AN: This is the end of the AO3 backlog I have, but there are still a few more pre-written chapters to go before I have to actually start writing new content for this again! Part of the reason it's been hard to update is bc I wrote most of this fic, like, 2-3 years ago at this point, and I'm struggling with the placement of certain scenes or understanding how the pacing reads to the audience. At this point I think I'm just gonna try to upload everything I have without overthinking too much and then see how I feel about writing the rest of the story. This interlude moves pretty quickly with some key scenes, and then we'll get started on the next Palace in the next chapter!

July 29, 2014 (Tuesday)

Goro stood just before the courtroom doors, fighting back the mounting panic in his chest. Makoto and Morgana had come to watch Madarame's trial, and Yusuke was waiting inside as one of the witnesses he was to call. They had spent weeks preparing his testimony, even visiting Madarame in prison to extract confessions from him that they had previously only heard in the Metaverse. That visit alone seemed to give Yusuke some closure, but this was the most important part of the process.

It would be fine. He'd spent the last two weeks after exams in intense preparation, and they were nearly guaranteed a guilty verdict. All he had to do was recite what he'd rehearsed.

Nijima laid a hand on his shoulder, startling him from his reverie. "You'll do fine," she said, echoing his own thoughts. "Leave the heavy lifting to me. Observe what I do and call the witnesses when necessary. This should be simple."

Goro nodded, swallowing when Nijima stepped ahead of him to open the doors. He straightened up and walked in, well aware of the members of the press in the audience. He'd gained some amount of notoriety in the past month as a teenage detective, drawing many comparisons to the famous Naoto Shirogane. Now representatives of the public were here to judge his performance.

There were so many layers of expectation, and he had to navigate all of them perfectly.

He took his place beside Nijima in the courtroom, projecting confidence. He noticed Makoto in a row close by, with the bag that housed Morgana at her side, and smiled. Makoto nodded back, steely-eyed. His gaze swiveled to the witness stand, where Yusuke sat beside several other victims of Madarame. They maintained eye contact for a moment, and then the proceedings began.

The judge introduced the case, and Nijima gave the prosecution's opening statement. Madarame had been provided with a public defender, but, from the looks of Madarame, he was already defeated. It didn't seem like he wanted the defender in the first place; it was more of a formality than anything else. The sight of Madarame already holding back tears in the courtroom bolstered Goro's confidence; he'd show the court why this man should be condemned.

When asked to plead his case, Madarame said he was guilty. Goro fought back a smug smile, remembering how cruel Madarame's Shadow had been, how it had nearly killed him and Yusuke after they tried to steal the Treasure. He was pathetic and powerless now, and he knew it.

Goro called a set of witnesses to the stand, and each had a different account of the way Madarame had thoroughly ruined their life after he was through plagiarizing their work. Yusuke had wanted to give his testimony last — the nail in the coffin, so to speak. He approached the stand after a series of witnesses had already convinced the audience of Madarame's guilt, and Goro gave him an encouraging smile. Yusuke took a deep breath and launched into the final version of his testimony, which they had spent so many nights perfecting.

"Madarame has been my sensei for about eleven years. He took me in when I was three years old, after my mother died unexpectedly, and immediately began to isolate me from my peers. I had made a friend at the orphanage I stayed at temporarily, and this friend attempted to write to me. Although I have since obtained confirmation from Madarame that we did receive the letter, he never gave it to me. He chose to isolate a three year-old child from his only friend in favor of telling him to focus on his art." Yusuke allowed the words to sink in, then continued with a confidence and conviction that made Goro's throat close up. "Since that incident, he has continued to isolate me, discouraging me from forming any positive relationships with my peers. He always emphasized sacrificing everything for the art that I produced and that he stole, praising me when I would forget to eat and expecting more and more pieces from me as I grew older."

The next part was the true nail in the coffin. Madarame's public defender sat by in despair, having given up about two testimonies ago.

"Several months ago, in April, I discovered several dozen copies of the Sayuri in one of our house's storage rooms. When I visited Madarame in prison to ask about them, he told me that he'd been making copies of his most famous painting and selling them at a premium. The public was under the assumption that the original had been lost, and Madarame was claiming that each painting he sold was the lost masterpiece. He amassed quite a fortune doing this. On top of these despicable acts, he also revealed to me that he is not the true creator of the Sayuri." Yusuke paused again, inhaled. "The true creator was my mother, who he allowed to die in front of him so he could claim her work as his own."

