Chapter 37: Confession of a False Shogun

Ω • Ω • Ω

6/5, Sunday

DEADLINE: TODAY

…

A larger crowd than normal had formed in Shibuya, one of the large screens above the intersection showing a currently occurring interview with the master artist, Ichiryusai Madarame. Those that knew of him were watching, wondering what was happening, and why the man was crying. Those that didn't know of him were drawn by the crowd.

"What's up with that old geezer?" A man asked someone near him.

"Is he… crying?"

Camera flashes lit up the interview room as Madarame sat in front of a table with a good dozen microphones atop it, shoulders shaking as he held back sobs. "I… I have committed crimes that are unbecoming of an artist. Plainly put… I, um, plagiarized work…"

As murmurs broke out in the room, Madarame's shaking got worse, and his voice began breaking. "I-I… tainted this-this country's art world… and… even 'Sayuri'!"

Gasps resounded in Shibuya from those who knew of him and his work, and Madarame broke down completely, face wracked with anguish as tears streaked down his cheeks. "H-How could I… I possibly… apologize to-to everyone for… for what I've done…"

One pedestrian laughed at the sight. "He's crying way too much…"

"And that was from the urgent apology conference by Madarame that took place just a moment ago. After reporting to the association, Madarame has agreed to the police's request to turn himself in."

"Wasn't he on TV the other day?"

"On top of charges of abuse to his pupils, Madarame is under suspicion of claiming their works as his own. Some doubt the validity that his maiden work 'Sayuri' was stolen, believing it was used for fraud. This large-scale criminal act has caused a great shock to the art world, and…"

"That old man's done for," a random woman spoke."

"After the conference, Madarame was taken to a police hospital for interrogation due to his age. However, initial psyche evaluations state that he is mentally sound and likely responsible for his actions."

The first man who had commented just scoffed. "There's no need to be nice to an old geezer like that."

"Why'd he spill the beans himself? Doesn't that sound weird?" Another man asked.

"Currently, the police are investigating a connection to a group that calls themselves the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, who had left scattered cards around both the exhibit and the streets surrounding the exhibit several days ago, but for now, have not identified them as suspects."

"Phantom Thieves? Do these bandits have somethin' to do with that old geezer's apology?"

"Oooh, I've heard of them before. They supposedly steal evil hearts; it's why the culprits apologize."

"Wait, what? Steal hearts? That's impossible though."

"But I feel like I saw somethin' about that online too. They sent out a calling card for real."

"So it was like, 'we're going to take your heart'? That's impressive if someone really did that."

On one side of the square, a boy in a blue diamond-patterned vest smiled up at the screen. "Phantom Thieves, hm?" Goro Akechi chuckled and walked away.

On the other side of the intersection, Makoto Niijima glared upwards at the feed. "Phantom Thieves again…" she clenched her fists and walked away.

Both passed each other, none the wiser to the Phantom Thieves in the accessway above them, looking towards the very same screen with victorious smiles.

Ω • Ω • Ω

•Akira•

He grinned wildly as the news continued, detailing what had occurred during and after the press conference, his teammates' reactions similar to his own. Ryuji's, of course, being much louder.

"Aww yeah! You guys see that? Huh, Yusuke? Just like Kamoshida, it all worked out! Woo!"

Ann nodded along in excitement. "And they mentioned the Phantom Thieves!"

Both blondes grinned and high-fived before Ryuji turned to the rest of them. "Man, this is startin' to get interesting… If we do this right, we can change a lotta people's hearts. With this power… We might be able to do more than just gettin' back at society. It'll be a huge deal!"

"As long as we keep in mind this isn't mainly just for 'getting back at society'. We're doing this to help and inspire people."

"Man, you can be so serious sometimes… such a killjoy," Ryuji grinned.

"Then again, doesn't that make him more trustworthy as our leader?" Yusuke nodded at Ann's words, and Ryuji stood up from where he had been squatting.

"As for me, I hope we just keep gettin' more and more famous!"

