Hello hero! UknownHero here and welcome to another chapter of Senran Persona. Nothing much, just...fast-tracking into the Palace. Nothing special.

Onto the reviews! To calderoneric758: It only occurred to me just now that you were guessing someone like Kenshiro or from JoJo will be Miyabi's Persona. That was a little out of left field.

Anyways, that's it. Time to do some recon!

Load Game...Start!


Chapter 79: Acquiring Targets


(7/21, Early Morning)

(Shibuya, Shin Megami Apartment Complex)

"U-Urgh..." Miyabi groaned as she opened her eyes, feeling her bones crack as she picked herself off the ground. "At least I don't feel like total shit today..." She soon mumbled to herself.

She looked around her apartment, taking in that she had only brought the bare essentials. A futon, clothes, and bathroom products. Miyabi was quite surprised she had so much room for somewhere she wouldn't be spending a lot of time in, but she would be leaving soon so she didn't really care.

The white haired woman soon took out her phone. "7:12AM...56% battery." Miyabi read out. "I guess it'll do for a few hours. I wasted so much time yesterday. I need to get to work." She then decided and stated.

No matter what, she was going to take down the Phantom Thieves and prove herself as a shinobi once more.

The white haired girl then took a whiff of herself and cringed. "...After I take a bath..." She soon decided, stripping herself down and headed for the bathroom.


(Shujin Academy, Classroom)

"Blah blah blah...Herkinorin is an opioid analgesic that is an analogue of the natural product salvinorin A. It was discovered in 2005 and...blah blah blah..."

"Wasn't this supposed to be history?" Akira whispered.

BZZT! BZZT!

"Hey, I think your phones are buzzing!" Morgana informed.

"Hm?" Asuka got out as she and the other Phantom Thieves founders pulled out their phones.

"Is it that Alibaba guy again?" Homura thought as they checked the IM.

[Shut7heFUp: Did Alibaba message you?]

"Goddammit Ryuji..." Homura growled out as her left eye twitched.

[FireGirl20: Goddammit Ryuji!]

[Shut7heFUp: Oh...I guess nothing then.]

[SushiRoll23: Ryuji-kun, you really scared us. Don't text us unless something big happens. ]

[TheWildJ0ker: Like getting stabbed.]

[Shut7heFUp: Jeez, alright. Just let us know ASAP if they tried to get in touch with you, mkay?]

"Goddammit, Ryuji..." Homura sighed as the three focused back on the lesson.

"Blah blah blah...possess legs on the metathorax. In most groups of insects, the metanotum is reduced relative to the mesonotum...blah blah...blah? BLAH!?"


(7/21, Lunchtime)

(Shujin Academy, Principal's Office)

You know, at times like this, you should remain calm.

Yes, he had no true leads on who the Phantom Thieves may be but sooner or later a new opportunity will present itself. He just needed to relax and spend the summer looking for someone who could solve this mystery.

He would solve it himself but given his status he was far too busy to do so. And not because he didn't get this position through a combination of begging and ass-kissing.

So he took a deep breath, put on his bib and pulled out his immaculate oversized bento, full of the most quality meats his salary could afford.

And just about when he was about to take a bite, he paused.

Why was his window open? His office was air-conditioned.

And he had just got into a comfortable position too. But he didn't want the heat to leak into his office, so he reluctantly squeezed himself out of his desk and shut the...window.

His window didn't open at all.

It was only then he noticed the woman with a mask made out of a balaclava, sunglasses and duct tape and covered from head to toe in unrevealing black clothing standing there, tapping her foot impatiently.

"It took you long enough to notice me." The woman remarked, her voice hidden by a voice modifier.

It was also right then his pants became damp once again.

"Hello." The masked woman greeted casually. "You're the principal here, right?" She then guessed.

Said pissing principal nodded.

"Good. Now, I assume you're smart enough to assemble a list of suspects who might be Phantom Thieves here, am I right?" Miyabi soon questioned. The principal silently nodded in response. "Good, I want your files on them and their associates. Do it and you get to keep your pinky toe." She then ordered.

And so, the principal went to his desk and began searching for said files while Miyabi stole his lunch and quietly watched him while eating it. "Wow, you can really cook, you know that? Or, whoever the hell cooks you lunch anyways." She soon confessed. "...High school principals should not be able to afford chefs or food like this. Are you stealing from the school's budget?" She soon guessed.

The principal could only whimper like a scared dog.

"Ah, I don't care. But if I ever need anything else from you, and pray that I don't, it might be useful to hang onto." Miyabi admitted with a shrug before continuing to eat his lunch. "Mmm...this could really use some soy sauce though." She meanwhile thought to herself.

After a few minutes, Kobayakawa pulled out a USB and stuck it into his computer before taking it out and giving it to the masked woman.

"And this hard drive contains what I'm looking for, right?" Miyabi questioned. "I don't like people who waste my time."

"I-I promise it has everything you need." The principal assured.

"Okay. Now, I want to delete those copies. I don't want anyone else finding out who the Phantom Thieves are yet."

"I-If you're so interested in them, m-maybe we can work together." Kobayakawa soon offered. "Yes, with my resources and your...um, skills, we can take them down."

SHINK!

"Don't push it scum." Miyabi bluntly ordered, katana already out and near the man's neck.

Kobayakawa soon whimpered in fear to the order. "Y-Y-Yes, sir." He stammered out.

STAB!

Immediately, a stab went into the man's chair in between his legs. "I'M A WOMAN! I HAVE TITS YOU PIECE OF LARD!" Miyabi roared.

"Yes, ma'am!" Kobayakawa squeaked. "I just thought you commanded respect!" He then explained before pausing. "...I like that in a woman." He soon admitted.

"I will turn you into a kebab if you touch me sicko." Miyabi slowly growled out.

"Yes, ma'am." Kobayakawa squeaked.

"Now delete those files now before I really lose my temper." The masked woman ordered.

Kobayakawa immediately reached for his computer and did so. "Done." He got out.

"Thank you. Have a lovely day." Miyabi thanked in satisfaction. "Oh, I'll know if you call the police or tell someone else. And as soon as you do, you die. Or I switch your balls with your eyes. Or both. Either way, it won't be pleasant, got it?" She then threatened.

"I swear on my heart!" Kobayakawa squeaked.

"Good." Miyabi stated before stepping on the windowsill. "And clean yourself up, pig. You have to make yourself presentable if you want to ensure nothing happened here." She then advised before jumping out the window.

After staying still for about ten minutes from fear, he fumbled grabbing the phone before calling his superiors.

"S-Sir...w-we have a new problem..." Kobayakawa fearfully got out over the phone. "...Hello? Hello...?" He soon got out before checking the phone...only to see that the power cord had been cut.

He soon patted himself down before slumping in his seat.

She had stolen his smartphone as well.


(Aoyama-Itchome, Alleyway)

CRUSH!

"...Probably should've kept it." Miyabi realised before shrugging. "Too late now, I guess." She soon got out before tossing the scraps into a recycling bin.

She then took off her mask and top, revealing her simple white bra, and began to wipe the sweat off her skin.

"Hoooh...that outfit is too heavy for this weather..." Miyabi panted out as she wiped the sweat from her brow. "But, I have the info I need. Hehe, still got it." She then got out with a smirk of confidence.

She soon checked the time and frowned. She'll need to spend some time going over the files in USB before she made her next move.

Slight problem though...

"...I gotta find a computer to use now." Miyabi soon realized. "...Internet cafe it is. Better than lugging around one of those heavy monitors and hard drives." She soon decided. There were a lot of people to pickpocket in Tokyo, enough to afford at least a few hours.

And so she vanished with the shadows.


(7/22, Afternoon)

(Shujin Academy, Classroom)

"Hey, what did you get for question 8?" Ann whispered to Akira.

"Wrong." Akira automatically answered.

"Oh." The ash blonde deadpanned as she turned back to her paper.

BZZT! BZZT!

"Goddammit Ryuji." Homura grumbled under her breath as the trio pulled out their phones.

[FireGirl20: FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, RYUJI! WE WILL TELL YOU WHEN ALIBABA IS GOING TO CALL US! WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF CLASSES SO PAY ATTENTION!]

[Alibaba9: What a rude greeting.]

"...Whoops." Homura thought as the two Leaders sweatdropped.

[Alibaba9: Good day, ladies and gentleman.]

[SushiRoll23: Um, hi? Sorry, we're kind of on edge...]

[FireGirl20: No hard feelings.]

[TheWildJ0ker: Good day to you too.]

[Alibaba9: Good to see you have responded and gained good manners.]

[Alibaba9: Once again, I am Alibaba.]

[Alibaba9: You are all the founders of the Phantom Thieves, correct?]

[TheWildJ0ker: Who are you again?]

[FireGirl20: Yeah? So?]

[SushiRoll23: Joker! Look back on the messages!]

[Alibaba9: I already said, I am Alibaba. I assume you've received the calling card?]

[SushiRoll23: So it really was from you...]

[Alibaba9: Are you at school right now?]

[TheWildJ0ker: Who are you again?]

"Akira, seriously?" Homura whispered to the boy in confusion before shaking her head when she saw the smirk.

[Alibaba9: I'll answer that question as many times as is necessary.]

[Alibaba9: I am Alibaba.]

[Alibaba9: And you are Akira Kurusu, Asuka Shirokage and Homura Shinkukage.]

[Alibaba9: Remember who holds all the cards here.]

[Alibaba9: Speaking of cards, I have prepared the calling card for you.]

[Alibaba9: When are you going to steal it?]

[TheWildJ0ker: Who are you again?]

"Alright, that's funny but be serious here." Asuka chided.

[FireGirl20: Please ignore the above idiot. Look, it's not happening anytime soon. These things take a bit.]

[SushiRoll23: Besides, we need info.]

[IAMALIBABAYOUIDIOT: Please refer to my IM name if you wish to ask that question again.]

[IAMALIBABAYOUIDIOT: Anyways, aren't you able to steal a heart as long as you have a calling card?]

[TheWildJ0ker: We need a name, IAMALIBABAYOUIDIOT.]

"Jeez, you're gonna piss them off..." Homura mentally groaned.

[SushiRoll23: The calling card alone is worthless without a target.]

[IAMALIBABAYOUIDIOT: ...A name? Is your heart thievery impossible without such information?]

[FireGirl20: Look, we need a name or else that calling card goes in the trash.]

[IAMALIBABAYOUIDIOT: ...I see. Hm, I suppose past calling cards did have names on them.]

[SushiRoll23: Just tell us the name and we'll start our work right away. I promise.]

[IAMALIBABAYOUIDIOT: One moment.]

"Come on...we don't have all day, you stupid hacker..." Homura grumbled under her breath.

"Stay calm. We'll get through this." Asuka assured as the hacker came back online.

[IAMALIBABAYOUIDIOT: Very well, I'll tell you.]

(...)

[IAMALIBABAYOUIDIOT: I believe their name was...Futaba Sakura.]

"Sakura?" Akira and Asuka whispered out as their eyes widened.

"Hm?" Homura hummed out in confusion.

"Boss' name. Sojiro Sakura." Akira replied as they went back to the conversation.

[IAMALIBABAYOUIDIOT: If you fail in this mission, I will expose not only your identities to the world and to the police, but also the existence of shinobi...with Asuka Shirokage as the first.]

