Persona 5: The Phantom Files

by sithlorde1988

Will cover the events of both Persona 5 Royal AND Persona 5 Scramble/Strikers. What happens when in addition to Ren being sentenced to go live in the care of Sojiro Sakura for a year after being sued for assault, his younger brother is also ordered to go and oversee him? How will this extra character change things? Read to find out! More info in chapter 1! Read and review! Enjoy!

63. Shujin Festival! Crow's Gambit part 2

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Persona 5- The Phantom Files! To be honest, I don't really have all that much to say this time around for the start-of-chapter A/N, so let's just jump right into the disclaimer, yeah?

Disclaimer: sithlorde1988 does not own the Persona series in any way, shape, or form (barring the OC Kusa/Draconis, along with the minor recurring OCs Slim, Mimille, Lumine, Kyori, and Akira, plus any other appearing OCs, all of whom are made and thus owned by sithlorde1988 unless otherwise noted) and the credit for owning the Persona series belongs to Atlus, Sega, and to a point Koei Tecmo, so all credit to them!

That said, on with chapter 63!

Chapter 63: Preparing for the Summer Festival! The Panel Trap? Crow's Gambit part 2

(At Leblanc, in the evening with Ren and Morgana)

After considering his options, Ren decided to brew more coffee just because he could. Sojiro noticed Ren preparing to brew and spoke up.

"Brewing again, Ren? Well, you're awfully eager about this. The coffee bug really bit you hard, huh? Well, whatever. I don't really mind. Knock yourself out. I'm headin' out to stock up on more cigarettes, so enjoy your brewing." Sojiro said as Ren nodded and fired up the brewer to brew some coffee. As he did so, Morgana did a closed-eye smile as he spoke up.

"Whoa! No matter how many times I see this, I never get tired of seeing you brew coffee, Ren. Also, mmm, I love the smell of good coffee. It smells so delightfully delectable." Morgana said as a chuckle behind the group after the door opened and closed made Morgana turn towards the door, where Kusa had just walked in. Kusa then spoke up.

"Delectable, you say? I didn't think you were into coffee that much, Morgana? Maybe your true form loves coffee?" Kusa guessed. Morgana just spoke up.

"Dunno. But maybe that's the case." Morgana said as Ren finished pouring some coffee, smiling as he sipped his finished product and pumping a fist.

"YES! That's really coming along nicely!" Ren said as Morgana spoke up.

"The way you're drinking it makes it look delicious." Morgana said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"True. Not to mention, that coffee smells absolutely glorious. Keep this up, and you might even give Boss a run for his money someday." Kusa said with a smirk. Ren nodded as he got 2 'Master Coffee' items. Morgana went to speak up, only for Kusa to beat him to it.

"Dang Ren, do you always get extra Charm from brewing coffee? If so, that explains why Morgana always jokes about Boss' gentlemanly charm rubbing off on you. Impressive." Kusa said as Ren nodded as his Charm got another needless boost. After a bit, the door opened once again, this time with Sojiro walking in, smirking at Ren as he sat down.

"Heh, Looks like you're at it again, Ren. And I see Kusa decided to keep you company this time." Sojiro said as Kusa spoke up.

"Eh, figured I could watch him work, and if I'm lucky, maybe even pick up a few early pointers for when and if I start learning to brew coffee myself. After all, if you start teaching Ren how to make curry, you can't exactly teach us both that, and you'll need someone manning the coffee brewer." Kusa said as Sojiro nodded.

"Good point, Kusa. That said, how's it going, Ren? Here. I'll have a sip." Sojiro said as Ren handed the cup to Sojiro, who took a sip and spoke up.

"Mm. This aftertaste, so distinctive. No doubt about it, this is a Costa Rican SHB. Let me explain! Costa Rica is abundant in nature with a large variety of plant and animal life, and has been exporting coffee for centuries. Strictly Hard Bean, or SHB for short, is a grade given to coffee grown at a high altitude of 4,500 feet. It has an elegant aftertaste and sweet aroma.

Honestly, this is delicious, Ren. I'm legitimately impressed. Although, you'll never completely catch up to me, you know. Just to reaffirm, allow me to teach you everything I know, as a token of my appreciation. That said, I know you can do it, Ren." Sojiro said as he got up and went home, at which point Kusa spoke up.

"Well, I'll be damned, Ren. He actually praised you. I think you might genuinely be impressing him. Good stuff, man." Kusa said as blue music notes went up over his head before Morgana spoke up.

"Agreed, Kusa. That said, once Ren does the dishes and cleans up his workspace, you two should get to bed, since we have a big day tomorrow." Morgana said as Kusa and Ren nodded and finished the dishes and cleanup before going up to get laid down for the night...

(At the same time, in the SIU Director's office with the SIU Director)

"Yes, I have another suggestion. Call for the arrest of the Phantom Thieves, then mobilize the police. The rest will go as you mentioned, after that. Hehehe." the SIU Director said as he listened to the voice on the other end for a bit before speaking up again.

"Still, sir, I have to say. I'm truly amazed at the atrocious methods you come up with." the SIU Director said approvingly as he kept speaking on the phone...

(The next morning, on the walk to school with Ren, Kusa, and Morgana)

"What's going on? I totally froze up when the cops talked to me. I bet they consider me a suspect now. How much longer are they gonna do this? We should be busy preparing for the school festival right now." A worried-looking male student said to his friend, who glared as he spoke up.

"Better question is why'd the school decide to have the festival so late, anyway? They're lucky they didn't have to re-arrange the dance because of it. After all, what if some of us who actually got dates for that have to make other plans if their dates have plans on whatever day they'd move the dance to? The disrespect, I tell you. I mean, changing the date just because our school's all over the news? Moving it to next Tuesday only makes more work for us!" The glaring student said as the worried-looking student spoke up.

"Not only that, because of the date changing, we won't be able to invite friends from other schools now that we're holding the festival on a weekday. It'll also be an inconvenience to anyone we already invited. And what about the post-festival plans? Will there be enough people to still have the Student Sharing Special? Or will they have to move that up to be the opening act for the dance?

Ugh, it's gonna be a real weird festival with morale so low, you know." The worried-looking student said as Kusa and Ren huffed as they finished the walk to school in silence, both glad the dance wasn't re-scheduled, since the latter of the two knew his date's schedule was packed as is, and the former was just as glad not to have to re-shuffle his plans to work around a change of schedule...

(Later that morning, in class with Ren, Ann, and Morgana)

"Speaking of the annoying media, we've been getting phone calls in the faculty office. The absurdity of it all. And most, if not all, of the calls ask the same thing. 'Who exactly are the Phantom Thieves?' That's what we want to know. We really have no clue what method they're using to do what they do. Killing someone without directly interacting with them is like magic.

Speaking of magic, did you know that there's magic in math too? A magic square! It's a square in which adding up the numbers in any row, column, or diagonal gives you the same total. Amamiya-kun. Please look at this." Usami said as she showed Ren a picture of a 3x3 square with most of the numbers filled in, save for 4 blank squared. Usami kept speaking at that point.

"Now, tell me the total count for each column in the magic square." Usami said to Ren, who blinked at this at first, before smiling as he recalled Kusa mentioning this to him once while Ren had watched him doing these types of puzzles before moving to Yongen, making him speak up confidently.

"This is it! The answer is 15." Ren said confidently, Usami nodded and clapped as she spoke up.

"Correct, Amamiya-kun! That's right. It's easy once you know which numbers fit in the empty squares." Usami said as she showed the completed version of the square, before continuing to speak.

"A 3x3 square only has one pattern, but a 4x4 square has 880 possibilities within it. In a 5x5 square, there are more than 200 million. Can you believe that?" Usami said as the usual murmurs about Ren being smart and knowing the answer ensued, complete with Morgana praising him for getting the answer right, making Ren smile as his Knowledge got a needless boost. Usami then spoke up again.

"If you had to choose, would you try to find the Phantom Thieves or solve 200 million magic squares? I'd choose the magic squares, hands down. They might be magic, but magic squares can be calculated. And math doesn't kill anyone.' Usami said as Morgana spoke up while Ren kept himself from pointing out that the Phantom Thieves don't kill anyone either.

"Hm, to be honest, having everyone out there looking for the culprit is getting me down, Ren." Morgana said as Ren nodded and the rest of class passed uneventfully...

(That afternoon, in a different class with Ann, Ren and Morgana)

As Ann and Ren listened to the teacher speak, their phones buzzed to signify a group chat with Ryuji, Kusa, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, and Futaba, with Ryuji sending the first response.

"So what do we gotta do as the school festival's exec committee?" Ryuji sent as Makoto sent a response.

"I'll need some help with the questionnaires." Makoto sent as Ann sent a response.

"What questionnaires?" Ann sent as Makoto sent another response.

"The ones regarding who people want to see as the guest of honor." Makoto sent as Ann sent a response.

"Oh right, that thing they do every year." Ann sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"You mean how those lame guests come to do a panel, right?" Ryuji sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Right. As you might know, the festival's dates were changed because of the situation. In some cases, things were just moved up the schedule to happen earlier in the festival, such as the dance. That said, we need to hurry and tally the results. Come to the student council room once classes are over." Makoto sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Ughhh, that's so damn boring." Ryuji sent as Haru sent a response.

"Don't be like that, Ryuji. It's so we can meet up without standing out." Haru sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Exactly, Haru. Not to mention, Makoto probably legitimately needs the extra hands at this time. But as far as the questionnaires go, given how things have been playing out recently, I think I have a pretty good idea who the majority want as the guest of honor, unfortunately." Kusa sent as Haru sent a response.

"Chin up, Kusa-kun. At least there's still the festival to look forward to. That said, let's do what we can at the moment." Haru sent as Futaba sent a response.

"I'm making sure to work hard at home!" Futaba sent as Ryuji and Kusa sent responses close together, Ryuji's coming through first.

"But you do that all the time." Ryuji sent as Kusa's response came through.

"Ryuji, keep in mind that unlike the rest of us, Taba's basically home-schooled at this point for all intents and purposes, even if it's moreso independent study on her part. That said, don't you always work hard, Taba?" Kusa sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Mostly. But while I do work hard, I can also look stuff up! So, did you find anything, Haru?" Futaba sent as Haru sent a response.

"About that, guys." Haru sent as Futaba sent a response.

"No good, huh?" Futaba sent as Haru sent a response.

"I'm afraid not. I'm sorry. It'll rouse suspicion if I ask too many detailed questions." Haru sent as Futaba sent a response.

"No worries! I'll manage on my end somehow!" Futaba sent as Makoto sent a response.

"We're counting on you." Makoto sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"I can't go, but message me if anything happens. I will leave this to you guys. My apologies, but I cannot be of much help in this situation." Yusuke sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Don't worry about it, Yusuke. You have your own school to worry about. We got this." Kusa sent as Ren and Ann put their phones away and the rest of class went uneventfully...

(After school, in the Student Council Room with Kusa, Ann, Ren, Haru, Morgana, Ryuji, and Makoto)

"Dammit, this is boring. We don't have time to be doin' crap like this, you guys." Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up.

"Ryuji, just keep working. And for the record, you're not gonna impress your crush with a work ethic like that. Try to think of it as making her notice you." Kusa suggested gently to Ryuji, who blinked and spoke up.

"Ah, good point, Kusa. My bad." Ryuji said as Makoto gave Ryuji an unimpressed look as she spoke up.

"Kusa-kun's right, Ryuji. You don't need to keep mentioning it. We're doing this to keep suspicions off of us, remember?" Makoto said as Ann spoke up to read a vote.

"Ugh, really? This vote says 'Goro Akechi'. Was this related to that hunch you had before, Kusa?" Ann asked Kusa, who sighed and nodded reluctantly before he spoke up with a slight grimace at the idea of his hunch being apparently confirmed.

"Unfortunately, Ann? Yes, it was. I had a feeling with our popularity doing the massive nose-dive it did, it would follow that Akechi-kun's popularity would in turn get a corresponding boost since most of his critics were originally fans of us. But after Black Mask set us up, odds are people will flock back to Akechi because he didn't really back off of his anti-Phantom Thieves stance. And, as much as I find the guy annoying, he is about to get some well-earned vindication. Then again, we could use this to our advantage, perhaps." Kusa said, a thought occurring to him in that moment. Ann nodded and spoke up.

"Good point, Kusa. Ugh, this vote says 'Akechi' too." Ann said as Haru spoke up.

"They're mostly the same over here as well." Haru said as Kusa spoke up.

"Same over here. Though I did see a few votes mixed in for such names as 'No-Good Tora', 'Shido', and surprisingly so even 'Takuto Maruki'. Huh, wonder why some of these votes are for the Doc. Odd." Kusa said as Morgana scoffed and spoke up. *1*

"Tch, everyone's so eloquent when they can be anonymous. It's like they never accepted us to begin with. Ugh, I think I'm starting to see why Kusa calls the majority of the population sheeple, honestly." Morgana said. Haru blinked at Ryuji as she spoke up while Morgana peered over Ryuij's shoulder to see what he was looking at.

"You know, it would be nice if you did some work too, Ryuji-kun. You came to help us count these, right?" Haru said as she turned to Ren and spoke up.

"Come on Leader, can you tell him too?" Haru said to Ren, who spoke up.

"Ryuji, can you take this seriously, man? If nothing else, it would get the ladies' attention. And is that what you've always wanted? To make the ladies notice you?" Ren said to Ryuji, who frowned at Ren as he spoke up.

"I am takin' it seriously. Morgana and I are gathering information too. Y'know, like online and stuff." Ryuji said as Morgana spoke up, surprising Ryuji with what he said next.

"I guess that's one way of saying it, Ryuji. Either way, he is working hard over here, so let's not be so hard on him." Morgana said as Kusa spoke up.

"Agreed. And I'm impressed that he's getting better at searching things online." Kusa said with a nod as Ryuji's eyes widened slightly as he spoke up.

"Whoa, look here you guys. This ain't good, at all." Ryuji said as Morgana looked at the article on Ryuji's phone and blinked as he spoke up.

"What's this? 'Criminal profiling'? It says 'The acts of thievery committed by the Phantom Thieves are mere fakes. And their true goal is, wait what!? MURDER!? Every heart they changed before Okumura was just a warm-up!?" Morgana said as he read the article over Ryuji's shoulder, making Kusa turn to see the article for himself. He then swore and spoke up.

"Dammit! Ugh, more of these fickle bastards who think they can discredit us with bullshit claims like calling us murderers. More reason to make Black Mask pay when and/or if we find him, if you ask me." Kusa said bluntly. Ann sighed and spoke up.

"Ugh, for real? So now they're accusing us of being a bunch of killers, are they?" Ann said as Ryuji growled and spoke up.

"Ugh! This is so effin' stupid! Dammit!" Ryuji said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Not only that, they're besmirching our honor with those absolutely ludicrous lies." Kusa said as Makoto nodded approvingly to Kusa's remark before speaking up.

"And on that note, we have the results. First place is Goro Akechi." Makoto said as both Ryuji and Kusa blinked at this, the former growling as he spoke up.

"What!? Akechi!?" Ryuji said in a mix of surprise, shock and anger. Kusa huffed and spoke up.

"Gee, what a surprise. No sooner than our popularity goes straight down the proverbial crapper, Akechi's shoots up to the point where he won a popularity vote to be the guest of honor for the school festival. Coincidence? I think not. But for real, chill Ryuji. We can use this to our advantage. After all, we know he's known for being very anti-Phantom Thieves, so if we play our cards right, maybe he'll let stuff slip that we could possibly use to either get a leg-up on the police, or maybe even get a hint to our next target. After all, they say fate works in mysterious ways." Kusa said sagely. Ann nodded as she spoke up.

"Good point, Kusa. Also, what're you so surprised for, Ryuji? We've been mentioning him this whole time." Ann said as Ryuji huffed and spoke up.

"Seriously? Not some singer or an idol?" Ryuji said as Kusa chuckled and spoke up.

"I didn't mention it before, but there were a few votes among all the Akechi votes for someone called Rise? Not sure if that's a new performer, or what, but kinda odd to see such a random name in the mix." Kusa said as Ryuji grinned and spoke up.

"Ooh, Rise, you say? She's a relatively popular idol around here. Too bad she didn't win. Oh well, guess I can't be too mad." Ryuji said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"True. After all, it's because of us that his popularity has skyrocketed." Morgana said as Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"I think you mean it's because of Black Mask. After all, he's the one that killed Okumura, while we got framed for it." Kusa pointed out. Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"Wait, we're the ones countin' the results? Can't we just make 'em up? We don't hafta get him, you know." Ryuji said as Makoto shook her head and spoke up.

"Sorry Ryuji, but people will figure that out too easily. He won by a landslide, according to these votes." Makoto said as Ann groaned and spoke up.

"Ugh, to be honest? I knew people would vote for him, but this is way more votes than I was expecting." Ann said as Makoto spoke up.

"It would be best for us to avoid inviting such a clear danger upon ourselves, honestly." Makoto said as Kusa gave Makoto an impressed look while speaking up.

"Oh? You think he's dangerous too? I'm impressed, Makoto. But you know what they say. 'Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.' As such, we might have to grit our teeth and handle dealing with him for the sake of the festival." Kusa said, frowning as he said this, but knowing it was the right thing to do, even if the idea of dealing with Akechi leaves a bit of a bad aftertaste for him. Makoto smiled approvingly at Kusa while she spoke up.

"That's a well-made point, Kusa. Even so, I'd like a little more time to think about who to ask to be the guest of honor." Makoto said as Haru blinked and spoke up.

"Oh, that reminds me, you guys. How is Futaba-chan doing? She seemed like she was looking into something on her own, or so it seems. Has she told you anything, Ren-kun?" Haru said, looking at Ren while she spoke. Ren shook his head as he spoke up.

"Nope, not a word. Then again, she usually has closer contact with Kusa than she does me. So maybe he'd know?" Ren said as Kusa spoke up.

"She's not said much to me, either. She mentioned something about gathering information, but that's about it. I suppose I could discreetly ask her about it next I see her." Kusa said as Haru spoke up.

"Please do. To be honest, it's not that I don't trust her, because I do, but I feel like she might know something she's not telling us." Haru said as Makoto spoke up.

"Be that as it may Haru, even one clue would work wonders for us. We should let her continue with her own investigation. I hope she finds something, for all our sakes." Makoto said as Kusa spoke up.

"I'm sure she will. Taba's nothing if not diligent in her researching, so if she's looking for something, I'm confident she'll find it." Kusa said as the others nodded and the group called it a day at that point, Ren and Kusa heading back to Leblanc...

(That evening, at Leblanc with Sojiro, Ren, Kusa, and Morgana)

"Hey." Sojiro said to Ren and Kusa as they walked in, using the hand holding his cigarette to wave to them as the three turned their attention to the TV, where a news report was playing.

"In response to the police identifying the Phantom Thieves as prime suspects, Goro Akechi had this to say in response." The newscaster said as an audio clip of Akechi's voice played.

"Even though my opinion has been met with criticism, I've held fast that the Phantom Thieves are not just. However, that being said, I believe that the recent series of suspicious deaths is unrelated to their actions." Akechi said as the female interviewer spoke up in surprise.

"Wh-What!? Did I hear you correctly? But, Akechi-san, you were the first to caution everyone about the Phantom Thieves, were you not?" The female interviewer asked Akechi, who nodded as he spoke up.

"That's correct. However, this doesn't change the fact that they are indeed a dangerous group. That said, I would like to express that immediately linking them to this case is far too hasty. There are still many questions to be answered here, after all. And it feels as though there is more to this." Akechi said as the newscaster spoke up.

"After this conference, Akechi-kun announced he will be limiting his media appearances and-" The newscaster said as Sojiro spoke up.

"I wonder why the sudden change." Sojiro said to Ren and Kusa, who both shrugged as their phones went off to signal a group chat with Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, and Futaba, with Futaba sending the first response.

"I'm super-stuck on my Okumura investigation." Futaba sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Seriously? Even you're having trouble with this shit?" Ryuji sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Believe it or not Ryuji, even Taba has her limits. We should be glad she's helping us at all, really." Kusa sent as Haru sent a response.

"Agreed, Kusa. That said, what should we do?" Haru sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Let's meet up and discuss our options as soon as possible." Makoto sent as Ryuji spoke up.

"You mean, like tomorrow?" Ryuji sent. Ann sent a response.

"Why not? The earlier the better, right? Though I still haven't come up with anything myself, to be honest." Ann sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"It's said two heads are better than one, so I can only imagine what nine heads may produce." Yusuke sent as Haru sent a response.

"That's a good way of thinking, Yusuke-kun." Haru sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Right? It's totally an Inari idea." Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Heh, I forgot you called Yusuke that, Taba. Thankfully, he doesn't really seem to mind it that much, or at the least he's grown to tolerate it since I've not heard him complaining about it that much." Kusa sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Anyways, getting back on topic. OK, let's do everything we can right now. Even if it means crossing some dangerous bridges. Considering how far we've come, we can't be particular about our methodology, I'd think." Makoto sent as Ren put his phone away at the same time that Sojiro spoke up.

"What're you staring at your phone like that for, you two? Oh, I get it. Is one of you going through a break-up and the other is trying to comfort them?" Sojiro said as Kusa laughed and spoke up.

"Boss, going through a break-up implies either of us even had a girlfriend to be dumped by in the first place. We might be getting closer to our crushes, but neither of us is dating them yet. So you might be jumping the gun just a bit there." Kusa said. Ren spoke up.

"What Kusa said. But no Boss, that's not it." Ren said. Sojiro chuckled as he spoke up.

"Whoa, no need to deny it so seriously, Ren. It was just a joke. And good point, Kusa. By the way, I feel the need to ask this. You haven't been causing any trouble, have you Ren? I heard the police showed up at your school recently." Sojiro said as Ren spoke up.

"That was about that CEO who died recently. Nothing to do with me. No need to worry, Boss." Ren said politely. Sojiro nodded as he spoke up.

"Very well. As long as you're not getting involved, or dragging Kusa into it with you. Last thing either of you needs is more trouble. Ugh. Well, if you say so, fine. I believe you." Sojiro said as Ren and Kusa nodded. After thinking about it, Ren looked at Kusa before he spoke up.

"Say Kusa, can you watch Morgana for me? I need to go do something for a bit." Ren said as Kusa nodded.

"As long as Morgana has no objections to that, I can go along with it." Kusa said as Morgana nodded his agreement while Ren handed Morgana off to Kusa before travelling to Shinjuku and going to Crossroads. Once there, Lala saw Ren and spoke up.

"Oh, honey. You come here a lot, don't you? Not that I mind, of course. Just try to keep yourself in check, okay?" Lala asked as Ren nodded before walking over to Ohya. Ohya looked up and spoke up as she saw Ren.

