Hello, everyone! UknownHero here and welcome to another chapter of Senran Persona! Nothing much to say right now, just hope everyone here is having a good time and not bullying people. Words can kill people, so think before you post.

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Load Game…Start!

Chapter 120: Betrayal of L'Imperatrice

(9/18, Early Morning)

(Yongen-Jaya, Leblanc Attic)

Haruka let out a cute yawn as her eyes fluttered open. It was always a good day when she actually sleeps at a reasonable time, and especially when she's in bed with her beloved. And, weirdly enough, having someone like Haru here added to her peaceful dreams.

"Ah, morning, darling~" Haruka sleepily cooed as she stretched her arms and rubbed her eyes.

"Help...me." Akira however struggled out.

"Eh?" The Crimson Squad blonde only got out, hearing that before she noticed what was going on.

Apparently, Haru had managed to shove the blonde away from the black haired boy in her sleep and was embracing his entire body like a plushie. And from the looks of it, she was not letting go any time soon.

BOING! SMOOSH!

...And her compression bra was off, engulfing the sides of his head.

Haruka's eyes immediately widened to the sight, moreso the bust of the other girl. "My...god...": She breathed out.

They were bigger than she thought she would have!

"Haruka, for the love of god, stop staring and wake her up." Akira then quietly urged the blonde doctor-in-training.

"O-Okay." Haruka replied. "Um...wakey, wakey Haru-chan. It's time for you to get up." She then stated as she gestured towards the sleeping heiress.

Haru however just giggled in response. "Hehehehe...no...stop it...it's only...mumble mumble mumble..." She mumbled in her sleep in satisfaction.

"Can't...breathe..." Akira struggled out, going a bit blue in the face. Maybe he should consider doing some underwater training with Homura or Miyabi soon.

"Haru-chan? Haru-chan, please wake up now." Haruka then got out a little more forcefully.

"Mmmm~...not now...hehehe..." Haru mumbled once again in her sleep. "Stoop~...I'm ticklish..." She then added, shifting herself comfortably on the bed with a content smile on her face.

SQUISH!

Akira couldn't help but feel the firmness of the heiress's actual chest size in his face. "Yep. Heaven and Hell are the same thing." He confirmed, his voice muffled by the fluffy haired girl's boobs.

On the bed with them as well, Morgana stirred himself awake from the movements of the three people in bed. "Uuuhh... what is..." He then got out with a yawn...before his sight refocused and noticed the trio in a...complicated and semi-provocative situation.

"Hmhmhm~...I'm feeling good somehow...~" Haru giggled in her sleep, drooling a little as she clutched onto Leader a bit harder.

"Haru-chan, come on...open your eyes. It's morning now." Haruka spoke to her, getting a little worried now.

Morgana stared at the scene unfolding in front of his eyes with a hint of blush present on his face. "Okay...what?" He barely got out, trying to process the sight.

"Come on, Morgana, you have to be used to this by now." Akira's muffled voice got through the fat of the fluffy haired girl's actual boobs with a groan.

"A-Aahhhnnn..." Haru moaned, feeling the warmth and rumbles her her chest. "Not again, Katsu-chan...it's too...mumble mumble..." She then mumbled out.

"Who is this girl?" Haruka mentally got out in an incredulous tone. "And where has she been all my life?" She then curiously added.

"Hm?" Haru got out as she finally stirred herself awake. "O-Oh, I must've slept in..." She mumbled out in a sleepy tone.

"Oh, you did more than just sleeping in." Morgana got out.

"And good morning to you, Mona-chan." Haru giggled as she petted the little guy.

"Um, can you let go of darling now, Haru-chan?" Haruka requested.

"Eh?" Haru got out before noticing what she was doing. "Ah!" She soon yelped out, releasing the boy.

"Gahuh! Hah, hah." Akira coughed out and took deep breaths. "Pretty sure I can last ten minutes underwater now..." He then groaned.

"Are you okay, Akira-kun?" Haru asked in a worried tone.

"I'm okay...I'm okay." Akira got out, finally breathing normally. "Ugh, why do tits have to be that big and soft...?" He muttered under his breath, soon thinking about the rack he had when in female form. "...Then again, I'm not one to talk..." He soon thought to himself with a sweatdrop.

"Huh, didn't expect you to be that big, Haru-chan~" Haruka however stated with a sly grin.

"E-Ehh ?" Haru got out in slight confusion before checking her chest. She then blushed a bright red as she pulled down her bra through under her top, magically concealing her actual H-cup chest and making her appearance normal like usual once again now with a decent-looking chest area. "I guess I should've taken it off before bed..." She then admitted.

"I don't think I would've gotten any sleep..." Akira sighed, all while still comprehending how the heiress managed to keep her large chest secret from other people.

"You've gotten plenty with me with less on." Haruka pointed out.

"I counter that you used it too much, and now you can't surprise me." Akira deadpanned.

"Well, I have a few more tricks up my sleeve." Haruka however retorted back with a sly grin.

"Ahem." Haru coughed, getting their attention. "A boy needs his privacy, Haruka-chan, and it seems to me you do not respect that. As his senpai, I cannot allow you to continue these antics." She soon stated.

"I know that." Haruka responded. "I just love teasing him from time to time." She then admitted in amusement.

"This doesn't feel like teasing at all." Haru remarked. "You should know when to give some space, Haruka-chan. I mean, how long has he not relieved himself?" She then pointed out and asked.

"Haru!?" Morgana and Akira exclaimed.

"What?" Haru innocently responded. "I'm sure you wished to relieve yourself in the middle of the night, am I wrong? Needing to hold it in until the morning? It's not healthy at all." She soon assumed and stated.

"H-Haru-chan, th-this isn't-" Haruka began.

"I heard bladder infections are really bad and can be very harmful in the future." Haru then revealed in a more serious and concerned manner.

"..." Everyone only went silent as a response, staring at the heiress in disbelief.

"...You know, never thought I'd see a harem king come into existence in front of my very eyes. And ears. And possibly smell in the near future." A familiar young female voice suddenly commented aloud, prompting the four in bed to glance to who just spoke.

To their surprise, Futaba was at the stairs, staring at all the antics in bed, an amused and trollish smirk on her face with her hands behind her back.

"Huh?" Haru got out as the three turned to stare at the little girl. "F-Futaba-chan!?" She squeaked out.

"Mornin'." The hacker greeted back along with a two-fingered salute. "How was sleeping at Casa de Joker?" She soon asked.

"U-Um..." Haru barely responded.

"And what do you know? Looks like I was right about your actual large chest, Haru." Futaba soon noted with a smirk as the fluffy haired girl blushed and instinctively covered her chest. "Saw it before you adjusted your compression bra back. I mean, how is that even possible?" She then remarked with a grin.

"Um...uh..." The heiress sputtered, trying to find even a semblance of an answer to respond with.

"Don't worry, Haru, I'm not gonna tell anyone about it just yet." Futaba waved off. "Big Sis can be a bit of a pain in the ass when she's lecturing me about this stuff. And don't get me started when she gets Sojiro involved too..." She then grumbled with a pout.

"And not because it's wrong." Akira sarcastically got out.

"Dude, blame my special skills and analysis. All I'm saying is that I want this to be a surprise." Futaba responded with an amused giggle before focusing on the only non-Thief in the room. "Yo." She then greeted with a short wave.

"...H-Hello?" Haruka only got out in confusion mixed with a hint of disbelief from the...invasion of privacy. "How did you get in here?" She soon asked.

"I'm a wizard." Futaba bluntly answered.

"She's the daughter of the owner here." Akira simply revealed.

"Aw, you're no fun." Futaba sighed/whined. "Just wanted to tease Haruka here a little. Take advantage of her at her most vulnerable." She then admitted.

"H-How do you know my name?" Haruka had to ask.

"'Cause I'm actually a psychic." The hacker replied, a small nudge of her glasses. "I read your mind." She then added with a lopsided grin.

"Eh?" Haruka only got out in a moment of disbelief.

"Pfft." Akira snorted out.

"Kidding. Akira told me about you." The orangette repiled. "Futaba Sakura, at your service. And must I say that you look lovely this fine morning." She soon introduced herself with confidence.

"You're getting pretty confident around other people, Futaba." Akira however noticed, looking rather proud of the fact.

"Heh. My precious Key Item provides the biggest bravery stat boosts." The hacker snickered as she stated.

"...Y-You don't look surprised we're all here." Haruka noticed, still comprehending that the girl who she just met had a casual reaction to this.

"Because it's become a daily occurrence for Akira here to have women in his room." Futaba casually revealed. "By the way, you think I can call Becky some time?" She soon asked the Leader.

"Becky quitted." Akira responded almost instantly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Ah. Damn. I wanted her to go and buy some figures for me. Oh well." Futaba got out, snapping her fingers in disappointment. "I'm gonna be downstairs. After you're done feeling each other up, you better get something to eat. By the way, you're about two minutes late for work, Haruka." She then stated and informed.

"Eh?" Haruka got out before noticing the time. "I slept in!? Oh, Takemi-sensei is going to ream me. Sorry, I can't stay for breakfast here." She then exclaimed and stated.

"You sure?" Akira responded.

"I'm sure. And sensei usually has food at the clinic. Too many days where we forget to eat." Haruka replied as she left the bed, but not before kissing the boy's cheek. "I'll see you later, okay?" She then added.

"Yep." The Leader responded with nod as she watched the girl leave. "Come on, Haru. Breakfast isn't gonna make itself." He then got out as he climbed out of bed as well.

"Hai." Haru responded with a nod before pausing as she sat up. "...And who's Becky?" She then asked in a curious manner.

(Leblanc)

"My, that's so awful." Haru got out as she covered her mouth.

"Don't worry, Becky is doing completely fine right now and those assholes are spending the rest of their lives doing charity work." Akira assured with a smile. "A fitting conclusion to that entire thing." He then added with a smirk.

"I know it's fun telling Mementos stories, but I'm really starving here." Futaba moaned as she rubbed her empty stomach.

"Alright, I'll go fix something up for everyone." Haru offered as she got up from her seat.

"You will!?" Akira and Futaba questioned in disbelief.

"Yep. I'm quite a good cook." Haru couldn't help but brag a little. "I mean, I had to be considering..." She then mumbled under her breath.

RING RING!

"Morning!" Asuka greeted as the two sisters entered the cafe, strangely wearing their school uniforms.

"Yo." Homura added.

"You're here early." Futaba remarked.

"We just wanted to check on Haru-senpai." Homura admitted as they sat down at the booth.

"Homu-neechan thought we had school today." The Vice Leader giggled as the tan skinned girl blushed in embarrassment.

"Like, for only a second!" Homura insisted as she sank down in her seat.

"Well, you're just in time. I was about to make breakfast and coffee for everyone." Haru got out with a smile.

"Allow me to help then." Asuka instantly offered.

"Thank you, Asu-chan." Haru replied in a grateful manner. "What shall we make this morning?" She then asked the Vice Leader.

"Mmmm...let's go with sandwiches. We have plenty of bread in the fridge." Asuka answered after a bit of thought.

Haru nodded to that as the two girls got to work. Eventually, the entire group were enjoying the taste of Asuka and Haru's food.

"Nothing beats BLTs." Akira moaned in relief.

RING RING!

The Thieves stopped eating for a second to see the owner enter the cafe, surprised to see so many people this early. The place wasn't even open yet.

"...Hey." Sojiro greeted before noticing yet another new face amongst the boy's friends. "What's going on here? You brought over another girl?" He got out, blinking.

"Good morning, Boss. And don't get any ideas." Akira responded before shaking his head. "I've had too many since last night..." He mentally added.

"That's not what I meant..." Sojiro responded. "Anyways, don't break her heart, all right?" He then advised.

"Eh!?" Haru, Asuka, and Homura exclaimed.

"Sojiro." Futaba called out with a hand on her hip. "Seriously?" She then asked.

"We aren't like that, Boss." Akira sighed. "Seriously, can't a guy be friends with girls without it being romantic?" He then argued.

"It can, but it's you." Sojiro pointed out.

"Don't overestimate my ability not to screw up talking to pretty girls..." Akira mumbled with a groan. "I mean, I do it all the time with Asuka and Homura." He then added.

The two sisters blushed a little at that comment. "J-Joker." Asuka mumbled out.

"Asshole..." Homura muttered under her breath.

The hacker soon puffed out her cheeks. "Oh, so I'm not pretty, Akira?" Futaba pouted.

"You're pretty as well, Futaba. But if I say it out loud, Sojiro is gonna beat me with a baseball bat." Akira assured as he ruffled her hair.

"I can handle the compliments, but it better only stay as compliments." The cafe owner half-jokingly, half-seriously threatened. "Besides, I don't own a baseball bat." He then admitted.

"Oh, okay." Akira replied.

"I own a shotgun." Sojiro then corrected with a smirk.

Akira did a double take on that as he stared at the cafe owner in response. "A fake one, right?" He decided to question.

"You'll see." Sojiro answered, with a playful yet ominous look on his face.

Haru couldn't help but giggle at everyone's antics.

"What's up? You seem happy." Asuka noticed.

"It's been a while since I've had a meal with so many people." Haru confessed.

Asuka and Homura quickly noticed the sour expression that flashed on her face before returning to her usual pleasant smile, and felt a little sad for the girl.

"Make sure you go home today before it gets too late, OK? I'm sure your parents are worried." Sojiro soon advised as he went to the kitchen. However, he didn't notice how it caused the Thieves to flinch and the mood to lower.

"You know, it's fine if you don't wanna go home either." Futaba offered.

"No, I'll go home. If my father suspects something, it'll be more difficult to change his heart, wouldn't it?" Haru replied and pointed out.

"He probably would lock you out of the biometric scans." Akira suspected.

"I'll contact you again so we can- Oh right!" Haru began to informed before realizing she had forgotten something. "Can we exchange phone numbers Akira-kun, Futaba-chan?" She soon asked.

"Sure." Haru answered as she pulled out her phone.

["B3lladonna" has been added to your contacts.]

"B3lladonna..." Akira muttered. "A beautiful name for such a deadly plant." He remarked as he put away his phone.

"You want me to send your number to the others?" Futaba offered.

"That would be great." Haru responded with a bow.

The hacker nodded before tapping on her phone a few times. "Badda-boop. Done." She announced only three seconds later.

"That was awfully fast." Homura remarked, still a little stunned by the little girl's technical dominance.

"Don't underestimate my mad skillz. Been doing this kind of stuff for four years" Futaba responded in a cheeky tone. "Now, are you going?" She then asked in a more serious manner.

Haru went silent for several seconds. "...Yes." She finally decided.

"You really should've called him last night." Akira reminded with a frown. "He's not going to be happy when you get back." He then stated.

"I am aware of the consequences of my actions." Haru responded with a sigh before putting on a brave face. "I am more than ready to deal with it." She assured the team.

"Okay then." Asuka nodded to that. "But remember, if something comes up, you can call us. We're your friends, Haru-chan. Don't forget you are not alone." She then advised the heiress.

"Words to live by." Futaba spoke up.

"Hai." Haru replied before getting up from her seat. "I'll see you all as soon as I have the opportunity." She then promised.

"Bye, and see you at school tomorrow, Haru-senpai." Homura got out with a wave.

"Tomorrow's another day off." Akira informed in a flat tone.

"Oh come on!" Homura grunted as she slapped her forehead.

"Uh...good luck." Asuka got out in an honest manner.

Haru nodded, but she knew it was going to take more than luck to deal with her father.

(9/18, Daytime)

(Okumura Residence)

[dat okumura stock drop lol]

[corrupt companies suck ass!]

[that ceo IS suspicious...]

[that hack was a prophecy]

Okay, scrolling through the Phan-site did nothing to calm her nerves.

Haru was standing in front of their residence door for a while, taking a deep breath as she returned from the Leader's cafe. She hoped that nothing major would happen to her once Father sees her arrival. Reluctant, she opened the door and entered inside her family home, and immediately, someone familiar to her stood near the entrance.

"Ah, good day Ika-chan..." Haru greeted the shinobi.

"Haru-san, why didn't you call your father last night?" The kunoichi named Ikaruga however asked all of a sudden, concern etched on her face. "Going missing isn't exactly something you should be doing, especially with what has been going on as of late." She then added with the same tone.

"Don't worry, Ika-chan. I stayed over at a friend's place." Haru assured. It was true, but the circumstances of that stay were too complicated to tell the shinobi.

Ikaruga narrowed her eyes. "...You never mentioned having other friends." She remarked.

"Um...it's a recent development." Haru admitted.

"Enough to trust them to allow you to sleep over?" Ikaruga pressed as she narrowed her eyes. "Are you hiding something from me?" She then questioned.

"Not at all." Haru instantly answered as she tried to leave, only for the shinobi to grab her hand.

"Haru," Ikaruga said in a tone that caused the heiress to wince. "Speak with me. As a friend." She then requested.

"...Fine." Haru sighed out as she gently pulled her hand away. "There's just a lot happening in my life right now, and I'm just afraid I can't keep up." She revealed.

"It comes with growing up." the shinobi sighed. "But I know you're strong enough to get through this. It's simply a rough patch. Don't worry, I will be there whenever you falter." She then encouraged.

"Thank you, Ika-chan." Haru replied in a grateful tone and was about to head inside, but Ikaruga moved in front of her.

"But, I meant more specifically. I will not take such a vague answer." Ikaruga clarified. "What is exactly bothering you?" She then pressed.

Haru didn't seem like it, mostly because of the poker face she developed over the years, but she was panicking. "Need a good excuse. Need a good excuse..." She thought as she kept her eyes on Ikaruga. Any small sign of lying would ruin everything.

Suddenly, Ikaruga let out a sigh. "If you wish not to talk about it, I understand. But I...we can't help if you remain silent." She insisted in a worried manner.

"I...I already have all the help I need." Haru responded. And from the looks of it, that was all the shinobi was going to get for a while.

"Well...your father wishes to see you as soon as you get back." Ikaruga stated before turning around. "Allow me to inform him of your arrival." She then politely excused herself.

"Hai." Haru breathed out as the shinobi headed inside, already practicing the conversation with her father in her head. She could probably write a flow chart of all the responses she had ready.

Soon enough, the shinobi returned. "He's inside." Ikaruga informed. "I sense he is quite upset so...please use caution." She then advised.

