5/10

When the knock at the door comes, Makoto takes a few moments before she responds. She straightens in her chair, slides the half-completed paperwork aside, ensures not a thread of her clothing is out of place, that her hair isn't doing anything it shouldn't.

"Come in," she calls.

The door slides open to reveal Daisuke Takanashi, one hand in his pocket, shoulders slumped, head down. "G-good morning, Niijima-senpai," he mutters.

She folds her hands, one on top of the other, upon the table, and nods. "Please, come in, Takanashi-kun."

He steps inside, and slides the door shut behind him. Then, he remains still, his posturing folding in on itself.

"How are you?" Makoto asks. "Are you prepared for your exams?"

He shrugs. "I guess so."

"That answer doesn't inspire confidence."

He shrugs again.

Makoto sighs. "Takanashi-kun, are you aware of why I called you here?"

Face still angled towards the floor, he shakes his head.

Makoto allows a hint of annoyance into her voice. "I would appreciate it, Takanashi-kun, if you would look at me, while I speak with you."

The boy sucks in his lips, forming a pale, thin slash across his face, and lifts his head. "Yes, Niijima-senpai."

"There," Makoto says. "Isn't that-" She stops, when she sees his face. His right eye is swollen in a giant, black bruise. "What happened?" She asks, standing, chair sliding back across the floor with a sharp creak. "Are you alright?"

"Nothing happened," Takanashi replies, and looks away. "I'm fine. It's nothing. I walked into a glass door."

Makoto sees the broken and bloody face of Akira Kurusu, as his friends drag him from the building. Her hands begin to shake, and she rubs them together until they stop. "That's not nothing, Takanashi-kun," Makoto says, moving around the table. "Tell me what happened."

Daisuke Takanashi shrinks back from her. "N-nothing happened! I swear! I walked into a glass door."

"That's a lie."

"It's not!" He glares at her with his one good eye. "And it's none of your business anyway! Is this why you asked me to come here? To give me shit about this?" He jabs a thumb towards his bruise. "Because if it is, I'm leaving!"

"N-no," Makoto replies. She begins to reach a hand out towards his face, but when he steps back, she stops. "That's not what I wanted to ask you about."

"Then what do you want?"

Who did this to him? It couldn't have been the Phantom Thieves, could it? Is this how they change hearts? By hurting them? No, that doesn't make sense.

"I wanted..." Makoto starts, then trails off. She shuts her eyes. Focus. Don't get distracted. File this away for another time. Get back to the real issue. She takes a deep breath, opens her eyes, and tries not to focus on the boy's face. "I wanted to ask if you were okay."

"I told you, I walked into-"

"Not about that," Makoto says. She takes her phone from her pocket and shows him the screen.

Daisuke Takanashi's eye goes wide. "The PhanSite," he mumbles.

"Your name was posted on this site."

"Yeah."

"Apparently, the Phantom Thieves performed a change of heart on you."

He nods. "I guess so."

Makoto lowers her phone. "So?"

Takanashi stares at her. "So... what?"

"What happened?" Makoto asks.

"I don't know what happened," Takanashi says, his voice low and dry. "I was on the train, yesterday, and the next thing I knew, I just had to call Maehara and apologize to him."

"Did anyone coerce you? Force you to call him?"

He shakes his head. "No. That's what I'm telling you. I wasn't doing anything. Just riding the train. And then I realized what a shit I'd been to Maehara, and it felt so bad and I just… had to call and apologize."

Makoto stares at him. "No one spoke to you? No one touched you, or did anything to you?"

He shrugs. "I don't know. I don't think so. I bumped into a bunch of people when I was rushing off the train, but I don't remember anyone grabbing me. And there definitely wasn't anyone who talked to me."

Is he lying? "If no one spoke to you, or did anything to you, how do you even know that the Phantom Thieves changed your heart?"

"They told me they would," Takanashi says. His gaze drifts back down to the floor. "They sent me a calling card. Just like Kamoshida-sensei."

"They did? When?"

"I got in the mail on Sunday. I thought it was a joke. I knew Maehara had put my name up on the site, but I didn't think it was real."