"Oh, hey there kid. Okumura Foods losing it's CEO like that, that was unexpected, huh? And then your principal commits suicide out of nowhere. The public blames the Phantom Thieves for both incidents, but something doesn't add up, if you ask me. Maybe you're rubbing off on me, but I guess a journalist's gotta question everything. Take a seat. Any new info?" Ohya said as Ren sat down and spoke up.

"Maybe a bit. But not really a lot of new info, hence why I've not been coming around as much. I've been busy with stuff and trying to gather info to give you." Ren said as Ohya spoke up.

"Oh? You have info? Seriously, kid, where do you get this stuff from? True believers are scary people, to be honest. Hey, you want a drink?" Ohya asked Ren, who shook his head politely before telling Ohya about the Phan-Site that Mishima runs and how it influences the rankings of targets, or it did before Okumura's death happened. Ohya frowned as Ren finished his explanation and spoke up.

"Oh? A fan site? Ah, you mean the Phantom Aficionado Website? I didn't know it was so popular with high-school kids. I haven't been paying much attention to it. But if it's newsworthy, I guess I should keep tabs on it." Ohya said as she sipped her drink and spoke up.

"The Phantom Thieves must be really bored if they're going after small-time criminals now. I have a theory that they're all minors, and their leader is some simpleton dying from boredom, and possibly irrelevancy." Ohya said as Ren spoke up with a frown.

"You know what they say, Ohya-san. You shouldn't make assumptions, since it makes an ass out of you and me." Ren said as Ohya laughed and spoke up.

"Haha, you're right kid. My theory is definitely half-assed at best. Plus if it only takes a second to change a person's heart, they totally wouldn't be bored. Well, I'm not really interested in writing entertainment articles about whatever fad's caught on." Ohya said as Lala spoke up.

"But they do really well, right? Some journalists who were in here seemed frustrated about that." Lala said as Ohya winced and spoke up.

"Journalists, you say? Oh, right. You mean Nakao and the others? Shit! You'd really lump me in with these hyenas? Ha! Don't insult me. People at work call them paparazzi behind their backs, you know. But me? I'm a real journalist!" Ohya said as Ren spoke up.

"I'm sure you are, Ohya-san." Ren said. Ohya frowned at Ren and spoke up.

"Hey, I wasn't looking for some kid to butt in! Entertainment articles are all about selling copies, after all. The truth doesn't even matter. Nobody wants to read real news anymore. Ugh." Ohya said as Ren spoke up.

"Why not change careers, if your current one frustrates you so much?" Ren asked Ohya, who frowned as she spoke up.

"Good question, kid. Never gonna happen, though." Ohya said as Lala spoke up with a frown.

"But at this rate, you might be done for soon enough anyways." Lala said as Ohya huffed and spoke up.

"I can't change careers! If I quit now, it'd be the same as declaring my partner guilty. Dammit! 'Jointly responsible', they said. What a joke! She didn't do anything! That's why I can't quit, kid. And that's also why I'll never give up." Ohya said as Ren blinked and spoke up.

"She was falsely accused, then?" Ren asked, making sure he had things right. Ohya frowned at the question and spoke up.

"What kind of stupid question is that? Of course she was!" Ohya said angrily. She then saw Ren's expression and kept speaking.

"Uh, I mean, never mind! Hahaha! But in all seriousness, thanks to you, I've had more time to focus on my own investigation. I'm going to write an article that you'll really enjoy! Think of it as a sign of my appreciation! I can see it now! 'Exclusive: Behind the Incredible Phantom Thieves! Dial 911 for Justice!' Heh, how's that sound, kid? Haha, don't worry! I'll take it seriously. After all, we had a deal. And that's what I promised you." Ohya said to Ren, who nodded as he noted that his deal with Ohya seemed to be progressing smoothly.

At that point, the 'Devil' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'II' becoming an 'III' to signify that his Devil Confidant link with Ohya had reached Rank 3. As a result of the rank-up, Ohya showed Ren the ways of the 'Shocking Scoop', making it so that the Security Level of a Palaces rises slowly, and lowers gradually upon defeating an ambushed enemy when in effect. Afterwards, Ohya kept speaking.

"You sure are weird though, coming all the way to Shinjuku at night like this." Ohya said as her phone rang and she answered it.

"Hello? Mm-hm, this is she. Wait, what!? I can talk with him? Really? Okay, I'll be right there. Work? Nah I'm already off the clock." Ohya said as she hung up and turned to Lala before she kept speaking.

"Sorry, I have some urgent business I need to attend to. Just put this one on my tab, Lala-chan. Well then, see ya!" Ohya said as she left, at which point Lala looked at Ren and spoke up.

"Geez, she's such a child, isn't she? She gets so excited the moment something comes up about her favorite assignment. Anyway, shouldn't you be getting home too?" Lala said to Ren, who nodded as he realized he was able to pique Ohya's interest with stories of the Phantom Thieves, making him feel as if his Charm had gone up, resulting in a needless boost to Ren's Charm. Ren then got up to head home, after which he blinked as he heard Kusa's voice from the stairs, hunching down near the bottom of the steps to listen in as Kusa spoke up.

"...You're sure the place is called Rafflesia, Morgana?" Kusa could be heard asking Morgana, who was then heard speaking up.

"Positive. Ren works there, so I wouldn't be wrong about that since I often tag along with him when he goes to work there. Though isn't this kind of last-minute to be thinking of getting flowers to surprise Futaba with, Kusa? The dance is only like a bit over 3 days away at this point. I doubt you'd be able to get an order put together in time." Morgana said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"I'm not expecting it to be done right away. I'm hoping they'll be ready the day of the dance so I can swing through there and pick them up before I pick up Taba so I can surprise her with them. Also, I recall reading that most girls tend to wear corsages on their outfits when they go to a dance. So I'm trying to make Taba's first dance as memorable for her as I can." Kusa said to Morgana, who then spoke up.

"True. Too bad Ren doesn't have the kind of foresight you do when it comes to impressing Yoshizawa, heheh." Morgana said as Kusa spoke up.

"He does just fine at it though, I think. Worst case, I'll have him come along so he can get his own bouquet put together for Kasumi, or maybe I'll go in when he's working and he can do it while putting my bouquet together. We'll see what happens. And I think I should stop talking, in case Ren's listening in again." Kusa said as Ren swore quietly at Kusa somehow knowing he was listening in. He then waited a bit before walking up the steps and speaking up.

"I'm home. Oh, did I interrupt something?" Ren asked as Kusa spoke up with a laugh.

"Ren? I love you and all, but that was the worst attempt at denial I've seen so far. And no, you didn't. Morgana and I were just discussing the upcoming dance and how to make it a memorable experience. Speaking of, did you have plans to surprise Kasumi at all?" Kusa asked Ren, who blinked before he swore as he realized he'd not thought of that, prompting him to look at Kusa while he spoke up.

"No, I don't. But maybe you and I can figure out ways of surprising our respective dates together?" Ren said to Kusa, who shrugged and spoke up.

"Maybe. We'll see what happens, Ren. But I'm glad to see that you're at least honest about things." Kusa said as blue sparkling music notes went up over his head at that point. After that, the three got comfortable and laid down for the night...

(The next day, at the hideout with Ren, Ryuji, Yusuke, Ann, Makoto, Morgana, Kusa, Futaba, and Haru)

"Makoto, has Niijima-san told you anything about the investigation?" Yusuke asked Makoto, who frowned as she spoke up.

"Well, about that. Sis actually stopped mentioning anything about work in front of me, as it happens. It's possible I made some sort of mistake and raised her suspicion. Regardless, I thought over the matter of who we're going to invite for our school festival very carefully, and to be honest, I think Kusa-kun raised a good point about using Akechi-kun's popularity to our advantage. As such, I'm considering asking Akechi-kun." Makoto said as the others all gaped at this, aside from Kusa who nodded approvingly, while Ryuji spoke up with wide eyes.

"For real!? Weren't you talkln' about how you didn't wanna draw danger to us or whatever?" Ryuji asked as Makoto spoke up.

"I understand this is dangerous. But without a powerful source of intel, we won't be able to win against the police network. And I can no longer rely on my sister for information, so Akechi-kun is our next best source of intel given his position as an ace detective and as my sister's apparent partner." Makoto said as Haru blinked and spoke up.

"Wait, is this because of Akechi-kun's police connections? You're going to use him as your 'powerful source of intel'?" Haru asked as Morgana nodded approvingly and spoke up.

"Bold move. I'm surprised to hear that suggestion coming from you, Makoto." Morgana said as Makoto spoke up.

"Yes, well, I have reasons for it. Did you see his press conference yesterday?" Makoto asked as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"You mean the one where Akechi backpedaled his ass off to try and make himself look like he was defending us? I saw that, but I was confused by it. I think he's plotting something, if you ask me." Kusa said as Makoto nodded and spoke up.

"I agree, Kusa-kun. One of his comments defending the Phantom Thieves stood out to me. 'There is more to this.' I think he said that knowing for certain that the Phantom Thieves would be watching." Makoto said as Yusuke frowned and spoke up.

"Still, there will be so many other students at the school festival that he could be looking through. What are the odds of success?" Yusuke asked as Makoto spoke up.

"It's a gamble, to be fair. And the odds are less than favorable for us, but I think Kusa-kun was right when he said we should keep our enemies close. As such, we can no longer afford to hesitate." Makoto said as she looked at Ren while she kept speaking.

"What are your thoughts, Ren-kun? Should we invite Akechi-kun?" Makoto asked Ren, who mulled it over before speaking up.

"I know both Ryuji and Kusa are probably opposed to it, but even they know it's probably a necessary evil. Besides, between all of us, plus Futaba's ability to wire-tap, we should be able to keep him relatively in check. As such, I say it should be fine." Ren said. Makoto nodded and spoke up.

"You agree? Okay then." Makoto said as she turned to the others and kept speaking.

"Is everyone else okay with that?" Makoto asked. Kusa spoke up while crossing his arms.

"To be honest? I'm not thrilled with the idea of having to deal with Akechi-kun longer than needed, but I suppose it's the best move we have. And you raised a good point about him having useful connections. I think in this case, it's better we keep him where we can keep a close eye on him, and be able to know what he's planning to some extent, and thus be able to act swiftly in case we have to counter any of his more ambitious ploys.

Not to mention, Taba will be essential in keeping tabs on him if we do ask him to be a guest. I get a feeling we might get some useful clues out of it. So I agree with inviting Akechi-kun to be the guest of honor." Kusa said as Ann nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. I'm good with that plan. After all, whatever Ren and/or Kusa says has gotta be more reliable than what I've been able to come up with." Ann said as Yusuke spoke up.

"I concur. It would be reassuring to gain Akechi-kun as an ally, rather than simply a source of information." Yusuke said as Ryuji spoke up.

"I agree, but hold on. How're we even gonna get in touch with him? It's not like we've got his contact info or anything, right?" Ryuji said as Kusa and Ren blinked before exchanging matching smirks as the latter spoke up.

"Actually, Ryuji? As it so happens, I have his contact info." Ren said as Kusa spoke up.

"True. You've been in contact with him on and off since the TV station, hanging out with him from time to time on the sly. Who'd have thought that would actually come in beneficial for us at some point?" Kusa said. Ryuji looked at Ren in shock as he spoke up.

"For real!?" Ryuji asked as Ren nodded and Makoto spoke up.

"Could you send that my way, please?" Makoto asked Ren, who nodded and sent a private chat to Makoto with the requested info. Makoto smiled as her phone went off with a private chat from Ren. She then spoke up happily.

"Thank you. I'll contact him right away." Makoto said as Ryuji spoke up while Makoto went about contacting Akechi.

"I gotta say, I'm really not big on this Akechi deal. But I also agree that Kusa has a valid point that we should keep the guy close at hand, so we can nip him in the bud if it proves necessary down the line. After all, he might be an ace detective, but can he handle all of us charging him at once?" Ryuji asked as Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"To be honest, Ryuji? He might. I didn't mention this part before, but when Black Mask taunted me about sparing me, his voice sounded vaguely familiar, as if I'd heard it before. Granted, it was a bit distorted, like he was using a voice-changer, but it vaguely had a certain sort of condescension to it that put me vaguely to mind of Akechi. I'm not saying that means anything, but I also don't think we should underestimate Akechi, either.

After all, Black Mask swatted me aside like I was nothing, and I have a reputation for being hard to defeat in martial arts for good reason. So that speaks to how strong Black Mask is. We cannot take either Akechi or Black Mask lightly, I feel." Kusa said. Ann nodded and looked at Ryuji as she spoke up.

"Now's no time to be petty, Ryuji." Ann said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"Exactly. Just think of him as a source of intel, nothing more." Morgana said as Makoto blinked while her phone went off with a message, making her speak up.

"Wow, I have a response already. He says, 'Let me think about it.' How very Akechi of him." Makoto said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. That smug douche WOULD leave us hanging just to eff with us." Kusa said huffily as Ryuji spoke up having a thought come to him.

"Wait a sec. Didn't he say he wasn't gonna do any more stuff for the media?" Ryuji asked as Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"He did, Ryuji. And that's likely why he's so hesitant." Yusuke said as Ann frowned and spoke up.

"What're we gonna do if he turns us down?" Ann asked as Makoto spoke up.

"I'll keep trying. It may be frustrating to admit, but he's all we have at the moment. We need him to do it, no matter what." Makoto said as Morgana spoke up.

"We're counting on you, Makoto. You can do it." Morgana said as Kusa spoke up.

"True. And if worse comes to worse, I think that 2nd place was that Rise chick that Ryuji seemed to know of." Kusa pointed out as Ryuji grinned and spoke up.

"For real!? Can't we just say Akechi declined to show up and get the cute idol girl instead?" Ryuji asked as Kusa spoke up.

"Not unless we want half of Shujin's student population to riot, no. And I don't think a riot is the best thing right now." Kusa said sagely as the others nodded and the meeting ended at that point...

(That evening, at Leblanc with Kusa, Morgana, and Ren)

"Who would've thought we'd end up relying on Akechi, of all people?" Morgana asked as Ren shrugged and spoke up.

"Not me, that's for sure. But sometimes life throws us curveballs that we have to adjust to." Ren said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"True, but didn't Akechi say he was through making public appearances for now? I wonder if he'll really be interested in our offer at all, to be honest." Morgana said as Kusa spoke up.

"If I'm right, and he is planning something, doubtless he'll make time for this, since it would fit into his plans nicely. And, as much as it guts me to say so, we might have to, at least for the time being, pretend to fall into his plans, if only to get an idea of what he's up to. After all, we can't exactly do much in the way of countermeasures with the limited information we currently have to go off of." Kusa said sagely, getting nods of agreement from Ren and Morgana.

Ren then remembered his lotto ticket and headed to Station Square to check it, smiling when he heard he won 5,000 yen off a 3,000 yen ticket. He then took 3,000 yen of his winnings and bought another ticket with it. Afterwards, he headed back to Leblanc, deciding to rank up Sojiro since he was available to hang out with. Sojiro looked up as he saw Ren walk over.

"Ah, good timing, Ren. Do you have any plans tonight? If not, would you and Kusa hang out with me for a bit?" Sojiro asked Ren who spoke up.

"Yeah, I think I can convince Kusa to spend time with you, Boss. It shouldn't be that hard to do." Ren said as Kusa came downstairs at that point, Morgana in his arms.

"Did I hear my name? Ah, of course you were talking about me, Ren." Kusa said as Ren spoke up.

"Yeah, Boss asked if we'd hang out with him tonight. I said we'd be agreeable to that. I hope that's fine with you." Ren said to Kusa, who nodded agreeably while he spoke up.

"I'm fine with that. After all, I have always said that I'd have Boss' back, along with Taba's." Kusa said agreeably. Sojiro nodded and spoke up.

"Good, glad to hear it. That said, I'm going to the church with Futaba. Sorry, but you two're coming along too." Sojiro said as Ren spoke up.

"That's fine, but why are you going to a church with Futaba?" Ren asked. Sojiro spoke up with a nod.

"We're going to visit Wakaba's grave, or Futaba's mom's grave." Sojiro said as Kusa gasped quietly but nodded his understanding as Sojiro kept speaking.

"All right then, be ready in three minutes you two. And leave Morgana here, if you would. The church isn't a place for him, sorry to say." Sojiro said. Ren and Kusa nodded, the latter setting Morgana down on the couch and apologizing for not letting him come, but explaining that this was something that was needed for the greater good. Morgana forgave Kusa after he promised to bring the not-cat some sushi next time he had the chance, after which Kusa and Ren went to the church in Kanda with Sojiro and Futaba...

(At the church in Kanda, with Ren, Sojiro, Futaba, and Kusa)

"I always think of Wakaba on the anniversary of her death, you know. But it's been a while since I visited. I've been so busy with the shop and all that I tend to forget. Not to mention, all this stuff that happened with Futaba, and more recently her uncle. No, that's not it really. The guilt is what really kept me from coming. I thought Wakaba would be angry with me, to tell the truth. But now that I managed to get Futaba over here, I can finally meet her with my head held high. I sure kept her waiting long enough, but it felt good to tell her about how much Futaba's improved lately. Oh right, I also told her about you and Kusa too." Sojiro said as Ren spoke up.

"I see. Thank you, not just for telling her about us, but for all you've done for us." Ren said. Sojiro rubbed the back of his head nervously as he spoke up.

"Idiot. I should be the one thanking you, and Kusa for that matter. Huh, come to think of it, that makes this the first time the five of us are all together." Sojiro said as Futaba walked over at that point, Kusa following close behind, as Futaba looked at Sojiro and spoke up.

"Sojiro? What are you smirking for?" Futaba asked Sojiro, who winced as he spoke up.

"Er, ah, nothing? This is what my real smile looks like." Sojiro said as Futaba nodded and spoke up, not seeing Ren and Kusa exchanging a skeptical look behind her at Sojiro's claim, though neither one contradicted him while Futaba spoke.

"I approve." Futaba said as she turned and walked off with Kusa, as Sojiro spoke up.

"Phew, that was close. Oh, I have some news. The family court gave me a call the other day. Futaba's uncle decided to retract his report. It was 'cause of you and Kusa, wasn't it?" Sojiro asked Ren, who shrugged by way of response as Sojiro smiled fondly and kept speaking.

"Ahh, Futaba. I wonder if the day'll come that she goes out to be someone's bride." Sojiro said as Ren spoke up with a smirk, careful not to let Kusa or Futaba hear what he said next.

"Honestly, Boss? I think if the guy next to Futaba right now has his druthers about it, it will happen eventually. But probably not for some time. After all, those two are taking their time just acknowledging that they're in love with each other. But I trust they'll get there soon enough, so I won't pester them about it." Ren said as Sojiro nodded and spoke up.

"True. I'm sure she'll make a fine lady either way. After all, let us not forget, she is Wakaba's daughter." Sojiro said as the shot panned to show Futaba looking at something in the distance, Kusa gently putting a comforting arm around her as he stood with her. Sojiro sighed as he spoke up.

"Ugh, that said, do all fathers have to go through this anxiety, I wonder?" Sojiro said as Ren spoke up with a frown.

"Probably just the ones that actually care about their kids. After all, we both know a person who wasn't lucky enough to have their father in their lives, two if we count Futaba, since you yourself said there wasn't really a biological father in the picture that you knew of." Ren said as Sojiro nodded, before crossing his arms and giving Ren a proud look as he spoke.

"True. I forgot about that. That is something Futaba and Kusa have in common, isn't it? That said, you know, I really just wanted to have you help out at the store. But you showed me so much more than that. You, and Kusa as well, showed me that I have a family I need to protect. Not just Futaba, either. But you, and Kusa, too. I might not always say so, but you two are becoming sort of like sons to me, to an extent.

That said, I may not always be reliable, but feel free to come to me if anything happens. I'll be there for you to the best of my ability, Ren. As family. And, on top of that? Ah, I know. I'll teach you everything I can. As far as I'm concerned, you're a full-fledged man now. That might not be enough to return the favor really, but it's all I can do." Sojiro said as Ren nodded, feeling a strong bond with Sojiro as a voice echoed in his head at that point.

"I am thou, thou art I... Thou has turned a bond into a blood oath. Thy bond shall be the wings of rebellion and break the yoke of thy heart. Thou hast awakened to the ultimate secret of the Hierophant, granting thee infinite power..." Ren heard as at that moment, the 'Hierophant' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'IX' becoming an 'X' to signify that his Hierophant Confidant link with Sojiro had reached rank 10, which showed up as 'MAX Rank', indicating he'd maxed out his Hierophant Confidant link with Sojiro.

As a result of the rank-up, Sojiro conferred the art of 'Curry Mastery' unto Ren, making it so that Ren could now cook curry that greatly restores the SP of all allies. On top of that, Ren saw a further message in his mind's eye that read 'FUSION UNLOCKED', giving him a phone notification that he was now able to fuse the Persona 'Kohryu', which is the most powerful Persona of the Hierophant Arcana. Afterwards, Sojiro spoke up with an uncomfortable look on his face.

"Oh, and uh, as awkward as this is to ask Ren, could you not, uh, y'know, get with Futaba? I don't mind Kusa getting with her, since I can see those two are serious about one another, even if they've yet to really acknowledge it to themselves, much less each other. But I got the sense from what Kusa told me about the day he stormed off that it had to do with you and Futaba, so I wanted to be sure I didn't have to worry about a love triangle between the three of you.

Not that I doubt you'd have anything less than pure intentions with her, but at the same time I don't think you need to give Kusa any further reasons to resent you. As it is, I think he's struggling to let go of whatever little bit of resentment he already has towards you. I can't imagine you calling me 'father', to be honest. Although, come to think of it, maybe it wouldn't be so bad, even if it's just in the capacity of you being like a son to me.

Of course, first I have to get Kusa to try to refer to me as either 'Boss' or 'Sojiro' and not 'Sakura-kun', which I realize will be tough given that he was raised to be formal where necessary. So I'll take my time on that one." Sojiro said as Futaba chose that moment to walk back up with an inquisitive look on her face, Kusa giving Ren an inquiring look from next to her.

"What are you two talking about?" Futaba asked Sojiro, who spoke up quickly with a grin.

"Oh, nothing!" Sojiro said as Futaba huffed and spoke up.

"I hunger! Curry time!" Futaba said as Sojiro chuckled and spoke up.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. You like my cooking, which is good." Sojiro said while crossing his arms. Futaba then walked off with Kusa as Sojiro spoke up once more to Ren.

"Let's go home." Sojiro said as Ren nodded, neither of the two aware of what was really discussed between Kusa and Futaba during their conversation...

(Earlier that night, while Sojiro and Ren were talking, in a separate part of the church with Kusa and Futaba)

"So, this is where your mom's grave is, Taba? I didn't realize it was in a church, but I suppose I was being naive not to think of that." Kusa said conversationally as Futaba spoke up with a nod as she smiled while she spoke.