Haru nodded as she headed inside, with the shinobi following her in and closing the door behind her. The two girls noticed

"Sir." Ikaruga got out as she bowed to the CEO.

"Ikaruga. Haru." Kunikazu spoke with hands behind his back.

"Father." Haru responded.

"I am disappointed in you, Haru. I thought I had taught you better than this." Kunikazu stated. He didn't worry, he didn't ask if she was okay, he didn't even look at her. Just straight to reprimands.

"I promise that this will not happen again, Father." Haru promised in a flat tone.

"And it will not happen again. But I am not mad about that." Her father added before turning around to face his daughter. "Sugimura-san contacted me this morning." He soon revealed.

From that, Haru sparked her full attention with widened eyes in response.

"Haru Okumura." Her father began in a stern manner. "Your actions have nearly cost me dearly. Whatever you do in the past, present, and future reflect on me, and it is paramount you maintain your image at all costs. Which you have failed." He then informed.

The heiress dug her nails into her palm. "...What did he say I did?" Haru asked.

"It's not what you did, but what you and your friends have done." Kunikazu answered.

Haru flinched again, struggling to keep her composure. Even with Asuka putting the fear of a shinobi into him, he still turns around and does this!? "They were only-" She tried to explain, however her father was having none of it.

"I want no excuses." Kunikazu interrupted. "It is high time you learn how to be a proper wife. And what better way than through practical experience?" He then determined.

A sense of dread came over Haru and confusion from the ravenette. "Father?" She got out.

"As an apology, and to maintain our relationship with the Sugimura family, you will be taken out of Shujin Academy and sent to live with your finacé." The CEO revealed in a cold, uncaring tone.

"Eh...?" Ikaruga got out in disbelief.

"F-Father, but you promised you would allow me to finish my education!" Haru reasoned him back, now in disbelief.

"That was before you abused my trust in you. Do not worry, I will ensure that you will complete the necessary assignments to allow you to graduate. In absentia, of course." Her father assured his daughter in the kindest way possible. "The matter has been settled. You will be welcomed into his household in three weeks." He then concluded.

Haru's heart dropped. "...Excuse me?" She whispered.

"You won't officially be registered yet, but isn't that how things are with young people these days? Go prove your sincerity to him. You can do that, can't you?" Her father then dismissively continued.

"So, I'm not even allowed to decide where I live, am I...?" Haru muttered the accusation.

"Not only do you come home late, you've even stayed out overnight without permission...I thought I had been clear about the friends you choose." Kunikazu then reminded the girl of her transgressions.

Ikaruga, meanwhile, had her hands behind her back, just so to hide her clenching fists. She couldn't speak, but she wanted to so desperately.

"Father, they're not like-" Haru tried to argue, however...

Pipipipipi!

"I have my hands full right now with the company. Don't cause any more trouble for me." Her father got out before pulling out his phone. "Hello? Yes, it's fine. Go on." He then said as he left the room, leaving the two girls alone.

"Haru-san..." Ikaruga finally spoke in concern as she approached her client's only daughter. "You're...you're in an arranged marriage?" She got out in disbelief.

Haru meanwhile gained an uncomfortable expression. "Yes. Since last year." She shamefully confessed.

"And you didn't say anything!?" Ikaruga exclaimed a little too loudly in concern.

"I...I didn't want you to worry..." Haru mumbled out her answer. "And...what could you do?" She then questioned.

"I could...I might be able to..." Ikaruga tried to think of something.

"Ika-chan..." Haru however spoke up. "Do you mind giving me some privacy?" She then requested.

"...Of course." Ikaruga got out, nodding in understanding. "But if you need anything-" She then began.

"I know." Haru responded with a nod.

Ikaruga went to leave, but hesitated at the door. After taking a second to summon up the willpower, she left the sold-off girl alone.

The heiress let out a shuddering breath, stopping herself from breaking down before pulling out her phone and calling the first person that came to mind. "Hello...?" Haru sniffled.

"Haru?" Akira got out in surprise and concern.

"...I need to discuss something with everyone. Can we all meet...?" Haru asked.

Akira's gut instantly told him that this was going to be a serious affair, so he decided not to press further. "Sure. I'll arrange it for tonight. You think you can head to Leblanc by yourself?"

"Yes. I'll see you there." Haru then breathed before hanging up and pocketing her phone.

Then, with no hesitation, she grabbed a couch pillow and screamed into it.

(Hanzō Academy, Elites Room)

"HARU'S WHAT!?" Katsuragi exclaimed. "ARE YOU SAYING THAT THIS ENTIRE TIME-!?" She then began.

"Hai, she's been arranged to get married to someone." Ikaruga responded over the phone. She had called the girls as soon as she went somewhere private. Unfortunately, Hibari seemed to be missing. "...To think it was Sugimura though..." She then sighed out.

"Her fiancé?" Yagyū assumed.

"Please tell me he's a good guy at least." Katsuragi all but pleaded.

"..." Ikaruga went silent, forcing down the anger bubbling inside her heart. "He's wealthy and comes from a rich and influential political family. From what I can gather, he's..." She then began to reveal.

"Not a good person." Yagyū assumed with a narrowed eye.

"Not at all. He's a playboy who throws money around like trash, spending it on booze and his various girlfriends." Ikaruga spat out in disgust.

"...So someone who deserves an ass kicking." Katsuragi simplified as she narrowed her eyes.

"Or to disappear." Yagyū muttered under her breath.

"What can we do?" Katsuragi soon asked. "Come on, Ikaruga, you've known the family since you were a kid, right? Can't you convince her father how stupid this is?" She then reminded and pointed out.

"It's been set in stone since last year, and she's moving in with him on the 11th." Ikaruga however turned down that idea.

"You gotta be shitting me!" Katsuragi exclaimed in anger. "Why did her father even arrange this in the first place!?" She then asked.

"Likely a transactional marriage. Or a vie for power. Maybe he doesn't want a woman to run the company." Ikaruga got out in a bitter tone. "I...I don't know what I can do to stop this. And even if I do, the consequences..." She then muttered.

"We'll lose a major source of income, and the school can't afford it." Yagyū concluded. "It would be wise if we simply stayed out of this. We can't risk such a thing, despite our feelings." She then advised and stated.

"...What about the Phantom Thieves? They might be able to do something." Katsuragi soon suggested.

"There's no guarantee they'll do our request." Yagyū pointed out. "Plus, Okumura-san was on top of the hacked poll. They might not do it in fear that something bad may happen." She then added.

"And that is another whole can of worms to deal with..." Ikaruga got out before letting out a sigh. "...I think I have an idea." She then got out.

"Wait, really!?" Katsuragi exclaimed, her eyes brimming with hope.

"It's a rather...unreliable idea, but it's better than nothing." The ravenette confessed.

"Well, what is it?" Katsuragi urged the prim and proper girl to answer.

Ikaruga groaned. "...Onii-sama." She muttered.

This was gonna suck for the ravenette...

(Hibari's Room)

Meanwhile, Hibari had not left her room all day. And if one were to press their ear against the door...well, they'd get their asses kicked by Yagyū and called a pervert, but also hear the sounds of power tools, welding, fire, panicking, and friendly conversation.

However, there was none of that right now. Hibari narrowed her eyes as she looked over everything she had written in her notes from studying the robot girl.

Limbs seem to be capable of replicating the agility and strength needed to become an Elite by Hanzō standards, along with a weapons system in her arms which allowed her to equip giant rocket-powered mechanical fists. She wondered how all of that could fit inside her, but she didn't really want to look too deep into it in case she broke it.

Receptors to stimulate pleasure and pain. Makes sense, if she could not feel pain, she would only just let herself get destroyed in every fight she got in.

Cat ears that acted as speakers for whatever reason. Hibari quickly discovered that she could sync it to her phone through a syncing feature named Bluetooth and play music through them.

Seems to be able to consume human food, but doesn't want to. Prefers to consume ethanol aqueous solutions and oil. No known benefit without further testing.

And finally, a super advanced A.I. that could feel, learn and improve, all without thinking herself to death in seven years.

All in all, while still so advanced that something like her wouldn't exist until far in the future, Muramasa was fixable. There was still some stuff she was unsure about, but Hibari could confidently say she could get Muramasa in almost perfect working order in only a week or two.

Almost.

As there was one thing she couldn't wrap her head around.

"I still don't know what the thingy in your chest is with the pretty butterfly crystals in them." Hibari muttered with a frown as she looked inside the robot.

"Oh! It's my personality module, nya." Muramasa explained. "It has everything that makes me, me!" She then revealed.

"And the...crystals?" Hibari pressed with a raised eyebrow.

"Erm...I don't remember, but they glow really bright sometimes." Muramasa sheepishly admitted. She may have used it as a makeshift light sometimes.

"Well, I think I need to fashion a new casing for it." Hibari stated. "As well as replacing a bunch of other stuff before I close you up, including all the custom parts. I also need to find a material that replicates human skin." She then added.

"Ooh, can you make me squishy like you, nya?" Muramasa soon requested.

"I'll make you squishier than the squishiest marshmallow!" Hibari happily declared as she tickled the robot.

"Ehehehehehe..." The robot girl giggled. Once she was all fixed up, she was gonna-

BANG!

"AH!" Muramasa suddenly cried in pain, her eyes flickering blue for a second.

"Eh!?" Hibari exclaimed. "What did I do!?" She soon asked in a panic.

"I-I don't know! I think you touched something and...It felt like...I got shot in the head! And it really, really hurts!" Muramasa then got out, pain still coursing through her head.

"Who would put that in you!?" Hibari exclaimed. "Let me get that out. Hibari promises she'll make whoever installed such a thing pay!" She then added.

"Can I get some oil too?" Muramasa then requested as well.

"Hai." The pinkette nodded as she went to grab the oil canister she bought.

Meanwhile, Muramasa couldn't help but look at Hibari with admiration in her eyes as she fed her oil and began looking for what caused her such pain.

She had to repay Hibari somehow for all she's done.

And what better way than to walk the same path as her.

"Eh!? Is...Is this a gun!?" Hibari suddenly exclaimed.

That made Muramasa perk up as she heard the reaction.

"M-Muramasa...what is this?" The pinkette asked, still in a state of disbelief.

"I...where was it?" The robot girl questioned.

"It was in your head." Hibari revealed. It looked like it was crudely rigged to fire inside her forehead before she managed to remove it. "Eh, why doesn't it have a hole here?" She then wondered as she looked down where there was supposed to be a barrel with one eye.

With her finger on the trigger.

Something sparked inside Muramasa... .before she did something in some sort of instinct. "Ah! Hibari-chan!" Muramasa got out in disbelief as she immediately got up, despite all the cables and wires still attached to her.

"Eh?" Hibari got out in surprise as the barely repaired girl rushed on stiff legs over to her.

"Gimme that!" The gynoid got out in a panic, taking the gun away from the pinkette's hands.

"Muramasa-chan!?" Hibari got out in concern and confusion.

"I...I don't know why, but it's really dangerous!" Muramasa vaguely responded.

"But...It's fake. It doesn't even have any bullets to fire." Hibari pointed out.

"Just...don't mess with it." Muramasa soon requested.

"Oh...then I'll make sure it's disposed of..." Hibari decided.

"No! P-Put it back in, nya!" Muramasa panickingly requested.

"EH!?" Hibari got out in shock.

"P-Please put it back..." Muramasa pleaded before handing back the gun to the pinkette.

"..." Hibari hesitated, looking rather unsure.

"I mean...it's placed in my head for a...reason?" Muramasa pointed out. "Maybe it does something important." She then assumed.

"Uhh..." Hibari wasn't so sure, and she was a little freaked out about how demanding Muramasa suddenly was about this. "Well...if you want it back, I should...at least share the feeling." She declared as she placed the fake gun against her head.

"Hibari-chan!?" Muramasa exclaimed.

"If you're going to go through this pain...I need to at least understand it." Hibari stated as she took in a deep breath. "After all...a shinobi must not fear death!" She then called out as she pulled the trigger.

"Hibari-chan!" Muramasa cried out, but it was too late as-

Click!

Nothing happened.

"...Huh?" Hibari got out in confusion as she once more looked at the fake gun before pulling the trigger a few more times. Still, nothing.

"N-Nothing happened." Muramasa got out as she blinked at the sight...while sensing a state of relief for some reason.

"Does it only work while it's in you?" Hibari assumed with a frown. "But...there doesn't seem to be anything special about this thing..." She then muttered as she studied the gun a little more.

"H-Hibari!? W-What are you doing!?" A familiar voice asked in a panic.

"YAH!" Hibari yelped out before looking towards the opened door. "...Um...H-Hi Yagyū-chan..." She then nervously greeted.

"What the-!?" Yagyū exclaimed in shock.

On instinct, Muramasa swiftly took the gun from the pinkette's hands.

"I-It wasn't real! I swear!" Hibari panickingly reassured. However, the pinkette soon realized Yagyū wasn't looking at her, but at Muramasa.

"...Who...who is this?" Yagyū soon questioned, her one eye wide at the sight.

"Erm...s-surprise...?" Hibari awkwardly got out.

The young-looking gynoid soon happily waved to the white haired girl. "I'm Muramasa! I'm Hibari-chan's bestest best friend, and I'm gonna be a shinobi!" She soon declared.

"Wait, what!?" Hibari exclaimed.

"..." The eyepatch-wearing Hanzō Elite stood in silence while staring at the scene in disbelief in response.

"Um...I should ex-" Hibari nervously got out with her hands up.

"Best. Friend?" Yagyū repeated as she began approaching the two.

"Y-Yagyū-chan?" Hibari called out in concern.

"Yo, you tell Hibari about Haru's bullshit marriage yet?" Katsuragi asked as she passed on by.

"Konnichiwaa!" Muramasa happily greeted with a wave.

"Hey, what's..." The Hanzō Elite blonde only got out before noticing the young-looking gynoid in disbelief. "What. The hell." She soon asked with wide eyes.

"I, uh, I can explain! If you just give me a-" Hibari tried to explain herself...only to hear something in particular. "...Haru-chan's getting married!?" She soon exclaimed.

"Who's Haru?" Muramasa innocently asked.

And so, Hanzō Academy got a little more interesting on that day.

(Kosei High, Boys Dormitories)

Yusuke was staring at the progress in his canvas, thinking of what to add more into his current art piece. "Hmm...maybe some red over here would look nice..." He then mumbled, the wooden end of his paintbrush touching his chin in thought.

He then glanced at the wall clock, showing that it was now past noon. "Hmm...not sure we're going to the Palace later today." Yusuke mumbled to himself.

Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!

The artist then heard a knocking before he turned and saw someone in the glass window outside his dorm room and not from his room's door.

It was Miyabi in her casual clothes, green jacket, white, jeans, and all.

The artist froze for a second as he stared at the white-haired woman outside before standing up from his seat and approaching the window to open it for her.

"Miyabi-san?" Yusuke got out as he opened the window, surprised to see the Hebijo kunoichi. "Why have you come here?" He then asked.

"To do the nude painting, duh." Miyabi simply responded.

This caused the artist to blink as he processed this turn of events. "...I honestly expected you're going to contact me about it beforehand." Yusuke admitted. "We're doing it now then?" He then asked.

"Yep. Or else I'll forget." Miyabi replied and stated. "Besides, if you can't display maturity when dealing with nudity, you aren't gonna last long in university or whatever the hell the adult world is gonna throw at you." She then explained.

"I, uh...guess that makes sense." Yusuke somehow acknowledged, though still in slight disbelief at the rare occurrence.

"Now come on and get your brushes clean. We have a masterpiece to make." Miyabi declared as she climbed into the room.

"H-Hai." Yusuke responded with a nod.

As Miyabi stepped foot inside the artist's room, she noticed that the room was quite a mess, though it would make sense for an artist.

"Um, sorry about the mess. I didn't expect company today." The young artist soon apologized.

"Meh, as long as nothing stabs me in the foot." Miyabi got out with a shrug.

"If I may ask...why didn't you enter the campus grounds normally?" Yusuke decided to ask. "You could have just entered my room like a normal person would do." He then pointed out.

"A spur of the moment decision. Don't want anyone to see me." Miyabi simply answered. "You don't want rumors of a woman hanging out in your room to spread around your dorm, right?" She then pointed out.

"I've heard worse." Yusuke responded. "But undue controversy could affect how people see my art." He then revealed.

"Yeah, and I don't wanna be called a predator." Miyabi muttered. "So...how does this go?" She soon asked.

"Well...you just sit down and do a pose, and I draw you." Yusuke answered. "Nude, of course." He then added somewhat awkwardly.

"That's it?" Miyabi got out with a raised eyebrow. "No wonder this is a good side hustle. I wonder if I can eat while I'm doing this." She then muttered to herself.

"Movement is...highly discouraged." Yusuke however advised her. Even clothed, Miyabi (well, her chest) jiggled as she breathed.

"Oh, okay." The female kunoichi replied with a nod. "So, can I take my clothes off now or...?" She then added.

"I'll try not to mind you stripping your clothes with me around." Yusuke reassured. "Apologies if I did something to make you uneasy." He then added.

Miyabi however shrugged her shoulders in response. "You haven't done anything yet. I'll slap you when you actually do. Actions speak louder than words." She responded and stated casually.

"And last longer." Yusuke added as he held his cheek. He still felt Miyabi's hand on it...and Homura's...and Yumi's...and every other girl he happened to ask...about a dozen or so, give or take.

"Good boy." Miyabi said with crossed arms under her large breasts. "So do I do it now?" She then asked.

"W-Wait, allow me to mentally prepare myself first!" Yusuke exclaimed, a hot red blush on his face.

"Well, if you're too embarrassed..." Miyabi mumbled before looking around. She immediately noticed the canvases scattered around the artist's room, some of them used while others were unused yet.

"Let me get a fresh canvas. Excuse me for a moment." Yusuke informed as he stood and left the room for a moment to get a canvas.

With nothing to do at the moment, Miyabi began to take off her green jacket before folding it neatly and setting it aside. She then unfastened her belt and placed it beside her jacket. Next, she pulled up her white t-shirt and removed it before setting it aside once again with her clothes, revealing her peach pink bra underneath along with her G-Cup chest.

In the meantime, Yusuke returned back to the room with a fresh medium-sized canvas in hand. He also noticed that the white-haired woman was now in her semi-nude form and began unbuttoning her jeans.