"Do you have it?" Makoto asks, her hands clenched.

He shakes his head. "Like I said, I thought it was a joke. I threw it out."

Makoto opens and closes her hands several times. She sucks in her lower lip and shuts her eyes once more. Relax. It's not his fault. "Do you remember what the card said?"

Takanashi relates the general gist of it, to the best of his recollection. "It was short," he says. "Only a few sentences."

As Makoto listens, she tries to fit this new information into the larger picture she's constructing in her mind.

"Thank you," she says, once he finishes. "I know it's getting close to homeroom. But, please humor me for one more question."

"Fine."

"Have you, in the last few days, had a run-in with Akira Kurusu?"

"Akira Kurusu?" Takanashi asks. "You mean that transfer student who killed that gang leader?"

Makoto sighs. I see the rumors are still going strong. "I assure you, Akira Kurusu has not killed anyone, gang leader or otherwise. Please, just answer the question."

"No," he says. "I haven't."

"And what about Ryuji Sakamoto, Yuuki Mishima, or Ann Takamaki?"

Takanashi sighs. "I don't see Mishima around. Like, at all. But I did see Sakamoto and Takamaki the other day. I was... beating up Maehara, and they ran by and tried to stop me. They were on a date."

Makoto stiffens. "When was this?"

"Uh..." Takanashi replies. "I think it was, Friday? Yeah, Friday. After school."

The day Kobayakowa told me to investigate the Phantom Thieves. If Sakamoto and Takamaki had been on a date last week, then what Akira had said about Sakamoto asking her out 'soon' was a lie.

Another one.

Makoto works her jaw in a slow circle, staring ahead, as her brain processes this.

"Um, Niijima-senpai?"

She blinks and looks over at him. "Yes?"

"Can I go now?"

"Of course, I apologize for keeping you." She waves him off. What else was a lie? The photo of Takamaki and Suzui, sure. But the date too? What does that mean?

#

Ryuji lets out a long, angry groan, and drops his head into his textbook. "I can't take it anymore!"

Ann rolls her eyes and jabs him in the shoulder. "Stop complaining. You've said that, like, eight times now."

"Seriously," Morgana mumbles. "I'm retaining this stuff better than you."

Ryuji turns his head until he faces the cat. "Can it. It's not like you're under any pressure to do well on these exams."

"You aren't even studying," Ann whispers. "You've just been talking about Takanashi non-stop."

Ryuji straightens and shakes his head. "No," he replies, his voice as low as Ann's. "I just think we should do something about that bullying ring. The one his shadow told us about. It sounds more important than some stupid tests."

Akira drums his fingers across his textbook's page, and with his other hand, lifts the tea to his lips. "We went over this, already," he says, once he's taken a sip. "We need to draw attention away from Shujin." When Ryuji opens his mouth to counter, Akira shakes his head. "I understand where you're coming from." He casts a glance around the diner. It's afterschool on Tuesday, and the majority of the patrons are in school uniforms. None are from Shujin. "But the Phantom Thieves can't only be known as the saviors of Shujin. We should save any requests from Shujin, for later."

"Right," Morgana says, nodding. "That's why we should focus on Madarame right now. He's got nothing to do with Shujin, so he's a perfect target."

Ryuji sighs. "Fine, but when are you gonna call that reporter chick?"

"I'll check for the poster at Untouchable when we're done here. If it's there, then I'll drop off the package and get the stuff."

"Wait," Ryuji says, eyes widening. "You've got that package on you, right now?"

Akira nods. "Yeah, I never took it out of my bag."

"Which is very annoying, by the way," Morgana mutters.

"Do you know what it is?"

"Nope. I figure, the less I know, the better."

"But what if it's, like, a bomb?"

"Thanks, Ryuji," Akira replies.

Ann hits Ryuji's shoulder. "Don't be dumb, why would the guy give Akira a bomb, and then ask him to bring it back later?"

"What if he never planned on you bringing it back?" Ryuji asks. "What if he planned on blowing you up in your house?"

