Chapter 38: Revelation

Ω • Ω • Ω

•Akira•

The last level of Aiyatsbus was waiting below them, and apparently, a new path, presumably because they had taken down Madarame. After they had entered Mementos his phone's Metaverse Navigator had rung quietly with the words "A new area has been confirmed in the depths. Updating guidance information." Following that, the map of Mementos they had was expanded to show the new space they could explore. After a romp through the areas they'd already explored, they had finally drawn near to the bottom.

"There are the escalators!" Mona purred in glee. He parked the bus next to the platform and everyone got out as Mona transformed into his Metaverse form.

"And our next target is down there?" He asked.

"Yep. I can sense them, right on the platform we got stopped on last time!"

"Is it Shimizu-san's shadow?" Fox asked.

"It should be."

"Then let's teach this girl she shouldn't be bullying anyone, anymore!" Panther spoke with a snap of her whip.

After descending one final escalator they found the girl's Shadow standing in the middle of the platform, wearing a white school uniform and black skirt, the trains that rushed by the platform kicking up an intense wind that caused her hair to flutter around her piercing golden eyes. Mona narrowed his eyes and nodded. "There. That's the Shadow of that girl named Shimizu."

"She certainly has the look of a sadist," he muttered, her gaze even managing to unnerve him slightly. Of course, a grin soon spread across his face at the sign of what would probably be a good fight.

As they walked up, Mona looked towards him with a question. "She's calling someone her slave and ordering him around, right?"

"In a way, she's denying his existence," Fox morosely spoke. "I certainly wouldn't want to be a victim of that."

"Let's go talk to her first and see if we can do this without a fight," Panther suggested. They walked closer and Shadow Shimizu's eyes snapped to their faces.

"And who the hell are you clowns?"

"Clowns?" Fox asked with a frown.

"Actually we're the Phantom Therapists, here for couple's counseling!" He grinned and gave a short bow. "So, you bully the boy known as 'M'. Can we surmise this is because you wish for a relationship with the boy but are simply too afraid to ask him out as the average person would?"

"Tch!" She glared at him and stomped forward a step. "So you're the pigs who wrote that calling card online? I don't deserve to have my heart stolen!"

"If you're bullying a boy and making him your slave of course we should steal your desires," Panther stepped forward. "Doing something like that is just wrong!"

"It's what he wants! He worships me more than any god, you know."

Panther paused and scrunched her face up. "Uh… I don't know where to begin or to explain how you're wrong…"

"I beat him and I hurt him, and he sees it as a sign of our love and friendship! He's so happy!"

Fox scoffed. "You are so delusional."

"He isn't in love with you, he's afraid of you!" Mona snapped.

"How dare you! I'm pretty, and my grades are good! It's my right to order people around!"

"Well, I'm handsome and certain that my grades are higher than yours. I suppose that means I can order you to stop torturing the poor boy?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You think you can give me orders?! I'll just make you all my slaves then, especially you pretty boy! Lick my shoes, peasants!" Shadow Shimizu exploded into goo and swirled around, before revealing a humanoid, beautiful woman with blue skin, who only wore a red and white skirt around her hips, and a golden demon crown on her forehead, her black hair covering her breasts. In each hand was a saber, and she screamed before charging towards them.

"If you want to make me your slave you'll have to beat me first," he laughed as he jumped back to dodge, her twin swords slicing through the air where he had stood. Upon landing he drew his dagger and grinned as Shimizu swung towards him, dodging one blade and using his Blizz Dagger to deflect the other.

He used the opening that created to shoulder check her, spinning as she stumbled and pulling his Riot Pistol out and unloading the magazine into her. Before she could recover Panther's whip wrapped around her waist and pulled her back. While she was flying in the air Panther's whip disentangled and snapped out multiple times, lashing her across the back. "Let's see how you like it!"

"You bitch!" The Shadow hit the ground hard and tumbled, then rushed towards Panther. Fox suddenly appeared in her way, hand on the hilt of his blade. She growled at him and began slashing at him while he confidently stepped closer, his own sword slicing through the air at speeds difficult to perceive.

Their blades clashed several times, sparks flying before a sudden Garu courtesy of Zorro and Tangoo beneath Shimizu launched her into the air. She twisted midair and threw one of her swords down towards Fox who deflected it easily. A barrage of flames then scorched her as Carmen roasted her.

Shimizu screamed in pain, and Mona quickly called it out. "She's weak to flames!"

"Then it's time for an All-Out Attack!" Following his yell everyone leaped into action, descending upon the falling Shadow. They struck as hard as they could over and over again, summoning their Personas alongside them to strike as well.

They didn't finish the Shadow off, and she used the sword she still held to attack Mona, swiping at his tiny body. "Nyahaha, too slow!" The not-cat did a flip over the sword and then used his own to slash her face, sending black blood splattering as his saber cut a slit in her cheek.

He then hopped along her head and bashed the hilt of his weapon against the back of her head, sending her stumbling into Fox, who unsheathed then sheathed his blade in a single instant. Shimizu screamed in pain as his Yuibitachi slashed across her stomach five times in a row.

She groaned but kept standing, wobbling as she attempted to run Fox through. Panther's whip snapped out and grabbed her wrist, tugging her arm and jerking her around as her second sword dropped to the ground, and placing her directly in the path of an Agi blast.

