Friday evening had come to Tokyo, bringing with it a golden light from the sunset and the departure of most people from the building, which pleased Naoto - empty spaces and less noise helped her think, and she wanted to think for this. Her personal office was devoid of anyone except for her, the door was locked, and the only noises were the hum of the air conditioner and the occasional honk from traffic.

Naoto was currently gazing at a large case board in her office, and it occurred to her that the oft-seen movie or television scene of the detective standing in front of a case board was not entirely a fiction devised by writers.

The board's background was a large map of the Tokyo Metropolitan Area with colored pins pushed into it, one for the site of every mental shutdown or psychotic breakdown, and three special ones for the Phantom Thief incidents. Off to the side were a few empty suspect slots, empty because Naoto had no real suspects.

What she did have, though, were some leads - especially after her impromptu trip to Leblanc that had proved more fruitful than she could have possibly imagined. Both Sae and Akechi had told her of how good the coffee was (Akechi more than Sae, the latter having mentioned it merely offhand), and Naoto had left with far more than just an appreciation for their coffee.

In the week since her trip there, she'd put together a few more pieces of the increasingly complex puzzle, and one thing above all else was clear: the coincidences kept piling up, and she didn't like where they were pointing.

She sighed, then stood up fully from leaning against her desk. The evening sun was streaming in through her window, and it was getting close to quitting time for the weekend. If she was going to talk through this, she was going to have to do it now.

There was a sense of hesitation to her as she brought up the recording program on her laptop. Vocalizing all of this would make it more real, more actual. Some of it she didn't want to consider as real, because doing so would mean that whatever was happening was much, much more than just a string of people going crazy and a bunch of high schoolers changing hearts.

I can't run from this anymore. Let's get it all together.

She started up a new recording, took a breath, and began to speak.

"Case log, The Phantom Thieves. Today's date is Friday, September 9th, 2016. This is Detective Naoto Shirogane, working underneath the jurisdiction of the Tokyo Special Investigations Unit, alongside detective Goro Akechi and lead prosecutor Sae Niijima.

"The Phantom Thieves have targeted three individuals and successfully changed the hearts of each, as confirmed by the police department and the signed confessions. If the Phan-site's moderation team is to be believed and taken as fact, their targets instead number well over ten. If we believe in every report we get, they instead number in the hundreds. I do not believe in every report we get.

"Their methods are unknown, and their members are as well, though I believe them to be high schoolers - their first and third victims indicate that possibility, as both of those victims were targeting high school students, Kamoshida doing so exclusively.

"I believe I have located a group of students that is related to them. How, I cannot say. It is possible that they may be the Thieves, but I am not going to jump to conclusions without solid evidence."

She glanced down at her desk, where she had copies of the school photos for Ann, Ryuji, Akira, Makoto, and Yusuke spread out, along with the school records for all of them - and, in Akira's case, his criminal ones as well.

"First, Akira Kurusu." She picked up his photo and taped it to the wall. "16 years old, second-year transfer student at Shujin Academy, class 2-D. Criminal record, convicted of assault earlier this year. Case details could not be gathered at this time, and I was met with an unusual amount of resistance in doing so, but I will see about pulling some strings should Kurusu remain a person of interest. He, Sakamoto, and a third student named Yuuki Mishima were rumored to be threatened with expulsion by Kamoshida before the man's change of heart. Said expulsion never came to pass, if it was even real.

She picked up Ann's photo next, taping it to the wall next to Akira's. "Ann Takamaki. 16 years old, second-year student at Shujin Academy, class 2-D, same as Kurusu. Lived abroad for a time before coming to Japan. Was named directly by Kamoshida in his confession at Shujin Academy to the assembled student body. Has a close personal relationship to Shiho Suzui, who attempted suicide after being sexually assaulted by Kamoshida. Suzui is recovering well at this time.

Next, Yusuke's photo. "Yusuke Kitagawa. 16 years old, honors student at Kosei High School on a scholarship, class 2-A. Former student of Madarame, the second Phantom Thief target. Madarame has confessed to plagiarizing several of Kitagawa's artworks and enabling the death of his mother via seizure. No connection to any other victims."

Ryuji was next. "Ryuji Sakamoto. 16 years old, second-year student at Shujin Academy, class 2-B. Attended middle school with Takamaki, and was involved in numerous incidents with Kamoshida over Sakamoto's high school years, including a physical altercation where Kamoshida provoked Sakamoto and used that as an excuse to break his leg, ending Sakamoto's track career."