Akira's eyes drift back towards his bag. "D-don't be ridiculous. Why would an Airsoft store owner want to blow up a high school student?"

Ryuji throws his hands into the air. "Crazy people don't need reasons to do things, man! Speaking of which, why the hell are you carrying whatever it is around?"

Ann frowns. "Yeah, that's a good point. You probably shouldn't have kept that in your bag."

Akira shrugs. "Well, I didn't want Sojiro to find it. And I don't have anywhere else I could've hidden it."

Ryuji shakes his head. "That's it, I'm coming with you after this."

"What? Why?" Akira asks.

"To make sure you don't get blown up or something."

"Uh, Ryuji," Morgana says. "If it's a bomb, you'll just get blown up too."

"It's not a bomb," Akira growls.

Ann spreads her hands. "Whatever. The point is, you're getting rid of it soon, right?" Akira nods. "And you're gonna get the burner phones too?" Akira nods again. "Fine. So, you're going to call that Ohya person when you do? Are you sure you don't want to wait until after exams?"

Akira shakes his head. "If the Phantom Thieves are students, they would stop their activities during exams. If the Phantom Thieves continue their activities during exam seasons, it would imply they aren't students."

Ann frowns. "Yeah, or they could all be terrible students like Ryuji."

"Hey," the blonde boy spits. "You're not exactly top of your class either. You only ever do well in English and that's because you speak it!"

Akira sigh, sets his cup down and slides his glasses up to his forehead with his fingers. As he rubs his eyes he grumbles, "I know the plan isn't perfect. But I'm doing the best that I can."

Ann reaches across the table and rests a hand on his forearm. "Hey, we know that. And you're doing a great job!"

Am I?

"But," she says, leaning back in her seat and folding her arms across her chest. "Don't think you're the only one working hard. I might just have an 'in' with Madarame."

Akira straightens.

"For real?" Ryuji asks.

"You're amazing, Lady Ann," Morgana sputters. "What is it?"

Ann holds up an index finger and shakes it back and forth. "Uh-uh, it's a secret. For now."

Akira frowns. "Not to be a downer, but we really shouldn't keep secrets from one another." Ann's eyes snap towards his own, and Akira recoils from the look. Her gaze isn't angry, so much as inquisitive. "What?" He asks.

She looks away. "It's nothing. I just don't want to get everyone's hopes up. I think I may have something. I should know soon. I promise it's not going to come back to hurt us. But if it falls through, I don't want us to plan around it."

Akira nods. "But if you tell us now, we can start to plan for it, even if it doesn't happen."

"Hey," Ryuji says, patting the air with his hands. "Come on, man. Let's let Ann do her thing. I'm sure she's got this."

Akira glances from one blonde to the other. Sometimes I can't even with these two. He holds his hands up in surrender. "Okay, fine. When will you know if your... thing, I guess, is a go or not?"

"Should be in the next few days. I'll let you know as soon as I hear." When Akira opens his mouth, she nods rapidly. "I know, I know. In person. Not over the phone or through text or email. Okay?"

"Okay," Akira says, nodding. "Sorry. It's just that I'm still rattled from the last few days."

"But we went over it already, dude," Ryuji says. "I don't think we missed anything. Mishima did great pretending to be me." He beams. "He even had my walk down."

"But seriously," Ann says. "No more splitting up for Mementos runs, okay? That fight was hard without you."

"I know," Akira replies. "Trust me, in the future, we'll start these plans well in advance. We won't split up again."

"Okay, okay," Morgana says, shaking his head. "Get back to studying. Your exams start tomorrow!"

Ryuji drops his head back into his textbook. "Don't remind me."

#

The flier is in the window.

Together, Akira and Ryuji step inside, and a cold burst of air greets them.

The manager, with his feet propped up, once again, on the counter, sees them and straightens. "You got it?" He asks. Akira nods. The man stands and kneels beneath the counter, and returns with the detector from the other day.

"Again?" Akira asks, and glances around the store. There are no other customers.