"No… no!" Shimizu screamed and blasted out a physical wave of red energy. Everyone let out different grunts of pain as they were thrown back, and Panther's eyes suddenly began glowing red as she let out a roar of her own and tackled the Shadow.

"Panther!"

"That was an Oni-Kagura! She's been enraged!"

The Shadow and Panther rolled across the ground, closing on the edge of the platform and the trains passing by. Panther may have been strengthened by Carmen, but she was more powerful magically, and Shimizu's Shadow form was clearly the physically stronger of the two. "Shit, grab them!"

Shimizu rolled on top of Panther, prepared to slam her fist into her face, and was interrupted by him tackling her off, once more rolling towards the edge and where the sword she had thrown at Fox was lying. "Joker! Be careful!" As he grappled with the Shadow he awkwardly reached up and ripped his mask free as he used his other hand to mash her face into the floor.

"Tangoo!"

The Shadow kicked him in the chest and he was sent flying back right as his mask vanished into blue flame. He slammed against a pillar and collapsed, completely out of breath from the strike as she snapped up her sword, ready to run him through as Mona and Fox ran towards them. Before she could capitalize and strike, Tangoo, who had materialized a foot above her, snapped his tail out and wrapped it around her throat. "Did you forget about me, little misssssy? Heheh!"

A train shot by, causing his hair to flutter wildly and he grinned at the distraction his Persona was causing, taking a pose. "Mimic α!" After his copy was created he shot his grappling hook towards the ceiling above them.

As he was pulled up, Fox slashed down and Shimizu managed to bring her blade around and deflect it with enough force that Fox was thrown off balance before using her free hand to smack Mona away as he tried to strike her. Her foot slammed down on Panther, who had been struggling to get back up through her rage, and the hand holding her sword stabbed up through Tangoo's body.

"AHHHHHSSSSssssss…" The Persona faded into blue fire and back into his mask, and he let out a scream of pain as the agony transferred to him, barely holding onto his tool. The Shadow's head snapped to his copy, which had one hand holding its stomach and the other holding his gun aimed right at her, and in the midst of the fast-paced battle she didn't think about the fact that its hair wasn't being blown by the passing trains, instead stabbing straight through it and into the pillar behind it.

"What the—?"

She had half a second to look confused as no blood came from the mirage before he descended from above, a malicious grin spread across his face as he struck through the intense pain that had wracked him. His feet slammed into her shoulders and she collapsed forward, her face slamming into the hilt of her sword before he placed the barrel of his gun against the back of her head and unloaded after speaking a single word. "Boo."

After his gun was emptied he pushed off of her, landed on the ground, and grabbed his dagger. He watched her cautiously, before relaxing as she melted back into her normal body. He turned around and walked over towards his Thieves, checking on them. Fox was completely fine, having only lost his balance in that last round. Mona was slightly roughed up from being smashed aside, but a quick Dia would fix that. Panther—

"Agh!" Panther suddenly head-butted him, eyes still red. "Crap, hold her down! She's still Raging!" Fox grabbed her left arm as he grabbed her right arm, while Mona dug through his pack to pull out a Relax Gel.

"Uh, where do I—?"

"Just dump it on her or something!" Mona upended the entire jar onto Panther's face, and after a moment, she began calming down.

Several seconds passed, and when her movements slowed down, they let her go. "Panther, are you well?" Fox questioned.

"...My head feels really fuzzy…" She sat up and rubbed it, groaning. "I think I remember what happened… thanks, guys. Sorry that I lost control like that."

"It's alright, Lady Ann! It wasn't your fault!"

"He's right. We're just lucky the rest of us weren't enraged by that Oni-Kagura attack," he agreed. He helped Panther to her feet, then turned to the defeated Shadow, who was watching them angrily. "Now then, as for you…"

"No, no, no… No! I don't want to lose him. He's mine. He's mine, isn't he…?"

"No one belongs to anyone else… especially not someone who abuses and hurts them without even bothering to pay attention to what they want," Panther quietly responded.

He just nodded. "Exactly. You can save that mushy 'I'm yours, and you're mine' shit for whoever you one day end up dating… But if you keep this up as you are now, he'll hate you."

"I could never stand that…"

"Why did you start treating him like that?" Panther asked as she stepped closer and gently held Shimizu's shoulder.

"He just kept going along with it, so I misunderstood and thought I could do whatever I wanted… I… really wanted to be more than friends with him…"

"Holy crap, I was right?" Panther shot him a glare, and he held up his hands in surrender.

"More than friends? So, you wanted him to be your boyfriend?"

Shadow Shimizu nodded. "Yes. I had a crush on him, but then I got possessive. Those feelings went out of control…"

Panther giggled and leaned in, hugging the Shadow. "Be careful that you don't make things worse for yourself than they already are. Make sure you apologize sincerely, and do your best to tell him your true feelings. Even if they're rejected or accepted, you'll feel a lot better than living such a distorted life. Okay?"

"Yeah… okay!" Shimizu giggled alongside Panther, before vanishing into a swirl of white light, leaving behind the opaque orb that had been the bud of a Treasure. Panther reached in and pulled out what looked like a bladed, telescoping whip.

"Makes sense that it was a whip," Mona muttered.

