Another day, another chapter. Hey, UknownHero here and welcome to another chapter of Senran Persona. Another birthday passed by, and I had to go through a procedure, and I'm once again alone on Valentine's Day. But hey, at least I got free games!

Oh, check out Little Voracious's one shot Senran Persona: Akira's Beginning. It's awesome, go read it for yourself!

Senran Persona has a TV Tropes page. Go check it out and contribute to the behemoth!

Onto the reviews. To KingJGamer: I appreciate all the reviews, but I doubt we'll act on any of those ideas. We have a ton of stuff already written and that might seriously mess with it. Still, things can change. To PhantomGuardianoftheRepublic: You'll see. To Hekkasi: Yep, Tokyo becoming a secret warzone has become inevitable, it's just a matter of when.

Anyways, that's it. Time to get stronger through murder in an alternate reality.

Load Game…Start!

Chapter 119: Merger

(9/17, Early Morning)

(Shinjuku, New Moon Apartment Complex)

Yumi had woken up a little earlier than usual today, but as usual for when she did, she used that extra time to be productive. Checking on her informants, studying up on her next test, practicing her next song for her album. It was a lot to do, but she had slowly mastered her increasingly busy life over the past year.

Still, it wasn't like it would make her sisters worry any less.

Yumi let out a breath as she sat down and set her breakfast on the table; omurice with a bottle of green tea. "Guys, I keep saying I'm doing well. I will let out any grief I have left at the funeral." She then stated, with her phone currently on call with her Gessen teammates.

"We're just worried. Have you seen the news lately? Things are getting really hot over there." A young female voice got out from the phone, which was Yozakura.

"It's all fine. I can handle whatever this city or the Phantom Thieves may throw at me." Yumi reassured.

"Well, you better get here unharmed when the 21st rolls around." Another young female voice got out as well, which was actually Shiki.

"That's in...4 days." A deep female voice added, which was Murakumo herself. She must be wearing her mask right now. "Wow, time flies by fast." She then noted.

"So the funeral will be held on Wednesday." Yumi responded with a nod. She would've preferred if it was on a Sunday, but there was no helping it. The day was set long ago.

"We're going to go shopping tomorrow for funeral clothes. Do you want us to get yours or...?" Shiki informed and asked.

"There's no need to worry about me. I will pick something up in Tokyo and come to the funeral dressed." Yumi responded.

"Well, before you commit to anything, you better send us photos. We have to coordinate." Shiki replied.

"You shouldn't be caring about fashion at a funeral. Only that we dress respectfully." Yozakura sighed out.

"We could always just go in our school uniforms." Another childish-like female voice suggested, which was Minori. "I don't think Kurokage-jiichan would care how we dress, as long as we are there to honor his memory." She then added.

"I get what you mean, Minori-chii, but I look damn good in black." Shiki replied.

"Your vanity will get you killed one day." Murakumo deadpanned.

"And that will be a happy day." The fashionista stated confidently.

The light gray haired girl in response sweatdropped. "I think I might prefer the Gessen uniform." Yumi responded. "It would be nice to wear it again." She then admitted.

"Well...we'll try and coordinate." Yozakura simply responded.

"Urgh, fine. But we're still going out shopping. We've been stuck doing nothing but organize and be sad for the past few weeks. We need to go out, have fun, and enjoy life." Shiki soon declared.

"That sounds great...but I'd rather have Yumi-chan with us when we do." Minori got out.

"You don't need to wait for me to come to have fun." Yumi assured with a sigh. "I'm having plenty of fun in Tokyo, despite everything..." She then stated, adding that last part a little awkwardly. "By the way, how's the guest list looking?" She soon questioned.

"Well, we still need a lot of seats filled." Yozakura lamented. "Do you still have your grandmother's phone number?" She soon pressed in a hopeful manner.

"No. Yume-obasan is not with me anymore, before I started attending Gessen." Yumi sadly informed. "Anyone from Ojii-sama's contacts list?" She then asked.

"Only...one person responded and said yes." Murakumo answered, most likely wincing at telling the news.

"Well, at least it's better than no one..." Yumi sighed. "Even if we have never met them before, we must treat them as one of our own. So, who responded?" She then stated and asked.

"A...Hanzō-san." Murakumo informed as if she was reading it straight from the list.

"Hanzō-" Yumi only got out before cutting herself off, realizing the name. "..." She then went silent for several seconds as she racked her brain for a better answer than what she was currently thinking.

"Yumi-chan?" Minori spoke up, noticing the pause.

"N-No, it can't be...I'm just...I'm just being paranoid..." Yumi whispered to herself.

"Is something wrong, Yumi-chii?" Shiki asked in concern, hearing the incomprehensible mumbling.

The gray haired girl coughed and shook her head. "O-Oh, it's nothing. I just remembered I have something to do after school today." Yumi got out. It wasn't entirely false, but they didn't need to know her more...phantom-ly activities.

"Ah. Well, don't let us distract you from that." Yozakura got out.

"Have fun at school!" Minori happily called out.

"I will. Bye!" Yumi greeted back before ending the call from her phone and pocketing it back. "...It can't be Asuka-san's grandfather, right?" She then assumed aloud.

Well, she couldn't let it bother her for long. So, she finished up her breakfast, packed her bag and headed out the door.

She had a feeling today was going to be a long one.

(Hanzō Academy, Elites Room)

Hibari let out a loud yawn as she set down her chopsticks to cover her mouth. "Aaahhh...sorry..." She mumbled in a tired manner.

"Hibari, there's something on your face." Katsuragi pointed out.

"Hm?" Hibari hummed before wiping her right cheek. "Oh, thanks." She then got out as she licked the bit of rice off her finger.

"No, it's the other cheek." Katsuragi corrected as she used her chopsticks to point.

"Eh?" Hibari was even more confused before wiping her left cheek, only to see the entire back of her hand covered in black oil. "Oh uh, I'll get washed up after breakfast." She then stated.

"You look tired, Hibari." Yagyū noticed, looking rather concerned. "You didn't sleep well last night?" She then assumed.

"N-No, just..." Hibari began before yawning again and rubbing her eyes, causing the oil to cover half of her face. "Working on a personal project." She mumbled out her answer.

"Is that why you went to the junkyard yesterday?" Katsuragi guessed with a raised eyebrow. "I never took you as much of a mechanic." She then admitted in a curious manner.

"Well, Hibari stopped by the library to get some books." Hibari admitted as she rubbed the back of her neck. "But it's really easy! Hibari knocked those books out last night!" She then revealed in a proud manner.

"Huh. That's cool." Katsuragi responded. "What are you working on anyways?" She soon asked.

"Uh...a...a motorcycle." Hibari stammered out, as the girl with the metal mask flashed in her mind. Her butt looked really good now that she thought about it...

"A motorcycle!?" Katsuragi gasped, immediately perking up. "That sounds amazing! Ooh, can I name it? Can I take it out for a joyride some time?" She soon pleaded, jumping out her seat to kneel down and beg.

"Do you two even have a license?" Yagyū however questioned.

Katsuragi paused her begging. "Oh. Right." She remembered with an embarrassed blush.

"It's for the future when I'm all grown up." Hibari explained as she rubbed the back of her neck. "I'll keep it somewhere in the meantime once I'm finished making it." She then added.

"Hmmm..." Yagyū hummed as she narrowed her eye. "I'm not so sure. Making a motorcycle from junk seems rather dangerous. Can I see it?" She soon asked.

"No!" Hibari shouted out, scaring the other two girls from just how out-of-character it was. "I-I mean, Hibari doesn't want to show anyone until it's ready." She then sheepishly got out, attempting to wave off the sudden shout.

"Seriously? Not even a peek." Katsuragi questioned with a suspicious look on her face.

The pinkette frowned before shaking her head. "Don't worry. You can meet this Muramasa motorcycle when Hibari-chan fixes it up." Hibari assured with a smile.

"Aw, you already named it..." Katsuragi groaned. "Still...Muramasa doesn't sound bad for a motorcycle." She then admitted.

"Y-Yeah...'' Yagyū muttered, still reeling from the pinkette's outburst. She never acted like that before.

Not even Nozomi ever-

POOF!

The shinobi began to cough as their sensei appeared in front of them.

"S-Sensei...why...?" Katsuragi whined in between coughs.

"I wasn't able to see Hibari yesterday, so I decided to see you all early today." Kiriya answered, barely taking a look at the choking blonde.

"That's not what we're talking about..." Yagyū groaned.

"Y-You needed to see me, sensei?" Hibari got out with a raised eyebrow as she managed to cough out the smoke from her lungs.

"Yes." Kiriya responded with a nod. "First and foremost, how are you feeling right now, Hibari-san?" He soon asked in genuine concern.

"I'm doing fine now." Hibari answered. "Although...I just wish..." She then muttered as her eyes subtly drifted over to the white haired girl.

Kiriya was the only one who noticed where the pinkette's gaze went over to and frowned. "Hm?"

"Um, I just want to do better next time I'm alone on a mission." The pinkette muttered while shaking her head.

That wasn't a good enough lie for him, but he decided not to call her out on it. A lesson was forming her, and he didn't want to interfere. "Well, you have plenty of time. This is only your first year here at Hanzō after all." Their shinobi instructor stated.

"Hai." The pinkette only replied with a nod.

"Now, report?" Kiriya ordered.

"I wrote it up and sent it to you already sensei." Hibari informed with a frown, trying to remember if she forgot something.

"Yes, and I noticed something." Kiriya responded. "You're missing Asuka's report." He then revealed.

"...Asuka-chan's report?" Hibari repeated with widened eyes.

"About the current incidents in Tokyo. That is also one of the tasks needed to be fulfilled during your tenure at Okumura Foods, given by the Good Shinobi Council while you all visit Tokyo. You did ask Asuka to report on what she's been doing in Tokyo, right?" Kiriya questioned in a serious tone.

"..." Hibari blinked as she stared blankly at her teacher. "...Uuuhhh..." She got out.

Okay, this situation called for disciplinary action. "Hibari-san, don't tell me you forgot to do so while you were there." Kiriya sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I-I'm sorry, Kiriya-sensei!" Hibari apologized with an embarrassed blush. "It's just that...a lot's going on while I was at Okumura Foods HQ and...and I was‐" She then tried to explain herself, however...

"Hibari, it's fine. Yagyū filled me in about your situation back there, so there's no need to worry." Kiriya interrupted. "Why don't we just take this time to call Asuka right now? See how she's doing and gain her reports." He then suggested.

"That's a good idea-" Hibari began, however...

"DRAGON DRAGON OPPAI DRAGON
GROPE-GROPE SUCK-SUCK PAFU-PAFU"

Katsuragi straightened her back before pulling out her phone. "Ah, it's Asuka!" She exclaimed.

"Where did you get that ringtone?" Yagyū questioned, not surprised but really curious where she was able to source such a song.

"Huh. Perfect timing. Put it on loudspeaker mode for all of us to hear." Kiriya ordered.

"Hai." The blonde replied before doing so and holding up the phone for everyone to join in the conversation. "Hey, hey, Asuka, hi. So uh, we need to ask an important-" She then started, before...

"WAH!" They suddenly heard Asuka's voice yelp before hearing a thud, like she was bumping into something. "I-I'm so sorry Akira-kun!" She soon apologized.

"Asuka, your hand on my ass won't kill anyone." A male voice got out from the phone, probably Akira.

RUMBLE!

"Whoa!" They then suddenly heard several people yell in surprise as well as people bumping into each other.

"Okay, now that's a problem..." Akira then stated in a slightly strained tone.

"Oof!" Another male voice was heard.

"Ryuji? How did you get over here!?" A deeper yet still feminine voice, most likely Homura, exclaimed.

"I have no effin' idea!" Ryuji insisted. "Oh shit, am I-" He then started.

"Yep." Homura bluntly got out in a flat tone, cutting the dyed blond's voice off. "Have I ever mentioned how much I hate city trains?" She groaned out in annoyance.

"Mmmphery wmphaking mophment." A muffled voice responded.

"Please don't talk, Ann-chan." Asuka squeaked, resisting the urge to moan.

Katsuragi decided at that moment to hang up, leaving everyone silent for only a second.

"It seems Asuka must've called us accidentally. Probably something tapped on her phone without her noticing." Yagyū assumed before seeing a strange look appear on the blonde's face. "Katsuragi?" She got out in a cautious manner.

"...Tokyo is totally awesome...!" The busty blonde got out with a pumped fist, her eyes sparkling as the fingers on her other free hand twitched in anticipation for her turn there.

"I fear for all the women there..." Yagyū thought with a sweatdrop.

Kiriya simply sighed at their predicament. "At this point, we haven't gained any vital information regarding the incidents in Tokyo once again, just like the last months or years the moment they started, and not a single definite lead whatsoever. Even Hanzō-sama's getting a bit impatient in finding these answers. " He stated. "I really hope Asuka understood the gravity of the situation." He then mumbled out.

"Should we send someone to Tokyo for that particular task while Ikaruga-san's on client duty, Kiriya-sensei?" Yagyū asked. "It would be an efficient solution to the problem." She then added.

"An efficient solution, yes, but unfortunately, no. I'm sure Ikaruga-san is responsible enough to ask and investigate on her own time while dealing with one of our clients there." Kiriya assured. "And considering these incidents in Tokyo, I'm sure I mentioned to you already why we have to limit the shinobi visiting there." He then reminded.

"And what about Daidoji-senpai?" Hibari spoon suggested.

"Currently on her own mission. Plus, she can handle herself, considering she is your senior." Kiriya replied. "Do you see why we act with such caution?" He then added.

"Yes, Kiriya-sensei. We understand." Yagyū replied with a nod. "Still, this Phantom Thieves phenomenon has gained the attention of the shinobi world, both Good and Evil." She soon stated.

"I mean, they took down an international hacker group." Katsuragi pointed out. "Yeah, they're pretty much a big deal now." She muttered.

"Yes, their fame has been getting somehow unusual in some way, out of hand even." Kiriya got out as he rubbed his chin. "Do they even know how much attention they have achieved already?" He then asked to himself.

"A lot?" Hibari assumed, trying to answer their sensei's question.

"I mean, there is the Phan-site..." Katsuragi murmured as she pulled out her phone.

Yagyū however sighed at that suggestion. "We're well aware that the Phantom Thieves are becoming a target amongst shinobi. There are even reports of other shinobi from different schools and factions planning to come to Tokyo right now." She soon reminded and stated. "Sensei, is it wise for us to remain at Hanzō while Asuka is at Shujin? If we can find the Phantom Thieves together..." She then questioned and began to suggest...

"As much as I want to get involved, sadly, they are not our concern." Kiriya informed with a shake of his head. "We are keeping an eye on them, of course. If they prove to be a major threat, no doubt the Good Shinobi Council will give us orders to go to Tokyo and stop them."

"But they aren't a threat." Katsuragi groaned. "They're never going to be a threat. They're the good guys!" She then called out.

"Which is also the reason why we should keep an eye on them." Their sensei added in a serious tone. "Like I mentioned before, their methods of what the public called a change of heart are unknown. If they can use such methods, it's completely risky. They can literally target anyone without notice." He then informed.

"So why do they do the exact opposite by announcing their target to the world?" Yagyū mumbled out.

"Public support. Influencing the public minds to perceive them as the good guys or heroes, which is a very common form of deception and deceit." Kiriya guessed before turning to the blonde. "As Katsuragi has just demonstrated." He then pointed out.

"Ulp!?" Katsuragi gulped. "Uh...I-I was just being a fan of them, that's all, hehe..." She then nervously chuckled.

"Even so, try not to indulge too much of them. One of these days, they might show their true colors and their goals, which is why you must stay vigilant at all times, girls." Kiriya warned. "You can all use deception as shinobi, but be careful not to deceive yourself entirely." He then advised.

"Yes, sensei." All three kunoichi responded proudly.

"Oh, and get washed up Hibari. You cannot go to class like that." Kiriya suggested.

"Eh?" Hibari got out in confusion before...

POOF!

The girls then coughed and waved the smoke away, their sensei nowhere in sight. "Grrr...one of these days, I'm replacing his smoke bombs with shinobi-grade fart bombs..." Katsuragi growled.

"Wouldn't it just make it worse?" Yagyū pointed out.

"I just threw it out there! I'm ticked off right now!" The busty blonde called out.

"My face isn't that dirty, is it?" The pinkette muttered as she wiped her face.

"Nope." Katsuragi answered. "Your entire body is." She then added in a matter-of-fact tone.

"The oil's kinda everywhere now..." Yagyū added while cringing at the mess the pinkette made of herself.

"I-I'll go take a bath right now." Hibari got out as she began making her way to the bathroom.

"Would you allow me to join you?" Yagyū suddenly requested with a hand on her chest.

"I'm fine, Yagyū-chan, thank you." The pinkette dismissively muttered, not even pausing to even look at her fellow first year before disappearing into the bathroom.

Yagyū looked stunned before looking sadly at the floor. "Did I do something wrong?" She whispered.

"I'd tell you, but as your senpai, it is important for kouhai to learn their lessons on their own." Katsuragi stated as she patted the eyepatch-wearing girl's shoulder. "I'm not giving you the answers to the test, you have to study all on your own like I did when I was your age." She then informed.

"...You have no clue why Hibari is acting like this, do you?" The white haired girl soon guessed with a glare.

"Meh, I kinda do, but to be frank I'm more focused on the motorcycle." Katsuragi admitted. "Aw yeah, I'd ride her all day and all night long when I have the chance..." She then got out while unconsciously drooling at the thought.

Yagyū could only give the blonde a flat look. "...This is why I'm the acting leader." She deadpanned.

"And that's why you aren't getting to bathe with Hibari." Katsuragi stated. "...Meanwhile, I do." She quickly added before going to dash off to join the pinkette...

CHINK! CHINK!

Only to halt in her tracks to see two shurikens thrown to the ground in front of her.

"You touch her inappropriately, my umbrella is going right up your-" The acting leader growled.

"Relax, I was just kidding." Katsuragi got out, albeit a bit nervous. "Why don't we just bathe together? The three of us." She soon suggested.

"Hibari doesn't want me to join her, remember?" Yagyū reminded, relaxing a bit.

"Well, I'll join as well. It'll be a bonding experience." Katsuragi suggested and stated, earning a stern eye from the white-haired girl. "...Like, right after I finish my breakfast protein ramen." She then added before sitting back down, swiftly taking out a cup of ramen and enjoying her meal.

"Those last three words should never be together." Yagyū deadpanned before letting out a sigh. "What am I going to do...?" She then thought. This was something she was going to worry about for the rest of the day.

(9/17, Morning)

(Shujin Academy, Classroom)

"Hi! How's everyone doing? Worn out from your trip?" Chouno greeted the class as soon as she walked inside.

"I'm definitely worn out, but not by the lingering jet lag..." Ann couldn't help but think as some of the students began returning from their seats.

"Come on, you're young! Hawaii doesn't even count as going to a foreign country." Chouno continued. "It's full of Japanese tourists. I bet you were able to speak Japanese wherever you went, weren't you? The shopkeepers will use Japanese to pressure you into buying things as if their life depended on it. I'm used to it though, so I actually haggle with them in English." She then informed.

"Good thing we have Lady Ann with us in case we speak with someone who doesn't know Japanese." Morgana remarked.

"But what if Ann isn't with us, then?" Asuka questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Umm...we'll worry about that when that time comes around." Akira whispered. However, he still managed to catch the attention of the teacher.

"Mr. Kurusu! Show me how much you know your English." Chouno called out, perking the glasses-wearing boy's attention. "What's the one supposed origin of the phrase cat got your tongue?" She then asked him.

"Cats eating human tongues." Akira immediately replied without a second thought.

"What!?" Asuka exclaimed before covering her mouth, earning the attention of most of her classmates in the room for a moment.

"Good! You answer quickly. Yes, in ancient Egypt, it's said that the tongues of liars and blasphemers were cut out and fed to cats. It's also possible it came from the pirates' cat-o-nine-tails leaving a prisoner too stung to talk." Chouno praised the boy before teaching the rest of the class.

"Oh god..." Asuka got out in horror. She didn't want to feed her tongue to the not cat. Lying was in her job description!

"I'm suddenly realizing how benevolent Futaba-chan's Shadow really was..." Ann whispered with widened eyes.

"Yeah because deserts, boulders, and death traps are so much better." Akira quietly groaned.

"It wasn't her fault, Akira-kun..." Asuka got out with a frown.

"I know, but it definitely not the funnest Palace to go through." The Leader explained himself.

"And the other ones are?" Homura questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Get back to listening to Chouno-sensei." She then grumbled.

"There are actually a lot of other expressions involving cats. A cat has nine lives, for instance. That relates to how cats seem capable of surviving all kinds of dangers- even ones you'd expect to kill them." Chouno continued.

"If that's the case, Morgana should have more than nine lives..." Homura muttered under her breath.

"Hey, I can hear you. And I am not a cat." Morgana grumbled. "Besides, a real thief has no need for extra lives. They only need one." He then claimed.

"It would be nice though..." Akira mumbled out. Being able to cheat death would be useful someday...

(Roppongi, Okumura Foods HQ)

"And the report she gave to the security team! It was the stuff of amateurs, as if she was in a hurry. That girl should be more responsible given her duty...blah blah blah..."

The second-in-command of the Hanzō Elites hummed vaguely in acknowledgement as she listened to Okumura's many, many complaints about her teammates and the general waste of money of his security system, occasionally nodding in understanding to look like she was actually paying attention. She was already aware of her teammate's shortcomings, but she didn't need to hear all these...put-downs. Thank God none of her other teammates were here to listen.

Ikaruga had decided to dress in more acceptable clothing fitting for a civilian instead of her shinobi garb, in order to blend in better. A white blazer with rolled up sleeves over navy blue dress, black thigh high stocks, and a pair of black high heel shoes. A business-casual sort of look that wouldn't draw attention.

Of course, her 68G cup will always draw the attention of many civilian men and women, especially Katsuragi, but it was better than her bright white military-like Tenshin outfit for this mission.

The CEO soon handed the ravenette a clipboard. "As you can see from the damage, your teammate failed multiple times to ensure my safety." Kunikazu explained.

Ikaruga tuned into the conversation and studied the clipboard. "Hibari-san did her best, Okumura-san. If you were to blame someone, blame me." She soon stated. "Our leader placed her trust in me to take care of things while she is away on her long term mission. Any individual failures reflect on me, so allow me to waive my compensation as an apology. I will ensure my other teammates will perform to your standards." She soon informed in an apologetic manner.

"Hmph. Make sure." Okumura responded with a snooty huff. "We cannot afford any more breaches in security. Be sure your subordinates are up to snuff before you send them on their way." He then stated seriously.

"They are already the best of the best at our school. Have patience. They're more...eccentric quirks belay their skills." Ikaruga assured.

"I'll believe it when I see it." Kunikazu grumbled.

The ravenette narrowed her eyes at that. "We have proven it time and again by saving your daughter." She soon pointed out.

Suddenly, the intercom buzzed on the CEO's desk, distracting Ikaruga long enough to miss Okumura's almost dismissive expression. "Sir, your meeting with the Phoenix Conglomerate is in 10 minutes, sir." His secretary informed, causing the ravenette to flinch.

"Urgh..." Okumura groaned.

"Would you like me to push back the meeting again?" The secretary soon asked.

"I don't think they will understand a seventh delay." The CEO grumbled before facing the raven-haired kunoichi from Hanzō. "I will go. Ikaruga-san, I have granted you access to any security you need to seal any holes. Do not leave anything unturned." He soon got out in a commanding tone.

However, Ikaruga didn't move from where she was standing. "I apologize if I am being rude, Okumura-san, but why are you so bothered by the Phoenix Conglomerate meeting with you?" She questioned with narrowed eyes.

"Are you not made aware of the goings-on of your company?" Okumura remarked in surprise.

"I am an heiress of a family tradition, not the company. My brother, Murasame, handles our company instead." She then replied. "I'm barely even related to them..." She mentally added.

"I see. Well, the reason I'm bothered by this meeting is that we are currently looking into making certain arrangements for the future of Okumura Foods." Okumura confessed.

"A restructuring?" Ikaruga repeated with a raised eyebrow.

Okumura paused in thought. "You could say that." He soon answered. "However, it seems that the Phoenix Conglomerate mistakes this as us looking for a merger of some sort. I've already made my decision, but they insist we have a meeting on this and what they can do to earn a stake in the company." He then informed.

"I see." Ikaruga replied before taking a second to think. "I believe my brother is smelling blood in the water. Given the recent controversy surrounding the company, and that of the Phantom Thieves, he's betting on something to cause a major upset in stock price or the like." She soon guessed with furrowed brows.

The CEO narrowed his eyes. "How did he come to such a conclusion?" Kunikazu then questioned.

"He may be a fool in many aspects, but above all else, he is a very effective businessman." Ikaruga informed without any hesitation. "...If I may ask, what are your plans to rectify these accusations of abuse and poor conditions?" She then pressed.

"I currently do not have any." Okumura answered just as fast.

