Yeah…so about being the last chapter of the year… UknownHero here, and welcome to another chapter of Senran Persona. And this chapter had to be cut in half because frankly it was way too messy given everything that has to happen today.

Senran Persona: Ninjas of Hearts has a TV Tropes page. There's a lot of stuff that needs to be done.

Anyways, onto the reviews. To Seriously: Thank you. I do not want anyone threatening to kill someone. That is a very serious and dangerous thing to say, especially over fanfiction. Please, think before you post because there are real people behind these profiles and words. Oh, and I totally blacklisted the asshole and guest reviews are removable. If you think you have power, think again because you're just a footnote in a very long story.

That's all I wanted to talk about. Time to get desperate.

Load Game…Start!


Chapter 115: Desperate Measures


(9/14, Early Morning)

(Shibuya, Shin Megami Apartment Complex)

It was a new day in Tokyo, and everyone was starting to wake up and do what they had to do for the rest of the day. However, in the apartment complex, the residents occupying it had an...interesting morning, to say the least.

In his cat form, Morgana stirred himself awake and blinked a few times to open his eyes and wake up properly...only for him to feel something soft on the sides of his body.

BOING! BOING!

The not cat perked up from the feeling and the imaginary sound before noticing the state where he was in right now. He was lying down on the bed with two pairs of bare breasts displaying on either side of him, said pairs belonging to two certain kunoichis who were still sleeping, both of them currently naked on the bed.

Morgana's jaw immediately dropped at the sight while his head started steaming and going scarlet. "W-W-W-What the-!?" He then mentally exclaimed.

"Mmm~" Asuka happily hummed in her sleep in a pleased tone.

"Zzzzzz~" Homura quietly snored out in an adorable manner.

The not cat meanwhile realized where he was in between the two as he struggled to move, this however causing the girls to giggle and smile in their sleep.

"Hehe~ It tickles~" Asuka mumbled in her sleep.

"Ticklish~" Homura also mumbled in her sleep.

Morgana's blush soon began scarlet upon hearing those words. He didn't even know what to do here in this kind of situation.

At that moment, the two stirred themselves awake with soft groans, adjusting themselves on the bed as they woke up.

As the brunette woke up, she felt something soft in between her chest. She looked down and saw a familiar cat.

"Oh, did you sleep well Morgana-chan?" Asuka innocently asked with a head tilt, prompting the tan-skinned girl to overhear what she just said and look at where the brunette was looking as well.

The tan skinned girl meanwhile yawned, fully waking up to the seeing the not cat in between hers and her sister's busts. "Oh, morning, Morgana...your face seems red." Homura meanwhile noted.

Morgana meanwhile was sputtering in a panicked manner. "GAAAAAAAAH!" He mentally screamed at the sight of the nudity.

"Is something the matter, Morgana-chan?" Asuka sleepily asked with a yawn.

"W-Wh-Wh..." Morgana got out as he was still processing the sight.

"Huh?" Homura got out in curious confusion.

"Y-Y-You t-two..." Morgana soon began with a twitching eye.

"Are you getting cold or something, Morgana?" Homura assumed. "You look like you're shivering." She then noted.

"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU TWO NAKED!?" Morgana soon exclaimed in a panic.

"...Eh?" The two sisters got out as they looked down at themselves, seeing they were indeed naked.

"Oh..." Homura started. "Habit." She simply answered.

"Yup." Asuka replied with a nod of agreement.

"When did that even happen!?" Morgana exclaimed his question once more. "All of us were asleep!" He then reminded.

Homura simply shrugged her shoulders in response. "No idea, honestly." She admitted. "Probably muscle memory or something since we usually sleep in the nude together." She then assumed.

"Is that even a thing!?" Morgana questioned in disbelief, eyes still shut out of embarrassment.

"Well it did happen to us a few times back when we first got to know each other." Asuka innocently recalled.

"Yeah, starting from the night we got our Personas." Homura remembered in a nostalgic tone with a smile.

"H-HUH!?" The not cat got out in disbelief, opening his eyes to get a full view. "GAH!" He mentally exclaimed with a steaming red head.

"Why are you freaking out so much? We've gotten stripped before in battle." Homura soon asked, not even phased by the reaction.

"T-T-That's a completely different situation, Lady Homura!" Morgana exclaimed. "W-Why are you two so...nonchalant about this!?" He then asked in a panicked manner.

"Well, Homu-neechan and I are girls and we're sisters, so we don't mind being in the nude with one another." Asuka pointed out as the tan skinned girl nodded in agreement.

"B-But...I-I'm still here, you know!?" Morgana however reminded.

"So?" The sisters innocently responded while tilting their heads.

"I'm not a girl like you two!" Morgana soon called out.

The sisters however just blinked to that.

"I mean, you're technically naked right now, Morgana, sooo..." Homura soon began.

"That's not the point right now, you two!" Morgana exclaimed, unable to process how easy-going the two were.

"Come on, let's just get you washed up." Asuka however happily decided as the two stood up.

"...Eh?" Morgana got out, trying to process what was just said as the Vice Leader picked him up while the two headed for the bathroom.

"Good thing we have a tiny bathtub." Homura recalled as she took out said item, which was a pet tub.

"Wait...am I seriously taking a bath with you two!?" Morgana panickingly realized.

"Not in the tub with us, just in the same room." Asuka responded as the sisters giggled in amusement.

"Come on, you really think we would let cat hair get into the tub?" Homura meanwhile pointed out.

"So you're saying...you're only going to wash me up?" Morgana quivered his assumption.

"Basically." The sisters replied at the same time as the Vice Leader ran the bath, filling the tiny tub up and placed it down before letting the tub fill up, steam soon filling the room.

SPLASH!

"Aaaaa~" The sisters breathed out in a pleased manner.

"As good as always Sis." Homura breathed out as she got the Fruity Proficiency shampoo, squeezing some out before handing it to her sister, scrubbing it in as she felt her Femininity increasing as a result.

"Hai." Asuka happily replied as she took the bottle and squeezed some out for herself, soon washing her hair as her Proficiency improved from using it while the scent of roses and strawberries filled the bathroom.

Morgana meanwhile took a whiff and blinked. "Whoa, strong stuff." He muttered in an impressed manner as he watched the two beauties casually bathing in front of his eyes.

Soon, the two stood up as they began washing their bodies as suds covered the two of them.

Morgana on the other hand noticed that the suds discreetly covered the private parts of the two sisters' nude bodies in a convenient-like way. "What the...?" He softly muttered, noticing the suds.

The suds covered girls then approached the not cat in the pet bath. "Alright, don't move, Morgana-chan." Asuka instructed as she began rubbing soap on the not cat. "We'll try to wash you while we're here in the tub." She then explained.

"So no struggling." Homura soon ordered in a gentle yet stern manner while doing the same.

Morgana simply sat still in response as he was being rubbed clean by the two, feeling the suds forming over his body.

Asuka hummed in tune as she washed Morgana's body with soap.

"Gotta admit, this feels nice..." Morgana stated in his head in a pleased and relaxed manner, feeling the hands, soap and suds rubbing across his body with the good scents in the air. "Huh, if I were human, would I...no no no no no, that would be ridiculous!..." He then started to think before shaking it off.

"Ah, no struggling Morgana." Homura calmly chided in a more well-mannered tone.

That made the not cat perked up before sitting still once again. "Sorry, sorry." Morgana apologized as he obediently did as instructed, though soon began purring from how good it felt as he was completely covered in suds.

"Morgana, you claim to be a male, right?" Homura suddenly began as a cat-like grin appeared on her face.

That caused the not cat to look at the tan skinned girl. "O-Of course I'm male Lady Homura! I mean, I seem to be..." Morgana responded before gaining a confused expression. "Wait, why are you asking with that look on your face?" He then questioned.

SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH!

"So you're being a pervert right now, is that it~?" Homura then teasingly assumed, using the water to wash away all the suds off the three of them.

BOING!

As such, the glistening wet and nude bodies of the two sisters were now in clear view of the not cat once again.

The not cat simply widened his eyes, blushing even more while gritting his teeth in clear nervousness. "AH! I'm sorry, Lady Homura! Lady Asuka!" He exclaimed in a panic while closing his eyes in embarrassment.

"It's alright, Morgana-kun. We don't mind." Asuka reassured while rubbing his head.

"But...but I..." Morgana stammered, still closing his eyes.

"Come on, Morgana." Homura soon started. "You can at least try to get used to it. Nudity and all." She then suggested.

"I...I'm not..." Morgana struggled out.

Homura however sighed at this reaction before placing her hands on her hips. "Morgana, you have known us for months now. There is no need to keep up the gentleman act around us. You're only forcing yourself at this point." She soon stated in an elegant and mature manner.

"S-Still..." Morgana responded in a nervous manner from being lectured as the tan skinned girl sighed once more.

The Vice Leader meanwhile became concerned about this before an idea came to mind. "Hey, Homu-neechan, I got an idea." Asuka soon got out before whispering something into her ear.

"R-Really? You sure?" Homura got out, surprised by the idea.

"Well, I think he needs the comfort." Asuka pointed out.

Morgana noticed the sisters looking at him once more, their glistening nude bodies practically sparkling at this point.

Immediately, the not cat turned away from the sight before he was suddenly grabbed and lifted up from the wet floor. "Huh?" He then got out before noticing the nude sisters in his line of sight. "Wait, what are you...?" Morgana began in confusion while looking at the sisters before...

SMOOSH! SMOOSH!

Both of their large breasts were pressed between the not cat while seemingly comforting him in some way.

"MMPH!?" Morgana got out, wide eyed at the sudden action.

"There, there." Asuka suddenly got out in a comforting tone with a smile on her face.

"Everything's alright, Morgana." Homura got out with a smile as well, the tone of her voice being the same as her sister's.

Morgana couldn't help but feel the soft mounds around his body, courtesy of the sisters hugging him. At first, he tried to resist since this was not appropriate behavior for a gentleman, well, gentlecat, like him.

"You're not alone anymore, Morgana." Asuka comfortingly stated.

"That's right. You have all of us." Homura soon reminded in the same comforting tone.

The not cat couldn't help but feel...calm, for some reason as he was wedged between two sets of large breasts while looking at the two...who started to appear more...angelic in his eyes now.

"Why?...Why does this feel like heaven?" Morgana unconsciously thought to himself, also unconsciously deciding to give in to the feeling as they continued petting him.

It felt...familiar even...

Normally he wouldn't let himself be allowed in these kinds of situations since it was inappropriate behavior and beneath him, but for now, he decided to let it slide this time. He also thought he needed the comfort from the literal angels in his eyes.

The two then loosened up a bit for the hug after noticing the not cat having a dazed yet relieving expression on his face.