[IAMALIBABAYOUIDIOT: What would the world think when a famous model turns out to be a bloodthirsty killer? Everyone knows your face already.]

Asuka started to hyperventilate and sweat as every bad scenario she could ever think of played in her head. "B-But I'm not bloodthirsty..." She whispered.

"You son of a bitch..." Homura growled out.

"Why do we keep getting blackmailed...?" Akira whispered out.

[Alibaba9: Well then, I'll be counting on you all. We shall speak again after the change of heart.]

[TheWildJ0ker: One last question. Really important to our plans.]

[Alibaba9: Sure. What is it?]

[TheWildJ0ker: Who are you again?]

[Alibaba9: ...]

"They hung up..." The three thought in unison, with the girls sweatdropping.

[FireGirl20: Nice going, asshole.]

[SushiRoll23: PAHASTOMTNHEIVBMETTINGNOW!]

[TheWildJ0ker: Already on it, Asuka. We're meeting at the alleyway as soon as the bell rings, got it?]

[FireGirl20: We'll be there.]

Then, once the text conversation was over, they put away their phones, grabbed their bags...and screamed into them.

"I know this test was sudden, but it's not that hard..." Kawakami muttered as she shook her head.


(7/21, After School)

(Asuka's Shinobi Kekkai)

"We're gonna get reported if we don't do this...? What the hell..." Ryuji got out in disbelief. This was getting way bigger than initially thought.

"Not only that, they're willing to reveal the existence of shinobi to the whole goddamn world." Homura growled in frustration.

"Starting with me..." Asuka mumbled in a worried tone, touching her fingers together.

"There's no way we're gonna let that happen, Asuka-chan." Ann reassured as she patted her fellow model's back.

"Who the hell is Futaba Sakura anyways?" Ryuji meanwhile asked.

"Doesn't she share the same family name as Boss'?" Ann soon pointed out as the Advisor nodded.

"Yep." Akira responded with a nod.

"Does he have any family?" Makoto soon asked.

"...Does he?" Morgana soon questioned now that he thought about it.

"...No." Akira answered in an unsure tone. "I think he has a girlfriend but...I really don't know anything about his personal life..." He then admitted.

"For real!? How laid-back are you!?" Ryuji exclaimed. "Wouldn't you normally be introduced at least? I mean, you are living at his place." He then added.

"Well, his situation does make things difficult..." Yusuke reminded.

"Yeah, he's not exactly the most open person." Akira sighed.

"The calling card was delivered to Boss' house; it'd be more natural to assume this is all related." Makoto soon pointed out. "One of the reasons for that is because Alibaba mentioned nothing about which Futaba Sakura. Perhaps they think that the name alone is enough."

"That makes sense." Morgana agreed.

"I believe it's adequate for us to think that this is the doing of someone close by." Makoto then stated.

"I see." Ann got out with a nod.

"I don't know how Alibaba got a hold of all their smartphone information in the first place though..." Makoto soon muttered. "However, since they're ordering us through chat, I do feel as though they're taunting us." She then stated.

"You mean, this might just be a prank?" Ryuji guessed.

"I mean, look at their demands. Pay me if you don't want me to leak who you really are, that I'd understand. But they're telling us to steal someone's heart without explaining why." Makoto soon explained.

"So we're being tested?" Yusuke spoke up.

"It's a possibility." Yumi got out. "But this is simply too serious for it to be a simple joke." She then added as she shook her head.

"Yeah. We can't ignore that they know about shinobi." Asuka stated with a shake of her head.

"Regardless, I think we should ask Boss about Futaba Sakura once." Makoto suggested,

"That's probably for the best. There's nothing else we can do at the moment, and Chief might have an idea on what this is about too." Morgana agreed.

"Um, I would like to remind everyone that he kind of hates me. And I doubt possibly prying into family matters is going to improve that." Akira pointed out. "My Hierophants aren't getting any stronger for a reason after all..." He mentally added.

"I'll ask him about Futaba-chan then." Asuka offered. "He's a lot nicer to me, maybe he'll talk more if I ask instead. I'll come with you home tonight, say it's a study session." She then added.

"Good idea. I'll check the school's roster just in case too." Makoto replied.

"We must make sure Boss doesn't figure out who we are. We'll have to go about this cautiously." Yusuke advised.

"In the meanwhile, I'll get my informants to start gathering info on our target as well. Even a scrap of info could blow this wide open." Yumi stated. "Hopefully, this entire mess will end before the end of summer break." She then got out.

"Let this be a Mementos request...for the love of god let it be as simple as beating their Shadow into submission..." Homura prayed to whatever higher power was making them their cosmic plaything.

"In any case, you guys go and do normal stuff while me and Asuka go and ask Boss. And watch out for our local Phantom Hunter." Akira soon ordered.

Nodding in response to this, the Vice Leader dropped the Kekkai and all went their separate ways for the day.


(Shujin Academy, School Gate)

After a long day of patrolling the school and making sure everything is in working order, Homura was seen walking out from the gates.

"Jeez, summer's gonna be coming soon and everything is still crazy like always..." The tan skinned girl muttered to herself as a sigh then escaped her lips before she then looked over her shoulder to see her other committee members heading out and waved at them. "Ah, Suzu, over here!" She called out.

Suzuka looked over to her, but didn't say anything and just continued on. Her head was even lowered, like she didn't want to look at her.

"Hm?" Homura hummed out, now in concern to the lack of a response. "What's up with Suzu?" She thought as she decided to follow her.


(Aoyama-Itchome, Subway Platform)

Suzuka headed for the station and hopped on a train, as if not really caring where it was heading.

"Suzu?" Homura thought in confusion as she got herself on the subway as well.


(Inokashira Park)

The train eventually arrives at Inokashira Park where Suzuka got off and heads for the a bridge that overlooks the massive lake in the center of the park.

"Oi, Suzu." Homura called out as she went over to her committee member.

"Hmm?" Suzuka looked over her shoulder to see her leader. "Homura? What are you doing here?" She soon asked in confusion.

"Well I called out to you back at the school and you didn't respond and it looked like you were distracted with something." Homura explained. "So, is something wrong?" She then asked in concern.

"I guess since you followed me all the way here, I'll tell you." Suzuka sighed as she looked over Nanai Bridge. "You remember how I told you about my brother, right? And how we used to be so close together?" She soon asked as she leaned over the railing.

"Of course." Homura replied as she also went over and leaned on the railing next to her committee member. "Did something happen between the two of you?" She then asked.

"We...had a really bad argument..." Suzuka hesitantly revealed as she lowered her head down to the water. "I went to check on him to see how he was doing, but he didn't want to talk to me..." She then explained.

"Do you think something's wrong with him?" Homura soon guessed.

"Yeah, we haven't been seeing each other for a while, so I kinda wanted to see if he wanted to hang out like we usually do." Suzuka nodded "So I went to his room, but he had his door locked and I had to knock on it. It took a couple of minutes for him to finally answer the door, but it really went downhill from there."

Homura in turn winced upon hearing that. "That bad?" She guessed in an uneasy tone.

"Yeah, really bad..." Suzuka sighed as she took off her ribbon and let her hair down. "I really wanted him to be like the brother I knew, but he just shot off and said that he was dead... He even told me that I wasn't his sister anymore and slammed the door in front of me..." She looked at the ribbon in her hand.

"Huh? Why would he say something like that?" Homura soon asked, confused even imagining hearing something like that being said.

"It's because of what happened when he was in elementary school..." Suzuka soon revealed. "Back then, he was still the cute little brother I could ever ask for and he even said I was his favorite sister. You wouldn't believe how close we were back then, even our mom thought how adorable we were." She then added as she smiled a little bit.

"Ah, so you used to gush over him." Homura guessed, thinking of how she treated her roommate.

"Okay, you got me. I did back then." Suzuka giggled at this. "Even this ribbon was a birthday gift for me back when I turned 13." She then revealed.

"Hehe, so it's a memento." Homura guessed with a giggle. "So, what happened in elementary school?" She then asked to get back on track.

"He...was attacked by a group of bullies who were hired by his teacher..." Suzuka soon revealed, lowered her head and gripped her ribbon.

"!?" Homura's eyes immediately widened to learn that while looking at her committee member in disbelief.

"He didn't like how my brother was a bright student and wanted to make him suffer..." Suzuka continues on. "So he brought in some bullies to attack him on his way home and they nearly beat him to near death until I arrived and saved him..." She then revealed.

"S-Seriously? That sounds a lot like Kamoshida..." Homura got out before growling in disgust at even imagining something like that occurring.

"Oh believe me, he was even worse than Kamoshida." Suzuka sighed. "He was considered to be the worst teacher in his school and he even accepted bribes from the parents of the other students to give them better grades while also taking down the actual good students. My brother included." She then informed her.

"And this guy wasn't fired?" Homura asked in disbelief.

"No, he kept his record clean to make sure that no one knows about his actions." Suzuka shook her head.

"Damn," Homura got out. "So your brother changed after that incident?" She then asked.

"Yeah, he did. He even gained PTSD from that moment and he started to isolate himself from me and mom..." Suzuka revealed to her "Even after his teacher was found out and finally fired, everything about him changed...He was no longer the brother I knew and loved..." She soon mumbled as she started to cry.

"Jeez..." Homura got out as she placed a hand on her committee member's shoulder. "I'm sorry that happened to you Suzu." She then apologized in a sympathetic tone.

"It's not your fault, Homura. You don't have to apologize." Suzuka responded. "I'm just really worried that something bad is going to happen to him if he doesn't change...If anything were to happen, then I..." She then started before trailing as she couldn't hold back her tears and let it all out. Her ribbon even falls out from her hand.

In response to this, Homura pulled her committee member into a tight hug, her breasts pressing against the other girl while she rubbed her head.

"I...I just want him back...! I want my little brother back...!" Suzuka cried into the tan skinned girl's breasts. "That monster took him away from us and now he's...!" She got out as she hugged her leader even tighter and fell to her knees.

"Sheesh, it's ok Suzu, let it all out..." Homura responded in a comforting tone.

"Why?! Why did have to be him?! He didn't do anything wrong and now he's changed to someone I don't even know anymore!" Suzuka cried even more "Why couldn't it have been me?! Why did he have to suffer! IT'S JUST NOT FAIR!" She questioned and declared in frustration.

"Sometimes...there's just scum in the world..." Homura hesitantly answered. "So, was this the reason you wanted to join the committee? To prevent incidents like what happened to your brother from happening to anyone else?" She soon asked.

Suzuka didn't answer as she was still crying, but nodded to her question. The thought of losing her brother made her so scared that she didn't know the wind blew away her ribbon from the Nanai Bridge.

Homura however noticed this as she made sure to keep an eye on it. "I'll get it back for her later." She thought as she continued comforting the girl, feeling her bond with improving as a result of learning about her past.

RANK UP! STAR RANK 3

Therapy: Increases the amount of time before succumbing to darkness if inflicted with Despair.

After a couple of minutes of crying, Suzuka had finally calmed down as she wiped her tears and blew her nose on some tissues.

"Feeling a bit better Suzu?" Homura soon asked as she helped bring the girl to her feet.

"Yeah, I'm okay now." Suzuka sniffed. "Sorry you had to see that. I just couldn't handle the thought of losing my brother and I couldn't hold it back any longer." She then apologized.