"Mm-hm. She used to go to this church a lot, you see. So when she passed, it seemed only right we have her buried here. Luckily, the main pastor of the church agreed, since she was a friend of his to some extent. So we had her laid to rest here. But we come to the altar here to pay respects every so often, or at least Sojiro does. I'll admit this is the first time I've really done so since she passed, but I can't avoid it forever." Futaba said as Kusa nodded, giving Futaba a gentle pat on the shoulder before he spoke up.

"Nor should you, Taba. I get the sense your mom wouldn't want you being selfish and not paying respects to her. If you need it, I'll be right here with you for moral support." Kusa said as Futaba smiled and nodded gratefully before speaking up.

"Please do. I think I could use the backup." Futaba said honestly as Kusa nodded. The two then walked over to the altar as Futaba quietly spoke up.

"Hi, Mom. I know it's been awhile since I paid you a visit, and I'm sorry about that. I've just gone through a lot since you passed, but I've recently been able to get through it, largely thanks to the help of my new friends. So here I am. Actually, one of said friends is right here next to me as I speak. And it's largely thanks to him I've been able to come as far as I have recently. I don't always say it, but I actually owe him a lot.

Not only has he kept me going recently, but he's not allowed me to fall down, so to speak, that much. Kusa might not be perfect, but he still has my back when it counts, and to be honest? I appreciate that about him. I'm sure you'd have liked him as well, since he's so formal and polite, plus unlike most guys, he's not just trying to push his will on me. He listens to what I want, and tries to be considerate of my wishes. Not many guys would do that, I feel. But why don't I let him speak for himself?" Futaba said as Kusa nodded and approached the altar, where he knelt and spoke up.

"Hello there, Miss Isshiki. I know we've not formally met yet, per se, but I'm Futaba's friend, Kusa Amamiya. At the present, both myself and my older brother Ren are staying in the attic of Leblanc while Ren deals with a year-long probation. It's a long story, and probably not an appropriate one for a church, given some of it involves some rather strong language that was used. But the gist of it is that Ren was sued for a crime he didn't commit, and because the person who sued him was someone really high-ranking, it was quickly swept under the rug with Ren getting a year's probation, and with me being court-ordered to accompany him here to oversee him.

I'll admit I was resentful of this at first, but more recently I've had time to think on it, and really it might have been a blessing in disguise that it happened, since if I hadn't accompanied him here, I probably wouldn't have met the friends I had, but most especially I wouldn't have gotten to meet the sweet and amazing young lady next to me and find out what a sweet, charming, amazing young lady she is. And I know this might surprise you, but the truth is, I think she and I are quite taken with one another.

However, out of respect for what she's been through, I've tried to give her her space to process and deal with the idea of a relationship at her own pace, since I wouldn't dream of forcing her into something she's either uncomfortable with or doesn't want to do. I have far more respect, appreciation and love for her than that. I want you to know though, even if we somehow only just decide to remain friends somehow, I'll still take care of her regardless.

I'm not going to let her go through life alone unless she wants to. So rest easy, wherever you are. She's in good hands, between myself and Sojiro. The two of us, and even Ren, won't let anything happen to her if we can help it. So rest in peace, and thank you for giving us the gift that is having Futaba in our lives." Kusa said, as he bowed to the altar before moving aside so Futaba could resume her place in front of it, her face slightly red at what Kusa had said about her as she spoke up.

"Y-Yeah, well, that was Kusa. A bit quirky, yes, but he's a good guy despite that. Like the rest of us, he has his flaws, but they're not that many really. And I have no room to judge given the life I've led up until now. But yeah, I wanted you to know I'm doing a lot better now, and that I'll always miss you, but that I won't be selfish anymore. I'll keep moving forward, as I'm sure you'd have wanted me to do. So thank you for giving birth to me, Mom. I love you." Futaba said, smiling softly as she stepped away from the alter before walking a ways away with Kusa and speaking up.

"Thank you for being there with me for that, Kusa. I feel like either Ren or Sojiro might've looked at me weird for some of that, but not you. You just let me say my piece and didn't say a word, which I really do appreciate." Futaba said as Kusa smiled and spoke up.

"Naturally, Taba. I understand this isn't easy for you to do, and I can respect you for having the courage to do it regardless. So don't feel bad for how you feel. I'll always have your back." Kusa said as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"I know. Honestly? I can't wait for that dance, Kusa. I think we're going to have a lot to talk about that night. Oh, and speaking of that dance, I meant to tell you before, but forgot. After you introduced me to Ren's crush, which if I'm right, I think you said her name was Kasumi? I had a hunch that I needed to check, so I did some research into her on the sly and found something interesting. You remember that article about the girl who passed away back in April?" Futaba asked Kusa, who nodded, having read that article.

"Well, I noticed something odd about the name of the girl in that article, and well, see for yourself." Futaba said as she pulled the article up on the phone for Kusa to read, which he did, his eyes widening in surprise by the end of it as he spoke up in a mix of shock and disbelief.

"WHAT!? Is this article accurate, Taba? If so, then that means that Kasumi, if that's even her real name, either has been lying about her identity this whole time, or the article reported the wrong Yoshizawa sister dying. Though it's interesting that Kasumi never mentioned this 'Sumire', if the article got the other Yoshizawa sister's name right, at all by name. I wonder if there's something more to that? I think for now, Taba, let's keep that to ourselves, at least until I can speak to Kasumi alone to get her side of things. After all, it wouldn't be fair to her to accuse her of something this huge without letting her defend herself first." Kusa said as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. Also, I wouldn't want to be the one to tell Ren about this. Partly because I doubt he'd believe it, even with the article. And also partly because I feel like the article could be wrong." Futaba said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. The dance is in three days, so really, no sense in blowing the whistle now and ruining Ren's excitement. Let them have that moment together at least before we really confront that topic directly. However, I will make it a point to pull Kasumi aside if the opportunity presents itself in the next couple of days, and ask her about it. But thank you for bringing that to my attention, Taba. I appreciate the due diligence you did in doing that." Kusa said as Futaba nodded.

After she nodded, Futaba's next move was leaning in to wrap her arms around Kusa, who smiled and did the same as the two stood together for a while until they walked over so that Futaba had the chance to chime in twice on Sojiro and Ren's conversation, and eventually Sojiro called the group to go home with a smile on his face as they headed back to Leblanc, where Ren and Kusa laid down for the night after getting comfortable...

(The following morning, between trains to school, with Ren, Kusa and Morgana)

As Ren and Kusa got off their first train to change lines, Kusa blinked as he saw Kasumi walking over. He nudged Ren to get his attention and wordlessly pointed to where Kasumi was walking over, making Ren smile as he looked at her.

"Ah, hello there, beautiful. We meet again." Ren said smoothly as Kasumi nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. Good morning. Um, well, how do I ask this? Senpai, have you been sleeping well? You look kind of tired, to be honest. Hm. This might not be my place to ask this, but are you okay, Senpai?" Kasumi asked Ren, who smiled and spoke up.

"I'm just fine, now that I'm with you, Sumi. What do you mean by I look tired, though?" Ren asked. Kasumi winced at the question before she spoke up.

"Um, the thing is, ah, never mind. It's nothing. That reminds me! Tomorrow's the school festival, isn't it? And the day after is the dance. I hope you're as excited for it as I am. That said, is your class finished with preparations? It feels kind of nice, working with everyone to put all the things together. Granted, Kusa did most of the work for the two of us, but my point still stands. In any case, I hope we all have a fun time tomorrow. Well, I'm going to do some training today, so please excuse me!" Kasumi said as Ren nodded and the three split up, Kusa and Ren continuing the trip together while Kasumi headed to school separately...

(A short time later, on the walk to school with Ren, Kusa and Morgana)

"You hear who we're getting for our guest this year?" A flippant student asked his friend, both of whom were standing by some nearby vending machines. The flippant student's friend, a wise guy, spoke up.

"Oh, you mean Akechi, right? I kinda saw that coming. Everyone I know voted for him." The wise-guy student said as the flippant student spoke up.

"Didn't he say he wasn't gonna make any more appearances though? Why'd he agree to come here?" The flippant student asked as the wise-guy student spoke up.

"It probably has to do with the Phantom Thieves. Wasn't Akechi going around saying how evil they were before?" The wise-guy student said as the flippant student spoke up.

"Oh yeah! That proves they're connected to our school somehow then!" The flippant student said as the wise-guy student spoke up.

"Hey, you're right! Maybe he'll tell us some stuff about the case! No way am I gonna miss the panel this year!" The wise-guy student said as Morgana frowned and spoke up.

"Hmph, how rude. They just say whatever they want with no thought for who might be listening." Morgana said as Kusa spoke up.

"Welcome to sheeple, Morgana. We'll have to get used to it, I'm afraid." Kusa said sagely as Morgana nodded and kept speaking.

"True, but for now we'll just need to endure it. At least until we can get some more intel on whoever's setting us up." Morgana said as Ren and Kusa nodded, finishing the walk to school in silence...

(In class that morning, with Ren, Ann, and Morgana)

"Oh, yes! I met a friend from college the other day. We got caught up talking about old times. Some of those old stories sounded too crazy to be true, now that we've got so many years behind us. Eheh, sometimes, people have a hard time remembering what's real and what's exaggerated. This kind of stuff happens to you guys too, right? But there's a reason for this. This phenomenon has a name, too. All right, how about you, Amamiya-kun?" Maruki said as Ren looked up and gave Maruki his full attention as Maruki kept speaking.

"From a psychological standpoint, what's a key reason our memories can differ from reality?" Maruki asked as Ren thought about it before blinking as he recalled reading this once when studying, so he spoke up confidently to give the answer.

"This is it! The answer is memory bias." Ren said confidently. Maruki nodded and clapped as he spoke up.

"That's right! Impressive. It's a type of cognitive bias that can impair or even alter your memories. Specifically, the name of the phenomenon in question is called 'false memory'. Like the name implies, it's a case where our brain may generate memories that simply aren't true." Maruki said as the usual murmurs about Ren's intelligence and how smart he was ensued, complete with Morgana complimenting him for getting the answer right as his Knowledge got another needless boost. Maruki then kept speaking.

"Hmm, the difference between inaccurate memories and the facts can lead to a lot of confusion. Still, if your subconscious desire manifests as a memory,. I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing." Maruki said as Morgana frowned and spoke up.

"False memories, huh? Interesting. But it's totally real to the person, right? What a strange concept." Morgana said as the rest of class passed uneventfully...

(At lunchtime with Ren, Kusa, and Morgana)

Ren saw a group of students gathered around a bulletin board, frowning as he heard one speak up.

"Oh, our grades are out. How'd you do?" The female student asked the male standing next to her, who found his name and winced at the score.

"Damn, I did kinda badly. I'm dead, to be honest." The male student said in horror. The female blinked at this before she spoke up.

"I see. Oh! Hey, look at that! Look who got the top score!" The female student said as Ren made his way to the front of the group to see his score, smirking as he was once again top of the class scorewise. He heard a laugh next to him and turned to see a grinning Kusa, who spoke up.

"Checking out your grades too, eh Ren?" Kusa said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Yep. I got top of the class again. How about you, Kusa?" Ren asked as Kusa spoke up with a grin.

"See for yourself." Kusa said happily as he pointed to the first-years' scores, where the top spot was clearly visible as belonging to 'Kusa Amamiya', with 'Kasumi Yoshizawa' sitting back at 5th in her grade scorewise, to Ren's confusion and concern.

"Congrats on top score, but why did Kasumi's score drop so far?" Ren asked as Kusa shrugged and spoke up.

"Dunno. I know she's had a lot of meets lately, so that could've impacted her studying habits, which would allow for the drop in scores I suppose. Either way, sweet! We're at the top of our respective years, and Makoto retained her spot at the top of the third-years! Awesome!" Kusa said before blinking as he spoke up.

"Oh look, Ryuji's marks improved too." Kusa said, pointing to the spot of 20th among the second-years, which surprisingly belonged to 'Ryuji Sakamoto', with 'Ann Takamaki' sitting at a respectable 5th among the second-years. Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"Awesome, those of us who could improve our scores did so easily! Let's go!" Kusa said happily as Morgana spoke up with a closed-eye grin.

"That's amazing, you two! Everyone's gonna have their eyes on you now!" Morgana said as Ren's Charm got a sizable, if unneeded, boost. Ren and Kusa then went about their business...

(That afternoon, in class with Ren, Ann, and Morgana)

While Ren and Ann sat in class, their phones buzzed to signify a group chat with Ryuji, Kusa, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, and Futaba, with Yusuke sending the first response.

"Any word from Akechi?" Yusuke sent as Makoto winced and sent a response.

"Nothing." Makoto sent as Haru sent a response at that point.

"But tomorrow is the start of the school festival. Will this be OK? If Akechi-kun declines our offer, we won't have a guest, will we?" Haru sent as Kusa sent a response.

"I wouldn't say that, Haru. As I recall, second place in that guest vote was won by some girl called Risette, or something along those lines? Naturally, we're not trying to go to a back-up plan I'm sure, but better to have one ready and not need it than to not have it ready and need it." Kusa sent as Ann sent a response.

"Huh? That's what you're worried about, Haru?" Ann sent as Ryuji sent a response next.

"Wait, for real Kusa!? Rise took 2nd? Nice! Can we just let Akechi miss the festival and ask Rise instead? Supposedly she's really cute and stuff." Ryuji sent as Makoto sent a response, cutting off the response Kusa was planning to send about Rise supposedly already having a boyfriend from what he'd read about her when he pulled up her bio out of wanting to educate himself so as not to look like a fool in front of Futaba more than he had to.

"No, Ryuji. We're not leaning on 2nd place if we don't have to. And Haru, I appreciate the concern, but it will be fine. I just need to get Akechi-kun to agree to this somehow." Makoto sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Yup." Futaba sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"What's that bastard up to anyways?" Ryuji sent as Kusa sent a response next.

"As much as I agree with that description Ryuji, I don't think any of us can answer that question at this time. That said, that would be like Akechi to make us squirm while he takes his time deciding if he'll accept or not." Kusa sent as Futaba sent a response.

"I agree with Kusa. Also, he hasn't done anything since he said he was gonna go into hiding." Futaba sent as Makoto sent a response.

"I'm not sure. I'll try explaining the circumstances surrounding the school festival to him again. Hopefully he can give me a response by the end of the day. I'll let you know if I make any progress on that front." Makoto sent as Ren put his phone away and the rest of class passed uneventfully...

(After school, in the evening at Leblanc with Ren, Kusa, Morgana, Sojiro and Akechi)

Ren looked at Kusa and spoke up as they got to the doorstep of Leblanc.

"Do you think Akechi-kun's gonna give us a response in time, Kusa?" Ren asked Kusa, who shrugged and spoke up.

"Maybe. But if I know Akechi-kun at all, odds are he'll wait to the last possible opportunity to do so, just to keep us waiting. He's kind of a show-off that way. But I think deep down, he might not be that bad considering he was seeming to change his thinking a bit the last we spoke to him. But we'll see." Kusa said as the two went inside, and blinked as they saw Akechi sitting at the counter being waited on by Sojiro. Kusa then spoke up in surprise.

"Well, speak of the devil. Wasn't expecting Akechi would be here, but I suppose it makes sense, eh Ren?" Kusa said as Ren nodded before Akechi smiled a closed-eye grin at Ren and spoke up.

"Welcome home, Amamiya brothers. Been awhile." Akechi said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"That it has. No offense Akechi-kun, but why are you here? I wasn't expecting to see you sitting at Leblanc." Ren said politely. Akechi chuckled at the question and spoke up.

"Hm? Why, you ask? I just came to enjoy some delicious coffee." Akechi said to Ren before turning to Sojiro as he spoke up.

"Oh right, how has business been for you lately, Sakura-kun?" Akechi asked Sojiro, who scoffed and shook his head while he spoke.

"Heh, take a look around. Oh, and I suppose I should ask for the sake of being polite. Is the Niijima lady doing well?" Sojiro asked Akechi, who winced as he spoke up.

"Unfortunately, we haven't seen each other lately. We had a, how to put it? A difference of opinion." Akechi asked as Ren and Sojiro both blinked at this, but the TV caught their attention before they could question it, prompting Ren, Sojiro, Akechi, and Kusa to all look at the TV as the host spoke up on-screen.

"What are your thoughts, Representative Shido?" The TV host asked a person on-screen, and to Kusa's surprise, he saw Sojiro frown at the mention of the name Shido. However, before Kusa could question it, the aforementioned Shido, a bald-headed man with black sunglasses that had orange tints, piercing brown eyes that Kusa noted looked vaguely similar to his own, a short goatee of black hair, and a black business suit with a white striped dress shirt underneath, spoke up.

"It doesn't surprise me that people say our country is lethargic. We've let these Phantom Thieves run amok." The apparently-named Representative Shido said as Ren winced and rubbed his forehead as he realized that Shido's voice sounded vaguely familiar to him for some reason. Kusa, for his part, frowned as well, feeling as if Shido looked familiar to him, yet he couldn't place where he'd seen him before. Shido then kept speaking.

"And because they've targeted only prominent figures, our government leaders have been hesitant to act. I apologize for any concern they may have caused and henceforth will search for an apt countermeasure." Shido said as a pompous customer near the back clapped his hands and spoke up.

"That politician's really honorable. I like how quick he says he's gonna do everything." The pompous male customer said, but was ignored as the rest of the room was listening to Shido's words as he kept speaking.

"This is an important undertaking, and one I intend to confront with every asset available to me. The selfish criminals enacting this 'social reform' are in fact the ones most deserving of reformation. Answering to the interests of the people as hastily as possible is my natural duty as a politician." Shido said as the pompous customer from before spoke up again.

"Man, this guy is admirable." The pompous male customer said as Shido's speech continued.

"Rampant political scandals, thieves on the loose, frequent mental shutdowns. As sad as it is, this is the state of our nation. We must resolve this problem, and I assure the people of this noble country that I will do just that." Shido said as Ren had a flashback to the day that he and Ryuji, along with Morgana who was in his bag at the time, were stopped by a group of rude people on their way to catch up to Ann and Kusa, making Ren feel as if he'd met Shido somewhere before, even if he wasn't sure precisely where. Next to him, Kusa had the same realization, but also couldn't think of where he'd possibly met Shido. Sojiro then turned to Ren and spoke up.

"Ren, what're you standing there staring off into space for? You're creeping me out." Sojiro asked as Ren spoke up after blinking and remembering where he was.

"Oh, it's nothing Boss. Just had a thought occur to me, that's all." Ren said honestly. Sojiro frowned and spoke up.

"Relax, Ren. I'm not worried or anything. You're just blocking the store entrance." Sojiro said to Ren. The pompous male customer spoke up at that point.

"That politician is honest and carries an overwhelming amount of charisma. It feels like a trustworthy leader for Japan has finally come forth. Don't you think, Boss?" The pompous male customer said as Sojiro looked up from his work, being partially distracted looking from Kusa to the on-screen Shido while he spoke up.

"Hm? Sorry, wasn't listening." Sojiro said as Akechi turned to face Ren and Kusa, the latter surprised to see a frown on Akechi's face while he spoke.

"Really? 'Criminals', hm? Well, that must be how he sees it. However, that is ignorant of their true nature." Akechi said as Ren and Kusa blinked before both spoke up.

"True nature, you say Akechi-kun?" Ren asked politely as Kusa spoke up.

"Correct me if I'm wrong here Akechi-kun, but am I getting the sense from your reaction that you don't like politicians?" Kusa said as Akechi spoke up.

"You could say that, Amamiya-kun the younger. And Amamiya-kun the elder, if these people attack others with no remorse, why would they make a teacher and an artist apologize? Could a murder truly have been enacted by the same group? Furthermore, if this Okumura incident was not the Phantom Thieves, and if it's as you say Amamiya-kun the elder, and they only change the hearts of criminals, then even though they can't be considered 'innocent' per se, perhaps in the end, my goals are not so different from theirs, when all is said and done." Akechi said as Kusa and Ren spoke up.

"Wow, are you actually admitting that you might actually agree with the Phantom Thieves to an extent, Akechi-kun? Impressive, if true." Kusa said as Ren spoke up.

"But Akechi-kun, they are innocent. I have a feeling in my gut this is the case, and my gut is rarely wrong." Ren said. Akechi chuckled as he spoke up.

"Hahaha. I knew there was something special about you Amamiya-kun the elder, ever since we met. And honestly? You're not so bad either, Amamiya-kun the younger. A bit rough around the edges perhaps, but not a bad guy. That said, I feel as though I could tell you anything during our conversations, Amamiya-kun the elder." Akechi said before nodding as he remembered something.

"Ah, that reminds me. As you two might know, I've been invited to a panel at Shujin Academy, and-Ah, wait. I'm sure you knew that already. Anyways, I thought about it, and considering it's such a good opportunity, I've decided to accept the offer." Akechi said, making Kusa and Ren exchanged stunned looks as Akechi turned to Sojiro and spoke up.

"Thank you for the coffee, Sakura-kun. It was delicious." Akechi said as Sojiro nodded and spoke up.

"Glad you liked it." Sojiro said to Akechi, who nodded as he turned to Ren and Kusa as he spoke up.

"I'm glad I could see you, Amamiya-kun the elder. And it was nice to see you as well, Amamiya-kun the younger. I'll be going now." Akechi said as he left Leblanc, after which Sojiro spoke up with a grunt.

"That kid was going on about some real complicated stuff. He's probably a fair bit smarter than you, huh?" Sojiro asked Ren, who frowned but was distracted from answering by the sound of his and Kusa's phones going off to signify a group chat with Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, and Futaba, with Makoto sending the first response.

"Oh, I didn't notice I had gotten a response from Akechi-kun. He accepted the lecture invitation." Makoto sent as Ren sent a response.

"I know. Kusa and I both heard. Akechi was waiting for us at Leblanc when we got back. Apparently he wanted to tell us in person that he accepted the invitation, for who knows why." Ren sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Yeah, Ren's right. And compared to how he usually is, Akechi was surprisingly civil and humble this time. Made some comments about how the Phantom Thieves' goals weren't so different from his own, which shocked me. Could he be finally coming around to realize he was wrong about us? Also, we saw some news report on TV about some bald asshat named Shido who apparently is pledging to take it upon himself to use all his assets to tackle the issue of the Phantom Thieves." Kusa sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Hm? Really? That's both interesting and surprising." Makoto sent as Ann sent a response.

"Regardless of if that's true or not, the real issue is what we do next." Ann sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Indeed. The lecture is on the afternoon of the second day, yes?" Yusuke sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Wait, you're coming to our school festival?" Ryuji sent in surprise as Yusuke sent a response.

"It's during my exam week, so I'll be able to go in the afternoon." Yusuke sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Be that as it may, can you afford the distraction, Yusuke? How's your studying going?" Makoto sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Decently. Incidentally, will that counselor be at the festival as well?" Yusuke sent as Kusa sent a response.