The Vice Leader soon decided to kiss the not cat's forehead before setting him down on the floor, while the tan skinned girl took a new fresh towel and thoroughly rubbed the not cat dry with it in a gentle and careful manner.

"Morgana-kun, I think you should go back to Akira-kun, ok?" Asuka kindly suggested in a motherly tone.

"Hai, Akira is the one you should be taking care of." Homura responded, her voice sounding more...angelic and soothing while rubbing his head. "You are the one to make sure he has a clear head on his shoulders after all." She then reminded.

"Y-Yes. Of course, Lady Asuka and Lady Homura." Morgana responded in a dazed agreement, not minding the sisters' wet and nude bodies.

"Good." Asuka replied in approval. "Now remember, Morgana." She then started.

"You are not useless. And you never were." Homura concluded as they then dried him off.

"H-Hai." The not cat hazily replied.

"Good." The sisters responded with nods of approval with smiles on their faces as they then finished drying the not cat off.

"Now go back home safely, alright?" Homura soon requested.

The not cat simply nodded before turning around to leave.

"Oh, let me open the door for you." Asuka offered as she briskly walked towards the apartment door, still in the nude which made her breasts bounce a bit from the action. When she reached it, she opened it a little for the not cat to go through while hiding behind the door, making sure no one was lucky enough to see her wet, nude state. "Bye, Morgana-chan. Stay safe." She then greeted as the not cat passed through the door, exiting their apartment room.

When the not cat left, Asuka closed the door and locked it again before she casually returned to the bathroom with her sister.

"...Think that worked?" Homura soon asked, dropping the act.

"For his sake, let's hope." Asuka responded. "You were great, Homu-neechan. Yumi-chan taught you well." She then complimented with a smile.

Homura in turn smiled proudly. "You too as well. Really hope Morgana appreciated our...way of support for the sake of his well-being." She soon added.

"He will. Now come on, let's finish our own bath once again before we go to school." Asuka stated and then requested as she turned on the shower.

Homura simply nodded as the two did as such, hopefully what they did helped out in some way.


(Yongen-Jaya, Leblanc Attic)

Meanwhile in his room, Akira stirred himself awake as his eyes faintly noticed the morning light illuminating the entire attic. "Ngh...slept like a log..." He muttered.

As he adjusted himself while sitting up and removing his blanket, he suddenly felt something on his lower back side...along with what seemed to be a faint sound of inhaling and exhaling. He looked over and saw something both unexpected and unbelievable, but also expected given who it was.

And that was Haruka herself, sleeping soundly on his bed...while seeming to be in the nude since she was covered in a blanket as well.

"...You've gotta be kidding me..." Akira muttered with a slight blush on his face, noticing the sleeping nude figure.

"Zzzz~" Haruka quietly snored out in an adorable manner while looking comfortable.

"Either I'm one of the luckiest guys in the world or my life is reaching its end soon..." The Leader muttered to himself as he looked around before narrowing his eyes.

That feeling from last night was still there...

He was definitely sure that it was not Haruka at all. Rather, it was different, yet familiar for some reason.

"Mmm...~" A faint voice hummed, catching the boy's attention.

Akira glanced and saw the blonde beginning to stir herself awake as well. Afterwards, the blonde began opening her eyes before blinking a couple of times to clear her vision, and the first thing she saw was the glasses-wearing Shujin student.

"Ah~ Good morning darling~" Haruka sleepily cooed out with a smile.

"To you as well." Akira replied with a nod. "Guessing you snuck in 'cause of cancer research stress?" He soon assumed as he then glanced over to his couch to see her clothes neatly folded.

"Hai, progress has been going well and I really just wanted to see you after work last night." Haruka sighed out as she sat up along with the blanket and kneeled in front of the boy.

At the same time, the blanket she covered herself with fell off from her shoulder, revealing her bare naked body, specifically her private parts except the rest of her legs.

Akira simply froze for a moment while blushing a bit at the sight before shrugging it off. He was really lucky he's used to female nudity already.

"Haruka, if you're gonna do that, you're screwed when winter comes." Akira couldn't help but say. "That was the best response I could come up with? Good job, brain. Take five." He then thought in a deadpan manner.

"I would've stripped you naked as well while you were sleeping, but I thought you wouldn't appreciate it, so I stopped myself." Haruka revealed.

"...You can actually do that?" Akira had to ask.

"Oh? Curious now, are we~?" Haruka cooed out in amusement with a hungry look in her eyes.

"Even though I'm a little curious, people would definitely get the wrong idea." Akira admitted and reminded.

The blonde however wrapped her arms around the boy's neck. "Only if we're caught, that is, darling~" Haruka countered with her own reminder while hugging him.

Akira simply sighed. "Well, you are a shinobi." He then stated, matter-of-factly.

"Yes, and you are becoming one with Homura-chan's training." Haruka reminded once more in amusement while glancing at his arms for a moment. "You already got the muscles of one too~" She then added with a purr escaping her lips.

"Guess so." Akira admitted in agreement. "Any other compliments you wanna give me?" He then asked in a joking manner.

"Well...hmph, pervert~" Haruka teasingly commented.

"That's a little rich coming from the naked girl who wanted to strip me." Akira responded with a raised eyebrow.

"Just saying the way I see it, but not in a negative way, of course." Haruka explained in amusement.

"Uh-huh." Akira got out before silence filled between the two of them for a moment.

"If you want, well, you can touch my breasts." Haruka soon suddenly offered before leaning in closer. "Consider it a fair trade for what I did to yours when you were in female form that time during our lovely shopping spree~" She then whispered into his ear.

"...Haruka, please." Akira however started. "You know I'm not that kind of guy who does those kinds of things." He soon reminded in an uneasy tone.

"Don't be like that, darling." Haruka responded in a more serious tone. "You are a guy right now, so...sometimes you have to let it out once in a while." She then stated.

"That's..." Akira only got out before going silent, figuring out what to do here.

Morgana wasn't here to interfere, so he was completely unsure of what to do.

"Well?" Haruka got out as she leaned back, still kneeling upright and placed her hands behind her back with her.

Akira meanwhile gulped once more to this as he was staring at the blonde's breasts, sweat running down his neck. "Well...she did grope me last time..." He soon thought, holding back the urge to blush from remembering how...good that felt.

"I'm waiting, darling." Haruka whispered in anticipation.

After a moment, Akira took a deep breath. "Fine, fine...I'll do it...here, get ready." He eventually and quietly responded, surprising the blonde for the moment before bringing out his right hand, slowly reaching the blonde's right breast and...

SQUISH!

"!?" The blonde's eyes widened as she felt the hand on her bare breast before melting from his touch. "Mmmm~" Haruka quietly moaned, though gave a smile. "Naughty darling~" She cooed out. She was feeling hot now.

"Look who's talking." Akira countered, smirking a bit in response. "I'm only giving you what you want." He then reminded as he only held her right breast with little to no movements at all. "Jeez, this really feels good..." He mentally had to admit in an impressed manner.

"You can touch them with both of your hands, you know?" Haruka soon offered. "Come on, don't be shy. I don't really mind, as long as it's you. I want only you to feel me..." She then added.

"Jeez, why is this happening to me?" Akira thought as he could just look at the blonde's nude state. "Don't wanna pitch up a tent right now..." He soon added in his head.

Haruka simply placed a hand under her left breast and fondled it for a bit. "Still waiting for that hand of yours, darling~" She soon cooed. "I~ Am~ All~ Yours~" She then whispered in a tempting tone as the boy swore he could see pink glowing hearts in the girl's eyes.

Akira couldn't help but gulp while hearing his heart beating. He could literally feel his resistance failing from this situation now. Curse his male puberty and urges towards attractive and beautiful girls. He was even able to tell she wasn't even trying to act like a slut. He knew she was serious this time.

Still, she was his friend, and he wanted to make her happy too.

And in this case...he knew there was only one thing left to do.

Akira soon took a very deep breath as he looked at the girl. "Okay then..." He then all but whispered. As such, he slowly reached his other free hand to the blonde's left breast.

SQUISH!

The blonde soon shivered in pleasure from the feeling she received almost immediately. "Mmm~ There you go, darling~" Haruka whispered with a quiet moan escaping her lips. "You can fondle with them, but do it gently, okay? Like a massage kind of way." She then quietly added. "Normally, before coming to Tokyo, I would never let anyone do this to me except to tease them, but..." She soon thought to herself.

"Um, alright..." Akira reluctantly responded before he began gently massaging the blonde's breasts with ease.

Haruka in response simply kept her eyes focused on the boy she had fallen for, giving out soft moans from the feeling. "Mmm~ He's so good at this..." She thought. "I love this feeling...and I love darling...~" She then added in her head in anticipation.

"J-Cup...right?" Akira quietly recalled, feeling the large breasts in his hands as he was massaging the blonde.

"Mmm-hmm." Haruka responded with a nod while panting a bit. "Do you like them?" She then asked in a more adorable and meek tone.

In turn, the Leader reluctantly nodded. "Mmm...yeah, I like them, but...I really don't have a preference with them." Akira responded and confessed.

"O-Oh..." Haruka responded. "I...was thinking of taking the Big Bang Burger Challenge to make them a bit bigger like when Hikage accidentally did them when she was here in Tokyo..." She soon confessed.

Upon hearing that, Akira stared at the blonde as he then stopped for a moment. "You don't have to go that far for me, Haruka." He soon informed. "You're good the way you are." He then reassured.

"R-Really? You mean that darling?" Haruka asked in response with widened eyes filled with shock.

Akira in turn nodded. "Hai. You are perfect the way you are." He then reassured.

Haruka in response nodded. "Well...if you say so darling..." She all but whispered as she allowed the boy to keep massaging her. "Darling...is so good to me...knows exactly what to say...what I need to hear...it makes me want him even more...and even more each time I see him..." She thought to herself. "He's...my one true love..." She then mentally confessed to herself.

Akira nodded before adjusting himself. "Okay, I think our moment's done here." He then whispered.

Soon, Haruka stretched her limbs as the session ended. "Perfect. Next time, you can do a full body oil massage on me, because I really need to de-stress." She then suggested as she adjusted her hair and tied the bow into her hair.

"Can't you just do it in a spa nearby or something?" Akira however suggested.

"That would be wasting the money I need for cancer research and my work as a doctor." Haruka responded and explained.

"Makes sense." Akira stated with an understanding look.

The blonde then coughed into her fist to calm herself down. "Actually darling, while this was fun...heavenly even...I came here for another reason that I couldn't wait any longer to tell you about." Haruka soon confessed in a more serious tone as she kneeled in front of him, not minding in the nude.

This immediately got Akira's attention as he saw that the blonde wasn't kidding around or teasing anymore, even after what they just did. "This is different..." He thought in disbelief. "Did...something happen?" He hesitantly asked in concern.

