COVID beaten! At least for me! I'm still cautious about going outside though. Hey, UknownHero here and welcome to another chapter of Senran Persona!

Senran Persona: Ninjas of Hearts has a TV Tropes page! WOO!

Onto the reviews! To hoodini5569: The Neo Hebijo gang's interactions are already planned out, and I'm keeping the Hanzo gang's confidants a secret…mostly because the process of elimination of the minor arcana will allow you to assume what it is. To a random Guest: Shin vs Yaldabaoth? Uhhh…Actually, I have no idea. To alaude hibari: Why all the shinobi romances start at Rank 8 is because Rank 9 (spoilers) all include a fight. Akira has to go above and beyond, to show them he'll risk death to defend them or help them achieve their goals. The shinobi confidants are supposed to be harder…and probably saved for New Game Plus. It's sort of like symbolism. Knowing a shinobi is dangerous, being with them as a civilian even more so. But Joker has everything he needs to earn their love or unrelenting friendship. Ah, I probably ruined it by explaining.

Anyways, that's it. Time to bathe yourself in sorrow and be reborn in crimson!

2023 update! Restructure romance scenes! Sorry for all the frequent updates!

Load Game…Start!


Chapter 104: Blooming Crimson


(9/2, Early Morning)

(Train)

"Oh! Seats! Beautiful seats!" Homura cheered as the two roommates instantly sat down on the only two empty seats next to each other. "Aaaahhhh..." She then breathed out, feeling her bones and muscles relaxing.

"Wow, I don't think we've gotten seats together..." Asuka muttered.

"Yeah..." Homura sighed with a blissful smile. "I think our luck is finally turning around." She then got out in a hopeful tone.

"Hey, quiet down." A rude woman in a business suit remarked.

"I read an article about Shujin in a magazine...High School Horrors: A School-wide Cover-up. Seems the administration turned a blind eye to that abusive teacher. It's all so hard to believe..."

"The principal claimed he didn't know what was going on, at first. We're talking about children's lives- people like him are the ones who should answer for this."

"Hehehe..." Homura giggled. "And it only keeps getting better and better." She soon declared in a whisper.

"Yep." Asuka replied before turning away, her smile dropping. "I just hope it stays that way..." She thought.


(Aoyama-Itchome, Shujin Academy Entrance Gate)

Akira, Asuka, and Homura all arrived at the school at the same time, where they spotted the dyed blond waiting for them by the entrance doors. Just nearby, a fluffy haired girl with a fancy purple sleeveless top was watering the flowers by the stairs.

Homura couldn't help but blink as she noticed this. Were those flowers always there?

"Whaddup?" Ryuji greeted.

"Good morning, Ryuji-kun." Asuka greeted as she, the tan skinned girl and her fellow Leader walked up the stairs.

"D'ya see that ad on the train?" The dyed blond asked in a giddy tone.

"Yeah." Akira responded with a nod.

"Everyone has been talking about it. Not just the students, but the public too." Asuka informed.

"I am a very happy girl right now." Homura declared with a grin. "Karma has finally come to bite the principal in the rear." She then added in satisfaction.

"Dude, just say ass. He does not need politeness." Ryuji advised.

"Why did it take so long for something like this to come out?" Akira had to wonder. "You'd think it would happen after Kamoshida got arrested." He then pointed out.

"Who cares? It's better late than never." Homura replied with an off-handed wave. "Shujin is finally gonna be a good school now!" She then declared with a grin.

Ryuji nodded to that. "The media's gonna come to our school. At least be a little interested in it." He soon informed. "Cover-up by faculty and principal of Shujin Academy, where the Phantom Thieves first appeared. It's been a huge deal already. I wonder what's gonna happen to the principal now." He then muttered with a smile.

"At this point I'd just cut it and run." Akira admitted. "Hey, did any of those lawsuits go through?" He soon asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't know. Haven't really followed any of it but given that there aren't any budget cuts yet I'd say they're still in processing."

"Must be a low priority then." Homura assumed before frowning. "Assholes..." She growled before coughing into her fist to calm herself down.

"Anyways, we made the right choice goin' after big targets! Everywhere I go, people're talkin' about us!"

"Can you please quiet down. You're practically begging people to just-" Homura groaned before stopping herself from bumping into the fluffy haired girl and her watering can. "A-Ah! I'm sorry!" She got out in an apologetic tone.

"Oh no, I'm fine." The fluffy haired girl assured before tilting her head at the red armband the tan skinned girl had.

"Oh, good morning Haru-chan." Asuka greeted with a smile, getting looks from the others.

"Asu-chan!" Haru replied with a cheerful expression. "Did you have a good summer break?" She eventually asked.

"Y-Yeah. It was...It was fine." Asuka answered, sweating a little. No point in telling her about dealing with international hackers and the pyramid of self-loathing. "How was yours?" She soon questioned.

"..." Haru stared into the Vice Leader's eyes silently as she recalled how her summer went.


(Rewind)

Haru let out a smile as her meticulously crafted sandcastle was all done, with all the windows and buttresses she could create with the nice and wet sand she could gather, with little rocks to represent the people.

As you see, the Kingdom of...Black (sure, let's go with that) had started from humble beginnings with only a few scattered citizens and a small house for their castle. However, the king and queen were wise and benevolent, seeking to better the pathetic waste of land they were banished to after the Ocean Rebellion of 5647 A.D. (After Doom). They discovered that the land was filled to the brim with mineable resources such as ebony, mithril, and uranium.

And so, with only sticks and stones and the local wildlife they had the magical ability to talk to, the kingdom prospered, with more and more new people migrating to the Forbidden Lands of Loins. They developed their own agriculture, economy, weaponry and plumbing. The kingdom did not need anyone else but themselves, even after the second Ocean Rebellion attacked. Yes, the kingdom would forever live on as-

FMOOPH!

Sadly, the kingdom fell...because someone had used their butt to force them to crash into it. "Ah! Sorry, Haru-chan!" Hibari apologized, sitting on the back of her latest kidnapper's head.

"It's ok Bari-chan." Haru giggled out. "I enjoyed my time here on the beach. Besides, just like life, this kingdom was temporary and doomed to fall any day now thanks to the queen sleeping with the jester and her handmaiden in an orgy of lust and violence." She then confessed and explained.

"...Hibari doesn't get it, but is happy to help." The pink haired girl admitted with a smile.

"That's the last of them..." Yagyū meanwhile informed. "Who thought bringing you to a beach was a good idea to hide you?" She soon asked.

"I assume they're running out of funding renting locations in the city." Haru deducted. "Where is Katsu-chan and Ika-chan anyways?" She meanwhile questioned in a curious manner.

"Back home reviewing reports for Elite candidates." Yagyū responded. "They are graduating this year after all." She then reminded, causing the pinkette to whine.

"...Should you be telling me that?" Haru however asked in concern while tilting her head in an innocent manner.

Yagyu froze, realizing her blunder. "...W-Well, you're a trusted client and...um...civilian...investor...erm..." She then tried to explain before giving up. "I'm going to tie up these people now." She decided as she walked away.

"Have fun, Gyū-chan." Haru happily replied. "Come on Bari-chan, summer is just as fleeting as the Kingdom of Black, so we should enjoy ourselves before school starts up again." She then requested.

"...Summer only started yesterday." Hibari however pointed out.

"And we should make the most of it." Haru responded in a no nonsense tone.

"...Okay! Yagyu-chan! I'll be playing with Haru-chan for a while!" Hibari replied and called out.

"Don't mind me then! Just enjoy yourselves!" Yagyū responded while tying up an unconscious thug...until she used a little bit too much force and broke his arm in three places, waking him up. "...Eh, he'll be fine." She then got out with a shrug, having wrapped duct tape around his eyes and mouth first so all there was were the muffled screams of pain while the others created another castle together.

(Fast Forward)


"...Quite swimmingly, to say the least." Haru answered. She only got kidnapped three more times this summer so that was a win in her book. "Ah, I better go. See you around, Asu-chan." She soon got out before leaving to put away the watering can and head to class.

"Bye!" Asuka replied with a wave.

"That uniform is the furthest away from the dress code possible." Homura remarked. "Really pushing that lax policy..." She then muttered.

"Huh? What was that? You know her?" Ryuji asked.

"Uh, yes?" Asuka answered with a confused look on her face. "Is that strange?" She then questioned in a curious manner.

"Dude, you gotta introduce her to me some time." Ryuji soon requested.