As the artist was preparing to set his easel for the canvas, Miyabi loosened her jeans after unbuttoning it before pulling them down and lifting her feet off of it, revealing her matching color panties. She then folded her jeans and set it aside as well along with her other clothes.

Now it's time for her underwear to go. Then she would be fully naked.

"An interesting color choice for someone such as yourself. It suits your hair well." Yusuke had to admit.

"It was a birthday present from Asuka." Miyabi simply revealed with a grateful smile, albeit a bit uneasy about the comment but didn't show it in her face before she then paused. "And did you seriously just compliment my underwear, Yusuke?" She then questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"I did." Yusuke replied with a nod. "...Was it inappropriate?" He soon asked as he faced her.

"Really sounds like it." Miyabi responded. "Girls would get the wrong idea." She then added.

"Sorry about that, Miyabi." Yusuke apologized. "I was only referring to the peach pink color of your bra and panties matching well with your white hair." He then simply explained casually.

"...Uh-huh." The white-haired woman responded once more with her hands on her hips. "That sounded strange and weird coming from a guy like your age, but...I mean, it is you who we're talking about, Yusuke Kitagawa." She soon admitted and pointed out.

"I'll...just pretend you're a...man." Yusuke decided.

"..." Miyabi's eye immediately twitched.

"...I'm so sorry." Yusuke soon apologized, now starting to regret that comment.

"If...it helps..." Miyabi got out through gritted teeth.

"Again, sorry." Yusuke cautiously apologized, hoping to still have all his teeth after the end of this session. "I know you don't want to get called by that, but..." He then began before shaking it off. No, this was not the time to be embarrassed. This...was for true art.

"I can't believe I'm about to show my naked body to a young guy." Miyabi stated to herself with a sigh along with closed eyes and a blush on her face.

"Here, Miyabi-san." Yusuke's voice got out.

Miyabi looked up and opened her eyes, noticing the artist handing over a clean, folded white towel.

"For your naked body while I prepare for the nude painting session." Yusuke explained.

"Um... thanks, Yusuke." Miyabi reluctantly said, somehow grateful for the towel.

"You're welcome." The artist replied with a nod. "I'll get some paint from the storage room as well. Be right back." He then informed, standing up and leaving the room for a moment without closing the door.

Miyabi then set down the towel that was given to her before thinking of something:

Once again, her bra and panties, and then full complete nudity.

With that in mind, Miyabi took a deep breath as she mustered up the courage to strip herself completely. After that, she reached her hands behind her back and unclipped her bra before removing it completely and setting it aside with her clothes, letting her now exposed large breasts droop freely. Last but not the least, she slid her thumbs on the sides of her panties and gently pulled them down before stripping it off as well and setting it aside once again.

She was now fully nude, and in a close friend's room nonetheless, which was...somehow weird. Well, at least she was somewhere private and away from prying dirty eyes.

"Mmm...ahh." Miyabi got out in relief as she stretched her arms out. She then decided to do some flexibility warm-ups to see if she still got it.

First, she did some side leg splits while doing side stretches on her upper body. Any civilian young male would've bleeded their noses at the sight.

A clear sign that she was a woman and not a hunk.

At that moment, Yusuke finally returned to the room with a bag filled with small paint cans of different colors on one hand, and by chance, he even saw the white-haired woman doing stretches in the nude with her back and ass facing him. "Huh...her range of flexibility is impressive. Should be great for more expressive poses." He then thought in his head as he observed his current nude model while setting the bag down near her painting position.

Miyabi then heard a presence and looked over her shoulder. "Oh you're back with your paint cans." She observed as she fixed her hair.

"Yes, thank you for waiting." Yusuke responded. "I'm surprised you are that flexible with your limbs and body, Miyabi-san." He then stated.

"Have to be." Miyabi responded with a shrug, still her back facing the artist. "Shinobi must be at the peak of what humans are capable of, and go beyond that, or you're as good as dead." She then explained.

"You sound offended." Yusuke noted.

"Because you shouldn't be asking questions like that. Never underestimate your opponent. A battle only happens when they think they've already won." Miyabi stated and advised.

"I was simply remarking on your flexibility." Yusuke however informed.

"And you're just stalling from seeing my nipples and crotch." Miyabi bluntly accused as she picked the towel before unfolding it completely.

"...Yes. I think I am, sorry." The artist admitted with closed eyes. "Please bear with me for now." He then told her, earning a sigh from the white-haired kunoichi.

"There. I've seen more than a few paintings about the female form, and why not add the allure of a little...myster...ry..." Miyabi soon got out as she wrapped the cloth around her nude form...only to see the painting that was underneath. "Y-Yusuke, is that Ann?" She soon asked.

"Yes, but it is unfinished and I do not like others seeing my art in progress." Yusuke replied with a nod. "And please do not tell Takamaki-san about it." He then requested.

"You really need other subjects." Miyabi deadpanned.

"I have a few of Asuka-san over there." Yusuke casually informed as he jerked his thumb over to a corner of the room. He decided not to include the ones in storage.

"Oh dear lord..." Miyabi groaned as she palmed her face.

"What is wrong with having a muse?" Yusuke however spoke. "When inspiration strikes, I can't help it. Don't you have moments of creativity that you need to express?" He then continued.

Miyabi paused as she thought about it. "I mean...I do, but it was shinobi-related. Especially training and how to kill my enemies." She replied with a shrug.

"Battle is an art in itself...I suppose it counts." Yusuke commented in agreement

"There is a beauty in the dance of death." Miyabi added. "But at least tell them you're doing this, Yusuke. I mean, this looks a little stalker-ish. Or serial killer-y." She then pointed out.

Yusuke blinked before looking over her various projects depicting Ann or Asuka. Or both. "Fair point." He then admitted.

"Good." Miyabi breathed out. "One less problem for my student to freak out over." She then muttered.

"Anyway, please make yourself comfortable." Yusuke got out as he grabbed a stool and set it in front of her.

Miyabi nodded before she sat down, only to yelp and stand up. "Ah, the seat is cold!" She complained.

"Hasn't been used for quite a while now." Yusuke apologized. In all actuality, he hadn't used that seat at all even before moving out of the shack. "My apologies, but I'm sure it will warm up soon." He then assured.

Miyabi just sighed before resting her hand on her chin, waiting for when the young artist was ready.

What felt like hours later, Yusuke was still preparing his stuff. Miyabi wasn't expecting this to be an in-and-out sort of deal, but this was taking so much longer than expected. It was obvious he was delaying, but she didn't think it would be by this much.

"Are we gonna do this today or what?" Miyabi suddenly asked in an annoyed manner.

"Give me a moment, please. Perfection requires patience." Yusuke requested and stated.

"Perfection doesn't make people wait this long." Miyabi bluntly countered.

"It's apparent you don't take art classes." The young artist remarked.

"Shinobi, remember?" Miyabi however reminded.

"I know, which is why I expected a little more patience from you." Yusuke stated. "Can you not last at least a few more minutes?" He then insisted as polite as possible.

"Fine! Fine..." Miyabi relented.

"Thank you." The artist said with a nod.

Silence soon returned to the room as the preparations continued to be made.

"Remember when you stared intently at my ass during that time at Futaba's pyramid and I smacked you hard?" Miyabi suddenly and bluntly reminded.

"How could I not?" Yusuke responded while rubbing the cheek that was struck at the time.

"Yeah. 'Admiring the peak of shinobi physicality', you say." Miyabi recalled with crossed arms under her large breasts.

"Right, sorry. That was out of the blue during that time, Miyabi-san. I still am sorry for that." Yusuke sighed as he placed a hand behind his head.

"Oh I can tell." Miyabi stated, running a hand through her short white hair. "And it's water under the bridge. Now stop making small talk and start painting." She then added And ordered.

Yusuke in turn nodded. "Do you want me to paint your face and hair as well?" He suddenly asked. "For privacy and identity reasons." He soon explained.

"My face and hair...hmm... " Miyabi repeated and hummed out while thinking about it. "You know what, covering my face with a small cloth should be enough." She soon decided.

"If you wish." Yusuke nodded to that.

"Okay, Yusuke." Miyabi soon breathed out. "I'll take off my towel now." She soon warned.

"Whenever you're ready." Yusuke responded, his pencil at the ready.

The white-haired woman took a deep breath as she gripped her towel covering her body firmly for a few seconds...before unfurling the top and spreading her towel wide open, finally revealing her nude body in front of the artist who just placed a brand new canvas on his easel.

"So this is a nude body of a female..." Yusuke commented to himself as he gazed upon the white haired woman's nude figure; her hair and face, her arms, her large breasts, her hourglass waist, her crotch, and her hips and legs. "It really portrays a lot of hidden messages, both positive and negative." He then passionately added...with a small tint of red on his face.

"Okay, try to get used to it from now on, pervert." Miyabi advised as she rolled her eyes. "At least you're not like those other guys." She then added.

"I'll try to be as modest as possible, Miyabi-san." Yusuke reassured her with a hand on his chest before getting to work. "I'll leave the posing to you so...how do you wish to pose for my painting?" He soon asked.

"A pose? Hmm..." Miyabi repeated with a raised eyebrow before thinking of something. "I just thought of something, and I would like to use my katana for the pose." She responded and requested.

"Your katana...huh, that would make a great painting." The artist then commented. "Very well, you may do so." He then replied upon the white-haired woman's request.

Miyabi nodded as she summoned her katana out of nowhere on one hand. "Thanks, and I wish to show my powers in the pose as well." She then informed.

"Your powers as well?" Yusuke repeated in a curious manner before thinking about and eventually nodding. "If that is what you wish for the painting. Just be careful with it." He then advised.

Nodding to that, Miyabi brought out her other free hand as some black flames enveloped it with ease.

"Still can't believe supernatural abilities like that actually exist outside the Metaverse." Yusuke soon admitted in awe. "I actually am a bit jealous." He then added.

"All it takes is the proper training." Miyabi responded as the artist continued sketching. "...Despite me being in a 3 year coma." She then reminded.

"Okay, now for your chosen pose." Yusuke then started, picking up his paintbrush.

"Right, let's see..." Miyabi got out with a nod before positioning herself for a pose in mind. "How about...this?" She then stated as she made the pose she desired: her posture standing proudly with her katana pointing down on one hand and her other hand raised on shoulder level, black flames flowing around said hand.

"Good, that would do great." Yusuke stated in an impressed tone. "Now, if you please, hold your pose as still as possible." He then advised as he began sketching and painting.

Miyabi narrowed her eyes as she studied the boy's movements as he painted. She hadn't really gotten a good look on how he fights in the Metaverse, but from what she was seeing right now, all the strokes and swishes he made were all practiced and accurate with not a single movement was wasted. He had the painting already in his head, just needed to make it reality.

A sword and a paintbrush...

"You know, battle being an art in itself..." Miyabi mumbled. "I think you're onto something here." She soon admitted.

"Hm?" Yusuke hummed out. He was half-paying attention, and half-focusing on his project.

"I mean, sure blood and paint are made of different things but the strokes of a paintbrush and a sword are rarely different." Miyabi explained.

Suddenly, Yusuke's eyes widened as he stopped and looked the woman in the eyes. "Have you been struck with inspiration?" He guessed.

"Yeah. I can see it in front of me right now." Miyabi nodded.

"Why don't you show it to me?" Yusuke suggested.

Miyabi smirked as she began gripping her katana proudly. "Gladly." She soon replied.

Yusuke's eyes widened as he watched and listened to Miyabi act out the attack, her practiced movements while in the nude almost mimicking his strokes on the canvas.

It was awe-inspiring!

"So, sounds good?" Miyabi soon asked.

"It sounds like a wonderful attack for the star." Yusuke praised with a smile.

"A Showtime?" Miyabi blinked in surprise before sitting in such a way that reminded the artist of the Thinker. "Huh, didn't think of it at first but...yeah, that might be something to have in our back pocket. Let's talk to our Leader about it as soon as we can."

BZZT! BZZT!

Suddenly, everything stopped as they heard their phones vibrate. "A Thieves chat?" Miyabi assumed.

"It would seem so. Here, Miyabi." Yusuke answered as he tossed the woman her phone, the white-haired Hebijo kunoichi swiftly catching it with ease.

[Shut7heFUp: Damn, what're we gonna do 'bout Okumura?]

[DarkEyeXI: It's a bad idea if we do, it's a bad idea if we don't.]

[FireGirl20: Well, our only lead about all the incidents is Okumura. I'm starting to think if the Conspiracy is targeting him, he might know something we might need.]

[Sweetkat06: And if he's actually connected to the shutdowns? What do we do with him?]

[Road2Queen: Proving any sort of guilt in court would be difficult...]

[TheWildJ0ker: Let the honest police and lawyers sort that out. We need to focus on stopping it before it gets worse.]

[SushiRoll23: Hai, I agree, Joker. Minimizing casualties should be our priority.]

[SushiRoll23: However, Haru should be involved in our conversations about her father. Do you mind if I invite her to the chat?]

[TheWildJ0ker: Not necessary right now. She just called for a meeting back in Leblanc.]

[FireGirl20: Already?]

[TheWildJ0ker: It sounded serious. None of you are busy tonight?]

[Negative8Degrees: No.]

[Shut7heFUp: Nope.]

[DarkEyeXI: Got nothing.]

[Road2Queen: I'll finish up studying and head over.]

[Sweetkat06: Need to dump my shopping at home.]

[All4Painting: About to finish my latest project. I'll be there.]

[FireGirl20: Just having a little day out with Sis. We'll be there soon.]

[SushiRoll23: We're at the batting cages, and Homu-neechan is killing it!]

[Alibaba9: I'm in Leblanc right now.]

[TheWildJ0ker: Okay, see you all tonight.]

"That probably was a good time to tell them about all those paintings of them." Miyabi pointed out as she set her phone down.

"I don't think so. I'll talk to them later in person about it." Yusuke responded shook his head to that.

"Don't put things off like that, Yusuke. Do it tonight, at least." Miyabi all but ordered.

"Sure." The young artist relented.

"And how much longer until you're done?" Miyabi then asked as she stretched her limbs.

"Just give me a moment..." Yusuke assured as he put on the finishing touches. "Done!" He then announced in a proud manner.

"Done?" Miyabi got out, surprised.

"Done." The young artist replied in a confident manner. "Behold, my latest masterpiece!" He dramatically declared as he spun the easel around to show the woman the efforts of his labor.

It depicted a white haired woman clad in nothing but cloth to conceal her face and modesty, with a samurai in an open kimono by her side on a grassland battlefield cutting through the darkness with twin mystical katanas in her hands.

"Hehehe...now that's what I call art." Miyabi got out with a smirk as she approached the artist, still in the nude, to take another good look at the painting. "What are you gonna call it?" She then asked.

"Hmm...Why not Paint Your Battlefield?" Yusuke answered.

"Sounds perfect." Miyabi responded as she patted the boy on the back. "Won't mention I can't think of anything better." She then thought.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Yusuke-san?" Yumi's muffled voice suddenly got out through the door. "Are you inside? Are you busy?" She then asked in a polite manner.

"Yes, and no. Just finished up a painting." Yusuke replied a bit loudly for her senior to hear. "Allow me to let you in." He then added with the same tone as he stood up from his seat to approach the door.

"Eh?" Miyabi got out in a dim manner just as the young artist opened the door.

"Yusuke-san, do you mind helping me? I know I never asked you this before but I need you...to..." Yumi began to ask as she entered the room before trailing off to see a familiar face.

"Hey, Yumi." The white haired woman casually greeted. "Hey, check out this awesome painting. Amazing, right!?" She then informed and asked with pride.

Yumi wasn't exactly focusing on the painting depicting a naked woman, but the naked woman standing right in front of her. She had many words to say, but unfortunately her brain wasn't allowing her to use them.

"What did you need my help for again, senpai?" Yusuke soon asked the bluescreening girl.

"...It seems I have forgotten." Yumi finally managed to get out in a monotonous tone. Please excuse me." She then added while bowing like a toy with a broken hinge.

"Ah, then we shall see you tonight." Yusuke responded, unaware of his senpai's strange movements.

"Yes. We shall." Yumi stiffly responded as she robotically left the room with the little sanity she had left.

Miyabi stared at the retreating form of the gray haired girl with a raised eyebrow. "What's her problem?" She asked the young artist.

"I do not know." Yusuke answered with a shrug. "Anyway, I wish to make another nude painting of you, this time with a different pose, theme and feeling, if you don't mind." He soon requested.

"Another one? Huh...do we still have the time?" Miyabi spoke and then asked with a hand on her hip.

"There's still a few hours before dusk, and I've gotten faster with creating art." Yusuke informed as he rubbed his wrist.

"Alright. Let's do this." Miyabi responded with a shrug as she prepared to be painted in the nude again.

(Hebijo Academy, Elites Room)

Tick...tock...tick...tock...tick...tock...tick...tock...

That was the only sound coming from the Elites Room as the shinobi lounged, not really doing anything for once.

"You know, things are much more peaceful without Imu and Ryōna around." Mirai commented, noticing the unusual calmness and peacefulness in the Elites Room.

"I know, now it's only the regular nutjobs around here." Ryōbi grumbled.

"Yeah." Mirai replied in agreement with a nod...only to do a double take on what the flat-chested brunette just said. "...Wait." She only got out as she stared at her.

Ryōbi in turn smirked. "You fell right into that one." She smugly remarked.

"Rrrrgh..." Mirai only growled in annoyance. "I hate you so much right now." She then mumbled as she looked away from the brunette.

Meanwhile Poochie was being her usual hyperactive self as she chased her own tail in excitement. "Arf! Arf! Arf!" She barked out.

"Hehe, watching Poochie chase her own tail is fun." Mirai giggled out in amusement.

"Gotta agree with you on that. Too cute." Ryōbi responded with a nod while wiggling her finger in front of the puppy. She was almost reminded of how she treated her, ugh, big-breasted pig sister for so long, to which she enjoyed it every single bit.

"Huh, for once, something we can both agree on." Mirai soon noted with her own smirk.

"Yeah, whatever." Ryōbi stated, rolling her eyes. "At least I'm not the only one with the flat chest around this school." She then added.

"Eh?" Mirai got out as she looked at her. "F-Flat...chest?" She then got out, instinctively placing her hands on her small chest.