"It certainly looks more powerful than your current weaponry," Fox spoke up calmly.

"Yep. I'm definitely using this from now on!"

"Alright, great work team. Let's keep it moving." After various noises of assent from his fellow thieves, they descended the escalators further into the depths of Mementos.

Ω • Ω • Ω

6/7, Tuesday

"What's this? 'A request to the student body'?"

Akira looked over when he heard the student reading out one of the papers on a school bulletin board. A second student nodded as they read along. "It says they're looking for information. I heard Principal Kobayakawa put it up."

"'Please consult the student council president if you have any details.'"

A Male student who stood with the two girls grimaced dubiously. "So we can go to her for anything? Why the student council president, though? What does she have to do with Principal Kobayakawa?"

"I mean, Niijima-san is his favorite. Maybe that's why he asked her to do it."

Having heard enough, he continued his walk to class, looking down at his bag. "Seems like a certain prez and lazy egg are getting anxious about not having anything on us."

Morgana nudged his nose through the zipper to open his bag slightly and peer up through the hole. "Yeah, but be careful. The more desperate an enemy is, the more unpredictable they can be."

"Right. I trust that you'll watch my back?"

"Heh, of course! Who do you take me for? As the eldest thief here, I've got to watch out for all you guys!"

Always talking big with this one, Arsène chuckled. He quietly laughed in agreement as he walked up the stairs to his classroom and sat at his desk, greeting Ann as he went, then surrendering to the monotony of classwork.

Ω • Ω • Ω

•Makoto•

"President… what is the meaning of that posting?"

She winced at Yasu-san's words, her male kouhai in the student council, knowing exactly what he was talking about. "Principal Kobayakawa put that up without my—"

"We've already received some anonymous information," Yumeko-san, her female kouhai, spoke up. "'I heard some students are getting threatened, I'm so scared', 'Please do something'..."

Her eyes widened, and she snapped her head to Yumeko-san as she read off the anonymous notes. "What?!"

Yasu-san nodded, confirming her words. "'They have dirt on me, and they're demanding money. I can't go to the police, what should I do?' Isn't this talking about the shady crimes that have been rumored to be occurring in Shibuya?"

"So there are even victims at our school… What should we do?"

"This isn't the responsibility of the student council. This is frightening for us too… Principal Kobayakawa called you in yesterday, right? Did he tell you anything about this?"

Her mouth was dry. This… What had been happening to the students at their school? She was supposed to be their student council president, but she hadn't known about anything happening… Not the sexual harassment by Kamoshida, not this, this blackmail, nobody had come to her to help them, it had taken an announcement and the ability to be anonymous about it to have anyone coming to her for help! What… "Well, no… He's out today, but I will ask him tomorrow. Please wait on this for the time being."

"If you say so…"

Seeing both her council members looking down, she sighed sadly and bowed to them. "My apologies for the confusion. Don't worry. I'll do something about all of this."

She had to. For her own sake, and all the students that needed her help.

But… what could she do?

After the meeting finished early she began leaving the school, face downcast as she thought to herself, trying to come up with some plan, some… something. Ryuji, who had stayed after school of his own accord for once to talk with Haru, just barely dodged her as she walked out, not paying attention to where she was going, and watched her with an odd look on his face.

Ω • Ω • Ω

•Akira•

"So what is this about?" He looked down at his wardens with an amused expression on his face.

"We've got some new duties lined up for you," Justine spoke, looking back at him as dead-faced as ever. "Let's call them 'special assignments'."

"Oh?"

"To the point, there are a number of places within your reality's society that may foster your rehabilitation. You will prove the value of these places to us, in person."

Caroline continued next. "We'll select various places that we suspect could be vital to your rehabilitation. Should you recognize a place that we mention, then you are to escort us there."

He looked between the twins, before chuckling. "If Igor needed a babysitter for the night he could have just called and told me himself."

Justine's gaze turned cold. "Are those ears of yours just for decoration? These are special assignments for the sake of your rehabilitation. Work just as hard at them as you do the rest of your duties."

"Should you meet our expectations, we'll scrape together some sort of reward for you, so no slacking off!"

"We ought to mention: these special assignments will not be available indefinitely. To phrase it for your comprehension, you will have until the end of the year to complete them. You will also be required to continue working towards your rehabilitation to earn these assignments."

He was more focused on the 'end of the year' deadline. Why then, specifically? Before he could ask about Justine's words, Caroline cut in. "We're really going out of our way for you here, so don't tell us we never did anything special for you!"

"As long as I'm paid, I'd be happy to do some babysitting." Caroline just silently jumped down from the top of the Velvet Room door frame and began kicking his calves.

Justine sighed, before looking at her clipboard. "We will now introduce the first special assignment. The first location we have chosen is one that has grown quite popular lately. It's purported to offer foods that simulate the feeling of being in space."

"The food is apparently massive enough to rival the size of the universe itself and resembles a mysterious spacecraft," Caroline added between kicks.

"If this food exemplifies both the unknown and the vast nothingness of space, it is sure to stimulate the heart. Does this description bring any place to mind?"

"If it does, then escort us there immediately!"

He looked between the two, not quite sure if they were or weren't messing with him. Because that certainly sounded like the Big Bang Burger right across the street. "Do… you mean the Big Bang Burger?"