"Ryu, what did I just say?"

"Dude, the more famous, the more people that're inspired by us!"

"You two…" Morgana shook his head and propped himself up on his shoulder. "Something like this happening twice is massive, too. It's too great a coincidence to occur normally."

"If we continue doing this, we'll definitely be able to give courage to everyone who needs it!"

He looked at Ann and sighed, but a smile still spread across his face. "Well… I suppose you have some points."

Trickster, law enforcement encroaching at nine-o'-clock.

Yusuke noticed the approaching officers the same moment he did, and leaned over inconspicuously. "We may want to quiet down a little."

"Do you know them?"

"You moron," Ryuji hissed at Ann. "They're attendance officers!"

The two officers finally stepped up to them, and the one with sunglasses looked at them all one at a time, lingering on Ryuji and Ann. "Hello there. May I speak with you for a moment?"

"Ah, yes! How can we help you?"

He held in a sigh and Morgana grimaced in his bag. "That monotonous acting of hers never fails to send a chill down my spine."

"What are you all doing here? Are you friends?"

"Of course. We're deciding where we want to go to grab some tea. It is a Sunday, no school, why not spend some time together?" He smiled innocently, and the gruffer officer glared at them.

"Hm, is that so? In a place like this?"

He raised his eyebrows back at the stern man, before glancing around at all the other people either walking by or loitering. "I'm told this is quite the meeting spot."

The officer with the sunglasses just nodded at his words, his face not even twitching. "Well, all right. Just make sure you disperse before it gets too late, okay? There have been some odd happenings lately, and the news about that artist has caused quite the stir."

Ann nodded. "We'll be careful!"

The sterner officer just huffed before both walked away. Ryuji kicked the ground as he watched them go. "It's still light out… Man, those guys must have way too much time on their hands"

"I guess we'll need to be even more cautious than before," Morgana spoke. "Look at us! Right after the second Thieves incident, both prior victims are meeting up."

"Whose bright idea was it to make the accessway our hideout?"

"So, people could be listening in on us?"

He nodded at Ann's words. "Most won't purposefully be listening in, since they'll be going somewhere, but there are some that would be. Attendance officers like those two, and the council president if she sees us."

"Yup," Ryuji added, "I mean, look around, we're the only ones worryin' about it. How often do you just try to eavesdrop on random people when you're goin' somewhere?"

"I guess you're right…"

"By the way, Yusuke… You able to get anything out of Madarame? 'Bout the guy with the black mask."

"Well… I pressed him for answers, but he doesn't even understand what happened to him to begin with."

"It's not like he actually saw his desires get stolen, after all."

"Expecting him to know of anything that was occurring within his subconscious is probably a fool's errand."

So says the Fool, hm, Trickster?

"It's rumored that he may be sent to prison. In that case, gaining information will be difficult…"

"So, what're ya goin' ta do now?"

"I'll be leaving that house. I can't draw in such a place anymore."

"Do you have anywhere to go?" Ann asked.

"The school dorms. I can stay there free of charge thanks to my fine arts scholarship."

"A scholarship? Wait, you're that good?!"

"Hm. Although, Ann's house would do as well."

"...Wait, what?!"

Ryuji laughed at her outrage. "You know, you could ask her to model for you whenever you wanted!"

"But remember, unless Ann consents, no nude paintings. You can come to me for those," he commented with a grin. As much as he was attempting to bury his feelings, the idea was pretty amusing to him. Especially since Yusuke was more interested in her for the sake of art rather tahn being actually attracted to her.

Ann groaned and grabbed both their ears. "Would you two morons quit it?!"

Ryuji whacked her hand away and hid behind Yusuke, then grinned and threw an arm around his shoulder. "Then again, now that Yusuke'll be living alone, it'll be easier for us to meet up whenever we want."

The artist nodded with a tranquil smile. "For the time being, we should wait to see how it plays out."

"Let us know if there's anything we can do to help," he spoke up, tactfully ignoring Ann's continued grip on his ear. "I can certainly spare some money from my war funds if you need it."