"You mean Doc? I would be surprised if he wasn't there, to be honest. He's on call to the school, after all. So it would track he'd make himself available in case his services are needed, plus I'm sure he'd want to see the festival as well." Kusa sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Oh, Doctor Maruki? Probably." Ryuji sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"I see! Finally, I shall witness his skills for myself first-hand. Perhaps I should prepare a gift. They say first impressions are everything." Yusuke sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Pretty sure that mostly only applies to when you're trying to impress a pretty lady, Yusuke. And Doc, from what I can tell, isn't that fussed about getting gifts. Maybe you could make a painting for him or something, since that doesn't really cost money that much?" Kusa sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Good point, Kusa. Also, I dunno if he'll even be there, Yusuke. If anything gets confirmed, I'll drop you a line." Ryuji sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Ah, much obliged." Yusuke sent as Ann sent a message that had both Kusa and Futaba blinking as they read it.

"You wanna come too, Futaba? C'mon, it'll be fun!" Ann sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Seriously? You want me to come to your school festival?" Futaba sent as Haru sent a response.

"I don't see why you couldn't come, Futaba-chan. We should all walk around together tomorrow. Don't you agree it would be fun to have Futaba-chan there with us, Kusa-kun?" Haru sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Honestly? That's up to Taba if she wants to come or not. But I won't deny that would be kind of nice to be able to walk around the festival with her. But I also recall she was a bit uneasy the last time she saw Shujin, as both Makoto and Ren can vouch for, having shown her around." Kusa sent as Ren sent a response.

"He's right. I brought Futaba to Shujin the other day as a favor to her, and Makoto helped me give her a tour of the campus. Needless to say, she both did and didn't enjoy it. But I think having her see Kusa, who happened to be walking around the campus with Yoshizawa-san, made it a bit better for her. That said, that sounds good Haru." Ren sent as Makoto sent a response.

"At a time like this? And Kusa-kun is correct. Ren and I did show Futaba around Shujin. She seemed to mostly enjoy it, from what I could tell." Makoto sent as Haru sent a response.

"I see. That said, this is the perfect chance for us to relax, though." Haru sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Haru, um, are you sure you're OK? This seems a little soon." Futaba sent as Haru sent a response.

"I am, thank you. I've just always dreamed of walking around my school festival with friends." Haru sent as Makoto sent a response.

"I see. I suppose if you say it like that Haru, I can resign myself to enjoying our time there too. Thanks, Haru." Makoto sent as Haru smiled and sent a response.

"It's my pleasure." Haru sent as Ren and Kusa put their phones away. As Ren and Kusa went to go upstairs, Sojiro spoke up to call out to them.

"Hey, how did exams go for the two of you?" Sojiro asked as Ren spoke up.

"Honestly? Kusa and I scored at the top of our respective years, so I'd say they went okay." Ren said. Sojiro nodded approvingly as he spoke up.

"Oh, is that right? Well done, you two. I'm proud of you. That said, well, you both look like you're trying your best. Then maybe the two of you didn't need this, but I'll give it to you anyways. Oh well, take it." Sojiro said as he gave Ren a 'Leblanc Charm' accessory. Sojiro then chuckled as he kept speaking.

"I made it myself. It's got my finest coffee beans in it. I wanted to give it to you before the exams started, but oh well. You still have more tests anyways. Don't let up on the finals." Sojiro said as Ren nodded before heading upstairs with Kusa. After a bit, Ren looked at Kusa and spoke up.

"Hey, Kusa? I don't really feel like going out tonight, so what say you and I do something together up here? We could watch 'Mouse, M.D.', or we could play a video game. What do you wanna do?" Ren said to Kusa, who spoke up.

"Y'know, I think we should give that 'Train of Life' game another go. I feel like maybe now we can get past that Octavius creep if the dice cooperate." Kusa said as Ren thought about it before nodding.

"I like the idea, Kusa. And we did get owned the last time we tried it. Yeah, tonight's probably a good time for a re-match. Let's do it." Ren said as he set the game up and handed Kusa a controller while he picked up his own controller, and turned on the game. Kusa smirked and spoke up as the title screen music for 'Train of Life' started playing on the screen.

"I didn't mention this before, but that title screen music? Kind of a banger." Kusa said as Morgana spoke up.

"Agreed. Let's start up Train of Life." Morgana said as Ren started the game up, and hit the button to get into the menu. Morgana then spoke up again.

"Why don't we start on the novice course again? We can beat it this time. It seems like things are going well for the time being. Let's just hope it stays that way, yeah?" Morgana said before blinking with Ren and Kusa as a familiar silhouette popped up on-screen and Morgana spoke up.

"Wait, this silhouette, we've seen it before. Could it be Octavius again?" Morgana asked as the silhouette walked into view and spoke up.

"Blorp! My name is Octavius! I'll let you go if you can satisfy me, blorp! You'll have three chances, blorp!" Octavius said on-screen as Morgana spoke up.

"There he is again. It's Octavius. You two know the secret number, right?" Morgana asked Ren and Kusa, who nodded as Ocativus spoke up once more.

'"Well then, here's your first roll, blorp!" Ocativus said as Ren rolled the first roll and got a 6. Ren and Kusa then elected to re-roll it. Ocativus then spoke up.

"Say goodbye to roll number 1, blorp. On we go to roll number 2, blorp!" Ocativus said as Ren rolled the second roll and got a 7. Ren elected to re-roll again, knowing what number he and Kusa needed. Octavius then spoke up again.

"So you chose to re-roll that 7. Say goodbye to roll number 2, blorp! On we go to roll number 3, blorp!" Ocativus said as Ren rolled the third roll, and to his and Kusa's horror, it came up a 3, making Kusa frown as Octavius spoke up.

"Hm, I see. 3, blorp. And unfortunately for you, you don't have any more re-rolls, so you're stuck with this number, blorp! And what's my name? It's Octavius, as in Octo, or the number eight! That means my secret number is 8, blorp! That means you lose, blrop! I'll have to take you all the way back to the beginning, blorp!" Octavius said as Morgana spoke up in horror.

"No way! Shoot, it happened again? We lost even though we knew the secret number going in? How is that possible!? Like before, we've been sent back to the first square of the board. There's no way we're coming back from this, and even Kusa knows it." Morgana said as Kusa just huffed while the 'you lose' music played and the 'GAME OVER' screen popped up as Ren sweatdropped while Morgana spoke up.

"We failed again. But it seems that you at least learned how to keep your heart open even in the face of brutally unfair requests." Morgana said as Kusa spoke up.

"Stupid loaded dice. Oh well, whatever. I'm not gonna get angry over it this time. At least tomorrow's the festival, so I have that to look forward to. If this keeps up, Ren might have to bust out that book of gaming techniques you said he picked up, just to potentially even the field a bit, Morgana." Kusa said, getting a nod from Ren, who felt his Kindness get a small, if unneeded, boost. Morgana winced and spoke up.

"Kusa has a point, Ren. Don't you have a book on secret techniques? Maybe you should try giving it a read sometime." Morgana said as Kusa spoke up.

"He does, but I think like me, he prefers not to do it unless it's the only way to succeed. Much like myself, Ren prefers to win honorably where possible. And using techniques to get the win isn't exactly honorable." Kusa said with a frown as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"Good point, Kusa. Well, in any case, it's starting to get late, you two. Let's head to sleep soon, okay?" Morgana said to Ren and Kusa, who nodded as they got comfortable and laid down for the evening...

(The following afternoon, at the festival with Ryuji, Morgana, Ren, Futaba, Kusa, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, and Ann)

"The festival seems to be a success." Yusuke said conversationally as Ann turned to face the others with a look of surprise as she spoke up.

"True. There's definitely a lot more people than last year." Ann said as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"Well, yeah. That makes sense, give this place got 'famous' and all. The Phantom Thieves, Kamoshida, Principal Kobayakawa. And on top of that, we got Akechi as a guest." Ryuji said as Makoto winced and spoke up.

"Not to mention, there may be police officers in plain clothes too around here. Actually? They probably are here. We better be careful about what we discuss." Makoto said as Morgana spoke up.

"Acting like normal students is going to be important." Morgana said as Kusa spoke up.

"If that's the case, you need to stay in Ren's bag and not make a sound since your current form isn't meant to be heard at a school, Morgana." Kusa said bluntly. Futaba then spoke up with an uncertain look on her face.

"And what do you normally do at a school festival?" Futaba asked shyly. Ann spoke up uncertainly.

"Look around at the exhibits for the most part, and eat stuff?" Ann said as Kusa spoke up.

"That makes sense, to a point. But you make it sound more like we're at a museum than a festival, Ann. Not that I have room to talk, since even if Ren and I have been to a festival or two, we've not been to a Shujin festival yet, so we have little to no experience with one." Kusa said as Ryuji grinned and looked at Futaba while speaking up.

"There's no set rules for this kinda thing. Walk around and hang out, like when we went to the beach." Ryuji said as Ren spoke up.

"Ryuji has a point. But at the same time, we still should stay on our toes, just to be on the safe side." Ren said. Ryuji winced as he spoke up.

"I-I know that." Ryuji said with a frown as Makoto winced and spoke up while looking at Ren and Ryuji.

"Actually, come to think of it, there's a possibility that both your names, along with Ann and Kusa's names, have come up during the course of the investigation." Makoto winced as Ann nodded before speaking up.

"That's true. A number of the teachers had been questioned before, and even we were interviewed the other day too." Ann said as Makoto nodded and spoke up.

"Right. Don't let your guard down too much." Makoto said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"She's right. It's true that the initial members have been at this for a long time, making it easier to get tracked potentially." Morgana said as Ryuji sighed and spoke up.

"All riiiight, I get it. We'll stay on our guard." Ryuji said in a frustrated tone as Haru spoke up.

"Now, now. Let's leave it at that. We just need to be mindful about what we're saying, correct?" Haru asked as Makoto winced and spoke up.

"Oh, um, yeah, that's right Haru." Makoto said as Yusuke looked at Haru and spoke up.

"You seem to be having quite a lot of fun, Haru. You did mention that you were looking forward to this." Yusuke said as Haru nodded and spoke up.

"I am. I want to go around with everyone and eat at the refreshment stands." Haru said as Futaba smiled and spoke up.

"I agree. This'll be a great change of pace from all the nasty stuff lately!" Futaba said excitedly, smiling as Makoto spoke up.

"I see. Shall we head off to the stands then?" Makoto said as Ren spoke up.

"I agree, but remember everyone. We need to stay calm." Ren said. Ryuji grinned and spoke up.

"Guys who say stuff like that tend to get all excited when they go, you know." Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up.

"Be fair here, Ryuji. It is mine, Ren, and Futaba's first time at a Shujin festival, so of course we're apt to be excited about it." Kusa said as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"Exactly, Kusa! To the refreshment stands!" Futaba said as Ann did a closed-eye smile and spoke up.

"I know a great one! Follow me." Ann said as the others followed her to a stand on the second floor where a student in a maid costume was looking at them through the window of the nearby classroom as Ann spoke up.

"This is the place!" Ann said as Haru spoke up.

"Oh? 'Maid Takoyaki'?" Haru said as Ann nodded while speaking up towards the window.

"New customers! I'll show you all to your seats." Ann said as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"Oh, I see how it is, Ann. So it's you and Ren's class's stand, eh? Surprised Ren wasn't roped into helping with it, honestly." Ryuji said as Kusa laughed and spoke up.

"Ryuji, you do realize most of the school still fears Ren to some extent because of all those bogus rumors about him that were spread when we moved here, right? So naturally they're not gonna want him helping out if they can avoid it. It's the same reason I wasn't asked to help with my class' stand, even though Yoshizawa-san had to duck out for training and couldn't man her stand.

I was originally meant to be the alternate in that instance, but the guy from the next desk over got asked to fill in instead. It kinda is disappointing, to be honest, because I was looking forward to seeing what the school thought of my attempt at cooking up Leblanc style curry." Kusa said sagely as Futaba smiled at the mention of curry.

Ann frowned at Ryuji while she spoke up, nodding in agreement with Kusa's observation while she spoke.

"So? It's still a refreshment stand, isn't it?" Ann said to Ryuji while Futaba spoke up in surprise.

"It's like a deserted island here, isn't it?" Futaba said as Kusa nodded and Makoto spoke up.

"Well, I guess it's good for talking since there aren't any people here really." Makoto said as the group claimed seats, Kusa lifting Morgana out of the chair he'd tried to claim to sit down in it instead, gently sitting Morgana down in his lap as Haru spoke up.

"We heard a lot of rumors even on our way here." Haru said from her spot between Yusuke and Makoto as Ryuji spoke up from next to Kusa, who had had to sit in-between Ren and Ryuji since Ann claimed the seat by Futaba.

"And it was all bullshit." Ryuji said as Morgana spoke up from in Kusa's lap.

"Here she comes, you guys. Act normal." Morgana said as Kusa leaned down to whisper in Morgana's ear.

"We will, and you keep quiet while there's others around, yeah?" Kusa said so only Morgana could hear, getting a nod from the not-cat in question as Ryuji huffed and spoke up.

"Who cares? There's nothin' 'normal' about this anymore." Ryuji said as the student maid from before walked over and spoke up.

"Welcome home. May I take your order?" The student maid asked as Ryuji scoffed and spoke up.

"Wait, 'Take my order'!? What happened to the maid atmosphere!?" Ryuji asked as Yusuke spoke up to change the subject.

"There are a lot of odd flavors on this menu, aren't there?" Yusuke asked as Ryuji spoke up bluntly.

"Stick to a normal one. I bet they-" Ryuji said as the student maid gave a regretful look to the group as she spoke up.

"I'm so sorry. We sold our last normal one to the previous customer." The student maid said regretfully as Ryuji winced and spoke up.

"The hell? What kind of stand is this?" Ryuji asked as Yusuke spoke up before anyone could answer Ryuji's question.

"Well then, in that case, I'll have the mentai cheese takoyaki." Yusuke said as the student maid spoke up.

"I'm sorry, we're out of cod roe." The student maid said apologetically. Haru then spoke up.

"Then, how about the squid-" Haru said as the student maid cut Haru off by speaking up.

"Um, sorry, but we're currently out catching squid. It'll probably take another five or six hours before we get any." The student maid said as Ryuji growled and spoke up.

"What!? That doesn't even sound remotely possible! Ain't this whole menu just a sham!?" Ryuji asked as Ann spoke up after chuckling nervously with a closed-eye smile.

"Actually, we spent most of our budget on making the maid costumes look nice. We didn't put too much effort into the octopus." Ann said as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"Oh, I can see that!" Ryuji said in annoyance as Morgana spoke up so only Ryuji and Kusa could hear.

"Ryuji, you're making a scene right now." Morgana said as Kusa just petted the not-cat by way of response as Haru looked to the student maid and spoke up to get her attention.

"Then, what would you recommend with what you have now?" Haru asked the student maid, who smiled as she spoke up.

"Ah, good question. That would be the Russian takoyaki." The student maid said as Haru nodded and spoke up.

"Okay. We'll have that, please." Haru said politely. The student maid nodded as she spoke up.

"Very well. This will take a little time." The student maid said. After she walked off, Ryuji spoke up with a wince and a frown.

"Sorry about that, you guys. Look, let's just forget about the octopus and get back on topic." Ryuji said as Ann frowned and spoke up.

"On that note, hearing Kamoshida being almost treated like a victim makes me wanna eat my stress away!" Ann said as Kusa spoke up.

"Agreed. Kamoshida is no victim in this. Those of us who remember when he was still teaching here can agree with me on that point, even Makoto who was probably having to pretend to be on his side at the time as part of her job. But the fact is, that man ended up being scum in the end. And he got what he deserved. Personally, I'm just as glad he never knew about Taba, and wasn't able to get his claws into Yoshizawa-san. As it was, Ren and I already had enough reason to not like him." Kusa said as Morgana nodded.

"Well said, Kusa. Back on topic, I've even heard conjecture that the principal was targeted for reasons like 'he knew too much'." Morgana said as Kusa blinked in surprise before he spoke up.

"Didn't you hear that one from me, though? And I believe I conjectured he was silenced as a preventative measure?" Kusa said as Morgana merely nodded while Yusuke spoke up.

"I kept hearing about Goro Akechi's popularity." Yusuke said as Futaba frowned and spoke up.

"Right, the popularity that's all thanks to the Phantom Thieves!" Futaba said as Ryuji spoke up uncertainly.

"You know, did that Akechi guy agree to show up here 'cause he believes we didn't kill anybody, do you think?" Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up.

"It's possible, Ryuji. I could see that smug prick agreeing to show up just to potentially bash the Phantom Thieves before an attentive audience." Kusa said as Yusuke spoke up.

"Perhaps, or he may simply love large gatherings." Yusuke said as Ann nodded and spoke up.

"Oh, true. He didn't seem like he minded being pampered by the media at all." Ann said as Morgana spoke up with a frown.

"We plan on stealing intel, but we might fall into another trap. I'm gonna be bummed if that happens, you know." Morgana said as Kusa smiled and spoke up.

"Cheer up, Morgana. We're not falling into another trap. If nothing else, Taba and I have been discussing setting a trap of our own in response to Black Mask's trap. So let's stay calm, and, at least for the moment, let things play out, if only to get an idea of Black Mask and/or Akechi's intentions." Kusa said wisely. Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Kusa's right. That is possible, but we'll do our best to prevent it if we can help it." Ren said. Makoto nodded determinedly as she spoke up.

"I agree with Kusa-kun here. We won't let that happen!" Makoto said before she smiled and kept speaking.

"Still, it doesn't change the fact that we don't know what Akechi-kun is planning." Makoto said as a 'ding' was heard nearby before the student maid brought out the takoyaki and spoke up.

"Here you go! Thank you for the wait." The student maid said as Ann did a closed-eye smile while speaking up.

"Ooh, it's fresh-made!" Ann said as Futaba frowned before she spoke up.

"Fresh-made? Lies! I heard a microwave go off!" Futaba said as Ryuji sighed and spoke up.

"It's fine. Well, not like I was expectin' crispy takoyaki at a school festival or anything. So, I may regret asking this, but what makes this a 'Russian' takoyaki?" Ryuji asked. Haru smiled as she spoke up excitedly.

"Oh! Could there be jam in it as a secret ingredient? That sounds quite delicious." Haru said as the student maid smiled and spoke up.

"Well, to be honest, one of these is 'special'." The student maid said before walking off as Morgana looked at the takoyaki and spoke up.

"Uh, one of them's obviously red. That's gotta be the one." Morgana said as Ryuji spoke up.

"Dude, don't tell me the 'Russian' part means what I think it does?" Ryuji asked as Kusa frowned and spoke up.

"Were you about to suggest this is like Russian roulette, Ryuji? Because I'm pretty sure you only do that with guns as I recall. But I suppose the 'gambling on your luck' aspect is kind of the same here? I'm not that much of a seafood fan myself, but maybe I'll give this a try?" Kusa said with a shrug as Ann spoke up with a sly smile.

"Oh? Maybe it's like, going for the obvious one is manly?" Ann suggested as Morgana blinked and spoke up in surprise.

"I-Is that so?" Morgana asked from in Kusa's lap as Kusa spoke up.

"Even if it is Morgana, only a fool would take that kind of risk to impress a lady. I don't even think Ryuji is that hard-up to make the ladies notice him. I could possibly see Ren trying it if Yoshizawa-san were here to prove his manliness, but I'm pretty sure he wouldn't even do it then." Kusa said as Ren frowned at Kusa while Yusuke spoke up.

"Truthfully, I'd prefer the most beautifully shaped one if possible, but all of them are misshapen." Yusuke said as the others winced and Haru spoke up.

"Oh, aren't you all going to eat? I think I'll go for the 'special' one." Haru said as the others looked at her in surprise while Makoto spoke up in shock.

"Wait, for real? Is she honestly going for it?" Makoto said as Ryuji grinned at Makoto using his line and spoke up while nudging Ren.

"Do YOU wanna go for the red one?" Ryuji asked Ren, who frowned as he spoke up.

"Nah, I'll pass. But to be honest, I wonder if the fact it's red means it could be spicy?" Ren said in intrigue. Ryuji frowned at the question before speaking up.

"Uh, to be honest? Well, yeah." Ryuji said as another voice reached the group's ears.

"Oh, everyone's all here." Akechi said as he walked into view, making Makoto turn to look at him in shock as she spoke up.

"Akechi-kun!? Th-The panel isn't until tomorrow though, so why are you here early?" Makoto asked. Akechi smiled as he spoke up.

"Oh, I know. I came to check out the venue. I can't make any mistakes, since a lot of people will be present." Akechi said as Ren and Kusa exchanged dubious looks while Futaba huffed and spoke up from next to Ann.

"Huh, someone's eager." Futaba deadpanned as Kusa smiled at her, amused at her remark. Akechi nodded, giving Futaba an amused smile before he spoke up.

"You're not wrong, Sakura-san. But, people ended up recognizing me. Everyone bombarded me with questions." Akechi said as Ryuji huffed and spoke up.

"Well, that's 'cause you were sloppy, Akechi." Ryuji said as Kusa just nodded, not trusting himself to speak since he was trying not to laugh at both Futaba and Ryuji laying into Akechi. Akechi, for his part, gave the group a closed-eye grin as he spoke up.

"Truthfully, I grew tired of the baseless rumors they kept bringing up, so I escaped to where there weren't any people." Akechi said before he walked over and snatched up a takoyaki from the platter as he spoke up, not seeing the widened eyes from most of the group as he kept speaking.

"If you don't mind, I'm going to have one of these." Akechi said as Haru gasped when she realized which one Akechi had grabbed.

"Oh no, the 'special' one!" Haru said as Akechi did a closed-eye grin and spoke up.

"Let's just call this my performance fee." Akechi said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"You know what? That's entirely fair, Akechi-kun. I'd do the same thing if I were you." Kusa said, managing to keep a straight face even though internally he was curious to see how Akechi reacted to the red takoyaki as he bit into it and Ann spoke up in horror.

"But-" Ann started to say as Ryuji cut her off by speaking up with a grin on his face.

"It's fine. Let him eat a takoyaki, Ann." Ryuji said as Akechi spoke up with a closed-eye grin.

"Mmm, it's quite deli-HNNGH!?" Akechi said as he slapped a hand over his mouth while he started acting like he was gagging as Ann spoke up with a wince.

"Eating it in one bite is a bad idea, Akechi-kun. Sorry." Ann said as Akechi spoke up again, not seeing Ryuji, Futaba and Kusa all having to stifle laughs at the look on Akechi's face while he spoke.

"Ngh, what the heck? My throat, it burns! Urgh! This is so spicy! Ohhh, crap! Oh, my stomach! My poor stomach! It burns!" Akechi said as Ann spoke up in a panicked tone.