The audience chattered amongst themselves, and Goro noticed the journalists taking furious notes. As he'd feared, Yusuke would face harassment from the press after this trial, but that had been a price that Yusuke was willing to pay for letting the world know about the Sayuri's true creator.

Their case was made. Madarame was weeping by the defense bench. "I'm sorry, Yusuke," he said. "I'm so sorry."

Yusuke was silent as he stepped down from the stand.

The verdict came swiftly after that, and the viewers were ushered out. Madarame was taken away in handcuffs, and his public defender followed behind, posture slumped.

Nijima turned to Goro with a rare smile. "Wonderful work," she said. "It impresses me how thorough you were in putting the evidence together."

Goro beamed, riding the high of a successful trial. "Thank you very much, Nijima. You were an incredible help to me."

The witnesses approached them, shaking their hands. Yusuke approached Goro last, drawing him into an embrace. He was trembling.

"Thank you, Goro," he whispered.

"Thank you for your testimony," Goro whispered back. "You did perfectly."

They separated to smile at each other, not quite believing this part of their lives was over. They could move on.

Makoto was waiting for them outside with the bag, and she had to hold it shut as they exited; Morgana was apparently attempting to escape while still in the building. "That was amazing," she said, acting as if she wasn't struggling with her bag. "Congratulations to all of you."

Nijima nodded, then turned to Yusuke and Goro. "The press will be lingering outside for quite some time, I imagine. You're both free to stay here and wait them out."

Goro looked to Yusuke for his answer. "Thank you for the offer, and for all your work on this case, Nijima," Yusuke said. "However, I think we should be moving along."

"Very well." She smiled sardonically. "Good luck out there, then. Akechi, remember we start work on a new case tomorrow. Report to work at the usual time."

He nodded and thanked her once more, and then they headed out. Morgana kept trying to escape, but Makoto hushed him as they stepped before of a crowd filled with microphones and recorders.

"Akechi, how does it feel to win your first case?"

"Have you been inspired by Naoto Shirogane?"

"What's next for you?"

"Take my business card, come in any time for a live interview!"

Goro led his friends out of the crowd, waving people aside with a polite smile. They were almost out when a woman with shocking red lipstick jumped in front of him, shoving a recording device nearly against his mouth.

"Why was Madarame saving up so much money? Was it really just for personal use?"

He nearly paused, turning to her as he walked. "What an interesting question," he said. "He claimed it was, but you seem to think differently."

She walked alongside them as they grew further from the courthouse. "It's just a hunch. Maybe think about asking him if you get the chance." She handed him a business card. "Let me know if you get any answers. I can make it worth your time."

They escaped the press, and Goro continued his brisk pace towards their next destination. As they turned the corner, Morgana could finally pop his head out of the bag. "That was amazing!" he meowed. "Yusuke, you really told him off! I can't believe how composed you sounded."

Yusuke looked down with a smile. "Thank you, Morgana. I'm rather proud, myself." From the corner of his eye, Goro could see Yusuke turn to him. "Goro was a great help in preparing the testimony and gathering all the witnesses. I've exchanged contact information with several of them, so I anticipate hearing more about them soon."

"Yeah, great job, Akechi! It must feel great to have all your hard work pay off." Before Goro could respond, Morgana added, "Is your older sister always that scary at work, Makoto? If it was me, I'd confess right away, even without the change of heart."

Makoto laughed, some strain in her voice as she said, "She can be quite intimidating, yes. She always does what she thinks is right, though, and I'm glad she was on our side."

"Me, too," Morgana said. "Hey, Akechi, where are we headed now?"

Goro looked over his shoulder to respond. "We finally have some time for a proper celebration. I'll treat you all to dinner."

"Are we finally going to one of those conveyor belt places?" Morgana asked. "We didn't get to last time! I wanna see!"

Goro shook his head. "Somewhere nicer than that."

"Conveyor belt sushi is not good, Morgana," Makoto said. "You'd be very disappointed."

Morgana's ears drooped for a moment, but he perked back up quickly. "Where are we going, then?"

"You'll see shortly."

They continued their walk, Morgana grumbling enough to attract the attention of observant passerby. The other three were content to think to themselves; having the trial over with was a significant step forward, but there were many unknowns they'd have to discuss soon. For now, Goro would try not to think about them, but they would continue to loom nonetheless.

They entered the hotel that Goro led them to, and he could sense their confusion until he led them to the buffet around the corner. He paid for their passes and set them loose, noting that Morgana was dictating to Makoto everything he wanted.

After they ate their fill, discussion turned to their next move. "We're going to continue investigating this case, right?" Makoto asked.