"It's ok Suzu, everyone has a breaking point." Homura replied in reassurance.

"I know, but that was still embarrassing for you to see me at my lowest." Suzuka rubbed the back of her head "I was just so scared of losing him, I didn't know what to do. I feel so powerless to help him."

"We all have moments like that." Homura responded. "Maybe you should head home for now." She then suggested.

"Yeah, we probably should. My mom's probably wondering where I am since I haven't called her yet." Suzuka replied in agreement until she noticed something was missing. "Huh? My ribbon! Where did my ribbon go?! I had it in my hand and now it's gone!" She then stated as she checked her pockets on her skirt, her bag and even lifted her shirt to see if it fell there.

"Hey hey hey, you head home and rest and I'll find it for you." Homura offered with a smile to calm her down.

"You will? You'll really find it?" Suzuka turned to her.

Homura in response nodded in reassurance.

Suzuka couldn't contain her happiness and hugged her. "Thank you, Homura! You're the best!" She declared in a grateful manner.

"Huh? Ah it's not a big deal." Homura giggled out.

"But it really is. That ribbon was the last thing my brother gave me before his sudden change." Suzuka responded. "As I said before, he gave it to me on my 13th birthday and I've been wearing it ever since. It really holds a lot of memories for me and he might not care, but he still remembers the day when he gave it to me." She then explained once more.

"Leave it to me then to get your ribbon back." Homura replied.

"Thank you, Homura! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Suzuka excitedly declared and smiled even more as she tightened her hug on the tan skinned girl and even lifted her up.

"W-Whoa Suzu." Homura got out, though smiled in response.

"Oh, sorry, Homura." Suzuka apologized as she put her back down. "I couldn't contain my joy and I had to hug you for wanting to find my ribbon." She then admitted.

"It's ok." Homura responded while waving off. "You better go home for now. I'll see you at school." She then advised.

"Ok, I'll see you tomorrow then." Suzuka nodded as she headed back to the station.

Giving a thumbs up in response, Homura watched her committee member leave as she then looked in the direction where the ribbon went before...

WHOOSH!

The wind blew towards her as the ribbon flew in the opposite direction.

"Come on, come on..." Homura quietly got out as she dashed out and reached for the item.

The ribbon continues to fly to the other side of the pond where it gets caught on a branch of one of the trees.

"Yosh." Homura got out in relief as she got to where it was and picked it up. "I'll return this to her tomorrow." She then decided as she pocketed the ribbon.

Once that was done, she headed back to the station and headed for home.


(Yongen-Jaya, Leblanc)

Asuka took in a deep breath as she went through the entrance of the cafe with Akira, the bell ringing to turn Sojiro's attention away from cleaning the counter.

RING RING!

"Asuka-chan." The cafe owner greeted with a warm smile. "You've been coming here more frequently. Are you ready to work?"

"Sorry, but I'm just here to study with Akira-kun." Asuka apologized before looking down at the ground. "Actually, I wanted to ask you about something first." She then started.

"Hm? What's up?" Sojiro got out.

"Uhh..." Asuka has been trying to figure out a way to get the info they needed subtly, but she just couldn't think of anything. "Do you know someone named Futaba Sakura?" She soon asked.

"..." Sojiro narrowed his eyes, glancing towards his charge before focusing back on his employee. "Where did you get that from?" He soon asked in a cold tone.

The Vice Leader's heart felt like it was dipped in ice water. She had never gotten a look like that before. "U-Uh...Um..." Asuka stammered out.

"Actually, I don't care." Sojiro soon interrupted before heading towards the door. "It's got nothing to do with you." He soon stated.

"But...Boss..." Asuka tried to speak up, however...

"Mention that name again, and you're fired." Sojiro instantly threatened. "I'm going home. Akira, make sure you lock up the place before you head up." He then ordered.

Akira could only nod silently as the owner left. "...Well, that couldn't have gone better." He sighed.

"B-Boss is scary when he's mad." Asuka admitted with a shiver.

"Looks like it's a hit." Morgana stated as the Vice Leader pulled out her phone.

"...Futaba Sakura." Asuka spoke into the Meta Nav.

[Candidate found.]

Suddenly, the world distorted around them for a few moments before returning to normal.

"Palace confirmed." Akira got out with a frown.

"Futaba-chan certainly exists and this isn't something we can solve in Mementos." Asuka then stated.

"I think I'm starting to assemble a picture..." Akira muttered out. "But we need more information." He then added.

"What do we do now?" Asuka asked.

"...Start making lockpicks." Akira replied as he started going to his room.


(Shibuya, Shin Megami Apartment Complex)

The tan skinned girl was watching TV, making sure to take notes on anything related to Medjed, when she heard the door open. "Hey, Sis. Welcome back." Homura greeted as her roommate stepped into the apartment.

"Hey, Homu-nee." Asuka replied as she set down her bag and sat next to her.

"How was the study session?" Homura asked.

"We learned a bit." Asuka simply answered.

"Like?" Homuta pressed.

BZZT! BZZT!

"One second." Asuka sighed as they both pulled out their phones.

[Sweetkat06: Oh, I just remembered!]

[Sweetkat06: Asuka, Akira. Were you able to ask about Futaba Sakura?]

[TheWildJ0ker: We tried but he didn't say anything.]

[SushiRoll23: He got really mad too. Threatened to fire me if I said her name again.]

[Road2Queen: I guess Asuka will need to stay away from Boss about it...]

[TheWildJ0ker: But we did confirm Futaba exists and she has a Palace.]

[Shut7heFUp: Damn...]

[FireGirl20: So much for Mementos...]

[All4Painting: Could there be a reason as to why that was?]

[Negative8Degrees: It's quite obvious he knows who she is. Could she be a relative?]

[Negative8Degrees: There has to be a reason why he seemed mad...]

[Road2Queen: Hm. Alibaba might be our only hope of defeating Medjed. I wish we could get some info about Futaba from Boss...]

[Sweetkat06: But trying to force it out would probably have the opposite effect.]

[All4Painting: To be honest, I owe a great deal to both Boss and Akira. I don't wish for this to be a source of discord between them.]

[Shut7heFUp: Yeah, I know just what you mean!]

[Road2Queen: It's probably best to wait for Boss to bring the subject up himself.]

[FireGirl20: Like where we heard the name? That's going to raise some red flags to him if we tell the truth.]

[Negative8Degrees: Or lie. Either way, we are in very difficult positions.]

[SushiRoll23: Is waiting even an option now?]

[Road2Queen: Unfortunately, we can only wait and see.]

"I guess our investigation continues into tomorrow." Homura sighed as she put down her phone.

"Is Medjed really going to just doxx people just because they like the Phantom Thieves?" Asuka got out in a worried tone.

"There are at least a couple thousand on the forum!" Homura pointed out as she checked the Phan-site. "And it's all anonymous anyways. I think they're bluffing." She then stated.

"But...people are making a big deal about it. They're going to do something." Asuka however stated.

"Ah, they're just a bunch of piss babies and shitheads trying to dethrone us." Homura got out, putting air quotes around 'dethrone'. "At best, we'll just have to worry about Mishima and the Phan-site itself." She then added.

"Homu-nee, didn't you say we shouldn't get overconfident?" Asuka however pointed out.

"It's not overconfidence, it's just true." Homura sighed out. "Look, so far this has been all bark. If you want us to be serious, try and bite us. But they better prepare to be bitten back." She then stated.

To that, Asuka thought about it, the idea appearing to be appealing to her. "Yeah...Yeah! Bring it on!" She soon declared in a readied manner.

Homura in turn smiled as she rubbed her roommate's head. "There you go!" She praised in approval. "Of course, we have no way of biting back without Alibaba so hopefully I'm right." She awkwardly added.

"Homu-nee!" Asuka chidded in amusement as she pushed her roommate off the couch. "Come on, bath then bed." She then requested.

"Alright..." Homura giggled before getting up.


(7/22, Early Morning)

(Shibuya, Shin Megami Apartment Complex)

Another morning, another day of school…

The two roommates were out in the hallway, locking the door to their apartment when Homura glanced at the door next to them. Apartment 270.

"Hey Sis, I'm gonna check on Miyabi real quick." Homura informed her roommate. "Hopefully she says something that'll give us an advantage over her." She then mumbled under her breath.

"Hai. I'll be just around the corner." Asuka replied with a nod.

"Actually, go on without me. Don't want you getting caught." Homura advised as she pushed her forward.

"I won't." Asuka whined out.

"I am not taking chances here, Sis." Homura sighed out. "Go and head for the station and I'll meet you there." She then instructed.

"...Fine, but don't keep me waiting too long." Asuka hesitantly replied.

"We'd be late otherwise." Homura awkwardly chuckled as Asuka left. "Okay, now to check if Miyabi is- What the hell!?" She then exclaimed before realising it was just the white haired girl pulling her aside.

"Oi, when are you going to start helping me with the Phantom Thieves things?" Miyabi asked with an impatient look on her face.

"I'm busy right now." Homura responded.

"With what exactly?" Miyabi pressed.

"None of your business." Homura denied answering. "Actually, what are you doing?" She soon questioned.

"Your mission." Miyabi answered with a glare. "We're supposed to work together, Homura. We're comrades." She then reminded as she leaned forward, pressing her breasts against the tan skinned girl.

"Look, just wait until summer break and I'll get onto finding that power. I have more than a few obligations right now." Homura sighed out.

"Homura, if you were serious about finding the power behind the incidents, you wouldn't have such obligations." Miyabi pointed out. "It's not required to join clubs at Shujin, and the school is a cover anyways. You shouldn't even have friends. If we were actually trying, you would be back at Hebijo right now. So tell me...What. Are. You. Doing?" She soon questioned in a tense tone.

Homura however narrowed her eyes to what the daughter of Hebijo's Principal was saying. "Persistent little..." She thought to herself in annoyance.

"Well?" Miyabi got out in a forceful tone, waiting for the tan skinned girl's answer or, more appropriately, her excuse.

Homura, having no time to think of said excuse, just blurted out the first thing that came to her mind. "...I'm seducing multiple people." She suddenly answered.

"Excuse me?" Miyabi got out in surprise.

"Hey, I gotta go good-bye Miyabi!" Homura quickly ended the conversation and dashed off before the white haired woman could respond.

"...Is she really that good?" Miyabi thought with a raised eyebrow. "I have to step up my game then." She then got out before heading out.


(Aoyama-Itchome, Shujin Academy Front Gates)

"Have you guys been getting a good night's sleep lately?" Akira groaned as he held his forehead while the three walked to school.

"My dreams haven't been all that fun lately." Asuka admitted with a sigh.

"I guess that's what happens when you live next to the enemy who would kill you without you knowing." Homura groaned as another member of the Thieves joined the group.

"Yo." Ryuji soon greeted.

"Hey Ryuji-kun." Asuka replied with a smile.

"The end of the first semester is the day after tomorrow, but we still got all this lame shit comin' up..." Ryuji grumbled.

"If you don't take care of this lame shit, you can kiss your summer vacation goodbye."

"Man...we actually survived to summer break." Homura muttered in amazement. "I admit, after that crap at the castle, I thought we would be dead by now. Go us." She then giggled.