"Again," the man says, and makes his way over to them. He passes the paddle over their bodies until he's satisfied, then takes his place back behind the counter.

"That was weird," Ryuji mutters.

The man glances over at the blonde boy and says, "Great. You're back."

Akira unzips his bag and pulls out the small, wrapped bundle. Morgana stares up at him from inside, and flashes Akira his typical 'be careful' face.

He sets it on the counter, and slides it over to the manager.

The man looks down at it, then asks, "Did you open it?"

Akira shakes his head. "No."

"Smart."

"Is it a bomb?" Ryuji asks, and Akira shuts his eyes and lets out a long exhale of breath.

The man smirks, and pulls the object off the counter and slides it out of sight. "Sure. Why not?"

Ryuji's eyes widen. "For real?"

The man looks at Akira. "Do you really hang out with this kid?"

Akira shrugs. "Do you have the stuff I asked for?"

The man nods towards the rows of guns behind the two boys. "Go pick something out, and come back when you're done."

Akira and Ryuji spend some time examining all the various weapons, and both settle on deadlier-looking versions of the guns they already possessed. They bring the chosen models over to the manager, who snidely proclaims that he'll box them right away, and disappears into the back office.

He returns moments later. "Phones are tucked inside. Typed up some instructions for you too." He slides the boxes over to them, and Akira yanks out the bills from his wallet and hands them over. "Nice doin' business with you, kid."

"Will you give me your name now?" Akira asks.

"Munehisa Iwai," the man grunts.

"Akira Kurusu."

"Didn't ask," Iwai says. "We done here, or do you have something else weird to sell me?"

#

Makoto peers around the corner, at the neon sign of 'Untouchable.' What are they doing in there?

She glances down at the open notebook in her hand, which she has cleverly - she thinks - hidden within the open pages of a larger manga.

Time stamps, followed by brief descriptions dot the page.

Target enters diner with Takamaki and Sakamoto.

Target exits diner. Takamaki goes on alone, Sakamoto appears to accompany target.

Target and Sakamoto enter weird store, 'Untouchable.'

A quick search online had shown her the profile of the airsoft shop. She'd no idea Akira and Sakamoto were model gun enthusiasts. I wonder if the store carries a model of a Ruger Redhawk? Of course, it sure seemed strange that two boys, in the middle of exam season, would spend their afternoon in a store like that.

Stranger than me spending my time tracking them?

Makoto sighs, and leans against the brick wall of the building she's hiding behind.

What am I even doing?

Between the meeting with Takanashi and the exams, Makoto had hardly had a moment to think all day. When she'd seen the group of three friends leave Shujin, she'd just started following them.

When they got off the train in Shibuya, she's followed them.

When they'd gone into the diner, she'd run back down the block to the bookstore, purchased a manga in which to hide her notebook, and staked out a spot across the street.

What was her endgame here?

She was so certain that Akira Kurusu was a Phantom Thief. So certain, and yet...

She didn't know for sure. She had a hunch, a feeling. So far, all the evidence lined up with the hypothesis that he was a Phantom Thief, and behind the recent changes in heart, but she needed real, solid proof.

I just want to know, she tells herself.

The door to the shop jingles open and Akira and Sakamoto step outside. Each has a black, plastic bag in their hand, holding a boxy-like shape.

Did they actually buy models? She had assumed they'd been up to something shady inside, but maybe they really just were enthusiasts.

A sudden thought crystalizes in her mind. She should go up to them, and tell them everything. Tell them about the Principal, about Sae telling him off, about her seeing right through their plan to trick her.

She takes a half-step out from around the corner, and then stops.

Why had they tried to trick her? Why hadn't Akira just come to her and been honest?

As they head towards her hiding place, Makoto retreats further down the alley, towards Central Street. By the time they turn off towards Shibuya Station, she's blended in with the crowds, manga held up and over her face. As they walk, she falls in step a good distance behind them, logs the time in her notebook and write, Target exits 'Untouchable,' appears to approach Shibuya Station.

I have to know, she thinks. And once I do, I'll know what to do.

