5/23/20XX
Friday: Evening
Tachibana Residence
Later that night, after heading home from school, Miku and Hibiki went straight for their home's landline nervously looking between it and each other. "Are you sure this is a good idea, Miku?" Hibiki asked. "I mean, we can always try and call somewhere more secret like the hideout."
"That's too risky, Hibiki." Miku said as she picked up the landline's receiver and started dialing the number for the maid service. "Besides, it's not like we're planning anything malicious with Ms. Kawakami."
Hibiki nods. "I guess you're right."
With that said, Miku punched in the last digit for the number and listened to the phone ring. Eventually, a man's voice picked up on the other end. "Thanks for calling Victoria's Housekeeping for all your maid needs!" The voice said. "Do you have a request this evening?"
"U-Um... Yeah!" Miku replied, stopping herself from asking for her homeroom teacher as she remembered the name she did use when they met at the empty apartment. "I would like to request 'Becky' if that's possible?"
There was a moment of silence between the girls... "Excellent! May I have your address?"
Miku told the man their address and hung up the phone as soon as they were given a time for Becky's arrival. "That was a lot easier than I thought it would be..." Miku sighed. "All that's left is to prepare for Ms. Kawakami's arrival."
"Still, this feels so wrong..." Hibiki said. "My mom would kill us if she found out about what we were doing."
"I'm sure she'd kill us for more than half of the things we've done over the last two months, Hibiki." Miku added, causing them to both chuckle nervously. "But even if this one thing comes back to bite us, I'll gladly take the blame for it. After all, this is for Ryuji."
"Yeah! For Ryuji!" Hibiki agreed, smiling confidently... Before her confidence turns into confusion. "...Remind me exactly how calling Ms. Kawakami as a maid helps Ryuji, again?"
As Miku explained everything to Hibiki, a car showed up in front of the Tachibana residence, which Ms. Kawakami stepped out of in her full maid attire and walked up to the front door, ringing the doorbell. "Good Evening! Victoria's Housekeeping ser-" Just before Kawakami was going to finish her greeting, the door slowly opened, revealing Miku and Hibiki, who both looked at Kawakami with equal amounts of anxiety. "Kohinata-chan? And Tachibana-chan?!"
"Before you ask, Hibiki was there with me and Ryuji the night we called you, so she already knew." Miku quickly said, which made Kawakami pinch her temple. "I know you're probably disappointed in me for calling the maid service again despite agreeing to act like nothing happened, but I really needed to talk with you about something important... And this was the best way I thought I could do it..."
Kawakami sighed. "On any other occasion, I would be lecturing you for doing something like this." She said. "However, I'm willing to let it slide this one time because of what you did for me with Ms. Chouno."
"Thank you, Ms. Kawakami!" Miku replied, stepping away from the door. "Please, come in!"
"So, what's this about?" Kawakami asked. "Judging by the look of this place, I can tell you didn't call me here for any advice on cleaning."
"I mean, as much as I could use the advice to help out a little more around here, that's besides the point." Miku answered as she walked over to the kitchen and pulled a kettle over the counter. "Care for some tea?"
Pouring a cup of tea for herself, Kawakami, and Hibiki, Miku explained why she called the maid service and asked for her homeroom teacher, which Kawakami was rather intrigued by the lengths Miku went for something like this. "I see. So you did all of this to learn about the track team, huh?" Kawakami asked.
"From what Ryuji told me, he slugged Kamoshida because he was tired of how hard Kamoshida was pushing the track team." Miku explained. "But the thing is, he feels guilty for the burden on his mother. If I had to guess, Kamoshida provoked Ryuji by mentioning her."
"As far as that's concerned, I wouldn't really know anything about it." Kawakami stated. "However, I can't imagine how hard it must be, being raised by only one parent, I mean. I could see anyone, not just Sakamoto-kun, getting mad hearing something like that."
"Yeah..." Hibiki said, which made Kawakami realize what she had said.
"Sorry if that came off as insensitive, Tachibana-chan." Kawakami apologized. "I was just trying to make a basic generalization, of course."
"It's alright." Hibiki replied. "I knew you didn't mean anything towards me by it."
"Ryuji took a swing at Kamoshida, and not because of his knee injury, but because his mother was being mocked." Miku stated, getting the subject back on topic. "He endured all of Kamoshida's hazing for the sake of his teammates, but there's only so much someone can take before they've had enough."
"I really couldn't say." Kawakami said. "However, if you're right, it does mean one thing is certain."
"What's that?" Miku asked.
"Sakamoto-kun loses his temper too quickly, and he gets violent far too easily, but he holds back for the sake of everybody else. To be honest, I never would've thought about it that way, considering his attitude problems. But, thanks to you two, I think I understand now..." Kawakami stated, before seeing the surprised looks on the two students' faces. "Th-That being said, unlike the first time, this visit tonight isn't free! And you better not call the service again, otherwise I will be telling Tachibana-san!"
While they would probably be able to call Kawakami's bluff, neither Miku nor Hibiki wanted to risk Kawakami actually telling Hibiki's mom about them calling a maid to their house. "Y-Yes ma'am!" They both said, as Miku gave Kawakami the money she was owed. "We promise!"
