Makoto watched as Kuchiki and Takamaki ran to Kurusu's side, Sakamoto following them after shooting a suspicious glance her way. She squirmed slightly at his glare, but quickly pulled herself together. She'd just saved their lives, after all – as cold as the thought was, they owed her one. As the group fussed over Kurusu – Kuchiki instructing a shaky Takamaki on how to cast some type of healing spell – Makoto hung back. It was a private ritual she had no place in (even if a part of her desperately wondered what it would be like to have friends that cared about her with so much intensity).

The sounds of footsteps splashed across the stone pathway, and Makoto saw it was Kurusu's doppelganger. "W-what on earth happened here?! Is Ann-dono alright?!"

… Ann-dono?

Takamaki gave Makoto the stink eye as the latter wrinkled her nose, but the expression didn't last long – clearly, she'd realised Makoto's bafflement was entirely justified.

Sakamoto, meanwhile, was too busy cringing at the newcomer to pay the girls any attention. "Dude… Akira is literally bleeding out at your feet."

"He's fine." The second Kurusu waved dismissively. "His Reiatsu's getting stronger every second, thanks to Ann-dono's and Kuchiki-san's fine work. Ann-dono, however…" Genuine concern glittered in his eyes.

Takamaki took in a deep breath and forced a shaky grin. "I'm okay, Morgana. The Hollow… it just dredged up some bad memories, that's all." She broke off with a sigh. "I'm really sorry, everyone. I knew it wasn't Shiho, not really, but I froze up anyway…"

The words blurted out of Makoto's mouth before she could stop herself. "You shouldn't be so harsh on yourself."

A series of eyes settled on her – a look of confusion from Morgana, twin glares from the blondes, and an unreadable stare from Kurusu.

After a moment's hesitation, Takamaki snorted. "Easy for you to say. You're not the one who almost got us all killed."

The brunette shuffled awkwardly. "Well, yes, but…"

At the Phantoms' glowers, she cringed. Dammit, Makoto, you're just making this worse! But… no. It's time to stop being a coward, and running away the second things get difficult.

"It wasn't easy attacking Suzui-san's effigy, and I didn't even know her." Makoto straightened her spine. "If it had taken my father's form…" She shuddered. "I would have fallen to pieces."

Takamaki's expression could still only be described as a glare, but it was more guarded than angry. "Really? But you're always so…"

"Stuck up?" Sakamoto ventured.

"Composed." Takamaki sighed. It clearly wasn't meant to be a compliment.

Makoto barely resisted narrowing her eyes. "I might be better than you at controlling my emotions, but that doesn't mean I don't have them. Certain things can make even the strongest person crumble."

"Niijima-san's right." Kuchiki surprisingly came to her defence. "Veteran Shinigami have fallen to Grand Fisher for a reason. Suzui-san's death wasn't even three months ago - it's only natural to be rattled."

Takamaki frowned, looking away, but she didn't object.

Kurusu winced, before pushing himself up to his feet. "Alright, that's enough of that. Playing the blame game isn't going to help anyone."

"Yeah." Sakamoto agreed. "If I hadn't been duped by the lure, Akira wouldn't have gotten hurt. And if Kamoshida hadn't done what he did to Shiho, Grand Fisher wouldn't have been able to use her against you."

Makoto couldn't help but feel a prickle of guilt at the statement, but his words finally seemed to reach Takamaki, and some of the colour started to return to her skin. She gave Sakamoto a nod, smiling tentatively.

"Let's get back to Leblanc." Kurusu stated, wincing as he rubbed his shoulder. "I don't know about you guys, but I don't want to be out in this rain any longer."

"I can call a taxi." Makoto offered, withdrawing her phone and moving away from the group. She doubted any of them felt like dealing with the long walk back to the station. By the time she returned, the driver on their way, the black-kimonoed Kurusu had disappeared.

"Where's Kurusu-san?" She blinked.

"Oh." Morgana adjusted his glasses. "I'm right here."

She furrowed her brows, fundamentally confused. With a sigh, Kurusu withdrew something squirming from his schoolbag. It took her a few seconds to realise it was a bizarre, alien cat thing.

Makoto's eyes widened. "B-Bakeneko?"

"I'm not a bakeneko! I'm Morgana!" The creature squealed.

"Long story short, he takes over my body when I enter my Shinigami form." Kurusu explained, not that Makoto had any idea what on earth he was talking about.

Right. She rubbed her brow. I might as well just go along with it – it's not like I know what on earth the limitations of magic are.

The conversation was cut short as a car horn honked - it seemed their ride was here. The taxi ride was uncomfortable, to say the least. Kurusu and Kuchiki seemed somewhat indifferent to her presence, but Sakamoto and Takamaki were still clearly on edge - the scant conversation that occurred between the teens was tense. Suffice to say, it was a relief when they disembarked onto the Yongen-Jaya backstreets and Makoto could finally breathe in some fresh air. Much to her surprise, the Phantoms guided her to a café. It had a dainty, faux-French exterior, and upon entering, the strong scent of coffee greeted her. The proprietor raised a brow at their appearance, but instead of chasing the gaggle of half-soaked teenagers from his store, he merely pointed towards the stairs.

