know that's not true… Even if you want to ignore that fact and continue to hate yourself.

That statement, spoken with such certainty and finality… Sayori could tell that this was something other than her usual thoughts.

"Psyche… I haven't heard from you in a while," the girl said with a slightly calmer voice, looking at her phone as Makoto, Yusuke, Ann, and Ryuji all decided to pause in their discussion until everyone else was awake. She silently debated on texting her consent or if she should tell them her theory right now, before she lost the nerve.

Maybe not like this… But you have heard from me since the first time I revealed myself.

"That doesn't matter… Those fights are all pointless to me at this moment. I wasn't helpful at all, and we all know it," Sayori replied with a sigh.

I'm not talking about the fights. But you are right that it doesn't matter. What matters is that you shouldn't blame yourself for what is happening, and you shouldn't let it influence you into making rash decisions.

"What? Are you going to say I should live for myself. I tried that. All it did was cause me to make a stupid and selfish decision that hurt everyone." The frown on Sayori's face grew as she began typing the first lines of her theory.

The only reason things are like this now is because you did nothing… Nothing special at least. You were too afraid to make the changes you need to make.

"That's… That's why I'm doing this…" Sayori replied, finishing her text. All she had to do was press send. Then it would be out in the air, and she could continue explaining things from there.

Yes, you're doing what you're expected to do. Crying to the Phantom Thieves is what any good girl with no other cards up her sleeve would do. It's what you've always done, because you've been too frightened by the possibilities at your fingertips.

Sayori froze at the accusation that her Persona had just made. As her true self, the thought felt oddly like something that would occur to her naturally, but the subject of it confused her to no end. Setting down her phone, the girl calmly closed her eyes. "What possibilities?"

You've been given a unique opportunity to do something else with this incredible secret you've figured out. If you want to stop all of the people you care about from getting hurt, and I do mean all of them, then make changes. You have been acting like a temporary visitor in this world, and your fading body is proof. You do not need to stay on the marked path that has been set out for you. One small act can start a massive change.

Psyche seemed done with her passionate rant, sinking into Sayori's consciousness like the dying embers of a massive fire. But the Persona never truly went away, and Sayori knew that it never had. More importantly, she realized what it was getting at. She wasn't like everyone else, because she had endeared herself to Goro, and was living with him, she now had a unique opportunity.

Acting quickly, Sayori deleted her text and sent a different one, consenting to waiting until morning to talk with everyone. She knew what she wanted to do- no, what she had to do- but the question was how she should do it, and when.

"I need to confront Goro," Sayori whispered to herself, looking at the bedroom door as exhaustion claimed her aching body.

---

After school the next day, Sayori went to Leblanc to meet up with everyone. By then everyone had already heard of the principal's passing, and it made for a rather obvious elephant in the room during their meeting. During the assembly, many of the students had been speculating if the Phantom Thieves had been behind it, but nobody could come to a certain conclusion. To the group's shock and horror, many students had been hopeful that the Phantom Thieves were behind it.

Kobayakawa was certainly not a good man, but I'm sure he didn't deserve death, Sayori pondered to herself. Everyone's lack of empathy was so scary. Would they still be happy that he died if it was revealed that Goro was the one behind it. After all, he's almost hated by the public now. But so many people support the Phantom Thieves, and it seems that nobody would be bothered if we were the ones that caused Kobayakawa's death…

Sayori frowned at her thoughts, pushing open the door to Leblanc and crossing over to the stairs that would lead to Akira's room. The thought occurred to her that she had only heard the opinion of Shujin's students, who had been victims of both Kamoshida and Kobayakawa. Maybe they were just relieved they wouldn't have to worry about the principal anymore? Any way one could put it, the situation the Phantom Thieves found themselves in was incredibly troubling.

Hopefully everyone else has something to say that can make the situation seem brighter, Sayori thought optimistically as she walked up the stairs. Everyone else was just getting settled as she arrived, so she quickly took a seat on the bed next to Yusuke. They also had to go over the evidence found on Sae's laptop, so hopefully they wouldn't stay on the subject of the principal for too long.

Makoto began the meeting with a serious disposition. "Before we talk about the data we got from Sis, we need to discuss the incident with the principal…"

"People are already talking about it online," Ann commented, her arms crossed.

"Nobody's saying it's 'cause of the Phantom Thieves… so far," Ryuji muttered, looking down at his phone.

"People think he did it because that tabloid exposed how he was covering up Kamoshida's abuses," Yusuke said, stating it like a fact.

"Could it be that… we're responsible for Principal Kobayakawa's suicide?" Ann pondered quietly to herself, a somber frown on her face.

Sayori jolted a bit in surprise, feeling incredibly tense. She wanted to insist that this wasn't the case, because she knew there was another reason where they weren't involved, at least not so directly. Yet, thinking about it, the girl began to wonder. What if Goro was doing it to make the Phantom Thieves look like the culprits? That question only lead to more questions, each one more difficult and straining to think about than the last. Sayori didn't think it would be a good idea to tell them, not now at least. She had to think through this. In an effort to save face, Sayori forced herself to calm down and look at Ann in confusion.

"Whaddya mean?" Ryuji asked, raising an eyebrow at the blonde girl.

"If we hadn't changed Kamoshida's heart, maybe this never would have happened…" Ann explained regretfully.

"But then Kamoshida woulda kept doing what he did if we didn't go and take him down," Ryuji insisted.

"Yeah, Ann. Even if it really is the cause- which I seriously doubt it is- I know that you won't regret changing Kamoshida's heart. You did it for people like Ryuji, Mishima, and Shiho," Sayori said reassuringly.

"Most importantly, you did it for yourself," Akira added. Ann thought about what they had said for a few seconds before nodding reluctantly.

"There's a lot of opinions online. 'It's only natural that he died.' 'Covering up crimes is wrong.'" Futaba cited, somehow managing to stay calm as she read the comments. The Phantom Thieves felt uncomfortable at the last comment, knowing someone could say the same for them. Sayori felt especially uncomfortable, knowing how guilty she was of that at this moment.

"The comments I've seen are similar as well. 'Only the Phantom Thieves are on our side!'" Yusuke recited as if he were rehearsing for a play, the emphasis on his words drawing attention from all of the Thieves. "'I wish the Phantom Thieves would take down the police and the politicians of this country!'"

"It's not just the news. There's even Phantom Thieves merchandise now," Ann said, looking down with a thoughtful frown. "I'd never expected we'd end up such a big deal…"

"It seems like the public would rather believe in us than in the adults." Yusuke seemed concern as he spoke. The slightest droop could be spotted in his face, as the thought of how much work could turn out to be exhausted him. "People are trying to get the Phantom Thieves to solve societal problems, not just personal ones."

"This is kinda scary…" Ann mumbled. She was obviously lost in her thoughts at this point, having not moved from her sunken, arm-crossed position for several minutes.

"Are we really doing the right thing?" Makoto asked to no one in particular, hoping someone would have the advice she needed to hear.

"I mean, the principal was coverin' stuff up, right? I guess… he got what was comin' to him," Ryuji muttered, trying to say what he thought might improve everyone's nerves about the situation.

"R-Ryuji…" Sayori mumbled, her voice wobbly. Would he have said the same thing if the principal really had committed suicide? Probably, considering that's how Ryuji might think he died. "Even if he was a horrible person… It… It's not right to say something like that. Wh-What if…?" The girl felt a deep pain swelling in her chest, trying to swallow down the lump in her throat. Ryuji seemed to realize he had made a mistake, reaching out to try to take back what he said and comfort Sayori.

"That's…" Makoto tried to say something more, realizing that they desperately needed to change the subject before it was cut short because Sayori was crying too much. She wasn't thinking it to be cruel, but it was the truth. Not to mention, she really didn't want to see Sayori cry.

"Whoa, guys, let's get back on topic. Weren't we going to discuss the data we obtained from Niijima?" Morgana prompted, deciding to take action and hop off the table for a moment, walking closer to Sayori. He took a moment to glare at Ryuji. His respect for the blond boy had just lowered even more, if that was even possible.

"You tell them, Inari…" Futaba said with a sulky pout, bringing up the files on her laptop.

"Why me?" Yusuke asked in an equally pouty way. After a second, he finally got up and walked over to look at the screen, reciting the events as Futaba scrolled through her findings.. "First, Prosecutor Niijima has been looking into the continued cases of people suddenly collapsing. It seems she is searching for a common thread to tie them all together. Some parts seem to be speculation, but she has cited a beneficiary of the majority of these incidents."

Everyone looked up in shock, wondering how such a coincidence could be possible. It was like they were a real team of investigators, somehow able to link numerous coincidental-looking deaths to who benefited from them most. They all waited in silence as Yusuke seemed to sense the tension, purposely pausing for dramatic effect.

"The corporation Okumura Foods. More prominently, it's CEO, Kunikazu Okumura," Yusuke declared, looking around at everyone. He had made the connection as soon as he had seen the words. He was happy to see the realization dawn on everyone else's faces, widening their eyes and causing their jaws to hang open.

"Okumura? I feel like… Wait, wasn't that Haru's last name?" Ryuji asked in shock, recalling Sayori's shy-looking roommate from the Hawaii trip. He couldn't help but look over to see Sayori had paled considerably, thinking hard about the information she had just learned.

"And this man also owns Big Bang Burger," Yusuke continued. Compared to the realization that they might already know someone involved with the case, this information seemed silly, but Yusuke still said it for posterity's sake.

"Big Bang Burger!? For real!?"

Well, Ryuji was impressed.

"You know, they only got famous sometime in the past few years." Ann pondered, connecting the dots between how Big Bang Burger could be linked with something obviously involved with the mental shutdowns and psychotic breakdowns. "They even had a branch in Hawaii."

"It says here they benefited both from scandals and the resignations of their competitors' executives," Yusuke said as he leaned towards the computer screens.

"That would seem to be the case…" Makoto said, a serious aura beginning to surround her.

"This is too suspicious though. Only one CEO is profiting from these seemingly accidental incidents," Morgana stated. "I think it's natural to suspect he's intentionally causing them."

"I get that, but still…" Makoto trailed off, allowing for a short pause in conversation.

"Do you think Haru is involved?"

Everyone looked to see Sayori staring blankly at the ground, worry and concern making her pale face even paler and her sky blue eyes wide. She looked tired, and almost withdrawn from the situation. Does Haru know? Or is she just a bystander? Has Goro really helped hurt people just to help a food corporation? It all seemed too bizarre to be true. Sure, she and Goro had fast food a lot, when neither of them felt like cooking, but surely he wouldn't go as far as sabotaging other businesses through such cruel means because of that… This made Sayori wonder who would do that; who would order Goro to do that?

"I doubt Haru would be involved with that... " Ann pondered, trying to smile reassuringly. "We need to find out more about Kunikazu Okumura first, before we suspect anyone associated with him."

Sayori nodded slowly after a few seconds, and everyone couldn't help but wonder if she had even heard Ann's words.

"We have even more evidence he's up to no good. Tell them, Futaba." Morgana said, quickly hopping back up to the table to encourage Futaba to speak.

"I already tried putting Okumura's name in the Nav. He has a Palace for sure," Futaba stated, bringing out her phone to show everyone. It shouldn't have been as much of a shock as it was to all of them, Futaba thought wryly to herself. At the very least, it was enough proof to begin spurring everyone into action.

"That settles it then! He's totally our next target!" Ryuji exclaimed, looking excited.

"That's right. Okumura is at the top of the rankings, after all," Morgana added. For once it seemed the two were in agreement, much to the disagreement of the others.

"Hold on. That doesn't necessarily mean he's evil. If we jump into this too carelessly…" Yusuke said in a warning tone. A second later, he averted his gaze from everyone's attention, saying, "Beyond that, this Phantom Thieves fad is… unsettling."

"Yeah… The excitement levels don't feel normal. We might want to let things calm down a bit first…"Ann suggested.

"Yeah. After what just happened to the principal, we need to be cautious… Maybe we could talk to Haru and see what she thinks about her father?" Sayori said hopefully. If Goro did kill the principal, and had committed crimes for Okumura, than it made sense that something might happen if they acted too fast. She also recalled the possibility that there could be police members trying to set them up, if the call she had once overheard was anything to go by.

Unfortunately, not everyone agreed with her.

"You too, guys!? You're just gonna go against what people want!?"Ryuji asked angrily.