"Good." Kawakami replied, taking an internal sigh of relief that they didn't call her bluff. "I'll see you both in class tomorrow."
"One last thing." Miku said. "I heard a rumor that the track club was reforming."
"It would seem that you've heard correctly, then." Kawakami confirmed. "The new advisor for the track team is Mr. Yamauchi."
"Yamauchi?" Hibiki asked, before feeling her heart sink. "You don't mean..."
"I'm afraid so." Kawakami answered.
"It's the teacher that was the closest to Kamoshida."
5/25/20XX
Sunday: Evening
Tsukishima
Thanks to what they learned from Kawakami, Miku spent all of her free time on Saturday learning everything she could about Mr. Yamauchi, in terms of his background in track and field, his connections to Kamoshida, and anything that could be used to help take him down should push come to shove. Thankfully, it didn't take long for her to find some details in his background that came off as suspicious, or more accurately, a lack there of details.
So, the next day, Miku devised a plan to help Ryuji, and to an extent, help the track team.
Miku: Hey Ryuji! Are you free for a bit?
Ryuji: Yeah? Why?
Miku: I'll explain when you get here, but can you meet me and Hibiki in Tsukishima? There's something we wanted to show you.
Ryuji: ...Okay. I'll be right there.
After Ryuji sent that text, he met up with Miku and Hibiki near the Tsukishima station, which he then followed them to Monja Mugi, a well-known Monjayaki restaurant, as Miku caught him up to speed on everything she learned about Mr. Yamauchi. "To make a long story short, while I was looking into Mr. Yamauchi's background, nothing came up about him having any knowledge of track, and that irked me." Miku stated. "While I may not have done track in years, it doesn't take a well-trained investigator to see that something's wrong here."
Ryuji was surprised and left speechless. "Hey, I'm grateful that you took all this time to look into it and everything... But you guys really didn't have to do this for me."
"Of course we did, Ryuji!" Hibiki said. "You're more than just a teammate to us, you're our friend. And friends do what they can to help each other when they're miserable."
Ryuji became flustered by Hibiki's compliment. "C'mon, man. Sure, I've been a little down because of what happened way back when, but I wouldn't go as far as saying I was miserable."
"Ryuji, you've been sulking around the school ever since we ran into your old track teammates." Miku bluntly stated. "It honestly creeped me out seeing you so abnormally sad."
"...So this was going to happen sooner or later the longer I moped around, then?" Ryuji asked.
"Yep." Miku answered, looking towards the restaurant entrance and seeing two well-dressed men enter, one of which she recognized as Yamauchi. "Okay. Yamauchi just entered the restaurant. Now we can go in, find out his ulterior motive with the track team, and plan our next move from there. Ready?"
Ryuji and Hibiki were hesitant to answer. "One small problem with that plan... Yamauchi knows my face." Ryuji said. "He'd know something's up the moment he saw me."
"Right... I didn't really think about that part of the plan..." Miku said, thinking about how to get around this conundrum, which didn't take long. "Well, in that case, Hibiki and I can go in and tell you what we find out afterwards."
"Wait, Miku, but what if Yamauchi recognizes us, too?" Hibiki asked. "After all, if this guy is close to Kamoshida, then he probably told him about us before we changed his heart."
Miku rolled her eyes at this thought, taking off her bow without hesitation and handing it to Hibiki as she took her hairclips. "If it makes you feel better, we can trade accessories so that he doesn't recognize us right away." Miku said, looking at Hibiki watching her put on the hair clips while her face turned bright red. "Now hurry and put on my bow so we can try and figure out what Yamauchi's planning before he leaves."
"S-Sure thing, Miku..." Hibiki stuttered, still processing what Miku did and how fast she did it.
Monja Mugi
Stepping inside the restaurant, Miku and Hibiki casually, but quickly, found a seat close enough so that they could overhear Yamauchi, who Miku instantly took notice of how drunk the man was, talking to the other well-dressed man he walked in with. "We just gottabandon the volleyball team." He said. "There's noother obtion. We gotta bring Shujin back into the limelight. It's clearbly the only way."
"You really think the track team is capable of doing that?" The other man asked, not questioning the slurred words of the far from sober teacher.
"-Course!" Yamauchi answered. "Wib everything those poor poor students have suffered, they need a caring adbisor to lift them back up again. After all, theonly thing the public love more than a fall is a comeback story."
"You're an absolute genius, Mr. Yamauchi!" The other man said, praising the drunk teacher. "All we gotta do is make sure those troublemakers on the team don't screw it up, especially Nakaoka."
"Nakaoka... Oh, you mean that dumbass that wanted to bring back the former coack?" Yamauchi asked. "Not to worry, I've already got that handled."
"Oh?"
"Less just say I may or may not have told the other team members about some special info I learned through Kamoshida." Yamauchi said, laughing to himself.
Shibuya
Hibiki and Miku stayed until Yamauchi finally left with the other well-dressed man. Once they finally left, they met up with Ryuji and took the train back to Shujin, telling them everything they learned by listening in on the drunk teacher's conversation, which he rightfully took his anger out on the closest wall once they were in a more private spot. "That effin' asshole!" Ryuji shouted.