"Futaba's already waiting for you lot."

"Thanks, Boss." Kurusu's grin was warm. "Coffee on the house?"

The old man just rolled his eyes, and Kurusu scampered away with a snicker.

A wave of curiosity ran over Makoto as they went up the stairs. Upon entering the attic, she saw it was a residential area – a sofa and old TV took up one side of the room, and there was a poorly made bed in the corner. A switch clicked in her head, as she realised this must be Kurusu's home.

"Was that your father?" She asked, hoping to break the ice.

A truly peculiar expression crossed Kurusu's face, and an unfamiliar voice scoffed. "Pshaw! In Sojiro's dreams!"

Makoto hadn't initially noticed the girl – she was crouching down on the floor with a laptop, half hidden from view. When she noticed Makoto staring, she froze and scuttled backwards slightly, ducking behind a chair. Worry pooled up in her stomach – had she done something wrong? None of the Phantoms seemed bothered, however - at least, not any more bothered than they already were. Sakamoto dragged out a table and Takamaki fetched some chairs, while Kurusu turned to face her.

"That's Sakura Futaba, our tech department slash mission control. Don't mind her – she's not too good with strangers. Futaba, this is Niijima Makoto. She… sort of bailed us out, I guess?"

Sakura stood up, expression unreadable, before suddenly racing at Makoto and embracing her in a hug. The student council president wheezed, completely caught off guard, and her heart skipped a beat as Sakura began to sob into her chest. "T-t-t-thank you! I-I was so scared when I h-h-heard what was going on. I…" Sakura sniffed, rubbing her eyes. "I-I don't know what I would have done if I lost everyone so soon after…"

Sakura's voice trailed off, and Makoto cautiously returned the hug. "… Don't worry about it. I was just doing what anyone would have done."

Oddly enough, Sakura scoffed. "Oh, please – do you honestly think most people would risk their lives fighting a giant evil monster to save a bunch of strangers?"

Makoto had no response. She… hadn't really thought about it like that. Still, she couldn't stand to be treated as some sort of hero, especially when she wasn't. "Truthfully, I could have intervened earlier. I should have – I followed you when you all left school this afternoon."

A series of shocked expressions crossed the Phantoms' faces.

"B-but how!?" Sakamoto gawped. "We were careful and everythin'!"

Kuchiki meanwhile rubbed her chin. "I assume you used those powers of yours?"

Makoto confirmed it with a nod. "I know a concealment spell. It's… pretty effective."

She'd… save the whole I-tried-to-use-it-to-infiltrate-the-mafia thing for later.

"I suppose we should probably cut to the point." Kurusu suggested, taking a seat. Sakura peeled off Makoto, and quickly joined his side. "You have powers. You've been following us. Why?"

Well, she supposed she might as well rip the bandage off. "I know you're the Phantoms."

Takamaki and Sakamoto both recoiled in shock, but the others seemed unphased - it was clear they'd already figured that out.

A glower crossed the delinquent boy's face. "Oh yeah? Prove it!"

"Ryuji." Kurusu sighed. "If she's been following us since we left school, she knows by now. There's no point hiding it."

"I've known for a while, truthfully, and before you dismiss me, I have hard evidence." Makoto confessed.

Takamaki narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, right. If you had any actual proof, you'd have already handed us over to the principal on a silver platter. You've been sticking your nose into our business since Kamoshida – we all know you're his attack dog."

"It's not like I want to do everything he asks of me, okay?!" Makoto snapped, clenching her fists. "I don't have any choice! He said if I didn't find the Phantoms-" She cut herself off, anger and frustration bubbling in her chest.

Kurusu leant forward, and there was no judgement in his eyes. "What did he say?"

"He offered her a letter of recommendation, no doubt." Takamaki scoffed, drumming her nails on the table.

"That's… true, but…" Makoto gripped her arm, unable to meet his eyes. "He implied if I didn't find you, it'd reflect poorly on my sister. Her job is everything to her. I can't put her career at risk – I just can't."

"Wait, he's threatening you?!" Takamaki squawked, all her anger towards Makoto seemingly evaporating in an instant.

"Um, well, that's a bit strong of a word…" The student council president winced, voice trailing off.

"Uh, no, I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, but that sounds like a threat to me." Sakamoto squinted.

Makoto sighed, cheeks flushing. "Truthfully, what Kobayakawa wants of me isn't important. Honestly, he's probably just making things up to get into my head…"

After all, what on earth could a high school principal do to discredit an SIU prosecutor? Still, while they were on the topic of Shujin…

She rose to her feet, praying the Phantoms could see the sincerity in her eyes. "I owe you all an apology. Kamoshida… I was so certain he had to be innocent, at first. After all, wouldn't someone have noticed it if he was doing that to his students? But no – Kobayakawa knew all along. He just didn't care." The bitterness in her voice was palpable as fury simmered in her stomach.