"Eh?" Ikaruga quietly gasped in surprise.

Kunikazu soon turned away from the girl and looked out his office window. "This company has served me well, but there are always bigger, better opportunities out there." He confessed while looking over the city. "I have grown the company my father started from the ground up, and nurtured it until its roots have spread all across Japan and soon the rest of the world. But I believe it is time for me to allow someone else to take over as its caretaker." He then concluded as he focused on his own reflection.

"I...see..." Ikaruga responded with a frown. "Do you mean your daughter, Haru-san then?" She soon asked.

"In a way, yes." Okumura replied with a nod.

"In a way?" Ikaruga repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"You do not need to worry about such a thing. You should be focused on your job." The CEO soon stated.

"Of course, sir." Ikaruga responded with a formal bow to her current client. "If that is all, I will be going." She then added before preparing for her mission.

"Wait." The Okumura Foods CEO ordered with a palm raised.

That prompted the ravenette to stop in her tracks for a moment before facing her client once again. "Yes, sir?" She then asked.

"...Ikaruga-san, what are your thoughts on this...Phan-Site being hacked to make me their number one candidate for a change of heart?" Kunikazu decided to ask out of the blue.

"...I believe that the Phan-Site hacker has an ulterior motive, rather than seeing justice done." Ikaruga answered after giving some thought about the question. "I have the feeling this is more of a personal attack on you, Okumura-san." She then assumed.

"Well...you do not make it to where you are without making enemies." Kunikazu pointed out while adjusting his tie. "You should know that more than anyone else in this building." He then called the ravenette out.

"I am aware." Ikaruga assured her client. "However, for an enemy to go to such lengths is concerning." She then added with crossed arms under her breasts.

"Perhaps it is their only method of attack, or merely cowardice." Kunkazu guessed with furrowed brows. "If they wish to challenge me, the least they can do is face me instead of hiding behind masks and shadows." He then scoffed.

"Considering the influence and wealth you have, that would be a poor plan of action." Ikaruga pointed out.

"And that's why they will fail." The Okumura Foods CEO finished for himself. "Everyone has the ability to be greater, to upend the status quo, but often they find themselves unwilling to change when the chance comes. It's sad, really." He then lectured.

Ikaruga frowned at this. "Not everyone has the same opportunities." She thought, consciously suppressing her own opinions. It wasn't her place, but it still annoyed her. "If that's all, I shall take my leave." She then informed her client before preparing to leave in her own way once again.

"One more question." Kunikazu ordered the second time.

Ikaruga almost let out an annoyed sigh before turning back around. "Yes, Okumura-san?" She then responded, her eye twitching a little.

"Do you believe I deserve a change of heart?" Kunikazu asked without hesitation in his voice.

"..." That immediately made the ravenette silent as she began comprehending what her client just said. "...No, sir. I do not." She then replied.

"Good. Now, off you go. I have a meeting in..." Okumura soon got out before checking his watch. "...2 minutes ago." He then sighed before pressing his secretary button. "Please tell the Phoenix Conglomerate I will need another 20 minutes to prepare." He then informed.

"Of course, sir. Shall I send over complimentary curry samples again." His secretary responded and asked.

"You may." Kunikazu replied before ending the call. He then took a deep breath and adjusted his appearance for the upcoming meeting.

Ikaruga frowned again as she left the office with a bad feeling in her gut. "He had rather vague answers back there. And him not saying clearly that Haru-san will be CEO is...concerning." She thought before shaking her head. "But that is not something I should interfere with. I could be simply creating a false narrative. I should be focusing on the mission." She then mumbled before disappearing on the spot in a blink.

Once the CEO was alone, he balled his hands into fists in frustration while narrowing his eyes. "Shido, I know your game..." He quietly growled in disdain.

(9/17, Afternoon)

(Shujin Academy, Classroom)

Later in the day, the Thieves of Room 2-D had social studies, and as usual their teacher was being a hardass. "Mishima! I need you to read out from pages 95 to 100, please." Ushimaru called out.

"Of course, sensei!" Mishima dutifully responded as he stood up and picked up his textbook. "The Legal system in Japan has been historically influenced by Chinese law; developing independently during the Edo period through texts such as Kujikata Osadamegaki. It has, however, changed during the Meiji Restoration..." He soon read out.

"Ugh, I do not want to learn about a broken system..." Akira quietly groaned, deciding to doodle something random on his notebook.

"Hey, this might be on your next exam." Homura responded. "You still need to make it through school with a passing grade." She then reminded as her sister nodded in agreement.

"Hai. Besides, we need to learn the system before we can fix it." Asuka added. "...That reminds me, I need to start studying up on how the Good Shinobi Council works..." She then muttered under her breath.

"What about breaking it? Is breaking it any easier?" Akira soon questioned. "No, wait, I just said it was already broken..." He then remembered as he quietly face palmed.

"We could...break it in the good direction?" Morgana suggested.

"Ugh, we seriously need a lawyer or something to help us..." The Leader sighed out. "Do you girls know anyone?" He then asked the two kunoichis.

"There's Makoto-chan's sister." Asuka pointed out.

"..." Akira and Homura looked at the Vice Leader in disbelief.

"Yeah, I don't even know why I even suggested her." Asuka admitted in a slightly sheepish manner.

BZZT! BZZT!

"Oh, finally." Akira breathed out as the Thieves took out their phones.

[Alibaba9: Hey, checking the Phan-site right now, and you're not gonna like it.]

[DarkEyeXI: Just give it to us straight, Futaba.]

[Alibaba9: Okumura is rising through the ranks in the poll. And before you ask, no bots.]

[Alibaba9: He's not first place though. That's still Detective Prettyboy.]

[TheWildJ0ker: That's concerning...]

[All4Painting: The public continues to wish for us to go after the CEO, despite being boosted by the Conspiracy previously.]

[Shut7heFUp: I mean, duh. He was already doing tons of shady shit.]

[Negative8Degrees: It doesn't matter. The poll will not be affecting our current actions.]

[Road2Queen: We know, but it certainly does paint a real picture. I mean, this is all natural.]

[TheWildJ0ker: Maybe not.]

[SushiRoll23: Huh?]

[TheWildJ0ker: Hasn't there been a lot of coverage on Okumura recently?]

[DarkEyeXI: Yeah? So? It's because of...]

(...)

[Negative8Degrees: It's FOR us.]

[FireGirl20: Oh you've gotta be kidding me.]

[Sweetkat06: They have the media in their pocket too!?]

[TheWildJ0ker: It's just a theory, but it is possible. They're using the public to call out to us now, and that seems a lot more effective than just the website.]

[Sweetkat06: It feels like everyone is pushing us back to square one here!]

[Road2Queen: Look, we just have to roll with the punches while we figure out our counterattack.]

[SushiRoll23: BTW, where are we going to have our team meeting with Haru-chan?]

[Shut7heFUp: Leblanc?]

[Sweetkat06: Taking her to a back alley would raise alarm bells considering...]

[TheWildJ0ker: So it has to be somewhere that gives her safety, but private.]

[TheWildJ0ker: What about the train station in Shibuya? It's loud enough that people won't hear us, but public enough to provide a sense of safety.]

[Road2Queen: That could work.]

[FireGirl20: I'll escort Haru over there after school. We'll be by the entrance to Mementos.]

[Shut7heFUp: K! Let's train up a newbie!]

"Okay, Haru-chan, I hope you're ready." Asuka whispered as the Thieves pocketed their phones and returned to focusing on the lesson.

"Mr. Kurusu, are you paying attention to class right now?" Mr. Ushimuru, their social studies teacher, announced once again, perking some of the students in the class.

This was getting old, even for Akira himself.

"Yes, sir." The Leader responded in a dull tone.

"I saw your distracted look before I even called you out, Kurusu." Ushimaru however stated. "Let me make myself clear once again. When you're in my class..." He began as all the students braced for impact.

Welp, time to do something new.

"You pay attention to me!" Their teacher declared angrily as he pulled his arm back.

"I got this." Akira whispered to the shinobi as he-

BONK! CRASH!

Took the chalk straight in the face.

"AH!" Akira cried out as he covered his face. "My eye! There's chalk in my eye!" He then whimpered as he rubbed his eyes as he then fell backwards, his back hitting the floor.

"Huh?" Ushimaru was stunned by the display. His years of throwing chalk had honed his accuracy to a pinpoint. This never happened before!

"Ah...can I please go to the bathroom...or the nurse's office...ah...my cornea..." Akira soon requested in pain.

"U-Um...y-you may, Kurusu." The teacher granted his request, a blush of embarrassment beginning to appear on his cheeks.

"Thank you..." Akira responded as he stumbled out of the classroom, swaying a bit from side to side.

"Wow, I thought he had faster reflexes."

"I knew that was going to happen someday..."

"Is Ushimaru going to get in trouble for this?"

"He better for that shit. Someone put his name on the Phan-Site."

"Stop asking the Phantom Thieves to change the hearts of plain mean people, jeez..." Ann got out in a flat tone.

"W-Well, that was an honest mistake. But he should've been paying attention to the lesson in the first place." Ushimaru tried to regain his composure as the Leader grabbed his bag and left the classroom.

"...It totally hit your glasses." Morgana deadpanned from the bag.

"Yep." Akira casually responded with a smirk as he walked to the bathroom to camp out until the bell rings for the next class, feeling his Guts be strengthened by his trick and deception.

(Yongen-Jaya, Takemi's Clinic)

It was just another day for Takemi and Haruka as they went about their day.

A patient here and there, their continued research on the cure for cancer, helping Haruka get ready for medical school.

Busy, busy and more busy.

At that moment though, the door opened as Takemi looked up. "Greetings." She got out as she looked at who it was, two teenage girls.

The spiky blonde girl was wearing a black leather jacket, a pink t-shirt with "More Than Meets The Eye" in blood red letters underneath. She was also wearing jeans with stylised tears and black and pink trainers. She was carrying a black handbag with a bunch of charms poking out from the main zip-up pocket and on her hand was a phone with hanging accessories on it.

She is accompanied by a sickly girl with long silver hair. Said silverette is in a purple below-the-knee one-piece with black moths covering the left side with a plain black jacket, black tights and a pair of purple pumps.

Takemi immediately noticed that the silverette didn't look well. A common sight for her, but this looked a little different. Like...shouldn't she be in bed?

"Um, this is Tae Takemi's Clinic, right?" The blonde newcomer soon asked as she tinkered her phone.

"Considering I'm Tae Takemi, I'd say you're in the right place." The doctor responded before eyeing the sickly silverette. "Should she be outside right now?" She then questioned.

"Uh...we don't know, actually." The blonde responded, wagging her phone on her hand.

"Have you taken any medicine?" Haruka questioned.

"We tried. Nothing works." The blonde answered with a free hand on hip.

"Have you gone to your general practitioner or personal doctor before coming here?" Takemi soon asked.

"Yep. And they seriously couldn't help at all." The blonde answered and confirmed. "Please. I don't know what to do." She then confessed.

"Okay. Come into my office. Haruka?" Takemi instructed and called out.

"I will be happy to assist." Haruka responded with a nod as she proceeded as well.

"Thank you so much. Come on, Reki-chan, let's go inside." The fiery-looking blonde responded as she helped the sick girl into the consultation room and laid her down.

"Name." Takemi began while starting the examination.

"Reki. Reki Zeroga." The silverette replied.

Haruka nodded in response as she entered the girl's name into the database.

"Is there anything abnormal with the patient?" Takemi questioned with her clipboard in hand.

The blonde that accompanied the silverette in response shook her head. "She suddenly got sick at the start of September. None of the other doctors I've taken her to have been able to diagnose her..." She soon explained in a sorrowful tone.

Haruka in response nodded. "And you are?" She soon asked.

"Yuki Ikusaba." The blonde answered.

In response, the doctors nodded.

"Let me take your temperature now." Takemi instructed as she placed the thermometer in the silverette's mouth. "Hmm...below average. Not severe but..." She then mumbled to herself before writing it down on her clipboard.

There was a few minutes of silence as the two did their paperwork before going back to diagnosing the sickly silverette.

"Can you describe your sickness for us?" The female back-alley doctor asked.

"Some stomach pains, a minor headache, a runny nose from time to time..." Reki began listing off.

"Don't forget the itchiness." Yuki reminded, causing the silverette to blush.

"Anything about your body that requires privacy?" Takemi then questioned.

"...It's...where the itchiness was..." Reki mumbled in embarrassment.

"..." Haruka and Takemi looked at each other, silently talking about something before turning back to the patient.

"Um...I don't know if I should ask but..." Haruka awkwardly started.

"Are you sexually active?" Takemi bluntly asked.

The silverette immediately blushed scarlet. "W-What!?" Reki exclaimed.

Yuki, on the other hand, responded with her mouth half-open along with a blush on her face in shock for a moment before composing herself.

"You don't need to lie. Patient-doctor confidentiality." Takemi soon stated.

"N-No! No! I never even let a boy touch me!" Reki responded in a panicked manner.

"Are you lying to me? Because there are other methods of determining it." Takemi soon questioned and informed.

Haruka meanwhile was tempted to go grab some latex gloves and snap it on her wrists just to be extra threatening.

"I am not!" Reki reassured.

"Yeah, she's practically a corpse, like, for real." Yuki suddenly added before suddenly coughing. "In bed. Sleeps like a log I mean." She soon corrected.

"...Okay..." Haruka got out with a raised eyebrow, slightly weirded out.

"Like I said, if a single man ever touches me, he will immediately regret it." Reki sneered, unconsciously clenching a fist.

"...Just make sure you don't do anything life-threatening." Takemi advised.

Yuki did her best to keep a straight face since that particular comment did not apply to her, Reki, and any member of her teammates.

"We won't." Reki reassured with a nod, though that was a lie in itself.

"Anyways, what else do we need to do, sensei?" Haruka soon asked the doctor.

"Now, I will need to draw some blood for testing." Takemi informed as she prepared a needle.

Haruka removed the silverette's jacket for access to the arm.

"Try not to tense up, ok?" Takemi soon instructed as she began feeling for the vein.

The silverette in response just nodded.

Takemi eventually inserted the needle and started drawing a blood sample.

"I hope the rumors about you two being miracle workers are true..." Yuki thought to herself while the sample was being drawn. "Still, I hope this doesn't cause more problems than it solves..." Her train of thought continued with her eyes now open.

Takemi then looked at the silverette. "How exactly are you feeling right now?" She soon asked as she got the blood sample.

"It feels like I could drop dead any day now..." Reki lethargically answered.

"Most illnesses make you feel like that." Takemi muttered as she disposed of the used needle. "Haruka, you mind analyzing this sample for me?" She then asked her assistant as she handed the vial over to her.

"Of course." Haruka responded as she took the blood sample to the back and put it in the centrifuge. "Should get a test result in a few minutes." She then informed the group as a whole.

"Thank you." Reki responded with a nod.

"Was drawing blood really necessary?" Yuki soon questioned. "Aren't you supposed to take her blood pressure instead?" She then pointed out.

"That's for a physical. This is for diagnosis. For all we know, it's originating from her blood." Takemi answered and explained.

"I see." Reki got out before shooting Yuki a look, who nodded in response.

"Oh, don't worry." Haruka suddenly got out, surprising the two a little bit. "This is all standard procedure. There's no need to worry about anything." She then informed and reassured.

"Um, thank you for assuring us." Yuki responded. "Reki-sama, do you think...?" She then whispered.

"No. I don't know." Reki replied in a whispering tone as well. "But if she is, I can't fight all too well. It would be highly risky to do anything right now. Let's just stay our hands for now until my condition improves." She then instructed, studying each move the assistant made.

"Hai." Yuki soon nodded.

"And done." Haruka interrupted as she printed out the test results from the silverette's blood. "Let's see...all good...all around normal levels...no sign of anything abnormal either." She then informed.

"Nothing abnormal?" Reki repeated.

"You don't have a bloodborne disease. And you're not pregnant." Haruka soon clarified.

"Oh." The silverette responded before she blinked. "Wait, that can't be ri-" She then got out, but then was interrupted.

"Seems like a common cold, a flu, and a small stomach virus. Have you had any immunity shots?" Takemi determined and asked.

However this also confused both the silverette and her friend.

"Immunity shots. Do you have any history of it?" Takemi asked once more.

"Injection shots like a vaccine or something to make you immune to a particular disease." Haruka decided to explain it to them.

"Oh, I never needed any of that." Reki quickly responded before pausing for a moment. "My...parents, before they passed away, told me that I always had a strong immune system and that I didn't need them at the time." She soon explained, a hint of vagueness in her voice.

"Oh...I'm...so sorry." Takemi apologized as she shifted in her seat. "But it's better to be safe than sorry with diseases. I recommend scheduling some shots in the near future." She soon suggested.

"A-Alright." Reki hesitantly responded while sweating a bit in a nervous manner.

"I can arrange it so you can have them here if you want?" Haruka offered. "Many of them come free of charge. You do have to discuss this with your GP or your doctor first though." She then informed.

Reki managed to hide her sheer cluelessness about these topics and nodded. "I will do that later today." She decided.

"So...you didn't find anything else wrong?" Yuki eventually asked.

"Well, you should be warmer than colder but from the looks of it, it will all come to pass." Haruka informed as she checked the results.

"Yep, in a few days you'll be a normal healthy lady." Takemi soon informed. "Still doesn't explain the drop in temperature. It's not particularly cold today. Perhaps it's more of a mental issue?" She assumed.

"I...see..." Yuki responded with a distant expression.

"Wha...what did you just say...?" Reki however asked, sounding more stunned if anything else. "H-How..." She then quietly murmured to herself as she flexed her hand.

"Still, I recommend getting plenty of rest and taking some cold and stomach medicine and. If you still aren't feeling well, I recommend having daily visits." Takemi soon instructed as her assistant nodded in agreement.

"R-Right. We live in an apartment just down the road. We'll visit regularly." Yuki responded and informed as she started to get up.

"Y-Yeah..." Reki got out, her voice still sounding stunned and filled with disbelief.

"Then, we'll be heading off after we pay..." Yuki decided in a subdued manner as they headed into the lobby. "How much for the consultation?" She soon asked as she retrieved her wallet from her purse.

"Hai, this is the amount you need to pay." Haruka replied as she handed over the bill.

Nodding in response, Yuki paid it before helping Reki out the door.

As the two doctors watched them leave, they looked at one another before shrugging their shoulders. "Interesting girls this time." Takemi admitted as she headed back in.

"Indeed..." Haruka replied with a pensive look on her face before checking the results of the blood test again.

Blood Type O. Unknown. 4 cmm.

Immediately, Haruka had a lingering feeling, though she was uncertain how or why it was.

"...Okay, is it just me, or are all teenage girls getting bigger more often now?" Takemi deadpanned, cutting off her assistant's trail of thought.

"Um, I'm sure there's a logical explanation." Haruka replied before letting out a smile. "Jealous, sensei?" She then teased.

"...Get back to work." Tae grumbled with a withering glare.

"Yes, sensei." Haruka responded with a bow before continuing her job.

Right now, Haruka didn't need to compromise her job entirely. Though, she was a bit tempted to create a special concoction for her chest problems, probably as a gift. However, she was very concerned about the side effects, so she'll put it aside for now. Of course, she did not want to risk using her darling as her test subject once again.

Just another day for the two doctors.

(9/17, After School)

(Shibuya, Shibuya Central Train Entrance)

"Man, even though Okumura's really rising through the ranks on the Phan-site."

"Whoever hacked the website must feel really dumb."

"Or vindicated."

"But aren't there a ton of other companies that do the same thing? Okumura isn't even the worst out there. At least he doesn't make his employees pee in booths."

"Maybe they're singling him out for all of the praise he gets? Besides, there are a bunch of strange rumors starting to surface about his company..."

"Oh, you mean like all that stuff happening to his competitors? Don't tell me you buy that occult BS. I'm sure it's a coincidence."

"Hey, wanna go to Big Bang Burger?"

"Dude, sure! Galaxy Burger here I come!"

The Phantom Thieves couldn't help but sigh after overhearing that conversation.

Akira and his group were casually waiting on the side of the entrance just like how he, Homura, Ann, Asuka, Morgana, and Ryuji had their first experience and encounter with Mementos last time before Yumi, Yusuke, Makoto, Futaba, and Miyabi came along. Blending in with the busy crowds in Shibuya Central while looking as normal high school students might be their best talent as the days go by. The only people left they were waiting on were Haru and Homura, and they were beginning to worry.

"Uuuuu...so many people back there..." Futaba mumbled as she fidgeted a bit from the crowds during her way here. "But...I can handle it." She then eagerly stated to herself with pumped fists.

"...You know I keep my knife between my pants and underwear, and not near my penis." Akira casually stated almost quickly without a care before getting silent while tinkering on his phone once again.

"Eh?" Ryuji got out in confusion.

"Huh?" Ann said in confusion as well.

"What!?" Morgana exclaimed, stunned by the sudden statement.

"Akira-kun..." Asuka however chided.

"Just breaking the silence while waiting for Haru here." Akira admitted.

"...Do you wanna continue talking about that, Akira?" Makoto got out with a dangerous look in her eye.

"No." Akira bluntly replied, slightly fazed by the stare, but didn't feel nervous at all thanks to his current Guts level. "I'm just saying something because we're too quiet here." He then reasoned.

"You could've said anything except that." Ann sighed out.

"W-What did you just say, Akira?" Yumi tried to ask, trying to comprehend the Leader's sudden statement.

"Did I hear something specific?" Futaba started, glancing at everyone and starting to relax a bit. "'Cause I suddenly want a hotdog or a banana right now." She then admitted.

"You have a knife in your what now?" Miyabi stated as she tried to pick up what their Leader said just now.

"Oh, Haru's here, guys." Akira suddenly informed everyone, catching everyone's attention.

"Hey, everyone." A familiar voice greeted, making everyone glance towards the voice and revealing to be Haru herself, with the tan skinned girl following close behind her. "Sorry to keep you waiting." She then apologized.

"Oh, Haru-chan. Hello there." Asuka happily greeted.

"Run into any trouble on your way?" Akira asked.

"Oh, not at all." Haru assured. "It was a lovely trip over here." She then added.

"Except for the couple of idiots who tried to grab her." Homura sighed out. "Tokyo is seriously having a problem with gropers this year." She then grumbled.

"Oh no, they were definitely trying to take me for ransom!" Haru delightfully informed. "I particularly liked it when Homu-chan broke their legs before giving them a stern lecture like Ika-chan would. It was a nice touch!" She then added.

"..." The Phantom Thieves just stared before turning towards Homura.

"...I didn't break their legs. They just started crying." The tan skinned girl awkwardly informed.

"After you broke their legs." Akira tried to finish for her.

"Shut up, Kurusu." Homura groaned.

"...You seriously need therapy." Futaba got out in a deadpan tone towards the heiress.

"Huh, that's what Gyū-chan mutters sometimes." Haru revealed.

"Gyū-chan?" Akira repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"Ah, I mean Yagyū-chan from Hanzō Academy." Haru corrected in a sheepish manner.

"How many shinobi do you know?" Ryuji had to ask.

"Seven." Haru answered automatically.

"Asuka and Homura don't count." Miyabi quickly pointed out.

"Oh, then five." Haru corrected herself. "There's Ika-chan, Katsu-chan-" She then began to list off, however...

"Excuse me, but we aren't here to talk about shinobi." Yusuke interrupted. "We're here to talk about more serious business."

"Oh. Right. Sorry." Haru apologized with a small giggle.

"I guess...proper introductions are in order?" Homura awkwardly started as he motioned the auburn haired girl to speak.

"Um...hello, everyone." Haru began in a polite manner before twirling around and doing a pose. "I am the Beauty Thief, Haru Okumura! Pleased to properly make your acquaintance." She then introduced herself as She then curtsied to the group.

"Uhh...we already know who you are." Ryuji however reminded. "And what's with the thearetics?" He soon asked.

Haru in turn blushed at the question. "W-Well, you have to make a good first impression." She explained with a stutter in her voice.

"Uh, this is actually your second." Ryuji then pointed out.

"Or third, fourth impression." Akira added.

"Don't patronize her..." Morgana sighed out. "Okay, introduce yourselves clockwise everyone. State your name and role in our group. Starting from..." He then got out as he looked around the group.

"I'll go first." Yumi spoke up as she raised her hand before stepping forward and gave a polite bow. "I am Yumi Tsukikaze. Third year and Student Council President of Kosei High and one of the shinobi of the Phantom Thieves. I run an information network, so it allows the Phantom Thieves to get information and requests that haven't been posted on the Phan-site." She soon informed.

"Hello, Yumi-chan." Haru replied before focusing closely on her. "Hmm...Have I seen somewhere before?" She hummed out and then asked in a curious manner.

"Erm...I may be an idol as well." Yumi soon revealed with a blush. "It's a recent development, I swear." She then informed.

"Oh, fascinating." Haru replied in an intrigued tone.

"I guess I'm up next." Ryuji started.

"Hold on! I'm next!" Morgana spoke up in annoyance.