"We have to do something before Yamauchi gets his way and ruins Nakaoka's life, too." Hibiki said. "Maybe we can change his heart?"
"I don't know if that's exactly the best play in this situation, Hibiki." Miku answered. "It would probably be better if we tell the track team what we know and let them handle it from there."
"Yeah." Ryuji agreed, letting out a sigh as he recomposed himself. "We may have our powers as the Phantom Thieves, but this ain't our problem, it's theirs."
Miku was taken aback by Ryuji's stance on the matter. "I'm surprised. I figured you would've wanted to handle this matter personally, Ryuji." She said.
"Well, as you probably already know, track ain't a team sport. At least, not when it came to sprintin'." Ryuji stated, which Miku nodded, knowing what he meant. "But, even though we were all mainly after our own goals n' shit, we were still runnin' together. We suffered together, grit our teeth together, hell, it's only thanks to them that I was able to run at all. So even if they may hate me for what happened, I can't just go and turn my back on 'em now. I know it ain't exactly the coolest thing to say, but that's how I feel."
"Wow... That's probably one of the coolest things I've ever heard you say, Ryuji!" Hibiki said.
"H-Huh?" Ryuji asked, taken aback by Hibiki's compliment. "For real?"
"Not to mention, it shows how much you've grown as a person since the incident that got you exiled from the track team." Miku added. "Either way, I'm glad that you're able to handle this situation a lot more maturely than how you handled the Kamoshida situation, all things considered."
Ryuji blushed from embarrassment, remembering how brashly he reacted back when they were threatened with expulsion, but he still smiled all the same. "Thanks, guys. It means a lot to hear you say somethin' like that."
"That's what friends are for, after all." Miku chuckled. "But now that that's out of the way, all that's left is to tell the track team what's been going on, and in the process, save Nakaoka from ending up like Ryuji did... No offense."
"None taken." Ryuji replied. "But as for Nakaoka, I have an idea I'd like to try. Meet me at the spot I showed you guys the other day after school, and show up in your gym clothes, too."
5/26/20XX
Monday: After School
Shujin Academy
Following Ryuji's request, Hibiki and Miku met up with Ryuji in the courtyard where, much to their dismay, the track team were already confronting Nakaoka. "Looks like we got here just as they started." Hibiki said.
"You sure you have a plan, Ryuji?" Miku asked.
"Yeah." Ryuji answered. "Let's go."
"Nakaoka. I hear you told Kamoshida secrets so you could avoid that bastard's hazing. Is it true?" Takeishi asked, getting only a guilt-ridden glance as a response, which was more than enough to anger the track member. "You coward! How dare you-"
"HEY!" Ryuji shouted, catching the entire track team's attention. "I know you guys want nothing to do with me, but please, there's something I need to tell you."
Ryuji told the track team members everything Miku and Hibiki overheard at the restaurant. "He's been playin' you. Yamauchi's trying to get you all to turn on each other."
"You got proof?" Takeishi asked. "Why should we trust you?"
"My friends' word is my proof." Ryuji answered. "That's all the proof I need!"
Miku and Hibiki were touched by Ryuji's answer. "Ryuji..."
Takeishi, however, scoffed at Ryuji. "What's their word mean to us? Definitely doesn't change the fact that you're a traitor." He said, glancing back at Nakaoka. "And you're one of the victims in this, too. This rat is the guy who went and snitched to Kamoshida about your mother!"
There was a deafening silence in the courtyard. However, while Hibiki and Miku waited, unsure how Ryuji would react to this information, the former track member smirked. "So what? Either way, none of that matters anymore." He said, much to the shock of everyone. "All that crap with Kamoshida's been settled already."
"Y-You're not mad?" Takeishi asked, surprised by how calm Ryuji was.
"It's about time you guys moved on, too." Ryuji continued. "Make the new track team, just with you guys. Don't rely on that asshole, Yamauchi."
"Sakamoto..." Nakaoka muttered, still in disbelief that the teammate he screwed over the hardest by snitching was able to forgive him so easily.
Despite this, there were still those who refused to let bygones be bygones. "Forget it. There's no way I can be an ace runner as long as he's around! It would just keep eating away at me!" Takeishi said. "I can't allow that to happen, not when my dad is so proud of me..."
"Do you even hear yourself, right now? Who exactly are you living for: Your dad? Your teachers? Society? You gotta stop forcing yourself to be the you they want and start being the you you want to be." Ryuji said, which made Takeishi look at Ryuji in shock. "Well? Do you think you're cool? Are you proud of yourself?"
"Sh-Shut up..." Takeishi hissed.
"If you're not proud of yourself, then you're doin' it all wrong!" Ryuji retorted.
"...I'm not proud." Nakaoka chimed in. "I was scared of losing the place where I belong. That's why I did as he told me!"
"...I know what that feels like. But it's not that scary, really. Not knowing where you belong." Ryuji stated, which shocked the track team. "Turning into a coward, lyin' to yourself without even realizin' it, THAT is the crappy person I'm scared of becoming! But, It's my fault that the club got disbanded, so I don't really have any room to talk..."