"Yeah." The flat-chested brunette replied. "Big boobs are the worst. It should be the ass that is loved and worshiped by all." She then proudly declared.

"...But you got big boobs when you use your Shinobi Tenshin." Mirai reminded, though still a bit slightly annoyed about her own flat chest.

"That was...under certain circumstances. But enough of that." Ryōbi retorted back. "I know you want them to get big one day." She then told her as she pointed at the loli first year's chest.

"..." Mirai however just gave an expression that showed she didn't believe the brunette.

"...Fiiiine, I do want them too...someday..." Ryōbi soon sighed out and admitted with a pout, patting her flat chest with her hands. "Without the ones in my Tenshin form, duh." She then added.

"Of course you do." Mirai simply replied with a nod. "I mean, I don't mind about my small chest, but..." She then thought in her head.

"Right?" Ryōbi responded with a nod of approval. "If someones talks shit about my flat chest, I'm gonna fucking...rgggghhh." She then growled with gritted teeth.

"Exactly!" Mirai dramatically exclaimed in complete agreement, albeit a bit reluctant.

"But for right now, let's show everyone the Way of the Ass." Ryōbi proudly stated. "Down with big busts. Are you with me?" She then declared as she offered the first-year a hand to shake.

"Deal." Mirai responded with a nod as she then shook hands, a fiery aura surrounding the duo as the deal was made. "Wait...Way of the Ass?" She soon repeated.

"Yeah. I made the concept myself. Cool, right?" Ryōbi proudly declared with a grin. "You have a good looking ass, right, Mirai-san?" She then assumed.

The loli ravenette meanwhile blinked, unsure of how to respond to that. "Umm..." She only got out.

At that moment however, the greenette and the (usually) beansprout loving blonde entered the room. "Poochie." Hikage called out with a whistle.

That perked up the puppy before barking in joy as she immediately ran towards her favorite human companion, soon leaping into the greenette's bust and comfortably got in.

"Hey." Mirai greeted with a short wave.

Hikage and Yomi responded back with a wave as well.

"You two seem to be getting along well." Yomi noted in a curious manner.

"In some ways, yes." Ryōbi responded almost awkwardly and reluctantly with crossed arms in front of her flat chest.

"Yup." Mirai got in agreement while doing the same action.

"Uh-huh." Yomi deadpanned. "Anyway, back to serious matters, have you heard about what's been going on?" She then asked the rest.

"Going on with what? In Tokyo?" Mirai repeated and guessed.

"Everywhere." The bean sprout-loving blonde replied. "Suzune-sensei told me that there's increasing shinobi activity all around Japan."

"And let me guess, it's about the Phantom Thieves." Mirai assumed with hands on her hips this time.

"Not confirmed but they're a prime suspect." Hikage answered as she flexed her neck a bit. "A lot of strange things have been happening lately. It's all bound to burst eventually." She then added.

"And I have the feeling it's all going to be happening in Tokyo." Ryobi muttered. "That place must be cursed like shit." She then assumed.

"There's still a lot we need to worry about here." Hikage sighed out. "The most present issue being Murasaki's Root. It's been 4 days since the test, and yet the teachers have done nothing but pile more schoolwork." She then informed.

"She's been out of classes for two years, in a school that rarely gives mercy." Yomi reminded her. "The whole thing with Murasaki-chan is their only public display, and even then only for her power." She then added in concern.

"She needs it under control by next month." Mirai then said in slight concern in her tone. "Wait, is it on the 14th or the 1st then?" She then tried to ask herself.

"Likely the 1st. Hebijo stresses tight deadlines so that it breeds creativity and teaches us to hold nothing back." Hikage recited a certain lesson from their only ally outside of Crimson Squad in the school. "What better motive than desperation?" She sarcastically added.

"She needs better support from the teachers if they want her to control the Root." Yomi muttered with a frown.

"They need to make her a respectable shinobi too, worthy of being an Elite." Hikage added.

"Isn't she one already?" Mirai questioned with a raised eyebrow. "She packed a serious punch." She then pointed out.

"There's also intelligence gathering, stealth, and survival skills. Which they are drilling into her head right now, along with all the standard stuff. Math, history, social studies..." Ryōbi listed off.

"She can't do all of that in less than 12 days." Mirai whispered in disbelief.

"She either does, or die. No more second chances here." Hikage bluntly informed.

"Which only leaves one option." Yomi muttered with an upset frown.

"Yeah. Get the crematorium fired up." Ryōbi stated. "Because no way in hell she's gonna weasel her way out of this. And the only person who can actually help is a fucking bitch who can't piss without a catheter. You should just cut it and run, and go live in a cave somewhere." She then suggested.

"The cave has been discussed before." Yomi deadpanned. "But...we just can't do that..." She then mumbled.

"We cannot go full renegade." Hikage sternly reminded. "We'll just...it'll ruin everything we've worked for this year. And I cannot stand the thought of Poochie spending her days in such terrible conditions." She then added.

"And the internet access would be terrible." Mirai added with a sigh.

Ryōbi, meanwhile, looked at all the others strangely. "...You know that was being sarcastic, right? Renegades have lower life expectancy than mayflies." She soon stated. "You'd never get to be a true renegade, you would all die before you reach the perimeter because every student and teacher would be out for your blood, if only to take the Elite open spot and steal your stuff." She then assumed.

"R-Right." Yomi and Mirai nodded while Hikage narrowed her eyes.

"Yeah. Unless some god awful thing like a major Yōma attack or an enemy faction was there to distract the majority, you'd all die." Ryōbi added as she rolled her eyes.

Hikage blinked. "...I see." She then got out.

"...Would you join the school in trying to kill us if we hypothetically were to run?" Mirai had to ask.

"If the opportunity calls for it." The flat-chested girl responded with a shrug.

"What does that mean?" Yomi pressed as she eyed the girl suspiciously.

"It means you're screwed to shit." Ryōbi deadpanned before pulling out her phone. "I need to call Ryōna and see how she's doing." She then informed as she stood up to leave.

"Aw, miss your sister already?" Mirai guessed.

"Hell no. Just making sure that bitch didn't get herself killed...or found some sick fucko that makes her panties drip. Plenty of fucking freaks over in that hellhole of a city." Ryōbi dismissed as she left the room.

"...Is it possible to be a tsundere for your own sister?" Hikage questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't think you understand what a tsundere is." Mirai deadpanned.

Meanwhile, just outside the room, a certain glasses-wearing girl in a wheelchair was listening in. "Tsk...this is hopeless." Imu scoffed and mumbled in annoyance before wheeling herself away.

Back inside, Hikage had closed her eyes to think. "...Yes...that could work..." She muttered to herself before standing up from her seat.

"Where are you going?" Yomi asked.

"I'm gonna go check Haruka's old lab and see if she left something big and distracting to use." Hikage informed. Maybe one of her many insane experiments could finally help them for once. "Yomi, do you mind checking in on Murasaki?" She soon asked the beansprout lover.

"Hai." Yomi responded with a nod.

"Mirai? Think you can do some scouting tonight on patrols?" Hikage then ordered the gun-toting loli.

"Heh. Giving me something so easy is beneath me, but I'll see what I can do." Mirai scoffed in a playfully arrogant manner.

"Remember, we have assignments due for school soon." Yomi reminded the Squad.

"If we time this right, it'll be a cold day in hell before we turn it in." Hikage responded with a smirk.

(Murasaki's Room)

Murasaki let out a breath as she set down her pen and stretched her limbs. A two day weekend...well, it would've been like any other day back when she was a pathetic piece of garbage that would hiss at sunlight, but two days off now felt like a godsend. However, she had been saddled with a bunch of schoolwork to work on as she still had catching up to do.

"Hebijo Clandestine Girls' Academy, we pride ourselves...on torturing our students..." Murasaki grumbled to herself under her breath.

Suddenly, her door slid open as Yomi walked into the room. "You should lock your door, you know." The bean sprout-loving blonde reminded her.

"It's been locked for two years. I want to be out in the world now." Murasaki stated.

"And let people break-in and steal her PC while she's in class." Bebeby sarcastically added. The toy didn't even flinch as the purplette gave it a quick glare.

"How are you feeling Murasaki-chan?" Yomi asked in a concerned manner.

"Um...a bit better, but I'm...struggling with all the schoolwork." Murasaki answered with a sigh.

"History is a lot more interesting with naked men having a fist fight in a bathhouse." Bebeby admitted.

"N-Naked men? What?" Yomi gawked in confusion

"N-Nothing!" Murasaki immediately replied in a panic. "I-It's just a legendary historical battle I have to write up...and perform..." She then tried to explain.

"Hmm..." Yomi hummed out. "I could find you notes on this. Hikage-san and Haruka-san surely would've had theirs lying around." She then offered.

"No." Murasaki instantly turned down. "I won't take shortcuts. I can...I can do this on my own." She declared with a fire in her eyes.

"Are you sure?" Yomi questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"I've always needed others to...help me or worry about me. I can't do that anymore." Murasaki stated as she shook her head. "If I...I wanna help the Crimson Squad, I need to be just as strong...as everyone else." She then added as she clenched her fists.

"Okay, but if you need anything, just call for us." Yomi got out as she patted the purplette on the shoulder and left the room.

"You sure about that?" Bebeby questioned as soon as the beansprout lover was out of earshot. "You still have tons of other assignments you need to do. Remember, cheating is a shinobi's greatest strategy." The plushie the reminded.

"To be honest, it was tempting..." Murasaki admitted. "But if Onee-chan expects me to fail without her, I just have to prove her wrong." She then muttered.

"This is just you being too stubborn to quit." Bebeby deadpanned.

"And I never will." Murasaki stated proudly before deflating as she felt her bones crack from underuse. "Moouuu...maybe one training session won't be too bad..." She mumbled out.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Bebeby got out in a chiding manner. "You're still recovering. You remember what happened this morning when you tried to do the demon training course?" She then reminded.

Murasaki winced. Her legs gave out on her and she slammed her face on a wooden beam. Compounding the fact that Hebijo was already making her exercise past what her body could currently handle, it was still a wonder she hadn't broken anything. She knew the training would be harsh, but this was on a whole other level.

"And you still haven't even started on learning how to use the Root." Bebeby added.

Murasaki grit her teeth. "I...I will never..." She growled in disdain before letting out a calming breath. "I'll be out of here before I need to anyways." She then got out.

"But are you ready for that day?" Her bear plush questioned.

"..." Murasaki didn't say anything, only giving her plushie a determined look as she continued on finishing up her homework.

(9/18, Afternoon)

(Shibuya, Station Square)

Akira was currently flipping and doing tricks with a coin in his hands. He then moved the coin flawlessly in between his fingers like he knew what he was doing, all while holding a bag full of blades and guns on one hand from his recent trip to Untouchable.

The not cat couldn't help but be mesmerized by this. "Wow Akira, you really wanna show off, do you?" Morgana soon got out.

"Maybe I am, maybe I am not." Akira simply replied with a smirk.

However, before Morgana could respond...

"Onii-sama, this doesn't have to be this way." A female voice got out.

"Don't you dare call me Onii-sama again." A male voice then threatened. "Just pass down the Hien to me before things get worse around here." He then requested with an angry tone.

"Don't cause a scene Onii-sama..." The female voice however quietly whispered in a serious tone.

"Shut up! You took away the only thing that would make me the next heir of the family!" The male voice yelled, causing everyone nearby to look at the source of the voices. "So I'll ask you once again, stepsister. Give. Me back. My birthright! Give the Hien to me NOW!" He then demanded, almost in a hysterical way.

"O-Onii-sama!" The female voice cried.

"Hm? What the-" Akira got out as he glanced at the scene, noticing a familiar ravenette wearing a dark blue dress with a white jacket and black heels with black lace thigh high socks. "Ikaruga-san?" He thought before seeing a black-haired man arguing with her. He wore a dark blue vest underneath a long white coat, with both tops unzipped. He also wore white pants and black shoes.

"You're gonna intervene there, are you?" Morgana whispered with a deadpan look.

"You know me so well, Morgana." Akira responded with a smirk before turning serious.

"Ugh, just be careful, alright?" Morgana sighed and advised.

"I know. Go back in the bag first, just in case." Akira responded.

"Mmm-hmm." The not cat agreed as he did what he was told.

Akira then took a deep breath before walking towards the girl and the black-haired man...all while having the weapons-filled bag on one hand, which can be quite a risk. Hopefully, his Lionhearted level of Guts would benefit here.

"Don't make me resort to using my weapon against you." The man soon threatened.

"We're in a public place! Don't be so reckless!" Ikaruga whispered in a panicked manner to his planned action.

"Hey, hey!" Akira called out to them.

Both Ikaruga and the unknown man turned to see the black-haired Shujin student approaching them.

"Oi, I suggest that you leave now." Akira bluntly stated at the black-haired man.

"Akira-san?" Ikaruga got out, surprised to see the boy assisting her.

"Huh?! Who the hell are you?" The man questioned in an angered tone "This is none of your business, so leave us alone." He then demanded.

"You first." Akira countered. "She's obviously not comfortable with you being around." He then stated.

The man glared at the high schooler. "Grgh! You cocky little-" He grunted and growled out.

"That's enough, Onii-sama!" Ikaruga soon demanded. "Please, just...stop." She then muttered.

The man then looked at the female ravenette with gritted teeth before looking at the black-haired boy with a glare.

"This is not over, Ikaruga." The man then hissed at the ravenette. "You will give the Hien to me, and I'll finally bring back the family honor that I deserve. Until then, expect nothing from me, including any form of help." He then added in the same tone before pointing a finger at the male Shujin Academy student. "And you! I won't forget a face! So watch your back! And I'll break those stupid glasses of yours when I have to." He soon declared his warning before leaving the scene.

Ikaruga looked down in a defeated manner before looking at the man walking away with clenched fists.

"Not the first time someone threatened like that this week, jackass." Akira grumbled before turning to the ravenette. "Are you ok, Ikaruga-san?" He soon asked in a softer manner before Morgana popped out from his bag.

"Huh? Oh, yes, Akira-san. I'm fine." Ikaruga responded with a nod, adjusting her casual clothes.

"You sure? That guy seemed to really hate your existence back there." Akira questioned and pointed out in concern.

"Me and Onii-sama are...just not on good terms as of the moment." Ikaruga muttered her answer.

Well, that was fairly obvious, but there was something else that caught his attention. "...That was your brother?' Akira soon asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Stepbrother, to be exact." Ikaruga corrected. "He...didn't exactly approve of me being brought into the family nor me becoming the heiress to my father's company." She soon revealed.

"Okay, so he was jealous and spiteful." Akira deadpanned in his thoughts from that revelation. "Hmm, I see." He hummed out with a nod. "So why were you chosen over him?" He soon asked.

"Well, it's...um...it's complicated." Ikaruga hesitantly responded. "Just something about our company's reputation and other important things that needed to be done." She then explained.

"With how he acts, I can understand why you were chosen over him." Akira admitted.

"You do?" The ravenette got out in a curious manner.

"You're more mature, level-headed and only have outbursts when something truly frustrates you...most likely due to Katsuragi-san." Akira listed off and awkwardly guessed.

"You're not wrong there." Ikaruga agreed with a nod, not denying that particular fact. "Honestly, that girl needs a lesson in restraint badly." She then sighed out.

"Katsuragi-san is...a unique girl, but nevertheless, she's still your friend who cares about you among other things." Akira however reminded.

"True." Ikaruga confessed with a nod of agreement. "Although, I'm surprised that you can handle her actions like it doesn't affect you." She soon admitted. "I heard that most teenage boys tend to focus on those sorts of things and get too deep into it, which I highly dislike." She then stated.

"Eh, I've seen and been through worse. I can handle and get along with Katsuragi-san's personality very well." Akira played off as every shinobi he's ever met so far flashed through his mind, all with varying levels of bounciness.

"I'll trust your judgment, then." Ikaruga stated in agreement, albeit a bit surprised by the reasoning. "Hopefully you can teach her how to behave properly as well." She then added with a hand on her hip.

"I'll do my best." Akira got out with a determined tone.

Morgana suddenly popped out of the Leader's school bag before shaking his head.

"That man though...be careful, Akira. He's something not to be taken lightly." Morgana advised and reminded him.

"Oh, you brought your cat with you." Ikaruga got out with a smile as she began petting him in an affectionate manner. To her, she only heard meowing when the not cat tried to speak.

"Yeah, he's been with me all the time." Akira replied with a nod. "In fact, I can almost treat him as an actual partner." He then added.

Morgana in response looked at him. "Wha- Akira, you're making me blush right here. Wait, what do you mean almost?" He then mumbled while allowing the ravenette to still pet him as he unintentionally began purring.

"Sorry. Just wanted to point that out in front of her." Akira whispered to him with his mouth covered, subtly deceiving it with a small cough in front of the ravenette.

"Partner, huh..." Ikaruga repeated in a curious manner. "Which is why you allow him in your bag?" She then guessed before giggling in amusement. "It surprisingly suits him." She soon admitted.

"Yeah." Akira replied with a humble smile and a nod. "Like how you and Katsuragi-san are like partners." He then added.

Ikaruga pondered at what the black-haired teen just said. "Hmm...that's actually quite an interesting insight." She then muttered.

"Actually, your antics together make it seem like you're more like sisters if it makes sense." Akira soon corrected.

The ravenette looked at him with an interested expression. "You think so, Akira-san?" She asked in a curious manner.

"Well, you've been with her for a longer time than me, so maybe you should know better, right?" Akira pointed out. "You're basically being the mature sister while Katsuragi's the immature one." He then simplified.

To that, Ikaruga couldn't help but blush as she imagined it.

"In other words, your chemistry with one another is great and a very natural kind of way, if you know what I mean." Akira soon stated.

"I see..." Ikaruga responded in a fascinated tone.

GRRR!

Suddenly, the sounds of two stomachs were heard, causing the two to blush in sheepish embarrassment.

"...How about we go get some lunch?" Akira soon suggested. "I know a good diner if that's alright." He then offered.

"That sounds like a nice idea. Lead the way then, Akira-san." Ikaruga replied and requested.

Nodding to that, the Phantom Thieves Leader led the temporary Hanzō Academy Leader to Central Street.

(Central Street, Diner)

"So, what do you want?" Akira asked the ravenette as they sat across from one another in one of the booths. "Don't worry, I'll handle the bill." He then told her as he picked up the menu from the table.