"Yup. And it'll prolly take some time findin' a target as big as big as Madarame."

Ann let his ear go and smiled. "Anyway, we should just act like normal students while we look for our next target, okay?"

"We'll be entrusting that to you again, Ryuji," Morgana spoke.

"All right. Guess it's just more prep 'til then." They grabbed their bags and began leaving the accessway, none of them noticing that Niijima had seen them all together, having noticed them by sheer coincidence after leaving the square.

"Yusuke Kitagawa…" She nodded and began following them, pulling a manga from her bag and hiding her face behind it.

Ω • Ω • Ω

Kichijoji was a fascinating district to him, absolutely filled with shops. Small town Onett had only one chain store, the Mach Pizza, and nearly every other store was a 'mom and pop' shop. Here though, a massive amount of shops stretched along the streets and alleys. He didn't know just how long they spent just walking in and out of shops, most of the time not even purchasing anything, but it was a hell of a lot of fun.

"Dude, check these clothes out!"

"Power stones? Aren't these the things that— Whoa, these things are expensive! Akira, Ryuji, can people really afford these things?!"

"Maybe I should get some more variety to my fake glasses…"

"Your glasses are fake?!"

"What would you two gentlemen like to order?"

The souls of sinners!

"I'll have a bagel."

NO!

"Two bagels."

Thanks.

"An incense store? Man, this seems freakin' fishy."

They walked through a back alley, exploring the small food stalls, until he looked over his shoulder to make sure of something. "Yup. She's there."

Ryuji looked at him in confusion. "Huh?"

Grinning, he threw a thumb over his shoulder. "Niiijima's doing her little stalking routine." Ryuji looked, and he watched Ryuji's eyes widen as he saw the girl trailing behind them, her face hidden behind some manga. For such a smart girl, he was surprised that she was trying such an idiotic method of hiding her identity.

"Aw crap, do we gotta lose her or something?"

"Hm, well, it's not like going to a darts lounge is all that suspicious. For normal people, anyway. I'd bet Niijijma thinks anyone who isn't spending every waking moment studying is suspicious."

Ryuji side-eyed him. "Kinda, uh… hypo… um…"

"Hypocritical?"

"Yeah!"

"Fuck you." He punched Ryuji's shoulder, and his friend laughed before punching him back. "Let's just find that darts lounge."

It took several more minutes before they finally found it, a store named Penguin Sniper, on the same street that held the optician and power stone store. They ignored Niijima as they walked inside and Ryuji happily handed over their passes.

That evening, he immediately went to the underground mall to peruse as many darts and pool magazines as they had. If that was going to be as regular an event as they wanted it to be, he was going to be the best at it.

Ω • Ω • Ω

6/6, Monday

"Morniiin' Aki!"

He looked over and raised an eyebrow at Ryuji. Today was the day that they needed to change into their summer uniforms, but Ryuji still had on his black jacket. Apparently, even seeing him wearing the white shirt hadn't jogged Ryuji's mind.

Let's see how long this takes him, Arsène chuckled.

"What's bonkin', Ryu?" He grinned back.

"Ha! I knew that would catch on!" Ryuji rolled his shoulder as he giddily walked up. "The response to the press conference was huge! Everyone's talkin' about the calling card. Girl's are totally checkin' me out today… Maybe they can't help but sense my overflowin' PT charisma?"

"I'm… sure that's the reason," he spoke while barely holding back his laughter.

"Oh shit, am I finally startin' to be popular with all the fly honeys?!"

'Fly honeys'? Did he truly just say that? Ame-No-Uzume questioned, voice dancing with mirth.

Ryuji's face finally shifted. "Oh no!"

"What's up?"

"What's up? My uniform, man! That's what! We're s'posed to switch to summer uniforms today!"

"Was that today?" He asked innocently.

"Man, shut up! I knew people were lookin' at me… Oh, goddamnit! I gotta go home and change! See you at school!" Ryuji ran as fast back as fast as he could, while he turned around to get onto the train. All the way to school he heard people around him discussing both the calling card and Madarame's press conference.