"Sakamoto..."
"If anything, I bet you're all still pissed at me for that. So, how about you take out your anger on the person who deserves it the most: Me!" Ryuji continued. "Well, I'm right here! Hit me!"
This proclamation worried Miku. "Umm, Ryuji, I'm not sure that's the best-"
"Fair enough." Nakaoka said, walking over to Ryuji and cracking his knuckles.
"Since you're offering..." Takeishi added, doing the same as Nakaoka, as the others followed suit.
"W-Wait, are you guys serious?" Ryuji asked, clearly not thinking this through.
"Deadly serious." Takeishi answered.
Ryuji began to worry as they stepped closer and closer. "H-Hey, Miku, Hibiki, can you help me out here?"
The girls, however, raised their arms and backed away slowly. "As much as we'd love to, you brought this on yourself." Miku said.
"Miku tried to warn you, too." Hibiki added. "Sorry."
"W-WAIT!" Ryuji shouted, begging for them to help, but it was too late. An offer was an offer, and Ryuji's former track teammates were more than happy to take him up on it.
After a good couple of minutes of watching their fellow thief get beaten to a pulp, the track team finally stopped their assault on Ryuji, dusting off their hands as they finished up their catharsis. "Now we're even." Takeishi said. "No hard feelings, okay, man?"
"Thanks for that, Sakamoto." Nakaoka added as he left with the rest of the track team.
"That was... Brutal." Miku said. "But it seems like they're finally able to forgive Nakaoka, and Ryuji for that matter."
"Speaking of..." Hibiki added, looking over at the battered Phantom Thief on the ground. "Are you okay, Ryuji?"
"Pain... Lots of pain..." Ryuji replied. "When I offered, I only meant one punch..."
"Either way, you survived." Miku stated. "You did the right thing."
Ryuji smirked at this. "I sure did!" He said proudly, reeling from the pain once again. "I just hope my pain was enough to help them start over with a new club."
"I'm sure they'll be just fine now." Hibiki replied. "Still, I can't help but feel bad about letting them wail on you like that... How about we go get something to eat to celebrate you finally making amends with your old teammates? My treat."
"Sounds good to me!" Ryuji said, getting a helping hand back up to his feet as the trio walked off towards the locker room to get changed. "And again, thanks for helpin' me out there, guys. I honestly don't think I could've faced the track team again if you didn't help out."
"Like I said before, that's what friends are for." Miku restated. "Now come on, the sooner we get changed, the sooner Hibiki can treat us to dinner."
"EHHH?!" Hibiki gasped. "But I thought..."
"You said it was your treat, Hibiki." Miku said.
Ryuji was confused at first, but he quickly caught on to what Miku was doing. "Yeah, you brought this on yourself." He chuckled, which Miku joined in on.
"...I must be cursed..." Hibiki sighed
11/20/20XX
Investigation Room
Back in the interrogation room, Miku had just finished telling Maria about everything that happened after changing Madarame's heart, but Maria could only look at the Phantom Thief with a mixture of surprise and confusion.
"Let me make sure I have everything right: After taking down Kamoshida for Shiho Suzui and Ann Takamaki, people you barely knew up to that point in time, you went and did it again for someone else, despite the fact that you were sent away twice and almost reported to the police?" She asked, getting a nod from Miku. "And this time, unlike with Kamoshida, you ended up in a Museum instead of a Castle. Honestly, I would like to believe everything you're telling me, but this talk about changing someone's heart by stealing their 'Treasure' as you call it is ridiculous."
"It's the truth." Miku replied. "Whether you believe me or not, I'm telling you exactly what I saw and what I did."
Maria rolled her eyes, still in disbelief of Miku's story, but she decided to let it slide for the short amount of time they had. "Whatever you say. Moving on, tell me about these new members who joined your group." Maria said, getting nothing in response from Miku. "There's no point in being stubborn. It only damages your position. Whether you tell me or not, the identities of Madarame's pupils can be easily discovered with a little investigation."
"Even so, I'm not going to sell out my teammates." Miku replied. "I'm sure they wouldn't either if they were here in my place."
Maria rolled her eyes. "...Fine. Be that way. Let's just move on to your next target." She said as she opened a new page in her binder, where there was a picture of a man with short brown hair and a blue jacket "Junya Kaneshiro. He was completely different from your previous targets. Even the police had been struggling to apprehend him, yet you managed to do it in no time at all. So tell me, how did you manage to take down a well-guarded criminal?"
6/12/20XX
Thursday: After School
Aoyama-Itchome Station
After helping Ryuji save the track team from Yamauchi, Miku, Hibiki, and Ryuji finally took Kirika's advice and laid low, focusing on their studies/school activities and drawing as little attention to themselves as possible. Between this and occasionally training in Mementos with the Thieves, it was rather quiet for the group. Well, that is to say it was quiet.
"So, Miku, you decided on where you wanna go for the school trip?" Hibiki asked.