"Why?" Homura had to ask as she narrowed her eyes.

"Hey, it'd suck if we wasted the chance to go on a date in Hawaii for effin' free!" Ryuji pointed out as they headed inside the school. "The Phantom Thieves are on fire right now, so I wonder if I got a chance if I asked her out...? It sucks that I can't just say I'm actually a Phantom Thief to anybody." He then lamented.

"Again, you would die and be arrested." Homura reminded in a flat tone. "Being popular doesn't make you invincible. I just want to be clear here." She then stated.

"What about Katsuragi, then?" Akira suggested.

"Huh? Katsuragi?" Ryuji got out in confusion.

"You know. Tall. Long blonde hair. Big boobs, probably an I-cup or an H. Has a thing for ramen. Rampant sexual harassment and grower of breasts." Akira listed off in a casual manner as they swapped shoes, barely glancing back to see the Student Council President arriving, hearing their conversation and wrapped her arms around her ample chest.

Ryuji immediately blushed as he remembered the girl. "W-Well, she doesn't come here so she's not comin' and...look, she's really cool and we have some same interests, but come on, there's no way I'd have a chance with her. Plus, she doesn't even go to this school. No way she's comin' to Hawaii with us." He mumbled as he scratched the back of his head.

"You're a real casanova, Ryuji." Homura deadpanned. "You could totally do it." She then insisted.

"...Are you saying that sarcastically or somethin'?" Ryuji assumed with narrowed eyes.

"No. Go get her. Really." Homura encouraged sarcastically. "Hey, also, why not buy a megaphone and shout to the world we're shinobi too. That'll definitely earn some brownie points." She then added as she rolled her eyes.

"Ngh!" Ryuji got out with gritted teeth. "W-Whatever, man. I'll prove it to ya that I can get a date all on my own." He then declared.

"Could have been a lot better if you had Katsuragi's number, right, Ryuji?" Akira chuckled as he softly decked his arm.

"Kn-Knock it off, dude!" Ryuji stammered out. "L-Let's just get to class, a'ight?" He then continued, the blush on his face as he kept thinking about the blonde ramen lover he met.


(Hanzō Academy, Elites Room)

"ACHOO!" Katsuragi suddenly sneezed. "Ugh, maybe the work for the newbies is getting to me..." She muttered while sniffling a little.

"Katsuragi-san, get back to work on your section of this paperwork." Ikaruga ordered as she diligently continued working.

"Wha-What did I do!?" Katsuragi exclaimed.

"You've been stalling on writing out reports detailing the new Candidates." The acting leader sighed as she shook her head. "Focus. This is part of your duties as an Elite." She then instructed and reminded.

Katsuragi simply sighed heavily at that before going back to work. She didn't want to have an earful from their actual Student Council President right now. "Still, are we sure about five candidates..." She muttered to herself.

"They're quite a bunch for the next generation." Ikaruga remarked with a nod as she reviewed the reports. "According to Kiriya-sensei, they all passed with flying colors on their entrance exams." She then revealed.

"Well, at least new potential boobs for me to grope, that's for sure!" Katsuragi got out with a fist pump and a giggle.

"Of course that's what you're focusing on..." Ikaruga sighed with a sweatdrop.

"By the way, Yagyū and Hibari are still watching over Haru, right?" Katsuragi recalled.

"Yes, though Yagyū-san will be returning for a moment while I then head to Tokyo for a bit before she then heads back and then you'll rotate in replacing Hibari-san." Ikaruga answered before closing her eyes.

"...There has to be an easier way to say that." Katsuragi deadpanned.

The acting leader ignored her as she continued. "From what I hear, we're in talks about taking a few weeks off to just bodyguard Haru to ensure she doesn't get kidnapped and complete her schoolwork." She then informed.

"Why can't it be anyone else watching over her? We're still in training! We're not available 24/7!" Katsuragi however complained, throwing up her hands in frustration. "It's been years! Haru could probably get out all on her own and fight back with the right weapon! It's a wonder these idiots keep trying!" She then continued her rant out loud, almost tempting to rush her work.

Ikaruga thought about it for a moment before eventually sighing. "I understand what you mean, but remember, Katsuragi-san, Kunikazu Okumura of Okumura Foods made agreements with the Good Shinobi Council, and one of the contracts they made stated that it is also our duty to protect and watch over Kunikazu Okumura's daughter from the start ever since Kunikazu-san chose Hanzō Academy for the job." She then explained, her tone almost a bit heavy.

"Che!" Katsuragi sounded out with gritted teeth. "Sometimes I wonder if the man really cares for her or not, which is the actual reason why he hired us..." She muttered as she balled her free hand into a fist.

"I'll...admit he was not always like this..." Ikaruga confessed in concern, remembering the times he was a genuine person before the gradual change over the times.

"I swear, something feels off with him, I just know it!" Katsuragi soon accused in frustration. "But all he does is just send us on our way to go save her again. Not even a frickin' phone call afterwards." She grumbled in a rambling manner.

"As much as I dislike the man in some ways for his current actions, duty is still duty." Ikaruga admitted and stated. "After all, there is still the Phantom Thieves issue going on around Tokyo, which pretty much got the attention of the council once their popularity skyrocketed recently."

"Man, taking down an international hacker group? That's like, a very awesome feat or something!" Katsuragi got out in an excited tone.

"Don't let it distract you, Katsuragi-san." Ikaruga ordered. "We must also know that the information about the Phantom Thieves is still vague and unclear. Their true motives are still skeptical, despite doing these so-called heroic things for the sake of justice or whatnot. Whether you like them or not, their identities are still a mystery, even to the shinobi, and I have a feeling that their presence got the attention of every shinobi around the world ever since they took down an actual international hacker group." She then explained to her.

"...Okay, now you're just exaggerating." Katsuragi got out in a flat tone. "Not every shinobi in the world is converging in Tokyo right now. Well...maybe a few..." She then muttered.

"Let's continue this conversation later, Katsuragi-san." Ikaruga sighed as she shook her head. "We've still got five candidates needing our approval, and Kiriya-sensei needs the papers as soon as possible." She then reminded.

Katsuragi soon groaned as she went back to doing her part of the paperwork. "I wonder how Ryuji's doing..." She offhandedly thought to herself. At least she had a good memory of the beach trip a while back to calm her nerves down.


(9/2, Afternoon)

(Shujin Academy, Classroom)

The whole class was pretty much not in the mood to listen to class since they just had their vacation, but since school day is school day, they had no choice whatsoever but to attend class.

"Alright, seeing how everyone is still in summer vacation mode, let's review what we all learned the last time we were in class..." Inui continued on with his lecture.

Meanwhile, the Thieves were all doing different things to pass the time until school let out.

Ann let out a yawn as she drew in her notebook, not really paying attention.

Asuka was actually writing stuff down, even though she was taking the exact same notes as she did before school let out for summer break.

Homura, instead of focusing on the class, was going over her notes on the other classes and was correcting any mistakes in her writing that she didn't spot the first time around.

Finally, Akira was slowly falling asleep, his head resting on his hand. Unfortunately, his head slowly slid off his hand before dropping completely, banging his head on his desk.

Just another lesson at Shujin Academy.

BZZT! BZZT!

Instinctively, the Thieves members in class took out their phones and entered the group chat.

[Shut7heFUp: You guys see!? Akechi showed up in the rankings!]

[DarkEyeXI: Ryuji, it's 2 PM. Shouldn't you be in class right now?]

[TheWildJ0ker: Don't bother. We did this all the time last semester.]

[FireGirl20: Well, he was bound to show up at some point.]

[All4Painting: Yes. His negative comments would make him a target to those who support us.]

[Sweetkat06: Seems that way.]

[Shut7heFUp: God, this is freaking amazing!]

[TheWildJ0ker: I feel kinda bad.]

[Shut7heFUp: C'mon, you don't gotta pity a jerk like him.]

[Negative8Degrees: Ryuji, we aren't changing his heart. He's allowed to express his opinion even if they are misinformed.]

[Negative8Degrees: Besides, I doubt his desires are distorted. I believe he simply wants what is best for society.]

[SushiRoll23: Too bad it involves our arrest...]

[Shut7heFUp: Bah, he gets a TV interview every other week. His bullshit is catching up to him. One more target, and he's history!]

[Shut7heFUp: By the way, how's it going, Makoto? You get into your sister's data yet?]

[Road2Queen: I think she's been busy. She didn't come home at all yesterday.]