"Huh? No, but…" Ann tried to defend herself, but trailed off as she once again began to wonder what the right choice was.

"For real?" Ryuji mumbled.

"L-Looks like we're not going to agree today then…" Futaba stuttered nervously.

"Ryuji, I just don't want to any of you guys to get hurt… I'm really-" Scared caught itself on Sayori's lips. "-Nervous," She finished lamely. Sayori didn't feel up to explaining why she felt an emotion as strong as fear at that moment.

"Sheesh… Some team you are. What's with all the hesitation? I can't stand this!" Morgana shouted in frustration, glaring at all of them, before turning to one of them in particular. "Even you, Ryuji! You just back down the second someone disagrees with you!"

"What?" Ryuji asked, his voice taking on a low, angry tone. He walked up to Morgana and soon entered a glaring contest with the cat-like creature.

"Guys…" Sayori whispered, her sensed becoming more tuned in to the conversation. She had an incredibly bad feeling, and her instincts were telling her to finally get involved.

"I guess all you've been talking about is using the Phantom Thieves name to pick up girls anyway," Morgana said with a roll of his eyes. "Being hyped up because of the popularity is fine, but getting conceited over it is unacceptable."

"Hey, aren't you actin' for your own benefit here too?" Ryuji accused, anger and frustration rearing its head like an angry bull.

"Guys," Sayori said, trying to sound firm. But it went unheard as Morgana and Ryuji once again glared daggers at each other, low growls rising in each of their throats.

"My appearance might have changed, but I'm still an admirable human!" Morgana said proudly. "At the very least, I'm more admirable than some carnal blond monkey!"

"You little-"

"Stop it!" Sayori shouted at the top of her lungs, getting up and putting herself firmly between the two of them. "I know that we're all tense right now, but we have to keep our heads. Arguing about our popularity and whatever else isn't going to change anything," Sayori stated, crossing her arms. She could feel the astonished looks of everyone around her, and it helped boost her confidence as she smiled sweetly at Ryuji and Morgana.

"You guys are friends, and friends shouldn't fight. Please? We can all work this out like the mature people I know we are," Sayori continued kindly, observing both of their faces for a reaction. She knows this is the exact line that could spur a "But Ryuji isn't mature at all," comment from Morgana, and she knows she needs to be prepared to soothe any snarls so they can get back to their meeting.

For a few moments, Sayori's mediation seemed to work. Morgana and Ryuji both backed off, looking sheepish and slightly ashamed. However, it didn't stay that way. It wasn't expected by the rest of the Phantom Thieves, Sayori, or even the one who said it. But once it was out there, he had to keep going.

"Friends should also trust each other, right?" Morgana asked coldly, looking at Sayori with an angry glare. "Teammates should be able to trust each other, right?"

Sayori suddenly felt nervous as she met Morgana's striking blue eyes. "Well, yes. But what-"

"You don't trust any of us. You don't act like you're a part of the team, and yet everyone listens to you… They trust you, and you stab them in the back," Morgana accused. Everyone looked at the cat in bewilderment, not knowing what to make of his accusations, except for Futaba, who looked nervously at the cat. This wasn't the plan at all!

Meanwhile, Sayori froze, wondering what Morgana meant by that. Did he know about her suspicions of Black Mask's identity? She began to tremble at the thought of everything being revealed now. She just needed a little more time to fix things. Trying to turn the situation around, Sayori began speaking as calmly as she could. "Morgana, I never meant to slight you in any way. I'm sorry."

The cat only looked more offended, arching his back in a tense posture. "If you really meant that you should have said something. We saved your life! Do you think that we… That I can't handle it?"

"What? No… It's just-" Sayori tried to think of a reason to give Morgana that would be satisfying, but not knowing what he was referring to made it difficult. The cat huffed before glaring at all of the team, Ryuji in particular.

The blond was quickly incited by this, stepping around Sayori, who was desperately trying to figure out what to say. "What the hell are you even goin' on about, cat? Sayori wouldn't do something like that if it weren't for a good reason. For an 'admirable human being' you sure don't know how to respect boundaries!"

"All of you guys are so unprofessional!" Morgana shouted, taking a step closer on the table, Ryuji took another step forward as well.

Seeing this, Sayori made one last attempt to fix things. "Guys… I don't like fighting. Please stop-"

"Stay out of it, Sayori," Ryuji interrupted harshly. "This fight was between him and me, anyway."

Sayori trembled but stepped back, nodding her head shakily. Morgana looked at her irritably, for once in agreement with Ryuji. "If you aren't going to say or do anything useful, then don't interfere."

"You're one to talk," Ryuji growled, and the two were right back at it again. The rest of the team had the distinct feeling that this was different from other arguments they had seen in the past, and more than once they tried to break it up. But by now the two were so locked in their argument that they weren't even paying attention to their surroundings anymore.

"Fine. I can take on some small-time target like Okumura on my own," Morgana stated calmly, looking down with an angry determination. "Sorry, but it looks like I'll be getting the credit for solving the mental shutdown mystery."

Sayori felt her head throb as her vision turned into a muted black and white color. Memories from not so long ago flooded into her head as she saw Morgana's thoughts, thinking back on all of the times he had been called useless. Remembering from the time with Makoto, a horrible ache welled up in Sayori's stomach as she realized that something bad was happening.

"I'm going to show you who the useless one actually is!" Morgana shouted, breaking the trance like state Sayori had fallen into. She squinted her eyes as color filled her vision, the experience like turning on a light after being left in the room for so long. She wobbled once again, feeling the slightly cold hands of Yusuke and Makoto grabbing her shoulders to try to steady her.

"All right then! Bring it on!" Ryuji declared, not noticing the distress the argument would cause, nor able to see the consequences this fight would bring.

"Ryuji, stop!" Ann tried one last time to salvage the situation, but the damage had already been done. Both Ryuji and Morgana were now too stubborn to see reason.

"Looks like I don't belong here after all…"Morgana said regretfully, before looking up with hard set eyes. "Well, this is goodbye!"

"Calm down," Akira said, trying to sound firm even as part of his team was falling to pieces. Sayori seemed to be in the midst of a panic attack, Futaba wasn't much better, and Morgana was about to run away. He felt like a failure as a leader as he watched it unfold, unable to take control of the argument, and letting Sayori try to settle their explosive fight.

"Morgana, wait!" Ann shouted, suddenly desperate to do something to turn the tide of today. Everything seemed to be going wrong for them, and the stress was causing one of them to run away. How did that reflect their team if it could happen so easily?

"... See you," Morgana said quietly, mostly to Ann.

And then he was gone.

"I bet he's back in no time…" Ryuji said, trying to dismiss everyone's worry. Or at least that's what he wished he was doing. To him, it felt like trying to make excuses for his own actions. He looked at the stairs, where Morgana had fled down, and then to Sayori, who was mumbling apologies as she blamed herself for not stopping their stupid argument. Ryuji felt the beginnings of guilt well up in him as he realized how badly he had just messed up.

"Dammit!"

---

Sayori hugged her knees to her chest in the dark apartment. Goro had had an interview, meaning that he had to be out late. Thoughts of what else he could be doing bombarded her mind, making her feel terrible as she doubted everything she had wanted to believe.

She had tried to watch his interview, but thinking about her suspicions, combined with watching the audience repeatedly ask horrible questions about his popularity and reputation, if he was going to change his theories, and all of the usual slander made her turn it off after only a half hour.

This left her with nothing to do but think, sitting on the floor with her back leaned against the couch, because actually sitting on it was more comfortable than she felt she deserved. Sayori couldn't muster any energy to cry as she thought back to the events of her meeting with her team, and how horribly it had gone...

Because she had failed.

---

Sayori was happily chatting with Monika when she felt it. The tension in the air alerted Sayori long before the sounds of an unfortunately familiar argument began. Monika noticed Sayori begin to trail off and lose focus in their conversation, and began wondering what the cause was. Soon enough, she got her answer.

"Oh? I didn't realize you were trying so hard to impress our new member, Yuri," Natsuki said accusingly, standing over the taller girl.

"E-Eh?" Yuri looked startled at the smug tone in Natsuki's voice. "That's not why I…!" She struggled for words, and then gave a frown of irritation as her eyes narrowed. "You… You're just…" Yuri stood up to match Natsuki's challenge. "Maybe you're just jealous that he appreciates my advice more than he appreciated yours!"

"Huh! And how do you know he didn't appreciate my advice more?" Natsuki asked angrily. "Are you that full of yourself?"

"I…!" Yuri shrunk in confidence for only a moment before finding a response. "No… If I was full of myself… I would deliberately go out of my way to make everything I do overly cutesy!"

Natsuki struggled to find words, her tense posture making it obvious that she was overwhelmed and shocked that this fight was happening. Sayori and Monika gaped at the exchange, and simultaneously walked closer to try to fix the problem. Sayori tried first.

"U-Um!" Sayori stepped up to the group nervously, glancing at her poor, nervous friend "Is everyone okay?"

"Well, you know what?" Natsuki shouted, paying no attention to Sayori, "I wasn't the one whose boobs magically grew a size bigger as soon as he showed up!"

"N-Natsuki!" Yuri sputtered.

Monika blushed, clearly flustered by the awkward turn of the argument. "Um, Natsuki, that's a little-"

"This doesn't involve you!" Natsuki and Yuri both shouted.

"I-I don't like fighting, guys!" Sayori cried, trying to get them to calm down for her sake. The only it did was give them pause to turn and look at their new club member in horrified realization.

"You! She- She's just trying to make me look bad," Yuri said, nervously trying to defend her reputation.

"That's not true!" Natsuki yelled. "She started it! If she could get over herself and learn to appreciate that simple writing is more effective, then this wouldn't have happened in the first place. What's the point in making your poems all convoluted for no reason? The meaning should jump out at the reader, not force them to have to figure it out. Help me explain that to her!"

"W-Wait!" Yuri said desperately. "There's a reason we have so many expressive words in our language! It's the only way to convey complex feelings and meaning the most effectively. Avoiding them is not only unnecessarily limiting yourself… It's also a waste! You understand that, right?

"Um…" The boy looked between both girls nervously. Sayori felt incredibly sorry for him, and guilty for not stopping the fight before he got dragged into it. Or maybe he had been dragged in from the beginning.

"Well?" Natsuki and Yuri said impatiently, glaring daggers at each other the entire time.

---

Sayori struggled to remember what happened next. If she thought correctly, this is because there was a choice to be made in this situation. Who was her friend supposed to agree with. However, all she really cared to think about was what was supposed to happen if the task fell to her to fix the disharmony between the people she cared so much for.

---

"...Sayori!" He suddenly shouted.

"Eh?" Sayori jumped in confusion at finally being addressed. She hadn't wanted to interfere when her friend was trying to put a stop to the fight.

"...Yeah!" The boy said, realizing what he could do. "Everyone's fighting is making Sayori uncomfortable. How can the two of you keep fighting when you know you're making your friend feel like this?"

"You really…?" Sayori smiled at her friend, appreciating his faith in her to fix this. She would gladly answer his call for help.

"Well… That's her problem! This isn't about her," Natsuki said with a huff, crossing her arms.

"I-I agree…" Yuri said quietly, "It's unfair for others to interject their own feelings into our conflict."

"Yeah, unless Sayori wants to tell Yuri what a stuck-up jerk she's being," Natsuki added snarkily, making Sayori nervous that the fight was about to start again.

"She would never…!" Yuri said angrily. "It's your immaturity that's made her upset in the first place!"

"Excuse me?" Natsuki snapped. "Are you listening to yourself? This is exactly why… Exactly why nobody likes-"

"Stop!" Sayori nearly screamed, interrupting the argument before something that couldn't be taken back was said. Natsuki and Yuri both paused, shocked at the force Sayori was suddenly using in her words.

"Natsuki! Yuri! You guys are my friends!" Sayori said, her eyes tearing up, making both of them begin to feel guilty. "I just want everyone to get along and be happy! My friends are wonderful people… And I love them because of their differences!" Sayori looked pointedly at both of them. "Natsuki's poems… They're amazing because they give you so many feelings with just a few words! And Yuri's poems are amazing because they paint beautiful pictures in your head! Everyone's so talented… So why are we fighting?"

"Be-Because…" Natsuki stuttered.

"Well…" Yuri trailed off.