"Can't say I have yet, Hibiki." Miku answered. "I was honestly going to wait until we met up with the others and ask where they were going. Figured it would be something fun we could all do, you know?"
"I get that. Besides, school trips are only fun if you go with friends." Hibiki agreed.
"Although, if I had to choose, the TV station sounds like it would be fun." Miku said.
"How so?" Hibiki asked.
"I don't know, to be completely honest with you." Miku shrugged. "I guess I've always been curious about what goes on behind the scenes on a set. I imagine that it's a lot more complex than what they say about studio life on television."
"I can barely understand what goes on sometimes in our lives." Hibiki chuckles, before seeing Miku glancing over her shoulder. "Is everything alright, Miku?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah." Miku said. "I just had a strange feeling that someone was following us."
"Now that you mention it, I've had a similar feeling since we left school today, too." Hibiki added. "You don't think someone is spying on us, do you?"
Miku thought for a moment as they got on the train to Shibuya, but then she shrugged. "I don't think so." She answered. "After all, there's a lot of people here in Tokyo, so what we might think of as someone following us could easily just be someone going about their day in the same direction we are."
"Yeah, you're probably right." Hibiki agreed as the train doors closed behind them and took off for Shibuya.
Unbeknownst to them, however, they were being followed. By a certain upperclassman with short-brown hair: Makoto Niijima. "This is foolish... What am I doing?" She thought aloud to herself.
"Makoto! There you are!" Serena shouted, spotting her friend as she rode down the escalator. "I've been trying to get a hold of you since school let out. Where have you... When did you start reading magazines?"
Makoto was confused at first, but then she remembered what she was holding and became flustered. "O-Oh! I just figured that there was something interesting with this issue, so I-"
"You were spying on Kohinata-chan and Tachibana-chan again, weren't you?" Serena asked, interrupting Makoto's attempt at lying, which surprised the Co-President. "Look, I get that Principal Kobayakawa wants us to look into the Phantom Thieves matter among the student body, but spying on the newest transfer student just to try and connect the dots is a little... Overkill."
"I'm sorry, Serena." Makoto apologized. "It's just, out of everyone in the student body, the most bizarre things tend to happen when it involves those two and their friends."
"Are you talking about the thing with Kamoshida from a couple months ago?" Serena asked.
"Not just that, Serena." Makoto said. "Even a couple of weeks ago, while I was walking home for the day-"
"Spying on Kohinata-chan and Tachibana-chan." Serena interjected.
"Besides the point." Makoto retorted. "But either way, I saw them with Sakamoto, talking to the track team about something. And then, the next day, Mr. Yamauchi is suddenly replaced as the advisor of the track team for the former coach."
"Well, in fairness, with Yamauchi's ties to Kamoshida, there was already some concern with him taking over as the track advisor, but I can see your point." Serena said. "Either way, I don't think following students after school hours is a good look on either of us. If we're going to look into them further, it would be best to do it on school grounds."
"'We'?" Makoto asked.
Serena nodded. "I've been trying to brush off the whole Phantom Thieves at Shujin thing Kobayakawa keeps trying to force us to look into, but at this point, it's starting to get on my nerves." She explained. "So, instead of waiting for the day I finally snap and make both of our lives even more miserable, let's see if your hunch is right or not."
Makoto smiled. "Thank you, Serena." She said. "You have no idea how much your help means to me."
"Hey, we've had each other's backs since we were kids. Why would I leave you to face this all by yourself now?" Serena chuckled. "But now that we've settled that, let's go get something to drink. My sister told me about this café over in Yongen-Jaya that Sae-san recommended to her."
"C.A.F.F.E. Café?" Makoto asked, receiving a nod from Serena. "Sis did mention it to me a while back. Let's check it out."
6/13/20XX
Friday: Afternoon
TV Studio
The next day, after meeting with the Phantom Thieves about it, Miku, Hibiki, Ryuji, Kirika, and Shirabe all decided to go on the school trip to the TV studio. For the most part, they were able to learn about what it was like working at the studio, both as an observer and an unwilling assistant, which a certain blonde found himself at the short end of the stick for more than once. But for now, the Thieves were able to reconvene for lunch, where Ryuji was more than happy to sit down and vent his frustrations to Kirika, Hibiki, and Miku.
"Man... I'm exhausted!" Ryuji moaned. "I'm really regretting not choosing the instant ramen factory now..."
"That was an option?!" Hibiki gasped, before blushing profusely when Miku and Kirika gave her disapproving looks.
"Did you not look through the options for the school trips before choosing?" Kirika asked.
"I mean, I looked through to find the TV station, but... I didn't really read the other choices..." Hibiki sighed.
"There you guys are!" Ann said, getting the Thieves' attention as she walked over to the table with Shirabe. "Mind if we join you?"
"Not at all!" Miku replied as she and the thieves made room at the table for Shirabe and Ann.
As the two sat down, Shirabe looked around and noticed something was off. "Wasn't Mishima with you guys earlier?" She asked.
"He was. But I think he went off to explore around the studio before we left to go eat." Miku said. "I'm sure he's fine."
Meanwhile...