A contemplative silence settled over the Phantoms, before Takamaki sighed. "I'm sorry, too."

"Huh?" Makoto blinked, stunned.

The blonde fidgeted nervously. "The fact that you blindly supported the teachers after what happened to Shiho… it stung. I thought you didn't care what happened to the students and just did what you were told. I didn't even consider the fact that they could be hurting you too."

… Oh. Tentatively, Makoto offered Takamaki her hand. "Truce?"

The blonde smiled, blue eyes shining warmly. "Truce."

As the girls sat back down, Kurusu went straight back to business. "So, you're not planning on turning us in, but you were following us for a reason. Not to mention, there are your powers."

"Right. Yes." Makoto mulled things over. "Truthfully, that's a recent development. I suppose I've technically always had them, even if I didn't know what they were. For example, I noticed your auras the second I met you." She gestured towards Kurusu, Takamaki, and Kuchiki. "I always thought I was just being overimaginative, until I found these – please be careful, they're precious."

Reaching into her bag, she withdrew her notes before passing them around the group. As the Phantoms skimmed through the page, their brows furrowed.

"They were hidden in a secret compartment in my house." Makoto explained. "I think they were my father's."

Takamaki's frown deepened. "… He passed away, didn't he? You mentioned him when we were talking about Shiho."

A familiar flicker of grief sparked in Makoto's chest. "Yes – he died in a car accident several years ago. He was a police officer who dedicated his life to the pursuit of justice, and I always wanted to follow in his footsteps. It looks like that's turning out to mean something different than I thought it would, however. These papers are one of the reasons I wanted to talk to you - you're the only people I know who could help me make sense of them."

She'd tried broaching the subject with Sae, to no success. Makoto had attempted to ease her into the topic by bringing up her father and the Phantoms, but she hadn't even had the chance to get to the root of her questions before Sae exploded at her. Her sister had studiously avoided spending any substantial amount of time with her ever since – Makoto had no idea whether she was still angry, or if it was just guilt. She had a hunch it wasn't purely because of her work.

Either way, it didn't exactly leave Makoto inclined to try again.

"Well, those are definitely Hollows." Kurusu nodded, tapping a page.

"Huh." Sakura blinked, pouring over a picture of a masked creature. "So that's what they look like in the flesh."

"You can't see them?" Makoto asked. Now that Sakura brought it up, she couldn't sense any aura from the girl whatsoever.

"Nope." Sakura shrugged. "Ryuji and I are the resident team normies. We've got no fancy superpowers – just good old-fashioned technology!"

That would explain the silly googles Sakamoto had been wearing, Makoto supposed.

"Hmm… this Gintō stuff kind of looks like Kidō, doesn't it?" Takamaki ventured, glancing at Kuchiki. "I mean, it's got stances and incantations, right?"

"I wish Kidō was this simple." Kurusu interjected good-naturedly. "I'd probably actually be able to memorise this."

The other transfer student hummed, tapping the table. "… I can see the similarities, but the principles are entirely different. I've never heard of the concept of storing Reiryoku and then triggering it later."

Makoto couldn't help but feel a sting of disappointment. She'd thought she'd at least get some answers from the Phantoms, but it seemed they were in the dark as much as she was.

"Still, this does explain something." Kuchiki stated. "Considering you managed to physically harm a Hollow, you have to have a lot more Reiatsu than what you seem to be emitting. Now that you've had contact with one, it's likely only a matter of time until you'll be able to see them in full."

"I was wondering about that." Kurusu mused. "After the Akechi incident I've been trying to keep an eye on everyone, but I never noticed anything odd about Niijima-san."

Makoto blinked - what did Sae's co-worker have to do with anything?

"There's no foolproof way to obscure Reiatsu with Kidō, and certainly no way of changing its characteristics." Kuchiki explained. "This Gintō, however… it's clear whoever wrote these notes was an advanced practitioner. If they did belong to Niijima-san's father, it's possible he could have used them to mask Niijima-san's Reiatsu until she developed powers of her own. While spiritual abilities are often hereditary, it's not guaranteed."

"That… makes a lot of sense, actually." Makoto tipped her head, not entirely sure how Kuchiki's theory made her feel. "I have an older sister, and I've never been able to sense her aura – uh, Reiatsu, to be more accurate. Sae's never given any indication she knows about this stuff either."

On the one hand, she supposed the idea of her father protecting her was a pleasant one. On the other, Makoto couldn't help but feel somewhat excluded – he'd hidden a whole part of his life from her because she failed to meet some arbitrary conditions she didn't even know about.