"Yeah." Asuka agreed with a nod before gasping. "Ooh! Maybe it's another chance to visit my friends again!" She soon realised before remembering their situation. "Erm...after we deal with Medjed. And Alibaba. And Miyabi-chan. Moh..." She then groaned.

"Alibaba could've at least used a name starting with M..." Akira sighed.

"Oh yeah, about this Futaba Sakura girl..." Ryuji began as he frowned. "If she's related to Boss, think people livin' nearby would know about her?" He soon assumed.

"That's some keen intuition coming from you, Ryuji. You should have used more of that on your exams." Morgana remarked.

"Ugh, I never wanna think about exams ever again..." Ryuji groaned. "Anyway, askin' around in your neighborhood might be the fastest way to figure this shit out. Then again, I doubt it'll be that easy. It never is..." He then sighed.

"Comes with the territory of sticking your nose into something you shouldn't." Akira simply stated as they walked together to school.

But as they did, Homura soon noticed a familiar face. "Oh that's right, I have to return Suzu's ribbon." She thought as she looked at her friends. "You guys go on ahead. I'll see you in class." She then informed before walking off. "Hey! Suzuka!"

"Oh, hey buchou." Suzuka greeted. "Good morning."

"Good morning to you too. And look, I have something for you~!" Homura replied as she held out the ribbon.

"My ribbon!" Suzuka got out with a smile.

"Hehe, I told you I would get it back." Homura reminded with a giggle.

Suzuka in turn sighed in relief. "Thank you so much Homura." She replied in a grateful manner.

At that moment however...

"Kya~! It's Homura-senpai!" A female underclassman quietly squealed in excitement and hearts in her eyes.

"She's so beautiful." A male underclassman got out in awe.

"As expected of one of the Queens. Helping out others when they need it." Another male underclassmen added.

"Even I gotta admit she's doing a good job." A female second year admitted in an impressed manner.

"Hell yeah, a lot better than the teachers here." A male second year got out in agreement.

"...Seriously?" Homura meanwhile muttered in a curious manner to hearing those positive comments about her.

"Hehe, looks like you're getting admirers." Suzuka got out. "Though this is way different than Kamoshida." She then added.

"Queens, though...?" Homura muttered as the events of the castle flashed through her head. "Ugh...admiration is starting to drift into worship territory there..." She then grumbled.

"It's only the minority. You deserve a little something for all you've done." Suzuka assured.

"I just make sure people don't smoke in the bathrooms or catch people doing what they shouldn't be doing in a school environment." Homura however pointed out. "Everyone should be giving you and everyone else in the committee the same respect at least." She then encouraged before sighing. "Well...most of you guys..." She soon mumbled.

"Come on, just accept the praise. There's nothing wrong with being a queen."

"Not until another king comes and takes my place." Homura grumbled as more memories of the castle flashed through her mind. However, she was snapped out of them when someone approached her.

"H-Homura-senpai!" The female first year suddenly got out. "P-Please accept this!" She soon requested as she thrusted something out.

"Eh?" Homura got out in confusion to the sudden request.

"Look at that, free sweets Homura." Suzuka giggled as she playfully nudged the tan skinned girl's side to the girl offering the bag of cookies.

Homura meanwhile blinked at the gift to her.

"Look, I appreciate the respect, but don't go around calling me a queen." Homura requested as she took the cookies. "It's an insult to not only me, but to everyone in my committee trying their best to make sure the students here wake up wanting to go, okay?" She soon stated. "I mean, it would be the same situation when Kamoshida was here. Not everyone will be as be...be..." She then began before trying to think of the right word.

"Benevelot?" Suzuka guessed.

"Thank you- benevelot as I am." Homura finished.

"But you're so cool, Homura-senpai."

"And we know you'd never become like that scum Kamoshida."

Homura looked around only to see Ryuji and Akira standing in their own little corner, watching the whole thing unfold while people walked around them. "...Cool or not, I'm not above you." She soon stated as she broke off from the crowd and joined the boys.

"Oh...she's still friends with them...?"

"It's been months. I thought they would drive all the girls away from them by now."

"Probably making sure they don't hurt anyone..."

"Kamoshida leaked his criminal record, right?"

"Wait, Kamoshida was the one who forced the rumors about them in the first place, so maybe they aren't that bad?"

"It was a crappy thing to do, but he still assaulted someone. There's nothing refuting that..."

"...The mental gymnastics to keep their world view..." Suzuka thought with a shake of her head before turning her gaze towards the three friends. "Has anyone here even heard his side of the story...?" She soon mumbled to herself.

RING RING RING!

"Alright everyone, make your way to class right now please." Homura soon instructed in a polite manner, motioning the students to the doors.

"Homura...you're not a teacher." Ryuji reminded.

"Don't take this away from me." Homura however ordered in a blunt manner, hearing giggling from the female underclassmen to their antics, causing her to blush and sigh while they all headed to class as well.


(7/22, Morning)

(Shujin Academy, Classroom)

"Summer vacation's starting soon, but don't forget there's an urgent assembly on Monday. We'll be taking attendance. There's been an unusual number of strange incidents this year." Ushimaru informed and advised.

"Yeah, almost as if it's supernatural." Akira mumbled under his breath.

"Wait, unusual? There's a usual number of strange incidents...?" Ann questioned before blinking. "Actually, I can see that." She then admitted.

"Don't do anything stupid over break, got it? Don't go to some shady place like the Red Light District, and don't go to the beach after dark." Ushimaru soon informed.

"Too late about the Red Light District, Ushimaru." Akira however thought to himself.

"Don't go to the beach after dark. Yeah, we'll totally do that." Homura mumbled sarcastically as she rolled her eyes.

"Beach..." Asuka whispered out. "I wanna go to the beach!" She mentally declared.

"Yeah, with this heat, I wanna jump in some cold water..." Morgana sighed dreamily. "Seems like we won't be having fun on our summer break for a while though..." He then lamented.

"Moh..." Asuka groaned as the day went on.


(7/22, Lunchtime)

(Courtyard)

"People are starting to call those two Queens..."

"Ugh, from dick sucking to clit sucking..."

"Hey, better them than Kamoshida..."

"After the crap Makoto-senpai went through, she deserves some respect."

"She's totally making it up to save face...no one would accept her otherwise…"

"Why did I decide to spend my lunch here?" Homura muttered to herself as she ate the last of her bread. She then took a deep breath as she looked at the sky. "I wish I had tetanus…" She then mumbled.

"Tinnitus." A fluffy haired girl casually corrected as she passed by the girl.

"Thank you." Homura offhandedly replied.

"Oh, Homura-san." Makoto got out as she started approaching her.

"Ah, Makoto-senpai. Good afternoon." Homura greeted as she watched her friend sit down next to her.

"Are you ever going to stop that?" Makoto sighed.

"Not really." Homura replied. "Like I said, compared to the other seniors I have, I respect you more." She then revealed.

"It would be more respectful if you treated me like an equal." Makoto mumbled.

"But that is my way of treating you as an equal." Homura pointed out with a smile.

"By...?" Makoto began with a raised eyebrow.

"...Y-You know..." Homura mumbled out.

"Homura-san..." Makoto sighed out from rendering her friend speechless. "We're friends first, teammates second, senior and junior third. You don't need to be so formal with me." She then stated.

"But...I just feel as though you deserve it..." Homura grumbled out with a small pout.

"Maybe. But I don't want it." Makoto however revealed while placing a hand on her shoulder. "You're awfully stubborn when it comes to things like respect." She then pointed out.

"...It's my only real strong suit..." Homura admitted. "...Makoto...san?" She soon tested out, and visibly cringed. God, that felt weird.

"Just Makoto will suffice." Makoto replied.

"You know, this is actually an opportunity." Homura suddenly started.

"An...opportunity?" Makoto repeated with a raised eyebrow before a gleam of excitement came to her eyes. "Oh, is it more training? I mean, I think my wrist still makes-" She then began.

"No, that's on Akira." Homura informed as she shook her head. "Actually, he's due a session soon now that I think about it." She soon muttered before shaking her head. "Ah, getting sidetracked. What I'm trying to say is that I need your help." She soon stated and revealed.

"Help?" Makoto got out in confusion with a raised eyebrow.

"I need to be more mature. Makoto, I request that you please give me maturity training!" Homura eventually informed and declared.

"Maturity training?" Makoto repeated, curious to learning this. "I don't know. With so much going on, it might not be possible." She soon replied.

"Then let's do it after we take care of the next Palace." Homura then suggested.

"I mean...I'm not exactly sure what maturity training will entail..." Makoto soon admitted. "It's kind of a vague thing to improve..." She then pointed out.

"Ah...well...um..." Homura began as she tried and think about what it meant. "You know, I admit, I thought you'd know what to do. That's why I was asking you." She soon confessed and revealed.

"Well...Maturity comes from life experience. It can't be taught." Makoto explained. "It's how you face situations, it's not something I can just give you an answer to. Plus, you're already quite mature yourself."

"You say that, but I still can't get myself a part time job so I don't practically mooch off Sis because I snap at the managers..." Homura mumbled in depression.

"Then you need to see the career's counsellor." Makoto recommended. "There's also a few job workshops I can recommend to help you with interviews." She then offered.

"Makoto, my issue is that I still have moments where I lose my cool and snap at others." Homura confessed.

"...Then that's anger management." Makoto pointed out before blinking. "...You want me to give you free anger management as part of training?" She soon realised. She had plenty of that experience now that she thought about it.

The tan skinned girl sheepishly nodded, causing Makoto to sigh. "I'll need to do some research then. Why do you want this training from me to begin with, anyways?" She then asked.

Homura in response sighed as she looked at her friend. "Well, I keep telling people not to put us on a pedestal and call us the Queens of Shujin Academy," She started as she took out the bag of cookies given to her that morning. "But, I do want to be a mature leader for everyone at Shujin they can rely on at least." She then admitted.

"Ah, you got cookies too." Makoto giggled out, confusing the tan skinned girl as she revealed her own similar bag. "Some of the first years gave it to me apologizing over how they treated me during the recent events this year." She soon explained.

"Really? They apologized?" Homura asked, glad to hear that.

"Yeah. It's...a little weird to be honest." Makoto admitted.

"Now if only everyone can stop treating Ryuji and Akira like tolerable garbage and we'll all finally..." Homura began only to slump down. "Oh, who am I kidding, no one is ever going to do that. Frickin' Kamoshida..." She soon grumbled.

"I heard it's de-escalating into assault though..." Makoto tried to comfort the girl before sighing. "But...a criminal record is still a criminal record, no matter the crime. A stain that remains for the rest of your life." She soon added.

"God, how is Akira going to survive without us once he needs to leave..." Homura mumbled.

"He's stronger than you think." Makoto however reminded in a wistful manner.

"I know that, but even he can't fight against crushing reality." Homura mumbled. "...You're not just saying that 'cause you're secretly crushing on him, are you?" She then teasingly asked.

"W-What!? No! No, it was just a fake boyfriend thing." Makoto stammered out.

"Something fake can become real sometimes." Homura however pointed out. "I should know, we've changed cognitions before." Sge then stated.

Makoto's head meanwhile remained its scarlet hue. "P-Please change the subject..." She mumbled out in embarrassment.

"Alright, alright." Homura giggled out as she looked at her gift. "God, this bag is way too fancy to just hold cookies for me..." She then stated.