"I DIDN'T DO IT!" Mishima shouted as he was approached by a security guard in the backstage of the studio.
"Huh? Didn't do what?" The guard asked, just confused why a student was back near the Talent Green Room in the first place.
Back with the Thieves and Ann, they had just finished their lunches, and Ryuji was taking the opportunity to vent his frustrations once again. "I'm so effin' bored!" He sighed. "Who knew a TV station would be such a let-down..."
"C'mon, Ryuji, now's not the time to flake out dess." Kirika lectured. "Living an unassuming life is vital for a Phantom Thief's job."
Ryuji panicked hearing her say that out loud. "Dude, what are you doing?" He whispered to Kirika. "Ann is right there."
"Didn't we already talk about that?" Miku asked. "Ann-san figured it out around the time you posted the calling cards for Kamoshida. She's promised not to tell anyone, so it's alright to talk about this around her."
"When did this get mentioned?" Ryuji asked.
"Miku told everyone the day after Kamoshida confessed to his crimes. At the hideout." Shirabe answered. "How do you not remember that?"
"Oooh... That's what you guys were talkin' about that day." Ryuji said. "Gonna be honest, I was so happy that we did it that I stayed up super late that night celebrating. I was so out of it during that meeting."
"Why doesn't that surprise me about you, Ryuji..." Ann replied in a deadpan manner.
"Seems like the feeling's mutual about his less-than-subtle lifestyle, something he desperately needs to work on as a Phantom Thief..." Kirika added.
Ryuji rolled his eyes at Kirika's comment. "As if me becoming a good student wouldn't suddenly make me stand out more."
Kirika became irritated. "Your current lifestyle's already enough to make anyone suspect you, so stop quibbling dess!" She shouted.
"If it makes you feel better, Ryuji, all that we have left to do at the studio is the show taping, then we're done." Miku said, trying to change the subject.
"Well, that does help me a little bit." Ryuji replied. "Guess it wouldn't hurt to hold out a bit longer..."
"Oh good, he can do the bare minimum!" Kirika taunted.
"Quiet, you!" Ryuji barked, which only made Kirika giggle.
With their plates properly disposed of, the Thieves and Ann went back inside the studio with the other students and went to be seated at a live taping of a talk show, which they've been told that some special guests were going to appear on.
"Man, I'm so nervous." Ryuji said.
"And why exactly are you nervous?" Ann asked.
But before he could answer, the talk show hosts began to speak. "Let's bring out today's guests." The female host said.
"These talented individuals have captured the nation with their exploits." The male host added. "With countless cases under their belts both together and by themselves: Carol Malus Dienheim and Goro Akechi!"
Upon their introduction, a familiar man with shaggy brown hair wearing a tan peacoat walked onto the stage alongside a woman with long blonde hair in a braid wearing a black peacoat. While the man was smiling, the woman had a more serious expression on her face.
"Woah! Akechi-san AND Carol-san?!" Hibiki gasped. "And here I thought meeting Akechi-san at C.A.F.F.E. Café was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
"You've met Akechi-san before, Hibiki?" Shirabe asked.
"Sure did!" Hibiki answered proudly. "He came by Master's café while Miku and I were there."
While the group talked amongst themselves about Hibiki and Miku's encounter with Akechi, the latter saw Miku in the crowd. At first, he thought he was just seeing things, but when he knew his eyes weren't playing tricks on him, he smirked. "Something wrong, Akechi?" Carol asked.
"It's nothing." Akechi replied. "Just thought I recognized someone in the crowd."
Carol shrugged. "Whatever."
The detective duo proceeded to walk down to their seats on the stage, where they told the talk show hosts about their lives as detectives while also being high school students. "This is just incredible!" The male host said. "Pardon me for saying this, but you two are clearly deserving of your reputations."
"T-That's kind of you to say." Akechi chuckled, bashful from the praise.
"The praise is appreciated, but it's also unnecessary." Carol added. "At the end of the day, Akechi and myself are doing our jobs the same as any other detective. As long as I am able to do my job, that is all the praise I need."
"How modest!" The female host said. "Speaking of, we've been told the two of you are working on a case together. Care to share?"
"Of course. That would be the scandal involving the master artist Madarame." Carol replied.
"That's quite the topic!" The male host said. "Then allow me to get right to the point: What are your thoughts on these 'Phantom Thieves'?"
"If I may?" Akechi asked Carol.
"Be my guest." Carol said. "Our thoughts on them are pretty much the same, so there's no need to say the same thing twice."
"Thank you." Akechi replied. "Well, if they are heroes of justice as they claim to be, I sincerely hope they do exist."
"So neither of you deny the possibility that they are real?" The male host asked.
"I may not look it, but part of me still wishes that Santa Claus was real. Although, if he were, I'd have to arrest him for breaking and entering." Akechi chuckled, which made everyone in the audience laugh, except for the Phantom Thieves and Ann. "Joking aside, if there are truly Phantom Thieves out there who can manipulate other people's minds, I believe they should be tried in the court of law."
Hearing this made the Phantom Thieves nervous. "Tried in court?!" Shirabe whispered.