"Big Bang Burger? The name is fitting, I suppose."

Justine nodded in agreement. "We shall confirm our intel for ourselves. Lead the way."

Thou was joking, however… this truly is a babysitting gig where you bring thy wards to a burger joint, is it not? As he slowly led them out the alleyway, he couldn't help but short at Arsène's words.

He made sure to keep the two girls in sight as he led them across the street and into the fast food joint, not wanting them to somehow get lost in the single minute it would take to reach the Big Bang Burger, before he grabbed them a both, ordered a single cheeseburger and three waters, and sat down with the food.

All three of them stared at the burger, Caroline lazily taking several sips through her straw, before smacking her lips and grimacing. "…Well, it is indeed shaped like a mysterious craft, but it's much smaller than I had expected."

Justine agreed. "Is this the meal they boasted to be as immense as the cosmos? I'm quite disappointed."

"Hey, Inmate, you don't really expect some kind of reward out of this, do you?"

"Well, if this wasn't enough then I had planned for the next step as well. I suppose we should get on with… the Big Bang Challenge."

Ooooh no, no, no. I refuse to witness thy battle with a toilet again after suffering throughout such an ordeal.

"So, humanity intends to generate its own universes now, does it?" Justine questioned with a shocked look on her face.

"We've had enough of your smart remarks! Know your place, inmate!"

Before Caroline could pull out her baton, he shook his head. "I think you'll see what I'm talking about when they bring out the burger. The size of which could surely be compared to a Big Bang.

"Oh, so they can get THAT large?"

"The Big Bang Challenge… What an intriguing concept. For the sake of your rehabilitation, you are to take this challenge." He heard Arsène groan at her words. "Of course, you will take the largest they offer."

He paused at that.

"Any objections, Inmate?"

"I would, but unfortunately I haven't advanced far enough in the challenge. Sooo…"

"Ah, yes, I did overhear that the challenge required advancement through a number of previous stages."

"Too bad, because I don't care! You're taking that challenge one way or another. Get on your knees and beg if you have to!"

He and all his Personas stared silently at Caroline before he groaned and got up, walking to the counter. "Here goes nothing."

Ω • Ω • Ω

"Thank you for waiting!"

"You really did it?!"

"Not only that, buuuut you're our ten-thousandth customer! To show our appreciation, we're treating you to the highest tier of the Big Bang Challenge: the Cosmic Tower Burger!"

…Well, it was certainly a tower. Six layers of patties, six layers of tomatoes, six layers of cheese, lettuce, pickles, and onions, resulting in a burger larger than his entire abdomen, in both height and width. It wasn't physically possible for a human to eat it, let alone on a thirty-minute timer.

"W-Wow, lucky you…"

The female employee just smiled. "Well then, it's time to get the thirty-minute Big Bang Challenge started! Ready…"

But… he was Joker. He was a Phantom Thief! He was Akira Starr, the greatest Gentleman Thief of them all! And he would not be defeated by a mere burger! His eyes opened and flashed bright silver, as his fingers flexed, ready to grab hold and devour.

"Begin!" He tore into it, which was… very awkward, considering he couldn't exactly unhinge his jaw to bite down on the entire burger at once. He had to take entire mouthfuls at a time to even make a dent, but even then it was as though he was sometimes only ever eating just tomatoes or just lettuce.

"The last burger was downright insignificant by comparison…" Justine noted.

"It's bigger than the Inmate's entire stomach… Perhaps the moniker implies that any diner's stomach will suffer its own Big Bang?"

"Oh please… this will be a piece of cake!" He declared.

"So you claim there is actually a chance of victory…"

"Hmph. We'll just have to see how long that positivity lasts."

"I predict this challenge shall be a fairly difficult one… be that as it may, you must finish the food tower in its entirety. Failing to join the clean plate club is a grave offense…"

"Do you think it's a good idea to add even more crimes to your record?! Get to the rehabilitating, Inmate!"

He continued to devour the burger, mouthful after mouthful, but even he had his limits. Specifically, a burger larger than his entire goddamn stomach. The twins eventually gave in and began helping as well, and with three mouths attacking from three different angles they made quick work of the tower.

"Hah… we did it." Caroline patted her stomach in contentment, grinning. "I have to say, you really held your own there."

"You almost didn't make it through, but we'll call this a success since your stomach didn't burst." He peeked through his arms as he rested on the table, opening his mouth to respond before covering it as he… Well, he was either about to burp or barf.

At least he'd raised his Guts level…

"I must say though, I'm rather dissatisfied with this place's usage of the moniker 'Big Bang Burger.' They certainly craft a meal of impressive size, but when compared to what the Big Bang generated, it's not grand in the least. Do humans have some sort of compulsion for exaggerating the sizes of things?"

"Good question. In fact, this challenge raised quite a few of them. You took the challenge for the sake of your rehabilitation, but who in their right mind would willingly consume so much food? Maybe I don't understand humanity at all… Say, Inmate, why are humans always testing and pushing their limits?"

"That's impossible to answer," he sighed. "A lot of humans may have similar things driving them, but a lot of others will have completely different things that make them strive to push their limits. I have to get stronger so I can protect my teammates within the Metaverse."

"How preposterous. The simple inmate speaks as if he's an expert on humanity."

"Hey, Justine. Maybe we should take the challenge ourselves."