Fellow Shujin students seemed to be talking about it the most, some of them connecting the Phantom Thieves from Kamoshida's incident to Madarame's, while others talked about how similar the breakdowns both criminals had been. And some were laughing about how hilarious Madarame's crying face had looked. He frowned at that. It was true that he'd felt satisfaction taking down such a horrid man, but feeling excitement or satisfaction at his despair just… didn't sit right with him.

"I made it!" He jumped as Ryuji suddenly appeared next to him, gasping heavily. "Hah… urp, sprinting first thing in the morning was a bad idea… Well, that's my personal best. By a lot..."

He blinked as he looked at Ryuji's 'summer uniform'. …Is our companion truly an idiot? Arsène questioned.

He can't be ssseriousss.

"Ryuji…" the faux-blond was simply wearing a red 'No mo' rules!' shirt. He then sighed and shook his head. "Never mind."

Ω • Ω • Ω

•Makoto•

"How are things going regarding that matter we spoke of earlier?"

"I have nothing to report yet…" She kept her face level as she responded, even as Principal Kobayakawa scowled.

"Nothing at all? How many students are there who could provoke a teacher?!"

"I've already narrowed it down. I just can't get any solid evidence…" That, and her only solid leads had rock-solid alibis. Their connection with one Yusuke Kitagawa did, however, open up possibilities… She watched Principal Kobayakawa sigh and crossed her hands before her, asking the question that had been squirming around for quite some time. "You knew, didn't you? About Kamoshida-san sexually harassing students."

"..."

His turning away was the confirmation that caused fury to bloom in her chest. "Sir!"

"What will come of you asking me that?"

"This investigation is for a just cause, correct?"

Turning his gaze towards her, he frowned. "I believe I understand how flustered this must be making you. I'm sure it was truly shocking for you as student council president to see a peer commit suicide…"

Well, she couldn't deny that. Seeing Shiho Suzui-san's body lying on the ground like that, realizing after the fact she had failed a fellow student as she had… "Yes…"

"We must provide a school environment where all students can feel at ease. That is the most pressing issue we have to tackle at the moment."

"So that's your reason behind this investigation on the Phantom Thieves of Hearts? We don't even know if they truly exist, why—?"

"You heard about the incident with that Madarame fellow, I presume?"

Of course. There was always the chance it had been separate people trying to steal the notoriety of the Phantom Thieves after the Shujin incident, however, not enough people truly believed they existed at this point to make that a viable hypothesis. "...They said there was a similar calling card to the one used in Kamoshida-san's case."

"I wish to believe that this is unrelated to our students."

"...Yes."

"That is where I stand. I suggest you devote your energy to the task at hand, not unnecessary questions." Her fists clenched hard, and she bit her lip to keep herself from saying anything else before she turned and left the room.

That's where he stood, hm?

Ω • Ω • Ω

•Akira•

"You see Madarame's press conference?"

"You mean that guy who was all like, 'how could I possibly… apologize for what I've done… waaaah…'?"

"You think it was really those Phantom Thieves? You know, the whole stealing your heart thing."

"That… there's no way. But then again… it seems too convenient for it all to just be a coincidence."

Akira smirked around his noodles as he quietly slurped them up, Ryuji doing a fist pump next to him as they heard the students admitting that the Phantom Thieves might truly be real. Seemed like more people were coming around to the idea that they were real.

"How's it going? Have you found our next big target? Ooh, thanks!" Akira blinked as Ann took the package of melon bread he had next to his lunch and opened it up.

"I don't recall giving you permission."

"You snooze, you lose."

"I bought that! I was saving it for after my noodles!" Ann just bit into the bread, swallowed, and stuck her tongue out at him. He shook his fist at her mockingly, and she just giggled as she put the rest of his bread back next to his noodles.

Ryuji snorted as he watched and shook his head at her question. "I just started lookin' yesterday. No way I'm gonna find someone that quick."