"Do you believe that they are committing crimes?" The male host asked. "Some believe that the Thieves are actually helping their victims, such as Madarame, to abandon their evil ways."
"What Madarame has done is truly unforgivable, that much is certain." Carol stated. "However, they're taking the law into their own hands by playing judge, jury, and executioner. It doesn't take a scholar to realize how unjust that kind of an action is."
"Is the feeling mutual on that, Akechi-kun?" The male host asked.
"The worst thing someone can do is forcefully change another person's heart." Akechi answered.
"Who do these goody-two shoes think they are?" Ryuji scoffed.
The rest of the Thieves shared Ryuji's annoyance, their actions being branded as criminal acts and they can't even counter without revealing who they are... or so they thought...
"Now then, let's see what our studio audience thinks about these rebellious Phantom Thieves!" The female host said, walking over to the crowd, stopping next to Miku, and leaning over to her. "What are your thoughts on the Phantom Thieves?"
Miku was nervous at first, but she quickly calmed herself and spoke. "I think they're justice itself." She said, which surprised everyone, especially Akechi.
"A bold assertion." Akechi replied. "Then allow me to ask you a question: Say someone close to you experiences a sudden change of heart, would you think this was the work of the Phantom Thieves?"
"Not at all." Miku answered.
"Of course. For if they believe in justice, that would never happen." Akechi stated.
"But there is a more pressing issue at hand." Carol added.
"Hm? What would that be?" The male host asked Carol.
"The matter of how the Phantom Thieves change people's hearts." Carol stated. "If they truly possess that ability, then who's to say it couldn't be used to commit crimes? For example: That incident with the runaway subway train that happened in the spring."
The male host gasped. "Carol-chan, are you suggesting that incident was the work of the Phantom Thieves as well?"
"Rest assured, I'm only saying it as a hypothetical of what these Thieves could do." Carol answered. "But regardless, the threat of their powers is not something worth ignoring. Their existence alone could pose a threat to everyone."
"What a frightening thought." The male host said.
"Indeed." Akechi added. "And I speak for both Carol and myself when I say that we're working alongside the police to help sort out this matter."
"The police?!" Miku said to herself, horrified by the thought of not only her life, but the lives of her friends being threatened by the police.
Shortly after that bombshell said straight in the faces of most of the Phantom Thieves, the students were dismissed for the day and told to head home. The walk out of the studio amongst the Thieves was mostly quiet, until Ryuji broke the silence. "Those detective bastards! Are they tryin' to threaten us with the cops?" He growled.
"Although, when you think about it, they may have a point..." Shirabe said. "Are we really doing the right thing, taking the law into our hands?"
"You're taking their words far too much to heart, Shirabe." Kirika replied, being the only one who was unfazed by the police threat earlier. "However, we should be a bit more cautious as far as the police are concerned. I shouldn't need to point fingers on who I'm talking to the most... Ryuji."
"Don't be an effin' buzzkill, you imp!" Ryuji barked, getting a dirty look from Kirika. "Let's just go somewhere to chill out before headin' home."
"Oh! I know the perfect place!" Hibiki chimed in. "I remember passing by a pancake place on the way here. I was gonna ask Miku if we could stop by it on the way home."
Kirika gasped hearing this. "No way! I wanted to check that place out, too!" She shouted.
"You guys talkin' about Dome Town?" Ryuji asked. "I love that place!"
"Ah! There you are." Akechi said, catching everyone's attention. "I wanted to thank you for your participation earlier. You're Miku Kohinata, right? The girl that was at that café with her friend?"
"Yes, actually." Miku answered. "I'm sure you remember Hibiki, as well?"
"Hi!" Hibiki replied nervously.
"It's good to see you again as well, Hibiki." Akechi said, before looking at the other thieves. "Are these friends of yours?"
"You could say that." Ryuji said in a less-than-polite manner.
"Either way, I'm glad I got to see you again, Miku." Akechi said. "To paraphrase Hegel, advancement cannot occur without both thesis and antithesis."
"Without antithe... hesis... What?" Ryuji asked.
Akechi chuckled. "I didn't mean any offense, I was just saying that it was a very worthwhile discussion." He said. "If it's alright with you, would you continue sharing your thoughts with me?"
"I mean, I don't see why not?" Miku answered.
"Thank you, that's great news!" Akechi said, pulling out his phone. "Care if we exchange contact info?"
"Sure." Miku said, pulling out her phone and getting Akechi's number as he got hers.
"...And, registered." He said.
"I was wondering where you had run off to, Akechi." Carol said, suddenly appearing in the hallway behind the group, much to Ryuji's silent annoyance. "It's unlike you to disappear out of nowhere."
"My apologies, Carol." Akechi said. "I just wanted to thank Miku-chan here for her participation during the show earlier."
"I see." Carol replied. "I must say, it was interesting seeing someone such as yourself have such an opinion about the Phantom Thieves."
"Really?" Miku asked, to which Carol nodded in response.
"To be honest, I would've expected a response like that out of someone such as him and her." Carol stated, pointing towards Ryuji and Kirika.
"Dess?!" Kirika gasped. "I understand why you'd say that about him, but why me?"