"Also!" Sayori added, not giving either of them a chance to form a proper chance to respond, "Natsuki's cute and there's nothing wrong with that! And Yuri's boobs are the same as they always were! Big and beautiful!" She couldn't help but blush in embarrassment as everyone gave her a weird look.

"Sayori…" He didn't even know how to respond. Sayori stood triumphant as both Monika and her friend gave her a bewildered look.

"I'll… make some tea…" Yuri said awkwardly before running off. Natsuki sat down with blank expression, absolutely stupefied.

Sayori looked at her handiwork, satisfied with the outcome. She looked over to see Monika talking to their newest club member. Though they were whispering, she could hear each word clearly. "So, this is why Sayori is Vice President…" Her friend whispered to Monika.

Monika nodded, admitting, "To be honest… I might come off as a good leader, and I can organize things… But I'm not very good with people… I couldn't even bring myself to interject. As President, that's kind of embarrassing of me." Monika laughed awkwardly, feeling embarrassed of her fault. Sayori couldn't fault her for it though. The argument had been very intense.

"Nah…" He said nonchalantly "It's not like I can blame you. I wasn't able to say anything, either."

"Well…" Monika said, "I guess that just means Sayori is amazing in her own ways, isn't she?"

"You could say that." Her friend agreed. "She might be an airhead, but sometimes it's weirdly suspicious that she knows exactly what she's doing." Sayori couldn't help but blush upon overhearing that compliment.

---

Sayori took in a shuddering breath as those memories of peaceful club days faded out. What had she gotten herself gotten into? Ryuji and Morgana's fight had been more intense than any fight Yuri and Natsuki had ever had. Those girls had always been aggressive, but it was on a whole other level with the blond and the cat. Neither of them had been afraid to say hurtful things.

But that didn't excuse Sayori for being so cowardly. She shouldn't have frozen up like she did when she was suddenly brought up in the argument. If anything, that was her greatest chance to get involved and put a stop to the fight. Yet she had just stood there with her mouth hanging open, like a dead fish out of water. Being a mediator was her talent. While her memories only really showed that one instance of her being a peacekeeper, Monika had said so herself in that memory. Sayori was necessary to keep a calm and peaceful atmosphere.

"I let everyone down," Sayori whispered brokenly. "Morgana is right… I can't even be trusted, especially when I fail to do the one thing I'm useful for… I- I-" Sayori felt the hiccup-sensation build in her throat, and let the painful sensation temporarily freeze her thoughts as fresh tears welled up.

I keep such terrible secrets from them. How can I be so horrible to the people who have helped me so much… And how could I be so horrible to my club members?"

How were her clubmates doing without her there to keep the peace? If she was as necessary as Monika and her friend had claimed, then what was going on back home? Did everyone hate each other? Were they fighting each other? Was one of them hurt? Sayori didn't want to think about how her probable death had affected her friends, especially knowing that she had done it to herself.

I'm lying to everyone… There has to be someone that I can tell the truth to… Despite herself, Sayori thought immediately of Goro. How would he react to her disappearing, and how would he react to the fact that she knew his secret: that she thought of him as a murderer?

"What can I do?" Sayori asked. She was planning on confronting Goro, but what would the consequences of that be? She could be endangering herself, her friends, and Goro himself!

As Sayori sat there, trying to fight a mental battle that she should have never instigated in the first place, her phone rang with a reminder text from Futaba.

"Don't forget to come over tomorrow to play video games! It will be in Leblanc!"

---

Futaba paced the floor of the cafe's dining area impatiently. She checked the clock on her phone, noting with dismay that Sayori only had five minutes before she was late. It was irritating to Futaba, because they barely had a moment to waste before her plan could be ruined. Grimacing at the turn of events, the ginger-haired girl put a hand around the mug of hot chocolate that Sojiro had prepared for Sayori earlier. Now, it could more accurately be described as a cup of room temperature chocolate, but Futaba had been stubborn, making sure she had Leblanc all to herself for at least an hour. The store was temporarily closed. Sojiro had gone home to have a relaxing day off, and Akira was out spending time with one of his friends. Futaba wasn't sure which one it was, but she also didn't care.

"I'm so sorry for keeping you waiting, Futaba!" Sayori shouted, interrupting Futaba's irritated train of thought and replacing it with a sense of relief. The ginger-haired girl almost smiled at Sayori, until she thought she noticed something and adjusted her glasses, her face slipping into a frown. Sayori looked even more tired than she had yesterday, with shadowy creases under her eyes and a weakly pasted on smile.

Sayori noticed Futaba's discomfort, and was about to ask what was wrong, when Futaba rapidly shook her head as if to shake off water like a dog. "Thanks for coming, Sayori. You're right on time." Futaba began walking towards the stairs, pointing at the mug behind her, "There's a cup of moderate chocolate that Sojiro made for you. Follow me upstairs so we can play video games."

Sayori was behind Futaba, so she was unable to notice the cold, confident smile that Futaba wore. She grabbed her mug and followed the shorter girl obediently up the stairs, silently wondering why it was so quiet up in Akira's room. Shouldn't a few of the others be here to play games, too? If not, why wouldn't they just play at Futaba's house?

As soon as Sayori was all the way up the stairs, she saw Futaba gesturing insistently at a pile of cushions circling around Akira's TV. The girl got the message and took a seat on the pillows, feeling uncomfortable at the thought of being in the room when Morgana wasn't there. Sayori wondered whether he was safe or not, but everyone had agreed to give him one day to cool off before they got worried.

While Sayori was distracted with her thoughts, Futaba snuck quietly down the first few steps to a door in the arch way that separated the attic from the rest of Leblanc. She gently closed the door and locked it, glad that Sojiro's inability to use tools had made the door backwards, requiring a key to unlock it from inside the room. Futaba once again straightened her glasses and lifted her bangs out of her face with nimble fingers, peering over the railing to see Sayori looking at the stack of game cases Futaba had provided, trying to see what looked the most fun to play.

She hasn't noticed… Good, Futaba thought with relief, going back up the stairs and crossing the room. She crouched down on the opposite end of the pillows from Sayori, quickly sliding a disc into the console and grabbing her own remote. She smiled in glorious triumph as her plan was working marvelously so far. As the icing on the cake, she was going to whip Sayori's butt at Super Bash Bros.

---

They played for about a half hour before Sayori felt it. The hiccup-sensation was beginning to build in her throat, making her feel breathless. Abruptly, she got up and went down the stairs, only to find the door blocking her way. The girl grabbed the knob and twisted it, her hands starting to shake as she realized that it wouldn't turn, and the door wouldn't budge.

"Uh… Futaba. I think the door is stuck. Can you call Sojiro and ask him to come over to let us out? I have to use the bathroom," Sayori lied.

"Oh- oops. My phone is… dead," Futaba replied, pressing the on button of her phone for just a second, grateful for her foresight to shut off her phone before her plan commenced.

"Th- Then do you have a key?" Sayori asked, eyes wide in panic and fear as she began to yank on the door. The feeling in her chest was growing in intensity. She was thankful that she was hidden by the flooring above the stairs, until she looked up and saw Futaba standing at the top of the staircase, staring down at her.

"No, sadly, I don't." Futaba lied, walking down so she was standing next to Sayori, who was giving her a desperate look. The pink-haired girl let out a whimper of protest, and Futaba felt guilt swelling up inside her, but this had to be done. If Futaba confronted her without Sayori knowingly disappearing in front of her, then the girl would probably just deny everything, saying the video evidence Morgana had gotten earlier was photoshopped.

"F-Futaba… Please look away for a few seconds," Sayori whispered, knowing there was no way to hold off the inevitable. She closed her eyes as the sensation of disappearing shot through her like angry lightning.

When Sayori opened her eyes again, Futaba was staring at her. Sayori shut her eyes once again, preparing for the worst, only to not hear the mumbles and stutters Futaba often made when she was in distress. Eyes opening in confusion, Sayori looked at Futaba again only to notice the girl was completely calm about the entire thing. Realization dawned as Sayori felt her breath leave her.

"You knew?" She whispered.

"I knew," Futaba confirmed.

"H-How long?"

"Since the trip to the beach. I saw you glitching in the changing rooms," Futaba replied calmly, walking past Sayori and slipping the door's key from her pocket and into the lock.

Sayori looked at Futaba in confusion, barely even noticing the opened door and chance for escape. "Glitching?"

"Yeah. You probably don't know what you look like when you do it, but before you disappear, you look… pixelated, I guess," Futaba clarified with a shrug. The ginger-haired girl walked into the dining area of Leblanc, choosing the booth farthest from the door and sitting down. Sayori followed her in stunned silence.

"Wha… Does… Do any of the others know?" Sayori asked in worry.

"Morgana," Futaba said immediately, noticing how Sayori cringed as soon as the name left her mouth.

"So that's why he said those things," Sayori said to herself sadly.

Futaba nodded solemnly. "He and I were supposed to talk to you about it together today. I'll also admit, I talked about it with that doctor that lives nearby. Dr. Takemi didn't believe me at first, so when you came to Leblanc that one day with Akechi-kun, I had Morgana follow you with a camera attached to him when you suddenly ran out."

Sayori felt herself begin to panic. Futaba and Morgana were one thing, but a doctor she barely knew…

"She and Akira are close friends. He does a lot of tests with the medicine she makes, and takes a lot of it with him on missions, if you recall. It was easy to swear her to secrecy," Futaba said confidently, noticing how Sayori had immediately gone pale. The reassurance seemed to work, as Sayori tried to calm herself down.

"Why… are you confronting me like this?" Sayori asked weakly. "I… I've broken your trust, and the trust of everyone else. I've been lying to everyone!" Sayori shouted, standing up tensely. The guilt was eating her alive! She groaned and shrunk back into her seat.

"You did…" Futaba said calmly. "But I don't think I would tell people if I was slowly glitching out of existence either."

"Slowly… not existing," Sayori mumbled, her eyes growing wide with fear.

Futaba nodded grimly. "Takemi was shocked when she saw the video, and there isn't really a way to diagnose it, but she came up with a theory. If the periods between your glitching gets shorter and shorter, and they last for longer, than eventually you'll d-" Futaba swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat when that word came up. "You'll eventually cease to be," She tried instead.

Sayori shivered at the new knowledge, knowing Futaba wouldn't make a joke about something like her death. "What am I going to do?" She whispered, hoping against all hope that Takemi had been able to come up with a better cure than weekly trips to Mementos.

Futaba shook her head. "I don't know specifically what we can do to fix this… But I think you should tell the others. We have a better chance that way."

Sayori trembled, scared of the idea but understanding. Hesitantly, she nodded. "I will… But it's so hard to say. I don't want to say it more than I have to. Can I wait until Morgana gets back?"

"Well, Morgana already knows anyway… But yeah" Futaba said with a shrug. She was just glad Sayori wasn't putting up much of a fight. "We can tell everyone together, if it makes you feel better.

Sayori smiled gratefully at Futaba. "Thank you. It hasn't been that long since your Palace, but already you've matured so much, Futaba. I don't have a right to be, but I'm proud."

With her objective cleared, Futaba suddenly became bashful at the comment. "Thanks," She said with a flustered blush and a relieved lightness in her voice. Futaba blinked, before a crafty smile appeared on her face. She stood up and gestured behind her to the staircase. "We still have some time before Akira gets back. Want to play some more?"

Sayori let out a happy laugh, even more relieved that Futaba wasn't upset with her. Morgana had been, and Futaba also had every right to be. But now with the truth finally revealed to at least one of them, things were looking a bit brighter. With that thought, Sayori nodded eagerly, and the two hurried back up the stairs.

---

Mai Mori looked out at the library with a bored expression on her face. The scheduled crowd of studying students filled up all of the space, but none of them were interested in talking to her. It also seemed like all of the klutzes were busy today too, because nobody tripped and spilled their drinks, which would have been somewhat entertaining along with frustrating. The librarian sighed, not looking forward to another day of loneliness. Her little assistant was too busy with her community service apparently, because Mai had barely seen her since Sayori got back from Hawaii.

"Hey," a random student asked, walking up to the front desk with a rather thick book in hand. "Can you check this out for-"

"Yeah, yeah," Mai said despondently, snatching the book and getting out her scanner. "You seem like a smart person, dear. What do think of this mess with the principal?"