#

'Rafllesia,' the sign says. A middle aged woman stands behind the register, smiling and bowing at mall patrons as they walk by. The storefront is ornamented with dozens of bright, healthy looking flowers. Makoto doesn't even know the name of some of them. She stands at a kiosk a short distance away, eyes flickering from its assorted wares, back to the flower shop, again and again.

She had followed Akira, after he'd split off from Sakamoto, into the Shibuya Underground. But then, he had walked into this flower shop, opened a door near the back - as if he belonged there - and disappeared inside.

Could this flower shop be a front? Is it the secret headquarters of the Phantom Thieves?

The door to the back opens, and Makoto stiffens. Akira Kurusu steps out. He no longer wears his school uniform, but a pair of jeans, and a long-sleeved beige shirt, over which hangs a dark green apron.

What.

Did Akira Kurusu actually work at this flower shop?

She runs over her previous conversations with him. Never once did he mention something like this. He had cited a 'job' once, when he'd snatched up 'The Biology of Shrimp' from the library, but that had just been...

Well, that had just been weird.

Akira moves up alongside the middle-aged woman, and begins to mimic her movements. He bows to potential customers, a smile on his face.

He looks...nice.

Then, a girl steps out of the back room.

She is dressed in dusty overalls, and a baseball cap. She walks up to Akira, smiles up into his face, and begins to chat.

Akira looks down at her, grins, and starts to speak as well.

Thunder rattles inside Makoto's mind.

Just who was...

Wait.

Makoto narrows her eyes and stares.

"Haru Okumura?" She asks no one.

She focuses as hard as she can, and realizes with a start that this girl is Haru Okumura.

Why would the daughter of Okumura Foods' CEO be working at a flower shop?

She begins to cycle through a number of scenarios.

Was she a runaway?

Had she been disowned, in some way?

Did she not want to be a part of the family business?

Was she a Phantom Thief?

Makoto blinks. Haru Okumura, a Phantom Thief? No, that was crazy. Her name hadn't been in the Principal's file.

But so what? My name was in the file, and I'm not a Phantom Thief.

Customers of the flower shop begin to arrive, and Makoto checks the time. It's getting late. She still wants to properly prep for tomorrow's tests. Okay, she thinks. Haru Okumura. That's another lead. Makoto watches the two help customers for a few more minutes. Then, she leaves.

#

Ohya lifts the empty glass into the smoky air. "Lala-chan! Another one please!"

Lala Escargot looks down her nose at the ruby-cheeked reporter and says, "I would say you've had enough but-"

Ohya cuts her off. "You know I'll just keep pestering you!"

Lala-chan nods and snatches the empty whiskey glass from Ohya's hand. "Just take it easy, yeah?"

Ohya grins. "Oh, Lala-chan, you are simply the best!" Lala grabs a bottle of whisky off the bar's rack, and pours. When she sets the drink down in front of her, Ohya raises it with reverence, brings it to her lips, and takes a smooth sip.

Her phone vibrates. She rips it from her pocket and checks the caller ID. "Unknown number?" Ohya asks, then rolls her eyes. "Great." She brings it up to her ear. "Hello?"

"Is this Ichiko Ohya, the reporter?" The voice is low, but unfiltered. It sounds like someone trying to disguise their voice and doing a bad job of it.

"Uh-huh. And let me guess, you've got a hot tip?"

The voice on the other end hesitates. "Um, well, actually, I'd like to speak with you about something. Or rather, someone."

"You know, you don't have to keep talking like that. I already don't know who you are."

The voice coughs, and sounds a bit more normal when it picks back up. "Right, well, could we set up a meeting?"

"About who?"

"I'd rather not discuss it over the phone."

Ohya lets out a sigh. "Fine."

##

A/N: Happy Monday! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. To be honest, this one went through some heavy revisions. In the game, the exams were these annoying sequences where you weren't allowed to do anything besides take a test. Here, it feels like I'm trying to squeeze as much in as possible, lol.

Anyway, I'll see you all on Friday! Thanks for understanding about the post decrease, and if I haven't gotten to your comment/review yet, I will as soon as I can!