August 5th

Ango Natsume was holding a sudden press conference. Nobody had a clue as to why he was doing such a thing. "Thank you, everyone, for coming." Natsume said with a small bow to the people. "I've called this press conference to give an announcement, as well as a formal apology."

There were some murmurs in the crowd already. What in the world would Ango Natsume have to apologize for?

"First, my novel, Prince of Nightmares, was recently bestowed the honor of receiving first place in the Soukaisha Award." There was a lingering pause after he said this. "I have decided to give this award back." Right after he said this, numerous cameras began flashing. The news was going to eat this up, and was only the tip of the iceberg. "I've also decided to recall all published copies…not to mention take the necessary steps to refund everyone's money. I'm sure you all want to know my reasons for doing so. The truth…" And here came the hardest part. Admitting the truth.

"My book, Prince of Nightmares, only won because of my status as Sogo Natsume's grandson. In short, the competition was fixed from the very beginning. In addition, I've also stolen the work of countless other authors, word for word. Lastly, the story I told about writing to inspire a hospitalized girl was nothing but a lie to garner sympathy. This fabrication allowed my book to sell a number of copies it nowhere near deserved." Natsume closed his eyes, preparing for the backlash that was coming his way after revealing all of this. "I wish to apologize for this scandal. And I'll start by personally seeing to it that everyone who bought my book is refunded!" A monumental task considering that it sold millions only in Sendai…

"I promise, my writing career ends here! I am deeply sorry for all I've done! To all of you!" He then bowed to everyone to show how sorry he was. After a press conference like this, his name was dragged through the mud by his own doing. It was only right to put an end to things once and for all.

Natsume's editor quickly stumbled forward, shocked by the sudden reveal that affected him as well. "H-Hold on, Mr. Natsume! What do you think you're doing!?"

"Hey, time to wrap it up! Time to get everyone out of here, now!" Another editor said. They couldn't cash in on Natsume if he was tarnishing his own reputation! They needed to put an end to this as soon as possible.

"No, please!" Natsume begged. "I have to do this! This is the only way I can make amends for what I've done!"

Now that people were watching this situation unfold, there was some doubt forming. "Hey, something doesn't seem right here. Mr. Natsume was the one who put this thing together, right?" A reporter questioned.

"Do you think the editors were just trying to profit off Mr. Natsume's family name?" Another reporter suggested. And when the editors heard this thought, they visibly choked up. They were nearly caught red handed.

"Hey!" Yusuke pushed through the crowd with Ren and Hifumi behind him. No matter what happened, he refused to see Natsume give up. Not after what his Shadow had to say. "I will not allow this!"

"W-Who are you!?" One of the editors gasped at the appearance of these teenagers.

"Silence, we are not addressing you." Hifumi said. The bite from her words caught the two men by surprise.

"You…" Natsume recognized Yusuke. "You're the one from the party…I'm sosorry for what I said…" Calling the Sayuri trash?! The final painting of this young man's mother? How could he be so…!?

"I will not allow you to cover and run away, Ango Natsume." Yusuke said firmly. "You intend to make a comeback, do you not?"

Deep down, Natsume wanted that to be truth. Still, he wasn't expecting anyone to actually pull that truth out of him. "Huh…?"

"When you do make a return to the literary world, I want to see a book with your name on it, not your grandfather's!" Yusuke exclaimed. Natsume gasped from these words. "You're going to write a novel you can be proud of, are you not!?"

"You're not alone." Ren said. "It doesn't have to be the end."

Hifumi held up her copy of Prince of Nightmares with a soft smile. "You already have at least one person waiting for your next work. So give it your very best, because we'll be waiting!"

Natsume was nearly brought to tears. There were…people actually in his corner, waiting for him…? He didn't know how to feel about it. But it made him happy. It made him believe that this truly wasn't the end. "Thank you so very much…" He sniffled and turned back to the cameras. "Once everything is rightfully resolved, I will make my return. Even if there's just one person waiting for me to write my stories, no matter what, I will keep writing!" With his passion ignited, he stood up. "I only hope that I can one day save someone's soul the way my grandfather's novels saved mine when I was young…THAT IS WHY I WRITE!"