The other three confirmed, and Morgana added that they should make more trips to Mementos to see how far they could go now. Some word had spread—mostly around Shujin—about the Phantom Thieves over the past month, and more paths should be open to them.

"How should we proceed?" Yusuke asked. "Shall we go straight to the Director? Such a corrupt man would likely have a Palace."

"That's our most solid lead at the moment, yes," Goro said. "However, I think we should get a sense of the larger picture first. We may be able to glean some information from his Palace or his Shadow, but we know very little of the nature of his organization, his connections, and so on. It would be pertinent to do some research and investigation in the real world first before we make any more moves."

"The Metaverse way is more fun, though," Morgana pouted. He drowned his sorrows in another bite of smoked salmon.

"I have to agree," Makoto said, smiling down at him, "but Akechi's way is more practical for now. It would make sense to at least confirm the existence of a Palace and guess some key words, but we don't have to complete the infiltration until we have a better idea of what's going on."

They came to an agreement and enjoyed the rest of their time together, departing as the sun began to set. Yusuke, Goro, and Morgana headed straight home, exhausted from the day's events. Morgana went to sleep early, leaving Yusuke and Goro in the common area.

"How are you feeling, Yusuke?" Goro asked.

He leaned against the counter, posture somewhat tense. "There is a certain sense of closure from the case, but hearing other testimonies concerned me. I'd like to stay in contact with some of the other pupils and see where they go from here." He looked to his art supplies across the room, brow furrowed. "The application to Kosei is also due in about a month, and I've run into some self-doubt. With how this trial has been publicized, I'm sure they will expect something otherworldly from me."

"You do otherworldly very well," Goro said. "I have every confidence in you."

"Thank you, Goro." Yusuke turned his head with a smile. "You have been incredibly kind to me. I must make it up to you somehow."

"You've committed to staying with me to investigate this business with the SIU. That carries a great risk, and I can consider that your repayment, if you really feel it necessary." He smiled back. "I've never expected you to repay me for anything. I'm just happy to see through the matter with Madarame and see you safe."

As Goro prepared for bed that night, he found the journalist's business card from earlier in the day. He looked it over, remembering her questions about Madarame. She seemed attuned to the fact that Madarame could be involved with something larger, using the money he gained for more than personal purposes.

He ran his fingers over the name: Ichiko Ohya. He'd have to question Madarame and get back to her.

August 3, 2014 (Sunday)

The last few days had been busy with case work, but Goro finally had the chance to question Madarame again on his day off. He told Yusuke of his plans and their relevance to the ongoing investigation, and Yusuke had opted to stay home.

"I have nothing more to say to that man," he'd said. "I'd rather continue work on the portfolio. Let me know your findings."

So Goro was at the police station again, waiting on the other side of a glass window for the prisoner to emerge. Madarame did eventually come in with a guard, who stood by the door as Madarame sat across the window. The guard's presence might complicate matters, but Goro only needed to look into this hunch of Ohya's. If Madarame did have some other motivation behind his extortion, Goro wanted to know about it.

He skipped the pleasantries. "Madarame, I'm here because I have a question regarding the money you made over the years. Simple greed is often a powerful motivator, but I wanted to ask if something more prompted you to swindle people out of their money. What else were you spending the money on?"

Madarame tensed up, and Goro already knew that this was a worthwhile visit. "I can't give many details," he said. "They would…" He looked over his shoulder at the guard. "They have people here, too, I've heard."

"Who is 'they?'" Goro asked. Madarame wouldn't answer, and he lowered his own voice for the next question. "Are you familiar with Hiroto Togashi?"

His eyes went wide, and he stifled a gasp.

Goro was guessing in the dark here with the little information he had, but it was getting him somewhere. Fascinating. "You were channeling money to him? Why?"

Madarame was silent for a long time, and Goro thought he wouldn't answer at all. Finally, he whispered, "They promised me—"

"No whispering," the guard intervened. Madarame winced and leaned back into his chair.

"He's working towards a greater good, correct? Would they tell you the nature of that goal?"

Madarame looked confused as he shook his head. "Only power. Influence."

"For you?"

He nodded.

"Interesting. How did you get involved?"

"They approached me after the Sayuri was released to wide acclaim." He winced again as he spoke of the painting. Good. "I never knew much more; I provided them funding, they…" He trailed off, subtly drawing a finger across his throat. Had this organization taken hit requests in return for Madarame funding them?