[All4Painting: That's problematic.]

[Shut7heFUp: What're we gonna do? We can't do a damn thing till we get that.]

[Road2Queen: Don't rush me. I assure you, I can handle this. More importantly...everyone at school has been on edge since that tabloid article. Please be careful not to stand out, OK?]

[Shut7heFUp: You don't gotta tell me twice!]

[FireGirl20: Oh you're one to talk, Mr. I'm-A-Phantom-Thief-So-Let's-Makeout!]

[TheWildJ0ker: I feel like you lost it a little there.]

[DarkEyeXI: Pay attention to your classes!]

"What is the class today anyways?" Ann whispered before the Thieves tuned into the lesson.

"History." Homura answered.

"Shinkukage-san, please only speak when spoken to." Inui got out, causing the tan skinned girl some embarrassment as other students giggled. "Anyways, before I was rudely interrupted. The history of ninjas are often shrouded in mystery, and much may very well be lost to time.

"There are still many inaccuracies with shinobi that we are still discovering to this day. And quite sadly, some things are just lost to time." Inui continued.

"Probably best in some cases." Morgana whispered as the teacher scanned around the room.

"Well, since you insist on speaking more, Shinkukage-san..." Inui spoke up, causing the girl to get up from her seat. "Can you explain why finding information on shinobi is so hard?" He asked as Homura began to think.

Their secrets died with them.

They weren't worth writing about.

Destroyed it themselves.

Fed those inaccuracies.

"They weren't worth writing about." Homura answered, sounding confident in her tone.

"Correct!" Inui responded with a proud look on his face. "Many ninjas were from poor and struggling families, turning to the profession simply because they had no other choice. And because of that, many chose to not write about them. After all, that paper could be used to retell the exploits of some rich noble!" He then explained.

Homura did a small fist pump while the Vice Leader grinned, both feeling their Knowledge increase.

"However, in the age of the internet, almost everything is recorded and saved somewhere. Even this lesson. I'm looking at you, Mishima." Inui continued. "Information has never been so readily available and shareable like never before, which in of itself is both a gift and a curse. While we may be wiser and learn more about our world, we also are more easily influenced by the opinions of others - which could be for better or for worse in many perspectives. Remember to stay off your social media every once and a while and enjoy what the world has to offer. Who knows, you might even spot a Phantom Thief in the middle of taking someone's heart!" He then concluded before laughing at his own joke.

"Not important enough!?" Morgana scoffed. "I bet our exploits are gonna be in history books, that's for sure."

"If you think about it, he does make some sense, Morgana." Akira whispered with an amused smile on his face as the lesson went on.

The not cat simply sighed at that. "True, I guess." He had to admit in agreement as the class continued on.


(9/2, After School)

(Shujin Academy, Classroom Building 2F Hallways)

Homura was walking down the hallway, her eyes darting around despite her relaxed appearance. "Thank you for assisting me with my patrol, Hitomi-san." She got out with a smile.

"H-Hai! I-I'm g-glad to h-have joined you, H-Homura-senpai!" Hitomi stuttered nervously.

Homura in turn giggled. "Well, I did say I would help you out with your confidence." She reminded. "So, is there anything to report?" She then asked.

"N-Nothing out o-of the o-ordinary, senpai. E-Everything is in w-working order." Hitomi reports to her.

Homura in response smiled proudly. "Good." She replied in approval.

"Though, H-Homura-senpai, do you think Y-Yui-san has been acting strange lately...?" Hitomi asked.

"Hm? What do you mean?" Homura asked with a raised eyebrow.

"S-She's been punishing the o-other students so h-harshly. W-We've been getting a lot of c-complaints about her." Hitomi explained and revealed. "I-I wasn't sure how to handle it, s-so I wanted to let you k-know." She then added.

This in turn caused Homura to raise an eyebrow. "Well then, let's go see her." She then instructed as she began walking ahead.

"H-Hai! Wait f-for me, Homura-senpai!" Hitomi called out as she trailed behind.


(Courtyard)

"Oi, you two! No acting all lovey dovey with each other! You can do that when you're adults!" Yui shouted at two students. "Break it up now or take it somewhere else!" She then ordered.

"Che..." The male student got out as he and his girlfriend walked off.

Yui watched them leave before turning her attention to more students on their phones playing a gaming app. "Oi, no playing games on your phones! You can rot your brains when you're home!" She then demanded.

"Oh come on!" The female student complained.

"You can't just do this to us!" A male student argued.

"Yeah!" Another student got out.

"You're no better than the Principal and Kamoshida!" The last student accused.

A distance away, Homura winced as she watched the interaction. "Ok, I see what you mean Hitomi-san." She got out.

"H-Hai...It's gotten t-to the point where s-she's even c-compared to the Principal and K-Kamoshida..." Hitomi responded with a nod. "I-If this keeps up, then w-we'll all be compared t-to them..." She then stated as she held her hands together.

Homura soon sighed in response. I'll go talk to her. You stay here." She informed and instructed.

"H-Hai, Homura-senpai." Hitomi nodded and did as she was told.

Homura soon approached the ravenette. "Yui!" She called out.

Yui heard her and turned around to face her. "Homura-san. Nice of you to join us. I was just about to punish these students for loitering around."

"I can see that." Homura responded in disapproval before turning to the students. "All of you can head home for the day." She soon informed.

"Hai." The students all bowed before taking their leave.

Homura then looked at her committee member in disapproval.

"Homura! Why did you send them home?! I was just about to teach them a lesson!" Yui exclaimed.

"Yui, you should really lighten up on your punishments." Homura got out as she crossed her arms. "Some of the students you're punishing are innocent." She then stated.

"But they're not taking their schoolwork seriously! I have to make sure they're kept in line!" Yui responded. "If I don't, then they'll forever be lazy and other students will follow them as examples!" She then added.

"Even If that is true, being harsh like this is just going to make things worse." Homura however explained.

"It's the only way they're going to learn. Someone has to make sure they're not wasting time with childish things and focus more on their future." Yui countered.

This however confused Homura since she had never seen her friend like this...strict. "Yui...did something happen over the summer?" She suddenly asked.

"Wha...What are you talking about, Homura? Nothing happened to me during the summer." Yui tried to explain while shifting her gaze away.

Homura however didn't believe this as she continued staring at her friend. "Yui." She droned out.

"Really, it's nothing to worry about, Homura." Yui was still trying to explain while keeping her gaze away from her.

"Are you sure? It doesn't have anything to do with your friends from your old school?" Homura soon questioned.

"No, it doesn't! It has nothing to do with that pervert Rito or everyone else!" Yui shouted before realizing what she just said and covered her mouth.

"Looks like we're getting somewhere." Homura soon thought, mentally smirking at the reaction.

Realizing she couldn't convince her, Yui sighed in defeat. "Alright, fine...It does have everything to do with those idiots..." She eventually responded as she sat down on the bench.

Joining her, Homura sat down as well. "Start from the beginning." She then requested.

"It was back when I was home with my brother. I was planning on having a day off to just relax, but, as usual, fate decided to ruin my day for me." Yui began to explain. "I was in the park where I saw Rito and his sister Mikan having the same idea I had. Wondering what they were doing, I walked over to them and saw how they were doing." She then revealed.

Homura in response nodded to this. "Go on." She soon instructed.

"Knowing what happens whenever I'm around Rito, I prepared myself for whatever indecent acts he might try." Yui continued. "Once I approached them, I asked what they were doing and they said they were just having a fun time as siblings. They asked if I wanted to join them and, against my better judgment, I accepted their offer and was actually enjoying myself for once." She then revealed.

"And something happened?" Homura soon guessed.

Yui sighed as she pinched her temples. "Yeah...Lala and her sisters decided to join in..." She said in aggravation.

Homura however raised an eyebrow to this. "Lala-san has sisters?" She soon asked in a curious manner.

"Oh, I guess I never told you that. But yes, she has two younger sisters." Yui muttered to herself before responding with a nod. "Their names are Momo and Nana. You'll know they're related by the same pink hair." She then revealed.

"Lala, Momo and Nana..." Homura repeated. "Their parents have an...unusual sense of naming their kids." She awkwardly confessed with a sweatdrop.

"Oh, you don't even know the half of it." Yui sighed out in exhaustion.

Homura simply raised an eyebrow to this, but allowed her friend to continue.