.

.

"You kids sure are something else." Zenkichi couldn't help but chuckle. Natsume's press conference was over so they met outside. It was night time now. "Barging in on a press conference?"

"My apologies. It was imperative that I speak with him." Yusuke said.

"…I couldn't let him think he didn't have anyone waiting for his return." Hifumi rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. It also already slipped her mind that she snapped at those foul editors of his.

Zenkichi waved a hand dismissively. "Eh, it's fine. Anyway, I gotta go question him now."

"Oh, right…" Ann had a bit of a frown. "I guess it wouldn't end with just an apology."

"Zenkichi's doing his job? It's almost like he's actually a cop or something." Futaba said with widened eyes.

"I AM an actual cop!" Zenkichi had it with the sass on that one. "Anyway, t won't take long, so go on and wait for me back at the car." And so, he left.

"Guess we should get rolling, then." Ryuji said.

"Before that, I would like to bring something to everyone's attention." Akechi spoke.

"What is it?" Makoto asked. It must've been important.

"It regards the change of heart. I wasn't certain with Alice, but I am a little more confident after Natsume." Akechi said. He had everyone's attention. "In the past, the changes of heart took quite some time, did they not?"

"Now that you mention it…" Ren thought back about it.

"We went after Kamoshida as soon as we could…" Ryuji thought back to that. "He was out for a few days until his heart changed."

"Madarame was much the same." Yusuke said.

"So what Kaneshiro. But what are you trying to say?" Morgana tilted his head.

"It's just noteworthy to me how fast the change of heart has occurred." Akechi said. "It was because of that…God of Control that the Palace Rulers Shadows ended up returning to Mementos, which they escaped from, correct?"

"Mhm." Sumire gave a nod. "I think that's the gist of it."

"It is a hypothesis, but this is what I've come up with so far. Palaces were naturally occurring, stemming from a single individual's strong distorted cognition. While their actions in reality affected those around them, it was usually contained in a way. As for Jails, they have a much larger influence on the surrounding area, but their structures have been identical to one another thus far. Now, I don't have sufficient evidence to prove it, but…I believe the Jails are manmade creations. There has been nothing bogged the Shadows of the Monarchs down, and EMMA is the entry point to the Jails. Those who are Monarchs are likely aware of this power EMMA possesses, but not of the specifics. This leads me to wonder how Monarchs truly come about, because a Jail doesn't appear to be as natural as a Palace. This is all too suspicious to ignore."

"Whoa…to be completely honest, I totally forgot how sharp you were." Futaba admitted. Akechi was thinking so far ahead. Granted, it was all speculation, but the logic tracked with what they knew so far.

"Again, this is all a hypothesis. We lack definitive proof…but comparing the situations from before and now, picking out what's similar and what's different is important to finding the truth of the matter." Akechi crossed his arms. "My hypothesis is subject to change depending on what Officer Hasegawa has to report to us."

"So we could be working with something manmade…? That raises a lot of questions if true…" Akechi gave Ren and the others something to think about.

.

.

Zenkichi met with the group at the RV, giving his report on what he got from Natsume. The news wasn't great overall, but at least Futaba was given access to Natsume's phone. "So…it's the same as Alice…" Ann was a little disappointed.

"So we got nothin' again!?" Ryuji huffed.

"I didn't say that. Just like before, there were traces of someone snooping around in there." Futaba reported. "Someone was snooping around…but I couldn't find anything. Only traces."

"Does this make this a coincidence, or a pattern?" Hifumi wondered.

"Hey, Zenkichi. Do the police know about this?" Morgana asked.

To that, Zenkichi shook his head. "No. The only reason we even know this guy exists is because Sakura shifted through Alice's phone.

"So aside from the fact they both used EMMA, this mystery observer is the only thing linking Alice and Natsume together." That was the only conclusion Morgana could draw. "If the police didn't know that, why would they think the crimes are related?"

"I would assume that to be the nature of the cases." Akechi said.

"Yeah, pretty much." Zenkichi nodded to Akechi's assessment. "That and the timing."

"The timing?" Haru blinked.

"All of the Changes of Heart incidents occurred at roughly the same time, that being three months ago. Didn't I tell you?" Zenkichi said.