Ikaruga meanwhile looked through the menu as she examined the meals available before hearing that. "Are you sure?" She soon asked, a bit surprised and concerned.

Akira simply nodded in response. "Yeah. Went through some part-time jobs here in Tokyo, so I can handle my money well." He replied and explained.

"I see." Ikaruga got out, fascinated by this information. "Well then." She then started as she continued looking through the menu.

A moment later, a random waiter in uniform approached their booth and started taking out a pen and a small notebook pad. "Hello, good afternoon. May I take your order?" The waiter asked in a formal tone.

"Yeah, I'll take a Nostalgic Steak, please." Akira soon requested. "Also a Frui-Tea, if you don't mind." He then added as he adjusted his glasses.

"Coming right up." The waiter replied before turning to the female. "And you, miss?" He soon asked.

This caught Ikaruga's attention as she placed her menu down. "Hmm. Would you have any green tea, by any chance?" The ravenette soon asked as she faced the waiter.

The waiter paused for a moment. "Oh, sorry miss. We don't serve actual tea here, if that's what you're referring to." She then got out and informed the ravenette after a moment.

"Oh, okay. Well, let's see here..." Ikaruga trailed off as she went back to reading the menu again. "How about I'll get...a Nostalgic Steak too if that is alright." She soon requested.

"Okay. Any drinks you want to come with that order?" The waiter then asked.

"Um..." Ikaruga suddenly trailed off before turning to the boy. "Akira-san, what drink did you order a while ago?" She then asked.

"Two Fruit-Teas for the two of us." Akira answered the waiter. "That's all". He then finished.

"Okay, I'll repeat your order again." The waiter then informed the two. "Two Nostalgic Steaks and two Fruit-Teas, is that it?" He then repeated the orders.

"Yes." Akira simply agreed.

"Alright, thank you for your order." The waiter got out before leaving the two alone.

Morgana popped out of the Leader's bag all of a sudden. "Hey, Akira. You could have ordered me some food as well too." He then complained in an audible manner.

Akira then petted the not cat's head. "Don't worry, I'll spare some for you, okay?" He then whispered.

"I hope so." Morgana told him before lowering his head down but not going completely inside his bag, trying to not stand out too much.

"You seem like you're having a hard time ordering a while there." Akira asked the ravenette as he adjusted his glasses.

"Sorry about that, it's just that...I'm interested in traditional Japanese cuisine like sushi, ramen, and such." Ikaruga confessed. "Green tea as well as kaiseki." She then added.

"You're a fan of Asuka's sushi?" Akira soon asked.

"I am indeed." The ravenette agreed. "She prepares it very well. I also even like the futomaki rolls she made, courtesy of her grandfather's guidance...despite other things. For me, their long length and thickness filled with so much to consume is very filling and satisfying. And savoring the flavors inside with your taste buds is pure bliss." She then elaborated with what seemed to be a genuine smile.

From the Leader's bag, Morgana froze from what he just heard from the ravenette.

The Leader's eye meanwhile twitched to hearing that. "Good god, her too..." Akira thought with a sweatdrop. "Should I...? No, I think I'll let Asuka be the one to eventually shatter her mind this time." He mentally decided.

Ikaruga soon sighed wistfully. "I really miss eating Asuka's sushi." She soon confessed.

To that, Akira smiled. "Well, if you're in Yongen-Jaya, you could stop by Leblanc and grab some." He suggested. "She's there some days as a part-timer to improve her cooking talents. She wouldn't mind making you a plate. Probably not for free though, ingredients cost money from the Boss after all." He then admitted.

"Hm, I might stop by if I have the chance." Ikaruga got out in an interested manner. "I want to see if she has improved in any way." She then admitted.

"Oh, she has. In many ways." Akira vaguely revealed.

"I've been meaning to ask you, Akira-san...what do you have in that large bag of yours?" Ikaruga asked, noticing the Leader's other bag.

Akira glanced at what bag she was referring to, all while trying not to make a suspicious reaction. It was the one bag filled with blades and guns from his recent shopping at Untouchable. "Oh, this? Just some workout clothes. I was with a friend at a public gym nearby." He smoothly lied.

"I didn't think you were the type to workout." Ikaruga remarked.

"Hey, you've seen me shirtless. You don't get guns like these without effort." Akira playfully bragged as he flexed his lean muscles, only to grimace and clutch his arm. "Ow, got a cramp." He then got out.

"Those...guns need more maintenance." Ikaruga giggled. "But it looks like your routine is working well." She then complimented.

"Thanks." Akira responded with a smile. At that moment, the waitress arrived.

"Here's your order." The waitress got out as she set down their food.

"Thank you." Ikaruga thanked the woman before reaching for her fork and knife. "Hai. Itadakimasu." She then prayed before digging in.

The Leader let out a happy smile as his taste buds absorbed the flavors of his food before continuing their conversation. "I have to ask, how did you end in that situation in the first place with your brother and all?" Akira questioned.

Ikarga sighed in frustration. "I needed him to do a favor for me, but all he wanted to do is argue. This could've been the perfect opportunity to make peace...but I guess it was never meant to be." She answered.

"Don't just accept that." Akira got out with a frown. "You gotta keep fighting. Even the most stubborn of walls break down eventually." He then encouraged.

"I don't know..." Ikaruga mumbled as she poked at her food. "I...took away his lifelong dream, and I'm barely even related to the family. I can understand why he can't stand my existence." She then explained.

Akira closed his eyes in thought. Her brother was not making it easy to solve this. "Well...that's his problem. There's always a new dream you can pursue. I've certainly had to abandon my own dreams recently. Come on, he has to have something else going on." He revealed before assuming.

"He's in charge of a multi-trillion yen financial conglomerate, in which my family has owned and run for generations." Ikaruga informed in a blunt manner.

Akira's eye twitched. "...Oh. A businessman? Like Okumura Foods?" He assumed in a stiff tone.

Ikaruga went silent for a second at the mention of her client company. "Y-You could say that." She then replied, trying her best to keep composure.

"Even through all of that, you still consider him as family, right?" Akira got out with a frown.

"Of course I do." Ikaruga replied without hesitation. "I at least owe him that much." She then added in a somber tone.

"While he spits in your face." Akira grumbled back before drinking his Frui-Tea cup. "Metaphorically, of course." He then added after setting the drink down.

Ikaruga sighed for what felt like the millionth time already. If he could in public without committing a felony or damaging his reputation or relationship with his family, he would in a heartbeat. "There has to be something I can do to reach out to him..." She muttered. "Without Hien being caught in the middle." She mentally added.

"Well, I'm sure you'll figure that out one day." The second-year Shujin student however reassured her. "Wish I can help you, though. But...of course, school and all." He then added.

"You do not need to worry about my family issues, Akira-san." The ravenette reassured him. "Actually, getting the chance to talk to someone about this is enough for me. It feels...good." She then admitted.

"Glad to hear it." Akira replied with a grateful smile.

"Do you mind if we can...continue to talk like this?" Ikaruga formally requested. "Having conversations like this is quite inspiring, to say the least." She added.

"If you think so, sure. We can talk like this again soon." Akira agreed. He did want to help any way he could, but pissing another CEO would be detrimental to his chances of not going to juvie.

"Thanks, Akira-san." Ikaruga got out in a grateful tone. "Come to think of it, talking to a young male of my age like this seems...unusual for me..." She then contemplated in her head.

Akira smiled at that. "Alright. We better finish our food before it gets too cold." He then pointed out.

"Hai." Ikaruga responded as the two dug in, with the acting leader of Hanzō unaware of the bond that formed between them right in front of the Phantom Thieves Leader's eyes.

RANK UP!

COINS RANK 2!

"Thank you for the meal." Ikaruga and Akira prayed aloud in the usual formal Japanese-like manner as they finally finished their meal.

"Mmm. I must admit, this is a very good meal." Ikaruga breathed out as she rubbed her stomach. "Haven't had these in a while." She then revealed.

"Glad that you enjoyed it." Akira got out. "Maybe we can have these again on another day if you want." He then suggested.

"That would be great. Though I would prefer a Japanese-styled course next time." Ikaruga responded before throwing her own request.

"We'll see, I suppose." Akira stated. "Anyway, if you don't mind, can we exchange phone numbers?" He then requested.

"Excuse me?" Ikaruga responded with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, you did say you want to have these meals again once in a while, so I thought it would be best to keep ourselves posted, in case you wanted to invite me again." Akira informed her.

"Yup, total manwhore." Morgana mumbled from the Leader's bag, though the Leader didn't hear that.

"Well, you do have a point, but...I'm not sure." Ikaruga admitted with a sigh. "I mean, I do have some other important matters to attend to, so I'm not sure if this has to be necessary. We just met again, after all, ever since that beach trip at...Shirahama, was it? Yes, Shirahama Beach." She then got out.

"Of course her shinobi duties would be a problem here." Akira thought as he looked at the ravenette. "Even so, it would be nice Ikaruga-san." He admitted. "I mean, it's not like it's gonna hurt or kill me, right?" He then added.

Ikaruga stared at the boy with disbelief on her face.

"Okay, why did I say that last part? If shinobis will try to track me using her phone, it would be a real problem. Of course it would be a problem for her as well, genius. Hmm...gotta ask Futaba for a firewall on both of our phones or something." Akira then deduced in his thoughts. Just then, his phone vibrated. "Excuse me." He got out in an apologetic tone before checking his phone.

[Alibaba9: Hey, Leader, if you're wondering about your phones getting traced by bad people, I already did the work for all of us here by personally making a custom firewall for our phones and laptops and computers that we use, if we have them. Like, I did it months ago.]

[Alibaba9: Actually, I just released Version 5.0 just this morning. Only God himself can hack past our defenses now! Mwhahahahahaha!]

And Futaba was listening in again. Great.

"Aw come on..." Akira mumbled under his breath before an idea struck him. "You know, since I have my phone out, wanna exchange numbers?" He then offered.

Ikaruga tensed. "E-Eh?"

"What? Never gotten a boy's phone number before?" Akira jokingly guessed before pausing. "Wait, that's probably true." He then realized in a guilty manner.

Meanwhile, the girl has been calculating the chances of Akira being killed just for having her phone number. Ikaruga knew the risks, being under Kiriya-sensei's orders. Even if she had a phone just to use to feed the enemy useless information in case she were to lose, she didn't want Akira to be involved with anything related to the world of shinobi.

However...

...

...Maybe at least her friend and leader, Asuka, would be there to secretly protect him.

"...Very well." Ikaruga decided as she took out her phone with a smile. "Let's exchange phone numbers." She then decided, hoping she wouldn't put a death warrant on Akira himself.

Sighing in relief to that, Akira nodded as they exchanged numbers and contact info.

["DescendantOfHien" has been added to your contacts]

"TheWildJ0ker? That's...quite an ID name, I must say." Ikaruga read out and confessed in a curious manner.

"Yeah, been hearing that quite a lot." Akira agreed as he scratched the back of his head before noticing her ID name as well. "Although, DescendantOfHien? Now who's having quite an ID name?" He then joked.

"Huh? Oh. H-Hai, I just...like the name, that's all. Has a nice ring to it." Ikaruga explained with an embarrassed blush on her face.

"I see, well, thank you for exchanging numbers with me." Akira got out as he pocketed his phone.

"It is not a problem, Akira-san." Ikaruga replied as she did the same. "Whew, I hope he doesn't know what that name actually means to me." She thought to herself in relief.

Not long after...

BZZT! BZZT!

The two heard vibrating. Ikaruga glanced down and took out a phone from her pocket before answering it. "Ikaruga-san here...What? Another one?...Oh, you've got to be kidding me, alright, I'll be on my way." She conversed on the phone before putting it away, ending the call. "Okumura-san..." She then mumbled in a dissatisfied tone.

Akira narrowed his eyes, knowing the gist of what the call might've been about even without hearing a lick of it. "Looks like approaching the HQ is gonna require some thinking." He then thought in his mind before speaking up. "What's the matter, Ikaruga-san?" He soon asked, feigning ignorance.

"It's...nothing." Ikaruga lied as she resisted letting out a long-suffering sigh. "I need to go." She got out in a regretful manner.

"What for? Do you need help?" Akira almost instantly offered his help.

"No, it's simply a personal matter. Nothing I can't handle. We shall meet again, Akira-san." Ikaruga assured. "He may as well hire us to guard her 24/7 if this keeps up..." She grumbled under her breath.

He then watched the ravenette leave the Diner through the glass doors without looking back before disappearing into the busy crowd of people outside. When he was now finally alone at the table, he took the chance to take his phone and texted the ravenette's leader.

[TheWildJ0ker: Hey, Asuka. I just wanted you to know, I hung out with Ikaruga-san just now.]

[SushiRoll23: Oh, you did? That's great, but why did you have to tell me about it?]

[TheWildJ0ker: About that, well...we talked a lot, and she did mention your futomaki rolls. Take a wild guess how she described those rolls of yours aloud to me...]

[SushiRoll23: Hm? Well, she would call them]

(...)

[SushiRoll23: O-Oh...]

[TheWildJ0ker: Yup. I could've told her about it, but...I think it would be better if you're the one to shatter her mind this time.]

[SushiRoll23: ...I'll do just that.]

[TheWildJ0ker: Still can't believe your own grandfather told you that, and then you spread that knowledge to your own friends.]

[SushiRoll23: Moh! The next time I see him, I'll shove those rolls of mine into his perverted mouth!]

[TheWildJ0ker: I'll leave that to you. Good luck, and see you at Leblanc later.]

[SushiRoll23: Hai, Leader!]

"You know, Ikaruga seemed mature and formal, but her cluelessness on certain things is something to worry about." Morgana pointed out as he gazed on the IM chat from the Leader's phone.

"To be fair, civilian interactions aren't exactly a thing for shinobis." Akira whispered to him just in case. "Consequently, they're really missing out on a lot of things in the outside world." He then admitted in a sympathetic tone.

Morgana simply sighed at that. "I'm starting to think they might lose their common sense one day with that kind of mindset."

"Well, let's hope that will never happen." Akira told him. "Still, really not happy that she's a threat to us and she doesn't know it." He then mumbled.

"There's no helping it." Morgana sighed, feeling as though he had said those words too many times already. "This whole situation is too delicate to solve in such a way that we fully come out on top. No matter what happens, someone's going to get hurt." He then stated.

"But at the very least we can minimize collateral damage." Akira added. "Ready to go home?" He then added.

"Yep." Morgana agreed. "Also, can we buy a tuna can along the way? For future days." He then requested.

Akira nodded at the not cat's request. After that chat, The Leader pocketed his phone before picking up his bags, leaving the diner and headed home for the meeting.

(Hebijo Base)

"Ryōna, you need to stop fucking around. This is for Ryōki, for her sake! We've been at this for years, we can't fail now. Not when she's so close. You have five more days until I go. We need to do this. I'll call you tomorrow."

Beeeeeep...

Ryōna let out a sigh as she put away her phone. It had been 2 days since she started her- excuse me, their personal mission to kill their sister's killer and avenge her death.

To actually be going through with this still felt unreal. And to be alone without her sister to whip or insult her...

She needed Ryōbi to keep her from just collapsing.

Three years.

Three long years.

Three years since their elder sister, Ryōki died, and since they decided they were going to avenge her. And now, after sacrificing everything, Miyabi was right in their grasp...only to slip away like the snake she was to Tokyo.

Unfortunately, Hebijo wouldn't disclose said girl's current address due to her transfer status and in fear that it could be given to the enemy, so she'll have to hunt her down herself.

She only had a limited amount of time here if the two of them wanted to get away scott-free. Ryōna either needed to kill Miyabi before she left, or set things up so that her twin sister could finish the job. She'd need her schedule, her favorite food, whatever she could get her hands on to plan the perfect assassination.

Easier said than done, though. A shinobi of Miyabi's caliber wouldn't leave a trace before, during, and after a mission. Her only lead as of a few hours ago was that a woman with white hair and honkers the size of Jupiter had been seen around Shibuya or Yongen-Jaya.

Searching those places first would be a good idea, but it wasn't as simple as picking a spot to start. Shibuya itself is a hotspot for civilian activity...as well as Evil Shinobi. Getting caught snooping around would complicate things, so for now, she didn't need that kind of attention.

Ryōna bit the inside of her cheek and tapped her heel on the ground. They had no real contingency if they were found out other than running back to Gessen. In all likelihood, they would be labeled as renegades if they were able to pull it off, and that was definitely not the life Ryōki wanted for them.

"What would you want us to really do, Ryōki-oneechan?" Ryōna whispered to herself as she closed her eyes.

Silence was her only answer.

"Dammit." The masochist cursed as she shook her head. "Okay, okay. Think, Ryōna-chan, think. What can I do?" She then mumbled to herself.

She could either stake out Shibuya, or search Yongen-Jaya. Miyabi would be easy enough to spot in either place. The issue was not getting caught. As a first year, her stealth skills weren't as refined as someone older than her, even with her body compromised by inactivity.

God this would be so much easier if Miyabi had become nothing more than a...

A...

"A civilian." Ryōna got out as her eyes widened. "Like the one Crimson Squad mentioned before..." She soon recalled.

What was his name again...?

"Kira...Amamiya? No, Akira...Kurusu..." Ryōna soon recalled. "...Am I willing to involve a completely innocent party just to get to her?" She soon asked herself.

"This is for Ryōki, for her sake!"

Ryōna closed her eyes as her sister's words echoed in her head. "Right. For Ryōki-oneechan." She muttered as she placed a hand over her heart.

Now there were a whole host of other problems to take care of. Namely, Crimson Squad and their reactions.

Honestly, she and her sister didn't care if the Crimson Squad decided to defect, more power to them. School was shit anyways with all the constant death and animal abuse and mechanical bulls. It had nothing on Gessen, they actually had (extraordinarily high) standards.

But it still made them an enemy, an obstacle in their way despite getting permission from Yumi at the time to transfer. Say what you will, but they would die for each other, and if one of them was in danger or dead, the pain they would inflict on her would be rather unpleasant. So, she had to somehow convince this Akira guy to lead her to Miyabi without arousing suspicion.

Wow, that actually sounded way too easy now that she thought about it.