"Anyway, when Lala and her sisters arrived, it all started going downhill right then and there." Yui soon revealed. "Lala throws herself onto Rito again while he tries to get her off. It's gotten to the point where Nana started throttling Rito until he lost his balance and..." She continued before trailing off as her face turned red in both frustration and embarrassment as she remembered what happened when he fell over.

"Something ecchi happened?" Homura soon guessed, recalling the time she met the boy and accidentally exposed the ravenette.

Yui didn't say anything, but nodded as she recalled the boy accidentally pulling down both her skirt and panties for everyone to see.

"Isn't that due to being prone to accidents?" Homura however asked.

"No, of course not! It's because he's just an indecent, idiotic pervert!" Yui shouted at the top of her lungs as she just couldn't contain her anger any longer.

To that, Homura blinked at her friend's sudden change in attitude. "Y-Yui..." She started, however...

"That perverted bastard pulled down both my skirt and panties in front of everyone else to see!" Yui ranted on. "So to punish him, I kicked his ass right into the lake! I even threatened to kill him the next time he tried that again!" She then declared.

"O-Oi..." Homura got out in rising concern. Something was definitely off.

"Everything shameless must die!" Yui shouted out in a furious manner before taking a moment to calm down. "Sorry about that. I...I feel a little better now. I am heading home for the day. Thank you for listening, Homura-san." She then admitted, leaving before the tan skinned girl could even respond.

The Disciplinary Committee Head merely narrowed her eyes to that statement. "...Yui's out of control..." Homura thought to herself, her bond slightly improving with her as she watched the girl leave.

SHATTER!

RANK UP! EMPRESS RANK 4!

"I'm going to put an end to all shameless acts...That is a promise..." Yui declared in a vengeful tone, clenching her fists as she headed home.

Homura meanwhile narrowed her eyes to this, her Third Eye active as she saw a dark aura around her committee member. "I better tell the others about this, maybe we can do something about it in Mementos." She mentally decided in concern.

Yui on the other hand called her brother to let him know that she'll be home a little bit late to handle something.

Homura meanwhile decided it would be best to head out for the day. She would also apologize to her friend's Shadow later for her actions.


(Shibuya, Central Street)

Asuka, meanwhile, was out in the city shopping. However, it wasn't for clothes and food, but weapons and armor for their upcoming battle. Right now, she was currently in the pharmacy to find some medicine for the many, many injuries they were definitely going to need to treat after the fight...assuming they survive.

The Vice Leader however shook her head. No, they will survive and make it back, no matter what.

"Hmm...what would be good to have when fighting Shin...?" Asuka muttered to herself as she stared at the rows of bandages and painkillers. "Should I just see Takemi-sensei? Her medicine is expensive but it works wonders. No wait, she's probably still upset..." She added as she remembered how pissed the doctor was.

After a few more minutes, she decided to just buy some bandages and headed out. She'll request Akira-kun to buy medicine for her. After all, at least he was on good terms with her.

"Moh...what are we gonna do...?" Asuka muttered as she left the pharmacy. So far, she was coming up blank on the plan. There were only 11 of them against the most dangerous yōma in history. "Should I...Should I get the others too?" She soon asked, her mind drifting to her friends at Hanzō Academy.

She however shook her head. It would be too risky if she told them about Shin, mostly since it would also involve bringing them into the Metaverse...but then again, it could be worth the risk if only to up their chances.

"This is all too much..." Asuka sighed while rubbing her head. "I should call Jii-chan and come clean so he'll help us..." She decided in defeat while taking her phone out.

Yeah, she should've thought of this at the start. Her grandfather was a very understanding man, so she wouldn't have any problem convincing him to help the Phantom Thieves kill Shin and save the world.

...So why wasn't she doing it?

Asuka had him in her contacts, he was readily available so why was she standing in the middle of the street doing nothing but staring at her phone?

Maybe she was that stressed over this and needed some rest.

Or...maybe she was just scared.

Either way, she wanted to go home. Maybe the equipment needed one last cleaning.


(Kichijoji, Shopping District)

Akira came out of a store named Dunk'em Doh-Nuts while holding a branded cellophane bag filled with flavor-frosted donuts and munchballs. He then took the opportunity to take a glance inside the bag, and he had to admit, the ones he chose looked really good to eat.

"Mmm, they look good." Akira spoke up as he noticed the treats.

"Okay, Shiki. Just tell Yumi-chii once you see her." A voice suddenly instructed to themself. It seemed they were talking to themselves. "Simple and easy." They then added.

"Hm?" Akira hummed out as he noticed a girl near a bench with an uneasy expression.

He then noticed the girl's features. Long blonde wavy hair, red eyes, a beauty-mark on the lower right side of her mouth, and most prominently of all, her boobs. Really big boobs, enhanced by what she was wearing today. A yellow top with a black bat design with a light blue and gray hoodie, a crimson bordering on a purple skirt and white sneakers.

Despite her sad demeanor, it seemed she took great care of her appearance.

"Rrrrgh, stop it brain! You're only making things worse!" The girl groaned as she then sat down at a bench and took in a shuddering breath. "It's...It's okay. It's going to be fine..." She tried to tell herself. However, she just couldn't keep it together and covered her face with her hands, crying.

Akira looked on sadly as people just...ignored her, walking past or even making sure to just avoid being in her vicinity. And...to his internal disgust, some of them simply stared at the girl, clearly focusing on the girl's prominent chest with varying improper expressions and reactions.

But that didn't matter for now. As always, someone needed help and it looked like he was the only one willing to even try.

"Hey, you look like you need a shoulder to cry on." Akira got out as he sat down next to the fashionable girl.

The girl raised her head and wiped some of her tears off her face. "Hehe...do you do this with every girl you see who is sad?" She humorlessly giggled.

"Only the pretty ones." Akira answered without thinking. "...I mean, and the ugly ones too. No, wait, I mean everyone of all ages and, um..." He then stammered out before coughing. "...Now that I've made a total ass of myself, what's wrong?" He finally asked in a concerned tone.

"A-Ah...um...M-My grandfather died. A-Adopted. He's gone. I'm visiting a friend to inform her of his passing." The fashionable girl answered before sighing. "God, why am I talking about this to a stranger?" She mumbled.

"Oh...I'm sorry for your loss." Akira got out in a comforting tone.

"Don't be." The blonde sighed as she shook her head. "I'm just...I'm scared how my friend would react." She confessed, imagining how her friend would react. Probably explosively, with ice and anger everywhere in a nearby city block or an apartment room.

"She really cared for him, I assume." Akira guessed.

"He gave us everything!" The blonde called out, her voice breaking. "He was her only family left, our only family left, and now he's just...gone." She then added, sniffling as she tried to hold herself back from crying.

"And you don't have the heart to tell her..." Akira assumed, which the girl confirmed with a nod.

"What am I going to do...?" The blonde muttered as she covered face with her hands. "This...This was supposed to be a happy visit and...and we...I can't-" She then began to sob.

"Shshshsh...calm down." Akira hushed the girl while rubbing the girl's head. "Take a deep breath." He then instructed.

The blonde girl somehow did so...only to be followed with a giggle afterwards. "You know, rubbing a girl's head is a bit weird, don't ya' think? Especially when we're in public." She amusingly pointed out.

"Oh, uh...s-sorry." Akira got out in an apologetic tone, already moving his hands off her, only for the blonde to put them back on her head.

"Haha, it's fine, really." The fashionista snickered. "You seem trustworthy to me, at least." She admitted with a smile.

"Glad you think that, but be a little more cautious in the future." Akira advised. "Not everyone's a saint." He then grumbled under his breath.

"...I have to tell her. This isn't supposed to be hard but my legs won't move..." The blonde girl muttered. "I...I just want to run and hide and just..." She then began confessing before trailing off.

"It won't fix anything if you do that." Akira however stated.

"I know but I want to find another way! Like, right now!" She then snapped as she clenched onto the bench, splintering the wood.

Akira flinched before opening his bag of doughnuts and held it out to her. "Uh...doughnut?" He awkwardly offered.

"...Thanks. Definitely needed something sweet today." She sighed out before noticing what type of doughnut it was. "...Maple bacon doughnut?" She guessed as she began nibbling on the sweets.

"...My friend wanted something sweet and savory." Akira admitted in a sheepish manner before calming down. "When's the funeral?" He soon asked.

The blonde girl in response shook her head. "I don't know. My friends are the ones organizing it." She answered. "Dammit, this shouldn't be this hard..." She then mumbled.

"I'll tell her for you if you want." Akira offered as he stood up.