Last, and most regrettably, Makoto. "Makoto Niijima. 17 years old, third-year student at Shujin Academy, class 3-C. Student council president and top of her class. Younger sister of Sae Niijima, lead prosecutor. Claims to have had no knowledge of Kamoshida's offenses, and on that aspect, I believe her. Her relationship to any of the targets is currently unknown, though some of Kaneshiro's gang say a girl matching her description was in and around his headquarters a few weeks before his change of heart.

And now, the fun part.

"That Kurusu, Sakamoto, Takamaki, and Niijima are seen together is not unusual - they all attend Shujin and three of them are in the same grade level or have previously established friendships. In addition, Niijima and Takamaki seem particularly close, being very physically and seemingly emotionally comfortable with each other."

Just sitting next to each other isn't enough proof of a relationship, but the way Ann acted during Makoto's panic attack…

Naoto had been sitting close enough to hear them speak, and had politely ignored the scene going on - she figured Makoto didn't want additional attention put onto her, and talking to her after had only reinforced that notion.

"Kitagawa's presence among them is what sticks out to me. It's certainly possible that someone from a different school could be friends with others, but they have seemingly little in common and according to his teachers, Kitagawa is not very social. Why else, then, would one of the victims of a Phantom Thieves target be seen with other victims of a Phantom Thieves target?

"It could be coincidental," she said as she started to slowly pace the room. "But the coincidences are becoming too numerous and familiar to ignore. Victims of two targets, who are otherwise unrelated, meeting up together. Other victims soon join up, creating a larger group. Their group in particular bears much resemblance to the Investigation Team, especially with how much Kurusu reminds me of a certain friend of mine. Whether or not they are the Phantom Thieves is not known, but I firmly believe that they are related to the Phantom Thieves in a significant way.

"In addition, the similarities of this group to the Investigation Team leads me to worry that there is much more going on here behind the scenes than just the changing of hearts. How is such a thing possible, and why do the shutdown and breakdown cases bear such resemblance to other cases involving Shadows and other worlds?

"These questions are what I must focus on next - are Kurusu and the others the Phantom Thieves? If not, why are they gathered together? If so, how are they changing hearts, and what do they know about the mental shutdown and psychotic breakdown cases, if anything? Beyond all of that, is something more sinister just on the horizon?

"End of recording."

She stopped the recorder, than sat down in her office chair and looked at the photos on the wall, going over the case in her mind. There was so much still to do, and little idea on how to do it, but she had to start somewhere. She stacked all the personal files together and slid them into her briefcase, intending to work through the weekend on this. The thought, normally an exciting one, was more dread this time around - this case, more than any other case she'd been on, was utterly exhausting.

She closed the laptop and packed it up as well, taking a last look at her office - and she stepped over, pulled down the photos, and slid them into a desk drawer. If Sae were to find out that Naoto was thinking Makoto was involved…

That was not a conversation she wanted to have.

She stepped out of her office and closed the door behind her, glancing over at Sae's office - the woman was, as always, in it, but she too was packing up to go. Maybe she had somewhere to be, but Naoto had another idea.

I should have some fun tonight. So should she.

She strode over to the door frame, mentally checked her appearance to make sure she looked as good as she could, and then rapped her knuckles on the steel frame. Sae looked up, at first annoyed, but it vanished into a small smile when she saw Naoto. "Leaving as well, Shirogane-san? Would you care for some dinner before you go home?"

"I would be delighted, Niijima-san, and I was hoping you would indulge me in something a little more."

That caused Sae to look up, eyebrows adorably arched. "What exactly did you have in mind?"

"Drinks. Just us. Nothing heavy. We're both about to have long, work-filled weekends, and I wanted to spend some time unwinding before I wake up tomorrow and dive into the case. Apologies if I'm crossing a line, but I was very much thinking you could use the same."

As it was those months ago when she'd first asked Sae out for a meal, Naoto was now watching what Sae revealed about her internal thought process on being asked out for drinks. She knew that Sae was hardly a popular drinking partner, but she tried to contain her hope, already setting herself up for disappointment.

"Hmm, very well. I could use an easy night." Then, to Naoto's great surprise, she reached up and pulled the hair clip from the right side of her head off, ruffling her hair some to let it hang down naturally, framing her face.