"Oh yeah, guess that's true. By the way, I decided on the TV station. What about you two?"

"Huh? Oh, crap! The social studies trip! Ugh, I just wanna ditch iiiiit…"

"Don't you dare, we've already lost two days a week to you not being able to study, if we lose any more because you ditched the trip then I'll drive us down to the deepest part of Mementos and have you walk back up," he threatened.

Morgana nodded along. "Akira's right. You'd better go and not grab any unnecessary attention."

"Wouldn't me suddenly turnin' into a good student stand out more?"

Akira narrowed his eyes as he slurped up a last mouthful of noodles and pointed his chopsticks at Ryuji threateningly while Morgana just sighed. "Quit bickering and go."

"Then let's all choose the TV station!" Ann cheered with a wink. "I heard we're gonna get to watch them tape a show! Maybe there'll be actresses there!"

"Hm, I suppose they could give you some pointers then," he nodded, recalling her new goal of becoming an actress.

"Exactly!"

Ryuji did a double-take, but he wasn't sure if it was because they would apparently be watching the filming of a show, because there would be a famous actress there, or because Ann wanted tips from an actor. After a moment, Ryuji nonchalantly rolled his shoulder and grinned. "Oh well. Not like I got anything better to do than waitin' for info to come in online."

"Study," he coughed into his hand.

"Plus, Morgana's right! Showin' up'll keep the teachers and Miss Prez from gettin' all suspicious of me. All right, I'm gonna head out! TV, huh… Maybe I should get a haircut…" Ann met his eyes as Ryuji walked away and they both shook their heads as Morgana groaned.

"That guy is such an idiot… I hope nothing happens."

"Knowing Ryuji…" Ann didn't have to finish the sentence. "Anyway, you gonna finish that?" His look became deadpan as he picked up the melon bread and began eating it. Ann just poured at him. "Aw."

"Should've bought some for yourself, then."

"Gentlemen should know how to share, Akira," Morgana spoke up.

"Yeah, I thought you were supposed to be a gentleman thief!"

"Yeah, a thief, not a charity worker."

"Hmph! You're not even going to be embarrassed about an indirect kiss?"

"Pfft." He coughed as his laughter made him choke on the bread. "What are you, twelve? I'm not a child, Ann. I'm not going to get embarrassed over an indirect kiss. Hell, does this even count? You had a bite of my bread, you didn't drink from my soda can!"

"You're no fun, Joker."

"I'm plenty of fun, Panther." He smirked and finished the bread as Ann laughed and spun around, sitting down in her seat as lunchtime came to an end.

Ω • Ω • Ω

•Ryuji•

He hummed to himself excitedly as he sauntered down the hall to his classroom. Well, a little trip to the TV station might be useful. There could totally be a plausible target there… or maybe he could… heh heh heh…

Someone nearly walked into him and he yelped as he spun around them. "Whoa, sorry dude! Didn't mean—" His eyes widened when he saw the Council Prez looking at him. "Oh, uh, yo. Listen, I gotta get to class, later—"

"One moment please." He flinched and internally groaned as she smiled at him, walking closer. "I just wanted to remind you to turn in your form for your social studies trip. Today is the last day before—"

"I know, I was planning on doing that now. You don't gotta worry about that. Can I go now? Don't wanna be late for class…"

The Prez sighed and shook her head. "Very well. Remember to go to your extra credit assignment today, and that we have another study session Wednesday afternoon."

"I haven't forgotten, sheesh. I know just how badly you wanna 'help me out' and definitely no other reason for it. Schedule's cleared." He huffed and turned away, his mood brought down because of the few seconds he'd spoken with her. "I'll see you then…"

Niijima watched him go, before sighing and walking towards her own classroom.

Ω • Ω • Ω

•Akira•

Chat Room: The Phantom Thieves

Ryuji— Geels prty gr8 havin every1 talk about us huh

Yusuke— Madarame is the only topic of conversation at my school.