"...It smells like lavender." Makoto noted.

"Fit for a queen..." Homura mumbled, sounding like she died inside saying that.

"You don't want people referring to us as Queens due to Kamoshida's Palace, correct?" Makoto soon deducted.

The tan skinned girl in response sighed and nodded. "...It was the first Palace we ever went into, Kamoshida's Castle of Lust where he thought of himself as the King with the students being his slaves." Homura replied as she recalled the castle. "Oh, and his queen was Ann, an easily replaceable slut. And you do not want to know his cognition of me and Sis." She then added with a shiver.

"I could only imagine..." Makoto growled, unconsciously gritting her teeth. "...I guess my codename is a problem too, right?" She then assumed.

"No, it fits you since you dominate the enemies." Homura quickly assured. "It just doesn't fit me at all. God, I don't even want to talk about this, Makoto-senpai. It feels like everyone's forcing the title on me." She soon stated.

Makoto shook her head at that before coming to a realization. "...You feel like you don't deserve your praise." She then stated. No wonder she kept calling her senpai despite her insistence not to.

"Well, it's jarring from going your whole life being called bitch and killer to suddenly having people look up to you in admiration and call you a queen of all things." Homura grumbled. "I am not better than anyone else here. If anything, I'm less than human." She then confessed.

"Come now, don't say that Homura-san." Makoto responded. "You deserve a lot." She then added in an encouraging manner.

"It's one thing to hear it, it's another to believe it." Homura sighed. "Plus, the world doesn't really work like that. You aren't owed anything, by anyone unless it's money or a favor. You either earn it or die trying, or not trying at all. And I haven't earned that crown yet." She then stated.

"Yet?" Makoto repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"Ugh, I don't know..." The tan skinned girl groaned as she watched two students gossip. "Maybe it'll fade, maybe it'll get to my head, or maybe it'll just be our thing now and I have no way to stop it but...I lost my train of thought." She then got out.

"Homura-san..." Makoto sighed as she shook her head.

"Whatever, my point is kings and queens (not you) can suck my-" Homura soon began.

"Homura-san, you have to know it's just a title though." Makoto however reminded. "What it means depends on you. If they want to refer to us as Queens, let them. We would just have to use it the right way." She then explained.

"...Topsicles." Homura finished. "...You really believe in me, huh." She mumbled out.

"That doesn't matter. You need to believe in yourself." Makoto advised.

"...Fine, but we better make sure history doesn't repeat after we leave. I still don't like it though..." Homura relented before blinking. "...Why couldn't we be dragons!? That's way cooler than a queen!" She then added as they started eating some of their gift cookies.

Munch! Munch! Munch!

"...These are some really good cookies..." Homura admitted in an impressed manner as they ate the whole batch by the end of lunch.


(7/22, After School)

(Shujin Academy, Classroom)

RING RING RING!

"...You know, Ryuji's right." Morgana suddenly admitted.

Homura almost tripped and fell, as if the Earth shook at that statement. "I'm sorry, what?" she got out in a dumb tone.

"I agree. I think it's time we start hunting down some info around Yongen." Akira stated as he pulled out his phone. "Wanna join? More people means we can finish this faster." He then added.

"Hai, Leader. We have to do this." Asuka replied in a determined manner.

"I'll join too. You two are too soft." Homura got out. "Sometimes, you need a firmer hand." She then stated.

"Phrasing." Akira bluntly countered. "You really are Asuka's sister in all but blood." He then added.

"You damn right I am." Homura declared in a proud manner. "Even if it means upturning the whole neighborhood, we are not leaving empty-handed." She then got out with a fire in her eyes.


(Koenji, Suzui Residence)

"Glad I didn't have to up turn the whole neighborhood to find this place." Miyabi muttered to herself as she approached the door and rang the doorbell.

DING DONG!

A few seconds later, a teenage girl opened the door. "Hello." She greeted in a quiet tone.

"Good afternoon, I'm Miyabi. You must be Homura Shinkukage's friend, right?" Miyabi replied in a kind tone.

"That's...a very loose term." Shiho responded while mentally slapping herself for answering the door for a stranger. "Um, what do you need?" She soon asked.

"Well, I've been hired by your old school's principal to track down some very important people." Miyabi answered as she pulled out a notepad.

That automatically raised alarm bells. "...The Phantom Thieves." Shiho got out without realising it.

"You are a smart little lady aren't you?" Miyabi praised with a smile. "It'll only take a few minutes. I won't even step inside." She soon assured before looking inside. A lot of packed boxes and bags. Looks like she managed to catch her before she moved.

The former Shujin student meanwhile wanted to slam the door in her face. However, it might be a good opportunity to throw her off her trail. So, with reluctance, she nodded.

Miyabi smiled before going through her notes. "Now, from what I hear is that a yellow blur managed to save you. No one is really sure who or what caught you and put you back on the roof. Have you met them since?" She then stated.

"Not at all. At least, I think so. It was...It was all a blur, really." Shiho admitted as she rubbed her forehead. "I remember falling and then...this bird catching me before I hit the ground." She then added.

"A...bird?" Miyabi slowly repeated.

"At least, I think so." Shiho muttered. "They wore a mask, and a green scarf. That's all I could remember before passing out." She then added.

"Clothing isn't exactly an important clue." Miyabi stated as she frowned. "Any other distinguishing details? Eye color? Hair? Anything physical?" She then pressed.

Shiho racked her brain for a few seconds as she tried to figure out what to say. "They were...soft." She soon answered. "Pillowy. Like dough." She then got out.

"Soft..." Miyabi whispered to herself. "...Like...fat?" She then deducted.

"They are certainly plump in some areas." Shiho murmured.

"Alright..." Miyabi responded with a nod. "In any case, were you interviewed by anyone else?" She soon questioned.

"No." Shiho answered automatically.

"I see." Miyabi muttered. "Well, I think I have everything. I'm glad you're doing well." She soon thanked the girl.

"Yeah, I am too." Shiho awkwardly chuckled while turning her gaze away from the woman.

"Don't worry, you won't see me again." Miyabi soon informed before leaving. "I'll admit, I'm glad that pig Kamoshida turned himself in for causing that girl to attempt at suicide..." She thought to herself, disgusted at the mere idea of someone going through that.

And as soon as Shiho shut the door, she pulled out her phone.

[Ph4ntoms4EVER: Ann, a lady with white hair just came by asking questions about the Phantom Thieves.]

[Sweetkat06: What!?]

[Sweetkat06: Shiho, please tell me you didn't!]

[Ph4ntoms4EVER: I tried my best to mislead her. I think she bought it.]

[Ph4ntoms4EVER: Is she a part of Medjed?]

[Sweetkat06: No, but if you see her again, do not answer the door. She's super dangerous!]

[Ph4ntoms4EVER: Who is she?]

[Sweetkat06: No one good.]

[Sweetkat06: I'll relay this to the others. Thank you, Shiho.]

[Ph4ntoms4EVER: I have to repay my heroes somehow.]

Shiho let out a breath and flopped herself over her couch.

She really hoped the Phantom Thieves were not getting into something way over their heads.


(Yongen-Jaya, Backstreets)

"Fuck!" Homura suddenly swore, although that didn't surprise the three other Thieves with her, as they had been informed that the Hebijo Elite had tried to get info from one of their friends.

"Dammit, we're running out of time..." Akira mumbled.

"What do we do with her..." Asuka wondered out loud.

"Let's prioritise our problems here, people." Morgana advised. "The faster we take care of Alibaba's request, the faster we can get to focusing on Miyabi." He then stated.

"Someone text Yumi. Have her informants spread lies and mislead Miyabi." Homura suggested before frowning. "She might target someone innocent though..." She soon realised.

"It'll at least give us some time to think..." Asuka sighed. "We'll stop her before anything happens." She then assured, however, it sounded more like she was trying to convince herself.

"Why can't anyone give us a break..." Homura grumbled as they put away their phones.

"Alright, let's split up and ask around. The locals should know something about the Chief." Morgana got out as the three nodded before splitting up to ask the locals.

The Vice Leader started with the old man standing by the shops. "Hey, do you know anyone named Futaba?" Asuka asked.

"Futaba? Futaba..." The dazed old man muttered. "Yes, I know that name...Heard it somewhere before..." He then admitted.

"And...?" Asuka got out in a hopeful tone.

"...It's the name of my very first love, my teacher back when I was in elementary school!" The old man wistfully stated.

Asuka fought the urge to face palm before thanking the man and leaving.

Meanwhile, Akira was having just as much luck.

"Sakura-san's single, right? I thought he didn't have any children." The neighborhood housewife stated.

"Single?" Akira repeated. "Then what were those calls then?" He soon thought with a frown.

"Maybe she isn't caught up with Chief's personal life. Actually, I don't even think anyone is." Morgana pointed out. "We need more info. I wonder what Lady Asuka and Lady Homura are doing?" He soon wondered.

Meanwhile, at the secondhand shop...

"A vintage game console...Could I actually sell it if I threw in some games...? I'm not sure anyone would buy a game console that's this old, though..." The second hand shop owner mumbled to himself as the tan skinned girl approached the counter.

"Excuse me sir, do you know anything about Futaba Sakura?" Homura soon asked.

"Nope. Never heard the name before, miss." The owner automatically answered with a shake of his head.

"Thank you." Homura sighed before walking away. "...Maybe I shouldn't ask around the shops..." She then muttered, not noticing a certain blonde passby behind her and rushing to the clinic.

Back with the Leader of the Phantom Thieves...

"Excuse me." Akira got out as he approached the man. "Do you know a Futaba?" He soon questioned.

"Futaba? Who knows..." The local shopper answered before raising his eyebrow. "By the way, do you eat a lot?" He suddenly asked.

"Huh?" Akira got out in confusion. "All I get is curry and coffee in the morning. What are you talking about?" He then informed.

"Well, whenever Boss buys food, it's enough to feed three people..."

"My plates aren't that big." Akira informed as he rubbed the back of his head.

"What? You're telling me you don't actually eat that much? Maybe it's Boss who eats a lot then..."

"Chief is quite thin though...he doesn't really have that much of a gut." Morgana stated. "He's definitely living with someone." He then stated.

"But is it Futaba Sakura?" Akira questioned. "We need more info. Maybe we should rendezvous with the girls." He soon decided.

"Good idea." Morgana agreed. After some time looking around, they managed to find each other near Sojiro's house. "Do you guys have anything?" He soon asked.

"No." Asuka answered with a sigh.

"Nope, sorry." Homura replied and apologized.

"We still have a lot of people we haven't asked though." Akira pointed out.

The Vice Leader frowned before looking around. "Hey, I think that's the delivery man." Asuka got out as she saw a truck near Sojiro's house. "Maybe we can ask him." She soon suggested.

"Um, yeah, you guys go do that." Akira got out as he stepped back. "I'm...uncomfortable around deliverymen." He then admitted.

"...Okay...?" Asuka got out before separating from the group to approach the man."Hi, sir, but you deliver to Sojiro Sakura right?" She soon questioned.

"Yes, ma'am." The delivery man responded with a nod.

"Well, is there a Futaba?" Asuka soon asked, hoping he would reveal something.

"Futaba...? Hmm, nope, don't know anyone like that." The delivery man answered with a shake of his head. "I come to Sakura-san's often to make deliveries, but I've never seen who you're talking about." He soon revealed.