"But Haru's already met you." Ann reminded.

"She doesn't know my role in the team." Morgana retorted.

Well, it looks like the not cat wasn't going to budge on the matter. "Okay, fine. Go ahead." The dyed blonde complied.

"Thank you." the not cat replied before clearing his throat. "Ahem. I am the great Morgana! I'm the healer and the Metaverse expert of the group." He then proudly declared.

"Of course he introduces himself that way." Homura thought in her head while rolling her eyes.

"Hehe, you really are a great healer, Mona-chan." Haru confessed with a smile.

"Thank you, Beauty Thief." Morgana responded as he bowed.

It was right then the loudmouth of the group stepped forward. "Ryuji Sakamoto! Second year at Shujin. I eff shit up and write the calling cards!" The dyed blond proudly declared with a grin.

"You definitely fuck up a lot of shit..." Homura muttered under her breath.

"Thank you!" The dyed blonde eagerly replied...only to notice what he actually heard from the tan-skinned girl. "...Wait, that felt like an insult." He then added with furrowed brows.

"Homura, please turn down the snide remarks." Makoto requested.

"Sorry, but it's just too easy, you know?" Homura tried to retort with a grin.

"That's very immature of you." Yumi soon stated.

"...I promise to behave now, Yumi-senpai." Homura mumbled in a small tone.

"So...I'm next? My name's Ann Takamaki. Second Year at Shujin Academy. Third member to join the Phantom Thieves." Ann spoke up.

"And our seductress who can play with the hearts of men to do her bidding." Morgana added in a wistful manner, earning a surprising stare from the ash blonde.

"Morgana. Seriously?" Homura deadpanned with half-lidded eyes.

"Eh? A seductress?" Haru repeated, a bit surprised by the description.

"Well, I wouldn't really call myself that. More like a femme fatale." Ann awkwardly got out before eyeing the not cat with a glare. "Morgana, don't call me that." She then grumbled with a puffed up cheek.

"L-Lady Ann..." Morgana got out in a sad manner. "I-I was just complimenting you." He then tried to explain.

"Your compliment was too exaggerated, Morgana." Akira described. "Try to tone it down." He then added.

"B-But I thought she would appreciate it..." Morgana mumbled out.

"The way you said it made it a bit awkward for Ann here, especially if it's a sudden one."

"...S-Sorry, Lady Ann." Morgana apologized in a remorseful manner. "I'll...introduce you more thoughtfully next time." He then promised.

Ann sighed before making a small smile. "Thanks, Morgana." She replied before gesturing towards the artist of their group. "Alright Yusuke, you're up." She then got out.

"Hello, I am Yusuke Kitagawa. A Second Year at Kosei High. An artist with an interest in Japanese-styled themes of art, and I design the calling cards." Yusuke introduced himself with a small bow.

"Huh. So I assume you're the one who created the logo as well?" Haru assumed.

"That is correct." The artist replied with a nod.

"Way better than the one Ryuji created." Homura mumbled to herself.

"Oh, the Kamoshida one?" Haru stated, remembering that time. "...But I thought it was cute..." She then admitted.

"C-Cute?" Ryuji was baffled. "It's supposed to be intimidatin' and shit!" He then retorted.

"I think the words scared him more than the logo." Ann stated. "...And that is a compliment to you, Ryuji." She quickly added.

"Oh thank you!" Ryuji got out in a thankful tone along with a sigh of relief.

"I'm Makoto Niijima. Third Year at Shujin Academy and the Student Council President. I'm the advisor of the group. I deal with in-battle tactics and planning." Makoto then introduced herself properly.

"In-battle tactics and planning." Haru repeated before smiling. "That sounds like you, Mako-chan." She then admitted.

"M-Mako-chan...?" Makoto repeated in a surprised yet curious manner.

"And there's the dere side of our advisor..." Futaba giggled. "By the way, she likes Buchimaru. A lot." She then casually revealed with a grin.

The brunette soon blushed as Miyabi sighed. "Futaba, please have a sense of privacy here." The white haired woman requested.

"Aw come on, it's not that bad as-" The orangette started.

"Buchimaru-kun, hm? I think I have some things from when I was young of that brand." Haru interrupted, sensing the orangette was about to say something even worse for the advisor. "I'd be happy to give them to you." She soon offered.

"Y-You have Buchimaru-kun stuff?" Makoto sputtered in disbelief. "Ummm...I would. . love to have them if you don't mind, Haru-san." She then shyly admitted.

"I'll go get them to give to you as soon as this is over." Haru promised with a bow.

"T-Thanks." Makoto replied, running a finger through her hair.

"Me next? Alright, here we go. Futaba Sakura here. Former shut-in, so not in school. I'm the navigator and hacker of this band of merry Thieves. Also a self-proclaimed tech guru, so if it involves any tech, I'm your gal." The hacker casually introduced with a wag of her index finger.

"Oh! Are you the one that hacked the Medjed website?" Haru assumed.

"Good intuition." Futaba agreed with a nudge of her glasses. "Yes, I am. I also confirmed that we were being played with." She then added.

"Being played with?" Haru repeated. "By who." She then asked.

"Some group we call the Conspiracy, but we'll talk about them in a later time." The orangette revealed and informed. "Right now, you need EXP. A-K-A experience, by the way." She then added.

"E-Experience, right." Haru agreed, albeit slightly reluctant. "Anyway, glad to meet you, Futaba-chan." She then added with a smile.

"Quick question, though." Futaba soon started. "What's with your custom-made compression bra and stuff?" She suddenly asked out of nowhere rather quickly for others to comprehend.

Everyone in the group had varying reactions.

"Wait...now that I notice, didn't Haru have a large chest back in Hawaii?" Akira deduced in his mind...in a matter-of-fact tone, of course.

"H-How did you- I mean, what are you-" Haru sputtered out as she instinctively covered her chest.

"Eh?" Ryuji only got out in confusion.

"Hold on, what did you say, Futaba?" Morgana asked, trying to pick up what the orangette said.

"...Moh, phone!" Asuka suddenly realized before slapping her forehead.

"Wait, what kind of bra?" Ann soon asked as she processed the question.

"Ignore her, Haru." Miyabi immediately stated before glaring at the orangette. "Futaba Sakura, are you really trying to get another lecture from me?" She then warned.

"But I'm serious here, Miyabi." Futaba insisted before pointing a finger at Haru, more specifically her chest. "Her chest is not what it looks li-" She then explained...

"Enough, Futaba. Enough." Miyabi ordered the orangette with a stern look, cutting her off, before facing Haru once again. "Haru, I'm so sorry. Futaba here's...an eccentric kind of girl. I hope you don't mind her..." She then apologized.

"I-It's fine, it's fine." Haru tried to assure the others. "Katsu-chan is like that as well." She then admitted.

"...How long has she been friends with Asuka's teammates?" Akira wondered in his thoughts.

"As for you, Futaba Sakura." Miyabi said sternly, facing the orangette once more. "One more nonsense from you, you'll be dealing with me for an entire day every single day onwards." She then threatened.

"Whatever. If all of you do not wish to know, then fine." Futaba stated and implied. "I'll wait for the grand reveal one day instead, mwehehe~" She then added with a grin and a laugh.

"Moving on!" Miyabi decided while placing a hand on the orangette's head. She was definitely giving her a lecture later. "Who's next for introductions?" She soon questioned.

The tan skinned girl raised her hand. "Homura Shinkukage, formerly a shinobi of Hebijo who is planning on transferring to Hanzō Academy, second year at Shujin Academy and head of the Shujin Disciplinary Committee. Trainer of the Phantom Thieves. And I'm also the vandal that makes the biggest and most expensive messes." She introduced herself while listing off what she does.

Haru's eyes immediately widened upon hearing that. "Homu-chan, you're the one that does the graffiti!?" She soon asked.

"Ehehe, yeah..." Homura awkwardly and sheepishly giggled out as she scratched her cheek with a finger.

"They look very cool, by the way." Haru complimented. "And you even managed to tag a part of a building without anyone noticing?" She then asked in an impressed tone.

"That's me and Asuka." Homura got out in agreement. "The school one's me and Ryuji helping." She then informed.

"Hell yeah." Ryuji got out with a grin and a pumped fist. "We both went all-out on that one, ha!" He then added with the same tone.

"Um, you're not going to...tag my father's building if it comes down to it, right?" Haru soon asked in concern. "In case we...you know..." She then added.

"...If you were not involved in our activities, we probably would've considered it once the time comes." Yumi admitted.

"I see." Haru nodded. "Well, I appreciate it if you don't tag it...for now. It is still my father's, and also mine as well." She then told them.

"We will hold back if it comes down to it." Yusuke promised. "Although, I don't know how we can top vandalizing an entire building." He then muttered.

"Eh, it'll come to us." Akira got out with a shrug. "Anyway, who's next for introductions this time?" He then added, with the white-haired woman holding up her palm in response.

"Miyabi Kurayami. I come from Hebijo Clandestine Girls Academy and I'm the daughter of its current principal. The...adult member of the Phantom Thieves." The white haired woman got out as she introduced herself, wincing at her role.

"Eh? But...you still look like you're in high school, Miya-chan." Haru pointed out.

"21 years old." The white-haired woman revealed with a hint of depression.

"...H-Huh?" Haru only got in slight bewilderment, staring at the white-haired woman. "How is that even possible?" She then asked.

"Oh, that's easy. She-" Ryuji began, however...

"Would rather not say anything about it." Miyabi interrupted as her eye twitched. "Especially without letting them reveal information on their own, dumbass." She then growled.

"Oh. Uh, sorry." The dyed blond apologized as he scratched his head.

Miyabi only sighed. "Well I'm...mentally 18, if that's anything to go by." She then added with a shrug. "...Wait, Miya-chan? She soon asked, finally registering the nickname.

"Yes, I would like to call you that." Haru informed. "Is something wrong with that?"

"Are you gonna call every girl that?" Yusuke bluntly questioned. "It seems really sudden to be so informal with strangers." He then commented.

"O-Oh, I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I-I never really made any friends past elementary school." Haru apologized and explained.

"Nah, it's okay. Asuka here already jumps to first names after a couple of seconds of talkin' to anyone." Ryuji casually informed.

"Ehehehe..." Asuka sheepishly laughed while rubbing the back of her head.

"...On the bright side, though, she didn't mistake you for a man this time, Miyabi." Futaba tried to assure the white-haired woman.

"Will you please be quiet, Futaba?" Miyabi grumbled.

"Eh? Mistake you as a guy? Is that true?" Haru repeated. "I don't really see it, Miya-chan, so why?" She then stated and asked away.

"People are just plain blind." Akira answered the question. "None of them notice the boobs at first glance." He then casually added.

"T-Then what do they see then?" Miyabi tried to ask, reluctantly ignoring the somehow sensitive comment. "My face? My legs? My hair?" She then began to panic as she tried to cover said body parts.

"My guess, probably your hair." Yusuke chimed in.

"Dammit, my hair's not long enough for a haircut..." Miyabi mumbled as she covered her hair.

"I think you're obsessing over this too much." Haru however spoke up. "You are a girl, through and through from the way I see it." She soon stated with a smile.

Miyabi immediately blinked before suddenly placing a hand on the auburn haired girl's shoulder and giving her a thumbs up along with a sparkle in her eyes. "Welcome to the team." She soon decided.

"Eh? Um, t-thank you, Miya-chan." Haru replied, a bit startled at the hand on her shoulder.

"Haru's really earning her place here, huh." Futaba noticed aloud. "Through bribery and compliments." She then added.

"Oh, I wouldn't say compliments. I call them facts I've observed." Haru tried to correct the others with a smile on her face.

"Aww..." Most of the girls in the group cooed.

"Wait, huh?" Ryuji got out in confusion.

"Hey, you are next, Asuka." Akira pointed out. "Why don't you talk a little bit about yourself." He then added.

The Vice Leader nodded at that. "Asuka Shirokage, shinobi of Hanzō Academy and currently a second year at Shujin Academy as well as a part-time model and a cafe employee!" She happily informed with a bright smile. "Oh yeah. I'm the Vice Leader of the Phantom Thieves as well, Haru-chan. You can always rely on me whenever you need help!" She then added.

"Ooh, you work at a cafe?" Haru got out in an interested tone. "I would love to try your coffee some time." She then requested.

"I'll make you some after we're done here, okay Haru-chan?" Asuka soon offered with a smile.

"That would be lovely." Haru got out before glancing at someone who was last but not the least. "And finally, you." She concluded.

"And finally, me." Akira got out with a small smile. "Akira Kurusu. Second Year at Shujin Academy. Leader of the Thieves and Wild Card." He then introduced.

"Wild Card?" Haru repeated.

"He can use multiple Personas." Morgana informed.

"It's really OP." Futaba added with a nudge on the side of her glasses.

"O...P?" Haru slowly repeated with an innocent head tilt.

"Overpowered." Ryuji clarified. "He's really strong compared to all of us." He then added.

"Well, I wouldn't say stronger. Just...different?" Akira sheepishly got out. He certainly didn't feel powerful whenever he entered or exited the Velvet Room.

"You killed a Reaper by yourself." Morgana deadpanned.

"I was not alone during that time, remember?" Akira responded with a frown. "Yumi softened him up before I got the job done." He then added.

"And I wasn't exactly at my most emotionally stable..." Yumi added with a regretful sigh.

"Reaper?" The heiress tried to ask. "Like the Grim Reaper." She then assumed.

"I pray that you never meet it." Yumi responded.

"Doesn't...everyone meet it eventually?" Haru then pointed out.

"Different one. Not the metaphysical one." Homura corrected. "Hopefully we'll avoid seeing this one today." She then mumbled under her breath.

"Okay, that's everyone." Ryuji breathed out.

"Thank you for introducing yourselves to me." Haru replied with a small bow. "So, may I ask why are we here?" She then politely asked.

The Thieves soon looked around to make sure no one was listening in or looking at them before nodding. "Okay...Beauty Thief." Akira began. "You want to become stronger? Well, here's your chance. We have a few requests from the Phan-site we'd like to resolve. You'll be joining us on this Mementos run and helping us fight whatever Shadows we may encounter." He then informed the heiress.

"H-Hai!" Haru perked up in response. "Um, what are these requests?" She then decided to ask.

"Morgana, take the stage." Akira replied, gesturing towards the not cat.

"Ahem. Phan-Site Requests please, Leader?" Morgana cleared his throat and told the black frizzy-haired student, prompting him to open the Requests section on his phone and positioned it closely for Morgana to see. "Thank you, okay, the first one we're going to discuss is a continuation of a request." He began.

"Eh?" Asuka got out.

"Oh, is it about the hack Leader made me do on the Gun About website some time ago?" Futaba remembered.

"Yep. It's related." Akira responded with an affirmative nod. "Remember the cheater?" He then asked.

Futaba suddenly growled out in annoyance at the mention.

"Wait, the invincible guy!?" Miyabi exclaimed in disbelief.

"Yoshikuni Nejima." Yumi recalled before frowning. "He's made himself unkillable in an arcade game, which in turn caused his Shadow to be immune to all of our attacks." She then got out.

"Like I kept saying, cheaters are scum of the earth." Futaba grumbled. "Having to run away with our tails between our legs just because he had God Mode on...not fun, I tell you." She then sighed out.

"Well, he isn't so godly anymore." Akira got out with a smirk, causing everyone but the newest member's eyes to widen.

"You changed his cognition, didn't you?" Makoto assumed. "How?" She then had to ask.

"I had a little help from a legit pro." Akira answered. "Man, he's a better shot than most of us here. He even taught me a thing or two." He then admitted. If that kid got his hands on a real gun, he'd become a modern day sharpshooter.

"For real, dude?" Ryuji got out in surprise. "You're amazing, man! Oh sweet vengeance, here we come!" He then declared as he cracked his knuckles.

"Okay, is everyone ready to take him on again?" Akira soon asked, despite knowing the answer.

"It's never nice to leave unfinished business." Yusuke stated with a smirk. "Let us beat this rubbish mentality into submission." He then declared as he punched his palm.

"Haru?" Morgana got out as he looked over at the heiress. "Everyone has to agree before we go forward with the request." He then informed.

"I...I don't understand any of this." Haru spoke up, looking thoroughly confused. "But he sounds like a bad person. We shall beat him into a bloody pulp!" She then passionately declared.

However, the others winced at the rather...interesting look the heiress had on her face, mostly on the civilian Thieves. "H-Haru, we're supposed to change hearts, not stop them." Makoto pointed out.

"Oh..." Haru got out, doing a double take for a second. "...But that does involve beating them into a bloody pulp, correct?" She then asked anyway.

"Yes." Miyabi bluntly replied.

"Then let's do this." The heiress declared once again.

"...IIIIIII'm starting to feel a bit nervous about Haru here now..." Homura soon admitted in a quiet manner.

"At this point, I've dealt with too many people to be bothered by this." Akira whispered back. "Surprised I'm still sane after all this. Alive, even." He then added.

"Meh, everyone is just a different brand of crazy. It's just how well you hide it that counts." Futaba stated off-handedly.

"Like you, Futaba?" Ann tried to retort back.

"Yes." The hacker casually responded.

"Alright, moving on." Morgana spoke up. "Next up. We have something from Yumi's info network. Take the floor, Widow." He then got out.

"Hai." Yumi responded with a nod as she stepped forward. "Well, according to one of my informants, we may be dealing with something rather serious involving liquid explosives." She soon informed.

Several of the Thieves gasped. "What the!?" Ryuji exclaimed.

"I'll read out the request from the anonymous source." The info broker soon stated as she pulled out her phone. "My company's president has been doing some shady deals possibly in smuggling, but I don't know for sure, but I know that there's been a rise in the dangerous components used for liquid explosives. I just need confirmation on if it's true or not. My president's name is Mitsuru Kuramochi." She then read out.

"Umm...shouldn't this be for the police to deal with?" Haru pointed out. "Or the people wearing hazmat suits?" She then added in an unsure tone.

"Well, from what I can tell, the source tried going to the police but they didn't believe them." Yumi replied with a frown. "I looked into the target a little more, and he seems rather clean. No suspicious activity. Still, we can't just write something like this off." She soon informed.

"The last thing we need is an explosive accident out of nowhere in Tokyo." Akira stated to himself as well as the others. "Is everyone on board with this?"

"Hai!" Asuka responded with a nod.

"It would be worth checkin' out." Ryuji added in agreement.

"Okay, The Smuggling of Liquid Explosives is on our list." Morgana announced.

"Is that all?" Yusuke got out with a raised eyebrow.

"We're only going to do two today to ease Haru in." Morgana explained.

"Hey, do you think we can do three? I got a request regarding one of my committee members..." Homura suddenly requested and revealed.

"Hm? What happened, Homu-neechan?" Asuka soon asked in concern.

"It...it involves Suzuka Kamijo's brother Sakuya..." Homura informed. "He's...He is currently in a bad place..." She then hesitantly added with a slightly grim look on her face.

Makoto in response narrowed her eyes. "Please explain Homura." She soon requested.

"Well...Sakuya ran away from home yesterday. Suzu wasn't at school today, probably running herself ragged trying to find him." Homura informed. "I'm just gonna be blunt here. He's going to kill himself if we don't do something." She then added.

"W-Whoa!" Ann got out in shock.

"Another suicide prevention request?" Yusuke asked for clarification, though he was trying to keep a straight face despite the sudden dark reveal.

"Yep." The tan-skinned girl replied immediately.

"You don't need to tell us anything more." Futaba got out with a determined expression on her face. "That's more than enough info we need." She then added.

"H-How many of these requests do you get?" Haru got out in disbelief.

"Too many." Ryuji darkly muttered.

"All in agreement?" Homura soon asked as she looked around.

"Hai!" Everyone responded, albeit Haru, who only went silent and not knowing what to respond at the moment.

The Leader nodded to that before typing onto his phone. "Okay, I sent the names to Mishima." Akira stated. "Ready, everyone?" He soon asked.

"Ready." The Thieves replied in unison.

The heiress hesitated for a moment before nodding. "R-Ready." Haru responded.

"Beginning navigation. Like always." Akira announced as he activated the Meta Nav.

(Mementos Entrance)

Haru closed her eyes as the environment went distorted around her for a short moment before it finally subsided. When she opened her eyes, she noticed the pulsating veins on the walls, the oppressive atmosphere, and her fancy little hat.

"My...this place..." Haru got out in awe as she noticed the difference in surroundings.

"Welcome to Mementos. Humanity's collective distortion." Joker got out. Man, this place never gets easier to look at even after so many trips here. "Hopefully we get to see Jose while we're down there." He then muttered.

"Who is that, Akira-kun?" Haru asked.

"Remember, codenames only, Beauty Thief." The Leader reminded the newbie. "And you might meet him later." He then added.

"R-Right, Joker." The Beauty Thief responded with an affirmative nod.

"Alright. Everyone, please prepare for our Mementos infiltration today. Feel free to discuss other things." Joker instructed before turning around. "I'll go to the Velvet Room for a moment." He then added before getting silent all of a sudden as he stood still.

"'Kay, Joker." Skull responded with a quick salute.

"Um...why is Joker just standing there?" Beauty Thief soon asked.

"Oh, he's just exploring his loli paradise." Yang casually informed.

"What!?" Beauty Thief exclaimed.

"Disregard that." Panther sighed as she rolled her eyes. "He's simply creating new Personas. Just...don't touch him when he's like that. Ever." She then informed before advising in a dead serious manner.

"Why?" Beauty Thief soon asked with a head tilt.

"Well...he might attack you without him knowing."

"It looks more like a...forcefield or something."

"Or just Caroline-chan and Justine-chan." Yin thought.

"Just don't worry about it." Queen spoke up. "Right now, we're gonna discuss battle tactics. How we flow with each fight and such. Would you like to come with me, Beauty Thief?"

"Um, sure, Queen." The fluffy haired girl responded with a nod as she followed the advisor to a corner of the room, with Oracle soon running up to them to listen in.

"Why do you keep calling it a loli paradise?" Panther soon asked the tan skinned girl.

"Just calling like I see it." Yang simply responded. "Also, I wanna mess with Joker from time to time." She then admitted in amusement.

"Yang..." Widow droned out in a disapproving tone.

"What? Can't a young girl joke around from time to time?" Yang casually retorted back with a grin.

"...Well, I guess some sense of humor wouldn't hurt." Widow confessed. "Still, I can sense Joker did not appreciate your joke at times. Please try to at least restrain yourself to an extent from now on." She soon stated and requested.

"H-Hai, Widow..." Yang uncomfortably responded. "I don't want to make Yumi-senpai disappointed or mad at me..." She thought to herself.

On the other hand...

"That reminds me, I should call out someone from our group to be the new model for my next painting." Fox suddenly spoke up with a finger on her chin.

"Seriously, dude?" Skull got out in slight curiosity. "Who you're gonna model next?" He then asked.

"Hmm...I was thinking of having Serpent being the next model for my painting."

"Dude, just so you know, you're gonna die if you go for the nude modeling thing with her." Skull deadpanned.

"It won't come to that, I assure you." Fox then promised.

"Nude modeling?" A familiar voice called out to them. "What are you going on about, Fox?" It then asked.

"Oh! S-Serpent, hey, uh, we're just talking about...uh..." Skull nervously got out, noticing the white-haired kunoichi of their group approaching.

"Serpent, I was hoping you could be a model for my next painting, if that is okay with you?"

The white-haired female Phantom Thief only stared at the artist, trying to comprehend what he actually requested of her.

"You're dead, dude." Skull bluntly stated.

"I heard about these nude modeling attempts from you before, Fox." Serpent informed with a sigh. "Do you actually expect me to strip my clothes off just to paint me?" She then questioned.

"I'm not doing that anymore, Serpent." Fox revealed. "I shall save such study of the feminine form in university. With professionals."

"Uh-huh..." Serpent only responded with crossed arms under her large chest.

"Do you not believe me, Serpent?" Fox decided to ask.

"Not really, considering what Widow said about you." The white haired woman admitted. "But I'm game when I have the time." She then continued with a hand on her hip.

"I am not a per-" Fox began before faltering, hearing what the white-haired Phantom Thief just said. "...Wait, what?" He then got out.

"I am aware that art students need to study the human body eventually. It's, like, a fundamental thing or something." Serpent explained. "Besides, I'm pretty sure you'd be more worried about the shading than my breasts once you get into it." She then added.

"...Oh." Fox could only say, his mouth thoroughly wide open.

Widow soon noticed the two talking to each other and let out a long, suffering sigh as she approached the two. "Fox, are you proposing to Serpent with a nude painting request?"

"Um...yes?" Fox replied as honest as he could.

"Serpent, please ignore him." Widow advised.

"Why? I just said yes." Serpent casually informed.

"I know Fox can be-" Widow began to explain, only to stop as she realized what the white haired woman just said. "...Excuse me?" She squeaked.

"It's just a body, Widow. It's not like it's going to hurt me in some way." Serpent pointed out. "Actually, I'm hoping for it to show my femininity to the world." She then admitted with a sheepishly smile.