In turn, Haruka smiled and nodded. "Hai." She replied. "Takemi-sensei...has recommended me for the same medical school and has put in a good word for me." She soon revealed in a proud tone.

Akira in turn blinked as he heard that. That was not what he was expecting. "M-Medical school? Really?" He repeated and asked in a curious manner.

"Hai, you heard me clearly, darling." Haruka responded with a nod.

"That's...That's great Haruka." Akira admitted with a smile, a sense of pride forming in his body as he then hugged and embraced her in her nude state.

"D-Darling?" Haruka stammered out in surprised confusion from the action with a pink blush on her face.

"Congratulations! I'm happy for you." Akira confessed with a calm smile. "I hope you get accepted." He then added.

"R-Really?" Haruka breathed out in disbelief.

"Why would I doubt it?" Akira however asked.

"Well, darling,..." Haruka hesitantly started. "You know how I was before coming to Tokyo and meeting you..." She soon reminded.

"Right?" Akira awkwardly responded with a raised eyebrow.

"And...I wasn't exactly who I am right now before I got into Hebijo." Haruka then revealed. "In fact, I was...just a simple civilian like you before I got into Hebijo." She soon added.

That immediately got the boy's attention as a new thought came to mind. "What...happened to you?" Akira soon asked. "Why did you decide to attend Hebijo in the first place?" He then added to the questions.

Haruka's eyes immediately widened to that sudden questioned before frowning in a more sad manner.

"If you're not feeling it, forget I ask." Akira however got out. "Don't wanna pry and all." He then reassured.

Haruka however shook her head in response. "No, it's okay darling. You have the right to know." She replied while caressing the boy's cheek in a gentle manner.

Akira meanwhile looked at the girl, unfazed by the action as he stayed silent.

The blonde soon sighed as she looked at the boy. "I grew up in a wealthy family before I started attending Hebijo, mansion and all." Haruka began in a calm tone...before narrowing her eyes. "However...my parents were examples of human trash..." She darkly declared.

"Looks like I'm about to learn about her past now..." Akira stated in his head, looking at the blonde with curious concern.

The blonde meanwhile sighed as she looked out the window. "My father's a physician while my mother's a very doting...parent, especially for me. In my father's case, he was a world-renowned physician. He rarely came home to our house, and...even at my young age back then, I knew he was having affairs despite being married. Of course, in his job, he had committed a lot of malpractice underneath his clean and sterling reputation in the medical world, only caring about money." Haruka soon revealed.

"He sounds like he would be a Phantom Thieves target." Akira had to admit.

"Oh, most definitely...if he was still around." Haruka responded with a nod of agreement. "And in my mother's case, she has devoted all of her attention to me, treating me like I'm her only favorite. Anything I wanted, she'll buy it for me, anywhere I went, she came alongside me as well. Every time I wake up, she smothers me under a mountain of lessons." She then revealed.

"...Another would-be Phantom Thieves target." Akira assumed in a serious tone while narrowing his eyes.

The blonde in turn nodded in confirmation. "It was like I was only a doll to her." Haruka soon revealed in a dead serious tone...though her body was shivering in fear. "Add it to the fact that she had a morbid obsession with clothes, buying truckloads of it and putting them on me every single time for the rest of my life while I was there like an actual doll. We had a huge dressing room in our home. To her, it was paradise, but to me...it was a torture chamber." She then added.

"Jeez...Haruka had to deal with all of that when she was a kid?" Akira couldn't help but think, clearly feeling disgusted by that revelation. No wonder she was the way she was now. It was a coping mechanism...

Suddenly though, Haruka soon gained a more...hollow expression on her face, surprising and concerning the boy. "I...eventually had my breaking point during that time...when I was now in middle school. In one rare night, a rare chance that both of my parents were actually home, I...I...stood in front of our mansion's steps...with a lighter in one hand and a can of gasoline, or I think it was kerosene. Yeah, kerosene." She responded and then recalled.

The Leader's eyes widened for a brief moment before narrowing them in anger. "You finally snapped." Akira confirmed, once more disgusted about hearing this as he hugged her gently.

The blonde in response nodded, her body shivering while accepting the embrace. "Yeah...I was. Just when I was about to put my parents out of my misery, Suzune-sensei...came to me. " She responded and revealed.

"Your teacher from Hebijo, I assume?" Akira guessed.

"Not just my teacher...my dear mentor." Haruka corrected. "She made me realize that even after I killed my parents and burned our house down, it wouldn't make me feel better. I would've been through a lot of guilt if I did that." She then revealed and stated.

"Plus, killing them would only have been the easy way out for them." Akira soon stated in a dead serious tone. "If they're dead, it's done. Finished. End of story. You can only live once, after all, so you should consider how things might happen afterwards if people were killed." He then added in detail.

"Huh." Haruka got out as she blinked a couple of times. "...Actually, that is good advice too..." She then admitted in a mutter.

"It puts everything into perspective, doesn't it." Akira soon stated.

The blonde in response nodded. "It does." Haruka replied in agreement. "Besides, she also told me...that you have to accept the shadow within you, the darkness within you, for that is a part of you and yours alone. Never ignore it or try to run away from it, but to understand it and eventually embrace it, for it exists within you and it makes you who you are. Once you do, it is how you will proceed in your life after that that matters." She soon recalled with a nostalgic smile on her face.

"That's...actually really good advice." Akira had to admit in an impressed manner.

"It was and I always remember it." Haruka responded. "After that night, my whole life changed. With the help of Suzune-sensei rigorous training, I mastered the art of puppetry, being able to manipulate people, but on a much deeper level. As a result, I made my father confess all the crimes he had committed in the medical world. Crimes even Takemi-sensei knew about and was able to confirm my connection with him as a result." She then revealed, recalling everything with a small smile.

"Huh. That's surprising actually." Akira soon admitted, feeling a bit relieved that the blonde was feeling a bit happier.

"It surprised me too when she revealed it to me." Haruka replied. "As a result, he lost most of his fortune and I know his mistresses would be affected by it as well." She soon continued. "Then, I decided to give my mother another chance. With my father out of the picture, I thought the two of us would be a happy family once again. Even wondered if that were to ever happen. Loathsome as she had been, she was still my mother, nonetheless." She then stated.

Akira tried to fill in that new information about the blonde's past. For him, that was deep. Like, very deep, a bit dark even. But even then, he understood why she did it.

"After that, I decided to enroll into Hebijo, since I'd had no other schools in mind. Once I did, I also decided to leave the house and dorm at the school. Of course, my parents didn't know about my enrollment." The blonde kunoichi then continued her story. "All of that was under Suzune-sensei's guidance, and I am forever grateful towards her because of that." Haruka soon confessed. "From then on, I continued training until I became an Elite before getting here to this point. And that's that. Now you know." She eventually concluded.

"Wow." Akira breathed out, processing everything he learned. "That...explains a lot actually." He then admitted in a sympathetic manner.

"Hai..." Haruka responded with a nod before gaining a saddened and shame-filled expression. "So...what do you think you think about me now? Am I willing to be forgiven for such actions?" She soon asked with regret in her eyes.

Akira could immediately feel the blonde's sadness and had to do something. He completely understood now why she acted this way now. "Haruka, you were essentially a Phantom Thief before the Phantom Thieves. If anything, you should've done something about your mom as well." He soon confessed as he held her close.

"...Eh?" Haruka got out in confusion.

"I mean, you did inherit some of their traits, both good and bad, but this doesn't really change how I see you." Akira stated as he shook his head. "You're Haruka, a confidant and ally in this increasingly insane world." He then reminded.

"So you don't..." Haruka began with widened eyes.

"Haruka, I've met a lot of people who've been disgraced, burned, and destroyed by people who thought they were invincible." The Leader interrupted. "Your story isn't the first, nor will it be the last I hear that destroys my faith in humanity just that little bit more. A lot of that has been taken away already." Akira soon stated.

"H-How many..." Haruka hesitantly got out in disbelief.

"Too many to count at this point." Akira sighed out. "But that doesn't stop me from fighting. It doesn't stop all my other friends from fighting as well. I don't care about my past, and you shouldn't either. As long as we keep fighting for a better future, then our past doesn't matter at all." He then declared.

"..." Haruka however said nothing to this as tears once more were on the verge of running from her eyes. "B-Baka...this is exactly the reason I fell for you..." She quietly mumbled while whimpering.

CHU!

"Just being honest to you." Akira replied as he kissed the now blushing girl's cheek. "Now are you just going to hang out here all day, or are you going to go to work?" He then asked.

"I...I really should, shouldn't I, darling?" Haruka stammered out her response. "You'll come again soon for-" She then began to ask.

"Of course." Akira responded with a nod, not even letting her finish.

"Heh, thanks." Haruka simply stated with a smile.

"Oh, yeah, Haruka. I forgot to ask but is Tsumuji-san okay?" Akira soon asked.

"Tsu-Tsumuji-chan?" Haruka got out in a surprised manner. "Oh, you don't need to worry about her any longer." She then reassured with a sweet smile.

"Hey, knowing your past, you'd probably try and make her a loyal servant as revenge or something." Akira responded in a joking manner. "Glad to know you moved past that." He then added in approval.

"..." Haruka however blushed red in response.

That immediately caused the Leader to gain an expression of disapproval. "Haruka." Akira sighed out.

"I-It's only a temporary thing. To ensure her loyalty to the Crimson Squad." Haruka reassured.

"Haruka. You don't abuse the trust of people who need help." Akira stated in disapproval.

"S-She tried to kill you and Homura-chan!" Haruka however reminded.

"Why do you think I let her go then?" Akira countered, looking genuinely a little mad. "She stopped. She had nothing but revenge to live for but we ended that. I didn't let her get killed because she is more useful alive than dead." He then explained in a serioUs manner.

"It's not easy to just trust someone when you learn they tried to kill the people they care about, darling." Haruka however stated in a serious tone with no nonsense in her voice while narrowing her eyes.

"I trusted you guys." Akira pointed out. "You know, after that whole kidnapping thing? Where you knocked me out and used me as bait?" He then reminded.

"We weren't planning to kill you though." Haruka however stated.

"Because that makes it any less traumatizing at that moment." Akira sarcastically got out as he rolled his eyes. "Haruka, let me be clear; Have you treated Tsumuji like a human being?" He soon asked.

"It's not what you think though. All I did so far is praise her for her work and give her headpats. I swear." Haruka assured the Leader.

"I do not believe that in the slightest. And if I did, it sounds more like someone training their dog." Akira deadpanned, causing the girl to flinch. "You're lucky I'm gonna be too busy for the next few days to check if she's alright." He then admitted as he pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head.

Haruka in response pouted.