Naoto's entire world flipped - Sae was always some level of professional and distinguished, but this new style just made her somehow more attractive, and it sent a shock of desire through Naoto's spine. Sae fixed her eyes on Naoto, one eyebrow arching up in curiosity as Naoto couldn't stop herself from staring. At some point, Sae's lips moved, but Naoto was too busy staring at the rest of her to notice.

It was the one thing that could've possibly made Sae more attractive to Naoto, and here she was, doing it. Naoto couldn't stop the sudden swell of warmth in her chest, and she felt the red rising in her cheeks, so she ducked around the corner hurriedly, before Sae could notice just how stupidly attracted Naoto was to her.

"Shirogane-san? Are you all right?" Sae called from her office.

"Just fine!" Naoto stammered out, clutching at her chest and breathing to try and calm down. "I'm fine, Niijima-san! Just...pack up, I'll be waiting out here."

She heard rustling from Sae's office, and she assumed that she had a moment, which was good - her heart was pounding in her chest, and she knew that her face was flushed.

Keep it together, Naoto, you're acting like some lovestruck teenager.

Then again, maybe being lovestruck wasn't the worst thing to be.

Naoto was lucky that the press had stopped stalking her in earnest after a few weeks, because photos of the former Detective Prince and the lead prosecutor drinking together in a bar would've been on the front page of every tabloid in Tokyo.

Starlight was a nice looking place, located far from Tokyo's seedier sections and was apparently a favorite among the after-work crowd, given how busy the place was. Brass accents, polished wooden countertops, and a well-dressed waitstaff gave it a sedate and soothing feel, starkly different from the more chaotic atmosphere of a nightclub or something for the college-aged population of Tokyo.

Men in loosened ties and removed jackets were gathered at the tables and bartops, bonding over a mutual enjoyment of alcohol and not having to be responsible for the rest of the night. The occasional burst of laughter or applause would ring through the air, but the gentle smooth jazz drifting from the speakers and the soft, warm lighting kept the mood low-key. It seemed like the kind of bar that someone like Sae Niijima would like.

Naoto and Sae were seated at the bar, having snagged two stools on entry. Naoto had gone with mixed drinks, but she knew how to handle herself around alcohol and had thus paced herself. She was currently feeling pleasantly warm and buzzed, dreamily smiling up at Sae. Her chin was resting on her palm and her elbow was resting on the bar, with her free hand lightly clutching a tall glass filled with a milky blue liquid. Sae was her focus point, animatedly talking about one of her previous cases that had involved a Santa Claus impersonator and a large snake. The described case didn't entertain Naoto nearly as much as Sae telling it did.

So much for nothing heavy.

Sae herself was well into drunk. Naoto hadn't been monitoring Sae's drinks - the woman was a grown adult - but it was Sae's demeanor that tipped Naoto off. Excited, animated gestures and wildly varying tones had replaced her sedate and low-key movements and vocal patterns. Naoto found this relaxed, inebriated Sae to be infinitely more fun than stodgy, normal Sae. There was a color to Sae's cheeks from the atmosphere and alcohol, and unlike the Investigation Team's memorable trip to Tatsumi Port Island, actual alcohol was involved this time.

So invested in watching Sae was Naoto that she didn't even notice she was staring until Sae had trailed off mid-story, now gazing right back at Naoto. The sudden lack of noise and movements broke Naoto from her reverie, pulling her back to the present and away from fixating on her partner in solving crimes. Sheepish, she sat up fully and cleared her throat, glancing back down at her glass and giving Sae a few seconds to start back up, pretending like nothing had happened.

Sae didn't.

Finally, Naoto looked up again to find Sae still staring at her with an expression that Naoto couldn't figure out. Naoto swallowed nervously, blinking a few times, not wanting to avoid eye contact but also very much wanting to avoid eye contact. "What?" she finally stammered out.

"You're staring at me," Sae muttered while staring at Naoto. "Is something on my face? What's wrong?" She rustled in her bag for her hand mirror, but in her drunken state, she could do little more than shift the contents around.

"Nothing!" Naoto raised a hand to placate Sae as she turned on her stool to look at her. "Nothing's wrong with your face. Nothing, at all, is wrong with your face."

I could cut myself on her eyeliner and it would be amazing.

"I just, um…" She trailed off while searching for the right words (or any words). This was a delicate situation, and she needed to handle it with as much tact and grace as her alcohol-addled mind could manage. "You're so…"

Gorgeous. Attractive. Stunning. Intelligent. Driven. Studious. Amazing. Determined. Heart-stoppingly beautiful.