"I see," Goro said. "Well, it seems like you'll be quite safe in here. Nothing gets in or out." He stood to leave. "Enjoy your stay."

"Wait, please."

Goro paused.

"How is Yusuke?"

Goro blinked once, smiled. "Do you really think you deserve to know that?"

Madarame's face crumpled, and Goro walked away feeling vindicated.

Once outside, he left Ohya a voicemail, then texted Yusuke.

Goro Akechi, 1:52 p.m.: Finished. Shall we meet somewhere to discuss? I'm sure you deserve a break by now.

Yusuke Kitagawa, 1:53 p.m.: Where do you propose we go?

Goro Akechi, 1:53 p.m.: A planetarium just opened across the city. It could be worth looking into.

Yusuke Kitagawa, 1:54 p.m.: Text me the address and I will meet you there.

Less than an hour later, they met outside and went in together, taking two open seats. As it was the afternoon on a summer weekend, it was somewhat crowded, but they tuned other spectators out as Goro relayed the events of the meeting to Yusuke, leaning their heads together to avoid being overheard. Yusuke laid his bag in his lap, and Morgana popped his head out about halfway through Goro's explanation.

"I can't believe you listened to that journalist," he hissed. "She was probably just trying to get your attention."

"Hello, Morgana."

"Yeah, hi. Shouldn't we be careful about getting involved with the press? It could be dangerous."

"I've become something of a celebrity. Some involvement with the press is inevitable, and we have few other leads besides Togashi himself."

Morgana tsk'ed. "Don't get too cocky. We still have to be careful moving forward."

"I assure you that I'm a very cautious person. May I finish my explanation now?"

He continued uninterrupted, concluding with his interpretations. "It seems that Madarame was also involved with the SIU in some capacity, and they offered to eliminate certain people if he provided them with funding."

Yusuke scoffed. From this close, Goro could feel the rush of breath on his cheek. "Every day we uncover another rotting layer of this man's psyche. What could this organization possibly want with so much funding?"

"I've been wondering the same thing. We still don't know anything about the organization's operation or goals, but we at least have more confirmation that they are less than upstanding. We should research more about the director soon."

Yusuke nodded and leaned back, taking a few minutes to think. Goro looked up to the display with some interest. He'd always lived in urban areas, so stargazing wasn't an option. Maybe he, Yusuke, and Morgana should take a vacation to the countryside someday.

Morgana climbed up Goro's arm, interrupting his daydream. "We have to tell Makoto about this," he hissed. "This is important information; why didn't you just invite her in the first place?"

Goro didn't really have an answer that sounded reasonable. He'd only been thinking of Yusuke's reaction to his former mentor, not of the team. This was, first and foremost, personal.

Morgana rolled his eyes at Goro's silence. "You should've told me this was a date. I would've stayed home." Goro stuttered in response as Morgana climbed back into the bag. "I'm taking a nap," he declared.

It wasn't a date. Yusuke was his closest friend and was closely related to Madarame. He'd want to hear about their conversation first, and separately. Goro didn't feel comfortable telling Yusuke that Madarame had asked about him, and he decided now to keep that to himself. Yusuke had no reason to feel sorry for Madarame, who was doing far too little too late; it was Madarame's fault that Yusuke was an orphan in the first place, that he now had to depend on another minor for housing.

And there were plenty of friends who went to these kinds of places together.

Goro leaned back farther, crossing his arms. He had been a bit confused by Yusuke as of late, but he didn't have any other close friendships he could compare this one to. As far as he could tell, Yusuke was sincere but platonic. Goro was content with that — with whatever made Yusuke happy.

"Goro?"

He startled as the subject of his daydream whispered to him. "Yes?"

"Thank you for suggesting this venue," Yusuke said, voice low in Goro's ear. "I am sure that this is no substitute for the real night sky, but I am enjoying myself."

"I'm glad."

"We should go see the real thing someday."

Goro froze. Had Yusuke been having the same daydream? Was Goro a part of his future?

Had he heard the comment about the date?

He took a deep breath. Of course they were a part of each other's futures; they had come this far by looking out for each other, and they would continue to do so.

"We should," he replied.

That night, he looked for a proper place to put the glowing star stickers Yusuke gifted him. He settled for the ceiling of his bedroom, sticking them in a trail that led to The Fox and the Crow.

August 4, 2014 (Monday)

"So tell me about this big scoop you found," Ohya said. "Madarame's guilty of more than the press said, right?" She sipped her iced coffee through a metal straw, tapping her foot against her stool as she waited for a response. Goro had come straight here after work and thought it unusual that she was drinking coffee at 5 p.m., but who was he to comment?