"But...still, you being in the nude in front of Fox here as he paints you..." Widow however stated, hoping to gain some sense.

"I'll go down to my underwear if it makes Fox uncomfortable." Serpent decided.

"Wait, no, I mean...aren't you embarrassed?" Widow questioned.

"Why would I be?" Serpent questioned. "It's just for a painting, not for like, something perverted or something like those adult magazines I've been seeing in those stores." She then pointed out with a shrug.

"..." The gray-haired female Phantom Thief went silent as a response.

"Widow?" Serpent soon got out, wondering why the gray haired girl looked like she was about to faint.

Widow covered her face as she turned around, trying to comprehend the logic. As a result, she was speechless, to the point of not knowing what to say back anymore.

"You have some weird standards, Widow." Serpent remarked before turning to the still-stunned artist. "Am I gonna get paid for this, or is this just a favor?" She then questioned.

"...Well...uhh..." Fox stammered out.

"You know what? We'll discuss it when the time comes. I know how terrible you are with money but it would be nice." Serpent soon decided. "...Wait, is it legal to expose myself to a minor if it's just for artistic..." She then mumbled to herself as she walked away to think a little more.

Fox stood alone in silence for a moment...before deciding to approach his Kosei High senior. "Um, Widow...about that...with Serpent..." He soon started.

"Fox." Widow interrupted, facing the artist this time. "My school, Gessen, is famous for being a cram school for the rich and elite. However, the students are often taken in at a young age and rarely leave, so many of the girls, including myself, are inexperienced with the outside world. I am fully aware that I may seem...odd compared to other people, with different standards and traditions." She soon explained and admitted.

"I see." Fox responded with a nod. "What are you getting at here, exactly?" He soon asked.

"I am saying that I have rather old-fashioned values that I didn't know about until I went on my mission here."Widow informed the artist. "I should be more accepting of what people do, especially with what they do with their own bodies." She then added.

"Widow-senpai...I'm just-" Fox began.

"And I know that this is merely a step in your journey to become the amazing artist I know you'll become." Widow interrupted. "Unfortunately, I never thought a woman would willingly ever accept your proposal, and I am wondering if I am being inflicted with some sort of status effect right now, so if you'll excuse me, I'm going to be alone for the next few minutes trying to accept this reality without my mind falling into the abyss." She then added in a polite manner with her usual sister-like tone of voice.

"Um, sure." Fox responded as his fellow Kosei student senior walked away. "...What just happened?" He soon asked in confusion.

"I'll go comfort her." Yang offered with a sigh. "So, Fox, you finally got the chance for a nude painting. With a female model." She then added with half-lidded eyes behind her mask.

"...This was not what I was expecting to happen." Fox admitted, blinking as he realized he hadn't done so for at least a minute.

"Yeah, that's fairly obvious, pervert." Yang deadpanned before going over to her senpai to comfort her.

"..." Fox stood in silence, not knowing what to do here. One thing's for certain, Widow was going to kill him one day and it wouldn't be his fault.

While that was going on...

"Oh yeah, I think we have the runway show coming up, Yin." Panther spoke up.

"Yup, we do. September 21st." Yin revealed with a nod.

"Right, you mentioned that before." Mona got out. "Widow's an idol, you two are in some big modeling event, Joker ended up stealing the spotlight on TV...whatever happened to going under the radar?" He soon reminded.

"These things just happened to happen." Yang responded, deciding not to tell the not cat about her dance videos floating around online.

"It's still playing with fire." Mona then stated. "Remember that weird fan of Widow who changed their name? He isn't the only one out there who acts like that. Plus, we're already drawing attention from shinobi and the police alike." He then warned.

"We know the dangers." Panther responded. "I've known more than a few overly eager people who hit on me when I first started modeling. At the very least, Kokito-san means well when it comes to the safety of his models." She then admitted.

"W-What!?" Mona exclaimed in a panicked manner.

Panther however giggled at the reaction. "It was a long time ago, Mona. Don't worry about it. Protection has improved." She replied and revealed. "Still, we won't let our guard down and if anything happens, we'll deal with it the best we can." She soon promised.

"Like?" Mona pressed.

"We'll get there when we get there." Panther stated. "Like you said, we're already playing with fire. Life's too short for that. It's a little better to burn bright while we can, right?" She then pointed out.

"Well, it's better to live in obscurity than die famous." The tan skinned girl chimed in. "We can get in serious trouble because of it. Hell, we're seeing the effects of it now with the Phantom Thieves. Celebrity is overrated anyways. Seems too tiring for me." Yang then added in a serious manner. "...But it does rake in a lot of money..." She then mumbled under her breath.

"Yang-neechan..." The Vice Leader sighed out as she shook her head.

"Sorry, Sis, but you have to admit that at least." Yang asserted.

"Well...yeah..." Yin had to admit in agreement while sheepishly rubbing the back of her head. "B-But it's not for the money. It makes me happy and it's fun. And...the money is really nice too, but mainly happiness and fun." She then muttered.

"And that's the best thing to get out of life." Panther stated as they continued talking amongst each other.

At the same time...

"Hey, Beauty Thief, can you come with me for a moment?" Oracle suddenly requested as she approached the heiress.

"Huh? Uh, okay." Beauty Thief nodded to that before the navigator pulled her away from the larger group. "Is it really important?" She soon asked in a curious manner.

"Yes. It's a matter of utmost importance." The navigator responded with a determined tone along with a nod.

"Um, okay then." Beauty Thief only stated before the two of them walked away from the group to a free space away from prying ears and potential eavesdropping.

"Okay, now that we're alone, soo...about your compression bra..." Oracle whispered to her with a grin.

"...Again, how did you know about that?" Beauty Thief questioned.

"I hear stuff, I see stuff." Oracle informed in a dramatic manner. "Technology is my forever soulmate. It is an extension of my heart and will. It is both my sword and my shield. Plus, I have access to your bank account."

"M-My bank account?" The heiress repeated, still baffled by the information.

"Only to check how you spend your money." The hacker added. "Gardening supplies, services for your personal tailor, a lot of purchases of the same model phone..." She soon listed off and noted.

"Please stop." Beauty Thief pleaded before blinking. "Do you-" She then began to ask.

"Yes. Every single person here." Oracle confirmed. "It's fun to see what everyone wastes money on. Last week, Skull bought an Easter Island tissue dispenser and Inari bought one hundred fresh canvases." She then informed as she and the heiress turned to see the dyed blond and the artist sparring with each other.

"Don't you have more...productive uses of your time?" The heiress had to ask, not wanting to sound angry but it definitely felt a little harsh.

"I don't go to school, and I only go outside if there's someone with me and really want something." Oracle pointed out. "Trying to fix that, but I don't really have much going on with my life right now other than Phantom Thief stuff." She then confessed.

"O-Oh, I see." Beauty Thief got out, a little surprised by how cavalier her attitude was about having nothing going on in her life. "Erm..." She then tried to think of something else to say to avoid the situation.

"Can I take a peek?" The hacker outright requested.

"Huh?" Beauty Thief got out. "Peek at what?" She then asked.

"Your actual boobs size." Oracle casually answered with a cupped hand beside her mouth.

"Y-You want to see my breasts?" Beauty Thief stammered out, her face flaring red.

"Just to confirm my assumptions and theories. Don't show this to the others yet." Oracle however informed. "Let me see it first." She then insisted.

"Mmm...okay, I'll show it to you." Beauty Thief responded after giving it some deep thought for a moment. "As a sign of trust." She then added.

"You're unusually willing..." Oracle commented before smiling. "But great. Sign of trust, huh..."

"But only if you allow me to see yours first." The heiress suddenly stated.

"..." Oracle instantly shut her mouth. "M-My b-b-b-b-boobies?" She repeated in a stammer.

"Yes. It's the ultimate sign of trust after all." Beauty Thief responded with a nod.

"Erm...I...Uh..." The hacker sputtered as all her (perverted) drive and bravery left her as she poked her pointer fingers together. "A-Ano...I-I...I barely got any..." She soon mumbled out.

Beauty Thief however puffed up a cheek to that with her hands on her hips. "That's nonsense. I mean, look!" She then began before...

GRAB!

"Y-YAH!?" Oracle yelped in a surprised manner as the heiress suddenly groped her breasts.

"You've got a nice chest right here. It's adorable and lovely, and you should never be ashamed of it." Beauty Thief assured the navigator by gently grabbing onto her chest and rubbing her thumbs on them, just like how her mother did with her hair when she was young.

"A-Aaahhnnn...~" Oracle tried to suppress the noises she was making, but it was getting increasingly difficult given the other girl's caresses. Her skintight top was not even helping her at all.

"Hm? Is something wrong?" Beauty Thief got out in concern.

"U-Um...I suddenly don't...need to see your chest. I-I trust you with my life now so can you please let go!?" Oracle rambled as her face grew hotter and hotter.

At that moment, Beauty Thief realizes what she was doing. "Oh! My apologies, Oracle." She soon apologized. "I didn't realize what I was doing!" She then exclaimed as she immediately made a formal bow as an apology.

"N-No problem, Ha- Beauty Thief." Oracle awkwardly chuckled. "Kinda wished it was someone else who got the first feel though..." She then grumbled as a certain someone that was wiggling their fingers playfully came to mind.

"Eh?" The Beauty Thief got out in confusion.

"Anyways!" Oracle suddenly called out, causing the fluffy haired girl to step back in surprise. "What do you think about Mona's cat bus form?" She soon asked.

The heiress was a little shocked by the change of subject, but she decided to keep the conversation going. "Um...it's nice." She awkwardly replied.

"Look familiar to you?" Oracle then questioned in anticipation.

"Not really." Beauty Thief answered before narrowing her eyes. "I...think it's French? At least that's what I read from the books Father gave me." She then recalled.

"Yeah, not a big car otaku myself. But ain't it cool we're living out every kid's dream to ride the cat bus?" Oracle got out in an excited manner. "Sure, it isn't as fluffy or...anatomically accurate, but still!" She then added.

"I never had quite that dream." Beauty Thief confessed.

"Aw come on. Haven't you ever wanted to meet Totoro?" Oracle then whined.

"Who?" Beauty Thief got out, causing the former shut-in to freeze.

"...T-Totoro? From My Neighbor Totoro?" Oracle informed in a strangely vulnerable tone. "...The movie where the cat bus comes from?" She then whispered.

"I'm not sure I follow. I've never even heard of that movie." Beauty Thief admitted. "I do watch horror movies, though, and I prefer them to be my personal taste, especially the slasher kinds of films. I love all the screams the actors let out. Even the fake blood pouring and splashing out is great to see." She then added in a pleasant tone of voice.

"...You don't know where the cat bus comes from?" Oracle only got out in disbelief, mostly due to the fact that her personal taste in movies and how she elaborated it made her look like she would need some little bit of therapy.

"No...?" Beauty Thief could only reply in a confused tone with an innocent head tilt.

"...After this whole mess gets cleaned up, we are having a Ghibli movie marathon." Oracle declared.

"Erm...A movie?" Beauty Thief repeated, who was still not sure what was going on. "Well, I...humbly accept the invitation, Futaba-cha‐I mean, Oracle." She then got out with a bow.

Right about then, the light returned to the Leader's eyes as he walked over to the group. "Alright. I'm done with the visit." Joker informed for everyone to hear.

"Um, Joker? How are Caroline-chan and Justine-chan?" Yin asked. "I mean, it's been a long while since I talked to them."

"They're well." Joker replied to her. "You could talk to them right now." He then added, gesturing to the twin wardens.

"Oh, right." Yin only got out before...

"Hey there, Racks!" A familiar female voice called out.

Yin glanced and saw the two familiar Velvet Room twin attendants appearing from the faint-looking blue prison door. "Oh uh, hey there, Caroline-chan, Justine-chan." She greeted the twins.

"A pleasure once again to meet you, Miss Asuka." Justine greeted politely with her clipboard on one hand.

"It's uh...you know, it's been a long while since I talked to you two." Yin began, remembering the last time she talked to these two.

"Sure is." Caroline replied, tapping her baton on her shoulder behind her neck

"Indeed it has." Justine responded as well with a nod.

"..." Silence immediately filled between the three for a moment.

"...Do you have anything else you would like to discuss with us?" Justine decided to ask.

"Ummm...how are things? You know, in there?" Yin began as she gestured at the faint blue cell gate.

"We do our duty as our master commands." Justine replied to her question. "One of them is rehabilitation for the Inmate." She then added.

"Are you happy in the Velvet Room?" Yin suddenly questioned them.

"What kind of question is that!?" Caroline yelled out in disbelief. "You are a terrible conversationalist, Racks." She then insulted without hesitation.

"A-Ack!" Yin's stomach was jackknifed by the insult.

"Oh please, Caroline." Justine suddenly spoke up. "I see you sitting by the prisoner's cell door sometimes waiting for his next visit. I've never seen you so eager before." She then commented.

"Justine!?" Caroline exclaimed as she stared at her twin in shock.

"No, wait. She also smiles when using the Executioner's Chainsaw." Justine then continued in a teasing manner.

"Grrrrr...!" Caroline gritted her teeth in anger and embarrassment.

"Um...should I...?" Yin somehow decided to speak up.

CRACKLE! BZZT!

"Not. One. Word. Racks." Caroline growled as she tapped her electric baton on the floor.

The Vice Leader simply mimed zipping her mouth and walked away. No need to escalate that whole thing.

"Uh, Yin?" Serpent got out. "Who are you talking to right there?" She soon asked.

"N-No one!" Yin immediately replied aloud. "M-Myself, I mean. Just thinking out loud!" She then awkwardly corrected.

Serpent gave her a skeptical look. "Ugh, look, I actually don't care about you or anyone else's sanity rituals as long as they don't drag the team down. Just hurry up and get in the car. We're leaving." She then got out and informed.

"Hai." Yin responded as she ran off to catch up with the others.

When all of the Thieves were now in the Morganamobile, it finally drove off into the depths of Mementos.

Leaving the twin wardens alone in the middle of the Mementos entrance as Caroline and Justine simply stared at the black car as it drove away.

"...Now that they're gone..." Caroline sighed in relief before facing her twin. "Hey, Justine, do you still have that photo of the Inmate?" She then suddenly asked.

"So you can lovingly gaze on his face once again?" Justine assumed.

"...You're one to talk." Caroline retorted back, suddenly showing a different side than her usual.

"Alright, I think the time for theatrics in front of them is over for now." Justine suddenly stated as she clipped her clipboard under her armpit before tipping her hat up to get something from inside it. "Here we go." She then got out as she took out a piece of paper from underneath her hat.

Caroline eagerly approached her twin and looked at what she took out, revealing to be a candid photo of their Inmate in his work-out state...which was him shirtless doing pull-ups in his attic bedroom with his back facing the camera that took the picture.

"...Where and how did you get this photo again, Justine?" Caroline asked her twin as she pushed down her baton to shorten it, her cheeks tinting a little pink.

"Well...I have my ways." Justine vaguely responded.

"So basically, you left the Velvet Room in secret." Caroline assumed.

"That's part of it." Justine replied, once more in a vague tone.

The strict of the two simply gazed at the picture once again. "The Inmate really is cute, just wish we could see his face in this image...don't tell the Inmate, Racks or Master." Caroline confessed and ordered.

"I noticed that his body was now very physically fit for his age." Justine however noted. "He even has the muscles to back it up." She soon stated as she gazed at his arms.

"...Do you think he has those what humans call abs?" Caroline soon questioned. "The ones located in the abdomen?" She then added.

"Sometimes I just wish we could see the front side of his body..." Justine soon confessed, her cheek tinged pink. "Maybe even his face." She then added.

"Can we...try to perceive him without a single piece of clothing on him?" Caroline however suggested, red tinting her cheeks.

Immediately, the twins' cheeks reddened deeply as their minds start to wander on the sensitive side of things.

"That...would be welcomed, if the opportunity presents itself." Justine responded in approval.

"...Do we have a bath in the Velvet Room?" Caroline suddenly asked.

"A bath?" Justine repeated. "Wait...you mean...are you suggesting we open a new service for the Inmate?" She then assumed.

"Um...mmmmmaybe...?" Caroline droned out in response. "I doubt Master would approve such a thing." She however informed.

"Plus we would need to make an excuse with what a bath would do for the Inmate." Justine soon stated.

"Hmmm...is healing a justifiable excuse?" Caroline hummed out before suggesting.

"...Yes, yes it is." Justine confirmed. "A bath to heal him at any time he is here in Mementos or even in Palaces. That is a suitable excuse and reason. A good instrument for the Inmate's rehabilitation." She soon stated.

"You know, there is also the chance or possibility that we can actually...you know...bathe with the Inmate..." Caroline suddenly assumed.

"..." Justine jolted up as the idea formed in her mind. "Can we?" She then asked.

"I mean, we technically can, but..." Caroline replied...only before stomping her foot in annoyance. "Rgggh, why does the Inmate have to be so attractive-looking!?" She soon questioned in an annoying tone.

"Perhaps this is what humans called karma for how we had treated him in the past?" Justine deduced. "Or maybe this is what human desire feels like?" She then added.

The twins however then paused as they realized something.

"...Did we just...sin?" Justine soon questioned in a curious manner.

"...Yeah...we did." Caroline confirmed with a nod. "Is this...a bad thing?" She then asked.

"I mean, we already sinned the moment we got the Inmate's photo." Justine pointed out.

"... .Let's just keep this to ourselves, Justine." Caroline eventually decided.

"Agreed." Justine agreed with a nod. "But we'll work on getting that bath service ready as well for...ahem, healing purposes." She then added.

"Right." Caroline responded as she and her twin looked at their Inmate's candid photo one more time...before they both sigh in content with smiles on their faces. They were also somehow eager to experience what it feels like to...take a bath with the Inmate.

"Anyway, if that is everything, let's go back to work, Caroline." Justine decided as she put away the Inmate's candid photo back inside her hat while going back to her usual composure. "Our Master wishes to discuss more preparations for the Inmate's rehabilitation." She then informed.

"Sure thing." Caroline replied. "We'll also request our Master about the healing bath suggestion for the Inmate as well." She then added as her twin nodded in agreement.

And thus, they headed back into the Velvet Room once again.

Though...the twins' pervy sides had been revealed and started to awaken as well.

(Path of Qimranut, Area 1)

"I've rarely been to the train station." Beauty Thief admitted as they drove through the tunnels, collecting flowers, materials, and sellable loot. "I'd usually take the limousine to school."

"Why do you need a limo to go to school?" Skull questioned.

"It's armed with 12 inch thick titanium plating and pepper spray cannons that cover a 15 meter radius." The heiress casually revealed.

That immediately got the attention of the entire group as the Leader even stopped driving to look at the newest member. "What the actual shit?" Panther swore.

"I know, but tungsten was too heavy for the car to move in a timely manner." The Beauty Thief lamented.

"...And you still get kidnapped?" Yang soon asked in disbelief.

"It only happens when I'm outside of the vehicle." The fluffy haired girl assured. "By the way, why did you stop?" She then questioned the Leader in a curious manner.

"I...I just need a second." Joker hesitantly responded as he continued driving.

"Why are we on the first floor again?" Fox soon asked. "Do we have a request here?" He then assumed.

"The requests are further down, but we're gonna start off here before we get to those levels." Joker answered. "We need a full understanding of Beauty Thief's combat abilities before we throw into some real fights." He then explained.

"I can handle a fight. Asu- Yin and her team can vouch for me." Beauty Thief however pointed out.

"Well, it's best to see for ourselves." Oracle stated. "Speaking of which, Shadow's dead ahead!" She then announced as she pointed out the windshield.

The Leader smirked. "Okay, you ready for a fight?" Joker asked the heiress.

"Ready." the fluffy haired girl responded as she got out her axe, nearly hitting Skull in the face in the process.

"Alright! Here we go!" Joker declared as he floored on the gas...

SPLATTER!

...And subsequently ran over the Shadow, killing it instantly.

"...Whoops." Joker got out as he activated the window wipers to wash the blood off the windshield. "Um, sorry, let's try that again." He sheepishly muttered before he drove off to find a new Shadow to fight.

Eventually, they did find one wandering aimlessly around, and this time Joker didn't horribly murder it by running it over. Instead, he just simply rammed the Morganamobile into it, causing it to burst into several enemies.

"It's just a few Pixies! Go for it, Beauty Thief!" Mona called out as the Thieves jumped out of the car.

"Hai!" The heiress responded before pointing at the weak Shadows. "Say your prayers, evildoers, because the Beauty Thief shall knock you all down!" She dramatically declared.

"...What kind of lame name is that?" One of the Pixies deadpanned.

"Are you gonna take that lying down, Beauty Thief!?" Yang called out.

"No. I will not." The Beauty Thief stated in a curt manner.

"Then give 'em hell!" Serpent cheered.

The fluffy haired girl nodded as flickers of purple flames and the rattle of chains began to circle around her. "PERSONA!" The Beauty Thief cried out as she ripped off her mask.

Fwoosh...poot!

And out came...something slightly better than nothing.

A few of the Thieves looked rather...unimpressed.

"This makes me...sad, for some reason." Fox bluntly stated.

"Fox..." Widow groaned in disappointment.

"U-Um, what a cool Persona...you have there." Panther tried to compliment the girl. "What is it called?" She soon asked.

"Huh? Does it have a name of its own, too?" Beauty Thief got out as she gained that information, earning nods of approval from some of the Phantom Thieves. "Erm, I haven't gotten around to naming it yet." She then answered the ash blonde's question.

"It's not a pet, Beauty Thief." Serpent deadpanned.

"It doesn't matter right now." Yin got out. "You got this, Beauty Thief! Hit them with your best shot!" She then called out.

"P-PSI!" The Beauty commanded as her Persona shot forward and...

wep

The Pixies flinched as they braced for pain...and yet none of them felt anything.

The Pixie she had been aiming for looked thoroughly confused.

"That did...exactly one damage." Oracle informed in a flat tone.

"...Is that bad?" The Beauty Thief shyly asked.

"Am...am I missing something here?" The target Pixie asked in confusion. "Was that supposed to hurt?" She then added in disbelief.

FWCHING!

"AGH!" The Pixie then cried in pain as she was hit in the face with a stone.

"Yes it was!" Mona responded as he put away his slingshot. "Come on, Beauty Thief! Go for it!" He then called out as he high-fived the newbie.

CLAP!

"Ah!" Beauty Thief yelped as she felt energy flow through her. "I feel...stronger." She then announced as a smirk began to appear on her face.

"Uh oh..." The Pixies gulped.

"Go! Persona!" The heiress called out as she tore off her mask once again.

wep

"...One damage. Again." Oracle informed.

"Oracle, not helping." Yang got out in a chiding manner.

"This must be awkward for you." One of the Pixies got out, looking rather sorry for her opponent. "Having performance issues? Need a little pick-me-up? Or do you need a fluffer?" She then assumed.

"No! I will destroy you!" The heiress tried to threaten the Pixies as she summoned her Persona once again. "Persona! PSI PSI PSI!" She then roared.

wep wep wep

"Ummm...you're wasting your energy here..." One of the Pixies then spoke up to them. "Can we go? Because this is getting kind of sad. We'll even give you some money to stop." She then concluded.

The other Thieves blinked. "...S-Sure?" Queen responded with an unsure look on her face. This was unprecedented, even by their standards.

With that, the Pixies dumped some money onto the ground before flying away to parts unknown, leaving the Persona-users alone and baffled.

"No wait! Come back!" Beauty Thief cried out as she pulled out her grenade launcher and fired a few shots. Unfortunately, all it did was waste ammo.

"Well...at least got something out of it." The Leader weakly got out.

"Okay, Beauty Thief. That was...quite the display." Queen spoke up in an awkward manner. "Let's discuss what you could improve in the next upcoming battle." She then got out in a more professional manner.

"H-Hai. Do not hold back, Queen." Beauty Thief responded with a respectful bow.

"Well, brute force via casting spells won't win every battle. Sometimes it would be best to approach from a different angle." Queen got out in a lecturing manner. "For example, what other skill does your Persona know?" She then asked.

"..." The fluffy haired girl went silent as she began to think rather intensely.

"...Beauty Thief?" Fox spoke up in concern.

"Erm...Psi." Beauty Thief finally answered.

"Yes, and?" Skull pressed.

"Just...Psi." The heiress answered once again as the Thieves slowly began to realize what the girl meant.

"...That's it?" Serpent got out in disbelief. "That's all you know!?" She then exclaimed, causing the heiress to flinch.

"Well, we did start off with only one move when we awakened our Personas. Once you get stronger, you'll be just as powerful as us." Joker pointed out as Yin and Yang nodded.

"But I have gotten stronger...I think." Beauty Thief stated, albeit a bit hesitant.

"You think." Serpent got out in a flat tone and a flat stare.

"Yeah." The heiress nodded.

"Oracle, check her stats." Joker requested.

"Roger, roger." the navigator responded as she started bringing up the relevant information within Necronomicon.