"...different, away from the office. Like, here. Drinking. We should've done this weeks ago, I love spending time with you, like...like all those dinners, you know? So good. The dinners. And...you." She then hurriedly raised her glass to her lips in an effort to shut herself up.

Sae tried to hide a smile as she looked away, but she wasn't good at it. "You're not the only one. I'm really glad you're here, Shirogane-san, it's really nice to just...relax for a while, and get away from the courthouse, and not worry about the stupid case uuuuuuuuuugh." She brushed some hair from in front of her, giving Naoto a nice view of her side profile.

I want to run my tongue along those collarbones.

Naoto's grip on her glass tightened unconsciously as she fought to keep the thought in her head and away from her lips.

"I'm starting to hate this case," Sae mumbled as she swirled her glass, the brown liquid inside making small waves and glistening in the soft lighting.

Oh thank you, a new topic.

"Took you this long?" Naoto asked with a chuckle, body facing forward but attention still focused on Sae. "It's easily the hardest one I've ever been on. And it's me! Naoto Shirogane! Detective Prince! The 3000 IQ killjoy detective! Like...at least serial killers are predictable!"

"Right!? And with them, there's usually so much evidence! You just bring them in, convince the jury - which is super easy, by the way - and away they go!" She gestured to the door, waving goodbye to the imaginary captured serial killer that she'd just sent off the jail. "But no! Phantom Thieves! Who steal hearts!" Sae sighed, placing her arms onto the bartop and flopping over to lay her head on them. "How do you even steal a heart?" she asked rhetorically, words muffled by her arms.

"You've stolen mine," Naoto muttered, a hair above a whisper.

"Hmm? What?" Sae glanced up, an eyebrow arched in confusion.

"Nothing." Naoto took a sip of her drink, to buy herself her time and because she was close to finishing it off anyway. "I mean, I've faced a Phantom Thief before, but it was just my grandfather leaving secret messages for me." A smile graced her lips as she remembered the time she and Yu were sent all over Inaba. "He loves doing that, making up cases and sending me on wild hunts to solve them across town."

That got a trace of a smile from Sae, who seemed to slip back into her own memories. "He sounds like my father. Dad used to do those for me and Makoto before he...you know." She reached out, found her glass, and took a long swig from it.

Even in her inebriated state, Naoto realized this was the first time Sae had ever mentioned her father more than in passing. She had categorically refused to speak of the man, and any time he was brought up, she would change the subject. Naoto had learned more from her small talk with Makoto than she had from her entire time working with Sae.

This is a chance.

"What was he like?" she ventured. A good, safe question.

Sae was quiet for a moment, staring down into her drink as she seemed to be composing her thoughts. Naoto, too, was quiet, preferring to let Sae think it out, but the longer she took, the more she could see that Sae was not happy with where her brain took her. She shifted in her seat, her eyebrows furrowed, and her jaw clenched up.

"He was a brave man," she finally said, tone wavering as she tried unsuccessfully to keep it level Her fingers, wrapped around her now shaking glass, were turning white at the knuckles. "He was a brave, stupid man," she roared as she rounded on Naoto, eyes wrought with fury, "I wish he was still alive because I have some things I would love to say to him!"

Naoto was nearly forced back in her chair from the strength of Sae's wrath, and she fought down the urge to start looking for an exit. Sae was pissed, but Naoto was fairly sure she wasn't in any danger.

Fairly.

"I was twenty-two, Naoto. Twenty-two!" She slammed her glass down on the bartop with a loud noise, causing some of her drink to splash out and startling the people around them, who started to edge away. "He went and died and left us alone, even after mom died the same way! He knew how dangerous his job was, he knew that he could...that he could die doing it!" She wiped at the corner of her eye with her sleeve, getting rid of a tear that Naoto hadn't seen.

"He knew, but he didn't care, because justice had to be served." She spat the last part out like poison, the words dripping with distaste. "Because his crusade was too fucking noble to give up. Because he, and no one else, had to catch the bad guys."

She raised her glass to the air, an ironic toast to the sky. "So thanks, dad, for getting shot. You asshole!" With that, she downed what was left in her glass and smashed it down onto the bartop, somehow managing to keep it intact despite the force.

The bar went quiet, what muted conversation there had been silenced by the sudden and undeniably angry outburst. The only thing you could hear for a moment was the music still coming through the speakers, then someone at another table laughed, and the spell was broken - conversations resumed, the bartenders went back to mixing drinks, and Starlight was as it always was.