"Don't look like that. You're just making me worry even more." Akira sighed. "You are not sleeping in my bed again until I'm sure Tsumuji is actually safe in your hands." He then stated.

"What? Y-You can't do that!" Haruka got out in shock. "N-Not after what we just did together." She then whispered.

"...You routinely break into my room. You have no leg to stand on." Akira responded.

The blonde however blinked in response. "You seem a little...irritated today." Haruka soon noted in concern.

"Because I'm not used to my cat sleeping over at a friend's house. This was honestly a bit of a stress reliever." Akira responded and confessed. "As well as going to war against a Conspiracy, but she does not need to know that." He mentally added.

"Ah, I noticed Morgana-chan isn't around. Is she alright?" Haruka got out and asked.

"Not sure if I told you this already, but...Morgana is male." Akira corrected.

"...Really? It's a pretty feminine sounding name." Haruka confessed as she blinked a couple of times.

"Come on, You've known me and Morgana for months now. You cannot be just learning about it right now!" Akira groaned before pausing. "...Though, come to think of it, I've never seen Morgana's pe-" He then began before...

"Hey Akira!" Futaba called out from downstairs. "Are you talking to yourself or did Haruka sneak in again? Well stop that and get dressed for school! Sojiro's making waffles! Like, actual waffles!" She then asked and revealed.

"Huh?" Akira only got out in slight bewilderment.

"...She knew I was here?" Haruka breathed out. Was she getting rusty?

"I'm actually more focused on Boss making waffles for breakfast instead of curry this morning." Akira confessed, the idea of a different breakfast food sounding so...alien to him. "Well, if she knows you're here, wanna grab some before you head to the clinic?" He then offered.

"Sure!" Haruka happily chirped out as she went and got her clothes that happened to be on the couch as she then kissed the boy's cheek. "I'll go get cleaned up at the bath house and give you some privacy." She then decided.

"Well, I'll meet you downstairs then." Akira replied.

"Will I be seeing you later?" Haruka asked in a hopeful tone.

"We'll see." Akira replied with a smile. "It depends on the hell we go through infiltrating our alternate target whomever that may be." He then added in his head before letting out a sigh.

These next few days were not going to be fun.

Suddenly, he heard something get onto his open window sill. He forced his instinct to brandish his dagger down and turned around.

"Hey Akira." Morgana greeted.

The first thing the Leader noticed was how lustrous his fur was the last time he saw him. "Morgana. You're back." Akira got out as he brushed his hand through the not cat's fur. Damn, it was soft. Softer than usual actually.

"Yeah." Morgana responded. "Sorry for sneaking out. Just needed some time to myself." He then apologized.

"Ah, you still feel shaken up over the principal's Palace." Akira deducted.

"It was my idea to find it, and it was my idea to delay the infiltration." Morgana reminded.

"Don't worry about it. There was nothing you could do. You couldn't have suspected that the principal would be killed that night." Akira stated in a comforting tone. "Screwing up is a part of life, and learning from it is always great. Now, do you want something for breakfast or do we buy some sushi on the way to school?" He then stated and asked.

"Mmm...give me salmon." Morgana hummed out and requested.

"Not tuna?" Akira asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I kinda want to taste other things." Morgana simply replied.

"I see." Akira responded in a curious manner. "Well, I'll prepare your fish of choice then." He then informed.

"Salmon it is." Morgana responded as the Leader prepared to get himself ready. "So, anything happened while I was gone?" He soon asked.

"You mean besides Haruka being here this morning in the nude, the two of us had a moment, told me about how she's being recommended for medical school and then her revealing her past to me as to why she acts the way she does?" Akira guessed in a joking manner.

"...Haruka!? I-In the nude!? And you two had a moment!?" Morgana exclaimed in a panic as he was then about to lecture the Leader before processing what else was said, confusing him. "Wait what? Medical school?" He then asked in a curious manner.

Akira in turn nodded. "Yeah, Takemi's recommending her for the school she used to go to apparently." He answered.

"Really?" Morgana got out as he processed this. "Takemi actually recommended Haruka for medical school?" He asked once more.

"Yeah, she was." Akira replied with another nod.

This made Morgana blink for a moment before smiling. "Huh, good for her." He replied in a proud manner. "Might benefit Haruka in the long run, considering she nailed the doctor part and role every time she was at Takemi's clinic." He then noted.

"Yeah. Her actually wanting to become a doctor is a bonus." Akira admitted in a proud manner.

"I guess that's true." Morgana stated, remembering how the blonde changed from the moment he met her for the first time. "Guess there were some benefits for stringing her along." He then awkwardly admitted with a blush.

"...For that, we can agree on." Akira admitted with a blush of his own as he looked at his hands. He could still feel the softness from them...

The Leader and the not cat filled the air with silence for a moment, only thinking about all the antics the blonde in mention had brought onto their lives.

"So how about you, Morgana?" Akira started. "Did anything happen while you were at Asuka and Homura's?" He then asked.

That made the not cat froze...before blushing slightly. "Umm...n-nothing major." Morgana quietly responded. "Just...a meeting and discussion between Phantom Thieves." He hesitantly revealed.

"What was the meeting about?" Akira questioned, sounding genuinely curious.

"Underwear–I, I mean none of your...um...I will not say because it is currently on a need to know...basis." Morgana answered, stammering his way through an excuse.

"...You woke up seeing them naked, didn't you?" Akira guessed in amusement with a smirk.

Morgana froze on the spot, wide-eyed at the Leader. "How did you-!? Ah, I mean ...uhh..." He only got out, blushing with a steaming head.

"We've known they do that since Hawaii." Akira responded. "Never thought sleep stripping was a thing, but the more you know." He then stated.

"...Wait, they already did that before!?" Morgana questioned and exclaimed.

"Yep. Ann also got hit by it too and they apologized to her for it." Akira immediately answered, though blushed at remembering. That was something he would never forget.

Morgana's response...an instant nosebleed from imagining the three in the nude together. In instinct, he covered his nose with his paws.

"...You just thought of Ann and the others in the nude, didn't you?" Akira soon assumed in amusement.

"NO! Like hell I would think of them in the nude!" Morgana exclaimed in denial with widened eyes.

"Morgana, I think you need to get used to it at some point, you know?" Akira advised, noticing his furry companion's situation. "From what all of us have been through ever since the first day of Shujin, you know full frontal nudity is inevitable for all of us." He then pointed out.

"I...uh...I don't..." Morgana tried to argue, but didn't find a good argument about it.

"I mean, you're technically naked all the time here in the real world, Morgana." Akira then pointed out to him. "Being serious here." He soon added.

"Oh come on! First Lady Homura and now you!?" Morgana exclaimed.

"Hey, at least we're the only ones who know." Akira reminded in amusement with a smirk. "It's not like we would tell everyone about it." He then added.

"Akira, you...ugh..." Morgana struggled to say something before groaning in frustration, face red as he couldn't respond with anything. "Let's just get ready for the day. You still have school, after all." He then instructed.

Soon, footsteps were heard. The two turned and saw someone coming up the stairs. It was their resident hacker in her casual clothes.

"Akira, your waffles are waiting on the plate down there." Futaba informed him, only to notice the not cat in surprise. "Oh, Morgana, you're back!" She then got put in shock.

"Hey there, Futaba." Morgana greeted back, hopping into the Leader's bed.

"Awww, Haruka left already?" Futaba soon pouted as she adjusted her glasses. "Wish I could've seen what her naked body looks like." She then admitted while taking out her phone.

"Fu-Futaba...seriously?" Morgana got out in disbelief.

"Oh come on, it's not like you guys keep it all that quiet." Futaba scoffed as she rolled her eyes before smirking. "You're playing a really bad game here, Joker. I mean, what would-" She then began.

"Okay, stop right there, Futaba. Let's just eat breakfast." Akira soon requested. "You finished eating already?" He then assumed.

"Nope. Waiting for you to come down. I need the company aside from Sojiro since you weren't ready yet for the day." Futaba responded.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming down." Akira responded. "How'd you even know Haruka was here, anyway?" He then ad to ask.

"Oh~ I got my ways of know~" Futaba teasingly replied. "Though, I think you already know my style." She then added with a shrug and a smile.

"Phones." Akira and Morgana deadpanned.

"Bingo, it was your phone." Futaba proudly confirmed with a nod. "Plus, you still haven't taken down my bugs yet." She then added.

"I knew I kept forgetting something." Akira sighed out.

"Good luck finding them all, by the way. And as for Haruka, I know she'll be back soon. Like always." Futaba replied with a smirk as she headed back down stairs.

As such, the Leader chuckled as he and the not cat headed out downstairs...unaware of a shadow moving closely behind.


(Hebijo Hideout)

Tsumuji, for once in an embarrassingly long while, actually had appropriate clothing to do her given task; which was gardening and harvesting in this case.

...Despite secretly liking the maid outfit Haruka-sama gave her.

The job meanwhile seemed simple enough. Just head over, collect some bean sprouts and head back home. She might not have a green thumb, but she could do that at least.

Of course, nothing was ever too easy for a shinobi.

CRACK! CRASH!

"AH!" The Anointed Shinobi yelped out. "What the...they're even under the tiles!?" She exclaimed as she began to pull pink bean sprouts from out of the wall.

Turns out, the harvest was way more bountiful than anticipated...or whatever the hell this was supposed to be because this was starting to look more like a mutant mass of something rather than anything else.

"Okay, seriously, I'm gonna need more than just shears to take care of this." Tsumuji muttered as she wiped the sweat off her face. "This place is really starting to get overgrown with this stuff. Is this really not some grand experiment Haruka-sama is doing?" She then stated and wondered.

Well, it wasn't exactly in her job description to actually question it though. But this was starting to look like a serious problem, she might need to warn Haruka-sama before this became too big to control.

"Okay, I think I have enough for now." Tsumuji stated before seeing how messy it really was and shook her head while scowling in disapproval at the sight. "No no no. This will not do. This place still needs a real cleaning. Haruka-sama will probably order me to do so anyway, so I better get a head start now." She then stated and decided as she got to work.

Don't get her wrong though. She was loyal to Crimson Squad, not just Haruka-sama herself. She was just a ticket to her safety and well-being. If things go smoothly, she'll be in by the end of the year.

"And if Haruka-sama praises me some more, it's a bonus since she is so good to me." Tsumuji concluded in a happier tone as she continued cleaning with gusto while humming a tune as she did so.

...Yup, not just because of Haruka-sama...


(Hebijo Academy, Elites Room)

The air was tense at the Evil Shinobi academy, mostly due to everyone knowing what the day was even with all the lower ranked shinobis in the middle of their usual death-defying training.

And that applied even more to the Elites despite not appearing as so.