"Ahem." Queen cleared her throat, getting the heiress's attention back to her. "A-Anyways, there are much more useful ways to contribute to battle, even when you're out of ammunition and energy. We can follow up our allies' attacks with our own attack, perform a special move with another teammate, break them out of status afflictions, or throw items to those in need of them. You do not need to be an offensive powerhouse to become a useful member of the Phantom Thieves. For example, Oracle seems to have very little conventional combat capabilities, but her support can-" She then informed, however...

"CRAP IN A CRAP BASKET!" Oracle suddenly exclaimed, causing everyone to jump. "WHY THE HELL ARE YOU LEVEL 1!? HAVEN'T YOU BEEN GRINDING IN YOUR FATHER'S PALACE!?" She then shouted out, causing everyone to cover their ears.

"Oracle!" Serpent called out.

"S-Sorry. Went near the mic and upped the volume accidentally." The hacker apologized as she lowered the volume back to normal levels.

"G-Grinding?" Beauty Thief repeated with a questioning look on her face. "I...don't actually follow." She then admitted.

"Oracle, what happened?" Joker soon asked their resident hacker.

"Beauty Thief is only currently lagging behind the team by 50 levels and she's nowhere close to leveling up." Oracle informed the group.

"...Translation, please?" The heiress soon asked the others, having thoroughly given up on understanding the young girl.

"You're not strong enough for the threats we currently face." Fox answered.

"Hey! Beauty Thief held her own inside the space station." Mona reminded. "Your Persona's sensors must be acting up, Oracle." He then assumed.

"I thought that too, but no, Necronomicon is working fine. Accurate BWH and everything. That's what her stats are according to her." Oracle explained. "I mean, she has a HP stat comparable to ours right now, but that's about it. D rank everywhere else." She then added.

"Did you just say you know her BWH?" Panther had to ask.

"Aw, come on, I told you guys when I first got Necro." Oracle sarcastically whined.

Serpent's eye immediately twitched to that. "You are getting a lecture after this young lady. And your father will learn about this as well." She soon declared, causing the orangette to pale.

"Guys, focus." Yang spoke up in a serious manner before turning to the Okumura heiress. "Beauty Thief, is something wrong?" She soon asked.

"N-No, of course not." Beauty Thief got out with a shake of her head.

"This is serious, Beauty Thief." Joker got out with a steely gaze. "Is there anything holding you back right now? Do you need help? Do you need to leave Mementos?" He then asked and offered.

"No." Beauty Thief responded in a much more confident manner. "There is nothing stopping me from performing my best." She then assured.

"Well, it is apparent it's not enough right now." Widow stated.

"I can still fight with my axe and grenade launcher." Beauty Thief pointed out. "I'll stay back and stay out of your way. Joker, just tell me when to jump in." She soon decided.

Joker hesitated from giving an answer, seriously considering whether or not this was a good idea. "...Okay." The Leader finally responded with a nod. "But you better stay in the back. If needed, you can use one of us as a meat shield. I recommend me, Skull, Serpent, and Yang." He then added.

"I-I would never..." Beauty Thief replied, albeit a bit nervous. "But I shall perform to the best of my abilities, Joker. Now, can we please move onto the requests?" She then added and requested.

"Sure." Joker replied with a nod. "Mona, Oracle? What areas are they in?" He then asked.

"I sense that they're all in the same general area..." Mona muttered with a frown. "And considering the loose thread we left hanging last time..." He soon added with narrowed eyes.

"Looks like all our targets are down in Akzeriyyuth- wow that's difficult to pronounce." The green-themed navigator informed before blowing a raspberry.

"That's pretty convenient." Yang stated. "Alright, let's go." She then called everyone out, gesturing them to the Morganamobile.

And with that, they went inside the Morganamobile and proceeded to drive deeper once again.

(Path of Akzeriyyuth, Area 4)

The Thieves soon arrived at their destination after driving around for a while, collecting flowers and looting the place as they went.

"Okay, who's the target here?" Panther asked as they exited the Morganamobile.

"Mitsuru Kuramochi." Widow informed as she looked ahead, spotting the Shadow and recognising the man from her informants.

"He's the guy smuggling explosives, right?" Beauty Thief recalled. "This seems a little out there. Who in their right mind would do such a thing?" She then wondered.

"If there's enough money on the table, people will do anything." Fox stated. "But for him to appear in Mementos and not a whole Palace..." He then started before trailing off.

"We can discuss the issue once we kick his teeth in." The fluffy haired girl interrupted with a formal tone as she took out her grenade launcher.

Some of the Thieves stared at the heiress once again.

"Again, getting more nervous about Beauty Thief here." Yang spoke up to herself.

"I've seen worse." Joker casually stated, thinking to all the Evil Shinobi girls he has met so far. "Widow, what type of company does this guy run, by the way?" He soon asked the info broker.

"It's a trucking business that goes across Japan. Fairly low key, but successful." Widow informed.

"Probably should've asked beforehand..." Joker muttered under his breath. "Alright, let's do this." He then breathed as he popped the collar on his coat and walked forward, with the rest of the Thieves following suit.

"Welcome. Whom do I owe the pleasure of meeting today?" Shadow Kuramochi greeted the Thieves in a polite manner.

"Mitsuru Kuramochi!" Beauty Thief called out as she pointed at the Shadow. "We are here to change your heart!" She declared in a dramatic manner.

"What?" Shadow Muramochi got out in surprise. "You got a problem with me? I ain't doing anything wrong." He then got out.

"Well, you're down here, so that means you're up to something." Serpent pointed out as she rolled her eyes. "Now, convince us not to riddle your corpse with buckshot and bullets and we might think of letting you go." She soon threatened.

"Put down the guns." Shadow Kuramochi tried to placate the Thieves. "Why resort to violence when deals and diplomacy are still an option?" He then offered.

The Thieves looked at each other before the Leader stepped forward. "It depends. What are you offering?" Joker asked.

"Well, I'm selling some PLX today." Shadow Muramochi informed in a polite manner. "Real nice stuff, just mixed today. We also have 2,4,6-Trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid, acetyl nitrate, and astrolite all packaged up and ready to ship. We also have a bulk deal on ethylene glycol dinitrate." He then added, going into a sales pitch more than anything else.

"...I have no the eff idea the hell all that shit is." Skull freely admitted with a blank look on his face.

"What?" Yang was more confused with the dyed blond's sentence than the Shadow's products that he was offering.

"A-Are you selling us drugs?" Yin assumed, looking rather lost.

"No. They're all liquid explosives." Queen informed with narrowed eyes. "Highly volatile, illegal liquid explosives." She then added.

"Wait, you really are smuggling explosives!?" Oracle got out in shock.

"What the- are you insane!?" Panther exclaimed.

"As long as the money keeps rolling." Shadow Kuramochi responded with an uncaring smirk. "You here to stop my operation? Then bring it on. Just one caveat..." He then dared the Thieves before dark energy began to flare around him.

SPLATTER!

"Don't expect most of you to live after this is over." The much more monstrous Pulsing Mud concluded with a growl.

"Alright. You asked for it!" Skull shouted out as the Thieves pulled out their weapons.

(Cue Lullaby of Outlaws by SEGA SOUND TEAM)

The Thieves soon jumped back as the Shadow roared.

"He's just a Black Ooze." Mona informed. "Just don't get cocky and we can get through this no problem!" He then advised.

"Got it, Mona! Let's eff 'em up like everyone else!" Skull responded with a smirk.

Yang soon smirked underneath her mask. "Style change!" She thought to herself as she swapped stances and brought out her fans before launching two fireballs out at the Shadows after waving her fans.

"Wait, don't!" Queen called out, however it was too late.

ABSORB!

"What the-!?" Yang got out in surprise, seeing Shadow Kuramochi take the fireballs like it was nothing. Actually, he looked better than ever!

"Fire heals him! Try something else!" Oracle advised.

"Ugh, what a pain..." Panther groaned in annoyance. "Thanks for revealing it, Yang!" She then added.

"Would've been nice not to waste the energy." Yang sighed as she switched back to her blades.

"You could've waited for Queen's Shadow Factorization." Joker pointed out.

Yang in response groaned. "I just wanted to get this one done." She admitted.

"No excuses. You should know to stop and assess situations by now." Widow stated in a lecturing manner. "Now, if you'll excuse me. Fūma! Aquadyne!" She soon commanded.

SPLASH!

"Effective, but not enough!" Widow got out with a frown. She didn't even get to soak the Shadow for a follow-up.

"Come on! We've fought plenty of these things before." Mona called out with a frown as he pulled out something from hsi fanny pack. "Allow me to demonstrate! Stun Gun!" He then got out as he aimed the gun at the Shadow and fired!

ZZZZAAAAPPPP!

"AAAAHHHH!" The Black Ooze cried in pain as the barbs dug into its slimy body, sending millions of volts through it.

"Stay down! Stop resisting!" Mona demanded the Shadow as the pile of black goop writhed in pain. "YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT!" He then ordered.

"M-Mona, he's down." Fox informed, looking a little uncomfortable along with the rest of the Thieves.

"Huh?" Mona got out in confusion, snapping out his power fantasy. "Oh, uh...whoops." He then chuckled sheepishly before throwing the used stun gun at the Black Ooze to add to the damage.

"Let's just all rush him down, okay?" Joker advised as he cracked his neck, preparing for the onslaught.

"Alright. Time for some bloodshed!" Mona declared as they rushed the Shadow.

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! WHAM! CRACK! SLAP! SLASH! WHAM! SLASH! CHOP!

"Dammit, he's still up!" Skull called out as the Thieves landed back onto the ground.

The Shadow growled as he glared at the Thieves. "FLASH BOMB!" He then called out.

"Guard!" Queen ordered as everyone raised their arms to block the attack.

BOOM!

The Thieves grunted as they guarded against the attack no problem. Time to retaliate. "Beauty Thief! Blast them!" Joker ordered.

"Time to punish them!" The fluffy haired girl called out as she aimed her grenade launcher at the enemy. "Take this!" She then yelled out.

PTOOM! BOOM! PTOOM! BOOM!

"AGH!" The Black Ooze cried out in pain as chunks of slime were blown off his body.

"Nice, Beauty Thief!" Yin cheered.

"Call me when you need me!" The Beauty Thief responded with a salute as she jumped away from the fight.

"Press the advantage!" Mona called out.

"I got this!" Serpent called out as she ripped off her mask. "Nobunaga! Kouga!" She then commanded as her Persona raised his sword into the air, a bright light shining from the tip.

SHINE!

"Way to go, Serpent! Bless weakness detected!" Oracle praised as the Black Ooze collapsed in on itself.

"Don't move, or we shoot!" Widow threatened as the Thieves aimed their guns at the down Shadow.

"W-Why are you doing this!?" Shadow Kuramochi questioned in a weak manner.

"Well, one, to train one of our members. Two, well...you need to be taken down a peg." Yin answered. "Take him down!" She then ordered.

"Go! Go! Go!" Oracle cheered as they rushed the Shadow once again.

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! WHAM! CRACK! SLAP! SLASH! WHAM! SLASH! CHOP!

However, as the Thieves landed back, their navigator dropped from her Persona with something in hand. "Here's a present for ya!" Oracle got out as she set down the bomb before she was grappled away by Panther. "Joker! Do the honors!" She then called out.

The Leader nodded before pulling out his pistol and aimed it at the bomb. "And...Boom." Joker whispered before...

BANG! KABOOM!

(End Music)

...Pulling the trigger and forcing the Shadow back into his human form. "Had enough, jerkass, or you want some more!?" Serpent growled.

"P-Please! I was only smuggling because I fucked up!" Shadow Kuramochi pleaded.

"Oh, this is definitely a big eff up." Skull scoffed as he tightened the grip on his mace. "How many people have you gotten killed just for giving shitty criminals explosives?" He then called out.

"It's not just liquid explosives." The Shadow suddenly confessed.

"Eh?" The Vice Leader got out in surprise as the Thieves' eyes widened.

"We're just desperate for money." Shadow Kuramochi explained. "We smuggle guns, drugs, and all sorts of illegal tender." He then admitted.

"Your company sounds more like a criminal organization." Widow soon stated. "Is it just a front?" She then assumed.

"No, we're just...slaves built to take the fall." Shadow Kuramochi lamented. "How do you think a company like ours could get that type of stuff while staying under the radar?" He then questioned.

"Hmmm..." Serpent hummed as she began thinking. "Well, the only sources I can think of to get that stuff is through the black market." She then deducted.

"Maybe the dark web? Using coin?" Oracle guessed.

"No...It's from evidence." Shadow Kuramochi answered.

"Evidence- p-police evidence!?" Yin sputtered in surprise.

"Yep. We get a percentage of each sale, which allows us to continue our legitimate business. However, right now, it's our best way to make a profit." Shadow Kuramochi confirmed with a nod.

"You're smuggling...for the cops?" Queen questioned in disbelief with widened eyes.

"Most people wouldn't notice one or two things missing if you file the reports right. At least, that's what they tell us..." Shadow Kuramochi mumbled out.

"Who?" Joker soon asked.

"We don't know." The Shadow confessed. "We're guessing it's a small group...or an entire department." He then deducted.

"That's insane!" Panther exclaimed in disapproval. "How long has it been going for!?" She then questioned.

"A few months, but we've already made billions of yen." Shadow Kuramochi answered. "Please, we're just pawns! If this all comes to light, we'll take all the blame while the real perpetrators get away scott-free!" He then cried out.

"So, let me get this straight." Queen started. "A group of police officers are using your company as a proxy to smuggle evidence to sell, so that if any of this comes to light, your company takes the brunt of the blame while they get away with it. All because you were running out of money." She soon confirmed.

"Yes. Too much debt was piling up." Shadow Kuramochi got out.

"That doesn't excuse the fact you took such a deal in the first place." Fox soon stated.

"It would've been wiser to declare bankruptcy instead of participating in such a charade." Yang then advised.

"Yeah. You're just as guilty as those shitheads." Skull declared.

"I am well aware of it. No matter what happens, we are all going to burn." The Shadow admitted as he sadly shook his head. "Maybe...it would be best if I let it happen and accept the consequences." He then murmured.

"You should've done that from the start." Serpent scoffed. "Return to your real self and make him realize his mistakes. Maybe then you'll find mercy." She then ordered.

"Just promise me one thing: Take those bastards down." Shadow Kuramochi requested as his form began to glow.

"We promise." Joker responded with a determined nod.

SHINE!

Once the Shadow left behind his bud of a Treasure, the Leader grabbed it. It was a Maragidyne skill card.

"...Well, this entire request went from bad to infinitely worse." Serpent suddenly got out with an annoyed groan.

"I am inclined to agree." Beauty Thief admitted in an awkward manner.

"So a bunch of corrupt pigs were letting this guy smuggle evidence, huh." Skull lowly growled.

"No wonder he didn't get caught." Fox soon stated.

"It's likely these corrupt police officers will find another proxy once Kuramochi's company goes under, so we need to cut this down from the stem." Yang assumed.

"Looks like I'll need to get my info network to look into it as soon as possible." Widow stated. "I'll tell you when I have enough information to stage a change of heart, Leader." She then reassured.

"Thank you, Widow." Joker responded with a nod. "We're not letting this operation continue any further." He then declared.

"Hai!" The Thieves responded with a salute as they continued on.

(Path of Akzeriyyuth, Area 5)

The Thieves soon arrived at the portal and drove in without hesitation, appearing on the other side no worse for wear.

"There he is." Yang muttered as they stepped out of the car. "Thank god he didn't move to any other floor." She then mumbled.

"We'll get him for sure this time." Mona got out as he transformed back into his Metaverse form.

"Yeah! This time, we have a plan!" Panther cheered.

"Let's outplay the cheater!" Widow declared as she waved her fans around. "Ready?" She then asked the Leader.

"Always." Joker replied with a smirk as he cracked his knuckles.

"Hey cheater! Guess who's back to kick your ass!" Skull announced as the Thieves walked over to the Shadow.

"Hehehehehe...it's useless. No one can defeat me in the Gun About world!" Shadow Neijima declared in a smug tone.

Queen scoffed. "It's just a game." She muttered. However, her comment instantly got the Shadow's attention.

"Hm? You guys again?" Shadow Neijima got out in an annoyed tone. "I didn't think you'd come back, especially with backup." He then remarked as he looked directly at the Beauty Thief.

"Hi!" Beauty Thief greeted before pulling out her grenade launcher. "Please don't make this harder than it should be, or you shall die screaming." She then threatened with a sweet smile.

"B-Beauty Thief-" Mona began in an uncomfortable tone.

The Shadow looked at the girl weirdly before shaking his head. "No matter. You should've learned by now..." He began as dark energy began to flare around him.

SPLATTER!

"Don't think I'll let you get away this time!" The enraged Ose shouted out as he pointed his swords at the Thieves. "Once the match starts, I'll dash at you with an infinite combo loop! I'll MURDER you before you can sabotage the match!" He then declared.

"Hey, you know what happens when someone finds an exploit." Joker pointed out as he pulled out his pistol and aimed it at the cheater. "It gets patched. And we're the update."

"That was lame, Joker." Oracle deadpanned.

"Look, I'm really trying here." Joker got out in a slightly whiny tone.

"SHUT UP!" The Shadow interrupted the two. "I am the God of the Gun About world! I am invincible! No one can hope to ever defeat me! No matter how many come against me, none can ever wound me!" He then exclaimed, raising one of his swords into the air.

"Well then." Oracle began. "Let's prove to you that even gods bleed. Rebel 1! ACTION!" She soon declared.

(Cue Backscratcher of Coins by Chihiro Aoki)

"I hope whatever you did in the real world works!" Yang called out as the Thieves jumped back. "We're all counting on you!"

"Hey, you guys again? It's useless no matter how many times you come!" Shadow Neijima growled with rage.

"Ugh, you already said that, ya NPC!" Oracle scoffed. "A real pro taught you something to take him down, right Joker?" She then recalled.

"Yep." The Leader responded with a nod. "First time using it though..." He then mumbled under his breath as he shifted his stance a little.

"Then bring this cheater down and teach him a lesson!" Oracle cheered, eager to see a dirty bastard like him be put in his place.

The Leader took in a calming breath and closed his eyes, remembering Shinya's lesson with as much clarity as his mind could muster. After a few seconds, his eyes snapped open.

"Down Shot!" Joker yelled out as he dove to the side while taking multiple shots from his gun in one dive, then he leaped up and did the same multiple shots in one go.

"AGH!" Shadow Neijima cried in pain as he went to his knees.

"Holy- you brought him to his knees!" Mona called out in disbelief.

"Well executed, Joker!" Queen praised.

"Now stick 'em up, jackass!" Skull threatened as the Thieves aimed their guns at the downed Shadow.

"W-What happened!?" Shadow Neijima got out, stunned by the display. "T-That's...impossible! There's no way this could happen! A skill to surpass my cheats? This can't be true!" He then denied.

"Oh, but it is, Neijima." Fox responded as he prepared his blade.

"Guess your cheats can't compensate for actual skill." Yin remarked.

"Dammit! I'm the strongest! I'm supposed to be the king! Me..." Shadow Neijima tried to hold onto his fleeting power, but that was about to change.

"Sorry, but you're about to shoot to the bottom of the leaderboard." Joker declared as the Thieves backflipped away from the fallen enemy. "You've got nothing on this! ALL-OUT ATTACK!"

"GAME OVER!" Oracle shouted out as the Phantom Thieves rushed the Shadow.

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! WHAM! CRACK! SLAP! SLASH! WHAM! SLASH! CHOP!

(End Music)

Shadow Neijima cried in pain as he was flung back, returning to normal as he was sent tumbling across the ground.

"Oh shit, he's already returned to normal!?" Yang exclaimed as the Thieves landed.

"Guess he isn't all that good with his cheats stripped away..." Oracle assumed as she was lowered to the ground by Necronomicon.

"Wow. You suck." Skull muttered.

"I-Impossible...How can my cheating be thwarted like this?" Shadow Neijima got out in disbelief. "N-No, it's not my fault!" He then cried out.

"That's exactly what people at fault say but can't take the blame." Serpent got out as she rolled her eyes.

"N-No! The company that laid me off...It's all because of them!" Shadow Neijima fumed. "I have the skills and experience, but they want to make the organization younger!?" He then got out in disbelief.

The Beauty Thief flinched.

"D-Dammit! Dammit!" Shadow Neijima sobbed out as he slammed his fist into the ground.

"That would explain the scams..." Panther muttered with a frown.

"Look, we understand your frustration and anger, but don't ruin people's fun because of what someone else did." Joker scolded the middle-aged man. "If you had enough time and talent to do something like that, why not focus that energy on screwing over that company? Make your own and show them that they need you, but you don't need them anymore." He then pointed out.

That actually gave the Shadow pause. "Huh...Y-You're right! Screw those idiots at Okumura Foods! I'm gonna start my own business, and show them they made a mistake!" He soon realized in amazement.

"There you- wait, what?" Joker began before the Thieves froze on the spot.

"Yeah. I'm even gonna call all my buddies who got fired too so we can get this thing started! Hope they don't mind me turning our next BSGO session into a business meeting." Shadow Neijima continued. "Why didn't I think of this earlier? Thank you." He then got out in a grateful tone.

"U-Um, just don't do this again, and make amends to your victims." Mona got out, still a little stunned by the declaration. "Especially the families you've screwed over."

"I promise. Once my company is up and running, they're gonna be the first people I'll help." Shadow Neijima promised. "Thank you again...for showing me a new game to play..." He then got out as his body began to glow.

SHINE!

The Phantom Thieves could only stare at the bud of the Treasure, their minds still processing the entire turn of events.

Eventually, the Leader grabbed the bud. "A Null Phys skill card." Joker muttered as he turned to the tan skinned girl. "This might be useful for someone to learn..." He then got out as he handed the card over to their trainer.

"So...he was fired from Okumura Foods for a younger workforce?" Widow got out as everyone turned to the Beauty Thief, who looked rather guilty.

"I...I...I never knew..." Beauty Thief mumbled out.

"Man, your dad's really startin' to-" Skull began before Serpent covered his mouth, who only eyed him as well as a shake of her head.

"He doesn't matter right now." Mona spoke up as he shook his head. "It's another request done, and one more betterment to the world. Let's move on." He then stated before transforming into the Morganamobile.

"O-Okay." Beauty Thief responded with a nod. "Next target?" She then asked.

"On the floor below us." Oracle informed almost instantly.

"The cheater was in Area 6, right?" Skull recalled. "So that must mean our next request is..." He then began as he frowned.

"Sakuya Kamijo." Yang finished with a serious look in her eyes. "Let's go. We can't keep him waiting." She then got out as Mona transformed.

"Hai." The rest of the Thieves responded with a nod as they headed into the car.

(Path of Akzeriyyuth, Area 5)

"We're here. Get out." Queen instructed the team as they left the Morganamobile. They had driven straight here, wanting to get this request over with as soon as possible. On the other side, there was a boy no older than a junior high school student sitting on the floor, knees against his chest and facing away from them staring into the endless void.

"That boy..." Joker whispered.

"Seeing a child down here..." Fox muttered with a saddened look on his face.

"At least he doesn't have a full-blown Palace." Oracle stated. "There has to be something holding onto hope instead of fully giving into his darker side."

"That has to be Sakuya." Yang muttered with a frown.

"Suzuka-san's little brother, right?" Queen recalled. "We need to proceed with caution here." She then advised.

"Yeah. We can't let this end in a fight." Skull seriously stated.

"Knowing our track record, it probably will..." Serpent mumbled under her breath.

"Then what do we do then?" Panther questioned.

"What we do best." Joker answered. "Improvise and hope no one dies in the process." He then added.

"I really hate this approach, Joker. And I'm more bothered by the fact that I agree." Queen sighed sadly. "Let's just approach this carefully, okay?"

"Hai." Yin responded with a nod. "...So...who's going to talk to him?" She then asked.

"I will." Yang immediately responded as she stepped forward. "I know the most about the situation. I might be able to talk him down." She then added.

"Are you sure?" Queen questioned.

"I am." Yang replied. "It may be best if I go alone here. But if he does go berserk, do not hurt him." She then told her fellow Thieves.

"We promise." Skull responded with a nod.

"Good luck." Fox spoke up.

"Thank you." Yang replied with a bow before taking a deep breath. "Okay, you can do this, Homura. Choose your words carefully." She thought to herself as she approached the Shadow.

Shadow Sakuya flinched as he heard footsteps coming his way, but didn't bother to look at whoever was coming over to him.

"Hello." Yang greeted in a soft manner.

"W-Who are you?..." Shadow Sakuya asked in a small tone. Yang could barely even hear him.

"I'm...Homura." the tan skinned girl introduced herself, deciding to create a stronger connection. "I just so happened to stumble across this place and you look like you need help." She then added as she got closer and sat down behind him. She didn't want to mention his older sister right now. It might set him off.

"Help...me?" Shadow Sakuya whispered before shaking his head. "No...no, I...I can't be helped..." He then denied.