The student looked rather confused. "Uh, I don't-"

"I honestly never cared for the guy, but depending on how the next of the bunch acts, I could be out of a job," Mai continued idly, sizing up the person in front of her. "Champ, what's your name?"

"Uh… Kina-"

Mai quickly found the first "Kina" on the list, and recognized the picture that went along with it as the person who stood in front of her. She handed the book back and resumed her rant. Though it was mostly to herself, the student didn't realize this and continued to stand there, listening helplessly.

"I was talkin' about it with Kawakami earlier, and she said I had nothing to worry about. I can tell the thought of being fired scared her, though. She loves teaching. And I love bein' a librarian… Even if I get the feeling that I should be doing somethin' else, occasionally. It's weird, honestly! I love this job, but sometimes I feel so frustrated and limited for no reason at all. I get guilty even though I am helping people," Mai sulked in her chair.

The principal had definitely been an asshole, who had been gutsy enough to smirk like an evil mastermind when she showed him Sayori's permission slip. There was no doubt in her mind that he had been cooking up some horrible scheme. But for whatever reason he hadn't fired her. Mai could only assume she knew too much, or some spy movie phrase like that.

I'm worried about losing my job, but I feel like the reason is all mixed up, Mai thought to herself. She looked out once more at the room full of kids. She loved helping them as much as she loved the slow days she had to herself. But more than that, there was this deep frustration in her, and she didn't know why. All she knew was that she associated this frustration with a strange metaphor, which would be that getting fired would put her on the side of an impassable wall that she had practically been able to walk through in the past.

I don't get it. Maybe one of the Literature teachers would be helpful or something, Mai thought idly as she resumed her work, falling into a natural routine.

---

Goro looked up and down the street warily, his senses on high alert. He could have sworn he saw something in the corner of his eye this time! Yet, when he looked directly at the road ahead of him, it looked completely normal. There was no suspicion item or person, and there was no one he recognized from the Conspiracy. The paranoia and stress were getting to him, the detective decided. He ignored the lingering insistence that screamed that there was anything else besides a paranoid assassin making sure he wasn't being followed.

Every hour of every day has been filled with this unknown unease, all starting on the day after Kobayakawa's death. Goro practically jumped at the sight of his own shadow, and couldn't help but feel an odd chill, though there had been no breeze to cause such a reaction. Yet, despite his objections to being called crazy, he had to admit that he knew these melodramatic reactions were all in his head. Like a light switch being switched on and off, the detective was beginning to feel like he had lost his balance, switching back and forth between the usual way he viewed the world and a brief clarity he could never quite grasp.

What was worse, whenever he tried to dig deeper, his head would only become more foggy and resistant to his attempts to uncover the truth. He wanted to uncover that knowledge more than he could even fathom, but it was like there was someone forcing cotton into his head, and ripped from his hands like taking candy from a baby. Goro had nearly forfeited each time, trying to wait for the memories to come naturally, but something told him that it wouldn't work. So with growing frustration, he kept close tabs on the increasing irregularities he constantly, yet briefly noticed.

Why does everyone stand in the same place every day? Why do some look so washed out and gray in the subway? It was irritating, because people watching didn't do him any favors these days. His tanking popularity had spurred on some very brave people lately, leading to him believing it was simply best to avoid contact when he was out in public. Yet whenever he thought he saw these abnormalities, he'd constantly find himself staring. This drew unwanted attention and glares from many around him, and he couldn't help but he painfully reminded of the days when he had someone to hide behind.

She had always been so good at keeping everyone's attention away from me… Goro thought to himself with a sad smile. Much of the bad attention had been on her anyway, but his mother had never been tolerant when others tried to bring him into it. The memory of hiding behind her skirt as she shattered a man with calm, yet deadly words brought a new regret to mind. Her wish had always been for him to avoid too much attention, and yet here he was, having regular TV interviews, a gaggle of crazed fans, and a lot of people who wouldn't bat an eye if something happened to him.

He shook himself from the bitterness and self loathing as fast as he could. Feeling sorry for himself wasn't enough to cut it, least of all now. He just had to get to the police station and see what was going on. The damage of Yaguchi's betrayal of justice would definitely have consequences. Some of the officer's might find out what the man did and follow his lead. He was supposed to be a role model, after all. Not to mention, he had a significantly close relationship with Sae, due to a shared childhood together. While he had faith in Sae, he couldn't deny that with her attitude lately, she was just one gentle nudge away from abandoning her beliefs and joining Shido's already large collection of corrupt cops.

It was the truth, and yet he couldn't help but feel as if it was wrong for him to know that, despite his observation of Sae. Did Sae's sister know too? Makoto was a member of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, and she had to know her sister's behavior was getting worse every day. So why hadn't the Phantom Thieves done anything yet? It was concerning, yet Goro felt he had at least two separate answers for that question. Both of them were equally plausible. The first was that Makoto was just waiting for the right moment, or was just having trouble accepting that her sister had a Palace. The second one was… out of his reach.

There it was again. The brief clarity flashed on and off within his head, frustrating him yet again as he tried to find the answer. The only fragment he was able to catch was that it had something to do with him, which could mean anything. He had a friendship with Sae, so the Phantom Thieves could be worried that he would catch them if they went after Sae's heart. Perhaps he was a large part of the reason she had a Palace, and leaving Sae alone would fix the damage. But did the Phantom Thieves of Hearts know this? It was unlikely, especially since they were supposed to be going after Okumura. Besides, that theory was hardly plausible anyway. He didn't know exactly how the process of stealing hearts worked, but he was pretty positive that it didn't work like that.

The other reason he could think of was too ridiculous to even consider. In any case, the Second Coming of the Detective Prince was an obstacle in the Phantom Thieves' path. He was not meant to help them with their crimes. So, being the one to request Sae's change of heart was ridiculous. Goro ignored the snarky voice in his head that told him he had been helping them by keeping their identities and activities secret. He had done that to help Sayori more than any of the others.

With these distracting thoughts, he could almost forget the odd feelings and frustrations. The things he thought he saw were less important than his own mental rambings. Eventually the worries he had about what he might have to do, and how he might need to change his approach, would be replaced by his plans to catch up on schoolwork he had missed due to his recent, exhausting work. That would be when the paranoia would undoubtedly return, but for now he was safe from such things.

For now, his thoughts turned to Okumura, and what might happen when it came time to kill him too. He had turned into a stupid spazz when he had thought about being merciful to Kobayakawa, too worked up over what he wanted and what needed to be done to make any difference. Now it would be another haunting memory, all because he had lost his apathy and allowed the possibility of benevolence when it was impossible. With Okumura, he didn't know if he could even consider making the same mistake. The image of the distorted world peeling away and disintegrating, which started from the exact point where his gunshot had met its mark on the man's head, his own feet, and the principal's corpse like Shadow as it disappeared, nearly overwhelmed Goro. The horror of it all was enough to hide the feeling of fogginess he felt at it as well. There was some aspect of that memory that he could not process. Had he been able to, it would have affected him even now. However, there was only fog.

But he knew the answer was there somewhere. It wasn't clear, but he could just barely see it. The entire experience was trying to see stars through the fog. It was so enticing and alluring that the detective knew he would always try to find out what he was missing, no matter how much he met with failure.

Just before he turned the corner into his own high school, Goro thought he saw something once more and turned, scanning the area. Just as he was about to dismiss it as another trick his mind was playing on him, he realized what he saw. On the other side of the street, Haru Okumura was walking calmly. Doing his best to stay hidden, Morgana walked closely by the girl's side. As if sensing that he was being watched, the cat turned his head in Goro's direction. The detective had already pretended to be directing his attention at something else, looking towards the direction Haru was heading, observing Haru as she seemed unbothered by the cat following her. Obviously, the girl knew Morgana was there.

Goro quickly walked back into the school, his heart racing as he could draw only one conclusion from this. The Phantom Thieves must have already begun their infiltration of Okumura's Palace, or they were going to very soon.

---

Sayori frowned at the city before her with the rest of the group. Tokyo was a very large place, and to her friends it probably seemed nearly impossible to find Morgana. However, Sayori knew that if they were meant to find him today, instead of at Okumura's Palace where he said he would be going, there were only so many places they would be able to check. Besides, she had other things to worry about. As soon as they got Morgana back, she would tell the Phantom Thieves about her "glitching" as Futaba had called it. Mona already knew about it, but this gave Sayori more time to get over her nerves, and waiting would mean that Morgana wouldn't feel left out.

You still have time, Sayori told herself as she opened the group chat. A new message from Akira showed a picture of Morgana and him. She quickly downloaded it and opened the file on her phone. Just focus on finding Morgana first. He's much more important. When everyone successfully had the picture opened on their phone, they split into groups and began their search.

There was an odd number of people, so Sayori volunteered to switch groups every once in a while. Akira had wanted to switch too, in order to keep tabs on every body's progress, but that was why they had phones. They had separated into two groups, with Ann, Makoto, and Futaba in one, and Akira, Ryuji, and Yusuke in the other. Sayori started the search with the girls, and they all decided to go to Morgana's favorite sushi place first.

They looked around the outside, checking the streets and alleys that surrounded it for any signs of the furry Thief. After at least ten minutes of investigation, Makoto concluded that he wasn't anywhere near the outside of the building. To avoid getting in trouble for loitering, the girls all decided to go inside to continue their search. While Morgana wouldn't be allowed inside, there was always the chance that he had managed to sneak in. Futaba and Ann looked underneath tables and conveyor belts. Sayori did her best to look in the back area of the shop, while ordering a decent amount of sushi to-go. If they did find the cat today, he would be happy to receive the treat. Meanwhile, Makoto asked the manager if he had noticed the cat from the picture near the restaurant. They were sad to find no trace of Morgana, and crossed that location off of the list.

They decided to check the rest of the street, knowing they had at least an hour until they met with the boys. Yes, they had phones for that, but there was no way to tell if the boys were being truthful about not slacking off. This would also be the point when Sayori switched groups. With the schedule in mind, the girls went to work quickly, doing their best to leave no stone unturned while still having enough time to search other locations.

Sayori couldn't help but wrinkle her nose as their search lead them to a particularly nasty-smelling alleyway. About ten trash cans were spread out, being the evident source of odor.

"Do we really have to check here?" Futaba asked, backing away from the dark, putrid alley. "I doubt Morgana would ever hide in a smelly alley. He's too proud."

"I don't think so either, but we can't rule it out as a possibility. Ann can wait out here with you, Futaba," Makoto offered. The bespectacled girl was about to ask why Sayori wasn't an option, when she noticed the naive girl already taking the lids off of trash cans and looking inside them.

"I'll wait here with Ann," Futaba agreed, watching as Makoto disappeared in the darkness of the alley for a second, before the slight glow of a flashlight highlighted their search.

"So Sayori, how is Mai doing?" Makoto asked, holding back a gag as putrid air invaded her lungs. She noticed Sayori was holding a napkin up to her face, desperately trying to keep the smell from reaching her. Makoto opted to use the same technique, using her sleeve to cover her mouth and nose.

"Mai is doing alright… I think she misses you checking in on her these days. She's so bored!" Sayori tried to giggle, but ended up coughing. She closed the lid on the last trashcan, having found nothing but old fruit and disappointment. "Let's get out of this alley before I lose my sense of smell." Makoto nodded in agreement, and the two quickly ran out.

Getting out her phone's map, Makoto quickly decided where they would head next, and showed it to everyone. It would take a lot of walking, but not enough to warrant a subway ride. The girls took that time to chat.

"So," Ann began, putting her hands behind her back and swaying slightly, "What do you guys think Okumura's Palace will be like?"

"We already know what it is," Futaba stated, her eyes darting around the street they were entering. "It's a Space Station for some reason."

"I know that," Ann said sheepishly. "But do you think it'll be difficult? I'd hate to go in there and find that Morgana is way ahead of us, and that it's so difficult that we'd never catch up to him."

"Well, we have to hope that he hasn't gone in there just yet," Makoto replied. "That's why we're checking this place next. Morgana might come here for surveillance." She gestured to the Big Bang Burger they had come to check. There were a few of them scattered through the large city, so this was only one in a whole slew to check.

"Let's stay together this time," Sayori suggested, the rotten scent of garbage beginning to bother her. She didn't want all of the girls to go through such terrible things, but if they stayed together then she wouldn't either. Makoto immediately nodded in agreement, the scent also clinging to her. The girls got to work, entering the restaurant and beginning their search there.