"Are you okay? Do you need some water?" Ann asked Akechi, who winced as he spoke up with a distressed look on his face.

"I-I-I'm okay. I'm fine! I just love, eheh, uh, urk spicy-spicy stuff, urk. Haha, oog. Hah, this burns." Akechi said as Futaba and Kusa both grinned at Akechi's reaction while Ryuji looked ready to burst out laughing. Futaba then spoke up in a tone that seemed genuinely concerned.

"Hey, does he sound broken to you?" Futaba asked as Kusa spoke up.

"Maybe a little, but I think he's fine for the most part? Granted, I feel bad for him too." Kusa said as Akechi spoke up.

"W-Well then, nice seeing you all. I'll, uh, I'll see you all, uh, well, t-t-t-tomorrow." Akechi said as he walked off as calmly as he was capable of doing. After he left, Ann spoke up with a concerned look on her face.

"Wow, he's really trying to hold it together. He's waddling around like some comedian." Ann said as both Ryuji and Futaba fell off their seats laughing at that point while Kusa spoke up with a poorly-disguised grin that he tried to pass off as a worried look while he spoke.

"That poor man. He should've known better than to pick the red takoyaki. What a foolish fool. I hope he's okay by tomorrow. That said, I hope someone thought to get photos or video of that moment." Kusa said as Ryuji stopped laughing long enough to speak up after Ren and Kusa helped Ryuji and Futaba respectively into their seats.

"Truth! It's like he wants to get picked up for some commercial or somethin', if you ask me." Ryuji said. Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"True. But, and I think this is a more important question, did he truly come to simply check the venue?" Yusuke asked as Kusa spoke up.

"It's possible, but I sense he was here for more than that." Kusa said sagely as Yusuke spoke up.

"You might be right, Kusa. Ugh, this isn't good. I keep suspecting every tiny little thing, to be honest." Yusuke said as Makoto spoke up.

"To be honest? I know what you mean, Yusuke. I'm doing the same too." Makoto said as Kusa spoke up approvingly.

"Good, I'm not the only one here who's skeptical of his story then." Kusa said as Makoto spoke up.

"Correct. I need to do my best tomorrow. We need to somehow get him to be our source of intel, since we can't rely on Sis for that anymore. That said, I'm gonna pull this off, no matter what!" Makoto said as Futaba frowned and spoke up.

"That Akechi guy though, was he okay? Also, when he got here, didn't he say that everyone's all here? 'Everyone'?" Futaba asked as Ren and Kusa's eyes widened and the latter spoke up reassuringly.

"I'm sure he mis-spoke, or was trying to screw around with our heads, Taba." Kusa said, even as he had a few ideas come to mind of why Akechi would say that. Ryuji looked at Futaba and spoke up.

"You probably misheard him or something, Futaba. You're just imagining things, surely?" Ryuji said as Kusa frowned at him, but said nothing as the group went back to the entrance, at which point Ryuji kept speaking.

"So, I guess we got through all of it okay?" Ryuji said as Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, but the associated mental fatigue was extraordinary. Being cautious takes a lot out of you, doesn't it?" Yusuke said as Ann spoke up with a nod.

"Seriously! I think I'm as tired now as I am after midterms." Ann said as Kusa spoke up.'

"That's because you two are inexperienced with having to be cautious like this. Ren and I, on the other hand, have a bit of experience with it, given what we've been through prior to coming here. That, and I naturally am a wary person, so it's not so draining on me to be cautious. Granted, I don't hear the others complaining." Kusa said as Futaba smiled and spoke up from nest to Kusa.

"I didn't mind any of that. To be honest, I just loved seeing that detective gulp down the special takoyaki, then walk off doing a wonderful impression of a drunk guy." Futaba said as Ren frowned and spoke up.

"Be nice, Futaba. Even if it was funny, it wasn't Akechi-kun's fault that he got a bad draw on the takoyaki. Besides, I'm sure Akechi would never drink." Ren said as Kusa spoke up.

"True, but at the same time, his staggering act was kinda hilarious. Ryuji and Futaba both were cracking up from it enough. I'll admit I was trying not to laugh just for the sake of being polite, even though I wanted to." Kusa said honestly. Haru chuckled and smiled as she spoke up.

"Even so, I had fun as well, since I got to spend time with you all." Haru said as Makoto smiled and spoke up.

"I see. What would you like to do now, Haru? Walk around a little more?" Makoto asked Haru, who smiled as she spoke up.

"I appreciate the gesture Mako-chan, but I'm satisfied with stopping here. Why don't we go home and rest up? We'll have to deal with Akechi-kun again tomorrow, after all, and we'll need to be prepared for that." Haru said as Morgana nodded and spoke up from inside Ren's bag.

"I have to agree. Also, what will his next move be?" Morgana asked as the group shrugged and headed off at that point, Morgana stopping Ren as the others kept walking to speak up.

"Oh? Wait a second. Uh, Ren? Yusuke's missing." Morgana said as Ren turned around, and sure enough, Yusuke was nowhere to be seen, even as the others kept walking to do their own things. Morgana frowned as he spoke up.

"Ugh, where'd he wander off to? Always doing whatever he pleases without any consideration for if he'd worry us with his disappearance or not. Do you think he's still checking out all the festival stalls? Let's head back! Well, I'm sure he'll be fine. This is Yusuke we're talking about. Let's head home." Morgana said as Ren nodded and the two headed back to Leblanc, unaware of the real reason for Yusuke's sudden disappearance...

(At the same time, in the courtyard with Yusuke and Maruki)

As Yusuke headed to the courtyard, the leftover takoyaki platter in hand, he saw a man with brown hair, glasses and a lab coat standing by some vending machines, and spoke up as he had an idea of who the man was.

"Excuse me. You are Doctor Takuto Maruki, correct?" Yusuke asked Maruki who blinked as he turned around in surprise and spoke up, not expecting to see a student approach him.

"Huh? Oh! Uh, um, yes!" Maruki said as Yusuke smiled and took a step closer as he spoke up.

"I see. My name is Yusuke Kitagawa. I'm a student in the fine arts division at Kosei High. I do apologize for interrupting your day, but ever since Ryuji and Ann first spoke of you, I've grown quite intrigued with you. And now I wish to speak with you as well." Yusuke said as Maruki gave Yusuke a confused look as he spoke up.

"Ryuji and Ann, you say? Oh, Sakamoto-kun and Takamaki-san? Quite! Well, I'm flattered that you've taken an interest in me. You're here about the counseling, correct?" Maruki asked Yusuke, who nodded as he spoke up.

"Indeed. That is correct. Now, teach me how to unshackle the human heart and glimpse into its endless abyss!" Yusuke said as Maruki blinked and spoke up.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on there! How should I put this, Kitagawa-kun? Ah, your enthusiasm is appreciated, but I suspect there's a huge misunderstanding about what I do." Maruki said as Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"You're right. I apologize. I simply couldn't contain my excitement. Would you permit me to witness your counseling skills in action?" Yusuke asked Maruki, who winced as he spoke up.

"Ah, that's not really allowed, haha. Sorry about that." Maruki said with a frown. He then got a thoughtful look on his face before speaking up.

"How about it? Oh! But how about this? Why not try out my counseling yourself instead?" Maruki suggested as Yusuke looked at him in surprise and spoke up.

"Me?" Yusuke asked as Maruki nodded and spoke up with a smile.

"Mmhm. Of course, there's no charge. All you'd have to do is chat with me for a bit." Maruki said as Yusuke smiled and spoke up.

"Well then, very well, if you insist. You and I shall go head-to-head." Yusuke said as Maruki sweatdropped and nervously chuckled s he spoke up.

"Um, I'm not sure what you think happens in counseling, but, uh, there won't be any of that here." Maruki said as he and Yusuke had a seat on the nearby bench and ate their food together. Afterwards, Yusuke explained a bit of his backstory to Maruki, who nodded as he spoke up.

"Ah, I see, so you were Madarame-san's former pupil then." Maruki said as Yusuke nodded before smiling wryly as he spoke up.

"True, but it's in the past now. Still, how curious. I never expected counseling to be like this." Yusuke said with an unreadable expression. Maruki smiled and nodded as he spoke up.

"Uh, well, I'd say this is less 'counseling' and more about building a rapport. When someone first comes to see me, we always start with them telling me a bit about themselves." Maruki said as Yusuke frowned and spoke up.

"Hm, a method of self-reflection that relies on speaking with another person so as to sort through one's own emotions? That's rather similar to the internal cross-examinations I perform when working on my art." Yusuke said as Maruki sweat-dropped and spoke up.

"Perhaps but there really shouldn't be any cross-examining in a proper counseling session, though, to be honest. I just do my best to guide patients in a positive direction so they can improve their lives. At the very least, I talk them through their problems so they can make the correct choices for themselves." Maruki said as Yusuke spoke up with a nod.

"I see. However, if you're the one leading them to conclusions, are they truly making the choices for themselves? Isn't that just submitting to another person's will?" Yusuke asked Maruki, who frowned as he spoke up.

"Yes, well, in all honesty, I'm sure there are people out there who think that, Kitagawa-kun. But life in this world confines people to certain frames of mind sometimes, and without them even realizing it. If I can help lift the weight off their shoulders and free their minds, I believe the results are worth it." Maruki said as Yusuke smiled and spoke up.

"Indeed. Thank you very much for speaking with me. This has been a most valuable experience." Yusuke said as Maruki spoke up.

"Oh, yes. Before you go, Kitagawa-kun, what would you say is your greatest wish in life at the moment? Would it be success as an artist?" Maruki asked Yusuke who blinked and spoke up.

"I'm unsure. But no, that's not it, Doctor. The only desire I have for my art is for it to improve through my own efforts." Yusuke said as Maruki smiled and spoke up.

"I see. Then what would you wish for?" Maruki asked as Yusuke spoke up.

"I would wish, embarrassing as this is to say, for the world to see my mother's painting for the masterpiece that it is, no matter how briefly. And if at all possible, I would also wish to meet a wonderful master. One who would take me in and guide my brush with care." Yusuke said as Maruki frowned and spoke up.

"Hm. Ah, interesting. I see." Maruki said as Yusuke spoke up.

"All right. Thank you for your time, but at any rate, I must be going now, so please excuse me. I hope we meet again someday." Yusuke said as he got up and left, leaving a contemplative Maruki behind to mull over what he and Yusuke had discussed...

(That evening, at Leblanc, in the attic with Ren, Kusa, and Morgana)

"Well then, tomorrow's the moment of truth. Akechi's panel." Morgana said as Kusa and Ren nodded, right when their phones went off to signify a group chat with Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, and Futaba, with Yusuke sending the first response.

"Apologies for suddenly disappearing like that." Yusuke sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Mwehehe, The Legend of the Lost Inari has come to an end!" Futaba sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Where the hell were you? Did you seriously get lost?" Ryuji sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"I saw a man who resembled Doctor Maruki, so I went to see him." Yusuke sent as Ann sent a response.

"So, he was there? Did you go to his counseling?" Ann sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Yes. It was both unique, and at the same time certainly not what I was expecting. Once this is all over, I think I'd like to go to another session." Yusuke sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Try not to cause him any trouble, all right?" Makoto sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"I'll do my best. Are you all at home?" Yusuke sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Noo, we're all out clubbing as an act of rebellion, Yusuke. Yeah, we're at home. Besides, I'm pretty sure most of us are too young to go clubbing anyways." Kusa sent as Ren sent a response.

"Yeah, what Kusa said. We're at home." Ren sent as Ann sent a response.

"Are you still at school, Yusuke?" Ann sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"No, I just got back to the dorm. I'm getting ready for bed." Yusuke sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Already?" Ryuji sent in surprise as Haru sent a response.

"Is that unusual? Tomorrow is Akechi-kun's panel, after all. And an early night means he'll be able to concentrate tomorrow." Haru sent as Makoto sent a response.

"That's true. We'll need to stay focused tomorrow. And remember, we have to stay calm, no matter what he says." Makoto sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Right, I'll keep that in mind." Yusuke sent as Kusa sent a response.

"In the interest of giving us something to focus on while getting through the panel tomorrow, let us not forget the dance is tomorrow night, at least for those of us who got dates. I can't really poke fun at Morgana and Yusuke too much since they're not Shujin students, but as for you Ryuji, did you ever get yourself a date? I recall you hadn't gotten one the last time we spoke about it. Meanwhile, Ren and I both have dates secured for the dance. So, were you similarly successful?" Kusa sent as Ryuji sent a reply.

"Surprisingly so, yes. I actually plucked up the nerve to ask Makoto, and she said yes. I didn't think she'd want to go to the dance with a younger guy, but there you go. Guess I was worried for nothing." Ryuji sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Personally, I thought it was adorable how shy you looked asking me to the dance, Ryuji-kun. And I was hoping you would. And since Kusa-kun raised the subject, I'm guessing he and Ren are escorting Futaba and Yoshizawa-san respectively?" Makoto sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Yup! Ren and I even made trips to secure a little something for our dates, but we'll leave that at that since it'd ruin the surprise if I said anything else. I just have to remember to pick it up tomorrow before school. I assume the same is true for you, Ren? And Ryuji, if you haven't done yet, I suggest you try to line something up for Makoto tomorrow if possible, since I'm sure you'd rather not show up empty-handed to collect her for the dance." Kusa sent as Ren sent a response.

"Kusa, just because you managed to figure things out doesn't make you an expert on dating. Now quit picking on Ryuji, unless you want me to start teasing you." Ren sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Go ahead, Ren, but you know what paybacks are. Or do I need to break out the audio and video footage Morgana has of you and Yusuke talking in a certain church about naughty things the other day?" Kusa sent as Ren sputtered and put his phone away at that point, silently fuming at the idea that Morgana had recorded his conversation with Yusuke, as the aforementioned not-cat spoke up.

"Hm, it's really up to Makoto to get as much information as we can from Akechi tomorrow. We'll have to make sure we don't miss anything." Morgana said as Ren nodded. He then checked his phone, only to be surprised when he and Kusa had another group chat with Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Futaba, and Haru, with Ann sending the first response.

"Photo time! This is when we were at the food stand!" Ann sent as she posted a photo of Haru sitting at a stand eating food next to Futaba, who was happily munching on a small mountain of food with a closed-eye smile on her face. Kusa then sent a response.

"Wow, you really do shine for the camera, don't you Taba? Nice." Kusa sent as Ryuji sent a response before Futaba could do so.

"Man. Even yakisoba looks high-class when Haru's eating it." Ryuji sent as Haru sent a response.

"Please, you're exaggerating, Ryuji-kun. I think this is my first time having yakisoba from a food stand, though. It was more delicious than I'd imagined!" Haru sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Aww, knock it off Kusa, you're gonna make me blush! That said, it was good though! It wasn't the instant stuff, but it was still good." Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Sorry, but it's true. You do look good in photos, Taba. But for real, I agree. I'm not really a seafood guy, and even I enjoyed that yakisoba to an extent, so it was definitely good." Kusa sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Yeah. Dunno why, but food from a stall is always weirdly tasty. Speakin' of, where are the pictures of us, Ann?" Ryuji sent as Ann sent a response.

"Hm?" Ann sent in confusion as Ryuji sent another response.

"You got pics of us too, right? How about the one you took of Ren's yakisoba? With the big red mountain of ginger? Or the shot you said you took of Futaba sneaking bites off of Kusa's yakisoba while he was busy sneaking bites to Morgana?" Ryuji sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Wait, the shot of what!? Taba was sneaking bites off my plate and I missed it? Crap, I bet it was really adorable too." Kusa sent as Ann sent a response.

"Ohhh! No, THAT one went straight into the trash. I had dry seaweed all over my teeth!" Ann sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Oh, that reminds me. I actually have a pic to share too." Kusa sent as he posted a photo of Ren and Ryuji fist-bumping while the latter was sneaking food off of a clueless Makoto's plate on a dare from the former, while you could see Kusa in the background eating his yakisoba and sharing with Morgana, who had a content look on his face as he ate. Makoto then sent a response.

"Wait, is that why my plate seemed to empty faster than I remembered? Dang it, Ryuji! I was eating that food too!" Makoto sent as Ren sent a response.

"Laugh it up, Kusa. Would you rather I post the pic Boss sent me of you and Futaba snuggled up on the hide-a-bed the night before your birthday?" Ren sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Wha!? Sojiro took pictures of us? RUDE!" Futaba sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Boss probably took it because he thought we looked cute together or something, if I had to guess. And Ren, you can do that, but then I'll just post that picture you sent me of you and Yoshizawa laying out together on that cliff while you were in Hawaii, so go on ahead if you don't mind paybacks." Kusa sent as Futaba sent a response.

"Changing the subject, do I need to wear anything special for the dance? All Kusa told me was that I should just wear a dress that makes me look cute and to enjoy myself." Futaba sent as Ann sent a response.

"School dances usually aren't formal affairs, but you also don't have a Shujin uniform either. So probably just a pretty dress would suffice. If you like, I can take you shopping tomorrow for dresses after the panel since the dance isn't until later in the evening." Ann sent as Makoto sent a response.

"Can I come too? I just realized I don't own any fancy dresses either, and I don't think wearing my school uniform is sufficient for a dance." Makoto sent as Ann sent a response.

"Sure, why not? If we had her contact info, I'd say let's invite Yoshizawa-san too, and make it a girl's trip, but I'm pretty sure only Ren-kun has said contact info, and he probably won't share it." Ann sent as Ren sent a response.

"Absolutely not, at least not until she gives permission to do so! Besides, Yoshizawa already has a nice dress picked out for the occasion. So that's not necessary. Luckily for us guys, our Shujin uniforms are close enough to tuxedos already we don't need to get extra dressed-up. So we're already covered." Ren sent as Haru sent a response.

"Oh? So you, Kusa-kun, and Ryuji-kun all already have corsages picked out for your dates? Impressive." Haru sent as Kusa sent a response.

"I dunno about Ren and Ryuji, but I already took care of all that this afternoon while you guys were off doing who knows what after we left the festival." Kusa sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Wait, why did I see something in our other group chat about Morgana recording me and Ren talking about stripping in a church? What did you do, Morgana!?" Yusuke sent as Kusa and Ren left the chat at that point while the others exchanged messages. Ren then spent his night making infiltration tools, and getting some needless boosts to his Proficiency for his efforts. Afterwards, he and Kusa got laid down for the night, both excited for the next day's events...

(The following afternoon, at the panel with Makoto, Akechi, Haru, Futaba, Ren, Yusuke, Ryuji, Kusa, Morgana, and Ann)

"Well then, we will now begin today's panel. Our guest of honor is Goro Akechi." Makoto said as Akechi smiled and spoke up.

"Thank you all. I feel kind of bad, considering how many people have gathered here today. I'm sure you all would've been happier to have a singer or a mascot appear, wouldn't you say?" Akechi joked as some laughter ensued in the crowd, but it was quickly hushed as Makoto spoke up.

"We'd appreciate it if you could tell us about your experiences with the notorious Phantom Thieves. It'd be wonderful if you could let us hear more about your actual investigative process." Makoto said as Akechi gave Makoto a closed-eye grin while speaking up.

"Easy, Niijima-san. I'm not used to being the one interrogated like this, so please go easy on me." Akechi joked as more laughter rang out. The camera then panned to the area above the crowd, where Ann, Ryuji, Ren, Yusuke and Kusa were standing as Ann spoke up.

"How much do you think he knows?" Ann asked as Kusa huffed and spoke up.

"Considering this is Akechi-kun we're talking about, I feel he probably knows quite a bit. However, like the smug douche he is, Akechi-kun's probably keeping his cards close to his chest until he feels the time is right to play them. And I have to say, I'm impressed that he can do so this effortlessly." Kusa said as Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. He talks of how the Phantom Thieves are dangerous, yet he says they haven't committed any murders at all. Way I see it? Either he has an idea who the true culprit is, or he has uncovered the identities of the Phantom Thieves." Yusuke said as Ryuji smiled and spoke up as he watched Makoto on the stage below.

"C'mon Makoto, you can do it! You gotta get it outta him, like I know you can!" Ryuji said calmly. Makoto then spoke up once more.

"As much as you're allowed to say, would you tell us how far along your investigation is on them?" Makoto asked Akechi, who smiled as he spoke up.

"Ah, getting right to the point, I see. Well, if it's as much as I'm allowed to say, then everything on TV and the internet is all of it. We don't have any leads yet, and the methods behind their crimes are still unclear." Akechi said as Makoto spoke up.

"I see. Fair enough. That said, even with this country's power, arresting them is proving to be difficult, yes? Is that the case?" Makoto asked Akechi, who winced before smiling as he spoke up.

"I wouldn't phrase it that way, Niijima-san, but well, something like that." Akechi said as Makoto spoke up.

"I see. Thank you for answering that question. By the way, it seems you've denied a correlation between the Phantom Thieves and the murders recently. Why the sudden change? Until now, haven't you upheld your stance that the Phantom Thieves are dangerous? How are you so positive that they haven't committed murder?" Makoto asked as Akechi did a closed-eye grin again and spoke up.

"Aren't you a little too comfortable interrogating people? Why, it's as if you're a prosecutor." Akechi joked as more laughter rang out and Makoto spoke up sheepishly with a closed-eye smile.

"Ah, excuse me. This is something I've personally been interested in, so I couldn't help it. My apologies. But won't you tell us? What reason is there that you'd claim their innocence when you previously stated they were unjust?" Makoto asked Akechi as Haru looked at Futaba in the crowd and spoke up.

"Mako-chan's really pressing for an answer." Haru said to Futaba, who nodded as she spoke up.

"Yep. She's pelting him with questions." Futaba said as Akechi spoke up at that point.

"Every person whose heart they changed have truly been criminals, including President Okumura, may he rest in peace. Why, then, was he the only one who needed to be killed like he was?" Akechi asked as Makoto nodded and spoke up.

"Good question, Akechi-kun. Why is that?" Makoto asked as Akechi winced and spoke up, looking like he didn't want to admit what he said next.

"I must admit Niijima-san, I couldn't deduce a reason. That's why I believe that case should be thought of as if a different party is responsible. And if, this is all hypothetical, mind you. If the Phantom Thieves are the ones I know of, I can't possibly imagine they would kill anyone." Akechi said as a lot of gasps ensued as Makoto spoke up.

"Your comment just now, Akechi-kun. Does this mean the police have already identified who they are?" Makoto asked Akechi, who winced as he spoke up.

"Oh, um no. The police haven't gotten that far yet. But I have my own conclusions about the true identities of the Phantom Thieves." Akechi said as Ryuji huffed and spoke up loudly.

"What!? He's gotta be bluffin'!" Ryuji said as Ann spoke up quietly.

"Pipe down!" Ann said to Ryuji. In the crowd, Haru spoke up to Futaba.

"He's lying, right Futaba-chan?" Haru asked Futaba, who winced as she spoke up.