"Hey, everyone can be helped. Including you, if you accept it." Homura pointed out. "Are you hurt? Did someone hurt you?" She then asked in a serious yet understanding manner.

"No...no one hurt me...I only hurt everyone else around me." Shadow Sakuya sniffled out, burying his face into his knees a little further.

"Well, I'm not hurt and I'm around you." Homura remarked.

"Yet." The kid added in a mumble.

"That's not true." Homura sighed out while shaking her head. "Come on, look at me. I need to see your face to truly know if you believe what you say." She then urged.

"Go away..." The boy mumbled out.

"I won't, Sakuya." Homura responded as she shook her head.

The Shadow flinched. "You...You know my name?" He quietly asked.

Homura flinched as well. Dammit, she slipped up. "It happened to come up." She tried to explain.

"Who would..." Shadow Sakuya muttered to himself before a horrible realization came to mine. "No, NO! Go away!" He then shouted out in a more desperate manner, dark energy beginning to flare around him.

"Hold on, I can explain!" Yang exclaimed in a panic.

"I said GO AWAY!" Shadow Sakuya screamed before...

SPLATTER!

The Shadow burst, transforming into a star-like entity; a Kawain who viewed in despair.

"Fuck!" Yang yelped as she was blown away. "Fucking fuck fuck fuck!" She then screamed in frustration as got onto her feet and faced the Shadow.

(Cue It's on Like Necronomicon by Ryan Ike)

"Yang-neechan!" Yin called out as the other Thieves jumped in. "Are you okay?" She soon asked.

"No! I screwed it up!" Yang responded, distraught by the development.

"It's a delicate situation. It would be quite easy to mess up. It's not your fault." Widow comforted the tan skinned girl.

"Still..." Yang whispered as she stared at the berserk Shadow.

"Wallow in failure later, solve this new problem now." Serpent however interrupted before turning to the Shadow, noticeably ignoring years of training and restraining herself from taking out her weapons. "Calm down, kid, we're just trying to help you!" She then called out.

"No, I can't forget what I have done!" Shadow Sakuya wailed. "I...I...I deserve to diiiieee!" He then added with the same tone.

"Hey hey hey! Don't do anything drastic!" Skull shouted out. However, his words were lost as they watched Shadow Sakuya grow various wounds on his body, looking half dead.

"Oh crap, his HP is at 50%! He's trying to kill himself, guys!" Oracle warned.

"Not if we can help it!" Mona called out as he summoned Zorro to his side. "Persona! HEAL!" He then commanded as a green glow engulfed the Shadow.

"W-What are you doing!?"

"Saving you from yourself." Mona breathed out.

"We need to last long enough to convince him to stop!" Yang shouted out.

"So we should tired him out?" Panther assumed.

"It seems like the best course of action. He may be more willing to talk and understand then." Queen admitted with a nod.

"It's a verbal boss fight, rather than a physical one..." Joker muttered with a frown. "Alright, let's play this right, people!" He then called out.

"If you only know attack skills, you better stay back!" Yin instructed.

Serpent nodded to that and turned to their more offensive members. "Skull, Panther, Widow, Fox. We're useless here. Fall back." She soon ordered the group.

"Right." Panther responded as they nodded. "We'll be guarding Beauty Thief then." She then decided.

"You got this, guys!" Skull encouraged as the more offensive members of the team retreated.

"Only Queen, Yang, Joker, Mona, and me..." Yin muttered. "Come on, we can do this!"

"Stop...TRYING!" Shadow Sakuya cried out as he tried to Mind Slice one of the Thieves.

"Joker!" Yin called out as she pushed the Leader out of the way and took the attack. "AAHH!" She then screamed in pain, but managed to resist the brainwashing.

"Crap! HP down 19% for Sakuya!" Oracle reported.

"Okay...he'll still hurt us while hurting himself...ow..." Yin groaned as she held her side. "But we can still help him! No matter how much pain you inflict on us, we won't stop trying to help!" She then declared as she ripped off her mask to heal the boy and herself.

"Leave...me...alone..." Shadow Sakuya panted out.

"He's tired out! Get him talking!" Oracle called out.

"Sakuya!" Yang called out as the team surrounded the Shadow. "Who made you think like this!?" She then demanded.

"SHUT UP!" Shadow Sakuya shouted in anger. "I was shown I was nothing. I saw the truth." He then confessed.

"The truth? I-Is that what you think the fucking asshole taught you!?" Yang growled. "You shouldn't listen to every damn adult. They don't know shit sometimes." She then declared.

"You know about him!?" Shadow Sakuya whispered before getting back up. "Get away from me!" He then screamed as he let out a burst of energy, forcing the Thieves back.

"Dammit, didn't get through to him..." Yang cursed.

"We can try again! We just need another opportunity!" Joker got out as he narrowed his eyes before summoning Kikuri-Hime. "Tetraja!" He then called out, creating a shield around the Shadow.

"Why won't you let me die?" Shadow Sakuya insisted. "This is for the good of everyone." He then mumbled out was his form began to pale.

"He lowered his own defenses!" Oracle informed. "He's gonna take a lot more damage now! Someone boost it back up!" She soon got out.

"I got this! Rakukaja!" Queen called out as she summoned Johanna and revved her engines.

"No! No!" Shadow Sakuya cried out as he felt his strength return. "Rrraaggh!" He then growled as dark energy began to flare around him.

"NO!" The Thieves called out, but it was too late as he casted the spell on himself.

DOOOOM!

"Rgggh!" Shadow Sakuya gritted in pain as he fell down to the ground.

"He's on the ground on half HP!" Oracle announced from inside Necronomicon. "Maybe we can turn this around. Surround him!" She then added aloud.

"Okay, let's do it right this time!" Yang got out as they approached the Shadow again.

"Yang, you need any tips?" Mona asked in a quiet manner. "Need me to feed you info on his disposition?"

"No. I got this." Yang responded with a shake of her head. "He needs honest words from the heart, not a script." She then added.

"Just don't let your pride get in the way." Mona warned as he allowed the tan skinned girl to step forward.

"Why do you think this is the best option?" The tan-skinned Phantom Thief asked Shadow Sakuya, attempting to calm him down.

"How could it not be?" Shadow Sakuya murmured. "No one needs me around...no one even wants me..." He then insisted, barely able to look the girl in the eye.

"That's wrong, and you know it." Yang however shook her head to that. "I know it's because of that teacher..." She then began, causing the boy to flinch.

"Kutsuki-sensei..." Shadow Sakuya mumbled out.

"Yeah, that fucking piece of..." Yang grumbled under her breath, imagining herself cutting the brakes in his shitty car before shaking her head. "That man was a jealous asshole who couldn't bear to witness a child rise above him. That's not a teacher, that's a thug." She then stated.

"But the school let him...I must've been doing something wrong..." Shadow Sakuya tried to convince the girl, but it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself.

"No school should ever let someone suffer under their care." Yang stated. "He hides his tracks well, but not well enough. I promise you that he will pay for his crimes." She soon declared/

"..." Shadow Sakuya went silent. "Please leave me alone..." He then got out in a weak manner.

"Not until you face that moment and really think: Why would a grown man let a child suffer like this?" Yang then pressed with narrowed eyes.

Shadow Sakuya didn't respond, merely releasing energy to push the girl back.

"I think you made a chip in the armor." Joker got out in an impressed manner.

"We're getting it!" Yang cheered with a fist pump.

"Come on! We just need something to really get him to calm down!" Queen stated as she went into a defensive stance.

"What's the point of even helping me..." Shadow Sakuya sighed out as a dark feeling came over him.

"Crap! He inflicted himself with Despair!" Oracle informed in a panic. "Cure it before it takes hold!" She then called out.

"I know something that might help!" Yin declared as she pulled out her paper fan.

SLAP!

"OW!" Shadow Sakuya cried out in pain, tearing up as he stared at the girl in disbelief. "W-Why...?" He then got out in a shaky manner.

"Wait, that didn't work!?" The Vice Leader exclaimed in shock.

"Dude, you just slapped a kid!" Skull called out.

"Don't use the stupid paper fan! Use an actual move!" Oracle advised.

"Got something for that!" Joker got out as he ripped off his mask. "Kikuri-Hime! Energy Drop!"

"You shall not die today, dear boy." Kikuri-hime declared, activating said skill.

"No...No, I will!" Shadow Sakuya however cried. "Oni Kagura!" He then declared.

Instantly, the frontliners raised their arms to block the attack, but some were overpowered and took the full brunt of the skill.

"Dammit!" Yang grunted out as she lowered her guard. "Oracle, damage report!" She then called out.

"Mona and Queen are inflicted with Rage!" Oracle informed in a worried tone. "Oh crap, they're gonna attack!" She then realized as she watched the affected members aim their weapons at the Shadow.

"Oh no you ain't!" Skull called out as he shot out his grappling hook and wrapped it around Queen's waist and pulled her towards him. "Hell yeah, you ain't hurtin'...no...body..." He then began to cheer, only for the very pissed Queen to appear right in front of him.

"I am going to tear your throat out and replace it with plumbing pipes." Queen simply got out as she cracked her knuckles.

"I-I uh...well..." Skull scrambled to find his paper fan, as it soon came to him that he forgot it at home. "Y-You know, you look way hotter when tied up like that." He then tried to compliment the advisor...before stopping as he realized what he just said as Serpent and Widow glared at him.

"...I think you just killed yourself." Fox bluntly remarked.

"Yeah...yeah..." The dyed blond agreed. "AAAAAHH!" He then yelled in fear as Queen launched at him for a beatdown of a lifetime.

"No!" The Beauty Thief cried out as she leapt onto the raging woman, hoping to stop her.

Meanwhile, the ash blonde had ran off to stop the not cat from hurting Sakuya in his rage-induced state. "Mona, Mona. Calm down, it's only-" Panther got out as he grabbed the little guy off the ground in an attempt to-

CHOMP!

Mona however had other intentions: biting off the ash blonde's ample chest.

"AAHH! He bit my chest!" Panther cried out as she tried to pull him off. "Get him off, get him off! Snap out of it, Mona!" She then screamed.

"MEROW!" Mona roared as he bit harder.

"Crap, we're breaking down!" Oracle cursed.

"Then let's get it under control. Oracle, Yin. Let me and Yang deal with Sakuya." Joker instructed in a calm manner despite the screams of pain echoing around Mementos.

"H-Hai!" The Vice Leader responded with a nod before dashing off to help her friends, with the hacker following after her.

"I-I only have attack skills, Joker. You can't outpace his damage by yourself." Yang however reminded him.

"Well, you just have to convince him before it's too late." Joker then told her. "Come on, I know you got this." He then pleaded.

The tan skinned girl paused. "...Hai, Leader." Yang responded after a few seconds. "I shall be your shield then. Wolverine!" She then declared as her Persona guarded against Shadow Sakuya's attack.

"Nah, I see you more as a friend. Diaharan!" Joker quickly retorted with a shrug and then declared

The Shadow groaned as he was healed back to full once again. "Why can't you accept my choice?" He got out in a pleading manner.

"Because this wasn't a choice you made!" Yang countered as she dashed forward.

"Yang!" Joker called out.

"Huh?" Shadow Sakuya's eyes widened. Was she going to...?

SMUSH!

"W-What the!?" Shadow Sakuya exclaimed as the tan skinned girl wrapped her arms around him.

"You just...looked like you needed a hug." Yang got out as she jumped off the star-shaped Shadow.

"Please...stop..." Shadow Sakuya awkwardly got out.

"We never will, until you stop this catastrophe!" Yang exclaimed slightly, trying not to freak out the Shadow. "Come on, this doesn't have to be like this." She then insisted.

"...Why do you even care?" The Shadow asked in a slightly curious manner.

"Why would I need a reason to?" Yang countered. "No kid should ever be acting like this. They should be looking forward to life, not ending it early. There's still a lot out there you need to see before you make any rash decisions."

"No...no...I should be punished for what I have done..." Shadow Sakuya moaned.

Yang soon took off her mask before she laid the Shadow's head on her lap. "Hey hey hey hey, there's nothing to be punished for and there's nothing to worry about. You're safe, and no one is going to hurt you." She then got out in a soft manner.

Shadow Sakuya looked up at the tan skinned girl before nodding, reverting back into his human form.

(End Music)

Yang soon brushed her hand along his hair. "There you go. Everything is fine. Let go of your worries for a bit and think of...waves." She then whispered in a calm tone.

"Mmmm..." Shadow Sakuya breathed out.

"Sakuya, why did you want to do such a horrible thing to yourself?" Yang had to ask once again.

"Because...I drag everyone down. My classmates, my friends, my family..." Shadow Sakuya answered in a small tone.

"Those are the words of someone who does not have your best interests in mind." Yang stated in a firm manner. "Sakuya, you are a bright little guy. You only bring people down by thinking like this. Do you know how many people you're worrying to death?" She then questioned.

"...I don't know." Shadow Sakuya confessed.

"Well you can start off with all of us." Joker spoke up as the Thieves walked up to the boy. A few of them looked rather beaten and bruised, with Skull needing support from the advisor to move.

"You...don't even know me..." Shadow Sakuya pointed out.

"They know. They don't need to." Yang assured. "And there's definitely someone who's worried about you, and would die if she found you doing this." She then pointed out in a vague manner.

"...O-Onee-chan." The boy realized with widened eyes.

"Suzu is out there looking for you, and she hasn't stopped either." Yang informed in a grim manner. "She even skipped school today to search for you. She'll do anything for you, as we will we, to make sure you're happy and safe." She then added.

"I..." Shadow Sakuya tried to say something, his eyes widening in disbelief. "...What am I going to do?" He then mumbled out.

"Talk to her." The tan skinned girl answered. "She misses her little brother...and I get the feeling you miss her too. If you don't want to live for yourself right now, live for someone else. You'll find something to wake up to everyday eventually." She then advised.

"...I'm an idiot." Shadow Sakuya finally admitted.

"Hey, everyone is at some point." Yin admitted with a smile under her mask.

"Some more than others." Panther added, prompting everyone, except Beauty Thief, to look at the dyed blonde.

"W-Why are y'all lookin' at me like that?" Skull got out in confusion.

Shadow Sakuya couldn't help but laugh. Music to their ears. "Thank you. All of you. I...I don't know how I could repay you." He then got out between his laughter.

"You don't need to." Joker got out as he ruffled the little guy's hair. "Just seeing you smile is enough." He then assured.

"What about the bud he leaves be- HRK!" Fox began to point out, before being elbowed in the chest.

"You just need to promise us that you'll go back and get your real self to stop being an idiot like you here." Yang instructed. "God, that's a confusing sentence..." She then mumbled under her breath.

"I'll get my real self to come to his senses." The Shadow promised with a nod.

"That's all we ask for." Yang replied with a smile.

"Um, h-hey...before I go, can I stay like this for a few minutes?" Shadow Sakuya requested.

"Huh?" Yang was stunned, and began to blush awkwardly. "U-Um, sure I guess." She replied with a hesitant nod.

At that moment, the other Thieves began to laugh, some with their mouths open and others with their mouths closed.

"Oi! What are you laughing about!?" Yang called out in an annoyed manner.

"N-nothing." Skull got out between chuckling.

"I think it's really cute of you, Yang." Widow spoke up. "You're going to be a wonderful big sister."

"What do you mean going to be?" Yin however got out, sounding quite offended.

"I mean, you two are now...you know." Widow replied before continuing to laugh.

After a few minutes, Shadow Sakuya had fallen asleep with his head still on Yang's soft thighs. As soon as he did though, his form began to glow.

SHINE!

Yang let out a breath before putting down her mask and standing up.

"He got charmed by you, Yang..." Oracle teased with a grin.

"W-What? N-no...No, it's just...um..." Yang sputtered out.

"Looks like Panther and Widow taught you well, that's for sure." Oracle then added with hands in her hips.

Some of the Thieves glanced at the two with interested looks underneath their masks.

"Nope, that wasn't either of us." Panther got out with a smile as Widow nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, the Leader retrieved what Shadow Sakuya left behind. "Daffodils?" Joker got out with a raised eyebrow.

"Dude, more flowers for Jose?" Skull assumed.

"More like a gift to Sakuya in the real world." Yang got out. "I'll be taking that." She then added as she held out her hand.

"Sure." Joker responded as he shrugged while handing the flowers to her. "...You might want to stop by a shop and get a vase. Give it some water so it doesn't die." He then suggested.

"I will." Yang responded with a nod.

Meanwhile, the other Thieves were dealing with the aftermath of the fight...mostly the enraged members. "Lady Ann, I am so sorry for my actions." Mona got out, doing his best to get into the dogeza position.

"Mona, it's fine. You don't need to apologize." Panther assured before turning around. "Actually, I think Queen needs to apologize to Skull more than you to me." She then pointed out as she listened into the conversation between them.

"I promise I'll make it up to you." Queen promised in a regretful tone.

"I'm fine, Queen." Skull however waved off.

"But I kept hitting your bad leg. It's inexcusable." Queen however denied as she shook her head. "Do you want me to buy you dinner? Or help you study for a while? Or my cut of the money from Mementos?" She then offered.

Skull thought about it for a moment before shaking his head. "Nah, I think I'm good for now." He then admitted as he managed to support himself on his own two feet.

"O-Okay...but I do owe you at least one favor." Queen insisted.

"Yeah. Whatever." Skull responded off-handedly before heading over to the artist. "So, what's next?" He asked.

"Well, that's all the requests." Fox spoke up as he checked his sketchpad and ripped the checklist out. "Beauty Thief, do you feel any different?" He then asked.

"Erm...not really." Beauty Thief confessed as she clenched and unclenched her hands. "I feel like I'm just my usual self from the start." She then added.

"You ain't even tired?" Skull groaned as he slumped down.

"Not at all." the heiress got out as she shook her head. "The thrill of hacking and slashing my targets as well as shooting them with my grenade launcher gives me strength." She then admitted.

"...Let's just call it a day." The Leader sighed out as he climbed into the driver's seat.

(9/17, Evening)

(Shibuya, Central Street)

Getting back to reality didn't take a lot of time, but when they left the Metaverse the sun had already set. It wasn't late enough for them to head straight home, so they decided to hang around Central Street to relax.

Haru decided to get a drink from a vending machine with Morgana along with her, while the rest of the group hung out nearby away from the heiress in the meantime, talking with one another while discussing said heiress's current predicament.

With Akira and his crew...

"This is going to be a problem." Yumi stated in concern as the Thieves couldn't help but look over at Haru.

"Yeah. She's nuttier than squirrel shit." Miyabi remarked.

"Not that. We got stronger while we were in Mementos, but Haru-chan barely felt any different..." Asuka muttered in a worried manner.

"I mean, she just joined us recently, so...maybe she, you know..." Ann began as she rubbed the back of her neck, feeling like she was trying to think up an excuse.

"Sucks?" Ryuji guessed, earning baffled stares from the ash blonde, the tan-skinned girl, and the short-haired brunette.

"Ryuji!" Makoto and Homura chided in disapproval at the same time.

"Well, there ain't any other way to say it!" Ryuji argued. "She's gonna die in there if she goes now and she ain't gonna get strong enough until the next decade!" He then added.

"Well...it could be a little less harsh..." Yumi soon stated with a wince. "But...he's right. She isn't ready." She then confessed.

"It's not like we can stop Haru from going in, though." Miyabi reminded everyone. "She has the MetaNav and the excuse to go to her father's own Palace. Plus, I would like to remind everyone, she's our all-access keycard to the entire damn Palace. We have to bring her along." She then stated.

"So we'll need to escort her around." Yusuke assumed with a frown. "That doesn't sit well with me. We'll have to divide our attention between the infiltration and watching over Haru-san." He then pointed out.

"So basically we're babysitting her?" Futaba commented about it. "That feels...demeaning. Key item or not, she deserves a chance to fight." She then stated.

"Her Persona can hold us back. It's what's holding her back." Miyabi said with a shake of her head. "No matter what we do with her...Beauty Thief will be a liability." She then determined.

"Are we...just going to get along with this?" Ann hesitantly asked everyone with a worried look on her face.

"Well, it's either we abandon changing Okumura's heart...or endanger his daughter." Akira told everyone. "Abandoning the Palace is tempting but...the workers..." He then continued.

"He'll get off scot-free." Homura concluded in a bitter tone.

"Ugh, this feels so scummy talking behind her back like this." Ann stated with a head scratch as all of them glanced at the heiress ahead of them who was tinkering with the vending machine. "Should we go to her now?"

"...Maybe we should give her some time to sort her thoughts." Yusuke suggested.

"Probably the right idea." Akira agreed with a nod.

It wasn't their place to decide the fate of her father, but it didn't mean they could discuss their thoughts about it.

With Haru and Morgana, the heiress stared blankly at the list of options given to her. The others were unaware that she had much better hearing than the average person thanks to the little shinobi training she had. "They...They really don't think I can help..." She whispered before blindly choosing one of the drinks.

"Are you alright, Haru?" Morgana asked the heiress who was waiting for her drink to come out of the vending machine.

"I'm fine, Mona-chan." Haru responded, however she didn't even look at the not cat when she did.

"Haru, don't hide your feelings." Morgana got out as he glanced over to the Thieves, his keen ears twitching a little. "The others said some really harsh things back there, but I know you can do this. You just have to...dig deep into yourself and find your resolve." He then advised.

Haru couldn't help but let out a mirthless smile. "I don't think...my resolve is that much better..." She confessed before walking away from the vending machine...and away from the rest of the Phantom Thieves.

Morgana was surprised and instantly ran after her. "H-Hey, where are you going?" He questioned.

"I...I think I need some time alone." The heiress hesitantly got out before heading into a nearby alleyway with her head down low in slight despair.

"Hold on!" Morgana called out. "H-Haru, I'm sure we can find a way to fix thi‐!" He then tried to reason, however...

"You made me look everywhere for you..." A familiar voice grumbled aloud.

Haru froze on the spot in fear before looking her head up and noticing a well-dressed man with brown hair and eyes. He was also wearing a white business suit, violet undershirt, and a black tie, completing his formal look.

"What the-?" Morgana got out in slight surprise by the man's sudden appearance. "Who is this guy?"

"What were you doing somewhere without any reception?" The formal-looking man sneered in anger. "Out late with guys‐ That's it, isn't it?" He then assumed in frustration.

"I-I would never do such a thing...!" Haru insisted, clearly cautious of the man.

"C'mon, let me have some fun too, will ya?" The man demanded as he shot his hand towards Haru's own hand, grabbed it and raised it up. "Can't you do that for me?" He then insisted.

"A-Ah...!" Haru tried to say something, anything, but nothing was coming out.

"Haru!" Morgana exclaimed in worry before his body tensed up and began hissing at the man.

"Ugh, a cat?" The formal man grunted as he noticed a cat suddenly hissing at him.

Back with Akira's group...

"I wanna help Haru-chan with her combat skills." Asuka suggested.

"I know, but right now, without a stronger Persona, it's risky for her to deal with Shadows face to face..." Akira reminded with a nudge of his glasses.

"She still has her grenade launcher and axe, you know?" Makoto however reminded.

"Even so, that's not going to be enough." Akira retorted back with crossed arms.

"Hey, we need to believe in Haru a little more." Homura told him, hoping she could at least convince their leader to give the heiress a chance.

"Belief doesn't kill Shadows." Akira still retorted once again.

"You seem edgy today, Akira." Miyabi observed aloud. "Did something happen?"

"Miyabi, we've been put on the edge of disaster time and time again since my first week in Tokyo." The Leader stated in a serious, borderline tired tone to her with a concerned expression. "For once, I thought we had the advantage with the Conspiracy and the hacked polls. But now that's slipping away from us and we're back on the backfoot. I don't want to worry about my friends for once, I don't want to rely on chance to get us through another month, and I definitely don't want‐" He then began rambling.

The Leader faltered as he noticed in the corner of his eye that Haru was in a suspicious situation with a man wearing a white tuxedo and slacks. Clearly, Haru was showing body language portraying resistance and distress.

"Damn brat, I'll sue!"

The Leader grit his teeth.

Oh hell no.

Not again. Never again.

"...To see that. Guys, come on. Now." Akira finished and then warned his companions before going towards the commotion.

"Huh? What are you-?" Homura got out before noticing what the problem was. "Oh, oh no. Haru-senpai!" She got out in surprise before bolting ahead to her friend in clear distress.

"Oh crap." Ann mumbled in a panic before following the tan-skinned girl.

"Haru-chan!" Asuka cried in worry as she went on ahead as well.

"Something's wrong." Makoto stated, panicking a little bit and sensing sudden tension. "We have to help her." She then suggested right away.

"You think?" Miyabi got out before sprinting ahead, prompting the short-haired brunette to follow.

"Shit!" Ryuji cursed, noticing the trouble as well. "We've got a creeper here!" He then called out, trying to get as much attention to the situation as possible.

Yumi, Yusuke and Futaba sprinted towards the commotion as well.

"What the!?" The white suited man got out in confusion before spotting a large group run over to them.

"Back. Off." Akira got out in a low tone.