Unlike everyone else, Ryōna owned her body, and she knew she was damn sexy and willing to flaunt it. As long as she acted normal (enough), she could seduce Akira into doing anything she wanted. Sure, she might have to tone down her true nature for a bit, but it would be worth it. She just needed to find him first; a much more manageable task than tracking down a shinobi. A normal civilian boy like him wouldn't resist a girl's charm and sexual appeal.

After all, he was on TV and all over online after those Phantom Thieves incidents with that gym teacher and artist. It shouldn't take more than a few hours.

Ryōna let out a cat-like smile. The plan was set: Akira Kurusu was going to help her kill Miyabi. Now she just needed to tell Ryōbi before going out to find the bastard.

But enough work. Time for some doggie bitch play with the people around Tokyo.

She was being way too serious just now and it was the best way for her to get free stuff after all and she enjoyed doing it!

"Kuuuuu! This is gonna be exciting!" The blonde masochist soon declared with a giddy look on her face and a starry look in her eyes.

(9/18, Evening)

(Yongen-Jaya, Leblanc Attic)

When Akira returned to Leblanc, he had been in a rather good mood despite knowing that the meeting was going to be a serious affair, and as his friends trickled into the attic, his mood brightened even more as they made small talk about what they did all day.

However, that mood was instantly ruined once Haru finally arrived. And she did not look like she had when she left the cafe this morning.

"Haru-chan?" Asuka got out in concern as the heiress sat down on the nearest chair.

"Hello, everyone..." Haru greeted in an emotionally drained manner. "Um...about my fiancé..." She began, before trailing off.

"What about him?" Homura scoffed as she rolled her eyes. "Did he finally castrate himself?" She then asked.

"Homura." Makoto told her off.

"I wish he'd just end his life right now." Haru growled through gritted teeth.

That instantly struck the Thieves silent. "...Whoa." Ryuji could only say.

Morgana looked at the fluffy haired girl in a dead serious manner. This was not something someone like her should say so easily. "What happened, Haru?" He questioned.

Haru swallowed. "To make a long story short...In 22 days, I will be dropped out of Shujin and sent to move with Sugimura. To learn how to be his wife." She answered, shivering a little at the thought.

"What?" Yusuke whispered with widened eyes.

"And who decided that?" Morgana pressed.

"My father." Haru replied, a hint of pity coming out from mentioning him. "Sugimura wanted an apology for what happened last night, and...to punish me for associating with vulgar people." She then explained.

"Us?" Makoto assumed with clenched fists.

"That's horrible..." Ann got out in disbelief.

"Really? That kick-in-the-dick!? He still squealed!?" Homura growled. "He's...He'll..." She then began to hyperventilate as her anger boiled within her stomach, imagining every single thing she knew the bastard would do to the fluffy haired girl.

"Homu-neechan, calm down!" Asuka got out in a worried tone, even though she was just as angry.

"He's just...He's just selling you off like a goddamn slave!" Homura shouted in anger. "We...We can't let this happen, can we!?" She then argued as she turned to the others.

"...We could just kill Sugimura." Miyabi casually pointed out. "Kidnap him, make him disappear...mentally break and traumatize him into being a good little boy. We have options here." She then suggested.

"No, my father or even his father would only hire some Good Shinobi to try and find him if that happened." Haru however stated as she shook her head.

"And that's a whole host of other problems." Makoto muttered.

"Besides, even if it goes to plan, he'll just be replaced by another bastard equally as scummy as him sooner or later." Morgana however stated. "We need to strike at the heart of the problem: Haru's father." He then determined.

"...But we'll just be playing into the Conspiracy's hand." Makoto reminded. "They want us to steal his heart for whatever reason. We can't just do that." She then stressed.

"Do we have a choice though?" Miyabi spoke up. "If we don't do it, Black Mask will. They have been following you guys since the scam artist, right?" She then pointed out.

"From what we can tell, they didn't get into Futaba-chan's Palace." Asuka muttered.

"Or they just made sure they hid their presence better than before. It's not illogical to think that our enemy grows stronger just as we do." Yusuke added with a frown. "We're working with a lot of unknowns here, and there's just too many factors we need to consider before we launch this heist." He then mumbled.

"Well, it doesn't matter what we think. It's up to Haru." Akira got out as he turned to the girl in question. "Do you wanna think about it for a while or...?" He then offered, however...

"I've already made my decision long ago." Haru however stated as she shook her head. "Posting his name on the Phan-site wasn't a decision I made on a whim after all." She then reminded.

"Still wondering why it never came up." Makoto muttered with a frown. "Sure, we get tons of requests every day, most of them not worth the hassle or too stupid, but it would've at least gotten Mishima's attention..." She then assumed.

"It doesn't matter. We're dealing with this now. We can't let this pass." Ryuji responded as he shook his head.

"Haru-san, if we trigger a change of heart in your father, he'll definitely be taken by the police." Yumi got out in a serious manner. "The label of a criminal's daughter will forever stick with you. You might lose your fortune, the company, your reputation, maybe even your home. Are you sure you are ready to sacrifice everything?" She then asked in a serious manner.

"If I accept happiness based on the misfortune of others, I'll be no better than my father." Haru answered in a determined manner. "And if push comes to shove...I think I have a few ideas." She then admitted as her eyes glanced over to the Leader.

"If you say so." Akira responded before holding out his head. "Haru, welcome to the Phantom Thieves." He then got out in a solemn manner.

"Thank you. I won't let you down." Haru replied as she took the Leader's hand and shook it.

"Based on what Haru just told us, she'll be taken to his house on October 11th...That means our deadline is the 10th." Morgana deducted.

"That's plenty of time. Especially given how we operate." Homura remarked.

"Yeah, but getting through the entire Palace in one day at the expense of our bodies and sanity." Ann grumbled under her breath. "Really hoping there are escalators in there..." She then mentally pleaded.

"From here on, we may be going up against the culprit behind those mental shutdown occurrences. This'll be different from our training in Mementos. You better brace yourselves." Morgana then warned the Thieves.

"Hai." Haru responded with a nod.

"Hey, there's still a serious problem though. Haru's Persona is still nowhere as strong as we need it to be." Miyabi however reminded the group. "It's basically nothing. She'll die in there if we look away from her for more than a second. We can't risk that." She then added.

Haru sighed at that. "I'm sorry, but I promise I will not be a burden." She soon promised.

"Nah, don't worry about it." Ryuji waved off. "We'll figure it out somehow like we always do. Besides, shit's startin' to get real hairy online. Check out this news blog." He then informed as he pulled out his phone and showed the screen to the others.

"There's a lot of negative comments in regard to the Phantom Thieves." Makoto noted as she leaned closer to the phone. "The names of obvious criminals have come up, so why haven't the Phantom Thieves acted yet!?" She then read out.

"We aren't gods, there's only so much we can do..." Yumi muttered with a frown.

"Not to mention the assholes after Okumura making us hesitate on the matter to begin with..." Morgana reminded.

"The way they're getting heated is on a different level." Futaba remarked.

"We can't let people lose hope in us, even though all our lives are on the line." Asuka stated with a hint of determination. "So we need to start getting to work soon." She then declared.

"Then how about tomorrow?" Makoto suggested. "It's Respect for the Aged Day, and we have the day off." She then pointed out.

"Perfect. That means we have a full day to explore the Palace and establish the infiltration route." Akira agreed with a nod. "We all better wake up early. Meetup back here at...seven in the morning? Does that sound good?" He then suggested.

"Yep." Homura responded as everyone else nodded.

"Perfect." Akira nodded back.

"Gonna be a pain in the ass, but there's no helpin' it." Ryuji mumbled. "We gotta do this Haru. We ain't letting some asshole treat her like that any longer!" He then added.

"And hey, who knows?" Akira began with a smirk. "We might get a little petty revenge along the way." He then assumed.

"And who doesn't like a little vengeance?" Haru giggled in a pleasant manner.

"Yep. You're a natural fit in this room full of crazy." Miyabi deadpanned. "It's a wonder we all haven't met you until recently." She then muttered.

"Kidnappings." Haru causally reminded.

"Right. Fair point." The white haired woman got out with a sigh.

"Haru, do you wanna sleep here again or go somewhere else for the night?" The Leader soon offered.

"I'm afraid that's not an option anymore, Akira-san." Haru responded as she shook her head. "But I promise, this will be the last freedom I lose." She then declared with a fire in her eyes.

"Alright. Anyone wishes to discuss something else?" The Leader agreed and then reminded, earning some of them shaking their heads and others went in silence as responses. "If there is none, then okay. Thieves meeting dismissed. Prepare for Palace infiltration." He then continued as he clapped his hands together.

(9/19, Morning)

(Okumura's Space Station of Greed, Side Entrance)

CLAP!

Joker smirked as the door slid open, allowing the Thieves to walk into the space station.

"UCHU KITA!" Oracle cheered once more while pumping her fists into the air.

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

"It's better if you don't ask." Widow advised while looking up at the emptiness of space.

"...Aw, I just realized I could've said Balse back in the bank..." Joker moaned in despair as it finally hit him.

The white haired woman simply gave the Leader a flat stare. "Why do I align with you people again?" Serpent wondered out loud.

"Phantom Antics. Period." Oracle casually replied while holding the white haired woman's hand, who blushed in response. "And we know you love it Big Sis." She then added.

Serpent really had to resist wanting to cuddle the orangette now.

"Guys, be serious. Beauty Thief's life is in danger right now, and we can't waste time making crappy references to stuff I don't get." Yang got out with a frown. "Besides, there is a non-zero chance there's gonna be some real goofy shit in here." She then assumed, remembering all the other gimmicks they had to deal with.

"Right. Just getting it out of my system." Joker breathed out.

"So Joker, another one day run through the Palace?" Yin asked, a grin underneath her mask.

"You know it. Let's do this." Joker replied with a smirk as he adjusted his red gloves.

"Oh boy." Panther groaned. "I hope you like TaP Soda and placenta, Haru." She then informed in concern.

"I quite enjoy the taste of pig placenta." Beauty Thief admitted.

"Cool." Skull off-handedly responded. "...Wait, what?" He soon asked.

Ignoring her fellow Shujin third year's unique tastes, the advisor focused on getting back to where they were forced to escape. "We didn't have any problems last time until that authentication device. Let's head there first." Queen suggested.

"Right." Joker responded with a nod before turning to the newbie. "Beauty Thief?" He then got out in a questioning manner.

"Don't worry. I'll jump in like in Mementos whenever you need my axe and grenades." Beauty Thief soon offered as they proceeded further into the Palace.

(Facility Passageway)

As soon as the Phantom Thieves descended down to their destination, the navigator instantly alerted the others.

"Damn, they have Shadows guarding the place now." Oracle informed. "Looks like Okumura seriously beefed up security the last time we were here. Be careful guys." She soon advised and instructed.

"Alright. Stick to the shadows." Yin responded with a nod as the Thieves moved cautiously forward towards their objective.

"Hold up, I think I see something wandering around." Panther warned as the Thieves stacked up on her position to observe the Shadow's patrol route. However, to a few of the Thieves, the guards looked rather...strange.

"...Is that an old-fashioned dildo or something?" Serpent whispered in disbelief, only to get a smack in the arm by the light gray haired girl.

"Hey, they're supposed to be the most feared aliens in all of science fiction!" Oracle quietly, yet passionately informed the ignorant masses. "...But yeah, they look like dildos." She then bluntly admitted in agreement, causing them to sweatdrop.

"That is some serious breach of copyright..." Joker muttered. "Wouldn't take Okumura as a fan of Doctor What." He then added.

"Doctor Who?" Skull got out in confusion.

"Doctor Shut-Up-And-Let's-Kill-This-Shadow." Serpent grumbled before leaping out of cover. "Hey, fucktoy!" She soon called out in a taunting manner.

[Approaching source of disturbance.] The guard announced, only for the white haired woman to jam her katana in its neck equivalent.

"Terminate this." Serpent whispered before decapitating the robot, unleashing the Shadow within.

"You need to work on your quips, Serpent." Skull remarked as the Thieves jumped into battle, weapons at the ready.

"Bite me." Serpent grumbled as she flicked the black blood off her blade.

"Gladly!" Joker responded, earning a stunned look from the woman. "See, now that's a quip. What are we facing, guys?" He then got out, turning serious in an instant.

"Aw, it's this piece of garbage!" Yang growled as she glared at the Shadow.

"An Awakened God. Repels anything physical and inflicts Despair." Mona quickly informed. "This thing is a pain to fight..." He then grumbled.

The Vice Leader nodded to that. "Queen!" Yin called out.

"Got it!" Queen responded with a nod as she analyzed the Shadow. "Heh. Nuke weakness. Let's go, Johanna!" She then shouted out as she jumped onto her Persona.

BOOOM!

"I missed!?" The advisor gasped.

Before anyone could make up for the fumble, the Shadow casted a shield around itself. "Makarakarn." It called out.

"Crap, don't throw any magic at it. It'll just hit you back!" Oracle informed.

"No wonder you hated this thing." Joker remarked. "Well, let's get technical! Tentarafoo!" He then called out as he tore off his mask, summoning Raja Naga to his side.

CONFUSE!

"Alright, it's confused!" Mona cheered with a grin.

"But we can't attack it in any way without hurting ourselves!" Yin reminded.

"...Maybe we can..." Skull suddenly realized. "Oh, please don't screw me over." He then prayed as he tore off his mask to summon Seiten Taisei to his side.

"Skull, what are you-" Mona began, however…

"Zionga!" Skull called out he casted lightning upon the Shadow.

ZAP!

The Awakened God's Makarakarn shield took the attack and shot it right

However, Skull didn't even flinch when his own lightning bolt hit him. "Holy effin' shit! That worked!" He declared in amazement with a smirk.

"What was that!?" Fox had to ask.

"An opening! Attack!" Skull called out.

"Makarakarn is down! Give it all you got, Joker!" Oracle revealed and instructed.

"Right. He's immune to Electricity now." Joker recalled before closing his eyes. "Damn, forgot to fuse a Persona with Psychokinesis. Beauty Thief!" He soon called out.

"Eh?" the fluffy haired girl got out as she jumped in.

"I know you do this. Use Psi!" The Leader order, stunning the girl.

"Erm…okay…" The Beauty Thief was understandably hesitant, but still tore off her mask. "Hahhhh! PERSONA!" She then shouted out.

wep

THUD!

"Eh!?" Beauty Thief exclaimed as she watched the Awakened God fall over.

"Hey, one Psy damage is still damage! Way to go!" Oracle cheered. The fluffy haired girl was still a little stunned her attack actually worked. Did something change…?

However, the shout of the Leader snapped her out of her thoughts. "Now go all-out! Leave nothing!" Joker ordered as the Thieves rushed the Shadow.

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! WHAM! CRACK! SLASH! SLAP! WHAM! SLASH! CHOP!

"Ha ha! Eat effin' shit, asshole!" the dyed blonde cheered as the Shadow faded into nothing.

"Wow, that was some smart thinking, Skull!" Mona praised. "Better than your usual harebrained schemes!" He then remarked.

"Hey, I got some good ideas sometimes." Skull grinned proudly.

"Then why can't you apply that to your actual studies..." Yang sighed out. "It's really upsetting to see you so low on the exams, you know." She then added.

"Come on, it ain't that important." Skull waved off as he turned to keep going, only to see Widow, Queen and Yang standing right there. All in the same pose and expression on their faces that screamed study or die. "B-But I promise I'll study real hard for the next exam. Promise!" he quickly promised.

"Good boy." The Authority Trio got out.

"Okay, let's just use a stealthy approach for a while, or tear their heads off. We cannot risk fighting such a Shadow." Widow advised.

"Yeah, let's save our energy for the real threats." Panther agreed, with the rest of the Thieves nodding.

"Okay. Stealth it is." Joker responded before activating Third Eye.

Yang nodded in agreement as she also activated her Third Eye as well as they made their way back to where they had met up with the advance team.

"We're back where we ended..." Panther muttered as she looked around. It was still pretty hard to wrap her head around going through such a place.

"You know..." Skull spoke up as he stared at the hologram in the middle of the room. "I was wonderin' this last time, but what is this thing? A frisbee?" He guessed as he rubbed his chin.

"Looks like a hamburger bun to me." Oracle admitted. "I mean, we're dealing with Big Bang Burger here." She then pointed out.

"I'm sure it'll become clearer as we proceed. Come on, let's go." Queen got out before they proceeded like so, heading over to the door.

"Here's the door." Joker muttered before turning to the fluffy haired girl. "Shall you do the honors, Beauty Thief?" He then requested as he bowed to the girl.

"With pleasure." The heiress responded with a nod before stepping in front of the door.

"Please no army of guards...We just got here." Yin whispered as she crossed her fingers.

Automatically, above the mechanical door protruded a laser-like light, acting like it was scanning something. And of course, the heiress was the target of the scanning.

[Access granted.]

With that, the Thieves let out a sigh of relief as the door opened, revealing nothing on the other side but the hallway to the next room.

"Despite the circumstances, it's nice to have someone to open every lock we come across instead of needing to leave the Metaverse." Panther had to admit.

"The ultimate keycard." Serpent muttered.

"Okay, I really have to ask." Skull however spoke up. "You're super dramatic while you're in here. Are you living out a fantasy or something? And where did Beauty Thief come from in the first place?" He then asked away.

"Oh, erm..." The Beauty Thief hummed and hawed. "I'm...I was trying to become a heroine of justice..." She soon admitted.

"Uh...Is that supposed to be a joke?" Skull asked again out of nowhere.

"Goddammit Skull, you moron!" Yang whacked the dyed blonde on the head.

"Ever since I was young, people around me have never seen me for who I really am." The Beauty Thief revealed. "They would be kind to me just to please my father, and would get money and presents in exchange. Adults, teachers, even friends...It seemed like everyone smiled at me for their own personal gain." She then mumbled out in a sad tone.

"So that's how you flew under the radar for so long..." Yang muttered. "And why you aren't hoarded by playboys, perverts, and money leeches almost every single second of your waking life at school." She then grumbled under her breath.

"But the female superheroes I used to see on TV were great!" The fluffy haired girl continued in a much happier tone. "They always fought for others, not themselves...and they were always happy. I wanted to be just like that! Even though I knew it was a fantasy...I still looked up to them." She then added.

"I also wish to be someone to dispense justice unto evildoers." Widow admitted. "And cuteness is justice." She then added, causing the heiress to look at her oddly.