And all of it being due to the Elites test that was going to happen that day. One where the entire school itself would be watching.

...Though the Elites themselves didn't know this information as they were preparing themselves.

Each in their own ways.

"Arf! Arf!" Poochie barked out in excitement and giddiness while wagging her tail with a starry look in her eyes.

"Eat up, Poochie. We still have a lot of training to do." Hikage got out as she completely overfilled her pet's bowl with dry dog food.

"Lay off the kibble, Hikage. Poochie-chan can't eat all that." Ryōbi advised in concern. She didn't want the puppy to puke on her-

MUNCH! MUNCH! MUNCH!

"...Holy shit." Ryōbi breathed out in disbelief at how fast the food was being eaten.

"Poochie always cleans her bowls." Hikage assured before placing the giant bag of pet food back into beansprout loving blonde's emergency food stash.

"Arf!" Poochie barked before doing a backflip.

"No seconds. We're watching your weight." Hikage responded while petting the puppy's head.

"Good kami, she's adorable..." Ryōbi admitted in a strained manner. "...I wonder if I can make her a mascot..." She then thought...before grimacing at the first images that came into her head.

"Uh...Ryōbi?" Hikage began.

"Huh? What? I wasn't thinking about a booty sniffing...thing." Ryōbi got out before slowly trailing off as she realized that it was already too late.

"...I think you need to go to sleep." Hikage soon advised.

"I'll do it later." The brunette waved off before seeing the sandy blonde working on something that she couldn't be bothered to really look closely at. "Oi, where's the chunni?" Ryōbi soon asked.

"Ritsuko-san died last week." Imu casually answered, barely taking her eyes off her work.

"Our chunni." Ryōbi corrected, deciding to not even ask about who she was talking about.

"Mirai is in her room." Imu soon informed.

"Thank you." The brunette responded.

"Why are you looking for Mirai?" Hikage meanwhile asked while rubbing Poochie's belly.

"Some bitch thought it would be funny to smooth bore my rifle with a drill while I wasn't looking and I need a replacement barrel for Murasaki's Elite test." Ryōbi explained, already heading over to the eyepatch-wearing girl's room.

"That's today though." Hikage recalled. "Wait, I thought it was just going to be me, Imu, Mirai and Yomi against her." She then added.

"It is. I just wanna use my old barrel to shove up a certain bitch's ass before she heads out for Tokyo." Ryōbi simply responded.

"...Did Ryōna ruin your-" Hikage began to assume.

"I can cut the old barrel in half." Ryōbi interrupted before arriving at the ravenette first year's room and shoving the door open. "Oi! I need new gun parts for my rifle!" She called out.

"H-Hey! You could at least knock before you barge into my room!" Mirai exclaimed in an annoyed manner.

"I could. Now gimme parts." Ryōbi responded.

"Why don't you request the school to give you some? We have plenty of spare guns and weapons you can salvage." Mirai countered in a deadpan tone.

"All the gun parts there are too modern. I need WW2 gun parts." Ryōbi stated and informed.

"Well, I don't have that type of stuff just lying around." Mirai responded in slight irritation. "They're all under my skirt in my Shinobi Tenshin outfit anyways." She then informed.

"...You got a pocket space under your skirt...why again?" Ryōbi recalled and had to ask once more.

"Because I don't have the right body type to store stuff in." Mirai answered before seeing the brunette approaching her. "H-Hey, what are you doing?" She began to ask.

"Get your Shinobi Tenshin ready. I'm going in." Ryōbi declared as she cracked her knuckles.

"Um...that's not a-" Mirai began with a blush on her face, however...

"Hey, what's that on your laptop? Fut...sure..." Ryōbi began as she started to read something out before...

"SHINOBI TENSHIN!" Mirai screamed in a panicked manner before tackling the sadist down, practically swallowing her with her large skirt. "Find it and get out of here as soon as possible, alright- nnnyyyaaa!" She began before mewling.

"Mirai-san?" Yomi called out in concern.

"I-It was nothing, she just touched my- h-hahhh!" Mirai began before squealing. "Ah! Don't pinch me down there!" She then demanded.

"It's fucking dark in here!" Ryōbi exclaimed in a muffled tone.

"Gyyyyhhhhaaaaa!" Mirai mewled, getting feelings of physical touch on her lower sensitive parts.

"Hey, guys, are we going to go over our plans again or are we-" Imu began to ask, only to see the loli ravenette squirming around with a blush on her face, with the greenette just watching it unfold. "...what the hell are you doing?" She soon asked.

"Ryōbi's messing with my stuff, I had to stop her." Mirai answered.

"And where's Ryōbi?" Imu questioned.

"She's inside my skirt going through my stuff!" Mirai answered once more in a panic while glancing down before patting her skirt down in instinct.

Imu only stared at the antics in disbelief and frustration. "All of you are behaving like children." She then stated as she adjusted her glasses.

"Bold move." Hikage had to admit.

"Mirai, can you at least get your skirt off of her?" Yomi suggested. "She might suffocate in that dress of yours." She then warned.

"No! I won't let her get away with one of my precious things!" Mirai exclaimed while looking down. "You can at least help me out here, Yomi-oneechan! Hikage!" She then pointed out.

"What are you girls doing?" Suzune suddenly spoke up, getting all the Elites' attention.

The young shinobi girls present in the room noticed their teacher wearing her usual Hebijo teacher attire standing with hands on her hips.

"Sensei..." Imu got out as she noticed her before bowing respectfully.

"S-Suzune-sensei..." Mirai meekly got out, despite the squirming underneath her dress.

Suzune then noticed the first year's lower part of her dress moving unnaturally. "Who's under your skirt, Mirai?" She questioned in a deadpan tone.

"Ry-Ryōbi." Mirai struggled out. "S-She's messing with my personal stuff, so I had to sto-ho-hop her~!" She then explained, only to feel something sensitive underneath her dress. "Ryōbi! Stop!" She soon demanded.

"I think we should help her." Yomi awkwardly suggested as she looked at the greenette while gesturing towards the loli first year.

Sighing, Suzune headed out to get the recruit. "Just prepare yourselves for the upcoming scheduled battle ahead." She then stated as she left.

Meanwhile in the recruit's room, the purplette was preparing herself. Wanting to make sure to give it her all by putting herself through some last minute training before it was time for the test.

She was feeling good about herself at the moment, as though nothing was going to stop her now after what she had been doing, after everything she had put herself through.

For her, it was her time now and she was going to get this shit started!

"Ninety-eight...ninety-nine...one hundred." Murasaki breathed as she finished her last air squat, taking in a breath of relief as she got her bottled water. "Whew..." She breathed out as she also got a towel while taking a slug of water.

"Good hustle, good hustle." Bebeby got out. "Now only 2500 to go until you're considered halfway decent by shinobi standards." She then remarked.

"H-Hai." Murasaki responded with a nod of agreement while looking at herself in the mirror. She still had a long way to go.

"Oi, you've been training yourself like crazy and got yourself a four-pack despite that K-Cup rack, but what are you going to do about that Root of yours, you exercise junkie?" Bebeby soon asked.

"..." Murasaki simply responded in the form of silence.

"Look, you're gonna have to face it eventually." Bebeby stated.

"Huh? A...four-pack?" The purplette stammered out, ignoring the plushie's last sentence. "I...don't see it, though...My stomach looks fine." Murasaki noted as she double-checked and felt her stomach. It did feel a little less flabby than before. Guess that was a good thing? "And...Akira-kun told me to give it my all last night, so I gotta now." She then added with a fire of determination in her eyes and a blush on her face.

"That explains your giddiness." Bebeby deadpanned, sounding a little annoyed. "Also, I was lying about the four-pack. Though you don't see it, I can imagine that you have those right now." He then added before noticing the determined look on her face now. "And now you're gonna try and work for one now..." The plushie then muttered with a sweatdrop.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Come in!" Murasaki called out while wiping her face with a towel.

And that prompted the one who knocked the door to get inside the room, revealing the Hebijo teacher, Suzune.

"Today is your Elite test, Murasaki." Suzune informed her. "And it begins in ten minutes. Go get showered and dressed in your uniform now and head to the examination area." She then continued.

"Hai, sensei." Murasaki responded with a nod as she headed for the baths, leaving the plushie behind on the bed.

"And all of you, come with me." Suzune then instructed towards the others as she left the purplette's room.

That prompted the other girls to proceed. It was time for the girl's test of might.


(9/14, Morning)

(Shujin Academy, Classroom)

Asuka and Homura yawned in unison as they tried to stay awake for the lesson with Inui-sensei, writing down whatever they thought was important. Looks like their trip to Okumura's Palace was still affecting them, getting the Thieves' attention.

"I don't buy that the principal's death was an accident. I think the Phantom Thieves killed him." One of their classmates whispered.

"You really think the Phantom Thieves murdered him? But why?"

"Think about Kamoshida's victims. The principal's just as guilty for keeping quiet about it all. People who take advantage of others for their own personal gain need to disappear. In fact we need a scumbag cleansing to purify the world."

"Cleansing?" Asuka thought as the Thieves cringed. Anything with the word cleansing that doesn't involve actually cleaning something never sounded great.

"Looks like there are people ignoring our message." Akira thought with a frown.

"Quiet down over there." Inui called out, causing the gossiping students to jump in their seats and turn their attention to their teacher. "Thank you. Now as I was saying, yesterday my wife sold one of my books without asking me..." He soon began.

Several students groaned at that, and clearly were subsequently ignored as the teacher continued.

"The Okumura Way...And it was even signed!" Inui soon revealed. "With his logical management skills, he revived his company that was on the verge of bankruptcy. He then started Big Bang Burger, a bold and creative venture." He then stated.

"He wrote a book?" Homura muttered in disbelief.

"We should ask Haru-chan about that." Asuka thought to herself.

"Okumura's words are a philosophy on life itself! How could she sell that to a second-hand shop...?" Inui continued his lecture passionately. "But, in times like these, getting one's mind to switch gears is key. Wouldn't you agree, Shirokage-chan?" He then added and asked.

"Ulp!" Asuka yelped before standing up.

"Second-hand shops are also known as thrift stores. Do you know when the earliest ones appeared?" Inui asked.

Asuka stared owlishly at the teacher. Okay, this wasn't covered in her lessons back at Hanzō Academy.

Suddenly, she heard a tapping. Looking around, she saw Homura tapping her pen on her notebook. It seems...deliberate?

No! That's morse code!

Short, long, long, long, long.

Space.

Long, long, long, long, short.

"19th century!" Asuka answered in a confident manner.

"Correct!" Inui responded, confirming the answer with a nod. "They were mostly run by religious or charitable organizations, of course...But larger businesses could donate unused stock to them, and use them as a tax write-off that way. It takes incredible business acumen to figure out how to be both profitable and charitable at once." He then explained.