"Sayori," Ann said after a few minutes of trying to peek behind the front counter. The pink haired girl gave her a quick glance to show that she was listening, before going back to her search. "I've noticed these past few days that you've seemed… off. It only happens when we bring up Akechi." Sayori froze, immediately on edge. This only served to prove Ann's point, prompting her to continue. "Things are going alright with him… right? Does someone need to beat him up?"

"No!" Sayori shouted, louder than she meant to. Several customers glared in the group's direction, causing Sayori to blush and turn away. "It's nothing like that. He's always been pleasant and nice to me… He's been a perfect boyfriend. Not just the TV-version of a perfect boyfriend either. He tries to cook, and I think he's improving. He's much better than me, anyway. And-"

"But…" Ann interrupted, smiling at Sayori teasingly.

Realizing that she had begun to ramble, Sayori blushed and took a deep breath. "But I'm worried that something is going to go wrong. I think… he's keeping things from me, and I'm scared about what's going to happen because of that." Sayori found herself beginning to choke up, and looked to see Ann nodding sympathetically. They continued in their search area, Makoto and Futaba keeping a respectable distance away, but obviously still listening in.

"I can understand that feeling. It was how I felt when Shiho…" Ann didn't continue, sighing sadly. Her friend was doing much better these days, but it was disappointing how much Shiho had drifted from their old group of friends after what had happened. "She's been wanting to see you for a while, Sayori. But when I told her about all of the crazy stuff that's been happening, she didn't want to bother you."

"It wouldn't be a bother!" Sayori insisted, quieter than last time but still loud enough to get her point across. "I should have asked about her. Things have just been really… distracting…" The girl banged her head against the counter in frustration.

"We're getting your order, Miss!" An irritated employee told her, thinking that her frustration was aimed at them. A tray was set before them, and Ann quickly grabbed it, heading to the table Makoto and Futaba were stationed at, using that as their base for observing the greasy environment of the fast food joint.

"Don't worry about it, Sayori. I think it's better late than never," Ann assured, setting the tray on the table. "Maybe we can put a big party together after we find Morgana and steal the Treasure. Then we can invite a bunch of people, including Shiho, of course."

Sayori smiled wistfully. "I think that would be fun. I could invite Mai and Goro…" The girl trailed off as she wondered if the lonely detective would even agree to come, or if it would even be a good idea in the first place.

"We wouldn't be able to tell them the truth about why the party was being thrown," Makoto pointed out. "What would a better reason be?"

"We could just say you all were tired of feeling like loners, and wanted to have a big get-together to bring down your edginess levels," Futaba suggested. "Or it can be an 'Akira found his cat' party?" She shrugged. None of them had found anything as of yet, so finding Morgana would definitely be a good reason to celebrate.

"Those are good ideas, Futaba!" Sayori remarked with a happy smile. Futaba grinned back and tried to wink, only for it to look awkward as her other eye wanted to come down as well. It would have been a sassy reminder that finding Morgana meant that Sayori's time was up for keeping her secret, but all it did was make the childish girl giggle.

"What are we going to do when we find him, anyway?" Makoto asked. "It's Ryuji that really needs to apologize, and apparently Sayori's too, since he acted so hostile… But he might also be too proud to accept any apology. Maybe Ann could try to talk with him?" The brown haired girl pushed her snack away as she realized she wasn't hungry anymore. They could refuel when they met up with everyone else, she just wanted to look for Morgana.

"I'll try talking to him, at least if we find him here. I might not get a chance in the Metaverse," Ann said, thinking of all the dangers that would surround them while trying to attempt such a thing. "Still, you are right that Morgana would probably listen to me, and Akira, too… Hopefully." The blonde pushed away what was left of her fries as well, before looking at the others. "We should get going. I'm sure none of us want the boys to think we're lazy."

"We're finished anyway," Futaba replied, gesturing to her own empty wrapper. Makoto crushed it into a ball and tossed it towards the trash bins near the exit. She reached for Sayori's next, tossing it into the trash just as easily, much to Sayori's shock and dismay.

But I wasn't finished eating yet, Sayori thought with a pout, before getting up as well. Complaining wouldn't do her any good. Besides, chances were she would be having the exact same thing for dinner, since Goro had run out of the easier things to cook.

Taking one last look around the restaurant, the girls left quickly to search the street the building was in. They only had about fifteen minutes of searching before they would have to leave and meet up, and then it would be back to work. With that in mind, the girls walked fast in order to work fast, checking each alley, and around each of the other buildings. They refused to split up, which lead to many places only being glanced at. The girls also asked as many people as they could about Morgana. For each of their efforts, they were rewarded with no results.

"As long as the boys got the chance to search at least two locations, and we each check two after the meeting, we'll have checked eight places," Makoto stated as they were finishing up. "If we haven't found him by then, we'll check Okumura's Palace."

"Akira did seem serious about finding him, so they've probably checked a ton of places by now," Sayori said, trying to stay positive.

"Yeah," Ann agreed. "Though if Morgana was in any of those places, I'm worried Ryuji might scare him off."

"Nope," Futaba said in a decisive tone of voice. "If Ryuji did end up being a Knucklehead McSpazzington, Akira and Inari would make him stop."

"Well, let's find out what the damage is," Makoto said, a slight smile on her face.

---

Sayori looked back and forth between the boys as they checked the last place for the night. They had been searching for nearly an hour, and they barely even talked. Sayori looked down at her clasped hands, feeling awkward in the midst of them. Still, it wasn't her job to worry, so she resumed her task of asking people if they had seen Akira's cat. Luckily, in such a big city like Tokyo, there was never a time when people weren't awake. Meanwhile, Akira asked some friends he knew in the area they were searching, Ryuji checked the alleyways, and Yusuke went into the stores and restaurants that were still open.

It's kind of strange how relaxed Ann, Makoto, and Futaba were about finding Morgana, when the boys are so serious about it. You'd think it would be the other way around… Sayori asked as she noticed how low her phone battery was starting to get. With no passerby in her immediate vicinity, Sayori turned the device off and tucked it into her jacket pocket. The sky clearly showed that the evening phase of the day was upon them, coloring the sky pink as the sun sank lower into the horizon.

Sayori was distracted for a second by the sight of the sky, and almost didn't hear the sounds of squabbling coming from a gift shop that specializes in ornament and glass products. Casting a worried glance to the other two, Sayori was shocked that Ryuji and Akira didn't seem to hear it. The girl felt practically deafened by it as she slipped into the store to check on Yusuke.

"Yusuke, have you found anything?" Sayori asked, hoping that the one who was arguing with was the cat they were looking for. Sadly, she was only met with the sight of a very grumpy storekeeper telling Yusuke to leave. Sayori glanced at the pouting old man and looked towards Yusuke. "What's gotten his hackles raised?"

Yusuke seemed confused as well, and maybe a bit indignant with the blank, deadpan expression. It was the tone of his voice that expressed his mood more. "I was looking for Mona in this store, and I began examining one of the glass vases on the shelves. It really was an exquisite thing to look at. Though I failed to see the sign that said I cannot touch it if I do not buy it, and…" Yusuke looked down in shame and embarrassment, as the storekeeper found a thing of glass cleaner underneath his desk.

"You don't have any money, as usual?" Sayori said with a giggle. Yusuke nodded, slightly relieved that Sayori understood. The shopkeeper glared at Sayori, not liking the amusement she found in the situation. However, his glare quickly disappeared as Sayori brought out her coin purse. "Goro's emergency allowance should be enough to buy the vase for you, Yusuke. You finish looking for Mona, and I'll get it for you?"

Yusuke smiled gratefully, as the shopkeeper put on a sheepish grin, happy that he wouldn't have to clean his wares, while also getting paid. Yusuke took one last glance around the store, before shaking his head, "I do not believe Morgana would have any interest in this place, and my search has already revealed itself to be unsuccessful. I'll go ahead and take my leave." The artist quickly left the store, his shoulders slumped. Sayori watched him worried, while quickly purchasing the vase. She made sure to show the shopkeeper a picture of Morgana, just in case Yusuke had forgotten. Unfortunately, the man confirmed that he did not remember seeing Morgana, and quickly shooed Sayori out of the store, saying that they were closing soon.

"Well, that was rude," Sayori mumbled. She spotted Yusuke on the other side of the street, peaking in the windows of stores that had already closed for the night, but grimacing each time. He was obviously unsuccessful in finding Morgana, and possibly disappointed in the uninspiring merchandise in the stores. Sayori quickly walked over to him, and held out the padded bag that contained his vase.

"Thank you, Sayori. You saved me from humiliation," Yusuke said, opening the bag to admire the vase.

"It was nothing, Yusuke. Can I ask what you mean by that, though? You seemed so disappointed in yourself earlier," Sayori asked, crossing her arms tightly around herself to keep herself from revealing how shaken up she felt.

"Well, I suppose I was simply ashamed I failed to notice the sign that warned not to touch anything. Normally I am better at noticing my surroundings, right?" Yusuke asked, suddenly wondering if that was the case. After all, there were definitely times where he failed to read the mood of a room. "As an artist, I should be better at noticing things like that. You would not touch a painting in a museum."

"Well, why did you touch it?" Sayori asked. She knew Yusuke wouldn't do something like that without a reason he thought was justified. The action figure incident was proof enough of that. Yusuke had eventually learned the error of his ways during that time, at least.

"I thought I saw a crack in the vase, and I wanted to see if I was right so I could point it out. That man seemed very passionate about the quality and care of his vases, so I wanted him to be aware of it," Yusuke replied, before quickly averting his eyes, the lightest shade of pink appearing on his pale cheeks. "I realized when he got upset that I could have just told him I thought I saw something. Then he could check it for himself."

Sayori nodded understandingly. "Your heart was in the right place. The vase is yours now anyway, so in the end it doesn't really matter. I guess just keep it in mind for the future."

"Of course," Yusuke nodded. "I think this would be a good vase for a still life. It has a lot of raised details that would look good if I could find something worthwhile to put into it." He became lost in thought for a few minutes, before his nose suddenly wrinkled as if he remembered something that upset him. "I have been unsuccessful in finding Morgana. At this point, I have checked all of the buildings I can."

Sayori looked around, eyes widening in realization as she realized just how much time has passed. The only lights were coming from street lamps, while all of the buildings were dark. That meant her job was basically done too. The only people out at this hour that she could ask would be people she would be better off not associating with. "I say we start going home. We'll be going to a Palace tomorrow, after all."

"My thoughts exactly," Yusuke agreed. "Let's let Akira and Ryuji know, and text the rest of the girls, in case they're still out."

"I'll let Ryuji know," Sayori volunteered. Yusuke nodded his consent, and went to find Akira and whoever he was talking with. Sayori quickly found Ryuji in a nearby alley, opening trash cans and slamming the lids down, shoving debris around, and generally making a ruckus. He muttered to himself angrily, not bothering to hide his frustrated scowl as he noticed Sayori standing wearily in the corner.

"What's up, Sayori?" Ryuji asked, his voice full of uncontained sarcasm as he stood up. He kicked a nearby stone, watching as it hit a nearby bin and bounced onto a plastic trash bag, before falling uselessly to the ground. "Have you found the furball, yet?"

"No. Nobody has, as far as I'm aware," Sayori said sadly. Ryuj nodded, suddenly looking very tired. "Yusuke and I thought it might be a good idea to call it a night. What do you think?"

"Yeah, that sounds really good right about now," Ryuji replied, leaning against a wall filled with random graffiti. Sayori noticed the Phantom Thieves logo right above where he was standing, and wondered who painted it. It didn't look professional enough to be Yusuke's work, and she doubted he'd risk getting in trouble with the authorities just for that. Ryuji noticed her stare and looked up too, before his mouth curled into a frown and he shut his eyes tightly. "I don't get it."

Sayori looked down from the painting at the blond, getting the feeling it might be a good idea to lean against something as well. She hesitantly leaned against the wall her back was facing, feeling something squish onto her skirt. She grimaced and pulled back, realizing the squishy thing was also very sticky. She almost gagged in disgust, but quickly composed herself when she noticed Ryuji staring blankly at her. Normally this would be something he might find serious, or worrisome enough for him to try to help. So with little option but to ignore her own distress, Sayori decided to focus on friend for the time being, hoping she could cheer him up.