"No, no!" Shiki responded while waving her hands in front of her. "It wouldn't be right to ask a complete stranger." She then explained.

"I...have a habit of helping complete strangers." Akira admitted before sitting back down on the bench. "But...alright. Besides, it should come from you." He then added.

Eventually, the blonde finished the doughnut and licked her fingers before sighing in relief. "Mmm...thanks. I...I needed this." She then got out in a grateful tone.

"Well, I was happy to help, ma'am." Akira replied with a smile.

"Hehe, you don't need to call me ma'am since I'm a first year in high school." Shiki giggled before gasping. "Oh...I never caught your name. I'm Shiki. Shiki Kōmori." She soon realized before introducing herself.

"Huh. One of my friends knows someone named Shiki." Akira remarked with a chuckle. "And I'm Akira. Akira Kurusu." He then introduced himself.

SHATTER!

"...Oh." Shiki squeaked as she heard his name, blinking a couple of times as a result. "I...I think I just remembered something. I need to go." She got out as she stood up from the bench.

"Okay. I have somewhere to be too." Akira admitted as he attempted to hug the girl before stopping himself. "You...don't mind a hug, would you?" He awkwardly offered.

"Haha, you're a strange guy, but sure." Shiki replied with a smirk as she accepted the hug. "You have a good heart, at least." She then admitted.

SMOOSH!

"Be there for her while she grieves, alright?" Akira told her as they hugged...while sweating a bit from the softness of the breasts. Eventually, they separated.

"I...will." Shiki promised before giving the boy a smile. "It was nice talking to you, Kurusu-kun." She then admitted.

"Just Akira will do and to you as well. Good luck." Akira replied with a smile, feeling a strong bond with the fashionista.

And with that, said fashionista took her leave, leaving the frizzy-haired student by himself.

SHATTER!

CUPS RANK 4!

"Eh?" Akira got out in a dumb tone as the Gessen shinobi ran off. "R-Rank 4 of Cups? She's a Gessen?" He thought in a panic.

"Wha...? What is it? Was there something I missed?" Morgana grumbled as he popped his head out of the Leader's bag. "Ugh, what a time to take a nap..." He then grumbled.

"Wait, she's the Shiki who is actually one of Yumi's friends?" Akira soon thought in disbelief. "...At least I didn't bump into her...oh shit." He began muttering before coming to a realization.

"What?" Morgana asked with a raised eyebrow.

"N-Nothing..." Akira sighed as he shook his head. "I...No, I shouldn't." He soon decided.

He just hoped that things would go well, especially for Yumi herself when she hears the news.

Eventually, Shiki stopped herself in the middle of the sidewalk after that encounter.

"So that was the legendary Akira Kurusu..." Shiki muttered to herself before smirking. "No wonder Yozakura-chii and Murakumo-chii were charmed by him and why Minori-chii sees him as a big brother." She then remarked in amusement before letting out a breath and lightly slapping her cheeks to focus herself.

Well, it was now or never. She had to use the courage Akira gave her to tell Yumi the truth.

With that, Shiki then headed for Shinjuku to tell the harsh and painful truth.


(Forest)

"Thanks for the donuts, Leader." Homura got out as they sat down by the tree to eat.

"It was no problem." Akira assured as he pulled out some doughnuts and gave one to the tan skinned girl. "Kinda unhealthy but we can just burn it off later."

"I didn't think they sold doughnuts like this here." Homura admitted. "But I guess you learn something new every day." She then added.

"You know it." Akira replied with a nod of agreement before gaining a serious expression on his face "Are we hunting down this Dōgen guy today?" He soon asked, getting straight to the point.

The tan skinned girl in response nodded. "Yep, but you need a quick warm up. Come on." Homura got out, followed by the order.

"I thought you'd never ask." Akira responded with a nod of acceptance.

"Heh, look at you now. You don't even look scared." Homura remarked with a confident smirk. "You're not afraid of getting hurt?" She soon asked.

"I've been hurt plenty of times," Akira stated with a smirk before relaxing his shoulders and rolling his neck. "I'm just repaying it ten fold." He then added.

"You can't even get to one fold compared to a genin." Homura countered. "But if you insist, may the best fighter win." She soon decided.

"Heh, then I've already got it in the bag. Bring it on." Akira taunted before they both settled into their battle stances.

Homura and Akira stared at each other, circling around waiting for their opponent to make their first move, both of them having their Third Eyes activated.

Akira was now ready...only to sense something foreign from nearby, slightly widening his eyes in the process.

CRACK!

And with that, Homura threw a kunai into the trees as a shadow jumped out of the way. "Amatuer!" She remarked.

Akira immediately leaped back and went on the tan-skinned girl's side, preparing for whoever was spying on them.

"RRRAAAAAHHHHH!" They suddenly heard a girl roar as she dropped from above them. They looked up to see the Anointed Rabbit Shinobi from before with her massive twin kukris at the ready .

"...A rabbit?" Akira asked with a raised eyebrow while slightly struggling not to mind at how exposed she was.

"You saw her before!" Homura called out before summoning her katanas. "Okay, enough with the tricks! Who are you?" She then declared and questioned.

"You have to earn that right." The girl vaguely responded.

"Homura..." Akira warned while in a defensive stance.

"Stay out of my way." Homura however ordered. "She's mine." She then declared.

"No. Let him join." The girl remarked as she pointed one of her kukris at the two. "Let's see how good he is ever since he stabbed me in the thigh. I'll even put down my weapons. Hand-to-hand only." She then declared.

Homura felt doubtful about that declaration as she narrowed her eyes. "Fine. At least you have a sense of honor." She then got out as she dropped her katanas.

"This isn't honor." The Anointed Shinobi however stated as she put down her weapons as well. "This is mercy. Just so I can take it away when I kill you." She then declared before getting into a battle stance.

"You seriously think you can take on both of us?" Akira however questioned with narrowed eyes with uneasiness.

"I'll go down trying." The Rabbit replied, flexing her fingers. "Also, don't forget what you did to me back then. Consider this payback on you." She then added.

"I won't let that happen." Homura declared before punching her palm. "Now shut up and fight!" She then shouted out as she dashed towards the Anointed Shinobi.

The Rabbit blocked the straight punch before jabbing the tan skinned girl in the gut...only to feel like she was jabbing a brick wall.

"Seriously?" The Anointed Shinobi whispered in disbelief.

"That's what 16 years of constant shinobi training would do to you." Homura stated before socking her in the face. "I really hope that wasn't the hardest you could punch, otherwise I will be very disappointed." She then added.

"...Secret Ninja Art: Blinding Blizzard!" The Rabbit Shinobi suddenly declared.

Instantly, Homura's face was covered in opaque ice. "MMMPH!" She then screamed as she tried to claw it off, but to no avail.

Akira's eyes widened before glaring at the enemy. "Hey, that's cheating!" He called out.

"Like I said, no honor!" The Rabbit reminded as she rolled her shoulders.

"We don't need to cheat to beat you." Akira growled before charging in.

The two exchanged blows, kicking and punching each other but never quite landing a solid blow.

Akira wasn't sure if he was going to win, but he had to stop her fast before helping Homura as he was sure she wasn't able to breathe.

The Leader and the Rabbit soon punched each other in the cheek, forcing them to stumble backwards. "Ah...You should take off your glasses. Don't want me to snap them in two and leave you blind." The Anointed Shinobi suggested.

Akira tilted his head to that. "Wow, you must suck as a shinobi." He then got out with a smirk.

"Don't taunt me!" The Rabbit shouted out. "Why did you say that?" She then questioned.

Akira simply took his glasses off before tossing them to her. The Rabbit instinctively caught them, taking a second to wonder why...right before the Leader punched her face as hard as he could, throwing all his weight into it to send her to the ground.

"They're fake!" Akira called out as he lifted her up while she was still dazed.

The Leader then grabbed the shinobi's arm and twisted it behind her back, allowing Homura to stumble over and headbutt the enemy, destroying the ice to reveal a very angry face. "Bitch!" She swore out.

"Murderer!" The Anointed Shinobi spat back.

"How about we show your true form!" Akira declared.

"Eh?" The Rabbit got out before being punched in the gut, allowing the Leader to grab her mask. Still, she struggled and tried to break out of the hold without breaking her arm.

Eventually, Akira was able to get the mask and gray haired wig off the girl and the two saw who it was. She quickly managed to break out of the hold to cover her face, but she wasn't able to hide her long brown hair. "Alright, we win! Now who-" He began, however...