"I dunno. But if it's the truth, and he has figured it out, we might be screwed." Futaba said as Akechi turned to Makoto and spoke up.

"You're not going to ask me who they are?" Akechi asked Makoto who spoke up.

"Oh? Akechi-kun, what you're requesting, surely you realize it may have repercussions on the investigation. Are you sure you can share that with us?" Makoto asked as Akechi spoke up with a nod.

"It's only my personal opinion, so announcing that here wouldn't pose a problem. However, that being said, there is a possibility that everyone present will hear the truth before the police or media." Akechi said as Ann winced and spoke up with a frown.

"The truth? Is he for real?" Ann asked as Futaba frowned and spoke up from in the crowd.

"What's he planning on saying, exactly?" Futaba asked Haru, who shrugged as Makoto spoke up.

"My, my. Akechi-kun, that's quite the confidence you have. If you're so certain of yourself, then very well. I'd like to ask you then. Who do you think the Phantom Thieves are, Akechi-kun?" Makoto asked as Ryuji groaned with Kusa as he spoke up.

"Ugh, that idiot!" Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up.

"She played right into his hands, most likely! And Akechi's lucky I'm trying to be patient with him, because I don't agree with his implying that Taba's a criminal." Kusa said. Yusuke frowned as he spoke up.

"No, that's not possible! There's no way he could have any evidence to prove our identities." Yusuke said quietly. Akechi then spoke up.

"They're people you know quite well. The identity of the Phantom Thieves are-" Akechi said before being interrupted by a phone going off, making him blink as he reached in his pocket, only to find it was his own as he spoke up.

"Oh, it's mine. I apologize for the interruption, but I can't turn off my phone due to my job. Would you mind if I step away for about the next ten minutes or so?" Akechi asked as a person laughed while Makoto spoke up.

"I'm terribly sorry, everyone, but we'll be taking a break. We'll resume the panel in ten minutes." Makoto said as Akechi did a closed-eye grin and spoke up.

"Please don't troll me online for this interruption, okay?" Akechi asked jokingly as more laughter echoed while he turned to Makoto as he walked off the stage.

"Is there a room I may use?" Akechi asked Makoto, who nodded as she spoke up.

"Mm-hm. There's the PE faculty office." Makoto said as Akechi looked at her and nodded.

"Perfect. Oh, and Niijima-san? I want you to come too. There's a matter I want to discuss. Your friends from yesterday are here, aren't they? Can you bring them too, if that's all right?" Akechi asked as Makoto blinked in realization as she spoke up.

"Akechi-kun, did you set this up?" Makoto asked. Akechi spoke up as if Makoto hadn't spoken.

"Come, we only have ten minutes, you know." Akechi said as Makoto nodded and gathered the others...

(In the PE faculty office, with Morgana, Akechi, Futaba, Kusa, Yusuke, Ann, Ren, Makoto, Haru, and Ryuji)

"What do you want to talk to us about?" Makoto asked Akechi, who calmly reached into his coat and produced some photographs that he laid on the table by way of response that showed very clearly what looked to be Ann and Yusuke disappearing into thin air as Haru gasped and spoke up.

"No, how can this be?" Haru asked. Ryuji huffed and spoke up.

"That's gotta be 'shopped!" Ryuji said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Besides, even though that does clearly show Yusuke and Ann vanishing, that doesn't prove shit. Those could be joke photos that he made, after all." Kusa said as Akechi spoke up with a smirk on his face.

"I thought you might say that, Amamiya-kun the younger. That's why I have video footage too. Please, let's not feign ignorance. All of you can go to that other world too, yes?" Akechi asked as Kusa and Ren exchanged wary looks as the latter spoke up.

"Us too, you say? Does that mean you can go to that other world as well?" Ren asked. Akechi nodded as he spoke up.

"That's correct, Amamiya-kun the elder. It's not just all of you. I am aware of that world too, the same as you. I also know that when you traverse over there, your appearance changes as well. It's because of those mysterious powers, isn't it? You see, I found out about that world about a month ago." Akechi said as he pulled out his phone to show an app on it to the group as he spoke up.

"This had been installed onto my phone without my knowledge." Akechi said as the rest of the group gasped and Ryuji spoke up.

"Dude, it's the Nav. Akechi has the Nav." Ryuji said in shock. Akechi then kept speaking.

"When the app activated on its own, the scenery around me suddenly changed. Quite frankly, I still can't believe it myself. But from the look of these photos, all of you seem quite used to it." Akechi said as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"We've been listenin' to you blab on for a while now, but cut the delusional-" Ryuji said as Akechi cut him off mid-sentence by speaking up.

"All of you are acting as phantom thieves in the Metaverse. I can say so with conviction because I have the same power as you." Akechi said as Ren and Kusa exchanged a meaningful glance before Ren nodded as Kusa winced but nodded as well and Ren spoke up.

"Well, what can I say? When you've got us, you've got us. Yep, that's right." Ren said with a nod as Akechi spoke up.

"So, you admit it then. In all honesty, I've been curious about you since the time of the Madarame case. But to think it would end up like this, with you all accused of murder of all things, it boggles the mind." Akechi said as Haru winced and spoke up.

"We didn't kill anyone!" Haru said determinedly as Akechi nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. I believe that as well." Akechi said as Makoto frowned and spoke up, seeing the dubious look on Kusa's face and moving to speak before he could do so.

"Oh? And how can you be so sure?" Makoto asked Akechi, who spoke up at that point.

"Because I saw another, the real culprit." Akechi said as the group gasped, aside from Kusa, who frowned at this as Ryuji spoke up.

"For real!?" Ryuji asked as Ann frowned and spoke up.

"Who was it!?" Ann practically demanded of Akechi as Kusa spoke up warily.

"Did you happen to remember any details about the person, by chance? Like if they were wearing a mask of a certain color?" Kusa asked Akechi, who nodded.

"Glad you asked, Amamiya-kun the younger. I couldn't identify his face. And as you yourself suggested, he had a mask on, after all." Akechi said as Kusa gasped, realizing that Akechi might've seen Black Mask, but Akechi kept speaking before he could say anything.

"Actually, when I took these photos, I entered that world too." Akechi said as the shot cut to a figure with an imposing looking outfit and a mask that was distinctly shaped like a bird of some sort while Akechi kept speaking.

"That's when I saw someone else moving about, besides all of you. He shot at me the moment he noticed me." Akechi said as Yusuke frowned and spoke up.

"That's who killed President Okumura?" Yusuke asked as Kusa spoke up in a hard tone that was laced with bitterness.

"Without a doubt. Akechi saw that son of a bitch Black Mask. Honestly, he's lucky Black Mask missed too, since he could've probably easily eliminated Akechi had he wanted to. I got that much of an impression off of him when he taunted me after he shot President Okumura, despite my best efforts to stop him." Kusa said, not seeing Akechi wince at this before he nodded and spoke up.

"Most likely. At the very least, I was almost killed by him. I then said something to myself. 'I can't die here, like this. I need to determine the truth.' When those thoughts overcame me, that's when I awakened to that power-a most fortunate accident." Akechi said as Morgana chose that moment to speak up, making Kusa and Ren both groan as they heard what the not-cat had to say.

"This guy has a Persona too?" Morgana asked, making Akechi blink at Morgana as he turned to face him while he spoke up.

"This cat, did he talk just now?" Akechi asked as Morgana's eyes widened at his own faux pas as Akechi spoke up.

"Yeah, I think it did. I swear, it just talked to us." Akechi said as Ann nodded and spoke up.

"That's Morgana. Our teammate who taught us about the Metaverse." Ann said as Akechi blinked and spoke up.

"Oh, really? This is unbelievable. You were taught about the Metaverse by a cat?" Akechi asked as Kusa huffed but said nothing as Akechi kept speaking.

"But it IS true that you know things that I don't know. Very well. Say, Morgana. Were you also the one who instructed them on how to change people's hearts?" Akechi asked Morgana, who blinked as Akechi kept speaking.

"I experienced that world too, but I still haven't solved that mystery yet." Akechi said, unaware of Futaba giving him one heck of a side-glare as Morgana spoke up.

"We go in the Metaverse-we call them Palaces-to steal the core of their desires, or their Treasure. And those whose Treasure has been stolen has a change of heart." Morgana said as Akechi laughed and spoke up.

"Oh. Hahaha, interesting. There's certainly no way anyone could figure out such an MO." Akechi said as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"Anyways! Back to what you were talkin' about! Are we in this mess 'cause of that guy!?" Ryuji asked as Akechi spoke up, seemingly ignoring Ryuji's question.

"Although I don't completely understand the method, all you simply do is reform people. Someone else is behind the murders. However, the police have decided that the Phantom Thieves did it, and as such, they'll arrest you at this rate." Akechi said as Haru winced and spoke up.

"What? Th-They're going to treat me as my father's murderer?" Haru asked in shock as Akechi looked her in the eyes and nodded before speaking up while frowning at what he said next.

"Unfortunately, that is correct, Okumura-san. And I can't overlook such a grave mistake, especially when it concerns a lady. Which is precisely why I want us to strike a deal. I may be able to save you from this situation." Akechi said as Futaba blinked and spoke up.

"A deal?" Futaba asked as Kusa spoke up with a frown.

"And assuming we agree to this, what's in it for you aside from saving us from our situation, Akechi-kun? Because I have a hard time believing you're doing this purely out of the goodness of your heart, especially after you've spent so long criticizing us." Kusa asked, eyes narrowed skeptically as he spoke. Akechi smiled and spoke up.

"I don't blame you for being skeptical, Amamiya-kun the younger. And to answer your question, I would get the satisfaction of seeing justice done. That said, I would like you to cooperate with me on investigating the truth." Akechi said as Yusuke spoke up.

"And if we decline?" Yusuke asked Akechi, getting approving nods from Morgana, Ren and Kusa for his question, the latter gently wrapping an arm around Futaba from behind as Akechi spoke up.

"If that happens, then I think I'll have to inform the police about all of you, along with that video I mentioned." Akechi said as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"WHAT!? This ain't no deal! It's blackmail!" Ryuji snapped as Akechi frowned and spoke up.

"Say what you will, Sakamoto-kun, but this is the method that I believe is correct. The justice I uphold will not tolerate criminals who kill people at their leisure." Akechi said as Haru frowned and spoke up.

"Justice, you say? Interesting." Haru said as Akechi nodded and spoke up, smiling softly at Haru as he spoke.

"Indeed, Okumura-san. And I would think you, of all people, would want to see justice done against your father's killer. And for the record, I feel terrible that something like that happened to a nice lady like yourself. That being said, let's move on. You've heard that Sae-san is the one spearheading the investigation about you Phantom Thieves, correct? The higher-ups are concerned only with settling the case. They want to capture the culprits behind the psychotic breakdown incidents and end the commotion. Those the ones who are putting pressure on Sae-san. I can only imagine her impatience." Akechi said as Yusuke frowned and spoke up.

"What of evidence that we did it? How do they intend on proving it?" Yusuke asked as Akechi spoke up with an unreadable look on his face.

"Even if there is no objective explanation to the method, it's over once causality is established. Sae-san can't make rational judgments at the moment. If she were to be cornered, well, to be honest? She may even make up a confession." Akechi said as Makoto gasped and spoke up.

"Make it up?" Makoto asked as Ryuji huffed and spoke up.

"Tch! So, they're gonna make it all our fault!? Just 'cause they feel like it!?" Ryuji asked as Ann stamped her foot and spoke up.

"We haven't killed anyone though! But judging from your expression, I doubt it matters to them. So there's a chance we could prove our innocence, and we're still going to be arrested!?" Ann asked as Akechi nodded and spoke up.

"You'll be found guilty if you're caught, and it will be treated as a very serious crime." Akechi said as Ryuji growled and spoke up.

"Bullshit! None of that makes any sense!" Ryuji said as Akechi nodded and spoke up.

"I agree. Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do alone anymore to stop the flow of things as they are." Akechi said as Makoto frowned and spoke up.

"And that's why you want our cooperation?" Makoto asked Akechi, who nodded as he spoke up.

"Yes, that's correct. Cooperate with me, and in return, I'll turn a blind eye to what you've done. Those are my conditions. That said, I ask that you disband the Phantom Thieves after this." Akechi said as Yusuke turned to Ren and spoke up.

"Ren, what should we do about Akechi-kun's proposal?" Yusuke asked as Ren looked at Akechi and spoke up.

"You do realize you're demanding a lot of us, right?" Ren asked Akechi, who blinked but nodded as he spoke up.

"I am? I see. Interesting. I thought I was making a lot of concessions myself, Amamiya-kun the elder. Well, you don't have to decide at the moment. Considering this is you we're talking about, I believe you'll come to a favorable reply. That said, I'm glad we could talk. It's been a while since I've been able to spend such a meaningful time like this. I look forward to your answer. It was definitely worth coming today, for various reasons." Akechi said, giving Ren a closed-eye grin as he kept speaking.

"Well, we should be getting back. Actually, about that. I'm sorry. Would it be acceptable if we ended the panel here? The reason why you called for me in the first place was because you wanted intel, correct? My business is concluded as well." Akechi said as Makoto nodded and spoke up.

"That's fine. I'll deal with it somehow." Makoto said as Akechi nodded, and walked out of the room, leaving the pictures on the desk. Ryuji frowned as he spoke up.

"Dammit! He had complete control over us!" Ryuji said as the others started filing out of the room with the exceptions of Ren, Morgana and Kusa, as Morgana spoke up.

"Hey, they're going." Morgana said to Ren, who nodded as Kusa looked down, seeing a slip of paper on the ground near where Akechi had been standing, making him frown as he walked over and picked it up, recognizing Akechi's writing on the paper, at which point Kusa went about discreetly tucking it into the pocket of his uniform after folding it a few times to make it smaller...

(Back at the panel with Akechi, Makoto, Haru, Futaba, Ren, Yusuke, Ryuji, Kusa, Morgana and Ann)

"I'm sorry about the sudden break. An urgent task came in. So I truly apologize about this to all of you, but I'll have to end things here today." Akechi said as a bunch of disappointed murmurs broke out even as Makoto spoke up.

"To make up for the time that was planned for this panel, the rakugo research club will instead be-" Makoto said as she was cut off mid-sentence by Akechi, who spoke up.

"I can't say anything in detail regarding the Phantom Thieves investigation at this time, but I feel another great stride will occur again soon. I hope you all continue to pay attention to what happens." Akechi said as Makoto spoke up at that point.

"Let's have a big round of applause for today's guest, Goro Akechi." Makoto said as the crowd cheered for Akechi and applauded, and as the sounds of applause died down while Akechi left the stage, Haru spoke up in the area above the crowd.

"Was that really our best course of action?" Haru asked as Ann spoke up with a wince.

"He totally used Makoto's suggestion against us." Ann said as Yusuke spoke up with a wince as he stretched and spoke up.

"Indeed. We intended to get intel out of him, but to think it would play out like this." Yusuke said as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"Sure, he might have the upper hand on us now, but who's to say that'll stay the case in the long run?" Kusa said with a smile, confusing the others. Ryuji then spoke up.

"So what? We'l just accept his deal?" Ryuji asked as Ann spoke up.

"He's got evidence on us, Ryuji. We really don't have a choice but to play along for now." Ann said as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"Dammit! What're we gonna do!?" Ryuji asked as Morgana spoke up.

"Calm down, Ryuji." Morgana said as Ryuji growled and spoke up.

"How am I s'posed to calm down!? What are we gonna do!?" Ryuji asked as Kusa spoke up.

"For starters, lower your voice before you draw attention to us, man. That said, for now we'll let things play out, but trust me when I say that Akechi's not the only one who can set a trap. Mwehehe." Kusa said ominously as he and Futaba exchanged a knowing nod as Yusuke spoke up.

"What's done is done. We'll have to cool our heads and think more on this. We must make up our minds by the time he contacts us again." Yusuke said as Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. We need to give this a LOT of thought before then." Morgana said sagely as the others nodded...

(Meanwhile, around that same time at Leblanc with Sojiro, Sojiro's POV)

"Similar occurrences followed in succession earlier this spring. Although things have quieted down until recently, several incidents have occurred once again. Furthermore, new information has come to light about the suspect who suffered sudden mental shutdown recently. He had received a calling card from the Phantom Thieves." I heard the newscaster say as I looked down at the red and black card on the counter in front of me as I thought out loud.

"Why did Futaba have something like this? And why do I recognize the handwriting on it? If I didn't know better, I'd think that I was looking at Kusa's handwriting. But why would Futaba have a calling card from Kusa, if it's the same kind the Phantom Thieves use? What does this all mean?" I thought out loud as an advisor spoke up on TV.

"If a calling card was delivered, we can only assume the Phantom Thieves are behind it. If so, those occurrences back in spring can be attributed to them as well. Moreover-" The advisor said as I gasped and spoke up in realization.

"I knew it! Futaba, she's either a past victim of the Phantom Thieves, or she's one of them. Oh god, how could this happen?" I said, burying my face in my hands...

(That evening, at the Shujin Academy gymnasium with Ren and Morgana)

"The post-festival school dance is about to begin in the gymnasium. Please join us, everybody." Ren heard over the intercom as Morgana spoke up.

"Post-festival school dance? I thought the festival was over?" Morgana asked as Ren shook his head and spoke up.

"Nope, no such luck. There's still the dance. Speaking of which, I should probably go catch up to Kasumi and give her her surprise." Ren said as Morgana nodded.

"True, but it's not like anyone invited you to it, right? Let's just go home." Morgana said as Ren frowned at Morgana, but before he could rebuke the not-cat, a familiar voice spoke up from next to him.

"Huh? Senpai, aren't you ready for the dance?" Kasumi asked Ren as she saw him, Ren smiling as he took in her dress she'd picked out for the dance, a sparkling light blue sequin dress that sparkled and set off her figure quite nicely and complimented her red hair and eyes well. Ren then spoke up.

"I was about to head out and get you, as it happens, so I guess that saves me a trip." Ren said as Kasumi smiled and nodded.

"Great! I like that you used your uniform as your tuxedo, Ren-senpai. Very practical and stylish!" Kasumi said happily as Ren nodded while Kasumi kept speaking.

"That said, since we're here, why don't we get going?" Kasumi asked as Ren spoke up.

"Not quite yet. First, you need this." Ren said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a light-blue flower pin that was the same color as Kasumi's dress, making her smile.

"Ren-senpai, is that a corsage? It's lovely! Put it on me?" Kasumi asked as Ren nodded, carefully attaching the corsage to the front of Kasumi's dress, trying not to be red-faced as his hands brushed over the front of her dress while putting on the corsage. Once it was on, Ren stepped back and admired his handiwork.

"There we go. Much better, Sumi. You look absolutely stunning, by the way." Ren said smoothly. Kasumi blushed prettily from the compliment as she gave Ren a closed-eye smile and giggled as she spoke up.

"Thank you, Ren-senpai! They say these types of events are best enjoyed together, so let's go have some fun, yeah?" Kasumi said as Ren nodded and walked off hand-in-hand with Kasumi towards the gymnasium, which had been converted to a make-shift dance floor. Once there, Kasumi giggled and spoke up.

"It seems like it's already begun. Let's get in there, Ren-senpai!" Kasumi said as she took Ren's arm and led him onto the dance floor as the MC spoke up.

"And now, it's time for your favorite Shujin activity: the post-festival dance! And, to start it off, we've decided to change things up a bit more by having a special surprise for you all! Members of the dance club, c'mon down and strut your stuff!" The MC said as the members of the dance club came out on-stage and started breaking their moves, some of them moving out on to the dance floor as the MC spoke up.

"Now everybody, join in! Don't fall behind the dance club, all of you strut your stuff!" The MC said as Kasumi excitedly pulled Ren towards the front of the dance floor and spoke up.

"Just standing around while everyone dances is embarrassing! Heck, I even see Sakamoto-senpai and Kusa-kun dancing on the dance floor. Wait, did they bring dates!?" Kasumi said in surprise as Ren whipped his head in the direction Kasumi had pointed, blinking as he saw a grinning Ryuji doing a surprisingly graceful tango with a flushing Makoto who was wearing a strapless white blouse that had a black corsage pinned to it, which she'd paired with a black skirt in a similar manner to the Shujin uniform.

Along with them, Ren's focus was drawn by a smug-looking Kusa busting a move with a shyly smiling Futaba, who'd pulled her hair up into a messy bun that complimented the light-green dress she'd picked out which had a yellow corsage neatly pinned to it that hugged her figure nicely, given how much the red-faced Kusa had to keep his eyes on Futaba's eyes and not her dress. Kasumi then caught Ren's attention as she spoke up with a closed-eye smile.

"Ren-senpai, c'mon! Let's do it! Time to bust a move!" Kasumi said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"Sumi? It's showtime. Let's show them what we've got!" Ren said smugly as he and Kasumi started dancing as well, Ren eventually busting out with a interesting version of the robot with break-dance elements, making Kasumi give him a closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"Very impressive, Senpai! I didn't know you had moves like that!" Kasumi said as the MC spoke up.

"And now that you're all warmed up, let's switch up the musiiiiic!" The MC said as the music switched to a slightly slower beat that Kasumi smiled on recognizing, but before she could dance to it, a member of the dance club walked over and spoke to her.

"Hey, you're Yoshizawa-san, right? The first-year?" The dance club member, who looked to be a second-year, asked. Kasumi nodded as the dance club member spoke up.

"We've got a little favor to ask you, to be honest." The dance club member asked Kasumi, as he explained the favor to a smiling Kasumi, who nodded as she spoke up.

"Hmm, I see. I got it. I'm in!" Kasumi said before turning to Ren and speaking up

"Ren-senpai? I'll be back soon. They've asked me to help them with something. Just wait here, and watch what happens!" Kasumi said as Ren nodded, before speaking up.

"Very well, I'll await what happens with bated breath, Sumi." Ren said with a smile, making Kasumi flush at seeing the smile on Ren's face before walking off with the dance club member. As Ren watched, she headed out towards the stage as Morgana hopped onto Ren's shoulder to watch as Yoshizawa got up on stage and started showing off her moves. A male student in the crowed gasped as they spoke up.

"Yo, who's that?" The male student asked as Kasumi kept dancing around, sweat flying off her as most of the crowd cheered as they watched her move. After a bit, Morgana gasped as he spoke up.

"That's crazy!" Morgana said as Kasumi eventually finished her routine by reaching out towards Ren, with her hand outstretched, a hand Ren eagerly took and gently brushed his lips to the back of as he smiled and helped Kasumi off the stage, walking her outside to cool off a bit, guiding her towards the practice building, where Kasumi gave Ren a closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"Wow, that was so exhausting, but what a blast! I feel like I danced my heart out back there." Kasumi said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"I could tell, Sumi. You were as great as I expected you'd be, if not better." Ren said honestly. Kasumi gasped but smiled as she spoke up.