"Three months ago is when EMMA was first released." Futaba said.

"Well, EMMA is being used to perpetrate the crimes, so that makes sense." Zenkichi found that to be natural, knowing what he knew now about the Metaverse.

"Akechi might be right after all…" Yusuke said.

"That company puttin' that thing out is suspicious as all hell. What're they called again? Madames?" Ryuji asked. He completely forgot.

"It's Maddice, Ryuji-senpai." Sumire said with an exasperated smile. She tried.

"For what it's worth, I'm investigating on that front as well." Zenkichi said. "Still, we're talking about a major corporation operating on a global scale. You can't just walk in and start poking around without reason."

"They are the most suspicious simply because their product has been causing this." That was Akechi's stance on the matter. "We may have no evidence, but sometimes the obvious lead exists for a reason."

"I can't argue with you there, especially about the part where there's no solid evidence whatsoever." Zenkichi shook his head. "If our mystery observer was connected to Madicce, though, then we'd have grounds to conduct an investigation." But that was grasping at straws with the bare minimum information they had. "…Do you think there's someone pulling the strings on this case?" He was seeking their honest opinion on this matter.

"It's hard to say." Makoto shook her head. "That would be convenient for us, but…"

"Yeah, that'd be too easy." Not something Zenkichi could entirely rule out, but they just didn't have enough to go on. "Guess we'll have to see if the other incidents have any overlap as well."

"…Akechi was going over the same thing." Ann looked at Akechi, who was still standing at the door of the RV. Those detective instincts of his were still spot on, even after all this time.

"For now, looking at the other incidents is our best bet at scoring a lead." Zenkichi rounded it off. "So, if we're done here, I'll head to Sapporo to see what I can find on our next target. We'll rendezvous on the 8th."

"Three days? That should be an easy trip by car." Makoto looked at Hifumi, who nodded in agreement. They could cover that short of trip easily. It was still going to be pretty long, even with the two of them splitting the driving duty….

"Whoa, there's no need to rush. The target's not even in Japan until then." These kids were so eager. While Zenkichi did appreciate that, he did want them to enjoy their summer vacation while they could. "Oh, right. Wasn't there a festival happening around here soon? Sendai's famous for its Tanabata Festivals. Lots of good food lined up…or so I hear."

Sumire perked up. "Do they…?"

"I do recall seeing signs posted for it…" Yusuke stroked his chin.

"I'll pass." Akechi said while shaking his head.

"Come on, there's no rush. You can afford to take it easy once and a while. If you're too high strung, you'll regret it. You're young, too." Zenkichi told Akechi. Well, I'm going to go ahead." Leaving that in the air, Zenkichi made his exit.

"….." Akechi had no words to that.

"…I guess he wants us to rest while we can." Makoto could come to that conclusion easily.

"Gramps is actually a pretty considerate guy, huh?" Even Ryuji was impressed.

"Well, since we're here, should we put on yukata and go to the festival?" Ann was beaming. A chance to unwind!? She was all for it!

"Yukata…" Makoto had a fond smile. "I can't help but think of that fireworks festival where we got rained on."

"I remember that…we met Haru that day." Hifumi said.

"Hehe…" Haru giggled. She had fond memories of that day too.

"That's why we're gonna do it right this time! We didn't have Futaba or Sumire with us back then!" Ann was all set for this.

"I like the sound of that." Ren said. "I'll wear a yukata too."

"Then we got a plan!" Futaba snickered. But she glanced at Akechi for a moment. "…Are you coming with us?"

"…I'll take a quick look." Akechi said. "I don't intend to spend too much time out enjoying a festival." Having fun? That was not something he knew how to do genuinely…or deserved.

"…." Haru bit her tongue…and then released it. Too much effort to be mad. She'd just…keep her distance.

"So it seems as if we have a plan." Sumire nudged her phone. "Sophia, can you look up shops that sell yukata for us?"

"Of course. I'll lead the way." Sophia nodded, prepared to guide as always.

.

.

August 6th.