Carol looked as if she was going to say something, but she simply shrugged. "Consider it my 'Detective's intuition', if you will." She stated.
"Pretty sure normal people would call that 'stereotyping'..." Ryuji mumbled.
"Speaking of, we should probably get back to work. That is, if my intuition is right and that's why you were looking for me?" Akechi asked.
"Right you are." Carol said. "I'll be waiting out back. I know you're a people person, but I'm sure Maria-san and Sae-san would not want to hear me use that as an excuse as to why we were late to our jobs."
Akechi chuckled at Carol's jab. "I'll be right there." He said, waving to Carol as she left the Thieves' sight. "Well, I should be going as well. Until we meet again."
And with that Akechi left the Thieves' sight as well. "That was... Interesting." Ann said.
"You can say that again." Shirabe agreed. "Why would Carol-san compare Kiri-chan to someone like Ryuji?"
"I could care less about something like that right now..." Ryuji sighed. "Let's just go to Dome Town already before some else decides to show up unannounced."
6/14/20XX
Saturday: After School
Shujin Academy
The rest of that Friday was pretty normal for the Phantom Thieves, but the same could not be said for the Student Council Presidents the next day as they left the Principal's office after once again being called regarding a matter that Kobayakawa considered top priority.
Flashback
"Neither of you have found anything on these Phantom Thieves of Hearts yet?" Kobayakawa asked.
"I apologize, sir." Makoto answered, which made the principal sigh in frustration.
"Pardon me for asking, Principal Kobayakawa, but why are you investigating this?" Serena asked. "For what it's worth, it seems pointless to prove they exist when there's an actual threat to Shujin students out there."
"What are you talking about?" Kobayakawa asked. "There's no way there's something more pressing than the lingering threat of these Phantom Thieves."
"There are rumors of a criminal organization that is actively threatening students." Serena answered, which made the Principal sweat nervously. "Shouldn't we be putting our time and resources into stopping a legitimate threat instead of a hypothetical one?"
"A-As much as I would like to help with that, I'm rather busy at the moment." Kobayakawa said. "If you wish to do something about this issue, you will need to act on your own accords."
"Sir?!" Makoto gasped. "Are you sure about this? We're still investigating your case as well..."
"Then it works out perfectly!" Kobayakawa said. "One of you can focus on this criminal organization targeting our students while the other focuses on finding the Phantom Thieves. Who knows? Perhaps the two are connected and you may be able to find clues about the Phantom Thieves while helping our students!"
"This is absurd!" Serena shouted. "You can't just-"
"Your sisters could easily handle both tasks by themselves if they were in your positions." Kobayakawa interjected, which made Serena close her mouth before she would say or do something she would regret. "My expectations for you two are very high..."
"I hope you don't disappoint."
Those words echoed in Serena's mind as it sent chills down her spine. "Sometimes, I swear that man only thinks about himself." Serena sighed, sitting in the student council room as she looked over the various reports about the criminal organization targeting students under threat of blackmail. "At this point, I'm starting to hope these Phantom Thieves are real..."
As if to answer her plea, Makoto suddenly came running into the student council room. "Serena!"
Serena looked at her friend and co-president in shock. "Is everything alright, Makoto?" She asked. "It's unlike you to-"
"I'm fine." Makoto said as she quickly pulled out her phone. "I have something you need to hear."
"Well, I'm honestly happy to listen to anything that isn't the sound of shuffling papers right about now." Serena replied with a weak chuckle.
"If someone else could help 'em, we wouldn't be doin' stuff as the Phantom Thieves to start with!"
"I still have my doubts about doing this, but as long as you're certain we'll be okay, then you can always count on me!"
"Of course we'll be okay dess! After all, how is anyone going to find out?"
Serena's eyes shot wide open. "No way..."
"I knew I was right to be suspicious of that group." Makoto said. "Should we report them to Principal Kobayakawa?"
"Hold on to that thought, Makoto." Serena answered, her shocked expression changing into an excited smirk. "We might not need to tell Kobayakawa anything."
"What are you implying?" Makoto asked.
"You know how people keep saying that the Phantom Thieves are Justice?" Serena asked, receiving a nod from Makoto. "Well, what if we got proof of their intentions?"
"I still don't..." Makoto cut herself off, realizing what Serena was getting at. "Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"
Serena picked up the reports on the council room's desk to emphasize what she was talking about.
"Let's see for ourselves what their 'Justice' looks like."
A/N: And with that, we end the chapter!
A lot happened this time around, but all in all, we are now onto the Kaneshiro arc!
I don't have much to add notes wise aside from the focus on Makoto and Serena near the end, Carol's proper first appearance in the story (Which totally doesn't have any impact on the later arcs... Totally...), and a few other bits of details here and there. (Yes, I know Yamauchi wasn't incoherently drunk in the original, but I felt like it was better than just saying he was drunk and just leaving it as "Bro, trust me.").
But with that out of the way, thank you all for reading this chapter. I hope you're as excited for the Kaneshiro arc as I am, and I shall see you all in the next one!
Also, Happy New Year! Here's hoping 2023 is a good year for everyone!