"What do you know about this situation?" Goro asked, deflecting her question. "Your question after Madarame's trial suggested that you have some idea of a larger picture, and you've written many articles exposing political scandals."

"Did some background research on me, huh?" She took another sip. "What a good little detective. Yep, my partner and I are looking into this one bureaucrat right now. He's supposedly involved with some kind of dirty money, but we don't know much more than that. We just started our investigation, so we weren't sure where to look for leads until the Madarame scandal broke." She leaned in a bit, exacerbating her awful posture. "I got desperate and guessed that the money he was making might be related. Since we're having this conversation right now, it looks like my intuition might've been right."

So he had nearly placed his trust in a journalist who relied on luck and intuition. Incredibly careless, but he could still salvage this. "What's the name of the bureaucrat?"

Ohya squinted at him, sizing him up. "I see what you're trying to play at." She crossed her arms, resting them on her knees. "Look, I said I'd make it worth your while if you gave me info, right? You haven't actually told me what you know yet, and I don't want to tell you this guy's name. If we're on the right trail, this scandal could blow up, and I can't have some kid leaking the info before I do." She glared up at him. "So here's the deal. If you tell me what you know, I'll give you his name so you can keep playing detective. Then, if you find anything on that guy later down the line, you come back to me and we swap notes."

Correction: he was most likely about to place his trust in a journalist who relied on luck and intuition. At this point, what other leads did they have besides confronting the SIU director himself? If he was part of a larger scheme, getting a better idea of this scheme through real-world investigation could prove helpful.

"I'll sweeten the deal," Ohya added as he thought. "What if I write you a couple hype stories? 'The Second Coming of the Detective Prince' and all that. You get info and fame from me, I get info from you." She grinned. "And fame, if this trail's going where I think it is."

Like he cared about fame.

Well. Maybe a little. It could help them progress through Mementos if he was more well-known, after all.

"I accept."

Ohya's grin widened, and she grabbed his hand to shake. "Awesome. You go first, then."

He summarized the information he gleaned from Madarame, not bothering to tell her his own thoughts. If she was as sharp as a journalist should be, she'd sort it out on her own.

"Interesting," she muttered. She put her straw back in her mouth, then frowned when she remembered the cup was empty. "Okay, like I said, I don't know much, but the bureaucrat's name is Jiro Midorikawa. I don't know if he's related to the SIU, but that's definitely a possibility." She took another moment to think, then smiled. "Alright, thanks. Call me again when you have something else."

August 6, 2014 (Wednesday)

"Goro, come look at this."

Yusuke pointed him to a news article on his phone, allowing him to scroll through as he spoke. "There was an interview with a scientist today, and her research sounds similar to our experiences with the Metaverse. Is it possible that she also has a Persona?"

Goro skimmed the interview summary, then watched the attached video with Yusuke and Morgana. The guest on this news network was a woman named Wakaba Isshiki, who specialized in "cognitive psience." She spoke generally about the field she had named, holding back an excited smile as the interviewer responded eagerly to her.

"How long have you been working in this field?" he asked.

"It's a fairly new field of research, which is why I was fortunate enough to name it. I've been working with cognitive psience specifically for a couple years, but I've always been fascinated by psychology. Researching how the subconscious can manifest in daily life has been extremely rewarding so far, and my colleagues are excited to move forward."

"So what's next for you? Where do you think this research could take us?"

"The possibilities and implications are limitless, really. The ability to tap into one's own subconscious could help patients with trauma, anxiety, depression, or any other number of ailments. We've also been looking into the collective subconscious, which falls a bit more into the field of sociology: how people relate to one another systematically, and how power structures emerge from these relations. Learning more about the people's collective motivations and desires could help direct public policy or even international relations."

Her conviction grew as she spoke, as did Goro's on the other side of the screen. "You've found something incredible, Yusuke," he said. He picked up his own phone and researched Wakaba Isshiki, who was working for a research institute close to Akihabara. Her staff webpage listed several of her publications along with her contact information.

He worked with Yusuke and Morgana to draft an email, running the final version by Makoto in the group chat. They asked for an opportunity to meet with Isshiki and waited for the response. In the meantime, the team continued research on the SIU and Hiroto Togashi, but, predictably, little information was available. They continued to update each other with potential leads, waiting for one of their contacts to tell them something useful.