"Everyone goes wild over heroes at some point. It's fine havin' someone like that on our side, right, Joker?" Skull then admitted before turning to the Leader.

"Of course." Joker agreed with a nod. "Everyone loves superheroes. But lately, I think people also cheer for the anti-heroes as well." He then stated.

"What are you all doing here!?" An all-too-familiar voice suddenly lying demanded from behind the Thieves, causing most of them to jump in surprise but the Beauty Thief to flinch.

"Huh?" Beauty Thief got out before her eyes widened in shock. "Huh!?" She soon exclaimed.

At that moment, the Palace Ruler made his appearance wearing a mostly black, form-fitting spacesuit with the same colors as his undershirt, and had turquoise skin.

"What the actual..." Serpent began as she stared at the man. "What the hell is he wearing!?" She then got out in an incredulous manner.

"A spacesuit." Joker answered. "But his skin..." He then muttered as he narrowed his eyes.

"Seriously? First Kaneshiro having purple skin and now him with blue skin? What the heck?" Yang got out. "Urgh, he better not turn into some sort of abomination of nature." She then grumbled.

"This is insane on so many levels!" Panther exclaimed.

"Father..." Beauty Thief whispered. Anger, fear, sadness...she didn't know which feeling she had from seeing him here was worse.

"I thought I told you not to associate with vulgar people!" Shadow Okumura reminded in a demanding tone.

"I couldn't agree more." A very familiar, arrogant voice spoke up as he walked into the scene.

"What the-" Yin got out in shock.

"You bastard...!" Skull growled as he glared as the white suited man. He nearly went and attacked the jerk for snitching on them, but held himself back. This was not the time for violence...yet.

"S-Sugimura...!?" The Beauty Thief gasped in a panic. "Did he come into the Palace too!?" She assumed.

"No! He might look the same, but that isn't the real person." Mona corrected as he shook his head. Still, he could feel his ribs ache just at the sight of him.

"He's a cognition, Beauty Thief. Nothing more than a doll." Yang clarified. "Unfortunately." She then grumbled under her breath. She really wanted to finish what her sister had started that night.

However, it was their femme fatale that noticed something. "Wait, why isn't Sugimura a robot like everyone else here?" Panther questioned with narrowed eyes.

"What are you mumbling about?" Shadow Kunikazu demanded from the Thieves, particularly focusing on his daughter.

"Do you recall what I said before? That I would do my best for you? This is my answer to that!" The Beauty Thief declared in a defiant manner.

"Are those...the rumored Phantom Thieves?" The Palace Ruler deducted, causing the Thieves to tense. "...I see!" He suddenly got out in realization.

"What are you thinking, Okumura?" Joker muttered as he narrowed his eyes.

"You're handing them over to me as a plea for forgiveness!" Shadow Kunikazuassumed in a proud manner. "Overcome failure at any cost, even if it means betraying others...You truly embody the Okumura motto! Very well, join me!" He proudly recited and soon ordered.

The Thieves blinked. "...I think that space suit needs fixing because there's obviously not enough oxygen in your brain right now." Yang deadpanned. That would explain the blue skin...

"That is really a shitty motto, jackass!" Skull called out before shuffling over to the girl. "Erm, sorry for callin' you dad a jackass. Is that motto real?" He then whispered.

"No...No, it never was." The Beauty Thief shook her head in denial as she stepped forward towards her father and fiancé. "Why do you only ever think about gains and losses!? That's why the company has a bad reputation...all because you treat people like they're tools!" She then called out.

"To gain, you must give...one must be resolved to give even more if they wish to stand above others." Shadow Okumura soon recited. "We are on vastly different levels...and soon, I will rise to a new stage: The political world!" He then declared and revealed.

"Oh great. You're gonna be a politician." Joker grumbled under his breath. "You definitely got my vote." He sarcastically stated.

"The cold reality of kicking people down is a part of business! Virtue and sentiment are for the unworthy." Shadow Okumura then chuckled. "Okumura Foods shall be the foundation of my victory!" He soon declared.

"So all those workers...all those people you worked to the bone...your own goddamn company were just stepping stones." Yin summarized as she glared at the Shadow. "Even...even my friends from Hanzō Academy..." She then growled out while balling her hands into fists.

"Hanzō?" The Palace Ruler repeated before smirking with a scoff. "...Ah, that shinobi school? Hmph! Nothing more than cheap labor." He then recalled and stated.

"Cheap labor!?" Yin repeated in growing anger.

"How dare you!" Yang roared.

The heiress, however, managed to restrain the rush of anger and continued. "How could you say that? Ika-chan has been my friend since I was a little girl! She's not just cheap labor!" Beauty Thief exclaimed. "...Did I only become friends with her and Kumo-chan because you wanted it?" She then demanded her father to answer truthfully.

"It was wise to create such a connection to the shinobi world all those years ago. Especially after establishing such a positive relationship with the Elites, if they can even be called that." Shadow Okumuta declared and stated.

"Eh?" Widow got out in confusion.

It was right then something clicked. "...You let me be kidnapped on purpose all this time?" Haru breathed out in realization with widened eyes.

"You were never in danger to begin with." Shadow Okumura waved off without any concern."How easy it is to fund both Good and Evil Shinobis all in my hands." He then revealed.

Haru's body began to shake as she tried to fathom the lengths her father would go just to gain allies. "H-How could you!? If she was still with us, Mother would never have-!" Haru soon began.

"But she's not here anymore, is she?" Shadow Okumura interrupted. "I wish she was at my side for the rest of our lives. You and her, the well-known Okumura family and their accomplishments." He soon confessed.

"Mother would never do that to our family, our company..." Haru got out in sadness.

"You're...you're..." Yin tried to say something, anything to express how insane this man was but she just...couldn't.

"Mr. Okumura, we don't need a girl who's been soiled by dastardly thieves like those with my precious Haru." Cognitive Sugimura suddenly stated with a smirk. "Unless you make some compromises, I can't introduce her to my father." He then boldly added.

"She needn't be your lawful wife anymore..." Shadow Kunikazu informed him. "Take him as your lover or whatever it is you desire." He then responded to him, earning an eager look from the cognition.

"Very well. I accept." Cognitive Sugimura responded with a grin, eyeing the auburn haired girl possessively like he usually does towards her.

"Wha-!?" Yang got out in shock. "Are you actually serious!? You'll even go that far!?" She then seethed.

"Take another step, and you'll be missing more than that tiny ass brain of yours." Skull threatened as the Phantom Thieves brought out their guns, causing the cognition to stop and glare at them.

"L-Lover?" Haru however whispered as she felt something inside her just...break. "I was raised under this company's wealth. I even accepted a political marriage for you. I sacrificed so much just to please you, and you still treat me like this!? This is not what we discussed!" She then exploded at her father.

"Hmph, why fret? You should be overjoyed that you're fulfilling your role as an Okumura daughter. This is the only value you've had since the beginning." The Palace Ruler simply revealed.

"So, even his daughter's life is a commodity to him..." Fox stated to himself out loud.

"...I am so lucky I don't have a father like him..." Serpent muttered under her breath.

"You are trading your own flesh and blood for power." Widow summarized. "How old-fashioned." She then scoffed.

"And no wonder it fell out of style." Yang added. "What? You sold your pride too?" She soon accused.

"Yeah and his gluttony, wrath, sloth, envy, lust..." Joker listed off. "All there's left in you is greed, isn't there?" He then assumed.

"Tch." Shadow Okumura scoffed out in annoyance. "Sugimura, retrieve my gift to you." He soon ordered.

"Gladly..." Cognitive Sugimura slyly began as he slowly approached the auburn haired girl with his arms wide. "Why don't you, my dear Haru...come back...to my place, hehehe..." He then continued with a grin along with a dark tone in his voice.

Serpent however brought out her minigun and readied herself. "Hey, back off, you prick!" She roared out as the gun began spinning.

Oracle gasped before approaching the white-haired woman in a panic. "Serpent, put it down!" She ordered. "You might hit someone by accident!" She then warned.

"But..." The white haired woman tried to argue, however, there was something that needed their more immediate attention.

"Uh, guys? Something's happening!" Panther yelled out to the others.

"Get back, get back, get back!" Joker ordered as he attempted to make as much distance from the cognition as fast as possible.

Suddenly, Cognitive Sugimura transformed into a giant white suited robot with vice grips for hands, looking ready to capture and crush anything in his grasp!

"Whoa!" Yin yelped. "H-He's really big." She then stated the obvious.

"Are you kidding me!?" Yang exclaimed in frustration as everyone managed to get away from the transformed cognition.

Everyone...except Haru herself, who went down on one knee.

"Crap, Haru!" Mona shouted out in worry. However, the heiress remained frozen on the spot, unable to get her legs to work.

[Let's have fun!] Cognitive Robot Sugimura eagerly stated in a robotic, somehow monotonous tone. [I'll play with you until I get bored!] He then declared.

"She is not a toy." Joker growled. "And you're a tool. Both here and in the real world." He then added.

"He's...no different from his real counterpart..." Widow whispered as her eyes widened in horror.

[A high school fiancée!] Cognitive Robot Sugimura excitedly stated in a robotic manner and tone. [What a turn-on!] He then got out with a chuckle as he loomed over the girl, his clampers open and ready to grab what was rightfully his.

"...How very vulgar of you..." Haru darkly stated, slowly clawing her knee.

"No!" Mona cried out. "Haru's Persona won't stand a chance against that thing!" he then exclaimed.

"Someone do something!" Yin called out.

"I got it, Vice Leader!" Serpent responded as she pulled out her minigun once again, only for the hacker to stop her by putting a hand on her abs. "Huh?" She got out in confusion.

"Don't worry, guys." Oracle spoke up, prompting everyone to stop for a moment and stare at the orangette in disbelief.

"What!?" Panther exclaimed. "Oracle, Haru's in trouble! If we don't do something-" She then hurriedly tried to explain, however...

"She'll be fine!" Oracle insisted on reassurance. "Just watch." She then added.

At that moment, Cognitive Sugimura reached for the heiress. "Haru-chan!" Yin exclaimed in concern.

CLANG! TSSSSSHHHH!

The Thieves shielded their eyes from the sudden flash of light. When they lowered their arms, they saw the formless Persona Haru had holding back the cognition's hand. However, it looked to be twisting...morphing...growing larger by the second like a wildfire.

"Wh-Whoa..." Serpent got out in disbelief.

"She hasn't awakened to her real power, that's all." The navigator soon explained. "And it's about damn time she does!" She then called out with a smile.

"You're kidding me!" Yang yelled out in disbelief.

Joker let out a giddy smile. "Oh, this is gonna be a good one." He then got out.

[How dare you!] Cognitive Robot Sugimura robotically stated in anger.

Haru clenched her hands into fists as she got to her feet and glared at the cognition with tears in her eyes. For a brief moment, they flashed a bright golden hue as the rage inside her began to build.

Haru suddenly placed a hand on her head, feeling a sudden, excruciating pain inside her head before falling back down to the ground, trying to endure the pain while gritting her teeth. For her, the world around Haru darkened as a spotlight shined from above on her.

"I see you finally made up your mind...my dear, fated princess." Her own voice echoed in her mind. "Freedom for you must stem from betrayal. If you still yearn for it now...then you must not err. Now, tell me...who shall you betray?" She soon stated and questioned.

"My heart has been set, you should know." Haru breathed out, fighting through the pain as she finally got a grip on this new feeling she had.

"Yes, that gaze...! I can finally display my true strength. I am thou, thou art I...Let us adorn your departure into freedom with a beautiful betrayal." The Persona soon declared and commanded in a proud tone.

Haru's eyes suddenly snapped open, revealing bright golden eyes as she wiped away her tears. "PERSONA! MILADY!" She then shouted out as her Persona burst into lavender purple flames.

FWOOSH!

Out from the flames came a woman wearing a black and pink Rococo style dress, with red and pink vertical striped puffs on the sleeves of the dress that extended to her elbows and wearing pink gloves. The bottom of the dress is in a pink color with golden trim around the dress, which has a golden lip on the center of the dress that makes it resemble a smiling face. There are black and red curtain drapes around the dress underneath, a pink heart shaped frill around her waist with a red bow tied on the drapes and a knife next to on the center of the heart shaped frill.

Then, with a wave of her hand, Haru had Milady part her dress to reveal two Gatling guns, a bazooka, and a missile.

Joker couldn't help but chuckle in awe. "Now that's a Persona." He then complimented with a smirk.

"Jeez!" Skull jumped back as he noticed the guns.

"Ok, if Mirai was here, she would've loved you." Yang admitted, her eyes wide at the sight.

"The hell!?" Serpent got out in disbelief, feeling smaller now in terms of gunplay. Why didn't her Persona have that!?

"I knew you could do it, Haru-chan!" Yin cheered with pumped fists.

The heiress smirked as she held onto her hat. "Farewell dear Father! I am no longer your subservient puppet!" Haru declared in a dramatic manner.

"Then so be it. You're useless." Shadow Kunikazu declared. "To think I have such an incompetent daughter...what a disappointment." He then added.

"Overcome failure at any cost, even if it means betraying others. That's the Okumura family motto, is it not?" Haru reminded with a glare. "And you still have the gall to call me your daughter? Just admit it, father, I'm nothing but a slave to you!" She then continued and exclaimed in anger.

Shadow Okumura simply turned away from the Thieves. "Deal with them as you wish." He ordered in a dismissive manner before retreating further into his Palace.

If the cognition still had a proper face, he would've smirked. [You poor thing...I'll toy with you until you break.]

"We didn't expect you to come to reason at all." Fox stated, eyeing the large robot in disdain.

"Uh-huh. We shoulda just told you this from the start, asshat!" Skull added with a pissed off expression.

"And for the last goddamn time, I AM NOT A TOY!" Haru roared, her eyes glowing purple. "I am a Phantom Thief, allow them to steal me away from you!" She then declared as took out her axe.

(Cue My Heart Feels No Pain by The Glass Pyramids feat. Kayla Brown)

"Let's do this, Haru!" Joker called out as the Thieves faced the cognition as he spawned two guards with cooling vents on their back.

[Thieves who steal from others must be severely punished.] Haru's fiancé robotically declared. [Haru! Be a good girl! Come be my toy!] He then ordered the heiress.

"God, you're a child." Yang scoffed before turning to the heiress. "What does your father see in him?" She then asked.

"Another stepping stone." Haru spat out as she heaved her axe over her shoulder. "And I have no intention of talking to you any further! For the sake of my father's heart, I cannot lose!" She then declared as she went into a battle stance.

"So this is Haru's true power...!" Queen and Widow both got out in awe.

Morgana nodded as he focused directly at Haru's shitty fiancé. "Haru...all right, let's do this! Time to pummel that scummy jerk into scrap!" He declared as he aimed his saber at the robots.

"Hai!" Haru responded with a nod and a smirk.

"Why does her Persona have a betrayal fetish?" Skull wondered out loud.

"Not the time, Skull." Fox grumbled.

"Your move, Beauty Thief! Let's see what your real Persona can do." Joker called out as everyone stepped back to watch the hell that was about to unfold.

"With pleasure." Haru smirked as she tore off her mask as easily as she breathed. "Milady, go!" She soon commanded.

"Let this tarnished mask be the fuel for your revenge! Psiodyne!" Milady declared as she fired a powerful wave of psychic energy at the white suited robot.

WEEEEEEEEP!

[AAAGGGGHHHH!] Cognitive Robot Sugimura robotically cried in pain as his head felt like it was in a vise. [What the...?] He then got out as he collapsed to his knees.

"I've always wanted you to grovel on your knees." Haru admitted with a sadistic smile on her face before she and her Persona focused on Sugimura's lackeys.

"Haru-san, don't hit those other bots." Queen got out, her Shadow Factorization kicking in. "They're resistant to Psy skills. They won't take as much damage." She soon informed.

"And those Corporobos have some serious healing skills too! Scrap 'em first quickly!" Oracle called out.

"That's a terrible name." Widow couldn't help but remark.

"Hai." Haru responded with a nod before turning to the not cat. "Mona-chan!" She then called out.

"Right here!" Mona responded, waving his hand as he jumped in attention.

CLAP!

"I've been waiting for this!" Mona declared. It may be a fake, but he's been waiting for some revenge since the kick. "Witness my resolve! Zorro, Magarula!" He then exclaimed, summoning his respective Persona and inducting a skill.

WOOOOOSH!

[Error...error...] The Corprobos reported as their forms sparked and sputtered after being blown over.

"Knocked 'em all down. Way to go, Mona!" Skull cheered.

"Surround them! Shoot if they move!" Joker ordered as the Thieves took out their guns and held up the enemies. "Okay, here's the deal, Sugimura. You just run away like you did last night, and we don't spend the bullets needed to end you. Do you have a counteroffer?" He then ordered before taking the common courtesy of asking.

[Go to hell, commoner.] Haru's fiancé spat out.

The Leader sucked in air through his teeth. "Ooh, bad answer." Joker got out with a wince. "Rip him apart, bolt by bolt." He darkly declared before rushing the downed enemies.

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! WHAM! CRACK! SLASH! SLAP! WHAM! SLASH! CHOP!

"Not enough!" Panther called out as they landed back on the ground.

"Don't worry, it just gives Haru the chance to get the last blow." Serpent stated.

[D-Dammit.] Cognitive Robot Sugimura got out, his voice stuttering and glitching. [What are you doing? You incompetent losers. Do your job.] He soon ordered.

[R-R-Recarmdra.] One of the Corprobos called out before even more sparks began flying off it as its allies mended in an instant.

"Recarmdra!?" Yin exclaimed.

"Looks like it sacrificed its own HP to heal its friends." Oracle inforned. "Yeah, thanks for making it easier. That one is at 1 HP now, a light breeze should kill it." She then advised.

"Let's save the energy then." Joker responded. "Let's get some grenades out there, Beauty Thief!" He then ordered the newbie.

The heiress nodded before dashing over to the weaker Corporobo and stuffed the barrel of her grenade launcher into its chest. She then fired five rounds into it before kicking it towards its perfectly working partner and firing off her last grenade at them.

KABOOOOOOOOOM!

The Thieves couldn't help but stare at the surprisingly brutal attack. "Okay, that was an excessive use of ammo." Joker got out in both awe and fear.

"Rip and tear, Haru. Until it is done." Oracle muttered.