"What's wrong, Ryuji?" Sayori asked, leaning back onto the wall. The squishy, sticky thing spread past her skirt and onto her leg. It was going to be a pain to get off, and she would most likely need a new skirt, but she found it easy to not care in this situation.

"I just don't know why it had to turn out this way. Mona and I would get into fights a lot, and I said shitty things, but I figured he could take it. I feel really stupid now for eggin' him on," Ryuji suddenly chuckled. "He couldn't be useless, since he's doin' such a good job of stayin' out of sight." He ran a hand through his hair, heaving a heavy sigh.

"I'm sorry," Sayori whispered quietly, looking down in shame.

Ryuji's head shot up in surprise. "The hell are you sorry for? You didn't do anything!"

"That's exactly it, though…" Sayori continued, looking down in shame. "I didn't do anything. I couldn't stop your argument. It's always been my job to play the mediator, and I couldn't even do that. And- And- I-" I kept things from you, and I've broken all of your trust, even if you don't know it, yet.

"Sayori, you tried!" Ryuji interrupted. "You weren't a part of that fight, and you had no effin' reason to butt in! But in the end you tried to help us get over ourselves. It's not your fault Mona and I are both knuckleheads!" He walked over and pulled her away from the wall, grimacing in disgust at the small string of bright green gum that extended from the girl's skirt to the wall. "For real? You must have known this was here."

Sayori stiffened in embarrassment as Ryuji pulled on the string, not daring to get close enough to touch the actual skirt. "I guess I just wanted to get you out of your funk, but then I got into one of my own." She forced a laugh, only to find Ryuji looking unamused, pulling her all the way from the wall.

"Well, mission accomplished, I guess," the blond replied, a grin splitting his face after a few seconds of staring Sayori down. "I think I'm outta my funk now, thanks to you."

"That's good," Sayori said with a relieved smile. She relaxed a bit as she paused to examine her ruined skirt. She would have to find a way to clean it, of course.

"My clothes get messy all the time," Ryuji said with a shrug. "My mom knows how to get all kinds of stuff out. Just wash it by hand and make sure you scrape it all off before you throw it in the wash." Sayori nodded, a small smirk appearing on her face. Obviously, Ryuji knew a lot about that, too.

"Well, let's meet Akira and Yusuke so we can go home," Sayori said, turning to leave.

"Hell yeah! I'm tired as a dog. Normally I stay up late playin' games and stuff, but all this searchin's wore me out," Ryuji exclaimed, his point being illustrated with a wide yawn as he followed Sayori out.

"Isn't the expression 'sick as a dog?'" Akira asked, walking up to them. Yusuke had already gone home, needing to get to his room at Kosei before curfew.

"Whatever, man. Dogs are super tired too, right?" Ryuji said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Not unless they're really old," Akira pointed out. "Otherwise they're just hyper balls of fluff. Basically they're Sayori."

"Is that a compliment?" Sayori asked, squinting at Akira.

"Yes."

"Oh. Okay."

Ryuji snorted at the exchange, before turning to Akira. "Hey, leader, what did your friend say?"

"Not even Chihaya had anything to say. She just said I'd find him when our paths were ready to cross again," Akira said, a disappointed scowl seeming to have settled permanently on his face. "I've asked everyone I can think of, and the only thing I got out of it was a promise for them to keep an eye out."

"That's something, right?" Sayori asked. Akira nodded, for the first time looking slightly grateful all day, before it disappeared. The boy obviously missed Morgana, having been in such close proximity to him for so long. Sayori frowned, determined once again to cheer up a friend. She glanced at Ryuji, catching his eye. She inclined her head to Akira and imitated his droopy frown, before looking back at Ryuji.

Ryuji processed the silent message he had been given, trying to make sense of it before things got too awkward. Before he could wander too far off on tangents, his mind brought up the event of just moments before, when Sayori had cheered him up. He then smirked and nodded slightly to the girl. Akira didn't seem to notice, so Ryuji was quick to put on a tired act, which was thankfully much better than Ann's acting. He brought up his shoulders and stretched, bringing out another yawn.

"Man, I'm pooped. I'm gonna get goin', you guys. See ya tomorrow!" The blond then quickly walked away, heading back towards his home.

Sayori smiled in appreciation, before adjusting her expression. She widened her eyes in order to appear more innocent, and turned to Akira. "Akira, can you walk me home? I feel like it's kind of too late for me to be walking alone…"

Akira narrowed his eyes at the girl. Sayori only widened her eyes in innocence even more, a clear challenge. Akira accepted, and the two found themselves in a staring contest. Sadly, when someone's eyelids are pressed closer together, they really just want to close all the way. Akira blinked, causing Sayori to cheer. The ebony haired boy conceded, before turning away to begin the journey to Goro Akechi's apartment.

"So, are you upset at Ryuji?" Sayori asked, not even bothering to hide her motive as she walked by her leader's side.

Akira sighed, shaking his head with a frown. "Of course not. I'm mad at the situation more than anything."

Sayori nodded, putting her hands behind her back in an attempt to look more serious. "That's good… Are you sure you're not mad at yourself, though?"

"You really do ask loaded questions a lot."

"Akira."

"Fine, fine. Yeah, I do. Morgana and I are roommates, basically. We spend almost all of our time together, and he's always had my back," Akira adjusted his glasses, glaring out of them as he noticed just how dirty they were.

"So you feel bad for not having his back during the argument?" Sayori asked, beginning to feel confused. Then wouldn't that mean he really was upset at Ryuji?

"No. I guess I'm upset I didn't see it coming. I probably had numerous chances in the past to stop him from feeling worthless… But I passed them all up, and now it's too late," Akira looked down as his face scrunched up, trying to keep his composure relaxed.

Sayori thought once again back to her own roommate situation with Goro. They were definitely more than just that, but she understood the feeling of missed chances. She had probably also missed a million opportunities to help Goro. She had tried, and she still did, but it never seemed like enough. "I know the feeling," She finally said, watching as Akira turned to her, eyes wide in shock and confusion.

"But you and Akechi-"

"Are boyfriend and girlfriend, so it's definitely different from you and Morgana. But as you've heard from him, he has a lot of issues with his childhood, and that's caused him a lot of problems… One of the most important ones is the issue of his self esteem." Sayori explained.

Akira nodded, thinking back to that date the two had at Leblanc. It seemed any decent human interaction was enough to get that detective to overshare. Tea had helped as well. According to Futaba, it had mysterious "familial" powers. "I see where you're going with this."

"Yeah. I try really, really hard to make himself see that he isn't scum of the Earth that deserves to go die in a hole, but he doesn't really listen to me. I think we really both just need a good therapist, sometimes," Sayori continued, pondering for a second if she knew anyone that could fill that role. However, she came up blank, and quickly got back to the topic. "Anyway, that's a 'me and Goro' problem, Let's get back to you. Basically, it would have been hard to make Morgana listen. Akira, I find it hard to believe you were completely unhelpful in keeping Morgana's spirits up. He would have deserted a lot faster if you weren't there."

"Morgana is more loyal than that!" Akira defended, standing straighter as he prepared to defend his friend. However, it only took him a few moments to relax before he looked at Sayori calmly. "You were going to say, 'That's exactly what I meant.' Right?"

'Yup!" Sayori chirped. "My friends are such smart cookies! I'm so proud!"

"You're not my teacher," Akira said. "But I suppose you did teach me something. You cheered me up."

"I think I deserve a gold star, then," Sayori shouted, getting way too into the teacher role.

"You can ask Akechi for one then. I'm sure he would give you something much better than a gold star," Akira replied, catching Sayori's attention. He pushed up his glasses and smirked at the girl, watching as she began to blush.

"Very mature."

"And very related," Akira said, pointing to a street sign. "We're only a couple blocks from the apartment. I have to get back to the store before Sojiro has my hide. I don't have Morgana at the moment, so I need to keep track of this stuff on my own."

"Yeah, go ahead and leave me here. I can handle it this far," Sayori assured. Akira nodded, before running back the way they had come. Sayori allowed her mind to wander for only a few seconds, before she saw a familiar someone walking right by her, in the direction Sayori was going in as a matter of fact.

"Haru!"

The girl in question froze slightly as she recognized the voice. Haru slowly turned, regarding Sayori with a sweet smile. "Hi, Sayori. How are you?"

Sayori, unable to contain her excitement, ran up to the poor girl. She was able to resist giving Haru one of her most tightest, bone crushing hugs, instead grasping Haru's cold hands in her own.

"It's been some time since we last saw each other. I don't think I've seen you once in the hallways," Sayori gushed.

Haru suddenly looked down nervously. "Ah, yes. I've been busy with a couple of… family matters… Could we move?"

"Huh? Why?" Sayori asked, looking around. "I'd get it if there were a lot of people out, but the streets are pretty empty. We aren't getting in anybody's way."

"I know… But I guess I'm just trying to keep a low profile. Someone associated with my father wanted me to meet with them, and they said to be discreet," Haru explained, before she suddenly blushed in humiliation. "Ah, I did it again! I suck at this covert, espionage stuff!"

Sayori blinked in shock. She didn't think Haru had ever been that loud before. Soon enough, though, the content of the girl's words processed in Sayori's mind. "What do you mean 'again?'"

"Nothing!" Haru squeaked, avoiding the other girl's eyes. Sayori suddenly took notice of a very large, black backpack on Haru's back. Had she just seen it rustle?

"Sayori, it's been a lovely chat, but I really need to get going. I've been out too late as it is, and my father is probably expecting me home about now," Haru shoved past Sayori, deciding it was best to abort her mission. Besides, whatever someone like the "Second Coming of the Detective Prince" had to say to her, it was certainly unimportant. Morgana seemed to agree with her decision to leave, rubbing against her back from the inside of the backpack.

"Wait!" Sayori shouted. "I need to ask you-" Ask her what? If she's seen Morgana? If she knows her father is on the Phansite? Sayori struggled to get either questions out, and by the time she thought of something to say, Haru was out of sight.

Sayori sighed in disappointment. Both of those questions probably had pretty obvious answers. Okumura being the supposed next target of the Phantom Thieves was all over social media, so of course Haru would know about it. Nobody else had seen Morgana, so what were the odds Haru had seen him anyway? Perhaps more significant, since she was related to the target he was after, but still very low. With those dejected thoughts, Sayori turned back around and continued on her way to the apartment.

---

"Holy crap, this place is huge…" Ryuji said, his mouth agape as he took in the corporate tower of Okumura Foods.

"It is the headquarters of a large corporation, after all," Yusuke agreed, glancing up as well.

"If anything, getting into the real building is impossible…" Futaba said glumly, looking down at her shoes and giving the ground an angry kick.

Sayori looked at the building as well. It was impressive in size, but obviously not impenetrable. If she squinted from where she stood, she could see the shattered windows, and somewhere on the property was a damaged statue from the previous day's news report. Whether this was Morgana's doing or not was up for debate, since there was no signs of a break-in.

"Mona seriously went to a Palace based on somewhere like this?" Ryuji shouted, stomping the ground. However, his somber expression betrayed some of the newfound respect for the cat that he was slowly gaining.

"It's definitely on a different scale than the ones we've dealt with previously…" Makoto said, an analytical expression on her face.

"I hope the Palace doesn't tower over us as much," Sayori mumbled, shivering slightly at what they might have to deal with in there.

"It all depends on how bad Okumura's distorted heart is," Yusuke stated, his eyes narrowing slightly as he began to consider the possibilities as well.

"I searched Okumura online. He's totally up to something," Ryuji declared, turning to Akira with a stubborn determination. "Don't you think he's guilty too?"

"We'll know soon enough," was all Akira offered. The leader looked around at the group, slowly gaining everyone's eye contact as their attention was drawn away from the building.

"I'm positive I'm right!" Ryuji exclaimed, shoulders straight in confidence.

"It makes me happy that you're sure of your answer, Ryuji," Sayori said with a smile, before a frown slowly took over her face. "But remember the top reason we're here," the girl cautioned.

"We're here for Mona." Futaba said bluntly, causing Ryuji to slump over.

"I know, I know," the blond said. "We gotta make sure we squeeze the juice on those mental shutdown things outta him too."

What an odd choice of words, Sayori mused to herself. She wondered if she would get to be a part of all of this banter when she finally told everyone the truth about herself. It was nerve wracking to experience, and she felt sympathy for Goro in that moment. He's been hiding a far more terrible secret from everyone, and for much longer too. Sayori not only had the two luxuries of less time keeping the secret hidden, and a much less burdensome secret to carry. Not to mention, Futaba was offering her support too.