The tan skinned girl gasped, stumbling backwards at the assailant's face. "Wait, you're Tsumuji..." Homura got out as she looked at who attacked them.

This however got the Leader's attention. "Hold on, you know her?" Akira asked in surprise.

"Y-Yeah. First year at Hebijo. She's Komachi's sister. I was the one who signed her off to get into Hebijo." Homura responded and revealed.

"Of course you did..." Akira thought with a sweatdrop.

"I knew you were gonna try and kill me, but by doing all of this shit?" Homura stated and accused.

The Anointed Shinobi growled as she put down her arms. "You killed my brother." Tsumuji declared, narrowing her purple eyes.

"He tried to kill me first!" Homura countered in anger. "He's the one who committed suicide in from of me to trick my former family into exiling me!" She then added with fury.

"Do I look like I give a shit at this point?" Tsumuji got out as she glared at the former Hebijo student. "You took something away from me...now I'm taking something away from you..." She soon declared. "And I'll start...WITH HIM!" She began as she rushed towards the Phantom Thieves Leader.

"AKIRA!" Homura called out.

CLASH!

"What!?" Tsumuji exclaimed as she looked at the weapon, her blade clashed with a dagger. "A knife!?" She got out in surprise.

"Don't even try." Akira countered in a menacing tone. "You hurt anyone, especially my friends...I will not show you mercy." He soon declared as his eyes flashed red for a moment.

The enemy scoffed. "How unfortunate...you were training with another shinobi..." Tsumuji remarked in annoyance.

"Not a shinobi." Akira got out with a smirk. "A thief. Homura!" He soon called out.

"Shinobi Kekkai!" Homura declared as the three vanished from the woods.


(Homura's Shinobi Kekkai)

(Cue LAST CALL by Stephanie Topalian)

"Kaito Change." Akira whispered as he was enveloped in blue flames.

"Shinobi Tenshin!" Homura called out, her clothes changing to her military-like style appearance along with her white mask of her Phantom Thief attire atop her head.

Tsumuji honestly didn't expect the young boy to have a shinobi transformation outfit of his own (from the way she saw it). "You're a lot better than I thought." She confessed.

"And a lot more. So why not give up while you have an unbroken nose." Joker advised as he twirled around his dagger.

"No. I've come too far." Tsumuji replied, shaking her head as she put her mask back on. "I won't give up here. That's a promise I made a long time ago." She then stated.

"To Komachi?" Homura assumed.

"To myself." Tsumuji corrected before taking a deep breath. "Now come at me if you wanna die!" She soon demanded as she went into her battle stance.

The Thieves quickly got ready for whatever she was preparing to do. "Personas or no?" Joker whispered.

"We are not letting her get a chance to report to Dōgen about it." Yang growled. "You better fight her with the intent to kill, Akira." She then ordered in a dead serious tone.

"Yeah. I know." Joker replied as he clutched onto his dagger. He didn't want to, but he really didn't have a choice.

After a second, the three charged in, meeting in the middle to fight, clashing as a result.

CLANG! CLANG!

"Wow, you're actually putting up a challenge." Yang remarked.

"I was holding back!" Tsumuji stated, even as she began to sweat. "I've been training for this moment for years!" She then called out.

"Well, let's see them go to waste." Joker declared before pushing off the blade and landing a haymaker to her cheek.

"Gah!" The Rabbit yelped in pain, but recovered quickly, already guarding against the two's follow up attacks.

"How about this! CHARGE!" Yang declared before charging forward and unleashing a wide, fierce attack with her swords, trapping the enemy in a series of slashes.

Joker only barely got out of the way of the attack, kicking off the enemy's kukri to jump away. "Whoa! Watch it!" He called out, closing one eye to keep himself from being blinded by the flames.

"I'm not finished yet! Hayabusa!" Yang shouted out as she swung her swords about, creating a barrage of fiery slashes to hurt the enemy even further.

"Suzuki!" Tsumuji shouted out, coating her kukri in ice and swinging wildly around to counter the attack.

FWOOSH! CRACKLE! SLASH! FWOOSH! CRACKLE! SLASH!

"LEARN! SOMETHING! ORIGINAL!" Yang growled each time their blades met.

The Rabbit grit her teeth before jumping back. "Fine! Secret Ninja Art: Blizzard Raid!" Tsumuji called out as she coated her kukri in ice before throwing it.

The tan skinned girl easily dodged the blade thrown at her and smirked. "You've gotta try better than that!" Yang responded...right before the handle slammed into the back of her head. "OW!" She yelped out.

"Always expect the unexpected." Tsumuji got out as she pulled on her ninja wire she attached to her kukri, getting it back into her hand.

"How are you so tough!? I've taken down dozens of you without a sweat!" Yang remarked in annoyance.

"Training and anger, bitch!" Tsumuji revealed with fury, continuously unleashing ice attacks from her blades.

"Ha! Your ice is weak!" Yang however remarked.

"Who said I was aiming for you?" Tsumuji countered in a smug tone.

"..." Yang blinked before looking behind her back to see the Leader frozen to the ground.

"Uh...a little help?" Joker got out as he tried to break out of his icy prison.

"Che!" Yang got out in annoyance while sheathing her blades and summoning her fans in crimson flames. "Ninja Art! Flame Wave!" She declared, waving her fans as she unleashed a gust of hot winds, melting the ice instantly.

"Thanks!" Joker responded in a grateful manner.

"What the!?" Tsumuji got out in shock. "That wasn't in your file!" She declared.

"You're not the only one who's been practicing." Yang vaguely responded while reading her fans and changing her stance. "Going forth." She calmly declared, launching forwards with flames emitting from her feet as if she was skating.

"!?" Tsumuji's eyes widened as the tan skinned girl was too fast for her and was in range now.

FWOOSH! FWOOSH! FWOOSH! FWOOSH!

Soon, the tan skinned girl was unleashing wave after wave of flames from her fans, moving in a manner as if she was dancing.

"Looks like Yumi taught her well." Joker thought in an impressed manner.

"G-Grrrr..." Tsumuji growled as she stood back up while shaking the flames off, despite the now singed skin. "Nice dance...but that won't be enough to stop me..." She then panted out.

"Then perhaps this shall," Yang calmly assumed. "Ninja Art! Crimson Viper!" She declared, the flames gathering and slithering behind her before merging into a giant snake made of fire. "Strike!" She soon commanded as the construct lunged at the enemy with its mouth open.

BOOM!

...Only to see she was already gone.

"What!?" Joker got out in shock.

Suddenly, Yang felt a hand on her shoulder. "You think I was just gonna stand there?" Tsumuji got out in a taunting tone. "Fancy, schmancy techniques mean nothing when you take too long performing them." She then pointed out.

Yang however just smirked. "So you assume." She coldly stated.

Rumble...CRASH!

Suddenly, the flame construct came out of the ground underneath Tsumuji's feet, her eyes widening as the tan skinned girl vanished from her grip and swallowed her whole, going up into the air before...

BOOM!

Exploding instantaneously in a pillar of flames.

"Hmph. Didn't even last a minute." Yang stated while closing her fans.

THUD!

"Ugh..." Tsumuji groaned as she struggled to get to her knees.

"You still have some fight in you, huh?" Yang remarked before reaching behind her back and pulling off the explosive tag she tried sneakily to stick on her. "You're out of tricks, Tsumuji. This is your last chance to concede." She then stated.

"You...You piss me off...thinking you've got the high road in all of this..." Tsumuji grumbled in pain as she slowly got up on her feet. "Thinking that a mercy here will make up for everything you've do-" She then began, however...

"Stop the fucking monologues, and either fight or lay down unconscious!" Yang snapped. "I don't give a flying fuck if you're Komachi's sister or not! You!" She then started before raising her fist.

WHAM!

"Hurt!"

WHAM!

"MY FRIENDS!"

WHAM WHAM WHAM!

"U-Urgh..." Tsumuji groaned, her mask long since broken into pieces. However after the beating, she was still trying to get up. "I only...hurt...you..." She then mumbled.

Joker frowned before he reached into his coat and pulled out his pistol, twirling his gun around before aiming it at the Anointed Shinobi. "Stay down." He ordered.

BANG!

(End Music)


"AH!" Tsumuji screamed in pain, the bullet hitting the center of her chest, causing her top to tear open and her boobs to bounce free. "Gah...You...hit that place on purpose, you pervert..." She groaned and accused while covering herself.