"So, how did you discover your powers, anyway?" The student council president asked. "It's clear there's an awful lot more to magic than what's contained in these notes."

Kurusu, Sakamoto, and Kuchiki all exchanged a glance. Shrugging, Kurusu took over the explanation. "Well, I guess everything started when Ryuji and I got attacked by an evil ghost."

A tingle of fear ran up Makoto's spine. "A g-g-ghost?" Nope, nope, nope! She crossed her arms, desperately hoping she was hiding her rapidly beating heart. "Y-you're joking, right? There's no way ghosts are real!"

Sakamoto gave her an odd look. "Mate, what do you think Hollows are?"

The – the Hollows are ghosts?

"T-that can't be right…" Makoto wheezed. "They can't be ghosts."

Sakura raised a brow sceptically. "Uh, giant monsters, creepy powers, invisible to most people? They're blatantly ghosts."

"Oh." Makoto began to feel light-headed as the world spun around her. "I… excuse me. I think I need to…"

Everything went dark as Makoto promptly fainted.

…..

"Man, just wait until she hears what Rukia is!" Futaba marvelled, as Ann and Akira desperately tried to calm Niijima down enough for her to remember she needed to do something that wasn't whimpering her sister's name. Namely, breathing.

"W-w-what do you mean by that?" The student council president's voice rose an octave, her hyperventilation returning full force.

Akira gripped his aching head. "Thanks, Futaba. Really, thanks."

"Eh, no problem!"

…..

If anyone had told Akira he'd spend his afternoon almost getting murdered, followed by consoling a panicked Niijima, he would have thought they were joking. The older girl still had a mildly green tinge to her cheeks, but thankfully, Rukia had managed to calm her down by explaining most ghosts were just normal people and Hollows were a scant minority.

"Dude, she literally suplexed a Hollow – why the hell is she only freakin' out now?" Ryuji muttered quietly.

"Technically, it was more of a flip." Ann corrected, not that Akira thought the distinction mattered that much.

He couldn't do much else but shrug. God knows why Hollows being ghosts suddenly made them scary - it really wasn't as if Niijima had been bothered by them at all before. Thankfully, she absorbed the rest of the Phantoms' tale without complaint. The student council president did shoot a few dubious looks Ryuji's way when she heard about the whole Alibaba fiasco, but otherwise seemed more contemplative than anything.

"Well, you're somehow both more and less competent than I thought." Niijima mused, and Akira wasn't quite sure whether to feel insulted or not. Ryuji clearly leant more towards the insulted side, while the girls seemed to lean more towards the not.

"So… what now?" Ann asked. "You've told us your story, and we've told you ours. Is there anything else you want from us?"

Makoto glanced at the windows. "Perhaps we should leave things here for today. It's getting late, and we've all got a lot to process. We could meet again on Monday, perhaps?"

Akira nodded. His shoulder still ached and his brain was fried – he just wanted to eat some food and go to bed. "Sounds good. You know where we meet – see you there after school? Assuming a Hollow doesn't attack, of course."

Niijima looked a bit queasy at that, but swallowed and gave him a nod. "Alright, but I might be a little bit late – I have a student council meeting that afternoon."

The student council president rose to her feet, before hesitating for a second, clearly not knowing how to say goodbye. While they weren't currently enemies, the truce between them was fragile at best. In the end, Niijima simply gave them all a polite nod and left.

"Well, see you guys later, I guess." Ryuji yawned, stretching. "I'm pooped."

"You fool." Rukia pinched the bridge of her nose and pulled him back down. "We obviously need to discuss these latest developments without Niijima-san's presence."

"Yeah – don't get me wrong, I was being pretty serious when I thanked her for bailing you lot out, but you can't say this isn't at all suss." Futaba curled up on her chair. "Remember that old saying about how things that are too good to be true probably are?"

Akira nodded. He'd come to much the same conclusion – Niijima having spiritual powers, saving their assess, and then being willing to hide the fact that they were the Phantoms? It was just… weird, honestly.

Ann folded her arms. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but she seemed pretty genuine to me. I mean, all that stuff about her father and apologising about Kamoshida… it felt like it came from the heart, you know?"

"She could be playin' a long con" Ryuji slung his feet up onto the table. "Maybe she doesn't actually have any evidence and just wants to catch us in the act. She said her dad was a cop, and her sister is a prosecutor, right? What if she's just trying to fob us off to the police?"

"There's also the matter of her Reiatsu." Rukia's expression turned troubled. "Isn't it a bit odd that someone possessing unusual spiritual powers and nigh untraceable Reiatsu appeared not even a week after that mysterious Hollow attack?"

Ryuji's eyes widened, and Akira jolted upright. "Wait – you think she might be involved in that?!"

Rukia's frown deepened. "… Probably not. It's hard to fathom that a child could be behind such a thing. Not to mention, Hollows' powers are biological, not technological. I can't see them developing a thing like Gintō."