"You give him supplies for Leblanc?" Asuka then asked.

"No." The delivery man answered. "That's a different guy." He then revealed.

"What do you deliver to the Boss?" Asuka questioned in a curious manner.

"I don't look in the packages, miss. Against the rules." The delivery man pointed out.

"Ah. Well, thank you for your time." Asuka sighed as she walked back to the others. She only shook her head in response to their anticipating looks, causing them to slump.

"So, let's summarise what we've learned so far..." Morgana suggested.

"Boss gets a lot of packages, and it's not just for Leblanc." Asuka informed.

"He might be single, so maybe those calls aren't from his girlfriend." Akira then added.

"And he buys more food than it would take to feed just two people. Is that it?" Homura concluded before questioning.

"So, up until now, our biggest lead seems to be...that Boss buys a lot of food, far more than enough for one person living alone." Morgana summarised. "Let's check out all the shops where you can buy food!"

"To the grocery then." Akira declared as they headed over there.

"Hey there, welcome!" The cashier greeted the group as soon as they entered.

"Hello. Um, do you know a Futaba Sakura?" Homura questioned.

"...Futaba? Over at Sakura-san's?" The cashier assumed before frowning. "I haven't heard anything...Sorry." He soon informed.

"No, it's alright." Akira sighed before they headed for the exit.

"Come again!" The cashier called before serving a customer.

The group soon exited the store hanging their heads.

"Well, that was a gigantic waste of time..." Homura grumbled in frustration as she kicked the ground.

"Hrm, we didn't find anything on Futaba..." Morgana hummed out. "I think our only option now is to go home and ask the chief directly..." He stated.

"But if we ask, we're just going to make Akira-kun's situation worse." Asuka warned in a serious tone.

"We have no choice, Asuka." Akira stated as he shook his head. "And I'd rather be kicked out than dead." He then admitted as they all headed for the cafe.


(Leblanc)

The group was about to enter the cafe when Asuka stopped them just outside the door. Morgana, Akira and Homura gave her questioning looks before seeing who was inside. It was a woman with silver hair and Sojiro having a rather heated discussion. The Vice Leader simply put her finger on her lips before opening the door just enough so they could listen in without ringing the bell.

"You read the letter, did you not?" the woman pressed as she narrowed her eyes.

"So you're the one who tipped them off about Futaba." Sojiro growled. "You really shouldn't have done that. I have no intention of talking to you about Wakaba." He then stated.

"Tipped off...? What are you talking about?" The unpleasant woman soon got out in confusion before shaking her head. "Back to the matter at hand...Your parental authority will have to be suspended. I take it you're OK with that outcome?

"Parental authority?" Akira repeated as he narrowed his eyes.

"Not guardianship?" Morgana questioned as they listened closer.

"Considering the state of your daughter and your family overall, there are no points in your favor." The unyielding woman soon reminded, causing him to wince. "Would you like to take this to domestic court? Our chances of victory are roughly 99.9% though." She soon threatened.

"He really has a daughter!?" Asuka whispered out in disbelief.

"And court? Is she a lawyer or something?" Homura guessed.

"With these suspicions of abuse...there's no way you could avoid having your custody revoked." The woman soon pointed out.

"Abuse!?" Homura growled.

"You're going that far...!?" Sojiro gasped before narrowing his eyes. "I told you, I don't know a damn thing about it." He then insisted.

"We're extremely serious about this. As long as there's a possibility that cognitive psience can be linked to psychotic breakdowns..." The woman soon stated.

"Cognitive science?" Asuka repeated.

"I mean, it has cognitive in it." Homura mumbled. "It has to be related to the Metaverse." She then stated.

"So many damn terms..." Akira mumbled under his breath.

"Tch...Fine...I yield." Sojiro relented.

"Thank you. I will contact you on a later date." The woman thanked the cafe owner.

"I doubt you'll find anything you want to hear though." Sojiro pointed out.

"That's fine. It will be up to us to decide whether the information you give us is useful or not." The woman stated. "Next time I come here, it will be for a nice cup of coffee." She then assured before heading out of the store.

"I don't think there's going to be next time." Akira muttered.

"I'm spitting in her coffee if she's making it up." Asuka growled.


(Fast Forward)

"...She assured me she wasn't serious. You know, later." Akira awkwardly chuckled while weathering the withering glare Sae gave him.

(Rewind)


"And stay out!" Sojiro called out before letting out a sigh. "That woman is real good at pissing people off..." He soon grumbled under his breath before noticing the group. "...What's with all those looks? You got something to say?"

"Custody?" Akira questioned.

"This doesn't involve you." Sojiro stated.

"It does now." Akira pressed as he stepped forward. "Let me meet her." He soon requested.

"That's enough! Just behave yourself and keep going to school if you don't want me to throw you out of here." Sojiro snapped. "You got that?" He then got out as he glared at the boy.

Akira wanted to say that summer vacation was starting the day after, but kept his mouth shut and nodded.

"Send your friends back home and lock the store." The cafe owner soon ordered as he shoved past the teenagers and out of the store.

"Hm, it seems Futaba might be in serious trouble..." Morgana got out as he narrowed his eyes.

"Is Boss...Is Sakura-san really abusing Futaba?" Asuka whispered in a worried manner.

Akira closed his eyes before pulling out his phone and opening the MetaNav. "...Sojiro Sakura."

[Candidate not found.]

"That's...actually more worrying if he had one..." Homura mumbled.

"Moreso, our conjecture that Alibaba is connected to Leblanc seems to have a pretty solid foundation. Oh, and didn't they mention cognitive something?" Morgana soon continued.

"Cognitive science." Akira answered. "Could it be that he knows something about the Metaverse?" He soon got out as their eyes widened.

"Okay, that's a deal breaker." Homura stated. "If he knows something about the shutdowns, we can't let that type of info go. For all we know, he could be working for Black Mask. And let's not forget about Futaba and her Palace." She then reminded.

"You're being too paranoid if you think he's working with Back Mask." Akira chided with a frown. "But if he does have something on the incidents..." He then mumbled.

"So you're suggesting we break into Chief's house and get whatever's related to this cognitive science stuff before the police get to it." Morgana stated.

"It's not like we have a choice. This Futaba seems to be in the centre of the world right now!" Homura replied.

"...I wonder what the chief's hiding too." The not cat admitted. "We can't really press him on the subject though, especially after he mentioned throwing you out." he then pointed out.

"This is starting to become an unwinnable situation." Akira sighed. "Either way, we need to inform the others about this."

"Alleyway?" Asuka assumed. Akira nodded to that.

"Under a Kekkai?" Homura also assumed. However, the Leader shook his head.

"No." Akira replied. "I want Alibaba in on this too. If Sojiro really is abusing Futaba..." He soon growled, clenching the fists he didn't know he had.

"Alright. Already calling the others. When do we meet?" Homura soon asked.

"Tomorrow." Akira responded.

"Hai, Leader." Asuka got out as she texted the others.

"And be sure to get plenty of sleep tonight." Akira then advised the two. "We have a heist to plan." He then declared.

Nodding to that, the two roommates left as they headed home for the night.


(7/23, After School)

(Aoyama-Itchome, Alleyway)

"A woman was threatening Boss...?" Makoto gasped.

"Yeah, she was going on about domestic abuse and taking the case to court and stuff..." Homura added as shook her head.

"..." Makoto grimaced. She had overheard Sae talking over the phone about that. "So she was talking about Sakura-san..." She soon thought.

"Makoto-san?" Yumi noticed the girl's expression. "Is something wrong?" She questioned in concern.

"It's...It's nothing..." Makoto lied before clearing her throat and regaining her composure. "So to summarize what you told us, Futaba is Boss' daughter, and he's abusing her? I don't know him very well...Is he really the kind of person who would do that?" She soon got out in a thoughtful manner.

"Boss isn't like that. I know it." Asuka stated. "Something sounds off here. People around Yongen mentioned Boss buying more food than the usual person should buy if they're living by themselves. So we can assume that he feeds her rather well at least." She soon explained.

"There was also a mention of Wakaba and cognitive science that the police have an interest in. They say it's connected to the shutdowns." Akira added.

"Really?" Yumi got out before narrowing her eyes. "Why would the police be interested in this cognitive science? Maybe this Wakaba could help us..." She soon mumbled to herself.

"And how is it related to Futaba?" Akira added. So many puzzle pieces, too many holes that needed filling.

BZZT! BZZT!

"Is it Alibaba?" Ann assumed.

"Give us a sec." Homura got out as the three founders pulled out their phones.

[Alibaba9: I've given you a calling card and told you the target's name. You should be ready for this.]

[Alibaba9: Why aren't you doing it? I told you I'd help you if you stole her heart.]

[Alibaba9: What seems to be the hold up? I also said I'd report your identities to the police and reveal to the world the existence of shinobi if you didn't help me. Are you OK with that? I'm serious here.]

"We're working on it." Homura groaned.

"What a selfish person." Yusuke muttered.

"Well, they do have information on us..." Makoto reminded.

"Anyways, this Futaba they're talking about has a Palace, right?" Ryuji remembered. "If so, we'll just need keywords to get in. Try messaging him about 'em." He then suggested.

"...They might know about the Metaverse from our conversations..." Akira mumbled as they turned back to their phones.

[TheWildJ0ker: We'll need more than a name and a calling card.]

[TheWildJ0ker: If you know about how we change hearts, give us her keywords then.]

[Alibaba9: Keywords? What are you talking about? Are you just saying random stuff to dodge the issue?]

"So they don't know?" Yumi got out with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, they can't listen to all our crap." Ryuji pointed out.

"What're we supposed to do about this?" Yusuke soon asked.

"We'd be able to figure out Alibaba's identity if we could just meet with them..." Ann sighed.

"Or meet with Futaba without Boss knowing." Asuka added.

"Try asking them if there's any way we could meet up in person." Morgana suggested.

[FireGirl20: Look, we're getting nowhere like this.]

[SushiRoll23: I agree. If you really want us to change Futaba-chan's heart, we need to meet with you.]

(...)

[Alibaba9: I already am, though.]

[TheWildJ0ker: IRL]

(...)

[Alibaba9: An IRL meeting...]

[Alibaba9: That will be difficult. I have reasons for not being able to go out. That's why I'm contacting you like this.]

"They can't go out?" Morgana got out as he blinked.

"Maybe they're sick or disabled?" Yumi assumed.

[SushiRoll23: Then let's go to you. Give us your location.]

[Alibaba9: Wait. I get it. You steal people's hearts directly...]

[Alibaba9: That might make things difficult. Extremely difficult.]

[Alibaba9: Hold on. I'm thinking...]

(...)

"Why are you so frustrating to work with!?" Homura growled as she tapped her foot. "Just give us the clues we need and we'll do it and we can end this whole Medjed charade. Come on..." She then grumbled.

[Alibaba9: OK. It's a shame, but I'm calling this deal off.

[Alibaba9: Stop looking into Futaba Sakura.]

"WHAT!?" The Thieves exclaimed except Akira, who narrowed his eyes.

[Alibaba9: Forget this ever happened. I won't report you to the police or bust the shinobi either, don't worry.]

[Alibaba9: Now if you'll excuse me...]

"No. No, we are not ending it here!" Homura called out, already furiously typing on her phone. "Not when there's a chance something serious is happening!" She then added.