"Thank you, Ren-senpai!" Kasumi said to Ren as a nearby male student complimented her dancing, the female with him saying how blown away by it she was. Kasumi chuckled nervously as she looked at Ren.

"Eheh." Kasumi said as her phone went off and she frowned, seeing it was her dad, turning to Ren as she spoke up.

"It's my dad. He's telling me to come home before it gets too late. Sorry to leave you like this, but I have to get going." Kasumi said to Ren, who spoke up.

"I understand. But first, I believe we had something to figure out?" Ren said as Kasumi blinked and spoke up.

"We did?" Kasumi asked in confusion as Ren nodded and spoke up while looking into Kasumi's eyes.

"Correct. As you might recall, that day in Hawaii, we mentioned that we'd seriously kissed twice to that point, but we hadn't decided if it meant anything. I think now's as good a time as any to settle that. So my question to you is this. Kasumi, will you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?" Ren asked a stunned Kasumi, whose face went red at the question before she blushed and spoke up.

"Ren-senpai, I didn't expect you'd ask me that tonight. But I agree we have been getting closer of late. You know what? Why not? Yes, Ren-senpai. I would be delighted to be your girlfriend." Kasumi said decisively before leaning forward to press her lips to Ren's, letting herself be the one to initiate their first kiss as a couple, making a surprised but pleased Ren smile as he put his arms around Kasumi as he returned the kiss eagerly. After they pulled apart for air, they blushed shyly and smiled at each other before Ren spoke up.

"Well, I suppose you should get home before your dad worries, eh Sumi? And thanks for agreeing to be my girlfriend. I appreciate it." Ren said sincerely as Kasumi nodded.

"You're welcome, Ren-senpai. I consider it an honor to be able to be your girlfriend." Kasumi said happily as Ren spoke up.

"In that case, would you like me to walk you home, oh lovely and amazing girlfriend of mine?" Ren asked Kasumi. Kasumi smiled at the offer and nodded as she spoke up.

"Thank you for the offer, Ren. But I'll be all right though. The post-festival party was so much fun, Ren-senpai! Especially with you! See you soon!" Kasumi said with a closed-eye smile as she kissed Ren on the cheek and ran home, leaving a smiling Ren to smirk as Morgana spoke up with an approving nod.

"Heh, that's how it's done, Ren. I wonder if Kusa and Ryuji are having similar success too?" Morgana asked Ren, who shrugged, not sure of the answer to that himself...

(Around the same time, in the Student Council Room, with Makoto and Ryuji)

"S-so, how was the party for you, Makoto?" Ryuji asked Makoto nervously, making Makoto laugh as she spoke up.

"You can relax, Ryuji. It's just us. And I found it quite enjoyable. I even found myself impressed with how gentlemanly you can be when you want to be." Makoto said with a closed-eye smile as she sat next to Ryuji, who spoke up.

"G-Good. I'm glad. I was hoping I'd do a good job. I might not be as smooth as Ren or Kusa, but I was raised to respect a lady. So I was hopin' to make your night tonight as enjoyable and fun as possible. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the party, Makoto. And to be honest, I'm glad you decided to come with me. I won't lie, I was nervous out of my mind that you'd say no when I asked you. But I'm glad I did ask you, since you look amazin' right now!" Ryuji said honestly as Makoto smiled and spoke up.

"Thank you, Ryuji. And you're right, you're not as smooth as them, but they're not the ones I wanted to spend this time with. That's you. I enjoy you, quirks and all, Ryuji. I know a lot of people might say I'd flunk a test about love, but I disagree. I just would have to find a good way to study it, that's all." Makoto said as Ryuji smiled and spoke up.

"Oh, yeah? If you're lookin' for a study partner, I'd be happy to help you out. I know I can be crude and vulgar at times, but I can try to cut back on that for you. The truth is this: Makoto? I have feelings for you. You might not have a high opinion of yourself, and it's true we were at odds when you first joined the team, but you've more than proven your worth since then. And for what it's worth? I'm sorry I was such a dick to you back then. I totally didn't get your side of things. And that's not okay of me. I want you to know, I plan to do better by you from now on, Makoto. I love you." Ryuji said as Makoto gasped and spoke up in shock.

"Y-you love me, Ryuji!? I knew you had a crush on me, given how often Kusa-kun ribs you about it, but I had no idea you were in love with me?" Makoto said as Ryuji nodded.

"I am. I don't know when it happened, but somewhere along the way, that spunky, self-confident air of yours caught my attention and took my breath away, so much so that I found myself wantin' more. So, if this isn't too sudden, would you like me to be your study partner for love, or more aptly, your boyfriend?" Ryuji asked Makoto shyly, who did a closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"Ryuji? I'd love nothing more. The truth is, I love you too. I think sometime around the point you defended me against those mob peons, and the time you stood up for me to Kusa, I started to see there was more to you than just a foul-mouthed troublemaker. You do have a heart of gold in there, and your mother did a fine job raising you. So yes, I'd be delighted to be your girlfriend, Ryuji." Makoto said as she leaned forward to press her lips tenderly to Ryuji's, who smiled before returning the kiss as he wrapped his arms around her as the two stayed together for several minutes before eventually coming up for air, both red-faced but smiling.

"Wow, that was amazin', Makoto! Those people who said you'd flunk a test on love were full of shit! You're a great kisser!" Ryuji said happily as Makoto smiled, resting her head happily on Ryuji's shoulder as she spoke up.

"Thank you for saying so, Ryuji-kun. And thank you for wanting to be with someone like me. I know I can be a handful at times, but I'm trying to get better. So can you be patient with me in the meantime?" Makoto asked Ryuji, who nodded as he spoke up.

"Of course, Makoto. I can be as patient as needed. I, in turn, will try to cut back on the cussing in front of you, but it's kind of an ingrained habit at this point, so bear with me if it takes a bit to cut it back to a manageable level, yeah?" Ryuji asked as Makoto smiled and nodded as she spoke up.

"Mmhm. I can do that, Ryuji. For now, let's just stay together like this. This is nice." Makoto said as Ryuji nodded, smiling as he put his arms gently around Makoto, the two staying in each others' embrace as they enjoyed their newfound status as a couple...

(At that same time, on the Shujin Academy rooftop with Kusa and Futaba)

"Whoa, who knew the view up here at night was so amazing!? I need to remember to give Makoto a big-time thank you after this is over for letting us use the rooftop like this." Kusa said with a rare smile on his face as Futaba nodded as she laid her head on Kusa's shoulder and spoke up.

"Mm-hm. But the really incredible part is that I get to share this view with you, Kusa. But, can I be honest with you about something first?" Futaba asked as Kusa nodded, making Futaba shyly smile as she spoke up.

"Thank you. The truth is, I've had a crush on you for some time now Kusa, but I was afraid to act on it in case you either didn't feel the same way, or were trying to hold back out of some sense of feeling you needed to hold your feelings back on my account, since we both know you can be rather noble like that. But then, in my defense, who wouldn't fall in love with someone when they constantly put themselves out there to protect you time and again? I know we said we love each other the night of the beach trip, but I want to say it again here, Kusa. I love you, and am in love with you." Futaba said honestly as Kusa blinked at this and spoke up in shock.

"For real!? Taba, I've been waiting so long to hear you say those words. The truth is, I am in love with you too, but I wasn't acting on it, exactly for the reasons you stated. I wasn't trying to force my feelings onto you before you were ready to accept them and possibly return them. You see, I put your happiness above all else, aside maybe from family.

But that aside, you're one of the most important things and people to me, Taba. I know I'm a bit of an over-protective hothead who tends to use myself to shield you, but I'll try to cut back on that if you'd rather I let you fight your own battles. I love you Taba, and just want to see you happy." Kusa said honestly as Futaba smiled at Kusa and spoke up.

"And you make me happy, for the most part. Sure, there are times that you annoy me with your doofiness, but even then I think it's adorable that you're unafraid to be yourself around me. So I think the only question left now is, where do we go from here? Do we want to keep things as they are, and just stay casual friends, maybe with benefits? Or do we want to take a shot and give it a try being boyfriend and girlfriend?" Futaba asked Kusa, who smiled and spoke up.

"That's up to you, Taba. But for what it's worth? I'd quite consider it an honor calling myself your boyfriend, if that's what you want." Kusa said honestly as Futaba blushed as she spoke up.

"To be honest? I actually do kinda want to be able to say you're my boyfriend, Kusa. And to be honest? I did almost call you my boyfriend in Okumura's Palace, but I caught myself mid-sentence, and stopped myself since I wanted to talk to you about it before I made any such assumptions as thinking we could be a couple. But I'm glad I waited, if only so we could have this moment right now." Futaba said as she smiled brilliantly before leaning up to kiss Kusa on the lips, who smiled and returned the kiss as he gently scooped Futaba up so she could wrap her legs around his waist as they kissed. After a bit, the two split up for air, Futaba standing up and flushing while smiling at Kusa.

"Wow, that was even better as a couple. Who knew kissing one's boyfriend could be better than kissing one's friend?" Futaba asked Kusa, who smiled as he spoke up.

"I've always said this, but the best things in life are often well worth waiting for, Futaba. And that includes us being boyfriend and girlfriend. It was definitely worth the wait to be able to call you my girlfriend." Kusa said happily as Futaba smiled and hugged Kusa for all she was worth as the two looked into each other's eyes as they kissed once more before looking out at the starry sky and smiling at their new beginning...

(Back with Ren and Morgana)

Ren looked behind him and saw that the gym had quieted down, signalling that the dance was likely over. Ren shrugged, figuring he should probably make his way back to Leblanc. As he walked through the hallways to leave, his phone went off, signifying a private chat from Haru, to his surprise. He opened it to read it.

"The post-festival party is about to begin. Would you like to go together, Ren-kun? I tried to think about what happened earlier, but that has gotten me nowhere, to be honest. So, I could use a change of pace. How about it?" Haru sent as Ren winced, but shrugged, figuring it couldn't hurt to go the party with Haru, as her friend. He then opened his chat to send a response.

"Sure, let's go. Mind you, we'd be doing so as friends, since I'm just a bit spoken-for now." Ren sent as Haru sent a response.

"Really!? You and Yoshizawa finally got together then!? Good for you, Ren-kun! I'm happy for you two! Congrats! Also, thank you for agreeing to accompany me to the party as a friend. I'll be waiting at the gymnasium." Haru sent as Ren decided to head back to the gym to meet up with Haru. Once there, he sat with Haru as the MC spoke up.

"All right, that was a great performance by the dance club, and a spectacular display of everyone's dancing prowess! At this time, the school dance is over! Everybody give the dance club another round of applause!" The MC said as enthusiastic clapping broke out around the room as Haru sighed and looked at Ren while speaking up.

"Whew, I forgot there was a dance in here tonight. You can tell people busted a move in here earlier. That said, I'm sorry. I know I should, but I can't stop thinking about what Akechi-kun said before. Y'know, about his justice not tolerating criminals who kill at their leisure?" Haru said as Ren smiled and spoke up.

"I know what you mean. It'll be all right, Haru. If nothing else, Kusa and I will keep you safe, since you're like the older sister I never got to have." Ren said honestly. Haru giggled at Ren's response, to his surprise, before she spoke up.

"You know, it feels like nothing bad could ever happen when you say that." Haru said as Ren nodded reassuringly as the MC spoke up once more.

"And now, it's time for your favorite Shujin tradition: The Student Sharing Special! Round of applause, everyone!" The MC said as more applause broke out as Haru spoke up in a confused tone.

"Sharing? What does he mean by that? I never knew we had such an event." Haru said as the MC spoke up.

"All right, who has something to say? Anyone, anyone!? No? I'll just have to pick someone then!" The MC said as Haru smiled and spoke up.

"Ooh, he's going to choose? I wonder who it will be, Ren?" Haru said as Ren shrugged, though he had a sinking suspicion who the MC was going to try and pick. The MC then spoke up, and his words confirmed Ren's suspicions.

"How about that fluffy-haired girl over there!? I choose you!" The MC said as most of the eyes in the room turned to a stunned Haru, who spoke up.

"Huh? Fluffy-haired girl? Wait. Is he actually looking this way?" Haru asked Ren, who shrugged as the MC spoke up.

"Well then, come on up!" The MC said as Haru sweatdropped when realization hit her and she spoke up.

"He's talking to me, Ren-kun. Isn't he?" Haru asked Ren, who winced as he nodded and spoke up.

"I guess you're up, Haru." Ren said as Haru winced and spoke up.

"So it really is me, isn't it?" Haru said in a whiny tone as the MC spoke up.

"Come, come. Everyone's waiting!" The MC said as the crowd clapped while Haru spoke up.

"Well, I'm going." Haru said as she went up on the stage as the MC spoke up.

"And your name is? Wait, you're Okumura-san!?" The MC said as Haru nodded and spoke up.

"Um, yes, that's right." Haru said as a lot of compliments and praise were thrown her way as the MC spoke up.

"U-Uhhh, well, I'm sure you're, um, well, still grieving and all, and if so, my, um, my deepest apologies for roping you into this." The MC said as Haru smiled and spoke up.

"Oh, please don't worry!" Haru said with a smile as the MC spoke up.

"So uh, do you have anything you'd like to share with us?" The MC asked as Ren took a seat in the front row to watch Haru on-stage. Haru spoke up uneasily.

"Something to share, you say? I have too many things to choose from, really." Haru said as the MC blinked and spoke up.

"Errr, right. Here, let me give you a question then, Okumura-san. Do you think the Phantom Thieves are really Shujin students?" The MC asked as Haru gasped and spoke up.

"Huh?" Haru asked in shock as the MC spoke up.

"I mean, they are, well, uh, your father's killers after all! We're all dying to know what Akechi-kun was going to say about their true identities. So, are they from Shujin? What do you think, Okumura-san?" The MC asked Haru, who winced as she spoke up.

"Erm, I dunno?" Haru said as Ren winced, knowing Haru was in trouble and that he needed to change the subject.

"Well, to be honest?" Haru said as Ren spoke up at that moment, cutting off the rest of whatever Haru may have said.

"Never mind the Phantom Thieves! I think the real question most are curious about here is does she have a boyfriend!? I know there were rumors about her being in an arranged engagement, but as no one's ever seen the fiance in question around, could those rumors be a hoax to help her stay single? And for the record, I'm asking for my friend Akechi-kun, who was curious to know earlier." Ren said. Haru blinked at the question and spoke up.

"Huh? Did you just ask that, Amamiya-kun!?" Haru asked in surprise as the MC gave Ren an approving nod while he spoke up.

"Good point, sir! To tell you the truth, I'm interested in that myself!" The MC said as he registered Ren's remark about Akechi and spoke up.

"You say Akechi-kun's interested in Okumura-san!? Maybe if she has an arranged fiancee, it could be him!" The MC suggested as Haru gasped and spoke up.

"What!? W-Wait a second!" Haru said as the MC spoke up, pointing at Ren as he spoke.

"Sooo, Okumura-san! What's your relation to this guy?" The MC asked as Haru spoke up in a flustered tone.

"Th-That wasn't what we were talking about before, was it? And to answer the question, he's like a younger brother to me. Besides, as far as I'm aware, he's seeing Yoshizawa-san, so there's no way he's my fiancee." Haru said. The MC chuckled as he spoke up.

"My, she's quite flustered! And what's this? The transfer student and Yoshizawa-san!? Is this a hot scoop!?" The MC said as the crowd laughed and cheered as the MC kept speaking.

"But I'm a gentleman. It hurts my heart to bully such a sweet girl! Well, did you all enjoy our blushing beauty? Thank you very much, Okumura-san!" The MC said as the crowed mostly booed as Haru got off the stage and followed Ren up to the rooftop, where Kusa and Futaba were huddled together in a corner, looking up at the stars together. Haru then spoke up.

"The post-festival party is finally over, isn't it? Though, by the end, it turned out to be more like an interview party, huh? To be honest, I still can't believe you said that back there, Ren-kun." Haru said as Ren spoke up.

"Sorry about that. You were in trouble, and it was the best I could come up with on the spot to change the subject. At least I made it a point to imply that it was Akechi-kun who asked, even if that douchebag of an MC ignored that part." Ren said. Haru blinked at this and spoke up.

"Huh? I was in trouble, you say? Oh, right, you were trying to get the attention off of his question about the Phantom Thieves. At any rate, Ren-kun, I'm not sure what I would have done without you. Thank you for saving me." Haru said before shyly crossing her arms behind her back as she kept speaking.

"You know, you're a mysterious person, but you're so reliable. I think the two of us will get along quite well in the future, brother." Haru said before giggling as she kept speaking.

"As they say, who knows what may lie ahead. For now though, I'm worried about what happened with Akechi-kun, to be honest. But I have to say, my first post-festival party was quite fun. Though, at the same time, I guess it's my last too, since both Makoto and I are graduating after this year. That said, here. I'd like you to have this." Haru said as she gave Ren a 'Sakura Amezaiku' item, before shyly smiling as she kept speaking.

"I may have bought it for you earlier at the festival." Haru said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Thank you, sister. It looks delicious." Ren said as Haru giggled and spoke up.

"Glad to hear it. Now then, let's go home." Haru said as Ren nodded, before blinking as he noticed what was clearly red hair behind the area near the plants and frowning as he spoke up.

"You two can come out now, Kusa and Futaba. We're sorry if we intruded on your spot without knowing it." Ren said as the sound of muffled swearing came from behind him as the sound of shuffling was heard before a red-faced Kusa and Futaba stepped out from behind the metal structure behind Ren, the former speaking up sheepishly.

"Uh, sorry for not clearing off sooner? In our defense, we may have lost track of time while watching the stars together. Not that you have room to talk, since I'm sure you and Yoshizawa-san lost track of time together too. And I'm sure Ryuji and Makoto are probably cuddled together in the student council room right now, assuming they're not making out. I know Ryuji mentioned wanting to confess to her in there, so I'm fairly sure they're probably a couple by now. And unless I miss my mark, you and Yoshizawa-san are probably dating now as well, Ren." Kusa said before flushing slightly as he kept speaking.

"A-And as for me and Taba, well, the fact we lost track of time out here should probably kinda speak for itself on if we're together or not." Kusa said sheepishly as Ren smirked before fist-bumping Kusa and speaking up.

"Hah! About damn time you two got together, Kusa! Ryuji owes me 200 yen next time he sees me! I told him you two would probably hook up tonight!" Ren said as Kusa nodded before he registered Ren's words.

"Oh wait, did you say you were heading home, Ren? Is it that late already!?" Kusa asked as Ren nodded. Kusa winced and turned to Futaba.

"Crap! Sorry Taba, but we should probably get you home before Boss lights into me for bringing you home so late. I told him I'd have you home by curfew. And given it's dark out, it might well be past curfew." Kusa said sheepishly as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"You're right. But if I do get in trouble, it was worth it just to be able to share this time with you, boyfriend of mine." Futaba said slyly as Kusa smiled and nodded as the trio headed back to Leblanc, careful not to wake the not-cat currently napping in Ren's bag...

(Outside of Leblanc, with Ren, Morgana, Kusa, and Futaba)

Futaba smirked at Ren as he walked over to her and spoke up.

"Welcome home, Ren. Before you ask how we beat you back, Kusa knows quite a few short-cuts to get here quickly. That, and we got the express train back. That said, you took off during the festival, huh Ren? I tried to find you, but I gave up pretty quickly. Luckily, I had Kusa there to keep me company. Of course, I suppose that's his job now that we're together." Futaba said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Naturally, Taba. You best believe I'll be keeping you company as much as you like, within reason." Kusa said as Morgana poked his head out of Ren's bag, choosing then to wake up from his nap.

"Futaba? What are you doing here in front of the store?" Morgana asked Futaba, who spoke up.

"I needed to calm my brain a bit and get some air. My thoughts were getting a bit out of hand, plus I think it's still setting in that tonight actually happened." Futaba said. She kept speaking.

"And I don't just mean Akechi, but other stuff too. We're in deep trouble unless we can do something soon." Futaba said as Kusa spoke up.

"Don't you worry, Taba. I'll keep you safe as long as I'm able to do so." Kusa said as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"I know you will, Kusa. Anyways, I was just thinking about heading inside with Kusa, so your timing is perfect, Ren. Let's all go in together." Futaba said as Ren nodded and the three went inside together...

(At the same time, in the SIU Director's office with Sae and the SIU Director)

"The mass media has been causing quite a commotion lately. 'No Countermeasure for the Phantom Theves,' 'The Sorry State Of The Police,' 'Destruction of Safety,' and the list goes on from there. They're saying whatever they want. So, how's the investigation progressing? Any clues yet?" the SIU Director asked Sae, who winced as she spoke up.

"Nothing that leads to a firm conviction yet, no." Sae said as the SIU Director frowned as he spoke up.

"What's going on here? Didn't you say that you were sure about closing this case? And I thought I told you that failure won't be tolerated." the SIU Director said as Sae winced and the SIU Director kept speaking.

"Well, this is troublesome. If things continue at this rate, never mind a promotion, we'd be in a position where we'd have to let you go entirely." the SIU Director said as Sae gasped and spoke up in shock.

"But, sir-!" Sae said as the SIU Director cut her off mid-sentence by speaking up.

"I had high expectations for you, but it seems like this task was too much to handle for someone so young. We may need to reform the operation as well since the selected personnel for this-" the SIU Director said as Sae cut him off mid-sentence by speaking up.

"Please, let me see this through to the end! This case is something I've always-" Sae said as the SIU Director cut her off mid-sentence by speaking up.

"I know that you've been at this for a while now, even before the police spared us the staff for it. If you can manage an arrest, I've made special arrangements so that you can question them personally. After all, that's what you want, isn't it?" the SIU Director said before speaking up and cutting off any response Sae could give.

"The leadership of this country is about to change. We can't let this case carry over into their term. I'll make myself clear again-Failure ISN'T an option. We need results." the SIU Director said pointedly to Sae, who winced as she nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, sir. I understand." Sae said as the SIU Director looked at her and spoke up.

"You're allowed to take some, shall we say, bold measures if you need to. We need good results, no matter what." the SIU Director said as Sae nodded and turned to leave as the SIU Director spoke up once more.

"Oh, one more thing. If the unexpected happens to occur, I want you to contact me immediately." the SIU Director said as Sae blinked at this and spoke up.

"Um, to you, sir?" Sae asked as the SIU Director frowned and spoke up.

"I said that failure isn't an option, didn't I?" the SIU Director said as Sae nodded and left, after which the SIU Director walked to the window and made a phone call, smiling as a voice on the other end answered and he spoke up.

"Oh, yes. Everything is proceeding as planned." the SIU Director said as he laughed evilly while staring out the window...