"She's older than all of us except for you, grandma." Ryuji groused, earning himself a light whack on the arm.

"What if the Hollow had back-up though?" Futaba pondered. "Like, a human brain behind its brawn. Or Shinigami brain, more likely."

Rukia blanched, stuttering. "I-I really don't think any Shinigami would ever willingly work with a Hollow."

Something tickled at the back of Akira's mind. "No… a long-dead ghost wouldn't have any reason to assassinate people in our world. If it's working for anyone, they're living, or are still involved in human society to a degree." A quiet silence filled the attic at his statement. Akira cleared his throat, before continuing. "Still… I really can't see Niijima being that person. I mean… she fainted when she heard Hollows were ghosts, even though she absolutely steamrolled Grand Fisher for crying out loud. That seems too silly to be a ruse."

"Yeeeeeah." Ann frowned, twirling her hair. "I do not think she's that good of an actor. Remember when she confronted us on the roof? Her smarm levels were off the charts - if she could hide something like that, she would have. It's obvious no one would react kindly to a demeanour like that."

Futaba swung her legs. "Hmmm. So she's not super suss, but is above average-level suss. Might as well just see what she wants – if she tries pulling anything funny, gimme her phone and I can wipe it clean."

Akira nodded. "I think that's all we can do for now. Let's shelve this until Monday. I don't know about you lot, but I need some dinner."

…..

Akira loitered by the vending machine, slurping on his soda. It was yet another beautiful day – as July neared, spring was well and truly fading into summer. Classes had just ended, but Niijima was still at her student council meeting, and Ryuji had been held back since he'd flunked his maths homework. The girls had been talking about cute dresses while they waited for the others, which was fine, but also a topic that held zero interest to Akira. Instead, he decided he might as well indulge a little before they had what could be a tense conversation. As he slowly sauntered back to the meeting spot, however, a dark-haired figure almost ran straight into him – Akira dodged him mainly on instinct.

Well, I suppose that's one real-world thing Shinigami training has been good for. He had no desire to get covered in sticky soda.

"Oh, Kurusu! Sorry." It turned out Mishima was the one who almost body-checked him. His classmate winced, rubbing the back of his head. "Didn't notice you – my bad."

"No harm, no foul." Akira gave him a polite nod. He wasn't close to the boy, but Mishima was one of the few students outside of Akira's immediate circle who treated him like a normal human being instead of a rabid dog.

Now that Akira got a good look at the other boy, he realised something seemed a bit off. There were dark rings under Mishima's eyes, and his skin was wan. Something twinged in his stomach as Akira's brow creased. He hadn't seen him look this off-colour since Kamoshida had been arrested.

"Is something wrong?" Akira asked.

A flush crossed over Mishima's cheeks. "Oh! Uh, it's nothing much. Actually, while we're both here, can I ask you something?"

He shrugged. "Sure."

Mishima fiddled with his bag's shoulder strap, not quite meeting Akira's eyes. "Y-you have a part-time job, right?"

Akira winced. That was the excuse he'd come up with to cover for his Shinigami duties. He supposed it wasn't technically a lie – he did occasionally help out at Leblanc, which sort of counted as a job, right? "Uh… yeah?"

"Um… well, I was just wondering if you could put in a good word for me to your boss? It's just, I've been a bit short on cash lately, and, well…" Mishima's voice trailed off nervously.

Akira felt a pang of guilt. "I'd… love to, honestly, but my job… it requires a very specialised skill set. One that takes years of training." Now that was a blatant lie, but it wasn't like Mishima would be able to become a Shinigami anyway.

The boy's shoulders sagged, but there was no malice in his voice as he sighed. "Oh, well, it was worth a shot. Thanks anyway."

"No worries." Akira nodded, as Mishima walked off.

Odd. What was that all about?

He was out of his thoughts by the sound of heels clicking behind him, and Akira turned around. Huh – speak of the devil. It was Niijima.

She didn't seem too surprised to see him, and fell into step beside him. "I'm not too late, am I?"

Akira shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Ryuji managed to get in trouble with Usami-sensei - he'll probably be another ten minutes."

A brief flash of displeasure crossed her face – more likely due to Ryuji's academic failings as opposed to the delay, Akira suspected. Still, she schooled her expression into something more neutral quickly enough, and thankfully kept any snide opinions to herself.

"That was... Mishima-san, correct? I didn't realise you were close." She mused as they walked towards the hideout. "Then again, I suppose it's a bit silly of me to assume all your friends are involved in that business."

He just shrugged. "Friends is a bit of an overstatement. We're civil, but that's about it. He wanted to ask about my 'part-time job'." Akira explained with a grimace. "Money troubles, apparently. He probably blew his savings on video games."

Niijima suddenly froze, inhaling sharply. Worry prickled down Akira's spine as her skin grew pale and her eyes widened. Just what on earth had caused her to freak out so much? At his questioning gaze, however, she shook her head.