August 14, 2014 (Thursday)

A week passed with no response from Isshiki, and the team decided to go directly to her at work. Ohya wouldn't exchange information with Goro unless he had something new, and they hadn't made much progress in the last week. He certainly didn't intend to talk with Ohya about cognitive psience or the Metaverse, so the most direct route would have to do.

Goro got off work about an hour early that day, which gave the team enough time to meet in front of the research facility to discuss the plan in person.

"Do you think she would be suspicious of a detective asking her questions, or is it more suspicious for regular high school students to meet with her?" Goro asked.

"Way to be insulting, Akechi," Morgana scoffed. "Yusuke's kinda famous, too, and Makoto's far from regular."

"My face is definitely the least well-known," Makoto said. "I could pretend to be working on a summer assignment and try to secure a meeting with her that way."

Goro nodded. "We can stay out here, then. Best not to attract too much attention; they'll be more suspicious of a large group."

Makoto headed for the glossy sliding doors, and the others settled in to wait. Minutes later, a car with tinted windows rolled up to the curb just a few steps from them. The car stopped and the engine halted, but no signs of movement came from within the car. Goro tensed, watching the vehicle from the corner of his eye and noting its plate number. He tried using the special vision given to him by Igor, which allowed him to see two figures behind the dark windshield.

"Morgana," he whispered, barely moving his lips, "could you go investigate that car?"

Morgana stuck his head a bit farther out of Goro's bag. "It does look suspicious," he admitted, "but do you think it has anything to do with us?"

Goro was starting to understand what Ohya had said the other day about intuition; there was no sign that this car was related to Isshiki at all, but her interview had been widely publicized across mainstream news channels. With all that press, she may have ordered this car to escort her home, or she may have attracted the attention of the wrong people.

"I have a feeling it does," he said.

He crouched, pretending to retie his shoe while Morgana slipped from the bag and over to the car. They were close enough that he could stay out of sight by going in front of the car, then slinking across its side.

As Morgana did that, the front doors slid open once more, and a small group emerged from the research building. Goro could recognize the first person as Isshiki as she approached the car, and he recognized Makoto's voice to his left. The third person was a man wearing a white suit, tailing Makoto as she spoke with Isshiki.

"Just a few minutes of your time," she was pleading. "It would mean the world to me; I'm very interested in your research."

"I told you, schedule a meeting with the front desk," Isshiki said, opening the side door. As she did, Morgana hopped inside the car to take a quick look; Isshiki and the man were both focused on Makoto, allowing Morgana a small window of opportunity. "I've been very busy lately, and I don't have time for drop-ins. I'm on the way to another interview right now, as a matter of fact."

"I don't mean to be rude," Makoto said. "Another member of my group emailed you a week ago, but there was no response. I know you must be busy, but—"

"That's enough outta you, kid," the man said. He blocked the way between Isshiki and Makoto, cutting off their conversation. "Quit bugging Wakaba. I'll take you to the front desk."

Isshiki gasped as she turned to see a cat sitting in the car. Morgana darted out, holding something between his teeth, and ran back to Goro and Yusuke. Goro picked him up with a laugh, the attention of the group now on him.

"What is that cat doing?" the man in the suit demanded.

"So sorry about that; he's usually very well-behaved." Goro flashed a smile. "We were just getting him some fresh air."

Morgana twisted in his arms. "Put me down!" he said around the card in his mouth. Goro placed Morgana on the ground and ordered him to stay. He sat obligingly, eyes squinted in resentment.

"Get a leash for that thing next time," the man said. He furrowed his brow at Goro. "Aren't you that kid detective? You should know better than to hang around the city with an animal. It could get hurt."

Goro could sense the man's genuine concern for Morgana beneath his gruff words. Interesting. "You're right, sir. He's trained to stay at my side, but I suppose he has an affinity for nice cars."

The man didn't laugh at the joke, but his stance softened a bit. "Okay, everyone move along." He pointed at Makoto. "You come back inside with me. See you tomorrow, Wakaba."

"Goodbye, Sojiro." With one last look at Goro, Isshiki climbed into the car, slamming the door behind her. The car drove away and faded quickly from their sight.

Makoto followed Sojiro back inside to schedule an appointment, and Goro dropped down to Morgana's level. "What did you find?"

He dropped the card into Goro's hand. It was a little wet where Morgana was holding it, and Goro avoided touching that spot with his gloves. "There were a few of those scattered under the front seats," Morgana said. "They all looked the same, so I assume that's their business card."

Hiroto Togashi, Director of the Special Investigations Unit.

Goro smiled and showed the card to Yusuke. "Excellent work, Morgana. We're finally getting somewhere."