Except, of course, for Sae and Naoto.

Naoto was quiet, unsure of what to say or do as Sae silently fumed. She wanted to embrace Sae, tell her it was okay. She wanted to pat her on the back, tell her sorry. She wanted to grab her and hold her and tell her that she wasn't alone. A small part of her, undoubtedly fueled by the alcohol, wanted to leave Sae here, to pretend this had never happened and to go call Rise.

That part was shouted down by the rest of her. Sae had finally opened up to Naoto, possibly more than she had to anyone since the death of her father - leaving now would be the worst idea Naoto had ever come up with. Naoto also understood - her own parents had died when she was a child, leaving her to be raised by her grandfather, with all of the pressure of the family lineage now left to her and her alone.

Sae was not only left alone, she was left with a younger sister to care for - twenty-two and fresh out of university is far from the best time to be burdened with a dependant. Naoto had to carry her family's name, but Sae had all of that and a sister.

If Grandpa hadn't been around to take care of me...

Naoto looked up and over at Sae, sympathetic. "I'm so sor-"

"Don't," Sae growled as she side eyed Naoto, tone low and dangerous. "Don't be sorry for them, or for me, or for Makoto. I'm the one that got stuck with this, and with her, after Dad died. I don't want your pity, and I don't want anyone else's."

"It's not pity, it's...condolences," Naoto ventured, finding what she hoped was the right word. She had a feeling that she was treading on eggshells here. "Both of my parents died when I was young, and they were both detectives. I...had a lot to live up to."

Naoto expected Sae to finally meet her eyes again, maybe break into a different conversation or recognize that there was a connecting thread of tragedy. She didn't expect Sae to snort dismissively and shake her head. "Lucky you. You didn't get to know them, so they couldn't disappoint you."

Okay, what the hell?

"Hey!" Naoto jumped off her stool, temper flaring, and she fixed Sae with a hard glare as she got right up close to her. "You're mad. I get that, but that doesn't give you the right to say things like that! I didn't do anything, and neither did they!"

Sae opened her mouth, and Naoto's already fierce expression darkened - she didn't often bring anger to bear, but there were times and places for it, and this was one of them. Sae looked ready to fight as well, and there was a moment between them, one of tension.

This is it. This could be it. Still, Naoto held her ground. Sae's troubles were not Naoto's fault, and though Naoto was happy to listen to Sae explode over her own parents, she would not stand idly by as Sae passed the blame to others.

Finally, Sae relaxed, swallowing back her biting reply and looking away from Naoto, straight down at the wooden bartop. She nodded a few times, and Naoto watched as the anger melted off of her form - her shoulders slumped, and the tension vanished from her back as the fight went out of her.

Naoto, too, let go of her anger, breathing it out and gently patting Sae on the back with her hand. Sae met her eyes, expression devoid of any kind of malice, replaced with regret and melancholy.

"I'm sorry, Shirogane," Sae mumbled, voice wavering. "I know. I know it's not, I...it's just…" She sighed, sniffing, clearly trying to keep herself from falling over the edge. "I can't do this."

She needs to be home.

"Come on, Niijima-san," Naoto said as she picked up her suit jacket from the back of the chair, again patting on Sae's back. "Time to go."

"I'm so sorry," Sae said, turning to face Naoto fully, on the verge of tears. "I'm so sorry, to you, and to Makoto, and to...to my dad, and my mom, and everyone, I'm so…" And her words dissolved into unintelligible mumbling.

"Let's get you home," Naoto said. "You are too drunk to be this sad, it will not end well." Sae continued to mumble something that was probably a protest, but Naoto ignored it. She took Sae's arm, set it across her shoulder, and pulled the other girl to her feet. It took them a moment to get settled and steady, but eventually they did.

"I was so mean to her, Shirogane," Sae said as they headed towards the door. "I was so mean to her, I called her terrible things, and she deserves so much better." She then suddenly seemed to realize they were walking, and she stopped, shaking her head. "No, I...I can walk. I can do this, I don't need…"

"It's okay, Niijima-san," Naoto said soothingly. "Let me walk you home."

Sae shook her head. "No, I can make it." She made a weak effort to step away from Naoto, but she couldn't hold herself up.

"Please. Let me help," Naoto said as she put an arm around Sae's torso for support. Sae didn't complain, but Naoto could see the flush of red in her cheeks.

"...thanks."