"Later." Her eyes narrowed. "Everyone should hear about this."

Concern lingered in Akira's stomach as they marched over to the hideout. Ann and Rukia looked up as the duo arrived, a welcoming smile on the former's face, but it quickly faded when she saw Niijima's troubled countenance.

"Is something wrong?" She whispered as Akira took a seat.

"I think so. I had a conversation with Mishima that spooked her. No idea why."

Upon hearing it had nothing to do with the Phantoms, Ann returned to idly flipping through her magazine, as Rukia and Niijima made polite if stilted small talk. Luckily, it didn't take too long for Ryuji to appear – he rushed into the clearing, chest heaving.

"Sorry I'm late – totally forgot we had that worksheet."

Niijima and Ann just sighed, before shooting each other an odd glance at their identical reactions.

The student council president turned back to the rest of the group. "Can we get Sakura-chan on the line? She might as well hear what I have to say."

Akira nodded, dialling the girl before putting her on speaker.

"Right." Niijima cleared her throat, not quite managing to meet anyone's eyes. "I'd planned on easing into the topic, but I suppose after that encounter with Mishima-san, there's something I need to explain…"

Ah. So, she was cutting the chase and skipping straight to the catch. Akira felt no trepidation, however, merely a burning sense of curiosity. While he was perfectly capable of circling around her like two sharks eying the same prey, he'd rather skip the pussyfooting around and get it over and done with.

"Truthfully, I approached you for two main reasons. Firstly, I wanted help with my powers. Secondly…" The brunette squirmed, clearly uncomfortable. "There's someone I need the Phantoms to target - I'll help you, of course."

Akira's eyes widened, as a stunned silence fell over the clearing. Niijima wanted their help with what? A part of him had been convinced she was going to ask them to stop their Phantom activities – at least the vigilante ones. He never considered that she wanted to join in.

Ann was the first to recover – to some degree, anyway. She still sounded mildly dazed as she replied. "Uh… you mean the principal, right?"

A brief flicker of surprise crossed the older girl's face – clearly, that hadn't even occurred to her. "No - he might not be a good man, but he's more of an enabler than someone who would go out of his way to actively harm others."

"Still sounds like a villain to me…" Ryuji muttered, but didn't voice any further objections.

Niijima shuffled nervously as she continued. "While looking into the Phantoms, I stumbled across something else. There's a crime ring operating in Shibuya that has been scamming people lately, teenagers in particular. Numerous Shujin students have fallen prey to their practices, and the situation is escalating…"

Ryuji furrowed his brow, while Ann and Rukia simply looked shocked. Akira's instinctual reaction was similar – why on earth a crime ring would target high schoolers, he had no idea. It was then though that something in his brain clicked.

He couldn't help but shudder as a wave of apprehension ran through him. "You think Mishima might be getting blackmailed?!"

As Ann and Ryuji gasped, Niijima nodded slowly. "… Yes. The con's simple – they pay a student to deliver a package to a random location, but unbeknownst to the student, said package contains contraband substances. The scammer films the incident, and then coerces their victim to pay unless they want the photos released to the police."

The atmosphere grew grimmer and grimmer as Niijima continued her story. Little wonder she thought Kobayakawa wasn't a big deal – by contraband substances, Akira was pretty sure she meant drugs. The principal was small fry compared the something like that. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled – this was a hell of a lot more serious than he thought it would be.

"I managed to track down the base of the scamming ring – I'm pretty sure it's being run by a man called Kaneshiro. I was going to go in and try to find the evidence myself, but then I saw the bouncer had a gun, and-"

Oh god, what?

"I'm sorry." Ann blinked, rubbing her eyes. "Are you saying you tried to single-handedly take on a yakuza hideout?!"

"Uh, aren't you meant to be smart?" Ryuji deadpanned.

A record scratched in Akira's mind, as he promptly realised he had Niijima all wrong. She wasn't some cold, calculating chess master. She was honestly just... kind of an idiot. Oh, she had the academic brains, alright, but she'd somehow managed to completely fail to learn anything even vaguely resembling street smarts. Oddly enough, if anything, it actually improved Akira's opinion of her - he finally felt as if he was beginning to see who she genuinely was under that robotic exterior of hers. Niijima almost-picked-a-fight-with-yakuza Makoto was far more relatable than Niijima uptight-student-council-president Makoto.

Makoto blushed. "I-I figured out it was a bad idea, okay?! Even if I did get into the club, where would I even start?" Taking in a deep breath, she straightened her shoulders. "So, yes. That was the other reason I approached you. I'm tired of being powerless and letting those around me suffer. I want to be able to stop evil men like Kaneshiro, even if I have to bend the rules to do so."

As her request sank in, tension prickled in the air. Warring emotions clashed in Akira like a battlefield. On the one hand, he admired her principles – they'd formed the Phantoms to get justice for those who couldn't seek it themselves, something she seemed to understand. At the same time, Makoto wasn't talking about a gym teacher or elderly man here, but an entire yakuza family. This was something far bigger than lashing back at any old shitty adult.