"Nope. That was sheer dumb luck." Yang remarked before lifting the downed enemy by her neck, nearly crushing her windpipe. "Now then, how the hell did you find me in the first place?" She soon asked.

"Homura, calm down. We can't get information from her if she can't speak." Joker got out with a frown as he approached her.

Yang frowned but dropped her anyway, allowing her to breathe.

"I'm not telling you anything, murderer." Tsumuji spat out as she held the tan-skinned girl's hands in struggle, exposing her breasts in the process.

WHAM!

That earned her a free broken nose.

"WHERE THE HELL IS DŌGEN!?" Yang demanded as she ripped off her mask and summoned Wolverine to her side.

The Leader's eyes widened. She wasn't supposed to do that. "Homura, calm down. We won't get anywhere if you're acting like this." Joker ordered.

"Akira, here's a lesson in interrogation." Homura soon got out, taking a kunai out from between her breasts. "You don't kill them. You maim them. Cut off fingers, pull out teeth, take a little bit of their ear. But never kill them. Make sure your victim can hear you and speak. And overall...make sure they know it's serious." She instructed while twirling the knife around before...

STAB!

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

"Don't be a baby, it's only the foot. It'll heal eventually. But I can't make any promises that the next one will be as merciful." Yang scoffed as she rolled her eyes. "Now, where is Dōgen?" She then questioned, even as the girl writhed in pain while clutching onto her foot to stop the bleeding.

"Did it ever occur to you she might not know anything!? Or that she'll lie to get out of this!?" Joker pointed out as he clenched his fist.

The Leader blinked and the next second the tan skinned girl was glaring as much hate as she had for Tsumuji at him. "Shut. The fuck. Up. Now, Tsumuji, where is he?" Yang questioned once more.

"I...I...I'm not...telling you anything..." The defeated shinobi panted out, attempting to ignore the pain. "Besides...I'm losing blood...I'll die before I give you what you want..." She then groaned, her eyes beginning to drift upwards.

"Don't you fucking dare die yet! I'm not done with you!" Yang growled as she began choking the girl once again.

That was enough. This was no longer an interrogation, this was just a slow murder. "Homura!" Joker called out in disapproval.

"Joker, stay the fuck out of this!" ordered as she shoved the Leader to the ground. "I've killed people before. What's another body on the pile?" She then added as Wolverine inched her claws closer and closer to the girl's heart.

"PERSONA!" Joker suddenly called out before...

CRACKLE!

"AH!" Yang screamed in pain, blindsided from a blast of ice and forcing her to drop her victim to the ground gasping for air. "What the hell!?" She soon called out, glaring at the happy Jack Frost.

"Sorry, but there was no other way." Joker apologized before crouching down to check on the broken girl. "Are you okay?" He questioned while offering a hand.

"You...Why did you...?" Tsumuji managed to get out, unable to comprehend that someone was helping her, nonetheless her enemy only moments ago.

"Calm down. Let me fix this. At least, I hope I can fix this." Joker assured the girl before switching to a more healing oriented Persona. "Daisoujou, Diarahan!" He called out as the skeletal monk casted a green energy over the girl.

"What are you doing!? I'm not done!" Yang called out as the enemy's wounds healed in a flash.

"No, we are." Joker declared as he turned and stared down the tan skinned girl. "Drop the Kekkai, or Jack Frost here will freeze your ass into the next Ice Age. Your choice." He then threatened.

"I'll do it, hee ho!" Jack Frost happily replied.

"...I really must've lost a lot of blood." Tsumuji muttered in a delirious manner, blinking to clear whatever fog that must've been in her mind. She swore she was seeing demons right behind them.

"...Dammit." Homura cursed before raising her hands. "Kai!" She added.


(Forest)

Soon enough, the three reappeared in the forest like they never left.

"Happy?" Homura questioned in an annoyed tone.

Akira didn't even give her a look as he checked over Tsumuji's body as she reverted back into her normal clothes. It looked like a school uniform with a pink cardigan over it. "Leave. Now. If you say a word about this to your superiors, we'll know." He soon ordered and warned.

"Akira!" Homura called out, already taking out a kunai to finish her off.

"Homura. I will break your knees if you say one more thing." The Leader soon threatened. "Hey, come on, I'll take you to a special clinic who'll treat you. No questions asked." He then informed as he helped the girl up onto her feet.

Tsumuji looked down at her uninjured foot and let out a breath. "Dentsu."

Akira stopped as the tan skinned girl froze. "Excuse me?" He got out.

"Tange's Dentsu HQ. It's an abandoned building in Tsukiji. He's there." Tsumuji informed as she brushed some hair behind her ear before picking up the boy's glasses and handing it back to him.

Akira blinked. He didn't expect that. "And why are you telling us about this?" He soon questioned.

"Simple. There's nothing left for me." The Anointed Shinobi answered with a small, empty laugh.

"...Nothing...left for you?" Homura repeated, a hollow feeling beginning to seep into her heart.

"Don't you get it? Ever since my brother died, everything in my life was dedicated to ending yours." Tsumuji explained. "But now...now I see I never will." She added in growing despair.

"So what are you going to do now?" Akira had to ask.

"Didn't you hear what I just said? I have nothing. I abandoned Hebijo for my revenge, I threw away my life for revenge." Tsumuji replied in a bitter tone. "There's nothing more to do than...join my brother in hell. At the very least, I shall meet with my hunters so I can have some semblance of dignity." She then muttered.

Akira swallowed. His brain was telling him to let her go...but his heart wanted him to think of something to stop her. It all in the matter of deciding who he would listen to.

Remain silent.

There has to be another way.

Well, he would've never gotten into this situation in the first place if he listened to his brain.

"There's still a place for you!" Akira suddenly got out, surprising the girls. "Maybe not at Hebijo, but somewhere else." He then added as he pulled out his journal and ripped out a blank piece of paper.

"Hm?" Tsumuji got out with a raised eyebrow.

"Akira...?" Homura whispered with a frown.

"If you wish to find a place to belong, call this number and tell her that you want to leave Hebijo. Tell her Joker sent you. She'll arrange something to help you out." Akira informed as he quickly wrote down the Vice Leader's number and gave it to the broken girl. "Come on, you may not be able to beat her, but you can't just let that talent you have go to waste. You still have something to live for." He then encouraged.

"...You're a terrible shinobi." Tsumuji bluntly stated while narrowing her eyes. "Why should I trust that?" She then asked.

"Hey, like you said, you have nothing left. Why not gamble a little and hope for a jackpot?" Akira pointed out with a smirk.

"...I'm gonna kill you if you lied." Tsumuji soon promised as she shoved the Leader's arm away and pocketed the number. She felt well enough to walk on her own.

"You can certainly try." Akira replied with a smirk. "Just remember my name." He then instructed.

"...Kurusu-san." Tsumuji got out before limping away.

"...Well, I was gonna say Joker but I guess that's kinda pointless." Akira muttered as he rubbed the back of his neck.

It was right then that he finally noticed the tan skinned girl glaring at him. "You and your stupid bleeding heart." Homura muttered in disapproval.

"She didn't need to die, Homura." Akira reminded. "And she has some pretty similar scars to you." He then added.

"Don't you dare compare her to me." Homura demanded with a growl. "Ugh, whatever. I don't care what she does as long as she isn't trying to kill us. We have the info we need anyways." She then stated after calming down.

"Dentsu HQ in Tsukiji." Akira recalled before checking on his phone. "It's not too far from here. Only 17 minutes." He then informed.

The tan skinned girl nodded to that. "Get everyone. We're hunting this fucker down..." Homura growled out her order.

"And the cycle of vengeance continues on." The Leader muttered under his breath.

"I'm gonna kill him. I'm gonna kill him so hard there will be nothing left of him in hell." Homura muttered as she ground her fist into her palm.

"Homura." Akira got out with a frown.

"Oh, don't you Homura me. Dōgen deserves to die after all the shit he's done. You can't stop me, Akira." Homura countered.

"He does. I know that. But I think that's what this Dōgen guy is counting on." Akira pointed out. "He wants you to feel angry. He wants you to charge in. He wants to make mistakes and end up with your head chopped off." He then added.

"YOU DON'T THINK I KNOW THAT!?" Homura countered as she slammed her fist to a tree. "You damn well know that Dōgen is a danger to all of us!" She then reminded.

"So we should walk into a trap?" Akira assumed.