"People should really practice doing that second part..." Homura grumbled under her breath as their classmates praised the Vice Leader.

"I just remembered; there are rumors that President Okumura may be getting into politics." Inui soon recalled.

"Eh?" Asuka, Homura, and Morgana got out in surprise.

"Hm?" Akira meanwhile hummed out.

"It is true that the current administration is incompetent in a number of ways... I would love to have a charismatic man like him leading the country." Inui soon admitted.

"Charisma is one thing, it's your actions that should count." Morgana meanwhile noted. "Although, I haven't been looking much into politics. Is the current government really that bad?" He then asked.

"Yes. No doubt." Akira simply answered as the lesson continued.


(Asakusa, Hanzō Academy, Elites Room)

As for now, nothing major was happening in the Elites Room of Hanzō Academy, and for the three remaining Elites, all they had to do was to pass time and await further orders from the higher-ups, including Kiriya-sensei. Ikaruga was currently training with her Hien, attempting some practice slashes and attacks with her weapon with elegant ease and form. Katsuragi was currently lounging on the couch, having a decent meal with her favorite: cup ramen of her choice. And for Yagyū...

"Blah blah blah...approval ratings have hit an all-time low since 1992...blah blah blah...our current Prime Minister has been caught cheating on his wife...blah blah blah..." The reporter from the TV reported as he was going on about the news.

Yagyū had turned on the TV as soon as she returned from a rather disastrous training session only thirty minutes before and started walking around the room and quietly talking to herself. She hadn't been able to focus all day and felt like she needed some sort of noise to put her mind off things.

"This just in, Okumura Foods has released a statement on the break-in at their headquarters. Late last night, multiple glass windows were found shattered at the Okumura Foods Corporate HQ. Fortunately nothing was stolen. It is assumed at the moment it was disgruntled former employees attempting to make a statement of sorts."

With that, unfortunately, it only made things so much worse as Yagyū immediately felt something shattered inside her as she stared at the TV screen in shock.

Ikaruga frowned as she turned away from her daily maintenance of Hien to focus on the TV. "A break-in? Who would do something so reckless?" She questioned in a curious manner as she swiftly sheathed her katana.

"Someone with nothing left to lose." Katsuragi assumed with a shrug, pausing the wolfing down of her cup of ramen after noticing the white-haired girl pacing and mumbling even more than before. "Oi Yagyū, what are you doing? You're gonna leave a mark on the floor." She then got out.

Yagyū did not respond while still doing what she was doing.

"Yagyū?" Katsuragi called out once more.

"..." The white haired girl however didn't respond.

"Yagyū." Ikaruga meanwhile got out in concern.

"..." Again, the white haired girl refused to reply.

Katsuragi frowned before finishing the last of her ramen. "Yagyū!" She soon called out before accurately throwing her chopsticks at the girl's forehead.

That immediately made the white-twintailed girl stop in her tracks before whirring her head towards the blonde, sensing something coming towards her, and caught the chopsticks immediately with one hand. "Katsuragi, what was that for?" She soon questioned in a serious tone.

"Well, you ignored me all the other times, I thought you had gone deaf." Katsuragi stated once more. "You need to relax, Yagyū. Sit down, drink some tea. Ooh, want me to have a go at your boobs? Take some weight off your shoulders?" She then offered with a smirk, her fingers wiggling.

"You know why I'm not as relaxed as I should be right now, Katsuragi." Yagyū stated with a frown. "And if you do that to me, I'll make you regret it. You picked a bad time to do those kinds of things." She soon threatened with her one eye narrowed.

"Hey, Hibari will be fine." Katsuragi responded, stopping the playful act for a bit. "She's not a shinobi for no reason. You can at least trust in her abilities." She then reminded.

"She's the...she needs more support than us right now." Yagyū insisted.

"Yagyū-san, you can't keep treating her like a young child though..." Ikaruga however pointed out as she approached her before stopping near in front of her. "How will she grow if you take care of all of her problems?" She then questioned with crossed arms under her breasts.

"I would not." Yagyū immediately replied in a serious tone. "I only protect Hibari from anything that would try to harm her." She then stated with a determined yet slightly worried look on her face.

"...How did you last that entire sentence without realizing that is exactly what we're talking about?" Katsuragi deadpanned. "You're 14, Yagy-" She then started.

"15." Ikaruga corrected.

"Wow, really?" Katsuragi got out in surprise. "Keep forgetting that. Anyways, Hibari is an Elite because she has the power and potential to be great, and you're here smothering her into an adorable, soft paste. You two aren't going to be together forever, ya know?" She then stated and pointed out.

"And that's why I have to be there for her." Yagyū insisted.

"She is not going to die out there, Yagyū-san." Ikaruga sighed out as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "She is part of our Elite group for a reason." She then reminded

"What about the incidents? What about the enemy shinobi? Or yōma, or the Phantom Thieves?" Yagyū soon questioned while listing off the possible threats. "We all know that Tokyo is now an active hotspot for Evil Shinobi presence and activity, and Hanzō hasn't returned from looking into the yōma activity. And the Phantom Thieves being there are no exception as well." She then stated.

"Okay, now you're taking this a little too far." Katsuragi stated as she stood up from the couch.

"Even though we're not dealing with yōma right now, we still have to remind ourselves that there are still threats out there even we can't quite handle by ourselves." Yagyū reminded. "The Phantom Thieves alone could brainwash her, blackmail her, capture her or-" She then began.

"Do nothing to her because they're the good guys and Hibari is nothing more than a bunny-shaped donut?" Katsuragi interrupted with a hand on her hip.

"Stop it." Yagyū grunted. "A shinobi must be prepared for anything, and so I will head over to Okumura Foods HQ right now to be ready for when Hibari needs my help." She then stated.

"If." Ikaruga corrected. "If Hibari-san needs help." She then added.

"You know what I mean, Ikaruga." Yagyū however responded.

"Yagyū-san, you are overreacting." Ikaruga responded. "Although I am quite aware that Hibari still needs training, she is more than capable of completing her assignment." She eventually stated. "Besides, it is Kiriya-sensei's orders to proceed to Tokyo one at a time, nothing more, nothing less." She then reminded.

"Plus, she's gonna come back in a couple of days." Katsuragi added before glancing at the ravenette. "And that's when you have to leave to protect our client since you're the next in line." She then reminded.

"At least she'll be safe." Yagyū mumbled out.

"Being safe isn't what life is meant to be." Ikaruga sighed out. "Just trust Hibari-san, okay? This experience might be good for her." She then advised.

"..." Yagyū didn't say anything, though. Only looking worried.

"Rest assured, Yagyū-san, Hibari-san will be fine." Ikaruga reassured with a smile. "Now come on, training awaits with our new candidates." She then instructed.

Surprisingly though, Katsuragi winced. "...Even with...her...?" She then asked.

"You can't handle a mere shopkeeper?" Yagyū had to ask, looking a little amused by this development.

"...Ah, it's similar to when Homura-san stopped you from groping Makoto-san at the beach." Ikaruga realized. "Or that one time when the two of us were in the bath and I -" She then began.

"That never happened!" Katsuragi interrupted with a blush. "And it's not like that! She's like a...a little puppy that won't stop begging for attention and pets even when it's past the point of being cute! I mean, I don't mind her at all, but she still bugs me in some ways." She then declared.

"Another you?" Ikaruga deadpanned.

"No!" Katsuragi called out. "My hands only do what must to survive in this dark, dark world. She does what she does in excess!" She then declared in an overly dramatic manner.

"What is she even doing exactly?" Ikaruga questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, you should know!" Katsuragi grumbled as the ravenette let out a long suffering sigh.

Yagyū only gave a flat look at the busty blonde and sighed.

You know what, Hibari should be having a better time at Okumura Foods than right here in Hanzō Academy.

Hibari will be fine.


(Roppongi, Okumura Foods Headquarters Head Office)

Hibari was not fine.

Actually, today had to be the worst day of her life.

Staring at the city view inside his office, a certain male CEO had a vexing expression on his face with hands behind his back while standing behind his very own desk.

"A broken motion detector, several broken windows, the destruction of my statue, and my office being unlocked despite locking it that very night." The elder male CEO irritatedly stated before turning around and faced a certain pinkette from across his office desk. "Do you have any excuses you wish to give to me?" He then scolded.

"I'm so sorry, Okumura-san!" Hibari apologized as she bowed down in a dogeza position, her forehead firmly on the floor.

The male CEO was a bespectacled old man with black hair, wearing a business suit along with a brown and orange checkered ascot under a white shirt. This was Kunikazu Okumura, the owner of Okumura Foods and the Big Bang Burger brand. "I expected more from a shinobi. This cannot happen again, understood?" He then chastised and reminded the pinkette.

Hibari raised her head up, looking slightly nervous but chose to look determined. "I-I'll do my best to make sure that it doesn't! You can count on me!" She then promised aloud.

"I hope for your school's sake that I can this time. Being one of your clients, I am placing my complete trust in you and your companions' services of protection. Don't let my payments for your services go to complete and utter waste." Kunikazu sternly reminded. "Now go and find the culprits. Seek help from the security personnel of this building as well if you need to." He then added while adjusting his glasses.

"Hai!" Hibari got out before standing up and...

WHOOSH!

Disappeared on the spot, leaving the CEO alone in his office.

"Now I have to deal with these so-called Phantom Thieves..." The CEO muttered to himself in slight disdain.

Ever since his name reached the top of the poll from this so-called Phan-Site, things have been more complicated while doing everything he had to for the sake of the company's success, not to mention handling his competitions in the business world.

And the fact that he was having plans to aim for a high place in the political world as well while the Phantom Thieves fiasco going on with him was much, much worse for his focus on business matters.

He had nothing to lose, and couldn't risk having breaches and problems in his company for the sake of unending success and power; thus, having paid protection from Hanzō Academy and their top-class services.

For him, like everyone else working for his company, the pinkette and her comrades were nothing more than a part-time employee to him.

After all, results are what matters most in these kinds of situations.

Now onto other important matters...

While gazing once again towards the city view outside, Kunikazu pulled out his phone from his pocket and contacted someone in particular before holding the phone in his ear, waiting for the receiver to pick up the call. "...Hello, Sugimura-san, any further details about my contract with you?" He then began, listening to what his chosen contact had to say. "...Mm-hmm...Okay...Good, good. Watch over my daughter when you have the chance and make sure she gets along with you well. Keep her safe, even. I'll call you soon." He soon continued before properly ending the call.


(9/14, After School)

(Shujin Academy, Classroom)

"And that's why you don't mess with the laws of physics." The teacher of this period's lesson concluded with a proud smile on their face.

RING RING!