"Hai! We're in too deep now." Asuka agreed while typing on her phone as well.

"Plus, no deal means no dealing with Medjed." Morgana reminded.

[SushiRoll23: No, stop!]

[FireGirl20: We're not done here!]

[Alibaba9: I said the deal is off!]

"But this isn't over, dammit!" Homura growled as she glared at her phone.

However...Akira narrowed his eyes as an idea flashed in his mind.

A mysterious persona...offered no reasons on why they wanted to help Futaba...or how they knew about her and knew enough to want a change of heart...they knew where he lived and was close enough to send the calling card in person...and no mentions of having power other than information...and they don't want to meet in person...even after all those threats...and then just to give up...

[TheWildJ0ker: Let me ask one more question.]

[Alibaba9: I know I'm going to regret this, but what is it?]

(...)

[TheWildJ0ker: Are you Futaba Sakura?]

To that, everyone's eyes widened in disbelief. "WHAT!?" The others exclaimed.

"...She hung up." Akira got out with a smirk. "We're going to Yongen-Jaya. Now." He then declared.

"Wait, what made you think-" Asuka soon started, but...

"No time. We're not letting her get away that easily." Akira declared. "Let's go, before the last train leaves. I'm done playing games, and if our lives are on the line I won't just give up here! You made a mistake thinking you could walk away." He then stated in determination.

"Dude, it could just be a prank." Ryuji pointed out.

"But the Palace is real." Asuka pointed out. "And if Futaba-chan does have dirt on us...we can't just let her keep it, can we?" She then added.

"...That is a wise decision." Yumi admitted. "And we can't exactly trust her word." She then added.

"So...we're really assuming that Futaba is Alibaba?" Homura questioned.

"That...makes sense if given a little thought." Yusuke admitted in a thoughtful manner. "And quite possibly Alibaba's sudden refusal may be because she's scared of what will happen to her."

"...Plus, how would Alibaba know if we did the deed?" Makoto soon pointed out. "They'll either have to go by our word, meet with Futaba herself...or feel it themselves."

"And we never did learn where the letter came from." Homura soon reminded. "No stamps, no addresses...no way it would be delivered by post. They'd have to be nearby." She then stated.

"Like...Sakura-san's house." Yumi concluded.

"Holy shit..." Ryuji mumbled out in disbelief.

"I think Akira's right. Futaba is Alibaba...and wants her own heart stolen." Morgana soon stated.

"But why!? We've never had something like this happen before!" Ann exclaimed.

"Then we ask her ourselves." Akira declared in a serious tone. "We don't know enough about Sojiro to know if he's abusing her or not. The only choice we have is to go to the victim herself." He soon decided.

"...Ugh...eff it! Akira, we can celebrate the Phantom Thieves' worldwide debut later. Here. From the Kaneshiro heist: one hundred and fifty thousand yen." Ryuji got out as he handed over an envelope to the Leader.

"That's what the suitcase sold for?" Homura got out.

Ryuji in turn nodded to that. "Look, as much as I'd love spend it on some fancy-ass restaurant, we need to use it for our next heist." He then admitted.

"You're taking this really seriously, Skull. I'm quite surprised." Morgana admitted.

"Yeah, well, victory doesn't mean shit if everyone you know is in danger." Ryuji stated. "Let's do this, everyone." He then declared with a fist pump.

"Taking the initiative." Homura hummed. "I find that kinda attractive." She soon admitted.

"Really?" Ryuji got out in a hopeful tone.

"In attractive people, yes." Homura replied with a nod and a smirk, causing the dyed blond to slump. "Now let's get going!"

"Whoever you are, Alibaba, we won't let you get away with this!" Asuka declared as they headed for the station.


(7/23, Evening)

(Yongen-Jaya, Sojiro Sakura's House)

"I'm dead. I'm so freaking dead." Futaba mumbled to herself, pacing around her room while clutching her head. "Urgh, this is what you get for interacting with the outside. Revealing their identities wasn't enough, you just had to poke the shinobi girls too, you dumbass noob! Oh God, are they coming now!?" She then rambled.

Y̷̤̦̱̟̞̹̣̟͕͒̃̓̐O̴͍̯̰̘̬̣̠͉̥̯̠͓̽̒̕U̶̯͈̩̒̓̓̀̒́̉͑̓͘̚͝͠͠ ̷̧͓̠̱̦̟̹̥̞̻͔̘̫̻͗̽̊̀A̸̢̬͖̫͈̥̝͖͎̠̜̤̫͗͊͝Ŗ̸̥̖̞̬̘̟̻͚͓̍̋͑͝ͅͅĒ̶̡̩̙̪͖̘̫̇̏̅̔̔̌͌̿̈͘͘ ̵̨̹͍̙̲̩͎͐W̷̨͓̬̝̪̦̗̦̻͔͔͛͝͝O̶͖̭̮̜̅̊R̶̞̍̔̒̽͌̈́T̷̨̜̮̥͔̹͉̳͎̦͈͉̤̬͙̃̅͝Ḣ̸̭̟͉̪̆́̊́Ļ̵̛̖̗͔̒̐̇̈̊̃͆́͐͛̏E̸̢͍̰̥̫͈͙͓͈͍͕̠̟̩̅̊̈́̿̄̈́̕͘S̸̘̅͆Ś̷̡̩̤͓͔͂̂͆͠ ̶̨͎̜̭̬̟͍̏͑̏͛͆̍͒̊͒̑̓́͘͜͜͝ͅN̸̟̻̠̞͍͋͑̂̋͝Ȍ̸̧̺̦͓̠͍̘̗͉̩͔̜̇̑͑̍̆̇͝T̷͇̀͌̐̽͗͐̑̓̐̃H̸̢͕̭͍̰̩͓̖̘̥̆̓͗́̀̈́͂̅̽̓̃͐I̶̛̼̯͔͔̮͚̾̏̓͗̀͗̿̐̕̕͝N̴͚̝̝̓̀̿̓̀̋̂͋́͐̈͐͘̕̕G̷͕͎̤̖̘̍̀͂̀͆͐̋̊͘͘͜ ̷̹͍̇̄̊̄͒͛͜͝Y̴̖̫̼͖̪̟̱̭̹͓͂̑̀̈̇̈̿̀́͜͠Ơ̵̖̠̟̪̲͚͚̱̱̺̯̮͑͋͋̌͆͊͋̓͑̇̌͘͜͝Ų̸̧͓̫̮͈̻̼̟͖̙̬̇͒̃͋͒͠ ̸̧͕̞̹̳͕̫͑̿̐̈́̒̊̋̂̈̕͜D̶̫̹̰͙͕̜̫̑͋̂̇̐͌͆͛̈́̇͝͠Ȯ̶̖͈̻̮̬̝͈͍͔̑ ̷͇̙̼̟̯̤̙̩͇͇̹͚̖͌̇̕E̵̡͕͔̺̳͍͎̘͇̺̘̝̖̔̀͊́̉̊͛̏V̷̧̡̮̟̠̪͉̹̯̘͕͉̌̂̀̔́̈́̒͗̆͜Ê̴̡̡̞͖̗̯̹̘̬̤̊̏͒̾̾̏͋̐R̴͙͖̺̻̗͉̦̼̲͊ ̴̧̛͍̖̙̪̳͎̮̮̤͇̒́̉G̶̡̹̲̘͍̳̘̟̹̋̎͂̈́̃̅͂͑͗̈́̕̚O̸͈͉͍̖͌͑̈́̐̉͂̆͊E̸̖̮̘̜̰͙̔͂͂̂̎̌̉͊͆̄͘͘͠͝S̴͕̺̬̫͖̼̠͉̖͎̤̈̀͛͒̽̄̇̀́̕̚͝ ̵̨͓͓͇̝͉̼̣͈͙̙͎̤̅̈́̓̾͜͜R̸̛̝̪̼͕̦̣̯̦̉͌̈̌̐̓̚͜͝͠ͅÌ̷̡̨̲͉̘̭̝̖̺̙͉͒̓͗̽͑̾̐G̷̨̨̱͖̩̬̞̫̠̓H̷̹̥̳̖͛̄̍̄̈́T̴̨̢̤͍̼̭͕͇̹͋̾̐̈̀́̉̓͝

"SHUT UP!" Futaba screamed. "Calm down, calm down...they're not as smart as you think, they don't know where you live, right?" She then tried taking in deep breaths to calm herself down. "U-Um...video games. Play video games and the problem will go away by itself. Everything will be fine." She then assured.

DING DONG!

And with that, Futaba squealed in fear and headed straight into her closet.

Meanwhile, outside, the Phantom Thieves arrived at the house. There was nothing stopping them from finding out the mysteries of Alibaba and Futaba Sakura.

"I just realised, we'll need an excuse on why we're all stopping by here." Yusuke realised only to spot the Vice Leader holding a box of futomaki rolls. "Where did you get that?"

"Made it just now." Asuka answered with a smile. "Had to make it in a rush, but now Boss will think we're here to give him some of our leftovers." She then explained.

"Good thinking." Akira praised as she rang the doorbell.

DING DONG!

Nothing. No footsteps or anything. After waiting a few seconds, the Vice Leader pressed it again.

DING DONG!

"Boss, we have food for you!" Asuka called out as she kept pressing the button. This went on for a bit until the tan skinned girl grabbed her roommate's hand. "Huh?"

"Stop. No one's answering..." Homura sighed as she let go of her roommate's hand.

"But the lights are on..." Makoto pointed out.

"Think he's nappin'?" Ryuji guessed.

"Even Boss would've woken up with how many times we've rung his doorbell." Ann however pointed out with a frown.

"I would think Futaba would have answered by now if she were here too." Morgana then assumed.

"Or maybe we scared her." Yumi soon stated. "We did potentially bust her." She then added.

Suddenly, the young artist pushed the gate, surprising everyone as it opened. "Ah, the gate's unlocked." Yusuke got out.

"Dude, you can't go openin' other people's stuff like that." Ryuji scolded.

"Hey wait..." Homura got out as she narrowed her eyes. "I think the door's unlocked too. Look, it's even open." She then informed.

"I wonder why. That's rather careless..." Makoto remarked.

"Must be a thieves' dream." Akira remarked. "Lucky us." He then mumbled under his breath.

RUMBLE!

Asuka looked up at the sound and got a raindrop in the eye. "Ah!" She then yelped out.

"What the...?" Yumi got out as she looked up as well. When did all those clouds get here?

"Oh no..." Homura groaned as she slapped her face. It was the fireworks festival all over again.

"Whoa...it looks like it's about to rain." Morgana got out. "We should get inside!" He soon suggested.

"...Do you think that's OK?" Makoto however asked, not wanting to be accused of breaking and entering.

"Prolly...?" Ryuji answered in an unsure tone.

Upon feeling her clothes begin to dampen, the Advisor knew they had no choice. "My apologies, Boss!" Makoto preemptively apologized before they all started to shuffle inside the house.

"Did the weather report say it would rain today?" Akira wondered out loud as he checked his phone.

"Ugh, just hurry up inside Akira." Homura sighed out.

After taking off their shoes, they entered the house just in time as it began to pour outside.

"W-Why is it so dark?" Homura wondered out loud as she swallowed some salvia.

"Because the lights aren't on?" Akira pointed out.