"You said you found the Palace keywords, right, Futaba?" Makoto asked as Sayori resumed her focus on the conversation.

"The 'corporate HQ' is 'outer space!'" Futaba said in a singsong voice, clearly proud of herself.

"Huh? The hell?" Ryuji gaped, shocked at the size the Palace currently sounded like.

"Oh… So that's why it's called Big Bang Burger. Big bang is space lingo, y'know," Ann realized. Everyone gave her a deadpan look.

"Um, not necessarily…" Makoto mumbled shyly, before continuing on as if the past few seconds had never happened. "So the concept behind the store-branch name came from the CEO himself."

"Outer space, hm? How exciting…" Yusuke said with a smile that could be considered giddy.

"We better be able to breathe once we get in there." Ryuji joked, sparking a second of real worry and fear in everyone.

"If Morgana can survive in there, then I'm sure it's safe for us too," Sayori said hesitantly, trying to reassure everyone. She ignored the logic that they had no idea how Morgana was doing, so their own safety was still unknown.

Suddenly determined, Makoto took out her phone. "Is everyone ready? I'm activating it now."

Sayori and everyone nodded, and soon enough, Makoto was reaching up to touch the button. Right as the dizzying, blurring feeling of being pulled into the Metaverse started, Sayori felt a strong dizziness start in her head. Pinching the bridge of her nose to relieve the disorienting pressure, she glanced off to the side and nearly screamed.

A flash of brown locks and caramel eyes quickly went back to their hiding place behind a large stone bulletin board area, and Sayori panicked as a million thoughts entered her mind at once. Did he know that she had seen him, or had he only hidden so he could avoid detection? The thought calmed her slight, because knowing Goro, if he knew that she knew, he would not have bothered trying to hide. He would have held her eyes, letting her know that he felt betrayed, saddened, or perhaps even angered. Sayori knew she wouldn't be able to figure it out until she was back in the apartment, but she turned back anyway.

However, when she looked back in the direction she had been facing, the normal world was replaced with a dark gray wall. Sayori looked down at herself, taking note of her gold-lined black coat, and feeling the weight of her mask on her face. The infiltration of Kinukazu Okumura's Palace had officially begun for the remaining members of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.

---

After going down an elevator, the group began scanning the halls of the Palace. They hadn't run into anyone yet, which was surprising in a good and bad way. So far. They hadn't run into any Shadows or the Palace's ruler, which was good. But on the other hand, they haven't seen Mona yet, either. Luckily, it wasn't long into their infiltration until they found something of interest…

"Huh? What's all that noise?" Skull asked suddenly. They were at the end of a hallway, and one of the airlock doors had opened. Everyone listened for what Skull was asking about, finally hearing the sound of metal scraping on metal not far ahead. The group went forward, their curiosity causing them to investigate.

"What is that?" Fox asked quietly. They arrived at a railing. Below them was a hangar, with shelves of heavy crates, and filled with many workers pushing carts in organized lines. The workers, obviously, were what caught the young artist's attention.

"Robots? There're tons of 'em," Skull said. His face was calm, though his voice was filled with something akin to shock and awe.

"They all have the Big Bang Burger logo," Panther observed.

Valiant looked down at the large assembly of Shadows. They went about their work quickly, without breaks. They were drones to this hive, and all of the thieves were growing suspicious about what they were meant to represent in Okumura's distorted vision.

"They're saying something…" Oracle suddenly said, prompting the others to be quiet as she listened to the robots say something only she was able to hear. "'You must adhere to your shifts… If you don't like it, you can quit… However, you will not be compensated…"

"What're they talkin' about?" Skull asked.

"Oh!" Panther suddenly exclaimed. A robot in the assembly suddenly fell forward.

Valiant couldn't help but wince in sympathy. She wondered if the robots could feel exhausted. Clearly the one they had just seen fall had burnt itself out. More importantly, knowing the comments people had been making about Okumura, it was crystal clear what they represented. The final straw came when a group of robots came to collect the body, a new one taking the fallen's place.

"They said… 'It's being disposed of," Oracle said quietly.

"These robots are part of Okumura's cognition, correct? That means they represent…" Fox trailed off.

"Don't tell me…" Joker looked down at lines of diligent workers, gritting his teeth.

"This is pure speculation…" Queen said thoughtfully, "But this is most likely how the workers of Okumura Foods are viewed by their CEO."

"What happens to the people that become burnt out like that?" Valiant whispered fearfully. Her hands gripped the railing tightly. Obviously, common workers that got tired of working were fired… But all the same, being "disposed of" made it sound much worse. Knowing so many mental shutdowns surrounded Okumura didn't ease her nerves at all.

"So he thinks they're his robots!?" Panther shouted, shattering the uncomfortable silence that had settled over the group.

"If they're treated like this in reality as well… then the company truly is exploiting them," Fox said gravely. In the corner of his eye, he easily observed Valiant staring down at the drone robots sadly, lost in regret and sorrow filled thoughts. He put a hand on her shoulder as the rest of the group seemed to find their motivation to continue to reach new heights.

"See? Okumura is a piece of shit! Just like I said," Skull shouted. He was incredibly angry at it, but he also felt a strange sense of pride at being right.

"Mona is our main objective here," Oracle reminded the blond, her determination obvious. Even though they couldn't see her eyes, it was plainly obvious she was staring Skull down.

"Yeah, we can come back later to fix this…" Valiant stated it as a fact, because she knew that inevitably they would steal this Treasure as well. Aside from knowing that this wouldn't be here if they weren't meant to complete the Palace, she knew that none of her friends would ignore the responsibilities of a Phantom Thief of Hearts.

"Yes. Once we get Mona, we'll discuss what to do, and decide whether or not we should continue our infiltration," Joker decided. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"He doesn't seem to be anywhere nearby. Let's search further in," Queen suggested. The group noticed a door on the opposite end of the platform they were on, and began to make their way towards it.

"Dammit…" Skull muttered, before following behind.

"Hm? Skull, normally you're faster than me," Valiant reminded him as he trailed behind her.

"What am I suppose to say when we do find Mona?" Skull asked quietly as Joker lead their search into a dead end hallway. "Saying I'm sorry won't just cut it for him, I bet."

"You never know. I have to apologize too," Valiant said. "And I have to keep my promise…"

"What was that?"

"Uh… Nothing. We have to focus on the mission for now, anyway," Valiant said quickly. Skull shrugged half heartedly.

---

"Hold on a second, Joker!" Oracle suddenly called. They came to a stop as the airlock door in front of them slammed closed.

"The door has closed. Is there any way by which we can open it?" Fox asked as they all examined the door, looking for any signs of how to unlock it.

Joker stepped forward. He seemed to set off a motion detector, as a message suddenly appeared on the black monitor above them.

"Performing biometric scan," a robotic voice read aloud.

"What does it mean by that?" Queen asked, tapping her chin. Suddenly, they heard the sound of a buzzer going off.

"Authorization error," the System said. "Only registered personnel may proceed past this point."

"This security system might be a bit of a problem…" Oracle muttered, doubtful of what to do next.

"The hell's up with this!?" Skull shouts, banging a fist up against the door. When that didn't work he began ramming his shoulder into it, frustration clear as he released a low growl.

"Look at it… There's no way we can force that thing open," Panther pointed out. Skull grumbled but agreed, stepping away from the door. The group gathered in a circle.

"We've hit a blockade quite early. Will we have to control the real Okumura's cognition to pass?" Fox asked. Queen grimaced at the idea, knowing that influencing a popular CEO was going to be much more difficult than the previous targets. Still, her eyes lit up in realization.

"Oh, that means Mona hasn't been able to proceed any further either," Queen confused. "So if he's here in the Palace, he would have to be somewhere before this door…"

"Halt vigilante!" An unknown voice called from above. The group looked up to see a shadowy figure standing all the way on top of one of the shelves.

"Wh-Who's that!?" Skull asked, slightly fearful. In response, the future stepped out of the shadows, revealing herself to be a very familiar girl.

"Those clothes…" Queen trailed off, deciding to ignore the girl underneath in favor of staring at the mask on her face. It was as black as obsidian. "Could she be?"

"A black mask?" Panther mumbled, looking down as she thought about the very little she knew about the girl from the Hawaii trip.

"Guys… You recognize her?" Valiant asked, her voice barely above a whisper as she realized what conclusion her teammates must be coming to. She knew who Black Mask was, so if push comes to shove, was this the point in time where she changed things? Was she supposed to tell everyone, right here and now, who Black Mask was?

"Of course…" Panther whispered. "How could we not?"

"What are you guys talking about?" Oracle asked. Everyone remembered that the girl hadn't met Haru yet. Though obviously, now wasn't the best time for introductions.

"More importantly… as Panther pointed out… That mask," Fox continued, causing Sayori to deflate as the artist brought the subject back on track. "Could she be the one Madarame and Kaneshiro were talking about?"

"So… she's the reason for all those people goin' brain dead!? It was her this whole time!?" Skull shouted, his voice full of rage as he glared at Haru.

"No… We're jumping to conclusions!" Valiant shouted, running up to stand between the blond and Haru. The girl had been standing there silently the whole time, observing the group. She couldn't help but feel that she had been witness to this dynamic before.

"Have you been following us this whole time, Haru!?" Fox yelled at her, making sure to use her real name. It sounded as if he were scolding a disobedient child instead of addressing what could be an enemy.

The artist's accusation quickly brought Haru out of her silent streak. "How do you know my name?" she shouted. The girl couldn't help but be fearful as she looked around nervously. Mona had said that they had to use code names here. Was this why? Or would a bunch of Shadows jump out of nowhere and attack her?

"Enough of your misunderstandings!" Mona suddenly shouted with a maniacal laugh, jumping down from his hiding place to stand beside her.

"Mona!" Oracle shouted, eyes widening. She smiled in relief.

"You're okay!" Panther seemed to light up beside their newest member.

"I'm so happy!" Valiant seemed ready to cry. They could all make up! She wasn't even worried about telling them her secret now, knowing that things could still be fixed.

"Long time no see, Panther," Mona said, deliberately looking away from Valiant. It was clear that he did not share similar sentiments.

"I'm being ignored… I guess you're still mad at me…" Valiant murmured, noticeably deflating. However, she was quick to brighten herself back up again, grinning at Mona. "That's okay!" Mona obviously needed some space from her. Obviously, he'd rather talk to his crush rather than to her.

"Uh, it hasn't been that long," Skull said, acting nonchalant. After a few seconds of awkwardly staring up at Haru and Mona, he leaned over to Valiant and whispered, "He'll get over it." He grinned as she smiled gratefully at him. Apparently, the girl had also done something wrong in the cat's eyes, so the least he could do was make her feel better.

"If you came for the Treasure, you should just go home with your tail between your legs," Mona said, putting his hands on his hips.

"Actually, we were looking for you," Fox explained. The clarification didn't seem to mean anything though, as Mona simply blinked and gestured to Haru.

"The Treasure will be taken by me and this…"

"You and Haru are taking the Treasure?" Valiant interrupted. "Maybe we can-"

"This Beauty Thief!" Mona declared, not wanting to hear the girl's words. The more he thought about it, the more he was beginning to see through Sayori. No matter how well intentioned they are, he was done with her lies!

"Beauty Thief?" Queen asked, looking unimpressed. "Did you only just decide a code name so we wouldn't know who it is?"

"Kinda too late for that," Skull muttered, scuffing the toe of his boot against the metal floor. The metal rubbing against metal created a screeching sound loud enough to have everyone looking around warily for Shadows.

"Quiet! I'll have you know she's a Persona-user too!" Mona said proudly, tapping against her leg, he nodded at his comrade. She nodded back, remembering the confrontation they had rehearsed.

"My name is Beauty Thief!" Haru said, sounding slightly uncertain, though her face looked calm. Mona began to feel worried, but knew they could work on her confidence later.

"She really called herself that?" Panther asked, looking stupefied at the mere notion. Mona began to feel that they needed to work on his code names too.

"Any tension that was in the air has just gone out the window…" Fox said, straightening from his crouching posture from earlier. Haru and Mona jumped from the shelf, making sure to include an impressive flip, before landing in a crouch.