"And marks the end of today's lesson. Remember, your homework tonight should be reading pages 186 to 189." The teacher soon ordered.

With that, the students began to pack up their stuff and head for home.

"Another day done, another disaster waiting for us to take care of." Ann yawned out as she stretched her limbs before noticing the sisters staring off into space, essentially asleep with their eyes open. "Uh, you guys okay?" She soon asked.

"Huh? What?" Homura got out, the light returning to her eyes as she noticed everyone beginning to leave. "Ugh...dammit, did we blank out at the end there?" She soon asked.

"Yep." Akira replied to her. "Don't worry, the lesson wasn't that important." He then assured.

"What was it about?" Asuka asked.

"About how Sir Isaac Newton is the deadliest son of a bitch in space." Akira answered with a trollish smirk.

"Akira. Really?" Ann deadpanned.

"What? It's true." Akira got out in an indignant tone.

"Did you two actually sleep the entire class?" Ann spoke up towards the two sisters. "I'm surprised the teacher didn't catch you." She then added.

"Not the entire class. Only...half of it." Homura replied with a grimace of shame.

"Still, you two were not caught." Morgana remarked. "Is that a technique you can learn?" He then asked.

"No, I think it can be attributed to the teacher not caring or never noticing in the first place." Asuka assumed.

"So sheer dumb luck." Ann simplified.

"Basically." The sisters replied at the same time with nods of confirmation.

"Hey, guys." A familiar voice greeted. That made the group turn to where the voice was, revealing that it was Yuuki Mishima approaching them. "So, how's your job going? Been going through minor change-of-hearts requests, I assume?" He then assumed, while making sure no one other than the Thieves and him were present around near them.

"We're actually in a bit of a grind right now, Mishima." Homura admitted. "Some...major stuff happened recently." She vaguely revealed.

"Oh really?" Mishima got out, inserting his hands inside his pockets. "Well I hope you can handle it." He then encouraged.

"We are." Asuka assured the admin.

"How's things going on with the Phan-Site, Mishima?" Homura asked in a curious manner.

"Phan-Site's going nuts, that's for sure." The admin answered as he checked his phone. "Ever since Akira told me that the site was hacked, I've gone all-in in trying to amp up the security of the site. Luckily, Akira here referred to an online security expert of his, and wow, they must've done a really good job." He then got out in an impressive tone. They even improved the site's stability and load times.

"She's one of a kind, that's for sure." The tan-skinned girl stated with crossed arms under her breasts along with a smirk. "Saved a lot of our asses, for the most part." She then added.

"Really?" The Phan-Site administrator got out before hearing what the tan skinned girl just mentioned. "Wait...she?" He then repeated.

"If you wanna know, our expert is a girl, by the way." Homura responded. "And trust me, you don't wanna mess with her." She then warned.

"In fact, she might be hearing us from any device she can tap into." Akira soon revealed in a whisper. "You never know." He then added.

"Uhh...you mean this friend of yours might...find a way into my phone?" Mishima hesitantly asked.

"Oh yeah, she would. Maybe she already has." Akira replied. "Don't worry though, you're safe...but only if you don't piss her off, though." He then warned.

"I-I see." Mishima responded, albeit a bit nervous about the fact that this friend of theirs may have gotten access to the Phantom Thieves AVs he had (for research purposes). "Alright, I'll be going now to handle the site while you guys go do your thing. See ya." He quickly got out before jogging out of the room to get home as soon as possible.

"Thank God we don't have to worry about Mishima-kun..." Asuka breathed out, a statement she would soon regret saying at a later date.

"Okay, me and Makoto are gonna meet up with Yumi-chan and Miyabi right now." Ann then informed as she got out of her seat.

"I'll go with Lady Homura and Lady Asuka." Morgana decided. "You're gonna meet up with Futaba, Ryuji, and Yusuke, right, Leader?" He then assumed.

"Yep. Thank God we have so many people so we can actually do this." Akira responded with a nod. "Right. Everyone, head to your team meetings. Remember, do not hesitate to call us if there is an emergency." He then ordered.

"Hai, Leader." Asuka responded with a nod as he and the ash blonde left the classroom, leaving the sisters and the not cat alone. "...What do we do now?" She soon asked.

"We should talk to Haru." Morgana answered. "She needs to decide if she wants the others to know about her or not."

"She should be on the rooftop." Asuka informed the group. "She has a garden there, it's really nice." She then revealed.

"Certainly better than its previous use..." Homura muttered as she opened her bag. "Here, Mona. You can ride with me for today." She then offered.

"Thank you." Morgana stated as he jumped into the bag before taking a sniff. "Ugh, it smells like sweaty oranges." He then groaned out.

"We had gym today. Sorry." Homura apologized. "Ikki-sensei likes to give out snacks at the end of class for some reason. I think there's some fish jerky in there." She then added.

That immediately perked up the not cat. "Ooh~ fancy!" Morgana got out in excitement before diving into the bag to find it.

"Just don't mess up anything in there." Homura got out as she zipped up the bag while leaving a large enough hole for Morgana to pop his head out of. "Okay, let's go, Sis." She then announced.

"Hai." Asuka responded with a nod before they left the classroom.


(Rooftop)

"I really hope we know what we're doing, considering we have Haru-chan in our predicament now." Asuka muttered in a worried manner as they walked up the staircase to the rooftop.

"Well, we are going to talk to her right now, hoping we can fully discuss this even further." Homura pointed out. "Who knows? Maybe it's all..." She then continued before trailing off, hesitant of what to say out loud next.

Morgana and the Vice Leader blinked as they realized the tan skinned girl was not going to finish that sentence. "...All what?" The not cat pressed.

"I was about to say something stupid because I don't want to jinx it." Homura admitted, hefting her Shujin school bag.

"At this point, I think we already are jinxed." Asuka groaned out.

"I mean, we do bring a black cat everywhere..." Homura soon got out with an amused smile.

"Hey!" Morgana called out in an indignant tone. "I'm black and white. There's a difference! And I'm not a cat either!"

"Uh-huh." Homura hummed in a flat manner. "I mean, does it matter? We are Phantom Thieves, so sometimes, nothing goes our way sooner or later."

"Lady Homura...you know we're now dealing with a CEO of a major company. One wrong move could jeopardize our plans. And that somehow includes our sense of luck." Morgana got out with a serious tone.

"Eh, just saying how I see it." The tan-skinned girl noted back. "At least you look cute...for a not cat." Homura soon confessed with a smile.

"C-Cute? Me?" Morgana stammered with a blush.

"Mohhh, don't tease Mona-chan like that, Homu-nee." Asuka pouted with puffed up cheeks just as they reached the top and went for the door.

Suddenly, the tan skinned grabbed her sister's hand, stopping her. "Wait, I hear someone..." Homura informed in a serious tone.

"...surprised how the principal managed to allow this in his school." A mature, yet somehow intimidating voice spoke up.

"Oh, it's nothing, really." A familiar, gentle female voice replied. "The teachers appreciated what I was doing with the foliage here in Shujin when I was a first year here. So I even tried to request the teachers to have a school garden back then." She then added in a grateful manner.

"Haru-senpai." Homura confirmed, hearing the voice.

"At first, the teachers were somehow skeptical about it, but eventually, they all agreed, including Principal Kobayakawa." Haru explained further. "I think he said it was for the betterment of the school and its image, which I somehow understand." She soon recalled.

"I see. Well, I hope you continue doing what you are doing since you seem to enjoy such a hobby." The unknown woman encouraged.

"Is Haru-senpai...talking with someone?" Homura soon asked in concern.

"Whoever it is, we should be careful." Morgana advised. "Could be someone we don't know yet." He then explained.

"What? Are you even listening to what they're talking about?" Asuka questioned with a raised eyebrow. "I think they're just talking about gardening." She then informed.

"And that is how you get a knife in the back." Homura quietly growled.

"Something says you have experience." Morgana stated, looking at the tan-skinned girl.

"Way too much of it." Homura sighed out as she opened the door a little to see who was talking to the fluffy haired girl.

"...may be willing to provide some sandwiches." The woman had continued speaking.

"Oh, I would love to!" Haru happily

"Wait, that voice..." Asuka whispered as her eyes widened.

"Oh god, don't tell me Ryuji found her first." Homura groaned.

"Is Ryuji your default worst person?" Morgana questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"He's tactless. There's a difference." Homura insisted.

"Oh, now look who's talking." Morgana grumbled, despite the fact that he couldn't deny that she was right.

"If you're going to hide, at least put some effort into it." The very familiar voice interrupted, causing the Thieves to freeze, and prompting Morgana to hide back inside the tan-skinned girl's bag.

Suddenly, the door to the rooftop opened, revealing the woman. And she did not look pleased.

"D-Daidōji-senpai!" Asuka yelped. "I mean, sensei! Moh!" She then corrected.

"Asuka." Daidōji replied before glancing over to the tan skinned girl as she quickly shoved her bag behind her back. "Sorry if I'm interrupting something. I merely wished to speak with Okumura-san about her gardening." She then unformed.

"You were not." Homura assured. "Finish your conversation. We'll wait." She then added.

"Thank you." Daidōji responded with a nod to that before returning her focus back to the fluffy haired girl. "Anyway, back to our discussion, Okumura-san, about our agreement. Do you wish for me to provide bread for the sandwiches?" She soon questioned.

"Oh no, I'll bring some myself." Haru assured, not wanting to burden the teacher with such a small thing.

"It was more of a formality, Okumura-san. I know who your father is, but don't worry about the bread. I'm sure the school wouldn't be heavily affected by such an expense." Daidōji soon informed the heiress.

"Well, I'll bring other ingredients I can't grow here." Haru suggested with a smile on her face.

"Do as you wish." Daidōji responded, seeing no point in challenging such a thing. "And are you sure you don't want me to make this an official club and have more members to help you?" She then asked once again.

"It is quite fine, Ikki-sensei. I like to have my own personal space to relax and forget about my worries." Haru responded along with a simple hand wave. "Make it a club after I graduate." She then requested.

"I will." The PE teacher responded with a nod. "Well, then, I'll be going. I hope you have a nice day, Okumura-san." She then got out in a polite tone.

"Hai, Ikki-sensei. You too." Haru responded with a bow.

Daidoji nodded to that before she left the auburn-haired heiress and approached the two who were caught by her entering the rooftop with them. "And as for you two, I'm curious how you want to get to the rooftop at this time of day. Well, I assume you're here for her?" She then got out, gesturing towards the heiress.

"We just want to visit a friend of ours, Ikki-sensei." Asuka answered truthfully before leaning to the side. "Haru-chan, hi!" She happily waved over to the girl.

"Hello!" Haru greeted back, seeing her fellow acquaintances.