"Tch. See what you've done?" Sugimura spat out. "You shouldn't be making such a scene, Okumura-san." He then growled, causing the heiress to whimper.

"Hey, dumbass. You're the one making the scene." Miyabi pointed out in annoyance. "Now let go of her." She then ordered.

"Hah! What makes you think I will?" The man scoffed.

"They said..." Morgana growled as he prepared to pounce. "LET HARU GO!" He yelled out before pouncing and latched onto the white-suited man's leg, surprising the said man.

The man began swinging his leg where the not cat latched onto it while trying to keep his balance. "Ah! Goddamn cat!" He swore out in annoyance and anger.

FLING! THWACK!

Morgana barely knew what hit him as the man kicked his leg, the momentum throwing the cat into the nearby lockers. "Grh! Stupid stray cats..." The man grumbled. The stupid thing managed to make a few holes in his 20,000,000 yen suit.

Akira widened his eyes in complete shock before gritting his teeth in pure anger. His fingers started to twitch in a way like he was flexing his fingers in an unnatural manner, eager for his hidden knife. He was also quite certain he heard his finger bones crack while doing so.

"MORGANA/MONA-CHAN/MONA!" The girls cried out.

However, that only made the dyed blond furious as he saw red. "YOU BASTARD!" Ryuji roared in fury, nearly charging at him and giving him the same beatdown Kamoshida gave him when the Evil Shinobis held him back.

"Ryuji! Calm down!" Miyabi ordered, despite the anger she was also feeling over what happened.

"LET ME AT HIM!" Ryuji shouted out. If the streets weren't so empty, he would be attracting a crowd. "NO ONE HURTS MY FRIEND!" He then raged.

"Tch. You call that stray a friend?" The white suited man scoffed. "No wonder you look like a low class." He grumbled.

"Oh I'll show you low class you son of a-!" Ryuji began to yell, however a sharp pain flared up in his shoulder and arm.

"Ryuji..." Homura whispered as she tightened her grip on the boy.

Whether or not it was to stop him or stop herself from killing the bastard, Ryuji didn't know but it was enough to calm him down...slightly. "I...I'm fine. Someone check if Mona's still breathing." He soon breathed out.

"U-Urgh..." Morgana groaned as the orangette crouched down.

"Oh, step on its neck already. It's already dead." The white suited man got out in a dismissive manner.

Akira was so tempted to swiftly throw his hidden knife accurately to his forehead, shinobi-style. He could vividly imagine doing so. In fact, he really wished he could threaten him with his Metaverse gun with a swift Warning Shot.

"He's not dead, but you'll be in a second." Homura threatened.

"It's just a cat. What's its life worth compared to mine?" The man soon scoffed as he rolled his eyes.

"I rather not compare his life to something lower than dirt." Yumi coldly stated as she narrowed her eyes in disgust. "Now this is your last warning. Step away from her now, and the police won't get involved." She then warned.

"You're the ones who decided to step into our lover's quarrel." The white suited man countered but turning his gaze over to Haru. "Isn't that right, my fiancée?" He then questioned the girl in his hands, squeezing her wrist tight.

Haru however gained an uncomfortable expression in response as she looked away.

"Wait, fiancée!?" Homura got out in confusion as the others' eyes widened in shock. Still, the auburn haired girl was in danger and she didn't give a damn who this asshole was. "Hey asswipe, back off!" She then ordered as she glared at the white suit wearing man.

"Didn't I just-" The man angrily tried to retort back.

"Don't give a fuck!" Homura barely let the bastard respond. "You're hurting her!" She then stated.

"This is only just a small bump in our relationship." The man waved off.

"Okay, you piece of shit, what makes you think you'll win a ten against one?" Akira soon threatened as everyone, even the orangette, got into a battle stance.

Haru's eyes widened at everyone's resolve. "Sugimura..." She spoke up, finally able to look directly in his eyes. "Let. Go." She soon ordered.

"...Tch. Fine." The asshole scoffed as he let go, causing the auburn haired girl to fall onto her butt as the other girls in the group assisted her. "But don't think this is over. If you think you can make a fool out of me and get away with it, you are sorely mistaken. I never forget the faces of those who wronged me." He soon got out in a threatening tone.

The Vice Leader, who had been quietly seething in back of the group, walked right up to the man. "Touch her again, and all the money and influence in the world won't save you from what I'm about to do." Asuka growled.

"...How dare you threaten me." Sugimura responded with a glare before turning to the fallen Haru. "I'll be telling your father about this too." He soon stated, causing the heiress to flinch.

"Yeah, no...I don't know if you're aware but there's a thing called smartphone cameras and the internet." Miyabi spoke up as she and the orangette held up their phones, each with a bright red light coming from them. "I mean, we can't do anything, but I bet 7 billion people can. And people love cats." She then added. "Don't know why myself though..." She meanwhile thought with a sweatdrop.

"Grrr...!" Sugimura growled. Such a video would ruin his standing and would likely cause a loss in net worth. "This still isn't over!"

"No. It is." Asuka stated as she walked up to the asshole.

"What can a little girl with ridiculous breast implants do-" Sugimura soon began to write off the Vice Leader.

Big mistake.

GRIP!

"GNNGGGHHH!" The white suited man squealed like the pig he was as he felt a vise gripping his balls. "Y-You..." He only got out, gritting his teeth in anger and pain.

Asuka was only barely holding back from crushing his manhood. "I'm going to make this clear, you abusive piece of shit." She soon began, leaning in nice and close so he would be able to see her eyes in the dark. "This never happened, and if it did, then we're going to hunt you down like the dog you are and put you down. Are. We. Clear?" She then stated, punctuating those last three words by gripping a little bit harder each time.

Miyabi immediately snorted in amusement, though had to resist openly laughing. "HA! That's my student!" She mentally declared in a prideful tone.

Yumi meanwhile looked at the tan skinned girl. "You really have been influencing your sister." She whispered, unsure of how to feel about this.

"Oh yeah," Homura replied as she pretended to wipe away a tear. "I'm so proud of her." She then confessed with a smile.

"Y-You-" The man began to stutter with gritted teeth, his eyes widening in fear of the little girl with ridiculous breast implants.

"I'm not hearing a yes." Asuka interrupted as she gripped his balls even harder. One more mistake, and he'd no longer be able to have children.

"Aghh...gnnggggh! Of...c-course! I-I swear...I won't...s-say anyth-thing!" Sugimura whimpered in deep pain, barely giving out proper words from his mouth.

"Good. Because you're only allowed to remember my face when you cry yourself to sleep tonight." Asuka soon began as She then looked down. "Oh look, you pissed your pants. You better go home and change. You don't want this incident to come out, do you?" She then kindly suggested.

Sugimura could only nod.

"Good boy. Now run along." Asuka got out before pushing the pathetic man away.

And with that, the piece of shit took off without even looking back, struggling in pain to walk away properly while his hands were in his crotch. He even stumbled and tripped himself on the ground while leaving.

Once he was out of sight, the Vice Leader relaxed...and quickly became disgusted by the cooling liquid on her hand. "Moh! He peed in my hand." Asuka whined.

"Here." Akira got out as he pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it over to the Vice Leader. He then turned his attention to the not cat, who hadn't moved but was making all sorts of noises to indicate that he was still alive. "Morgana, are you okay? Is anything broken or...?" He soon questioned in concern.

"Urgh...Fine. That was nothing." Morgana moaned in pain.

"That kick probably would've killed a normal cat..." Makoto muttered with a frown.

"Haru-senpai...was that really your fiancé?" Homura soon asked.

Haru nodded absentmindedly, barely able to comprehend what had just happened.

"Whoa, so you're engaged then!?" Futaba soon asked in disbelief.

"He didn't seem like an upstanding boyfriend..." Miyabi stated, glaring at the spot he left his urine.

"That didn't seem like an ordinary fight though...Shouldn't you talk to your parents about it?" Ann pointed out and asked.

" ...I think it'd be useless." Haru managed to get out. "I'll just be told to beg for his forgiveness, even if it means groveling on the ground..." She then added before she went to crouched down and cried.

"...It seems she has her reasons." Yusuke stated.

"I think her reasons are out of her control." Homura however assumed. "Come on, let's go somewhere safe. Sis needs to properly disinfect her hand anyways." She then suggested.

"Leblanc it is." Akira stated as he and the Vice Leader helped the heiress up onto her feet.

"There there, Haru-chan...we'll take you somewhere safe." Asuka assured as she patted the girl's back. "...I may have patted you with my pee hand." She then awkwardly informed.

"Let's just go, guys." Makoto sighed, trying to ignore the context.

(Yongen-Jaya, Leblanc Attic)

It was mostly quiet within Akira's room as the Thieves sat around the place. The only things making noise were Morgana's noises of pain and Haru's soft snoring on the couch.

Haru had fallen asleep on the train ride to Leblanc and had to be carried upstairs along with Morgana. They were lucky that Sojiro had gone home, or else he would've been very suspicious of why everyone was at the cafe so late on a school night.

After washing her hands properly, Asuka had made some coffee for the heiress for whenever she woke up from the exhaustion of what happened, and was right now doing her best to ensure Morgana wasn't hurt permanently by the bastard.

"Aahhh...!" Morgana hissed in pain.

"We should really take him to a vet or Takemi-sensei." Asuka suggested as she applied ointment of the not cat's belly, being careful not to knock over any of the pills or shift the bandages she wrapped around his body.

"Lady Asuka, I'm fine. Really." Morgana insisted, although it wasn't convincing in the slightest considering he was laying on the table on his side, barely able to move.

"But he kicked you so hard." Asuka got out, her voice cracking. "I-I thought you might've..." She then admitted as tears began to well up in her eyes.

"Hey, I'm made of sturdier stuff than what you expect of this form." Morgana assured before wincing in pain. "Ah...but it doesn't make it hurt any less..." He then grumbled.

"Effin' piece of shit..." Ryuji growled. "You don't treat anyone that way, not cats and especially..." He then declared.

The not cat would have had to remind him out aloud about the cat comment like usual, but the pain still hurts more, so he decided against it.

It was right then that the heiress began to stir from her slumber and sit up from the couch. "I'm sorry...I fell asleep..." Haru apologized.

Everyone's anger instantly faded into worry, focusing their attention on the auburn haired girl. "Did you get enough rest?" Makoto soon asked.

Haru simply nodded to that.

"Here. On the house." Asuka soon got out as she handed the heiress a cup of coffee. "Are you alright, Haru-chan?" She then asked in concern.

"...No. Not really." Haru admitted as she shook her head. "You saw how I was out in Mementos, Asu-chan. My...My Persona was barely even able to attack." She then admitted.

"There's no shame in that. We all had to start somewhere." Ryuji pointed out as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"No...I know the reason why my Persona is so weak." Haru however got out as she hands tightened into fists in her lap. "When I formed a contract with my Persona...I understood it all. Doing this because my father is doing something horrible...was nothing but a superficial reason. The truth is, I-" She then tried to explain, before it got caught in her throat.

"Don't want to get married, right?" Ann soon guessed.

"Mmhm." Haru hummed out. "I thought that since a proper adult made the decision, it would all work out fine." She then admitted before letting out a sigh. "I was such a fool, tied down by vague notions and stayed quiet as my marriage partner was chosen..." She soon lamented.

"Having a guy like that, I don't blame you for wanting to change your dad's heart." Homura got out as her adopted sister nodded in agreement.

"Do you want us to change his heart as well afterwards?" Asuka soon offered.

"No." Haru deeply responded. "I've had enough of that creep. I want to deal with him personally." She then grumbled.

"...If you say so, but...just so you know that the Phantom Thieves are always here to help." Akira promised.

"...Thank you." Haru got out in a grateful tone.

Ryuji soon checked the time and cursed under his breath. "Damn...last train's goin' soon." He informed the Thieves.

"I must go as well." Yusuke admitted as he stood up.

"Let's continue this another time." Akira told his teammates.

"Yeah. We'll see you guys tomorrow." Ann agreed as she stood up from her seat before she, Ryuji and Yusuke began leaving the attic.

"I'll go home as well." Makoto stated as she slowly walked towards the stairs while facing her fellow Thieves. "Sis might be worried about me. See you tomorrow." She then added before going on ahead normally this time, leaving the attic as well.

"I..." Haru got out, trying to say something, but faltered immediately.

"...Do you want to go home, Haru-chan?" Asuka guessed in a comforting tone.

"...No. Not tonight." Haru answered as she shook her head.

"Cool. Stay at our place. I'll arrange it." Futaba spoke up, already heading downstairs to talk to Sojiro about it.

"...We didn't even get the chance to offer." Homura lamented.

"So...you use an axe..." Miyabi awkwardly started as she looked at the newest member. "You don't seem like the type." She then confessed.

"There's a lot of things you can hide beneath the surface." Haru giggled. "Isn't that something you were taught as a shinobi?" She then asked.

That immediately caused the white haired woman to blush in embarrassment.

"Still rusty, Miyabi-san?" Yumi then joked.

"Oh shut up and get going. We have a train to catch." Miyabi grumbled before pushing the gray haired girl downstairs as the Thieves began to leave as well.

"You should call your father before you get ready for bed." Akira soon suggested. "You'll be in serious trouble if you don't." He then pointed out.

"O-Okay." Haru responded with a nod. "Oh my, I never slept over anywhere before, especially with a boy." She then confessed with a blush.

"Wait, huh?" Miyabi got out in confusion. "...Hold on, are you sleeping at the Sakura house or...?" She then began to ask.

"Here is fine." Haru responded, interrupting the woman. "I wouldn't want to intrude too much, especially Sakura-san's house at this time of night." She then admitted.

Akira and Miyabi only took like two or three seconds to finally comprehend what the auburn-haired girl was saying.

"...Will that be okay with you, Haru? I mean, you are in someone's home with a boy your age." The Leader then asked in a polite manner.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about it, Akira-kun. I trust you." Haru reassuringly replied with a nod.

"You trust too much, Haru." Miyabi outright told the heiress. "I mean, is this really a good idea?" She then questioned in a serious tone.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Haru questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Because he's...a...you know!" Miyabi got out as she pointed at the boy, who waved awkwardly in response.

"...Handsome?" Haru guessed, causing the boy to blink.

"Akira, please tell-" Miyabi got out before pausing. "Hold on, why am I even worried? You're too much of a pussy to do anything in reality." She then realized.

"...I'll have you know that Morgana is about 50% my self-control." Akira however revealed.

"Hey! Someone's gotta keep you in check!" Morgana countered. "Plus, even with me around, you still do stupid stuff." He then added.

"Name one-" The Leader began, however...

"Used a Persona that you couldn't wield without frying yourself out, the thing at the TV station, buying that knock-off stone from Chihaya-san for a hundred thousand yen, you getting whacked in the forehead by a chalk even though I know you have better reflexes, and about a quarter of whatever to say to the girls." Morgana soon listed off.

"...I retract my statement." Akira sighed in defeat.

"Hah!" Morgana laughed, victorious at their banter.

"...Whipped..." Miyabi bluntly stated. "Huh, this reminds me of Suzune-sensei for some reason..." She then thought in her head, a bit of reminiscing going on in her head.

"Anyways, you don't need to worry about it, Miyabi." Akira assured.

"I dunno..." Miyabi however remained skeptical.

"Miyabi, are you implying you do not trust Akira-kun?" Haru questioned with narrowed eyes.

"It's not like I don't trust him." Miyabi clarified. "It's just that in this kind of situation, a young girl sleeping with someone of the opposite sex with the same age or older can mean one thing. And they end up very, very badly." She then argued.

"Speaking from experience, I assume?" Akira guessed.

"Comes with the line of work, especially assassinating male targets made by the Hebijo students." Miyabi informed. "Trust me, information about behaviors of the targets comes and goes for the clients." She then added.

"Well, unless you or the others are gonna gossip about this, it'll be fine." Akira sighed out. "We have to keep Haru safe in the meantime." He then stressed.

"Still, you and Haru in the same room..." Miyabi stated.

"Well, talk to Haru about this." Akira pointed out as he gestured to the heiress. "It was her decision. To be honest, I don't mind where she wants to sleep. I just want to know she's safe."

"You are making this much bigger of an issue that it should be, Miya-chan." Haru added.

"...Haru, are you sure about this?" Miyabi questioned. "I mean, you can just sleep with me at my apartment." She then suggested.

"I am sure." Haru assured. "Now will you please let this go. You're overstepping your boundaries here." She then informed.

"I'm still not fine with this." Miyabi stated as she crossed her arms.

"Then stay here too if you're so worried." Akira suggested with a groan. "I've done this before, and no one got hurt or had sex. The worst thing that might happen is me peeing in the middle of the night and waking you up." He then added. At this point, he was genuinely getting annoyed with the woman and he just wanted to sleep so badly.

"...Alright, fine." The white haired woman finally relented. "I'll...trust Haru in your care for the night. Sorry about that." She then got out in an apologetic tone.

"Thank you." Akira breathed out.

"But if something happens-" Miyabi began in a low tone.

"I'll die horribly or live in pain forever or something wonderful like that. Yeah, yeah. I get those threats from Homura every fortnight." Akira off-handedly finished.

"I-I was gonna say to call me or the others but um...yeah, that works too." Miyabi mumbled in an awkward manner.

"...So...you slept with other girls?" Haru spoke up.

"I mean, yeah. With my friend, Imu." Miyabi replied casually. "There's nothing weird about it." She then got out with a shrug, unaware of the many, many times her best friend thoroughly enjoyed such moments...and how close her willpower was to breaking.

"I...was talking to Akira, actually." Haru clarified with a gentle tone.

"O-Oh." Miyabi awkwardly got out as she took a step back.

"Yeah, about the sleeping thing, Ann actually did the same thing back when we're all in Hawaii." Akira revealed. "Said she was locked out of her room when her roommate left to go to her boyfriend's room. Along with their room key. So she...went to our room and decided to sleep there with us. Me, Ryuji, and a classmate of mine, Mishima." He then explained.

"She did?" Haru asked in a curious manner. "Huh. She was...quite bold." She soon admitted.

"In a way, yes." Akira replied in agreement. "Oh, Asuka and Homura were in our room as well. Similar situation in a way as well." He then added.

"You slept with three girls before?" Haru got out in curiosity.

"Excuse me?" Miyabi got out in disbelief.

"And Ryuji, and Mishima. And no, we were in separate sleeping spots. Asuka and Homura were on one bed, me and the others were on our own." Akira added right away, unaware that a certain resident hacker had recorded that particular interaction for comedic purposes. "Anyways, make yourself at home while you're here. And enjoy that curry and coffee Asuka made for you." He then offered to Haru.

The heiress nodded to that before eating her dinner. "Um, Akira, can I use the bathroom for a moment?" Haru requested after she was done, suddenly feeling the urge to take a number one.

"Yeah, sure. Go ahead." Akira casually answered. "I'll get ready for bed up here." He then added.

"Thanks, Akira-kun." Haru responded in a grateful tone. "If you'll excuse me." She then bowed before going downstairs.

Akira watched the heiress head down and frowned in thought. "Just as powerless as us all those months back." He then muttered.

"An arranged marriage..." Morgana muttered. "How did that asshole get to be Haru's fiancée in the first place? Don't fathers want their daughters to find nice guys that won't hurt them?" He soon questioned.

"Maybe he's hiding his true nature from him." Akira guessed before a much darker thought began to form in his mind. "Or...maybe not." He mentally added.

"Whatever it is, we're probably not gonna like it." Miyabi stated.

"Are you gonna go home now, Miyabi?" Morgana suddenly asked the woman.

The white haired woman blush at that. "Ah, right. Sorry. I gotta go give that lecture to Futaba now." Miyabi got out in an apologetic manner before taking her leave.

The Leader soon let out a breath, finally alone with Morgana. Now he could relax and-

However Akira suddenly sensed something near him. On instinct, he turned around and saw a familiar blonde doctor appearing from the attic window and entered the room. "Haruka." He greeted with a quick wave.

"Good evening, darling. I just finished up work and..." Haruka responded with her own wave before noticing the injured not cat. "What the...? Who did this to him?" She soon asked in concern.

The Leader shook his head. "He ran into an asshole that kicked him into a vending machine..." Akira revealed in an angered tone.

"What!?" Haruka exclaimed in horror. "Let me check on him." She then demanded in a serious tone.

"Uhh..." Akira got out in an uneasy manner. He had never taken Morgana to a vet in fear they would discover that he wasn't a normal cat. For all he knew, Morgana could just be hollow inside.

"Akira, this is serious. He could be internally bleeding right now." Haruka insisted with narrowed eyes.

The Phantom Thieves Leader blinked at that response. He knew that the blonde doctor in training always called him by darling since falling for him. For her not to this time, he knew this time she wasn't playing around this time. Still though, he didn't want Haruka to find something that would oust Morgana. "But...you're a human doctor." Akira reminded.

"I've worked on animals before." Haruka assured, Poochie and her gaping wound on her back flashing in her mind. "Let me go get my equipment. Don't do anything to him before I'm back." She then stated before disappearing.

"Um, isn't this bad?" Morgana got out in concern.

"She's probably just gonna use her hands, maybe a stethoscope and one of those reflex hammer things." Akira reasoned. "But if she gets close to figuring out there's anything remotely odd about you, I will do everything in my power to ensure she doesn't find out-" He then thought as millions of scenarios and plans began to form in his head.

"Find out about what?" Haruka interrupted, appearing in front of the Leader in a blink.

"Y-You're back!" The Leader got out in slight surprise. That was kind of quick...

"Sorry it took so long. Takemi-sensei actually put my equipment away for me. It was kind of her, but it took me a while to find it." Haruka sighed out as she set down her doctor's bag and began pulling out equipment on the table. "Now, what were you talking about?" She then pressed.

"F-Find out about..." Akira scrambled for an excuse before mentally face palming. Of course. He had a perfect excuse already. "T-The friend I'm letting stay over tonight." He concluded.

"Hm?" Haruka hummed, her eyes widening a little.

"Oh, yeah, there's a girl staying over here for the night. So do you mind...?" Akira soon began to explain, hoping Haruka wasn't the type to get jealous/kill him for having any other girl except her stay over.

"Morgana's condition is more important at the moment." Haruka immediately responded in a dead serious tone, undoing her bow before readjusting her hair into a ponytail with her bow holding it. "Okay, let's get to work." She then declared, a fire appearing in her eyes.

"Please make sure she doesn't cut me open." Morgana pleaded to the Leader.

"I won't." Akira responded with a nod.

"Hm?" Haruka hummed in confusion as she turned to her crush. "You're talking to your cat again. Are you a cat whisperer or something?" She began to ask.

"Sorry, just comforting the little guy. He likes it when I talk." Akira answered.

"I still haven't forgiven you for that button mashing incident, by the way, Akira..." Morgana grumbled.

Akira wanted to retort back, but he didn't want Haruka to do psychiatrist-like consultations towards him, so he decided to relent. Though, he sure would talk about it to him later when no one's around.

A moment later, the sound of footsteps were heard from behind. He turned around and saw the heiress walking up the stairs and entering the attic once again.

Haru was about to proceed before stopping herself as she and Haruka saw each other. "...Who's this?" She then asked.

"A friend who happened to stop by." Akira answered with a shrug. "Haruka, this is...Haru." He then got out.

"A pleasure." Haruka responded with a nod. "But please allow me to focus right now. Don't worry, this won't take long." She soon requested.

"She's quite diligent." Haru noted.

"She's curing cancer. She has to be." Akira got out with a proud smile. "Let's talk over here, Haru." He then suggested as he pointed to a corner of the room opposite of Haruka.

"Oh, um, sure." Haru awkwardly responded, going a distance away. "Akira-kun, how did she get in here?" She soon asked in a whispering tone. "I didn't hear the shopkeeper's bell ringing." She then added.

"Um...she came through the window." Akira answered.

"Oh." Haru got out in response.

"You don't seem all that shocked." Akira quickly noticed.

"Many people come through my windows. Including me." The heiress admitted in a casual manner.

"Ah." The Leader got out in understanding right before his brain caught up with what she just said. "...Wait-" He then got out.

"Mreow!" Morgana suddenly cried out, gaining the attention of the two.

"Sorry, but this is for your own good. Whoever did this bandage job needs to go back to knot-tying classes." Haruka apologized before returning to work.

"Do not insult Lady Asuka like- oooohh..." Morgana began to argue, only for the doctor-in-training to start scratching behind his ear to calm him down.

"Aw..." Haru cooed at the sheer cuteness on display.

"I know." Akira couldn't help but chuckle. Then he frowned as he remembered something. "Have you called your father yet, Haru?" He soon questioned the girl.

"I have." Haru answered, barely taking a second to glance over to the boy. "He said it was fine as long as I returned tomorrow afternoon." She soon added.

Akira narrowed his eyes. "That's awfully generous of him considering..." He then remarked, sounding rather skeptical.

"Y-Yes, it was strange." Haru murmured under her breath, deliberately avoiding the Leader's accusing gaze.

"Haru, you don't need to lie to me." Akira informed. "Did you call your father or not?" He then pressed in a tone that didn't leave room for any other answers.