It was the day of the Tanabata festival. The boys were dressed for the occasion, although Akechi was…lingering behind a bit. He went through the effort actually buying a yukata, and even putting it on. But when he did, the regret and indecision started to set in. However, it was already too late for him to turn back; he was already here, at the festival, and he felt very out of place. "This was a mistake." He said aloud. Why did he let Zenkichi's words get to him? Relax? Him? As if he was capable of such a thing in earnest these days…

"It's not that bad." Ren said. He had a fan in hand and simply used it on himself.

"Dude, check out all the booths!" Ryuji said excitedly.

"As one might expect from Sendai's Tanabata festival. It's very lively here." Yusuke was pleased to be here.

"Apparently, the locals call it Tanabata-san," Sophia chimed in from Ren's phone. Since the girls were taking a while to get ready, Sophia moved herself from Sumire's phone to Ren's phone, so she could witness the festival earlier. "And it's said to have originated from back in Date Masamune's time."

"Hey, that's the dude from the statue, huh!?" Ryuji gasped. This was the result of him learning some history for once.

"He is not a dude." Yusuke immediately chided Ryuji. "He is Lord Date Masamume, the One-Eyed Dragon of Oshu. You will address him with respect."

"Geez, what are you, his retainer or somethin'?" Ryuji let out a groan.

"There's so many booths! It's hard to pick what to see first." Morgana was so eager. "What do you think, Ren?"

"Let's try some Yakisoba first." Ren suggested.

"I'm cool with that." Ryuji grinned and rubbed the underside of his nose. "I dunno why, but yakisoba from a food stand always tastes so friggin good.

"Are you certain you should be getting so eager to explore before the rest of the party arrives?" Akechi asked. To think he was the one who would be considerate and think about that.

"Speakin' of which…ain't those guys here yet?" Ryuji started to look around for the girls. He realized they had been waiting for them for a while.

"It takes time for lady to get ready. They're not unrefined apes like the rest of you." Morgana said smugly.

"You're a cat. You have no room to talk." Akechi said with an annoyed scoff. He'd nearly forgotten how cocky Morgana could be in and out of the Metaverse.

"Yeah, you're just a furball!" Ryuji shot back.

"This furball's got claws!" Morgana snapped back.

"Knock it off…" Ren groaned.

Luckily for the boys, the girls did arrive in their yukata soon enough. "Sorry for the wait!" Ann beamed.

"Whoa! Lady Ann…you look absolutely gorgeous!" Morgana couldn't help but let that comment slip out.

"Hehe, thanks, Morgana." Ann giggled.

"She does." Hifumi gave a nod and a soft smile. That was what made Ann blush faintly, and unfortunately for Morgana, he got another reminder of where he stood now. No chance.

"Sorry. Tying the obi took quite some time." Haru said with a bashful smile. But there was an awkward moment when she met eyes with Akechi. She was surprised that he actually committed to showing up.

"Er…" Akechi wasn't sure what to say. He could tell Haru's gaze was peering into his soul, questioning his presence. "…You look nice. I'm sure the others will agree that the wait was worth it." He awkwardly sputtered out that compliment. Something to defuse the situation, and it wasn't an empty one either.

"O-Oh…" Haru wasn't expecting that. Did Akechi really just compliment her and mean it? She wasn't sure how to feel about the annoying warmth she felt on her cheeks.

"Oh, um…thank you." Even Makoto felt a little bashful from that. She brushed her hair behind her ear.

"Thank you, Akechi-san…" Sumire felt mildly flustered as well. So much so, she slipped back into giving him the honorific she dropped some time ago.

"He was the first one to compliment us…?" Futaba was shocked. That was not something she was expecting. And that's why she, too, was blushing faintly.

"Thank you!" Ann smiled. "You know, that yukata of yours looks pretty good on you, you know?"

"Does it? Ah…thank you." Akechi was out of his element. In the past, such compliments were easy due to his pleasant persona. Now? Giving and receiving compliments felt foreign. "Your compliment is very appreciated." Hifumi gave a slight nod, coupled with a faint smile.

"…What the hell just happened…" Ryuji looked to the other dudes. Did Akechi really just charm his way into getting six girls to blush!?

"But he is right." Yusuke said. "Absolutely picturesque. You've brought a much needed air of refinement."