Across the line, Futaba whistled. "Phew, you certainly don't do things by half, Niijima."

"I dunno…" Ryuji scratched the back of his head. "This is a yakuza patriarch you're talking about, after all. Kamoshida ain't anything compared to that."

"Yeah…" Ann ran her fingers through her hair, expression conflicted. "I have no idea if Kidō is capable of deflecting bullets, and I don't particularly want to find out."

Rukia rubbed her chin, mulling things over. "… It would probably work. Still, that doesn't mean I condone this idea – you might have slightly more durability than your average humans, but not to that degree. Any serious wounds and your Chain of Fates will sever."

Akira could almost taste the grim tension that had settled over the alcove.

Makoto's shoulders drooped, and the student council president bit her lip. "… I understand. I suppose I am asking for a lot."

At her forlorn expression, Akira straightened his spine and took a deep breath in. "I think we should do it."

Makoto's red eyes flew wide open, and the rest of the Phantoms present gazed at him in shock.

"Look, we put our lives at risk whenever we fight a Hollow – how is this any different?" Akira gestured, spreading out his arms. Makoto still looked stunned that he was even considering her plea, but Ann's expression had turned contemplative, and Ryuji watched him in slack-jawed shock. He wasn't finished, however. "Plus… this is relevant at a personal level too." Akira felt himself frown. "I know enough about the dark side of the criminal justice system, and it's ugly. This Kaneshiro guy will leech Mishima dry then toss him out to hang. Sure, he's not my best friend or anything, but he deserves a hell of a lot more than that."

"An inspired speech." Makoto nodded, and for the first time, Akira could see genuine respect in her expression. "It's a pity about your circumstances - I might have suggested you try student council otherwise. You have a knack for rallying people around you." The warmth in her eyes then faded. "Still, this isn't going to be a walk in the park. We can't just beat up everyone in there – we need to get rid of the blackmail material."

"Mweheheheh! Leave that to me!" Futaba crackled from over the phone. "If I can infiltrate their network, I could probably brick everything connected to it. Ez dubs."

"R-really?" Makoto's brows rose. "You could do that?"

"Oh yeah." Ryuji puffed out his chest. "Futaba's crazy good with all that computer stuff!"

"Cybercrime has always been a hobby of mine." Futaba explained.

The student council president clearly had some thoughts about that, but just shook her head instead. "I-I'm not sure… we can't get rid of everything, otherwise the police won't have any evidence to show in court. Plus, what about the yakuza who aren't in the hideout? They'll still have access to the contraband photos."

"I'm no crime expert, but if we hit the leader, won't the small fry go underground?" Ann ventured. "If the police are on their tails I think they'd be more concerned with saving their skins than anything else."

"While it'll take longer, it wouldn't be too hard to just target the explicit blackmail material." Futaba pondered. "Gimme several days, and I should be able to whip something up."

Makoto blinked, jaw hanging open. "Several days?"

"Yep! And THAT'S when the fun can begin."

…..

Twilight bathed the city as the gaggle of teenagers arrived one by one at the abandoned parking lot. The ruckus of the downtown Shibuya nightlife was slowly beginning to join the usual city din, but nestled in the backstreets, even that was muffled. Makoto shivered as an unseasonably cold wind ruffled her hair, and glass crunched under her feet as she approached the lot.

Akira had selected it as their temporary hideout yesterday, as it was close enough to Kaneshiro's nightclub to be practical, and yet also out of the public's eye. Makoto had to agree with that last statement. The parking lot would have fit four cars at most if it was in operation. Instead, a heavy mesh fence slathered with anti-trespassing signs enclosed it, topped with a row of jagged barb-wire. Behind the fence was the gutted carcass of an old car, which was accompanied by numerous bits of trash, debris, and tufts of dead grass.

Examining the perimeter, Makoto spotted a slight distortion by a patch near the gate, and walking straight into it, she shuddered as she felt the veil of Takamaki's Kidō fall over her skin. Suffice to say, when she stepped into the lot itself, it looked very different than it did from the outside. Akira had already left his body and was practising some light katas with his Zanpakutō. Beads of sweat glistened on his forehead, and Makoto suspected that they weren't purely from exertion. Morgana, meanwhile, leant against the rusty husk of the old car, and flicked through a magazine while Sakura crouched at his feet, tongue poking out from between her lips as she furiously typed something into her laptop.

"Oh, Niijima, there you are!" Takamaki's bright voice echoed across the clearing, and Makoto did a double take as she saw the girl's outfit.

"What are you wearing?" She gawped.

"Oh, this?" Takamaki did a twirl, showing off her attire. "Futaba's pretty sure she can nix the CCTV, but I thought we should put on some disguises just in case!"