"I just had the very same thought. If we were to thrust ourselves into this ordeal, perhaps we would discover some answers."

An employee walked by at that point, and Caroline waved. "Hey! Person!"

"Uh, how can I help you?"

"We're taking the Big Bang Challenge."

"We'll, ah… There's a minimum age requirement to be eligible for the challenge… Ooh! Could I interest you in our Lil' Bang Meal instead? It even comes with a toy! Don't you want a cute little spaceshiiiiip?"

He had to admit, the employee did manage to hide her disdain and condescension behind that veneer of friendliness pretty well. He definitely didn't think less of her for feeling such of course, she probably had to deal with far too many assholes at her job, but it was amusing. If this Metaverse thief work ever fell through, he might become an actual thief if only to avoid working retail. It seemed like hell.

"…A spaceship?" Caroline whispered.

Chuckling at her response, and Justine's ever so slightly widened eyes, he fished out the yen for their order, plus a tip for dealing with Caroline's… Caroline-ness. "Two Lil' Bang Meals, and a Cola, thanks."

"Alright, two burgers, fries, juices, and a soda for one-thousand-one-hundred and fifty yen! It'll be right up!"

"W-Wait, we didn't ask for—!"

Justine shook her head. "It's too late now. Let's just settle for that today. I admit I'm intrigued by the diminutive spaceship." He just chuckled at the twins, getting up to wait by the counter for their food.

Ω • Ω • Ω

"Well, we didn't experience any of the wonders of space, but at least the taste was passable."

Justine gave one of her rare smiles as she calmly teased Caroline. "You seemed much more excited by the toy than the taste, anyway."

"Sh-Shut up! I saw you eating around those 'pickle' things or whatever they are, Justine!"

"Th-That wasn't food from this earth. It was clearly, ah… alien spawn of some sort."

It wasssn't, alien food tastes much worse.

…Tangoo, how do you know that?

"What?! Is this true?!"

He smiled as he answered, "They're considered a delicacy, actually."

"I see. Well, they didn't taste that bad… But seriously, what are they?! I ate all of mine, you know!"

"It depends on the person. Some people don't like them, usually kids. Good job eating them all."

"W-Well, of course I did! I'm not a kid after all!" Caroline puffed herself up, and he tried very hard to hide his laughter.

Honestly, these two…

"Calm down, Caroline. We're getting off track."

She grumbled but acquiesced. "Well, at any rate, we've determined that hamburgers are incapable of conveying the majesty of space. While the toy spaceship helped to soften the blow, there's no denying the truth. Now we will formally acknowledge the completion of your task."

"Here is your reward." Justine handed him two cards, a Maragi and Mabufu, and he slipped them into his bag.

"You better work just as hard next time! We know about all sorts of locations that would aid your rehabilitation!"

"Joy."

Caroline sneered at his sarcasm, while Justine looked over Central Street. "I'm still taken aback by the truth… Your world is absolutely full of these 'shop' places… For a reasonable fee, nearly every desire can be fulfilled, all as if it were nothing."

"That does sound interesting. I believe it may merit further research. Anyways, good work, Inmate. Your final task for the day is to escort us back to the Velvet Room. Let's move!"

"Genuine praise? I'm touched." He walked them back while Caroline chastised him and Justine sighed in disappointment."

Ω • Ω • Ω

6/8, Wednesday

•Ann•

"Sounds like the principal's trying to get info on the students. Why do you think he's doing that?"

"It's probably because of Kamoshida-san, right? Considering what happened with Suzui-san…" That drew Ann's attention, and she looked over towards the two girls who were gossiping together in the school courtyard. "I heard Principal Kobayakawa knew about the sexual harassment too and just turned a blind eye to it. I bet he wants to snuff out any rumors now. Even the volleyball team was told to keep quiet…"

Well, of course. That no-necked asshole sucked up to Kamoshita so much he was practically attached to his asshole. That… wasn't a pleasant image and she grimaced, but it was accurate. There was no way that Kobayakawa hadn't known about the assaults.

"That's the worst… So that's what he's using Niijima-senpai for?"

Wait, what was Niijima doing?

"Oh yeah, rumor has it she knew as well. Isn't that horrible? She acts all noble about it, too."

Hearing that was what finally got to her, and she walked away, back to class. "Niijima-senpai knew…?" She knew what that bastard had been doing and…? She clenched her fists and in her anger didn't notice she passed the source of her rage, Makoto Niijima walking away from the principal's office, frustrated as well.

Ω • Ω • Ω

•Makoto•

"What is the meaning of this, Principal Kobayakawa? Why did you post that notice?"

"It was all for your sake," the Principal explained with a smile. "I thought the more information you had, the easier your investigation would become. And? Did any information arise about that case I asked you to look into?"

She sighed. "Nothing yet. I will pass the details along if anything comes up. Right now, there is a more pressing issue." She placed the anonymous notes detailing the blackmail and crimes on his desk. "It appears there are students at Shujin who are being threatened by a criminal organization."

"Wha—?!"

"Several students who saw your posting came to us for help. I'd like to request a countermeasure."

"Isn't this some sort of mistake? I can't believe this would happen to the students of our academy. Now is no time for such problems! There is still lingering concern regarding the Phantom Thieves…"

"But we received a request for help!"