"Because according to a certain cat, we're as unrefined as it gets." He glared at Morgana, who just glared back.

"Oh, wow, Ryuji that looks good on you!" Ann pointed out. "Even better than your school uniform!"

"You don't gotta try and make me feel better!" Ryuji slumped over. That compliment didn't feel genuine.

"I think Ann-senpai is right! I agree with her." Sumire said. "Oh, you also look nice, Ren-senpai…!" Sumire quickly said, cheeks burning. She felt like a hot mess already and nobody said anything.

"Thank you." Ren fanned himself.

"You made a good choice with that mask. Ryuji." Futaba said. "Yellow is in season. I bought a water balloon, myself. You gotta get one when you go to a festival!"

"Water balloon? Oh, you mean a yo-yo!" Ryuji said.

"Uh…isn't it called a water yo-yo?" Yusuke interjected.

"Wait a sec…" Ann spoke up. "I thought it was yo-yo balloon?"

"Is it?" Hifumi had no idea.

"No…" Futaba's voice got a little shaky. She was pretty sure she was right. "It's a water balloon."

"…Ann is correct." Akechi spoke up. All eyes were on him as he validated her response. "It is called yo-yo balloon."

"Ah ha!" Ann was grinning at the validation. Akechi was smart and he had no reason to lie about this, so his word was pretty much fact here. "Told you! Water balloons and yo-yo's are two totally different things. So it's gotta be yo-yo balloon!"

"You gave her a big head." Ryuji turned to Akechi. He gave an awkward shrug. How was he supposed to know Ann would take this and run with it?

Makoto found herself chuckling at the situation. "It looks like everyone's having a good time. We should have a little fun ourselves. Why don't we check out the food stands and fine something to eat?"

"Sure." Haru nodded to that idea. "I was starting to get hungry since everything smells so good."

"Look!" Futaba was pointing around excitedly. "They've got all the staples! Yakisoba, yakitori, shaved ice…they've even got konjac skewers! Those things are huge in Tohoku!"

"I can't wait to try all of it!" Sumire's eyes lit up. Naturally, she had every intention of burning off everything she ate tonight. The Jails did make good exercise, but nothing beat an old fashion training routine! She was going to love this.

"Then we should make haste with no delay!" Hifumi exclaimed cutely, raising one arm up.

Ann raised her opposite arm up in turn. "Yeah, what are we waiting for? Chaaaaarge!" With that, the girls started to walk off to get food.

"We should get some food too. I'm staaaaariving." Morgana said.

"Hell yeah! Let's start from one end and get one of everything!" Ryuji was clearly pumped.

"It feels like we're forgetting the spirit of Tanabata…" Yusuke trailed off. Oh well. "But I have no objections." Because far be it from him to want to deny food.

"I want to see more of the festival too!" Sophia chimed in. "Ren, please show me to catch goldfish!"

"Of course, of course." Ren gave a nod, watching as the others started to walk ahead. Akechi lingered behind, so of course Ren was going to speak to him. "What, not gonna join us? You've already come this far."

"I'll explore at my own leisurely pace." Akechi deflected the question. "Don't expect me to group up with all of you in your activities."

"…Okay, whatever floats your boat." Ren wasn't going to push Akechi into something he didn't want to. The fact he was here at all, though, did speak volumes. There was no reason to push that. In fact, Akechi was the first one to walk off. "Heh…" There was no point in keeping the others waiting.

.

.

The Tanabata Festival went on for hours. It was pretty late in the night by the time they were finished, regrouping at the RV. "Mmm, that was SO good. " Ann was the happiest she'd ever been in a while.

"Konjac skewers, Inhinomaki yakisoba, zunda cider…we basically ate our way through Sendai!" Futaba was grinning.

"And it was AMAZING!" Ryuji rubbed his stomach. "Gotta hand it to old man Masamune, he is one cool dude."

"That's LORD Maasmune to you!" Futaba suddenly declared, then looked to Yusuke immediately. "Did I do it right, Yusuke?"

Yusuke was floored. Futaba beat him to the punch. "Am I THAT predictable!?"

"Yes." Hifumi said with a teasing giggle.