"We will take the Treasure!" Haru declared, gripping the brim of her hat and pointing at the group. The strangers seemed unimpressed with their poses.

"Mona already said that…"

"You are not qualified to be-" Haru began her scripted accusations, before she noticed something oddly familiar about the group. Now that they were closer…

"Wait… Sayori!? Then that means you were never Phantom Thieves fanatics!" The girl cried, pointing at the rest of the group who she quickly realized were Sayori's friends. The pink haired girl looked like she wanted nothing more than to sink into the ground, the cape at the tail of her jacket trailing after her. Haru couldn't blame her, as the rest of the Phantom Thieves all gave Sayori a bewildered look.

"What's she talkin' about?" Skull asked, leaning over to Sayori and putting a hand on the other side of his face, as if to block the conversation from other ears.

"Uh… About that…" Valiant stuttered, her cheeks turning pink as she folded her hands together. Only now did she remember the lame excuse she had given Haru, just in case one of them accidentally said something about the Phantom Thieves.

"Beauty Thief…" Mona muttered as he kept his mouth as he kept his mouth stuck in that confident smile, "Remember that we went over this."

"Oh, right," Haru said, recovering from her previous shock. There would be time for questions later. "You are not qualified to be phantom thieves! Do you even understand what it means to be a phantom thief? An admirable phantom thief is…" She realized she couldn't remember what she was supposed to say, the surprise of seeing Sayori knocking the lines out of her mind.

"Yeah, tell them!" Mona encouraged.

She had to think fast! Looking around, she spotted the one that Mona had described as the leader and pointed at him. "You! What do you think it means?" Obviously, if he was as bad as Mona said, he wouldn't know it.

"One who helps the weak," Joker said casually, his expression stony. He knew that Mona was mad at them, but he didn't have to make another girl insult the team for him.

"Yes, that's right?" Haru looked confused as he gave the right answer, before quickly regaining her composure. "Enough with the idle chit chat!"

"You started it…"

"I think she just wants to change the subject…" Valiant whispered to Panther, before calling out to Haru, "Hey, Beauty Thief, is it right to assume you had Mona with you last night? I totally missed that."

Haru looked at Mona for help. He gave her a pointing gesture, and Haru remembered what she was supposed to do. "You!" Haru pointed at the blue haired one with the fox mask.

"Me?" Fox asked, looking bewildered.

"Learn to take a hint!" Haru shouted, before moving on to decide who to confront next.

"Huh?" Fox looked even more confused, and almost dejected. Valiant and Oracle reached over to give him pats on the shoulder, though Oracle's was more of pity than of sympathy, as Valiant's was.

Haru then moved onto the "blond chimp" as Morgana had described him. "And you! You're very vulgar… and very stupid!"

"What!?" Skull yelled, shocked at the bluntness of the insult.

"That was rude…" Valiant murmured, before releasing a yelp as Haru pointed the finger at her next.

"You! You are not a team player, and… don't stick to your ideals?" Haru felt confused. Before, just by looking at the other two, she could almost tell in their expressions that what she was accusing them of was true. But what had Mona meant by this insult? Haru was about to look down and ask the cat, when the brown haired spiky girl unleashed an intense glare upon the two. Haru almost expected to see laser beams shoot out.

"That's uncalled for!" Queen yelled furiously, looking ready to fight.

"Yeah! Val may have her secrets, but so do the rest of us," Oracle said with an angry pout. She looked down at the cat in disappointment, "Mona, what are you trying to do by putting these things in Beauty Thief's head? You're a naughty cat!"

"No, it's fine, you guys…" Valiant said nervously, putting a hand on each of their shoulders. "Let's try to be professional about this. Mona was always bothered by us being immature."

"Yet he came all the way here… Just to say that," Queen said harshly. Then she said something that shocked both of the groups as she looked directly into Haru's eyes, making the girl shiver a bit at the cold, calculation hidden in them. "Since he has Beauty Thief with him, I'm guessing they can get past this biometric scan, right?"

"Yeah… And it kinda feels like she ain't dangerous at all…" Skull muttered, once again relaxing.

"We will take the Treasure!" Haru yelled once again, unsure what they could do to save face. Her cheeks burned with humiliation as she went to the scanners above the door.

"You already said that…" Oracle said once again.

"We don't have time to chat!" Mona yelled as he went to Haru's side. The scanners quickly began, flashing green and beeping in confirmation only a few seconds later.

As the door slid open, Joker turned to Queen. "Looks like you got it in one," he said as the girl continued to fume. However, before she could say anything rash, Panther jumped back from the door, a shout of surprise echoing around the people in the room as they follow her lead.

"Where did they come from!?" Valiant yelped in fear, crouching down in a defensive pose.

"Here they come!" Fox warned. As soon as those words left his mouth, Haru began to freak out. All she could do was gawk in shock as she took a slow step away from the multiple robots that had gathered behind the door they had opened. Thankfully, Mona tugged at her leggings, giving her a stern look.

"Snap out of it! We need to go!" the cat ordered, before turning tail and sprinting away. Haru nodded and trailed after him, letting him lead her to the exit they had established.

"We'll meet up later at our usual spot! Let's hurry!" Queen demanded seconds later as the group knew the enemies were too much for them to face at the moment. Everyone gave a quick nod as well and scattered. When they reached the place they had started at, the MetaNav was quickly activated. Soon enough, the world once again to warp and distort as it sent them back to their reality.

---

Sayori sighed as she read the latest message on her way home. Everyone had decided to confront Haru at school the next day, and they were currently texting about how exactly they could even approach her. One thing they were all wondering was why Haru was doing this in the first place. Was it simply because of the way Okumura treated his employees? Sayori couldn't help but think that there was more to it. After all, looking back on the trip to Hawaii, Haru had always looked uncomfortable about something. Every single night after she had called Goro, Haru had looked so miserable.

Sure, there was a Big Bang Burger in Hawaii, but Haru didn't look nearly as uncomfortable around those. So it has to be something else, Sayori reasoned with herself as she made her way around the last corner. The shabby apartment building was now within her view, and staring at it, she realized with sudden sorrow how pointless it was to try to figure out how people were feeling all by herself. The only accurate way was to ask questions and have that person answer for themself.

I can do that with Haru tomorrow, so there's no point in worrying about it now. Sayori shook her head and cleared her thoughts as she walked into the building.

One of the good things about being a part of the Phantom Thieves was that when she arrived here so late in the night, the cramped lobby was basically deserted. This was truly a blessing as she quietly took a moment to lean against the front desk. She had never seen someone behind this desk, and Goro made all of his rent payments over the phone. In many ways, this lobby was pointless, but it gave her these few precious seconds to think things through once again.

Sayori knew Goro would be back by now. The only question was whether or not he would still be up. But even that question was almost certainly answered. Ever since she had come home injured that one time, he had made a point of waiting there almost every time she left to do her duty as a Phantom Thief. Even though they couldn't bring themselves to talk to each other right now, Sayori knew that would still be the case.

She couldn't keep him waiting.

Sayori took a calming breath as she finally made the journey up the stairs. It was a slow ascent, but eventually she managed to cross the hall to the door. It was unlocked, confirming that the detective would indeed be waiting for her. The girl held her breath as she waited for any signs of the warmth that she always felt coming in here. It had gone away so suddenly, and Sayori found herself missing it almost desperately. Would it ever come back?

It will… It has to… Please… Sayori couldn't take it anymore. She twisted the knob open all of the way and stepped quickly inside. She faced the door for a moment as she closed and locked it for the night. The thudding beat of her own heart made it hard to tell, but she already knew Goro would be on the couch when she turned around.

She just didn't know that it would be like this.

"Welcome… back," the detective managed, making brief eye contact with her before they quickly dropped back to their previous blank state. Goro was currently sprawled on his side on the couch, fully dressed in his detective outfit. Even his gloves and shoes were still on. His suitcase lay on the coffee table, unopened.

"Goro, why… What happened!?" Sayori trembled as she rushed over and kneeled by the couch, up close, the detective looked exhausted, and she trembled as she reached over to brush away hair from his forehead, which was currently plastered to his forehead with sweat. "Have you been wearing this all day? You're burning up!"

The detective reached over and grabbed her hand, bringing it down to his eyes to look at it. Sayori shivered at the contact, unable to stop herself from thinking about the horrible things the hand that held hers had done.

Yet they hold you like you're a precious flower… A gentle but firm voice spoke inside of her head, and Sayori managed to avoid trembling as Goro looked up at her. His eyes looked so dead and tired.

"Sayori, I…" I have to kill again. "Something awful might happen soon, and depending on the outcome of what I do, there's something I want you to know," The detective felt himself begin to tremble as his eye twitched. Everywhere he looked, he saw it. Everything he heard was the same. Even his sense of touch was corrupted. His senses were muddled and unclear, flashing on and off like a light, and the only thing clear in his vision was her.

"Goro, it's alright. You don't have to tell me," Sayori whispered, giving him a reassuring smile even as her better sense of judgement wanted to scream at him to say something.

"Not yet…" The detective mumbled, blinking sluggishly. He seemed to curl in on himself, unable to handle the sudden clarity that Sayori brought with her. He felt her hand comb through his hair, and hissed as it burned against his scalp. The only thing he could thing he could think about at this moment was what he had to do next. Okumura was a target of the Phantom Thieves now, and he would be the next that Akechi would have to kill. It was the only thing he could focus on, the only thing he could focus on. His goal… His revenge… It was within his reach. All he had to do was kill Okumura and crush the Phantom Thieves. It would be easy. Okumura was nothing but an annoying thorn, and he held no connection the thieves. It would be simple, just like always. It was what he always has done. He was alone and unwanted and-

"Goro! You need to calm down!" Sayori flooded his vision, grabbing the sides of his face and wiping at tears with her thumb. Were they his? He couldn't tell.

"I want to see your friends again… They were fun," The detective murmured, wanting to avert his eyes from Sayori as she furrowed her brows in confusion.

"They're your friends too. Or at least they will be," Sayori said, her voice cracking at the end as she thought about it. I should have been able to help him more than this… She looked down at her Goro, trying to put a smile on his face. She could never let him know just how terrified she was in this situation. Was he going to reach his tipping point and kill her?

No, he won't hurt me… Sayori thought to herself as the detective gripped her hands, still holding his face gently. He's a killer, a murderer, and probably a monster in the eyes of many… But he won't hurt me.

The silence stretched on. Eventually, Goro carefully removed Sayori's hands from the sides of his face. Despite the sentiments and affections they had just shared, Sayori could not deny the feeling of fear and uncertainty swelling in the air between them. They glanced at each other nervously, both unable to articulate the words they wanted to say to make the warmth from before return. Yet, Sayori found herself grateful that she no longer felt as fearful of Goro. It was not enough to completely restore her original views of him, but it would be enough for now. She was confident in her relationship with him.

Meanwhile, Goro was beginning to realize something important. He wasn't alone anymore, because he had Sayori. Even though it was barely anything at this point, he did have a connection to the Phantom Thieves, and he knew that it would grow. Whether he liked it or not, Sayori wouldn't let him be alone, and she would ensure that his relationship with the Phantom Thieves would grow. She wanted him, and maybe they would too… So he was wanted.

And getting his revenge would definitely not be easy.

Goro had to think about how he felt about this, and Sayori had to think about how she felt about her now known relationship with an assassin. As if sensing this, the two looked at each other for a second, before Goro slowly stood up.

"I… I'll see you in the morning," Goro said, forcing a smile onto his face.

"Y-Yeah. I'll see you too," Sayori replied, forcing a smile of her own. Once again, the silence stretched on for a few seconds, before Goro abruptly turned around and headed to his room.

As the door slid shut, both felt as though one barrier had just come down between them. It was small, but it was something, and eventually, they would tear down many more barriers. They didn't know it, but both of them felt that it would be a price they would gladly pay for the love they shared.

I hope you guys enjoyed this new chapter. I ended up writing a lot more events than I expected, and these chapters keep getting longer. I'm really happy about it, but I guess it's kind of official that weekly updates are a thing of the past. Anyway, I wasn't sure about including this last scene with Sayori and Goro, but I kind of figured I should have cute fluffy scenes before poop hits the propeller, so to speak. As many of you may agree, the Okumura Palace is not very good, so more so than in other arcs, we'll be focusing much less on it and more on character stuff, so please look forward to future chapters. As always, please read and review. I'll see you next time!