"I-I'm rather busy at the moment. If you wish to do something, you will need to act on your own."

She wasn't sure if she had heard him correctly at first. "Sir?! Alone… Are you sure about this? I am still investigating your case as well…"

"Y-Yes, that's correct. It works out perfectly! My intentions have borne fruit. This criminal organization must be the connecting factor. If you pursue this criminal issue, you'll surely find clues about the Phantom Thieves!"

"But that's absurd!"

"So… let's say this rumor is true. Do you intend to ignore those students in trouble?"

"I…" She couldn't. She may not have known definitively about Kamoshida's abuse, but she still heard the rumors and did nothing about them. She had to act now.

"Your sister would have solved this easily if she were in your position. My expectations of you are very high. I hope you don't disappoint." She said nothing, then turned and left the office.

As she walked to class, she bit her lip in frustration, not sure what she should do next, passing right by Ann Takamaki.

Ω • Ω • Ω

•Ryuji•

He sighed as he stood outside the Student Council room and tried to psyche himself up. He had to be top of his game here, couldn't afford any mistakes when it came to the prez. Also, his brain needed to be ready to the dull studying he was about to do. But just standing outside the room was putting him in a bad mood.

As soon as he was ready he knocked and opened the door, walking in and sitting in the same chair as he usually did, eyeing Prez as she sat in her own seat. "You know," she started, "if you're going to barge in, why knock in the first place?"

"Good idea, thanks, Prez. I'll just come on in next time."

"Hmph. So, have you been up to anything with Starr-kun and Takamaki-kun, recently?"

"Yeah, couple things here and there. Cuz, again, they're the only guys 'round here that wanna hang with me. What about you, Prez? Anyone that wants to hang with you that's an actual friend, and not, y'know, a council flunky or whatever?" She glared at him, and he fought to keep his grin on his face as sweat began beading on the back of his neck. "Uh, so… English?"

After taking another few seconds to stare him down, she sighed. "Very well, if that's what you want to focus on today, then let's begin. What do you already know? What are you struggling with? Nouns, verbs, adverbs, grammar…?"

"Um…"

"Once again, we have to start from the beginning." She shook her head and placed her bag on the table and started digging through it, so he mimicked her and took out his own books and pencils. When he did he looked over and saw a flash of black and white in her bag, and out of curiosity, he leaned forward and saw…

"Is that a Buchimaru-kun pencil case?"

"What?!" Her head snapped to him, back to her bag, and back to him. "No! It's not!"

"It totally is!" He laughed at the sight of the panda-styled pencil case, as well as Prez's face, which was turning about as red as her eyes.

"It's not mine! It belongs to a friend! I'm holding onto it for them!"

"That'd be more convincing if you talked with anybody else in the school outside ya little council posse," he snickered. "Even just saying ya found it on the ground and wanted to place it in the lost an' found would be more believable you know."

"That's…" She grit her teeth and clenched her fists, and even though it was the Prez, he did feel kind of bad. Not that bad, though.

"Hey, come on, I'm just teasin'. Didn't figure you're the kinda girl that likes Buchimaru-kun or that cute stuff," he explained while holding his hands up.

"Oh yeah?" She grumbled and glared at him, but he wasn't as intimidated thanks to the embarrassed redness that was still spread across her face. "And what kind of 'girl' did you figure I was?"

"Honestly, a hardass," he shrugged. "I mean, you're constantly tryin' ta interrogate me, you harass my bro—"

"I don't harass anyone!"

His eyes narrowed. "Seriously? Cuz according to him you spend a lot of your time stalking him. Shit, last Sunday you chased us all the way out to Kichijoji. Prez, that ain't cool."

"Tch…" She winced and looked away. "That… was simply a coincidence."

He glared at her and stood up, leaning over the table. "I'm not the smartest guy, but I'm not so much of an idiot that I can't tell that some girl walkin' behind me with a manga held upside down, a girl who's constantly asking us questions like 'Phantom Thieves' this, 'Phantom Thieves' that, ain't trailing us."

Makoto struggled not to correct him on his incorrect Japanese.

"It's creepy as hell. If you spent less time stalkin' people maybe you'd have the time to actually act like a person and not some robot suck-up to the teachers, who's happy to just do whatever they want. Who cares about the students, right? It's all just 'horseplay' like you said!"

The prez shot up and glared back at him, slamming her hands on the table. "Of course I care about the students here! And I am not a suck-up!"

"Ain't you only on this crusade cuz of Kobayakawa? If you really cared about the students, then you woulda been happy that— That the Phantom Thieves took down Kamoshida, instead of doing whatever the principal wants and trying to interrogate everyone for clues on them! You'd be doin' somethin' when students are in trouble, instead of turnin' a blind eye like with Kamo—!"

"I did not turn a blind eye!" She slammed the table again, and both their bags fell to the ground, books, pens, and pencils scattering. "I didn't know what was going on with Kamoshida, I didn't know that students are getting threatened and blackmailed by some— some organization in Shibuya! How am I supposed to do anything when I'm not being told anything?! I try to do what I'm told but it never—!" She gritted her teeth and closed her eyes, dropping her head and letting her hair hang in front of her eyes.