(Back at Leblanc, with Ren, Sojiro, Morgana, Futaba and Kusa)

"We're home!" Futaba said as she walked into Leblanc, hand in hand with Kusa, Ren following behind with Morgana. Futaba blinked when Sojiro didn't immediately answer and spoke up.

"Sojiro?" Futaba asked as Sojiro, rather than answer, whipped out a familiar-looking card while he spoke up.

"I was cleaning up earlier, and I found this." Sojiro said as Ren and Kusa's eyes went wide at the sight of the calling card in Sojiro's hand, while Futaba gasped. Sojiro then spoke up after a moment.

"This is a calling card, right? I've read about it online, too." Sojiro said as Futaba stomped her foot on the ground in frustration and spoke up.

"Y-You went into my room without my permission!?" Futaba asked in shock as Sojiro spoke up.

"I'll apologize as much as you want later. But let's stay on topic right now. So, what is this?" Sojiro asked as Futaba spoke up.

"That's a calling card." Futaba said in a flustered-sounding tone as Sojiro frowned and spoke up.

"Is it something to get flustered over? I knew it. This isn't just some 'game' you're playing." Sojiro said before frowning as Futaba said nothing, making him keep speaking.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Sojiro asked as Morgana winced and spoke up so Futaba could hear.

"Why did you keep it!?" Morgana asked Futaba, who winced as she spoke up.

"I mean, it was precious to me. It was the first real card I'd gotten from someone my own age. As such, it was memorable to me." Futaba said as Sojiro slammed his fist down on the counter, slamming the card to the counter as he spoke up.

"Explain." Sojiro said as Futaba winced and spoke up, subconsciously scooting into Kusa for protection as she spoke.

"Explain, uh, how do I explain?" Futaba said as Sojiro turned to glare at Futaba as he spoke up.

"You can't tell me?" Sojiro said as Futaba spoke up, seeming to have an anxiety attack as she spoke up.

"Ex-Explain..ugh..." Futaba said, seeming to hyperventilate a bit as Morgana winced and spoke up.

"Hey, if this keeps up, Futaba's-" Morgana said as Ren and Kusa exchanged a nod as Ren spoke up.

"Boss, don't blame Futaba for this. Let her calm down for now, since she looks close to a panic attack, and Kusa and I will explain everything." Ren said. Sojiro blinked at Ren and Kusa as he spoke up.

"Oh? I'll get right to the point. This calling card, is this a 'real' one? Did they, well, did they trigger a change of heart in you?" Sojiro asked Futaba, who chose that moment to break down crying, leaning into Kusa's chest as he reflexively put his arms around her protectively as she cried into his chest. Sojiro frowned and spoke up.

"How about it?" Sojiro said as Futaba took a breath to steady herself before she spoke up.

"To be honest? Ever since, well, ever since Mom died, it felt like there was quite literally no exit to the pain I was feeling. As such, I felt as if I was trapped, in a sense, in a labyrinth, one created of the innermost parts of my heart. I knew that I had to leave it, but I couldn't find the strength to do it, at least not by myself." Futaba got out between sobs as Kusa gently patted her on the head comfortingly as he held her close while Sojiro spoke up in shock.

"Futaba, I had no idea you felt that way. Here, the three of you sit down. And Kusa, you can sit by her, but keep your hands off her for now, yeah? This isn't the time to be all touchy-feely with her." Sojiro said sternly to Kusa, who nodded his understanding as Sojiro spoke up.

"I can at least listen to what you have to say." Sojiro said as Futaba, Kusa, and Ren sat down, Kusa ending up next to Sojiro while Futaba was next to Ren as she spoke up.

"The Phantom Thieves, they saved me from myself. They stole, they stole what they called 'my messed-up heart'. It's the same as Mom's research. They changed my cognition!" Futaba said as she broke down crying, as Ren gently patted her on the head comfortingly as Sojiro blinked and spoke up in surprise.

"Seriously? Ugh. Wakaba's research about altering one's cognition. To be honest, I wondered about it myself too, but still, I had no idea." Sojiro said as Ren spoke up.

"When did you notice, Boss?" Ren asked Sojiro, who spoke up honestly.

"When she said she was gonna go to the beach out of nowhere. Even the doctors had thrown in the towel." Sojiro said as Futaba kept crying from next to Ren as Sojiro kept speaking.

"At first, I just chalked it up as other kids being a better support for you than any adult. But as I kept watching the tabloid shows here day in and day out, a thought crossed my mind at one point. I thought that your case seemed kind of similar to what these 'Phantom Thieves' were doing." Sojiro said as Futaba looked at Sojiro in surprise and spoke up.

"Wow." Futaba said in surprise as Sojiro smiled and spoke up.

"I'm still your guardian, you know. I'd never overlook such a drastic change in your behavior." Sojiro said as Futaba spoke up in surprise.

"Sojiro, I'm impressed you noticed." Futaba said as Sojiro spoke up in shock.

"But, to think that Wakaba's research, and the Phantom Thieves changing hearts, were about the same thing. Ugh, to tell you three the truth? Back in the day, well, I used to be a government official. My job was to be the bridge between the country and the lab that Wakaba worked at. It's around that time that I got to know her. She said something odd when we were out drinking one night. She said to me that one of these days, she might die a bizarre death. Who wouldn't take that as a joke? I just laughed it off at the time. But as it happens, it happened. Exactly as she said. If anything were to happen to you, I'd feel like I let her down.

That said, there's something I want to ask you, Ren. Judging from your attitude, you knew about this calling card, didn't you? And given that you said you and Kusa would explain everything, I'm guessing he knew too? You should've known that Futaba had a change of heart through the Phantom Thieves as well. Be honest with me, Ren. Is there a connection between you, Kusa, and them?

The first incident of the change of heart was a teacher at your school. The kid who brought that painting here was a pupil of that artist who had a change of heart, wasn't he? And then there's Futaba. I can't help but notice that you and Kusa seem to be linked to these incidents somehow, which I find odd. Got anything to say?" Sojiro asked as Ren and Kusa exchanged a wince before both nodding as Ren spoke up.

"Actually, there is. First of all, we're sorry for keeping quiet about this for so long, Boss. But you have to understand, the less people who know about what I'm about to say, the better off everyone involved is." Ren said as Sojiro winced and spoke up.

"You know what people call them? Criminals. Why did you introduce such dangerous people to Futaba!?" Sojiro asked as Futaba spoke up.

"That's not true! I asked them! That's why Ren and Kusa saved me! They stole my heart!" Futaba said, to Kusa, Ren, and Sojiro's surprise. Sojiro blinked as he spoke up.

"Wait. Asked? Stole?" Sojiro asked as Futaba gasped and spoke up.

"Oh! Um, well, umm..." Futaba said, trailing off after being unsure what to say from there, but Sojiro got the gist as he glared at Ren and Kusa as he spoke up.

"Wait a moment, Futaba. Are you saying they're the ones who changed your heart? They don't just deal with the Phantom Thieves, they're part of them? Heh, you're pulling my leg, aren't you?" Sojiro said as Kusa sighed before he spoke up for the first time in a while, giving Sojiro a look of regret and shame as he spoke.

"No, Boss, Futaba's not pulling your leg. It's true. We saved her by helping her change her heart and overcome her pain and suffering. But it was necessary to help her change herself, so we'd do it again if we had to. As for us being part of the Phantom Thieves? We're not just part of them! Ren and I, along with another, we're the leadership of the Phantom Thieves." Kusa said honestly, not wanting to hide it from Sojiro anymore. Ren nodded as he spoke up.

"Kusa's right, Boss. This is no joke. Kusa and I are the leaders of the Phantom Thieves. But I promise you right now, we never murdered anyone. We would never do anything so horrendous. We were framed for it, though we're not sure yet who framed us." Ren said as Kusa spoke up.

"Exactly. And I swear to you Boss, even though Futaba's also part of the Phantom Thieves, we would never do anything to harm Futaba or put her in danger. Hell, I'd sooner throw myself in the path of anything that would harm Futaba than let her come to harm. To be honest? Ren loves her as the sister he's never had, and I? Well, to be honest, I have romantic feelings for her! So much so, I asked her to be my girlfriend tonight, and she accepted. I apologize for not asking your blessing beforehand, but I kinda had to scramble last-minute to get her what she needed for the dance.

So, that said, ff you're gonna be mad Boss, be mad at Ren and I for keeping this from you for so long, since that was wrong of us. I even argued that we should let you in on our secret, but the others overruled me saying it was too risky to let others in if it wasn't absolutely necessary. For what it's worth, I believe you'd keep our secret, since you're an amazing man. And one that, if it came to it, I'd be proud to consider a father figure." Kusa said honestly, to Ren and Futaba's surprise. Sojiro gasped as he spoke up.

"You two are serious, Ren? You, and Kusa, really are part of the Phantom Thieves? For crying out loud, you two." Sojiro said as Futaba spoke up.

"Sojiro, we're sorry." Futaba said as Sojiro frowned and spoke up.

"So, basically, I've been sheltering two of the Phantom Thieves for the last six months? And on top of that, Futaba's involved too as a Phantom Thief. What the hell, you two?" Sojiro said to Kusa and Ren, as Futaba frowned and spoke up.

"I, to be honest, Sojiro? I want to find the culprit who killed my mom!" Futaba said resolutely as Sojiro gasped and spoke up in shock.

"Wait, killed!? You're saying that Wakaba was killed, Futaba?" Sojiro asked in shock as Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, Sojiro. She was killed! I can remember it now." Futaba said as Sojiro growled and spoke up.

"Stop this nonsense!" Sojiro said as Futaba frowned and spoke up.

"Why won't you believe me, Sojiro!? Are you the same as everyone else? Didn't you know already!? The way Mom died wasn't normal! Didn't you notice that her research was stolen by someone!? Sojiro, please, tell me you believe me!" Futaba said. Sojiro sighed and spoke up.

"Futaba? When she passed away, I did think ti was odd. It was awfully fishy. But what could I do? The truth is, all I was able to do was run from it all. Run away, hide away, and end up here, as some old guy running a cafe. To be frank, I took you in for my own good. Like it would somehow make up for what I'd done. It's basically my fault that you got burdened with all this crap." Sojiro said as Futaba smiled and spoke up.

"No, it's not your fault, Sojiro." Futaba said as Sojiro smiled and spoke up.

"I acted all big, lectured, even yelled at you three kids, and in the end, I end up getting consoled by her. God, I'm real pathetic, aren't I?" Sojiro said as Ren spoke up.

"That's not true, Boss. And I'm sorry for not trusting you with this from the beginning." Ren said as Kusa spoke up.

"Boss, you are NOT pathetic! You were willing to risk the wrath of Futaba's uncle to save her from an absolutely effed-up living situation! You are at least partially the reason that we were able to save her before she was beyond saving, so do not call yourself pathetic! If anyone's pathetic here, it's Ren and I for not trusting you to know about us from the start.

I even told the others, multiple times, that you were a good man who would never betray us, yet I'm the one who let Ren betray your trust by not trusting you to know about us. So I'm sorry. If you want to punish Ren and I for it, go ahead. We deserve it for not being honest with you." Kusa said honestly. Futaba nodded.

"Kusa and Ren are right! I mean, the one who killed Mom is at fault!" Futaba said as Sojiro sighed and spoke up.

"I see." Sojiro said before nodding at Ren and Kusa as he spoke up.

"Don't worry, you two. Even if you two are part of the real Phantom Thieves, I have no intention of reporting or kicking you out. And given they hang around you a lot, I'm going to guess that your friends Ryuji, Makoto, Ann, Haru, and Yusuke are the other Phantom Thieves?" Sojiro said as Kusa spoke up with a nod.

"Mm-hm. Them, and Morgana as well. It might sound crazy, but Morgana's the one who taught us what we know about phantom thieving. In a way you could say he's the founding member of the group, even if some of us don't always give him the appreciation he deserves." Kusa said with a nod. Sojiro laughed and spoke up.

"Hah! I could believe that. But I mean, who else outside of this room would believe such a story? Unless they catch you red-handed, it's impossible to explain that you're the Phantom Thieves. And Kusa, don't blame yourself. You were only trying to do what you felt was right, while protecting not only Futaba, but myself as well, to the best of your ability. I don't blame you at all. So relax." Sojiro said as he gently gave Kusa a comforting pat on the shoulder, to Kusa's surprise. Sojiro then frowned as he kept speaking.

"That said, let me just say one thing though. Immediately back out of a fight that you can't win." Sojiro said as Ren blinked and spoke up.

"What do you mean, Boss? If you mean that discretion is the better part of valor, we're aware of that." Ren said as Kusa spoke up.

"He means that we shouldn't do anything to needlessly put ourselves or Futaba in danger, and he's right. And don't worry Boss, you have my word we won't do anything to put ourselves or Futaba into danger, and that we'll run away from any fight that we can't win." Kusa said. Sojiro frowned at Ren and spoke up.

"Don't you get it, Ren? If, by chance, you pissed off the same guys that killed Wakaba, then they're not someone that kids like you can deal with. Listen to reason, all right?" Sojiro said as he got up and spoke up.

"And on that note, we're done talking about this. C'mon, you guys, time to eat. All that yelling's gotten me hungry. And Kusa, we'll discuss you and Futaba being a couple later." Sojiro said as Kusa blinked and nodded while speaking up.

"Y-Yes, Boss. Understood." Kusa said sheepishly as Morgana spoke up.

"Phew, that was close. If he turned us in, that would've jeopardized our operation. But still, we should tell the others about what just happened." Morgana said as Ren nodded while Futaba slumped over facedown on the table and spoke up.

"Oh, I'm tired." Futaba said as Kusa spoke up with a smile.

"Hang in there a bit longer, Taba. Once we eat, either myself or Boss will get you home to your bed, okay?" Kusa said as Futaba nodded while following Kusa and Ren upstairs to start a group chat with Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, and Haru, with Ryuji being the first to respond to Ren's lengthy summary of what had happened with Sojiro, and unsurprisingly he was pissed.

"What!? He knows everything? You gotta be fucking kidding!" Ryuji sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Ryuji, this is Boss we're talking about here. Of course he knows! At least he was willing to hear us out instead of tossing out out on our asses!" Kusa sent dryly as Ann sent a response.

"Wait, are you two OK? Did he report you or anything?" Ann sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"We likely wouldn't be receiving these messages if Ren, Kusa and Futaba were not OK. That said, I had a feeling that Boss was no ordinary man, if I'm being honest." Yusuke sent as Haru sent a response.

"But he didn't recommend you turn yourself in, did he? I think in that case we can consider him a new ally." Haru sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Hm, and it would seem Kusa was right about Boss being trustworthy all along. Apologies for doubting you on that, Kusa. That said, I'm more curious about what he mentioned to the two of you." Yusuke sent as Haru sent a response.

"You mean how our enemy might be the same people who targeted Futaba's mother?" Haru sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Yes. She was killed by mental shutdown, the same method used by the culprit we pursue now." Yusuke sent as Ann sent a response.

"Wait a second though, Ren. Didn't you say that Boss had to 'run away from it all'? Does that mean someone was trying to stop the news from getting out? Who could do that, do you think? Also, who do you guys think the culprit might be?" Ann sent as Ren and Kusa both blinked and Ren sent a response.

"Given everything that we know, I'd be inclined to say that it's someone very powerful." Ren sent as Ryuji sent a response at that point.

"Ain't you letting your imagination run wild a bit?" Ryuji sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"But it would make sense." Yusuke sent as Ryuji gasped and sent a response.

"Wait a sec! If you're right, then wouldn't the police be working for 'em too!?" Ryuji sent as Makoto sent a response.

"To be honest, Ryuji? That's not impossible, if you think about it." Makoto sent as Ann sent a response.

"This is getting too big for me to even think about, to be honest." Ann sent as Haru sent a response.

"Can we really win this?" Haru sent as Kusa sent a response.

"Honestly, Haru? I think so. But it's gonna be one heck of an uphill effort to do so. And, as loathe as I am to say this, Akechi-kun's deal may well be our best bet at winning this." Kusa sent as Futaba spoke up determinedly.

"Kusa's right! We're gonna win, no matter what!" Futaba said as Ren and Kusa put their phone away, as did Futaba, when Morgana spoke up.

"I guess the chief had an inkling after all, didn't he?" Morgana asked Ren and Kusa, who nodded. Ren then walked over to Futaba, who was being comforted by Kusa.

"Sorry, guys. It's my fault that all happened. After all, all this happened because I kept the calling card like a sentimental fool." Futaba said as Kusa looked Futaba in the eyes and spoke up.

"Futaba, you look at me right now. You are not a fool. You might be sentimental, but that's not a crime. And we were probably bound to get outed by Boss sooner or later anyways, even if you hadn't kept the calling card, so do not blame yourself. If anyone should be owning the blame here, it's me and Ren for not trusting Boss to be in the loop about us. So do not blame yourself. And cheer up. At least Boss isn't turning any of us in, so that's something, right?

But for real, don't be afraid to lean on me for support, Taba. That's my job, now that we're dating, to be there for you to the best of my ability. So don't feel bad that you were moved by my handiwork and wanted to keep it as a memento. I'm actually touched that you did that." Kusa said honestly to Futaba as he smiled at her before hugging her lightly as she sighed and spoke up.

"Kusa...you're right. Thanks, boyfriend. I might forget that from time to time, but I know you'll be there to remind me when I do. Oh! It's so late already though. Is Sojiro still awake, do you think?" Futaba asked as Ren spoke up.

"Probably. Odds are he's waiting to take you home, or he went home on his own. Worst case, you can crash with us tonight. I'm sure Kusa would let you share the sofa with him. But to be honest, you really should go home so he doesn't worry, plus it is a school night." Ren said as Kusa nodded reluctantly and spoke up.

"Ren's right, you know. We can't be selfish, even if we want to spend as much time together as possible." Kusa said honestly. Futaba nodded and spoke up.

"You're both right, of course. I'm gonna go home. Night, you two. Love you, Kusa." Futaba said before Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Love you too, Taba, my lovely Treasure." Kusa said honestly as he smiled at Futaba, who smiled lovingly at Kusa as she briefly kissed him goodnight before she smiled and headed home. Ren and Kusa then looked at each other before they sat on their sofa/bed to get comfortable, knowing that even though this had been one of their most turbulent days thus far, the real battle was still yet to begin...

END OF CHAPTER

A/N: And BOOM! There we go! At last, we have liftoff, so to speak on the Kusa/Futaba and Ryuji/Makoto ships. I have Ren and Kasumi together, but as anyone who's played through all of Persona 5 Royal (extra content exclusive to Royal included) at least once knows, Ren and Kasumi have a very bumpy road towards getting together, so there's no guarantees those two will stay together the entire rest of the story, plus if you saw the character listings, there's a reason that the characters are listed as they are, but I can't say more than that because of spoilers. But there, finally some legitimate dating! Hope it was worth the wait!

That said, I forgot that the day of the dance (or School Sharing Festival as it's actually called in canon Royal) was also the day that Sojiro calls Ren and Futaba out on being part of the Phantom Thieves, so of course I had to fit that in here too since I had to get through that so I could save. Also, yes the scene with Akechi basically blackmailing the Thieves is in here too, because it's a pivotal part of Arc 6's main plot. And anyone who was paying attention saw that I called this arc CROW's Gambit, and that was for a reason, but we'll leave that at that for now, I think.

Also, before anyone asks about the change I made to the end of the Akechi blackmailing the Thieves scene with Kusa picking up that document, that's setting up for something that will gradually develop throughout the rest of Arc 6 and into arc 7. Suffice it to say, it's setting up for another big reveal involving Kusa. So there's that to look forward to!

And yeah, before anyone mentions it, I made Sojiro/Boss/Coffee Daddy the first rank 10 of the story. I wasn't sure who it'd be at first, but as I started typing chapters, I realized that Sojiro made a lot of sense to be the first rank 10 Confidant, if only because of the amount of character development not only Sojiro, but even Ren, Kusa and Futaba all get in that Confidant link (granted some of that is exclusive to this story, but that's irrelevant.)

So yeah, Coffee Daddy's the first Rank MAX Confidant (not to be confused with 'MAX' rank Confidants, which Kasumi currently is, and which Kusa was until recently) of the story, because of course he is! Coffee Daddy is one of the greatest characters in Royal, and as such, of course I was gonna max him first!

And as always, thanks to those who read the story, follow it (and me as an author), favorite it, and even leave reviews on it, as your feedback and input are greatly appreciated and help me to be able to continually improve the story and make it even better as I go. So please, if you have input to offer, by all means, leave it in reviews! Or PM me, I accept either form of input and welcome hearing from my readers!

Either way, until next chapter, sithlorde1988 out!

NOTES

*1* - I know, in canon Royal, the only names read when reading the votes was Akechi's, but I sincerely doubt that ALL the votes were for him, so I just threw a few random names in there as well as potential other vote-getters. As for the mention of Rise, well, I just recently started playing Persona 4 Golden, and even though I'm not very far in, early on I think Rise (if I even have her name right, being that she's the idol chick that you see modeling for a drink commercial at the start of the game with the unique hairdo and bikini) is potentially a front-runner for most interesting character.

However, I'm waiting until I get further in to really make an opinion of her, but she seems cute enough at least. But I'm waiting to see what her personality is like before I make a final opinion on her. But I couldn't resist throwing the reference in just the same. And if I'm wrong about calling her an idol/performer in the chapter, feel free to correct me on it in the reviews, and I'll be sure to give the appropriate credit for the correction in a future A/N.

CONFIDANT RANKS AS OF THE END OF CHAPTER 63

FOOL (Igor/Prison Master) - Rank 9

MAGICIAN (Morgana/Mona) - Rank 9

PRIESTESS (Makoto/Queen) - Rank 5

EMPEROR (Yusuke/Fox) - Rank 5

HIEROPHANT (Sojiro/Boss/Coffee Daddy) - Rank MAX (10)

LOVERS (Ann/Panther) - Rank 9

CHARIOT (Ryuji/Skull) - Rank 8

JUSTICE (Akechi) - Rank 6

HERMIT (Futaba/Oracle) - Rank 4

FORTUNE (Chihaya/Fortune Teller) - Rank 3

STRENGTH (Caroline and Justine/Twin Wardens) - Rank 9

HANGED-MAN (Iwai/Weapons Dealer) - Rank 3

DEATH (Takemi/Back-Alley Doctor) - Rank 7.5

TEMPERANCE (Kawakami/Becky) - Rank 5

DEVIL (Ohya) - Rank 3

STAR (Hifumi) - Rank 5

MOON (Mishima) - Rank 6

SUN (Yoshida/Man Of The People) - Rank 9

JUDGEMENT (Sae/Prosecutor) - Rank 5

FAITH (Kasumi/Sumi/Yoshizawa) - Rank 5 'MAX'

COUNCILLOR (Maruki/Doc) - Rank 8

WORLD (Kusa/Draconis) - Rank 6

YET TO BE UNLOCKED- TOWER, EMPRESS