Yusuke— And as I'm his pupil, most of my peers have chosen to ignore me.

Ryuji— 4 real? Thats bullshit

Ann— Are you going to be OK?

Yusuke— There is no need to worry.

Yusuke— They had already been treating me differently from others as it stood.

Yusuke— This is nothing new to me.

Ann— OK then…

Yusuke— More importantly, do we have any leads on our next mission?

You— Well, Ryuji?

Ryuji— U kiddin?

Ryuji— No way wed find a target that quick

You— We'll need to wait and see, then.

Yusuke— Understood.

Ryuji— Ooo we could go to mentos instead

Yusuke— I will keep myself free. Please tell me if anything comes up.

Ryuji— Gotta go

Ryuji— Time for extra credit shit

Ryuji— Can't believe I gotta do this in the rain 2

Akira chuckled and put his phone away. Well, at least Ryuji was going through with it, even if he complained about it. If he'd tried ditching he would have dragged him back by the collar.

"Ah, Starr-senpai." Hearing Kasumi's voice, he looked over and nodded at her. "What a pleasant surprise."

"Is it that surprising to see another student from your school leaving your school, Yoshizawa-san?" He questioned with a chuckle.

"Well, when you put it like that…" she agreed, laughing as well. She then turned and looked out at the pouring rain, face becoming just as downcast. "It's really pouring down, isn't it? I don't even have an umbrella…"

He was about to say he'd forgotten his own when Morgana popped up. "I thought something like this would happen. And so, I've snuck a collapsible umbrella into your bag!"

How did we not notice that in there? Arsène asked incredulously.

Hee-I guess the cat's not all bark and no bite, ho!

"I've really lucked out with such a considerate kitty," he chuckled.

"Oi!"

"Well, see you around, Senpai."

"Hold on for a moment, you forgot your umbrella, right?"

"It's fine, I'll barely get wet if I run to the station! If anything, it'll make for good training!"

Be smooth, young Trickster!

"You want a piece of this?" He closed his eyes and grimaced at his cheesy line.

Too smooth! He could hear Leanan Sidhe groaning in the background as Ame-No-Uzume chuckled over Arsène's advice.

"Hm? Oh, you're willing to share your umbrella? That'd be wonderful! Thank you so much!" He opened it and let her step close before they wandered out into the rain. His shoulders were unfortunately a bit too broad to fit completely underneath and unfortunately, he could feel rain starting to soak into his left sleeve. Morgana let out a quiet 'nya' and ducked inside his bag.

"Thanks again for letting me join you. To be honest, prelims are coming up soon, so I didn't want to take any chances of getting sick."

"You thank and apologize too much. I'm happy to help. So, preliminaries for a gymnastics competition?"

"Yes. Two huge competitions are coming up, one at the beginning of summer and one near the end. If I'm going to participate in the prelims, I have to be selected as my club's representative, and there's a qualifier meet to determine who that rep will be." She smiled and looked up at the overcast sky that they could see from beneath the black umbrella. "It's my dream to compete in gymnastics on the global level. So, I plan on maintaining a strict training regimen with my coach."

"I'll cheer you on, then."

Kasumi giggled. "I'd be invincible if I had you cheering me on, Senpai! Oh, we're already at the station…"

He felt his lips quirk at the sound of disappointment in her voice, and he could feel the phantom sensation of Arsène slapping him on the back. You're in, Trickster!

'Down, boy,' he chuckled. "Indeed we are." They walked down the steps and he closed the umbrella. "Finally out of that rain… So, why don't we do some more training together sometime soon? If you have the time, of course."

"I'd love to, Senpai! It'll be great for you to lend an ear again as well before the competitions!" She then turned and bowed to him, a wide smile on her face. "Anyway, I can't thank you enough for today. I swear I'll return the favor someday!"

"Didn't I just say that you thank me too much?" She just giggled at his dry tone as he smiled wryly.

"Hey, isn't that Yoshizawa?"

"You mean the honors gymnast?" Two students who had also entered the station with them were looking over and gossiping to each other, not bothering to lower their voices.