He watched her, now very unsure what to do. He, uh… hadn't expected everything to go down like that just from seeing a cute panda pencil case in her bag. The mood really whiplashed quickly there. Had she really not known? He… wasn't sure what to feel about that. She could've been lying, but…

"I think we're done for today, Sakamoto-kun," Prez interrupted his thoughts, eyes still shadowed by her bangs.

"...Right." He quickly began packing his bag up and got ready to leave, watching the council prez out the corner of his eye as she sat back down and sighed, head in her hands. When he finished putting everything back he walked to the door and opened it up, looking back at her. If she wasn't lying, and she really hadn't known… "Prez— Uh, Niijima-senpai… Sorry about saying that… stuff. Yeah." He quickly walked out, not sure what he should be feeling right now.

Effin' hell, man.

Ω • Ω • Ω

6/9, Thursday

•Akira•

His eyes opened to the beautiful morning and he looked at the date on his phone. A peaceful smile spread across his face. "Nice."

Nice.

Hee, what does that mean, ho?

Don't listen to them, Frost.

Ugh. Men.

A notification appeared on his phone, a message appearing.

Dad— Nice.

You— Nice.

Ryuij texted next as he ate some breakfast curry.

Ryuji— Nice

You— Nice.

As he waited for the train, a message came in from Mishima.

Mishima— Nice!

You— Nice.

When he, Ann, and Ryuji all convened at the television station for the trip, he nodded at Ann. "Nice."

"...What?"

He nodded at Ryuji, but he seemed out of it. He had probably stayed up too late playing video games. Whatever the case, the rest of the day did not turn out as nice, as the social studies trip turned out to be a… very dull affair. "...And that's why we recruit sponsors to help make TV shows. I'm sure you know about commercial breaks? Well, those are actually sponsor-related product placements. To sum things up, ratings are vitally important for a stations production funding, and…"

As the PR woman continued, he heard Ryuji sigh in exhaustion next to him. "Huh…"

He would've reprimanded him and told him to pay attention, but it was all such well-known information that… even he… "Zzzz…"

"Man, this's so boring even you're falling asleep, huh?"

An hour passed and the woman was still talking. "For example, soap opera reruns are shown in the day, whereas alluring newswomen are broadcast at night. Thus, the scheduling department is where we decide what time we broadcast which program. I suppose you could say it's the place where the scheduling is determined."

"Could this get any more obvious?" Ann asked.

"So sleepy…"

"Tell me about it."

"So, the best parts are taken from the footage in order to cut down the program to the desired length. The place where this filmed footage is edited would be the editing room."

Morgana popped out of his bag and slapped him lightly with his paw. "Hey, how much longer does this go?"

"I swear, I'm not gonna last," Ryuji groaned.

He was very quickly woken up when someone slammed into him, very rudely just walking straight past, while Morgana let out a small noise of pain as the man walked straight into the arm holding his bag. "Ngh!"

As he was recovering his bearings, the man, some newscaster, walked up to the PR woman. "What's going on? I can't stand all this noise."

Ryuji, seeing that he was still out of it, stood up for him. "Hey, asshole! Y—"

"My apologies! I'll have them leave right away!" The PR woman turned to the students and ushered them back, cutting Ryuji off, which was likely for the best. Kawakami looked like she was about to smack him over the head with a clipboard. "Now then, it's time for a bit of hands-on experience!"

As everyone began dispersing or moving around Ryuji scowled at him and Ann. "Dammit… who does that jerk think he is?"

"I'm so setting some tripwire up and watching him eat shit when he trips over it," he nonchalantly spoke.

"For real? Man, don't get caught setting that up," Ryuji snickered.

"Hey there, you want to be on TV?" Before they could continue talking, some random guy walked up to Ann with a self-indulgent grin.

"Huh?"

"You've got a slammin' bod after all, heheh…"

"Uh, I'm on a school trip…"

"Just gimmie a call if you're interested. I'd greatly welcome a call from you, day or night."

"Uhhhh, yeah."

"'Greatly welcome', my ass. It's obvious what he's after. Do those rotten adults care about anything other than looks?! I'll yank their stupid hearts out, damnit!"

"I'm in agreement, but keep it down would you?!" He hissed.

Morgana seconded him, glaring at Ryuji. "Don't just blurt that stuff out! You're supposed to be acting like good students today!"

"I know, but…!"

Hearing the commotion, Kawakami immediately came over. "I understand you're bored, but please don't cause any trouble, okay?"

"We aren't, we're simply waiting for our roles to be assigned."

"Oh yeah, you two…" The man who had been unsuccessfully flirting with Ann finally noticed them. "Let's see… Yeah, let's have you see what it's like to be an AC. Oh, that stands for 'Assistant Camera'. When we're moving cameras, we need people who can keep the cables from getting tangled up. The blond will do, he seems like he's got the energy to spare, anyway. Guy next to him, you can come too if you're feeling lonely. C'mon, hurry up and grab those cables!"

"Dammit, this effin' sucks!" He chuckled dryly at Ryuji's exclamation, before throwing himself into the work. He wasn't sure how long they spent messing with the cables, but it felt like hours to him, and the whole time was filled with Ryuji cursing to himself as they worked. "Ugh, what a pain in the ass! This is totally killin' my vibe…"

Morning turned to afternoon, and he followed Ryuji back from the bathrooms to the main filming area. "I'm so pissed off!"