"Well, let me leave you all alone." Daidōji got out as she began to leave. "Oh, and I suggest you let that cat out of your bag, Shinkukage-san, and I mean that literally. That is not something you should do with a pet." She then ordered in a scolding manner.

"Urk!" The tan skinned girl and not cat choked at the same time.

"Oh, Morgana-chan really doesn't mind it." Asuka however informed, trying to assure things.

"..." Daidōji simply narrowed her eyes at her kouhai.

"U-Um...but we won't do it again." Asuka nervously assured while looking away. Daidōji's eyes were never a good place to look at directly when she seemed even slightly angry.

"Good." Daidōji nodded to that before heading down for the exit.

"Wait, how did you know we have a cat with us?" Homura decided to ask, stopping their PE teacher in her tracks for a moment.

"Um, Daidōji-senpai is really good at what she does." Asuka nervously informed while biting her bottom lip.

"Damn straight I do." Daidōji whispered before leaving the team alone.

Soon enough, Morgana popped his head out of the tan skinned girl's bag. "Holy...that lady is scary with a capital everything." He breathed out.

"Hm?" Haru hummed out with a confused look on her face. She didn't seem that scary.

"Yeah..." Homura awkwardly replied.

"In any case, hello again, Asu-chan. Good afternoon, Homu-chan." Haru soon greeted once more with a smile. "And hello again, Mona-chan." She then added while petting the not cat, who in turn purred in satisfaction.

"Actually his full name is Morgana. His codename in the Metaverse is Mona." Homura corrected. "Skull made it up and it stuck." She then added.

"It's a fine name." Haru responded in an assuring manner. "So, what do you want to talk about?" She soon asked in a more business-like manner.

"Hold on." Asuka however got out as she looked around the garden, seeing all the unfinished work around the place. "Do you still have stuff to do around here?" She then assumed.

"I just need to harvest the vegetables here before I go home." Haru answered as she looked around at the vegetable patches she made.

"Let us help while we talk." Homura soon offered as the not cat jumped out of her bag. May as well contribute, right?

"Thank you, but make sure to get some gloves on before you get to work." Haru soon ordered.

The sisters nodded before doing so, then getting to work, being careful not to get dirt on their pristine white uniforms. "So, are you okay? Are you feeling sick from yesterday?" The Vice Leader asked as she pulled out some weeds.

"I'm fine. Just...it still feels weird knowing that such a place exists, and that it came from my father." Haru answered as she planted her next set of crops.

"Tell us about him." Homura urged as she dug potatoes out of the dirt.

"Well..." Haru began as she dug through the dirt. "I'd say he is ambitious. He always wants more..." She then began before trailing off.

"But...?" Morgana pressed, sensing the continuation.

"In turn, he barely even shows an ounce of affection. We barely even talk outside of the headquarters. It's always business for him." Haru sighed out.

"And let me guess, he was significantly better in the past." Homura assumed.

"He was." Haru confirmed with a nod. "He was busy, sure, but back then, he actually smiled at me." She soon stated, looking a little wistful as the memories came back to her. "I still feel a little mad that he didn't show up to my first sports day though." She then admitted with a more child-like pout.

"Sounds just like Madarame." Asuka noted.

"Except he didn't let anyone die..." Homura growled under her breath. "We heard he's getting into politics. Any reason why?" She then asked.

"Like I said, he's an ambitious man." Haru replied with a frown. "He probably wants more power and money. It seems he can't get enough of it." She then assumed.

"But it's all built on the blood of his workers who suffer because of him." Morgana growled as he carefully picked the tomatoes with his paws.

"No wonder you want to change his heart." Homura got out, cringing at the thought. There were already tons of corrupt officials running around, running the country only for selfish gain. They did not need one more asshole stinking up the place. "When is he going to start campaigning?" She soon asked.

Haru however shook her head in response. "I'm not sure. Maybe next month? Next year?" She then assumed.

"That's still plenty of time." Morgana muttered. "His Palace could become a lot more dangerous once he becomes a politician, but it's not like he is invincible." He then stated.

"We could delay it while we take care of our plans..." Asuka suggested.

"No." Haru however shook her head to that. "We need to do it now. Soon. I want...I would like my father back." She then insisted.

The Thieves stopped what they were doing and looked at the heiress oddly. "Okay, sure, but the others need to know of your existence if you want that." Morgana eventually stated.

"Um...I'd rather keep my identity a secret for now..." Haru admitted. "Maybe once we steal my father's heart I will introduce myself to your team." She then offered.

"Why do you want to do it by yourself?" Homura pressed as they went back to work. "I know it's personal but if we have everyone with us, it would be a lot easier." She then urged the heiress.

"I...have my reasons." Haru hesitantly responded, looking rather uncomfortable.

"Okay, okay. We won't pry, but you still need the full Phantom Thieves to help you. We barely got out of there alive." Asuka pointed out.

"Just...trust me, okay? This means more to me than you know." Haru all but pleaded with the Thieves.

Asuka, Morgana, and Homura soon gave each other a look before relenting. Maybe it would be best to save it for when she was more comfortable around them. "...Okay, we won't say anything. But if things go wrong, we are calling in the calvary." The tan skinned girl soon responded.

"That's fine. I just want my father's heart to change soon." Haru stated with a nod before wiping the sweat off her forehead, having finished her duties. And from the looks of it, so were the others. "Oh, and thank you for helping me out. You didn't have to." She then got out in a grateful tone.

"We know." Homura got out with a smile. "Alright, we'll meet again soon, Haru-senpai. Come on, Sis." She then got out.

"Actually, I want to walk home with Haru-chan." Asuka however requested. "Do you mind?" She then asked.

"I don't." Homura replied with a shake of her head. "Actually, this might be a good opportunity to go on patrol. I'll meet up with you at home okay?" She then added.

"That sounds good. Come on, Haru-chan." Asuka stated as she turned to the fluffy-haired girl.

"Give me a moment to change and wash up and I'll join you at the gate." Haru replied as they all then headed out of the rooftop.


(Hebijo Academy, Rocky Terrain Examination Room)

The air was tense as there was only a few lights on, those lights shining down on a brown stone and rock covered circular field.

"You know, any of the training fields would have sufficed." Mirai loudly remarked as she and the other Elites chosen for the test walked inside. "Huge waste of money right here." She then added.

"At least it's Dōgen's money." Suzune thought. "Murasaki, enter the battlefield." She then ordered.

At that moment, the purplette walked to the center of the examination room with a determined and serious expression on her face while wearing the regular Hebijo female uniform: a black blouse and skirt.

"I am ready, sensei." Murasaki declared with a determined expression on her face.

The teacher nodded to that. "Her opponents, enter the battlefield." Suzune then ordered with crossed arms while watching over said battlefield.

"Let's just get this over with." Hikage sighed with half-lidded eyes as she and her fellow teammates walked to the center of the room.

"Don't take this battle for granted, you dumb snake." Imu ordered in annoyance, earning a glare from the greenett. "I bet you don't even know how much she's capable of when it comes to offense." She then added with the same tone.

"I really should've attended to my beansprouts first before I came here." Yomi mumbled. "They all need watering, from the looks of them." She then recalled in concern.

"Man, I was about to finish writing that chapter..." Mirai grumbled under her breath. Her readers were expecting it, dammit!

However, they soon began to get confused as they heard...cheering?

"WOO! Go Mirai-chan! I love you!"

"Rip their skull out and beat them to death with it!"

"I have a bet riding on the trash eater! Don't lose!"

"Winner gets the loser's boobs, right?"

"What the?" Yomi got out in surprise as they looked up to see...a lot more other people than they were expecting to be here. "Suzune-sensei, this isn't a blood sport type thing, is it?" She then asked as she turned to their sensei, who only shrugged.

"Break some bones! Rip and tear! I wanna hear bitches cry!" Ryōbi called out from the stands above, accompanied by various other students calling out for blood.

Meanwhile, her masochistic twin and Poochie, who was riding in said blonde's cleavage, simply waved.

"Aww~ Ryōna-chan wishes she was there, too~" Ryōna pouted, sounding weirdly eager to feel moments of excruciating yet welcoming pain...all while rubbing her whole body in a provocative manner.

Which made Poochie feel weirdly uncomfortable for some reason as well.

"..." Several students near her began to shift their seats away from the masochist.

"Why the hell is Poochie with her?" Hikage deadpanned in a possessive tone with a twitching eye.

"Did no one tell us that this was going to have spectators?" Mirai got out in annoyance.

"I thought this was going to be a private thing..." Murasaki muttered, flinching at all the attention on her before taking in a breath and shaking it off, trying to push them out of her thoughts. She just had to deal with it.

The teacher soon cleared her throat, getting the girls' attention. "This is a test of Murasaki's abilities and her potential as a shinobi and as an Elite. The examination ends once time runs out, if either side has been rendered unable to battle or killed, or until certain conditions are met." Suzune informed the ones currently on the battlefield. "Do you accept these conditions?" She then questioned.

"Hai." Murasaki responded with a nod.

"Hai." Hikage and the others also responded as they did the same.

"Certain conditions?" Yomi repeated in confusion and concern.

"You'll see." Imu whispered her reply.

"Please bow." Suzune ordered before jumping away.

Murasaki bowed first, while the others bowed in a staggered manner.

"May the best shinobi win." Imu got out.

CRACK!

"I will win, Onee-chan. Don't underestimate me." Murasaki responded and ordered in a serious tone as she cracked her knuckles...loudly.

This however caused the older sister to blink in confusion. There was no way her sister would-

"Begin." A distorted monotone voice ordered from a speaker.

Murasaki soon steeled herself, shifting into a battle stance.

She was ready.


Save Game…Quit!


Asuka/Yin's Social Stats:

Leadership- Paragon (Level 5)

Knowledge- Sage (Level 5)

Proficiency- Masterful (Level 4)

Diligence- Rock Solid (Level 5)

Courage- Heroic (Level 5)

Homura/Yang's Development Stats:

Maturity- Adult (Level 4)

Knowledge- Sage (Level 5)

Femininity- Natural (Level 4)

Elegance- Yamato Nadeshiko (Level 5)

Understanding- Saintly (Level 5)


Whew! Done! I'm gonna be honest, I don't like how Murasaki is being handled here. She's pretty much the complete opposite of who she was before, and that happened in only a month in this story. It feels so unnatural to me, and it's because she meets Akira. She hates everything Murasaki liked. I don't think this is Murasaki anymore, but an OC with Murasaki's name and backstory. I also feel like Imu can't be redeemed because she does so much bullshit, mostly because I wrote her trying to help but ending up fucking up. I'm so afraid that the natural order of the narrative will force her to become an antagonist or be killed. What are your thoughts because at this point I'm tired. Please tell me I'm wrong.

UknownHero signing off, my friends.