"The food was so delicious. I'm grateful for the opportunity to eat that kind of food." Sumire was content. "I haven't felt so full in a while. I can't wait to work this all off!"

"Don't overwork yourself too much now…" Ren said with a nervous smile. Sumire always found new ways to surprise him.

"Catching goldfish seems difficult. Is there some sort of secret technique to catching one?" Sophia's question was based off of Ren's difficulty in catching one.

"Try to stay calm, then strike without hesitation!" Makoto explained. "The trick is to catch them once you've read their movements."

"Wow, that's impressive, Mako-chan!" Haru said with a big smile.

"It's quite simple. But I suppose not everyone is fit for catching goldfish." Akechi was looking at Ren. They had a little competition and the loser was painfully obvious.

"We'll get it next time, Ren." Sophia said. "We'll make sure you don't lose to Akechi as badly as you did." She wasn't trying to rub it in. But from an objective standpoint, Ren was absolutely crushed. Did Akechi take pride in beating one of his rivals in something so small as this? Yes. Yes he did.

"Y-Yeah…" Ren deflated slightly. Ouch. It was then that Ren's phone began to ring.

"Oh, you're getting a call from Zenkichi." Sophia said.

Ren answered. "Yo. You guys having fun?" Zenkichi asked from the other line.

"Yeah, we had a great time. Uh, what's up?" Ren wasn't expecting a sudden call from their partner in crime. He put Zenkichi on speaker so everyone could hear.

"Listen, I wanted to ask you guys a favor. I'm already investigating in Sappro, but before you leave Sendai, I need you guys to visit Toho University. Tomorrow, there's gonna be a session at the Mt. Aoba campus." Zenkichi explained.

"A session? So they're gonna jam?" Ren was joking with that last part, but that joke didn't fly at all. Nobody laughed. Awkward. So he cleared his throat and tried to continue the conversation.

"The CEO of Madicce is holding a lecture there. I'm still looking into that at the moment, but the more info we have, the better. I'd like you all to attend in my place." Zenkichi was giving them a good bit of information here.

"Yeah, we can do that, no problem." Madicce was on their suspect list. So having a chance to even be in the same room as the CEO was still huge.

"Glad we're on the same page. And just so we're clear, don't draw any unnecessary attention to yourselves. Just go and see if the CEO says anything strange." Zenkichi said.

"Hehe, that CEO won't be able to hide anything from Fumi!" Ann said with a smug grin.

"You're giving me too much credit…" Hifumi scratched her cheek with a sheepish smile. But it was nice knowing her abilities were being counted on.

"Do we have a name for this guy?" Ren asked.

"His name is Akira Konoe." Zenkichi reported. "And he looks like a capable CEO, I'll give him that. Anyway, I'm gonna be counting on you kids. And again, try not to get carried away, alright?" With that, Zenkichi hung up.

"Wait, so let me get this straight…." Ryuji noticed something and he couldn't not speak on it. "This guy's runnin' the company that made EMMA?"

"Naturally, this puts him at the top of our suspicion list." Akechi crossed his arms. "It's not impossible for a CEO of a company as large as Madicce to be responsible for the change of heart situation. Although, this still doesn't quite prove that he even knows of the Metaverse." Again, until they happened upon some true, solid evidence, all they could do was hypothesize. "But I'm getting ahead of myself." But as far as he was concerned, this was the most solid theory. Madicce being in charge of EMMA, the thing they knew was responsible for the Change of Heart incidents across Japan, was too suspicious to ignore.

"I suppose we'll find out more tomorrow, huh? I've never been inside of a college before…" Sumire felt a little daunted.

"I feel a little bad for saying this, but if we had the MetaNav, we could just type his name and confirm if he had a Palace or not." Hifumi's wishful thinking came with a sigh. She didn't want to suspect Konoe too much, but that solution would make their lives a little easier.

"A proper investigation requires a little legwork, Togo." Akechi said. Hifumi just gave a slow nod agreement.

"Looks like break times over." Futaba said. "Back to work!" They had their time to relax, but they had more pressing issues to take care of. A chance to listen to Akira Konoe, the CEO of Madicce, was too valuable to ignore.