"I know that!" Homura snapped before coughing. "Just uh...feel like we should find the light switch." She soon added.

"Hello, sir?" Makoto called out, seeing if anyone was home. "He's not out, is he? The door ahead is open, and I can hear the TV." She then informed as she narrowed her eyes, seeing something flicker at the end of the hallway.

"Maybe he left in a rush or something." Akira guessed.

"Or he just passed out. Boss is kinda old after all." Ryuji spoke up.

"He's not that old though..." Asuka mumbled with a sweatdrop.

"I'm a bit worried. Should we go in and check on him?" Ann suggested.

"Please excuse us." Makoto muttered as they wandered deeper into the pitch darkness.

"It feels like we're wandering into a haunted house..." Asuka meekly muttered out.

Homura however paled to that. "Ack! H-Haunted? Y-You mean g-ghosts right?" She asked as she frantically looked around.

"W-Wait..." Ryuji started as he tried to hold back his laughter. "You're afraid of ghosts?" He then asked.

Homura's eyes widened before scoffing, putting on a brave expression on her face. "What? Pfft! What are you talking about? G-Ghosts don't exist, so why would I be afraid of them? I mean, we fight demons and stuff on a daily basis but g-g-ghosts are dumb and totally don't exist and I am not crying, I'm just sweating from my eyes because it's summer!" She got out in a frantic tone.

"Look behind you." Akira deadpanned.

"WHAT!? WHERE!?" Homura shouted out as she almost summoned her katanas.

Ryuji could only try and stifle his laughter while the Leader couldn't help but grin.

Homura huffed in annoyance and crossed her arms. "That's not funny." She growled out...right before lightning struck.

CRACK!

Suddenly, they saw the TV turn off, leaving the entire place in darkness.

"AAAHHH!"

"A scream!? What was that!?" Makoto asked as she shivered.

"Wait, that wasn't one of us, was it?" Yumi got out.

"N-No..." Asuka whispered out.

"Hey, aren't cats supposed to see in the dark?" Ryuji pointed out.

"I-I don't know..." Morgana got out, shivering in the Leader's bag.

"Cats have better night vision than humans. Is something wrong with your eyes?" Akira asked in concern.

SLAM!

Suddenly, they heard the faint noise of a door slamming shut.

"Did you hear that!?" Makoto squeaked out.

"Ghosts aren't real. Ghosts aren't real!" Homura mumbled in denial as she held herself.

"M-Maybe we should leave this instant." Yumi stuttered out.

"Yeah, good idea Yumi-chan." Ann replied with a rapid nod.

"What're you freakin' out for?" Ryuji asked the girls. "Like come on, I thought shinobi were braver than this." He then remarked.

"E-Even shinobi have limits to their bravery." Yumi got out.

"I'm not freaking out, you're freaking out!" Homura shouted in more denial.

"I-I wanna go home!" Asuka whined out.

"Wait, could all those noises be Alibaba? I mean, Futaba?" Morgana guessed.

"I don't care anymore. Let's get out of here and try again tomorrow, preferably when it's not raining." Homura sighed out.

Everyone nodded and started to leave...however the shinobi, the Advisor and Leader stayed.

"Um, sorry...but can I please hold your hand?" Makoto meekly requested.

"Y-Yes. I request Akira-kun to hold my hand as well. It is quite dark and we don't want to trip on something and hurt ourselves..." Yumi quickly requested as well.

"Okay. Hold tight." Akira replied in a comforting tone as the student council presidents suddenly held onto him. "Ah! Not too tightly! Too tight!" He winced in pain.

"Sorry." The light grey haired girl apologised, however Akira noticed that she didn't lighten up her grip in the slightest.

"It's okay, Homu-nee...take deep breaths. The exit is only a few feet away..." Asuka softly instructed as she guided the tan skinned girl down the hallway.

"Ghosts aren't real. You can't kill ghosts so they're not real..." Homura muttered out as she held onto her roommate as tightly as possible.

BOOM!

However, they heard another noise, causing them to stop.

"Eek!" Makoto gasped.

"M-Makoto-san, it is nothing. Keep going." Yumi got out, though her knees were knocking against each other.

"Jii-chan...give me strength..." Asuka mentally prayed.

"That was a rat, not a ghost. Rat, not ghost." Homura babbled to herself.

"I can sense someone's presence..." Yusuke suddenly informed.

"Don't say that, Yusuke!" Homura called out in fear.

"It's okay Homu-nee, there's nothing to worry about..." Asuka tried to comfort her roommate, though it sounded more like she was trying to comfort herself.

"Th-There's definitely someone here..." Yumi stated. "But it's not Boss..." She then began.

"Who is it...? Who's there...!?" Makoto got out as she looked around. "I can't take this anymore! I'm leaving!" She suddenly declared...only for her legs to give out from underneath her. "N-No...My legs won't move..." She soon informed.

"Makoto-san, get a hold of yourself...!" Yumi got out. "It's nothing but your imagination!" She soon declared in denial, knees knocking together.

"H-Homu-nee...I-I can't move...my legs aren't doing anything...!" Asuka got out, panic in her voice rising.

"I-I can't either!" Homura cried out...her eyes widened as her heart stopped. "Sis?" She soon began.

"Yes?" Asuka squeaked out.

"There's something behind us, isn't there?" Homura guessed with a pale face.

Slowly, everyone turned their heads behind themselves...and just as lightning struck, they saw something reflect the light.

"Er...Hi?" Akira casually greeted.

CCCCCCRRRRRRAAAAAACCCCCCKKKKKKK!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The girls screamed in fear as the Advisor and light grey haired girl held onto the Leader's legs while the Vice Leader leapt into his arms and the tan skinned girl jumped onto his back.

Thank god for shinobi training.

"This is either Hell or Heaven...!" Akira thought, the weight of the girls threatened to cause him to collapse, however the feeling of all the boobs pressed against him was thoroughly pleasing to him and encouraged him to keep his strength up.

"Alibaba! Futaba! Hey! C'mon, where are you!? You're a hacker, right? Just show yourself!" Ann called out as she looked around.

"I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry! PleasesavemeSis..." Makoto begged in a childish manner while tears ran down her eyes.

"WWWAAAAAHHHH!" Asuka screamed.

"GHOSTSAREN'TREALSISHELPMMMMEEEEE!" Homura frantically got out in a panic.

"Save me Ojii-samaaaaaa...!" Yumi cried out.

These were the bravest women he knew and they were currently cutting off circulation to his everything.

All the other blood in his body was going to his lower area.

"Dudedudedudedude, quiet the eff down everyone!" Ryuji shushed the girls.

"Futaba, are you OK!?" They suddenly heard a worryingly familiar voice call out.

"He's back!" Yusuke warned.

"Shit, everyone hide!" Ryuji called out as everyone went for a hiding place...

Well, almost everyone.

"Who the hell are you!? Don't move! You hear me-" Sojiro called out before shining his flashlight on the Thieves...who were all shaking and crying.

"I'msorryI'msorryI'msorrySis...Somebodypleasesaveme..." Makoto continued begging as she crushed the Leader's left leg.

"I want my Mama!" Asuka sobbed out.

"Ghostsaren'trealghostsaren'trealghostsaren'trealghostsaren'trealghostsaren'trealghostsaren'trealghostsaren'trealghostsaren'trealghostsaren'trealghostsaren'trealghostsaren'trealghostsaren'trealghostsaren'trealghostsaren'treal..." Homura mumbled out.

"Ojii-samaaaaaa...!" Yumi continued to cry out.

Sojiro blinked.

How did a punk like him get so many pretty girls...?

With a shrug, Sojiro couldn't help but be impressed. The glasses wearing boy had two ladies holding onto his legs, one on his back and another one in his arms. All the while looking cool as a cat, his arms not even shaking under the weight of the women on him.

"Well, I'm not going to ask any questions seeing you need to attend to these fine ladies." Sojiro stated as he walked up and patted the glasses wearing boy on the shoulder. "Just don't do it here. At least do it in your room." He then informed.

"Of course, Boss." Akira replied in a calm tone.

"I-Its nothing like that!" Asuka, Homura, Yumi and Makoto exclaimed in unison with embarrassed blushes on their faces as they let go of the Leader.

"Then why are you still holdin' onto him?" Ryuji asked from his hiding spot. "...Oops." He soon got out, earning smack in the arm and forcing everyone to reveal themselves.

"Wh-Why are you all in my house?" Sojiro questioned. Don't tell him they were all...

"Oh...G-Good...evening, sir...We...didn't mean...to intrude..." Makoto tried to explain.

"Um, we brought you some sushi, but nobody answered when we rang the bell..." Ann spoke up, saving the girl from further embarrassment. "The door was unlocked too. We could hear the TV though, so we got worried you might have passed out or something..." She then explained.

"Oh thank god." Sojiro thought in relief.

"Uh...the sushi's kinda ruined though..." Ryuji then pointed to the spilled sushi on the ground while Asuka silently cried at the sight.

"Sorry. I-I'll clean it up." Asuka soon apologized.

"The door was unlocked?" Sojiro got out.

"Yes." Ann replied with a nod.

Sojiro pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "...I do that sometimes. Guess I'm getting old." He then mumbled.

"Um, excuse me. There's something we'd like to ask." Makoto soon got out.

"Hm? You wanna ask me?" Sojiro responded with a raised eyebrow.

"There's someone else living here, isn't there?" Makoto stated more than asked.

Seeing that the jig was up, Sojiro finally conceded. "Yeah...My daughter." He soon revealed.

"Could she be Futaba Sakura...?" The Advisor soon questioned.

Instantly, he turned to Akira and Asuka. "You told Niijima-san too!?" Sojiro called out in an angered tone.

"We thought you were abusing her." Akira coldly stated, striking the guardian silent.

"U-Um...is there any way we could meet with Futaba-san?" Makoto soon asked. "I think we may have frightened her earlier, so we'd like to apologize if at all possible..." She then added.

"Well...that's..." Sojiro muttered as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Is she sick...?" Yumi assumed.

"No, it's not like that." Sojiro quickly shut down with a shake of his head.

"Then what is it?" Akira pressed as he stepped forward.

Sojiro paused before sighing and shaking his head. "I don't want you all getting the wrong idea..." He soon got out. "I shouldn't have kept this a secret from you. After I clean this up, let's talk at my shop. She'll hear us if we stay here." He then stated.

"Hai, Boss." Asuka responded as they began to shuffle out of Boss' house.

Now it was the time for answers.


Save Game...Quit!


Asuka/Yin's Social Stats:

Leadership- Dependable (Level 3)

Knowledge- Expert (Level 3)

Proficiency- Skilled (Level 3)

Diligence- Strong (Level 3)

Courage- Brave (Level 3)

Homura/Yang's Development Stats:

Maturity- Managed (Level 3)

Knowledge- Expert (Level 3)

Femininity- Tasteful (Level 3)

Elegance- Disciplined (Level 3)

Understanding- Generous (Level 3)


Whew! Done. We're moving away from per day chapters here, or at least until we start dealing with more Confidant crap. Hopefully, we can finish Asuka, Homura and Yumi's confidants over the summer because...stuff. In the meanwhile, Miyabi is still a credible threat! And I want to include Shiho a little more because we do have something for when she leaves.

UknownHero signing off, my friends!