[T-This is a minor setback.] Cognitive Sugimura struggled out. [Brain Shake.] He soon declared.

"Yeah nope!" Serpent declared with a mad grin as she took out her minigun. "Now can I shoot this fucker!?" She soon asked, though already knew the answer.

"Riddle him!" Joker responded with a shout.

"Unleash hell Big Sis!" Oracle cheered with a fist pump to the air.

"EAT SHIT, YOU FUCKEEEEEEEERRRRRR!" Serpent roared as she started firing, her yellow eyes aglow.

RATATATATATATATATATAATA!

As soon as the robot began to resemble more like a slab of white metallic Swiss cheese did the ammo in Serpent's gun finally ran out.

"You feelin' better there, Serpent?" Skull called out.

"So much!" Serpent responded with a joyous laugh. "Hehehehe...Mini gun, lotsa fun~" She quietly declared.

Oracle meanwhile giggled. "Hehehe, Big Sis has become trigger happy, sweet~!" She muttered with an amazed gleam in her eyes.

"It's funny now, until she starts taking it too far..." Widow however pointed out.

"He's still functioning!" Yang called out, seeing movement from the bastard.

"Not for long." Haru corrected, dropping her axe grinding across the floor with some sparks flying off from it as she approached her fiancé like a horror movie killer stalking their latest victim.

SSSSCCCRRRAAAPPPPEEEE!

Haru was even humming a pleasant tune as she was doing so, the bladed part of her axe still scraping across the metal floor with the occasional scraping along with some high-pitched screeching.

"Um, I'm getting a really menacing aura from her..." Panther got out, looking rather disturbed.

"I think she finally snapped after all the shit she's been through..." Yang assumed.

"You cannot break what's already broken." Fox spoke up as he studied the newest member's movements, of how calm and calculated each step was to make every click of her heels as loud as thunder. "Only hide all the cracks for as long as you can." He concluded.

However, the auburn haired girl was more focused on...other matters. "You may not be the real Sugimura..." Haru began before grinning madly. "But that only means I can do whatever I want to you with no consequence..." She soon revealed with a gleam in her eyes as she swiftly lifted up her axe before swinging it downwards in a quick manner.

CHOP!

[AAAGGGHHH!] Cognitive Sugimura cried out.

Three certain males of the group immediately and instinctively covered their lower areas in fear, while one certain leader of the group only widened his eyes at the scene...before feeling something in him awakened...more on the sadistic side of things. It somehow reminded him of his past encounter with a dark-skinned young girl on a plane that was going home to Tokyo from Hawaii for some reason.

"WOO! Right in the nuts and bolts!" Oracle cheered with a fist pump.

"Not...helping, Oracle..." Joker somehow struggled out in a surprised, yet unnerving tone. "No wonder she and Haruka get along so well..." He then thought, slightly fearing for his willpower and sanity this time if they ever double teamed him.

They had to have been separated at birth. He just knew it.

"That was only a taste of what I will be as your wife, if I fail here." Haru got out in an emotionless tone as she pulled her axe out while it was still dripping with oil. "Even if I am unable to change my father's heart, and my life is forfeit either to you or Death itself, let me make this clear..." She then stated before...

STOMP!

"My heart will never belong to you, my dear fiancé." Haru soon promised, grinding her heel into the robot's circuitry before heading back over to the others.

"Oh, you've gotta teach me a few things." Yang whispered, her eyes sparkling at the thought.

[Why...? How could I be defeated by such inferior brats...!?] Haru's fiancé demanded as he slammed his broken clampers on the ground.

"It's just how we roll, Sugimura." Joker answered as he twirled his gun and aimed it at the bastard. "No matter how much money or power you have, you should know..." He began as he crouched down.

"The Phantom Thieves always win! GO!" Haru finished as they rushed down the cognition.

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! WHAM! CRACK! SLASH! SLAP! WHAM! SLASH! CHOP!

Haru leapt back as a chair, table and a tea set appeared. She then sat down and took a sip of her tea. "Adieu." She calmly declared as the cognition exploded behind her.

(End Music)

"Mmmm...Earl gray..." Haru then got out in satisfaction as she put down the tea cup and leapt off her chair. "Oh how I wished that was the real person." She then lamented.

"You can show him later." Yang assured with a smile under her mask.

"Where did that table and tea set come from?" Skull asked as he looked around in confusion.

"The same place where Mona's cigar and chair comes from...?" Yin answered while shrugging her shoulders.

Haru then blinked as the reality of what she had done dawned on her. "I...I did it." She whispered to herself. "I did it! Did you see that, everyone!?" She then happily cheered to the others.

"We definitely saw." Joker replied with a smile. "Looks like we finally have our Psychokinesis user." He then declared.

"Who is also psychotic." Serpent deadpanned.

"And as trigger happy as you, Serpent." Widow added.

"You really can't help but put me down at any opportunity, can you?" The white haired woman grumbled.

Beauty Thief tipped her hat with a smirk, feeling proud of what she had done.

BOING!

Joker noticed the heiress's actual chest size displaying freely. "Huh, looks like your secret's out, Beauty Thief." He soon noted...while also recalling waking up to it yesterday...

"Eh? Secret?" Haru got out in confusion only to look down and see that her chest was uncompressed. She took a moment to feel for her bra, only to shake her head. Now was not the time. "We can worry about that later. It didn't get in the way in the fight, so I think I can deal with it for now." She then determined.

Immediately everyone stared at what the heiress was actually hiding this entire time.

"Um...I mean...you could wrap it up just to keep them under control." Joker awkwardly suggested.

"Haru...wha...?" Yang only got out in disbelief, her jaw dropped at the sight. "I thought Sis was exaggerating!" She soon thought in shock.

"How the hell did her chest-?" Panther got out in shock. "She's not even like that back in the world!" She then remarked loudly.

"Told you guys she has a chest secret." Oracle quipped in amusement with crossed arms. "Two words, compression bra." She then revealed.

"You gotta stop invading our privacy, Oracle." Yang sighed out.

"Ho-ly shit..." Skull breathed at the sight with wide eyes.

"Why is everyone bigger than me now..." Panther groaned as she covered her chest.

"Hey, Panther." Oracle called to her with a grin. "Do you want me to call Katsura–?" She then began.

"Later!" Pather blurted out before realizing what she said. "...I mean, no! No way in hell!" She then corrected.

"..." The others meanwhile looked at the ash blonde in disbelief...save for the trollish smirking orangette.

"...Your father will be hearing about this when we get back...again..." Serpent soon declared in a tone filled with disapproval.

"Serpent, it's obvious lectures aren't working. You should take away her PC." Joker pointed out and suggested.

"What!?" The navigator gasped in horror. "Joker, why!?" She then exclaimed.

"Because someone has to be the one willing to be viewed as the bad guy." The Leader responded.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Oracle cried in an over dramatic tone before going and hugging the white haired woman.

"Erm...maybe that's too harsh..." Serpent mumbled while rubbing the crying orangette's head.

"And you don't wanna do anything that makes Oracle think less of you." Joker deadpanned. "Older siblings need to show tough love sometimes." He then stated.

"I thought you were cool, Joker!" Oracle declared. "Traitor!" She then added in an overly dramatic tone.

"It was just a suggestion." The Leader reminded. "I'll still let you play games in my room." He then added with a shrug.

"But I neeeeeed my PC to survive." Oracle pleaded.

"I'll promise to not do that when you stop focusing on everyone's boobs!" Joker soon stated.

"Boobs are awesome! You're just jealous you don't have any!" Oracle declared openly before accusing the boy.

"..." Joker's eye just twitched in response. He agreed that boobs were awesome, but didn't know the right smart-ass response for the second part without revealing way too much about his special hang-outs with Haruka.

"That is enough out of you young lady." Serpent responded with her hands on her hips in an authoritative manner. "I will not allow you to become more like that pervert." She then declared.

"What pervert? Because I know too many." Oracle smugly revealed.

"Oh you know who I'm talking about, young lady..." Serpent got out as she rolled her eyes as a certain blonde came to mind.

"...Queen? Because she's been looking at-" The hacker assumed, however...

"Can we please stop talking about boobs for once when we're all together!?" Queen quickly interrupted with a scarlet blush on her face while crossing her arms over her own chest. "Or at least save it for the safe room!" She then added.

"...Yeah, agreed." Everyone replied with a nod. This entire thing had gone a little too far from what needed to be talked about.

"Cheese grater abs...~" Oracle ominously whispered, causing an even hotter blush to appear on the advisor's face while her head began steaming.

"In any case, Haru, congratulations on finally getting your Persona's true form!" Joker stated and congratulated the fluffy haired girl.

"Thank you." Haru breathed out as she flexed her fingers. "My word, is this how it feels?" She then got out in amazement.

"Uh-huh. Looks like Beauty Thief's finally have a purpose now other than being a keycard." Joker replied with a nod.

"Yes! The Beauty Thief has run its course!" The newly (properly) awakened thief declared with enthusiasm. "You shall call me...Noir." She then revealed.

"Noir?" Skull repeated in confusion.

"It means black in French." The heiress explained. "I'd like to be a heroine of justice, but the Phantom Thieves are on the darker side of the law. I chose the name Noir to remind me of that." She then added.

"Sounds great." Joker responded with a quick thumbs-up.

"Yeah, Beauty Thief was sort of a mouthful." Yang then admitted with hands on her hips.

"As long as she's into it..." Skull got out with a shrug.

"She created quite an elaborate backstory..." Fox noted in amusement.

"Noir. I like it. It conveys a dignity that won't bow down to others, as well as a rebellious spirit towards society." Queen got out in an impressed manner.

"Alright. Noir it is." Joker complied with a nod. "You feeling okay? We usually have summoning sickness after awakening our Personas. We can leave if you're not up to it." He then got out in concern.

"No. I'm fine." Noir assured. She actually felt way more energetic than before!

"It seems because Noir here summoned a Persona before, the exhaustion afterwards is way less severe." Mona assumed. "Still, do you need a pick-me-up?" He then asked.

"Some water would be nice." Noir replied, feeling a bit parched from the battle just now.

Skull instantly stepped up to the plate and pulled out a large water bottle. "Here." He then offered.

"Thank you, Skull." Noir got out in a grateful tone before downing the entire bottle in one go. "Okay, I'm ready." She then breathed out.

"Don't let your guard down, Noir. Our trip through the Palace doesn't end until we steal the Treasure, after all." Mona soon instructed.

"Yes, sir!" Noir responded with a nod.

"Someone's talkin' all big again..." Skull muttered under his breath.

"I hope you're ready father..." Noir began with a grin. "Because I shall be the cause of your fall from space. Isn't that right, Milady?" She then declared.

"Let this beautiful betrayal take its course, princess." Her Persona responded as they headed out.

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)

Joker

Level: 53

Personas: Arsene (Resist: Curse) (Weak: Ice, Bless), Jack Frost (Null: Ice) (Weak: Fire), Werecat (Resists: Curse, Physical) (Weak: Bless, Water), Queen Mab (Null: Fire) (Resist: Electric) (Weak: Wind), Tlaltecuhtli (Resists: Physical) (Drain: Electricity) (Weak: Ice), Raga Naga (Null: Electricity), Mermaid (Resists: Water, Fire) (Weak: Electric, Earth), Koumokuten (Resist: Physical, Bless) (Weak: Ice), Kikuri-Hime (Null: Wind) (Resists: Bless) (Weak: Fire)

Persona Trait: Arsene- Last Stand (Allows use of ambush-only skills after Baton Pass), Jack Frost- Ice Lineage (Chance to halve costs of Ice skills), Werecat- Relief Bloodline (Reduce cost of Support skills by 50%), Queen Mab- Static Electricity (Increases chance of inflicting Shock on downed foes), Tlaltecuhtli- Relentless (Damage that strikes foe weaknesses increases), Raga Naga- Electric Bloodline (Halves costs of Elec skills), Mermaid- Wet Bloodline (Chance to decrease cost of Water skills), Koumokuten- Gluttonmouth (Strengthens own HP recovery by 50%), Kukuri-Hime- Relief Bloodline (Halves costs of Support skills)

Skills: Eiga, Maeiga, Snap, Speed Master, Tetrakarn, Matrakarn, Tarukaja, Bufudyne, Mabufula, Megidola, Ice Break, Baisudi, Rakunda, Freeze Boost, Null Fire, Matarukaja, Marakukaja (X2), Masukukaja, Heat Riser, Debilitate, Matarunda, Marakunda, Masukunda, Megido, Mazionga, Agidyne, Null Ice, Rakukaja, Deathbound, Ziodyne, Elec Break, Tentarafoo, Shock Boost, Makarakarn, Maziodyne, Evade Wind, Aquadyne, Malaques, Media, Assault Dive, Regenerate 2, Revolution, Attack Master, Ice Wall, Enduring Soul, Deadly Fury, Lullaby, Energy Drop, Mediarama, Tetraja, Divine Grace

Accessory: SP Adhesive 3 (Invigorate 3)

Yin

Level: 53

Persona: Kaeru (Resist: Earth, Fire) (Weak: Wind, Gun)

Persona Trait: Path of Light (Gain some HP when using support/healing skills)

Skills: Magnadyne, Mediarahan, Sukukaja, Miracle Punch, Mamagnara, Masukukaja, Earth Boost, Makajamaon, Null Fear, Tetrakarn, Tetraja, Earth Break

Confidant Rank: Rank 9

Accessory: Skanda Belt (Speed Master)

Yang

Level: 53

Persona: Wolverine (Resist: Physical, Gun, Fire, Wind) (Weak: Water, Earth, Bless, Psychokinesis)

Persona Trait: Path of Crimson (Gain some HP when using Physical/Magic skills)

Skills: Agilao, Cleave, Hientou, Regenerate 3, Terror Claw, Triple Down, Swift Strike, Fire Amp, Charge, Riot Gun, Bloodbath, Arms Master, Ghastly Wail

Confidant Rank: Rank 9

Accessory: Tough Belt (Defense Master)

Mona

Level: 51

Persona: Zorro (Resist: Wind) (Weak: Elec)

Persona Trait: Proud Presence (Increases effect of allies' healing skills)

Skills: Garula, Diarahan, Patra, Mediarama, Miracle Punch, Magarula, Me Patra, Samarecarm, Wind Break, Wind Boost

Confidant Rank: Rank 8

Accessory: Fish God's Badge (Ali Dance)

Skull

Level: 50

Persona: Seiten Taisei (Null: Elec) (Resist: Fire) (Weak: Wind)

Persona Trait: Raging Temper (Might increase allies' physical attacks by 40%)

Skills: Lunge, Zionga, Tarukaja, Headbutt, Adverse Resolve, Rampage, Mazionga, Bad Beat, Assault Dive, Swift Strike, Shock Boost, Elec Break, Deathbound, Elec Boost

Confidant Rank: Rank 10 (Max)

Accessory: Rakshasa Belt (Attack Master)

Panther

Level: 50

Persona: Hecate (Null: Fire) (Resist: Electric) (Weak: Water)

Persona Trait: Mastery of Magic (May decrease SP cost of allies' magic skills)

Skills: Agidyne, Dia, Dormina, Tarunda, Maragion, Dekaja, Fire Break, Lullaby, Ambient Aid, Fire Boost, Matarunda, Evade Water, Burn Boost

Confidant Rank: Rank 10 (Max)

Accessory: Crimson Necklace (Fire Amp)pszion

Fox

Level: 50

Persona: Kamu Susano-o (Null: Ice) (Resists: Wind) (Weak: Fire)

Persona Trait: Scoundrel Eyes (High chance to evade Phys attacks for all allies.)

Skills: Bufula, Giant Slice, Sukukaja, Vicious Strike, Mabufula, Counterstrike, Rising Slash, Dormin Rush, Speed Master, Tempest Slash, Heat Wave, Evade Fire, Deadly Fury, Masukukaja

Confidant Rank: Rank 10 (Max)

Accessory: Rebellion Anklet (Rebellion)

Widow

Level: 51

Persona: Fūma (Resists: Ice, Water) (Weak: Fire, Curse)

Persona Trait: Dance of Justice (Chance to trigger a Baton Pass for the next ally when hitting a resistance.)

Skills: Bufula, Mabufudyne, Aquadyne, Ice Boost, Water Boost, Dazzler, Makajama, Malaques, Snipe, Dormina, Fortify Spirit, Lullaby, Ailment Boost, Water Break

Confidant Rank: Rank 9

Accessory: Clear Crystal Necklace (Water Amp)

Queen

Level: 50

Persona: Johanna (Resist: Nuclear) (Weak: Psychic)

Persona Trait: Gaia Pact (Increase allies' chance of inflicting Burn/Freeze/Shock/Soak by 25%.)

Skills: Freidyne, Mafreila, Vajra Blast, Diarama, Rakukaja, Makajama, Energy Shower, Flash Bomb, Dekunda, Defense Master, Nuke Break, Nuke Boost, Marakukaja

Confidant Rank: Rank 8

Accessory: White Headband R (Life Surge / Endurance +8)

Serpent

Level: 50

Persona: Nobunaga (Resist: Curse) (Weak: Bless)

Persona Trait: Self-Destructive (Increase cost of skills when health is low)

Skills: Eiga, Maeiga, Kouga, Mamudoon, Mahamaon, Megaton Raid, Heat Wave, Foul Breath, Endure, Ominous Words, Stagnant Air, Evil Touch, Taunt, Survival Trick

Confidant Rank: Rank 4

Accessory: Thief Mask (Null Brainwash)

Oracle

Level: 50

Persona: Necronomicon

Persona Trait:Explosive Scheme (All-Out Attacks may defeat all foes and restore 25% HP to all allies)

Skills: Analysis, Subrecover HP, Subrecover SP

Confidant Rank: Rank 3

Accessory: Headphones (High fidelity for real audiophiles.)

Noir

Level: 51

Persona: Milady (Resist: Psychic) (Weak: Nuclear)

Persona Trait: Icy Glare (Decreases allies' chance of being inflicted by ailments by 25%.)

Skills: Psiodyne, Mapsio, Triple Down, Amrita Drop, Fast Heal, Psy Break, Tentarafoo, Tetrakarn, Psy Boost, Makarakarn, Climate Decorum

Accessory: Grand Slam Charm (Apt Pupil)

Whew! Done! Next chapter is the actual Palace, with more talk about boobs in the near future.

UknownHero signing off, my friends!