"She gets the VIP treatment at school AND a boyfriend to escort her around?"

"Miss Special Snowflake sure is livin' on easy street."

"You two want to speak any louder?" He called, glaring at them. Both students bristled, before hurrying away deeper into the station.

"Senpai… you shouldn't have had to deal with a misunderstanding like that, I'm—"

"If you apologize again for something that isn't your fault, then I won't accept your apology, I'll tell you that right now."

Kasumi huffed, before smiling and shaking her head. "Well, I guess you don't give me any other choice… But—"

"Apapapap. No. Besides, shouldn't I be the one apologizing? Once the Shujin rumor mill gets hold of this, everyone will be talking about how you're dating the murderous elephant tusk trafficker who has an M31A1 rotary grenade launcher in his bag."

"Huh, you're right! Well, Senpai, I'll take my apology then!"

"What a demanding underclassman… Very well, Yoshizawa-san, I apologize for causing this mixup."

Another giggle. "Well, the same thing happens in class, too. Minus the boyfriend part. People are often wary of me because I'm an honor student. The school expects me to attain strong results in the upcoming competitions, too. They even told me that I didn't need to participate in the cleanup event, but I don't like getting special treatment."

"I can certainly agree there…"

"Oh, excuse me, my father's calling." He stepped back and pulled out his own phone, giving her a moment to talk. "Hello? Dad? …What was that? Sorry, my phone's been acting up lately. It's okay, thanks. Mmhm. I'll see you later." She hung up, and he looked away from his messages. "Honestly... He asked me if I needed a ride since it's raining. A bit overprotective, don't you think?"

He snorted. "Reminds me of my dad. I live in an incredibly small town, and yet all the way up through middle school, my old man would walk me to and from school whenever he was in town. I guess they care about us, but honestly, they can be so overbearing."

"Yes, I definitely agree. Well, I have to get to practice, so it's time for me to go. Thanks so much for today." When he opened his mouth she just giggled. "You said if I apologized again you wouldn't accept it, you didn't say anything about me thanking you again!"

He scoffed and waved her away. "Oh, get out of here, Yoshizawa-san." With a bow and another giggle the red-head walked off, while he walked towards the train towards Shibuya. He'd gotten a message from Mishima that he hadn't checked yet, but it seemed like there was another target they could add to their list.

Mishima— Hey, I found some great intel.

Mishima— This time it's bullying by a Kosei student they call a queen.

Mishima— She's been ordering around a male student who goes by the name M. Kinda like the M in S&M…

You— Does M stand for Mishima?

Mishima— That's a secret.

He barked out a laugh at that.

Mishima— Anyway, here are the details.

Mishima— The girl acting like a queen is Hikari Shimizu.

Mishima— I wonder if it's more likely that a girl will turn out like that if she has S as an initial…

You— What does that say about boys with M as an initial?

Mishima— Well, I've already posted the warning, so if you guys think she's worth taking down, then go steal that heart!

Mishima— Hopefully you don't end up an M!

"'Don't end up an M'. Psh, I'm no M."

Well, if Panther were to use her whip and—

'Shut.'

That text conversation with Mishima is always so fun. Ask him straight up if he's a masochist and he goes 'Psh, I'll never tell.'

And yes, M31A1 grenade launcher instead of the M32. So, a lot of changing POVs and shorter segments in this chapter, but other than the confession not much plot-wise. A trip to Kichijoji, a talk with Kasumi, some Makoto stalking, and we'll probably be doing a short Mementos trip next chapter, sans Skull of course. Man, with how much talking was done over a television or texting, the amount of underlining I had to do was annoying... Why the hell does Fanfiction automatically undo underlined sections when copy and pasting from google docs but not Bold or Italicized sections? Gotta re-underline everything and constantly check if they were accidentally removed again... it's such a hassle.

Well, the Social Studies trip is coming up soon, and I can't wait to write Akira's interactions with Him. Anyway, 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!