"...No." Haru shamefully admitted.

"I see. That's fine, Haru." Akira got out in an understanding tone. "But he's going to get seriously worried. You need to face him at some point." He then warned and advised.

"I know, and I will. But not tonight." Haru sighed out as she shook her head.

"Hold on...I just had a thought." Akira muttered. "Didn't you say that you have shinobi as your security?" He then remembered.

"Yes. Ika-chan came in this morning to see me off to school." Haru confirmed.

"Hibari already left then." Akira thought. "Do you think your father will order her to find you?" He then assumed.

"She should be busy improving the security of the headquarters tonight. No need to worry about her until tomorrow." Haru informed.

"Okay, if that is the situation." Akira responded. "Hopefully, nothing major happens." He then muttered under his breath.

At that moment, Haruka stood up and took off her stethoscope. "Well, either Morgana's body is made of steel or that bastard has a terrible leg." Haruka soon informed as she untied her ponytail. "He's fine, nothing's broken, but I do recommend you keep an eye on him for limping, loss of appetite, excessive licking the affected area etc." She then instructed and listed off.

"Thank you." Akira replied in relief.

"I told you I'm fine!" Morgana smugly stated. "Whew! Just needed a little rest, and I'm already feeling better." He then breathed out.

Haruka giggled at the cat's meows. "It's good to see him up and about already. He should be good for now, but you should really take him to a proper vet just in case." She then advised.

"I will." Akira replied with a nod.

"Still, who has the gall to kick an adorable kitty like Morgana?" Haruka soon questioned as she narrowed her eyes in disgust.

The auburn haired girl looked over to the the raven haired boy. "Your call." The Leader mouthed to the heiress.

"...He...leapt at someone hurting me." Haru hesitantly confessed.

"Eh!?" Haruka got out in shock before narrowing her eyes. "Where did he-" She then began to ask.

"It's okay." Haru reassured. "It was thanks to Akira-kun and everyone else that I wasn't hurt all that badly." She then revealed in a grateful manner.

Haruka however shook her head. "Has he been...dealt with?" She soon asked.

"Yes." Akira answered, although the blonde noticed the auburn haired girl opening her mouth before flinching and looking away. "He won't be bothering her anytime soon." He then reassured.

Haruka however narrowed her eyes, knowing there was more to this, but decided not to pry into it. "...I see." She responded. "Well, may I stay here for the night?" She then requested.

"Sure. You don't mind, Haru?" Akira replied and asked.

"No, not at all." Haru responded as she shook her head.

"Okay Haru, you take the bed. Haruka takes the couch. I'll take the floor." Akira soon decided.

"What? No, no. This is your room and I don't want you to wake up with a bad back." Haru denied as she shook her head.

"I'll be fine, Haru." Akira assured, waving off the concern. "At least you deserve a good sleep." He then pointed out.

"I won't accept it." The heiress responded. "If you sleep on the floor, I will as well." She then promised.

"Me too." Haruka added with a nod.

"Then we'll all be paying for it tomorrow morning." Akira pointed out with a sigh. "Anyone have any ideas on sleeping arrangements so that everyone is happy?" He then asked.

"Well...that bed looks big enough for all of us..." Haru soon pointed out. "Maybe we can all sleep together if that is okay with all of you." She soon suggested.

"!?" The two other humans and the not cat perked up to that, though two of them were in a panicked state with blushes on their faces while the other female blinked...before smiling in a cat-like manner.

"I like you." Haruka playfully confessed with a glint in her eyes.

"Eh?" Haru innocently got out with a head tilt. "Y-You like me?" She then asked in a curious manner.

"As a friend, of course." Haruka immediately added with a smile.

"Ah. I see. Well, it's good to have a new friend who likes and sees me as a friend." Haru stated with a relieving tone and a sigh.

"Hm. You make it sound as if you only know people who merely tolerate you." The blonde however pointed out to her.

"O-Oh no, I misspoke. I mean..." Haru tried to explain.

"Hehe~ It's fine, Haru-chan." Haruka reassured her with a giggle. "Well, I suppose I should try to get acquainted with you when I have the time then." She then added.

"Oh, um, yes, that would be lovely!" Haru eagerly responded with a smile along with clasped hands.

"Does she even hear what she's saying right now?" Akira thought in his head, staring at the auburn-haired girl in bewilderment. "Yeah." He then muttered before his eyes widened. "Oh, right. You have to get a medical check-up with Takemi, Haru." He soon remembered out aloud.

"Eh?" The girls got out in unison confusion.

"Um...well, you see, to check if Haru is alright after her encounter." Akira clarified before leaning over to the heiress. "Need to check if you caught anything in the Metaverse. She knows, and I'll call her later to tell her you're coming." He then whispered.

"Ah." Haru responded in understanding.

"Well, it'll be a prime opportunity to get a full understanding of you and your body." Haruka remarked with a smile.

"My body?" Haru repeated with slight confusion for a second. "Oh, for my physical check-up. Right." She then assumed with a reassuring tone.

"Yes, you could say that~" Haruka teasingly replied, occasionally eyeing the heiress's body in secret.

"Haruka, please don't go overboard." Akira thought while looking at the blonde Hebijo kunoichi with a worried expression.

"Anyway, what should I wear when I sleep here?" Haru suddenly asked herself, looking at her current casual clothes. "I'm not sure if I want to sleep with these on..." She then murmured.

Akira and Haruka only went silent for a moment as a response.

"I'll be downstairs if you need me." Morgana spoke up as gently got up and carefully walked away towards the stairs before stopping for a moment to glance at Akira once more. "Oh, and Akira? If Haru actually changes her clothes here and starts stripping while you're still up here, you're a pervert and a manwhore." He then downright told him before leaving and going down the stairs to the cafe.

"Uhh..." Akira only got out, not knowing how to respond to that particular concern about the fluffy haired girl.

"I think I have some spares for sleeping." Haruka muttered before heading to the shelf where Akira kept his box of his necessities. "It should be around here somewhere..." She then got out as she crouched down.

"You keep pajamas here in the attic for yourself?" Akira got out in disbelief. "When did that happen?" He then had to ask.

"About a week after sleeping here regularly, but after work, I'm usually too tired to wear them." Haruka casually answered. "It always pays to be prepared, after all." She then added as she pulled out a bag from the cardboard box.

"...Haruka, that's the box where I keep my necessary stuff." Akira informed.

"There was enough room in here for this." Haruka however explained to him. "It's not like you keep anything dirty in there." She then added.

"That's what my phone was for." Akira couldn't help but think. Unfortunately, living with a talking cat didn't exactly give you a lot of privacy. "I'll go downstairs if you wanna change your clothes." He then told Haru before he began approaching the stairs.

"Hold on." Haru got out all of a sudden, stopping the Leader in his tracks for a moment. "Is it okay if I...I show you the ultimate sign of trust? T-To confirm we truly are...friends?" She then stammered out her cheeks beginning to flare red.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Akira responded and decided to ask.

"I never done it with a boy before but...I want you to know how much tonight means to me." Haru mumbled out as she began fiddling with the buttons of her top.

"W-Wait, Haru-chan?" Haruka sputtered out, the turn of events even managing to baffle her. "Are you...?" She then started to ask, however...

"Haru, I don't know what you're talking about, and what I think you're implying is probably wrong but you don't need to do anything." Akira stated with assurance while cutting the Hebijo blonde off.

"Eh?" Haru got out in slight disbelief. "But I-" She then began.

"Hey, stop." Akira cut her off. "Don't worry about it. I already trust you with everything I have." He then assured.

"Even though I hid the truth from you and everyone else?" Haru muttered in a sad tone.

"You had your reasons." Akira pointed out as he patted her shoulder. "I won't try to pry into it any further. If you are willing to open up about your problems, it's up to you." He then stated.

"...Thank you...Akira-kun." Haru replied in relief.

"So, uh...are you gonna change into your pajamas, Haru?" Akira asked, a bit awkwardly. "'Cause I'm gonna go downstairs now." He then added.

"No, it's fine." Haru reassured him. "I, uh...don't mind letting you see me strip...but don't worry, I'm not stripping myself naked or something." She then added with the same tone.

"Haru, I'm trying to protect your dignity or something here." Akira tried to explain, still comprehending how she was so casual about this.

"Geez, darling, relax. If Haru-chan's willing to let you see her in her underwear, let her be." Haruka told him, earning a stare from the Leader. "I mean, you've already seen me naked once, so..." She then casually reminded.

"Haruka, just be quiet, okay?" Akira deadpanned. "...And it was definitely more than once." He then added under his breath.

"W-W-What!?" Haru squeaked out with a blush of disbelief. "Akira-kun...saw you naked already, Haruka-san?" She then asked.

"Haru, before you assume something, it wasn't like that." Akira tried to reassure. "As for your question...well, technically, I did see her naked. Haruka here's a...seductive kind of individual." He then answered as honestly as possible.

"My, my, how very honest of you~" The blonde commented with a sultry smile. "I'll take that as a compliment, Akira-kun~" She then giggled.

"Don't expect it to be more often, Haruka." Akira however reminded.

"...You seem unusually honest about it than I thought, Akira-kun." Haru soon noted. She honestly did not expect that attitude from a young boy like him. Most of them would panic in this kind of situation.

"Well, there's still a risk of me getting beaten up by the embarrassment." Akira replied. "Not to mention the Fists of Justice." He then added under his breath.

"Fists of Justice?" Haruka repeated, clearly hearing what the boy said under his breath.

"Just some random show I watched on television a long time ago." Akira lied.

"Okay, I'm gonna change my clothes now." Haru then announced. "Haruka-chan, can you give me the clothes, please?" She soon requested.

"Here you go, Haru-chan." Haruka replied as she gave the heiress her spare sleepwear.

"Thank you." The heiress responded back, receiving the clothes.

"...Seriously, Haruka, like, do I really have to stay here and not give her some privacy?" Akira deadpanned.

"Haru-chan said he trusts you, so it's fine." The blonde casually assured.

Akira only groaned in response, a little blush sporting on his face while still feeling discouraged by the fact that this is seriously happening to the point of questioning himself if this was a wet dream or not.

Haru then unbuttoned her top before neatly folding it and setting it aside, exposing her upper body.

"Well, well, well, Akira...a young girl stripping in your room." Haruka teasingly stated. "Does it look familiar~?" She then asked with the same tone.

"Yep. With Asuka." Akira casually replied.

"Eh?" Haruka only got out. "Y-Your friend, I assume?" Haruka questioned, though still a bit surprised by the info.

"Yeah, she lost her shirt this one time thanks to...an octopus? No, wait, it was when she was picking up pork and got her breasts wrapped in butcher's twine..." Akira recalled.

"...I regret asking." Haruka thought in disbelief. "She must be really unlucky." She then got out.

"You have no idea." Akira only thought in his head in response.

Then, it only took a moment for Haruka to notice that the bra Haru was wearing was completely different from the usual underwear bras she saw and knew. "Haru-chan...what...kind of bra are you wearing?" Haruka asked in puzzlement, noticing the bra of the heiress.

"It's a compression bra." Haru replied.

"A...compression bra?" Haruka slowly repeated in disbelief.

"It makes it seem like your breasts are smaller." Akira observed aloud

"So...you mean that's not your real breast size?" Haruka then questioned, still baffled.

"Not at all." Haru answered as shook her head. "Can you not press me on this? Several people have made comments about it already." She then requested.

"Um...okay. I won't." Haruka got out in an assuring tone.

"Thank you." Haru responded in a grateful tone.

Luckily for Akira, Haru did not take her bra and panties off like she said before, which was a bit of a relief. She only put on the sleepwear that Haruka gave her. He was quite concerned if she really exposed her sensitive parts in front of him...even though he already saw naked female bodies during his entire probation.

"Haruka, you're still in your day clothes." Akira noticed. "Are you okay sleeping in that?" She then asked.

"Can I sleep naked?" Haruka casually permitted in a teasing manner.

Akira simply stared at the blonde with a deadpan look. "You get three guesses as to what my answer is, and the first two don't count." He responded.

"Huh. Well, first answer is no, second answer is maybe, and the third answer is‐" Haruka began.

"Okay, knock it off, Haruka." Akira called her off with the same tone. "Look, I'm just not in the mood for this, especially since I'm having some really bad flashbacks running in the back of my mind right now that I don't want to talk about, so can you please tone it down for tonight?" He then requested in an increasingly tired manner.

"O-Okay, if that's what you want, d-" Haruka began before stopping herself. "Akira." She then got out in a slightly saddened tone.

"Thank you." The Leader responded. "...If you two are now good to sleep, then I'll go now for the couch- WHOA!" He then tried to say as he began going for the couch to sleep, only for the two girls to practically tackle him onto his bed.

THUMP!

"You're not going anywhere but here." Haruka stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

"After all, who wouldn't want to sleep with two girls in the same bed?" Haru giggled.

". . Guys who are into other guys...?" Akira answered without thinking. "This isn't toning it down..." He soon muttered.

"I suppose not." Haruka replied, not looking guilty at all. "But those bad flashbacks...I'm afraid it will lead to nightmares, and we just can't have that." She soon got out in concern.

"We'll keep those bad memories away tonight and replace them with happy ones, like this." Haru promised before pressing close to the Leader, her decent-looking chest pressed on his arm.

Smush~

"And this." Haruka added as she came closer as well, this time with her actual J-cup chest pressing on the boy's other arm.

SMUSH!

"You two are way too in sync." Akira got out before letting out a groan. "Fine. I'll sleep with you two." He soon relented.

"Ahem." A familiar voice cleared his throat as a familiar cat hopped onto the bed as well.

Looks like he returned from the cafe below. And Akira was pretty sure he heard everything that happened here despite leaving the attic for a moment.

"Three. Sorry, Morgana." Akira quickly apologized.

"Manwhore." Morgana outright told him with half-lidded eyes, the Leader trying not to react much in front of the ones in his room.

"Thank you." Haruka smiled as she pressed a little closer so that his arm was engulfed by her breasts. "See? You don't need to sacrifice yourself to make everyone happy after all." She then stated.

"What a great piece of advice that'll be ignored in the Metaverse." Akira couldn't help but think. "Come on, let's get some sleep before it gets too late." He then suggested.

"Mmhm." Haru hummed in agreement as she snuggled closer.

"Mmmm..." Haruka meanwhile breathed out as she closed her eyes.

After a long while...

Akira only sighed as he stared up at the ceiling, still awake with two girls hugging each of his arms with their heads on his shoulders, sleeping peacefully. "...You know the worst thing is? Given how weirdly ecchi my life has become, I'm expecting this to happen again later down the line." He thought in a flat tone.

"I'm surprised you're still awake, Joker." Morgana remarked as he curled up on Akira's stomach. "With everything that's happened today, I thought you'd be out like a light by now." He then admitted.

"I guess my brain's still processing everything while also planning what to do next." Akira mumbled as he tried to move himself into a more comfortable position without disturbing the girls. "...We're gonna steal Okumura's heart, aren't we?" He then assumed in a serious tone.

"It's...likely." Morgana admitted in a hesitant tone. "After all that work, we're back to where we started." He then sighed.

"Hey, we still have the advantage of foresight." Akira argued. "Whatever this Conspiracy is planning, we're not gonna let that happen. We won't be their pawns." He then stated in determination.

"Yeah." Morgana responded with a nod. "We're gonna get out of this situation and defeat them...together." He declared.

"You know it." Akira responded with a smirk.

"Still, I guess Lady Haruka can be serious when she wants to be." Morgana admitted.

"Yeah..." Akira admitted in agreement...before blinking in realization. "What did you just call her?" He then asked.

"Lady Haruka," Morgana simply responded with a calm smile. "I have to admit, she deserves my respect with how she treated me as a doctor." He then revealed.

"Oh god, you're not thinking of getting on with Haruka as well?" Akira quietly groaned. "What about Lady Ann?" He then questioned.

"N-No. My heart still remains with Lady As- A-Ann." Morgana insisted.

"And Asuka, and Homura, and Yumi, want me to keep going?" Akira listed off with a trollish smirk.

"Oh shut up." Morgana grumbled as he curled up.

"Manwhore." Akira coughed out.

"I am not...!" Morgana whined as the Leader quietly chuckled while the girls clinged onto him in their sleep.

(Shibuya, Shin Megami Apartment Complex)

Apartment 269. Current home of Asuka Shirokage and Homura Shirokage-Shinkukage.

The entire apartment was empty for the time being, not a single person present in sight since the residents weren't home yet...only before something appeared outside the window. The figures then opened the window and entered inside the apartment, revealing a young child wearing a standard red and white shrine maiden outfit, and a young teenage girl wearing a black hoodie accompanying her.

"We're here, Kagura-sama." Naraku informed. "This is the place you said we should investigate." She then added.

"Yep! I can't wait to see what we're going to discover here!" Kagura got out in excitement...right before walking straight into the couch. "Owie! St-Stupid thingy! Where did that come from!?"

"That was the couch. Here, Kagura-sama. Some flashlights." Naraku got out as she handed the small girl a pink flashlight with kitty faces on it. "We should try not to turn on the lights of this apartment. Otherwise, the residents might notice the lights were on when they came back." She then advised as she pulled out her own flashlight.

"Great idea." Kagura responded as she received the flashlight from her protector and turned it on. "Ooh, what a nice couch!" She then stated.

"It is indeed nice." Naraku agreed before turning her own light on. "Come on, Kagura-sama. We must find evidence of their identity." She then got out as she walked over to a door and opened it.

"Hai!" Kagura responded with a dutiful salute. "...They have really nice intewior decorating." She then commented as she went wandering around the place, focusing more on admiring the apartment than finding anything interesting.

Meanwhile, Naraku had entered the bedroom and looked down to see the joined futon. "Hm? Do lovers live here?" She idly thought as she shines her flashlight around the room. It all seemed normal, other than the luggage bags in the corner.

She then noticed a box right by the luggage. It was left open, so she decided to take a look. Inside were a bunch of picture frames and photos. Some were in the picture frames, there were still plenty of others that still needed to be put in them.

"This could be something." Naraku muttered as she began sorting through the photos. A bunch of beach pictures and buildings she didn't recognise. A foreign country? "They must've been on holiday recently..." She assumed as she studied each detail. Did they encounter Yōma overseas or-

Naraku did a double-take before picking up a particular framed photo. The girl in the photo looked like the teenage version of Sayuri-sama's Jasmine form.

"Whatcha lookin' at, Naraku-chan?" Kagura asked as she wandered into the room.

"It's a photo." Naraku informed, barely tearing her eyes away from the picture.

"Of who?" Kagura had to question.

"I don't know." The guardian responded as she shook her head. "Is this...Sayuri-sama's granddaughter?" Naraku asked to herself, studying the picture.

"Wow, she looks so pretty!" Kagura happily noticed, looking at the photo in awe. "I wanna meet her, Naraku!" She then got out.

"Kagura-sama, I must remind you that we broke in here because you detected the smell of Yōma here." Naraku reminded.

"I know, I know." Kagura chirped. "Still, meeting her would be great." She then stated.

"Hm. Sayuri-sama did mention her granddaughter hasn't talked to her in quite a while." Naraku recalled. "It would bring her some peace of mind if we figure out what she has been up to." She then assumed.

"Hai." Kagura agreed with a nod before taking a second to look at the box of photos as well. "Oh look." She then got out as she picked up another picture.

"Kagura-sama..." Naraku sighed.

"That's a nice picture of her with all a bunch of people, don't you think?" Kagura informed as she held out the picture to her guardian.

"Hm?" Naraku got out before glancing at where her master was talking about, which was another framed photo standing at a small table on what seemed to be an improvised living room. She then approached the table and bent down to see the photo clearly.

"They look like...they're at the beach." Naraku muttered.

"Hey, I have plenty of playtime now thanks to Shin being dead. Can we go to the beach afterwards?" Kagura asked in a pleading manner.

"I will do anything for you, Kagura-sama." Naraku responded with a respectful bow. "But...what would you do there? I heard there isn't much there but the ocean and sand." She then asked in a curious tone.

"I'd play with you and the Mikagura sisters aaaaaall day long!" Kagura answered with a care-free smile while stretching her arms out.

"Well, after we are done here, we shall." Naraku responded. "Anyway, about the people in this photo, should we take note of them?" She then decided to ask.

"Ooh! Yeah! I wanna make more friends!" The little girl happily cheered to herself, eager to meet face to face with the individuals in the photo.

Naraku continued observing the details of the photo before noticing something familiar. "Wait...Kagura-sama, look. Does that male individual look familiar to you?" She then questioned as she narrowed her eyes.

"Hm? What is it?" Kagura got out in confusion.

"There. That person." Her guardian responded she pointed to the boy with glasses in the photo along with several other individuals.

Kagura looked at the person from a moment before making a gasp. "Ooooh! It's the young boy from the cafe!" She then got out in recognition.

"It would seem so, Kagura-sama." Naraku responded. "Huh. Looks like we really are taking note of these individuals in this photo." She then decided while taking a picture of the photo with her phone camera.

"This is gonna be fun the next coming days, that's for sure!" Kagura stated in a cheerful manner.

"That depends on our next move." Her guardian pointed out. "What a miraculous device." She muttered her breath as she carefully placed the device back in her pocket before continuing the investigation of the apartment.

Eventually, after an hour of looking around, they felt as though they had seen everything they needed to know.

"Everything seems to be in order...nothing here that looks out of place or interesting, well, as expected to avoid attention." Naraku remarked. "As expected of Sayuri's granddaughter." She then added.

"But I definitely smell the essence of Yōma in here. It's super concentrated." Kagura reminded before taking in a deep sniff. "It's...It's like from yesterday, with the boy with glasses." She then added.

"Why point that out, Kagura-sama?" Naraku questioned.

"Because it's the same concentration." Kagura replied with furrowed eyebrows. "All the others were...different. Theirs are fading, this one...isn't. Um, how do I explain this?" She then mumbled to herself as she tried to find the words to explain what she was detecting.

"Like smelling a spritz of perfume compared to the whole bottle?" Naraku assumed.

"No...more like...smelling the flower the perfume is based on." Kagura clarified.

"It's the purest form..." Naraku muttered with a frown.

At that moment, they heard the doorknob jiggle. Naraku and Kagura looked at each other before leaping out the window, making sure to shut it behind them before escaping into the night.

Suddenly, the apartment door swung open, revealing Asuka and Homura who entered (well, trudged into) their once empty apartment, exhausted after everything that happened within the day. Clearly, the two of them were still livid and not just because of the requests they did today.

"Can't believe that prick kicked Morgana..." Homura sneered to herself. "I think I almost heard a bone crack from that kick." She then thought in her head.

"Haru-chan..." Asuka mumbled in concern as she sat down on the couch.

"Why didn't she just tell us about this earlier...?" Homura questioned in an antsy tone.

"Maybe because she doesn't trust us? Or wanted to deal with it herself?" The Vice Leader guessed. "Or...she wanted to seem more noble?" She then added, feeling a little upset at the thought.

"Well, we'll have to ask her tomorrow." Homura breathed out. "Why can't anyone give us a break? Hawaii feels like it was months ago now, not a couple of days." She then mumbled out.

"I know." Asuka said in concern for Haru. "...Do you wanna join the Ghibli marathon Futaba-chan suggested once this crisis is over?" She then suddenly suggested.

"Yeah, that sounds really good right now." Homura replied with a sigh. "But, for tonight, let's use a bath bomb then head for bed because tomorrow is probably gonna be even worse." She then suggested.

"Don't say that." Asuka got out with a frown. "We still have a way to do this without losing everything." She then pointed out.

"I hope so, Sis. I hope so." Homura sighed out as she looked out the window and towards the night sky.

Outside the apartment...

Naraku and Kagura were now standing on top of a small building, recently escaping detection from the two kunoichi living in the apartment room they just sneaked into.

"Whew! Good thing we got out right away." Kagura relieved out aloud with a sigh. She didn't want the chance to fight Sayuri's granddaughter under any circumstance, and it would've made a terrible first impression.

Besides, she could've killed them once she consumed one of her red orbs.

"At least we obtained some information." Naraku told her in response. "Are we going to continue searching for these individuals, Kagura-sama? Or should we take a break?" She then asked the childish-looking girl.

"Hmm..." Kagura hummed in thought. "Doing this at night would be our best option where everyone is sleeping and fewer people are going around the streets. But unfortunately, I'm really sleepy right now." She then admitted.

"Then, should we continue tomorrow?" Naraku asked.

"Hai..." Kagura agreed with a big yawn. "Can you carry me back to the hideout and tuck me in?" She then asked.

Her guardian simply nodded as she carried the child on her back. "I wonder how the Mikagura Sisters are doing with their given task..." Naraku said to herself out aloud.

"Hopefully they have something in their hands." Kagura added as she was picked up by Naraku before they both disappeared into the night.

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! Sugimura makes finally his appearance and nearly get his balls crushed by our resident cinnamon bun! Surely there won't be serious consequences for this. Anyways, next chapter is what you're probably expecting!

UknownHero signing off, my friends!