"So I've heard," he sarcastically responded.

"Aren't we supposed to be guests? Why the hell do we hafta be doin' manual labor?! This is bullshit! Goin' to the bathroom didn't even make me feel better!"

"...Ryuji, does going to the bathroom usually make you feel better?" He asked with a mixture of confusion and amusement. Before he could get his answer, Ann walked around the corner.

"Quiet down, will you? I get how you feel, though. That sucked for the both of us."

"We gotta do more of this tomorrow too?" Ryuji despaired while hanging his head.

"No flaking out, Numbskull."

"I know, I know, Monamona. I gotta be a 'good boy', right? Bein' Phan—, uh, PT's ain't easy…"

"Saying just the acronym isn't that much better," he muttered quietly.

"That reminds me, we get to go home straight from here today. We don't spend much time in this area, so why don't we relax and check out some shops beforehand?"

"As long as the clothing shops are relegated to window shopping again. My closet isn't big enough for all the clothing you wanted me to get last time."

"But you looked so good!"

Morgana perked up. "Ooh! I know a place, I wanna go to that huge pancake-looking place we passed on the way here! It looked delicious, what was that?"

"Oooh, you mean dome town? The round part is a baseball stadium, then along the outside they've got an amusement park."

"It's right in the middle of a business area, but they have some pretty hardcore rides there too."

"All right… Let's go! I'll show you just how courageous I am!"

Ann smiled and shook her head. "Going on a scary ride doesn't really prove any kind of courage."

"Not like cats can get on anyways."

"Really?"

"Really. You might be able to sneak in if you stay in the bag, but you'd totally puke if you did that." As Morgana panicked over the idea, Ryuji grinned. "But, uh… let's go to Dome Town! I'm really feelin' it now!"

"Me too! My stomach's ready for roller coasters!" Ann cheered.

"Uhh… I think I'll pass on the puke rides…" As he chuckled at Morgana's words, a boy their age walked around the corner. He was dressed in a brown business suit and tie, and held a silver briefcase with the letter 'A' emblazoned on it. Messy, light brown hair covered his head, and deep brown eyes whipped over towards the group as he noticed them.

"Excuse me, I couldn't help but notice your uniforms. Are you students of Shujin Academy?"

The three of them looked at each other before Ryuji shrugged. "Yeah, whaddya want?"

"I happened to be passing by, so it seemed polite to greet you. We'll be filming together, after all." The pleasant boy smiled, adjusting his tie and bowing slightly. "Ah, where are my manners? My name is Goro Akechi."

"Akechi…?"

As Ann tilted her head, trying to recall where she'd heard the name and Akira held back a smirk as he realized why the boy's briefcase had the emblazoned 'A' and deemed him slightly narcissistic, Ryuji just looked at the boy with wide eyes. "Fliming? What, you a celebrity?"

"Only to the extent of appearing on TV a couple of times." While he said it in a way that sounded humble, Akira surmised it to be more of a humble brag. He wouldn't have just come up to greet them just because they were filming together if he really didn't care all that much. In Akira's opinion, anyway. Aside from the slight narcissism, he didn't seem that bad.

"Oh!"

As Ann gasped to herself, Akechi pulled out his phone, checked it, then looked downtrodden. "My apologies, I truly was just passing by. I must be going. There's a briefing for tomorrow's recording that I have to attend." He smiled again, looking between them all. "So, you're going to have cake now? I missed lunch today, so I'm quite hungry myself."

That caused a pause. He, Ryuji, and Ann all looked at each other in confusion, before glancing back at Akechi. "Uh, cake? What're you talkin' about?"

Akechi lifted his hand again as he looked back at Ryuji with his own confused expression. "Oh, am I mistaken? I thought I heard something about delicious pancakes… Ah, no matter. Welp, see you tomorrow!"

As Akechi walked away, Ryuji sighed. "That guy's gotta be some kinda start-up entertainer or somethin'. He'll never get popular with that kinda hair though!"

"You don't get it," Ann groaned.

"Eh, it's fine. We'll see him again tomorrow anyways. C'mon, let's go to Dome Town!"

He wasn't paying attention to them, instead, he was lost in thought. 'Goro Akechi… That… Hm.'

Indeed, Trickster. I caught that as well.

As did I.

Sssso did I.

He nodded, following Ryuji and Ann as they began exiting the building, all the while stuck in his own head. 'Let's put a pin in that, Arsène, everyone. Because that is very, VERY interesting…'

Good news everyone! I accidentally broke my leg at work (well, just fractured my patella) which means being stuck at home, which means more time to write! Now I can spend way more time writing about Akira and delicious pan—

The Mementos exploration part of the chapter was actually a lot longer, but that made the chapter too huge, and I wanted to end it exactly here, so I cut it. Nothing important happened anyway, some battling, Panther teasing Fox and Joker on how they talk like old men all politely and shit, stuff like that.

I love the outings with the twins, they're always so much fun. Can't wait to write the rest of them, especially the Destinyland one lol.

So, some more rapid POV switching, and Goro Akechi has arrived. Only a short segment with him now, but of course he'll have the spotlight in the next chapter. Makoto also letting loose some of her frustration on Ryuji, which might change a few things up. So, let me know what you think of the chapter, or just leave a 'nice,' both are always great to read. See y'all next time!