Makoto sincerely doubted Takamaki's bright red leather jumpsuit would do much to obscure her identity given she was still wearing her iconic blonde twin tails, but she doubted the girl would take kindly to her pointing that out. At least the mask is a sensible idea, I suppose?

"Come on!" The other girl beamed and started to drag Makoto away. "I've got an outfit for you all lined up – Rukia should be finished with the change room by now!"

The blonde's words had initially filled her with an overwhelming feeling of dread, but when Takamaki passed Makoto some garments and shoved her behind a shower screen she'd set up in the corner of the lot, Makoto was relieved to see there was no red latex included whatsoever - that was not a look Makoto could pull off. Instead, Takamaki had given her a slim-fitting navy tracksuit, some practical boots, a long black scarf, and a leather jacket with prominent spikes on the shoulder. The ensemble was topped off with a plain grey mask. Makoto had no idea what Takamaki thought her fashion sense was exactly, but as she slipped into the outfit, she'd be lying if she didn't admit that some childish part of her was undeniably excited. Running around in ridiculous costumes, slinging around spells and fighting evil… it was like a superhero fantasy come true.

As she exited the makeshift changing room, however, and saw the Phantoms huddled around Sakura, expressions equally grim, the reality of the situation hit her like a knife. Makoto shuddered, as her stomach flipped and bile rose up the back of her throat. This is real. Tonight, they were going to take down a yakuza family, and potentially die trying. The student council president swallowed, desperately trying to still her shaking hands as she joined the others. Not trusting herself to speak, she gave Sakamoto and Kuchiki a nod, which they returned.

Sakamoto's outfit suited him to a tee – he was wearing a leather jacket with a red ascot, along with thick metal elbow and knee pads. His mask was shaped like the upper half of a skull – definitely a deliberate choice on Takamaki's behalf. Kuchiki's outfit couldn't be more different aside from the use of black. She'd put on a dark samue with white gloves and sandals nigh identical to the ones Akira wore. She'd also draped an elegant cloak with a subtle snowflake pattern over her shoulders - its hood half-obscured her face, while a white mask with rounded, bear-like ears covered the rest of it.

"Good. We're all here." Akira's grey eyes were abnormally serious. "If anyone wants to back out, now's your last chance."

Makoto cleared her throat, and carefully excised the worry from her voice. "It won't be held against you – I know this is a step out of everyone's comfort zones."

Takamaki's eyes burned. "I'm in. Justice for those who can't seek it themselves, right?"

Sakamoto and Kuchiki nodded, while Sakura just shrugged.

"It's not like I'm going to be in the line of fire, anyway." The hacker confessed.

Akira moved on. "First things first. Ma- uh, Niijima. You said you've thought of a codename?"

She nodded, hoping her idea wasn't too silly. The Phantoms' leader had explained the other day that while on the job, they all used codenames to hide their identities – an idea of Sakura's that had caught on. "Queen. I wanted something powerful."

I refuse to be a pawn again.

"Woah, that's badass!" Sakamoto whistled, shooting her a thumbs up.

She wasn't entirely sure how she felt about his approval – he was a bit of a delinquent, after all – but then Makoto decided to hell with it, and gave him a smile in return. Sure, Sae and her father probably wouldn't have thought much of him, but he'd stood up to Kamoshida when everyone else was still sticking their heads in the sand, herself included. He'd shown more moral fibre this year than all the faculty combined.

"Queen it is then." Akira tipped his head, before glancing around. "Does everyone remember the plan?"

Sakura chortled. "He means you, Skull."

"Hey! 'Course I do!" The teenager stomped. "Snow and I are gonna raid the place and get all the-"

"Peace, Skull." Akira calmed him down. "If you say you remember your part, I believe you."

Sakamoto crossed his arms, preening.

Kuchiki shrugged "Even if he does forget, I'll be at his side."

The blond scowled at that, but while Akira's poker face was pretty good, Makoto swore his Reiatsu started burning a slight bit less intensely. "So, how much longer, Alibaba?"

Sakura clucked. "Good to go when you are, Joker! Give me a yell when you're about to strike – I'll launch my attack then!"

"Morgana, you're all set with your role?"

The artificial soul sighed, forlorn. "Emergency evacuation isn't much of a role. But yeah – if any of you guys need a hand getting out, give me a yell, and if worst comes to worst, I'll get Alibaba out of here. I promise you that."

"Good." Akira stood up. "Queen, you're up."

Nervously, Makoto withdrew several canisters from her bag. "Huddle up. I want to save as much of my Gintō as possible."

The team squished together, and Makoto tossed a vial into the air before chanting. "Mantel!"

Azure droplets scattered over the Phantoms, and much to Makoto's relief, everyone grew slightly transparant, and Akira and Takamaki's Reiatsu dulled until they were nothing but mere flickers.

The dark-haired boy's lips curled up into a smirk. "Let's get this show on the road."