"No!" Homura called out before groaning and slapping her forehead. "Ugh, I'll explain once everyone is there with us. Come on!" She then stated and ordered as the two began running.


(Tsukiji, Dentsu HQ)

Akira and Homura arrived at the abandoned building Tsumuji had told them about. "Is this the place?" The Leader assumed as he checked his GPS.

"Looks like it." Homura replied, looking upwards and studying the building.

"So he's in there, huh." Akira muttered with a frown. "That's...a tall building. Are we sure we can find him before it gets too dark out?" He then questioned in concern.

"That's why we'll need more people." Homura pointed out as she leaned against a nearby wall. "We'll stake the place out for an hour or two before we break in." She then stated.

"Why are you asking me to call everyone?" Akira questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"My phone's out of battery." Homura answered. "Even if it's just Sis, Yumi-senpai and Miyabi. We'll need all the help we can get." She then explained.

Akira looked at his phone and frowned.

Text the Phantom Thieves.

Fake a text to the Phantom Thieves.

It was a difficult choice. He didn't want to drag his friends in, but he didn't want to do this alone if they were going to assault the hideout. Did Homura need a group or him alone? It was a suicide mission regardless of what he chose to do. Decisions, decisions...

Akira frowned before quickly typing on his phone.

[TheWildJ0ker: Calling all Thieves.]

[TheWildJ0ker: If you have the time, come to Tsukiji.]

"That should do it." Akira muttered to himself as he pocketed his phone. He just hoped he didn't regret it later.

For the next hour or so, Akira and Homura observed the building, making sure to stay out of sight and not to draw attention to themselves. However, they noticed that no one was going in or out of the building...and that the other Thieves hadn't arrived.

"Where the hell is everyone?" Homura asked in an impatient manner.

"They all said they're busy." Akira answered. He neglected to mention that he never got replies, or hit send on the text to everyone.

"God-...fine, we're going in on our own." Homura decided as they stepped out of the hiding spot.

"Just the two of us? Homura, I'm not on the same level as you and we don't know anything about this location." Akira pointed out with a frown. "He could have traps and such. He might even know we're already here. We will die." He then stated.

"You'll do fine." Homura off-handedly replied.

"No I won't!" Akira countered. "Even if we dragged the other Thieves into this, we would all die. We can't do this."

"Yes we can, and you can't stop me." Homura growled as she started walking straight towards her death.

And that was something Akira couldn't let happen.

"Homura, stop!" Akira shouted out.

"STAY OUT OF MY-" Homura began to order, however...

WHAM!

Akira's right fist throbbed as the tan skinned girl rubbed her sore jaw. "Calm. Down." He once more ordered in a dead serious tone.

"..." Homura meanwhile remained silent, only glaring at the Leader before taking a deep breath. "...Dammit..." She muttered in frustration.

"You're losing yourself." Akira sighed as he shook his head in disappointment. "That's what Dōgen wants. Do you wanna follow the orders of some asshole who wanted you dead?" He then questioned.

"No..." Homura muttered.

"Then calm down and let's find the backdoor." Akira sighed as he went off to circle the building to find a different entrance...only to blink, and find himself at the entrance with the girl. "...You love doing that, don't you?" He then got out in a flat tone.

The tan skinned girl ignored the remark and looked around the place. "It's empty..." She muttered with a frown, taking note of the empty space where a security camera would usually be.

"But it's only the first floor. There could be more towards the top." Akira responded and noted.

Homura nodded to that before glancing over to the elevators. They didn't seem to have been used in a while. "I doubt the elevators work so let's find the stairs." She then assumed before looking around.

"Over here." Akira called out as they headed over to a fire exit. He tried to pull on the handle, but the door didn't budge. "Locked? That's a serious hazard..." He then noted.

"Give me a second." Homura ordered as she pushed the Leader backwards. After a few seconds of studying the door, she cracked her knuckles and...

WHAM! CRASH!

Kicked the door open, sending it flying off its hinges and into the stairwell. Homura smiled while polishing her nails on her top. "Easy." She then got out with a smirk before the two went through the opening.

"Damn, it's so dark..." Akira muttered before reaching for his phone, only for the tan skinned girl to grab his hand.

"Don't use your phone flashlight. We need to save that battery in case we get into trouble." Homura advised and explained in a serious tone.

"But Third Eye doesn't light up dark areas." Akira reminded as his eyes flashed gold for a second.

Homura frowned as she took a second to think. "Here. Hold my hand. I can see better in the dark so I can help guide you up." She soon instructed as she held out her hand. "It'd be a nasty fall from anywhere up those stairs." She then explained.

"...Thanks." Akira got out as he grabbed her hand.

With that, they carefully climbed the stairs in the dark. It was slow going, but at least they weren't tripping and tumbling back down.

"Are you tired after Tsumuji?" Homura asked after a while.

"After the hell that was Kaneshiro's Stairs of Insanity and your training? Yeah, no." Akira casually answered as he shook his head.

"Alright, just keep tight." Homura instructed before seeing a door in the dark. She tried to open it, but it was locked just like the one at the bottom. "Well, sort of expected that." She sighed in annoyance.

"Can you pick it?" Akira eventually asked.

"It's an emergency exit. There is no keyhole to pick." Homura responded and informed. "But...it shouldn't be locked either..." She then hesitantly stated while narrowing her eyes.

"Well we can't kick down every door in the building." The Leader pointed out. "Actually, given how these things usually go, he's probably at the top." He then suggested.

"This isn't a video game or Kamoshida's castle. He is not that stupid...or cliche." Homura sighed as she rolled her eyes. "...But we should check just in case." The tan skinned girl then added as she pulled the boy along with her.

Eventually, they reached the top floor. They were instantly cautious when they saw that the door was cracked open slightly, letting a little light into the dark stairway.

"Why am I right?" Akira thought with a sweatdrop.

"This is the only door unlocked..." Homura muttered quietly with a frown.

"I feel like we're being guided into this trap." Akira admitted.

"If that were the case, they would've ambushed us at the stairs." The tan skinned girl pointed out. "It's not exactly the best place to have a fight. We're sitting ducks here." She then stated.

"I know..." Akira replied, narrowing his eyes.

"...Stay here." Homura soon ordered as she stepped towards the door.

"No." Akira responded while narrowing his eyes.

"Akira, don't argue." Homura ordered in a no nonsense tone. "Whoever is in there...they'll end you in an instant. Dōgen especially." She then stated.

"...Be careful." Akira eventually requested.

The tan skinned girl nodded before taking a deep breath.

This was it.

With a roar, Homura kicked the door down and ran in, facing...

Nothing.

Nothing but an almost empty office.

Nothing but a bouquet of flowers on the floor.

Geranium. Foxglove. Meadowsweet. Yellow carnation. Orange lily.

That's polite.

"...It's empty." Akira muttered out.

"That fucker..." Homura growled out. "Look around! Search for clues!" She soon ordered.

"Or bombs..." Akira thought, nervously swallowing some saliva before looking around and heading towards the bouquet of flowers. There was a note tucked in between the stems. "This might be something..." He muttered as he picked it up.

"What is it?" Homura asked as she punched a hole in the wall.

"Dear Homura..." Akira read out. "If you are reading this, Tsumuji betrayed me as I always knew she would, given your weakness for mercy. Now is not the time of our first meeting. I still require your assistance in my plans for the future. Spend this year wisely, because that will be the only semblance of peace you will have. Dōgen." He concluded.

"...What?" Homura got out, her voice barely audible.

"Hold on..." Akira got out before aiming the bouquet away from his face. Suddenly, the bouquet started spraying pepper spray and fart gas outwards. "...Aw, real mature of you, asshole." He then grumbled as he threw the flowers down. Just as he did that, the bouquet then went up in flames.

"He escaped." Homura calmly stated.

"Homura..." Akira got out.

"You. Let him. Escape." Homura slowly got out. "He's gone...he's fucking gone...they're all gone...!" She then added as a fiery aura surrounded her.

Akira frowned before getting into a battle stance, ready to subdue the tan skinned girl.

However, just as Homura's fiery aura raged like a wildfire...it vanished.

Leaving behind a broken girl as she fell to her knees.

"They're all gone...they're all gone...No matter how hard I fight, no matter who I kill, they're still gone...and I did nothing while they died like dogs...!" Homura cried out, tears running down her face.

"Homura..." Akira muttered with a concerned expression.

"They were cruel, they were all fucking assholes who deserve the lowest level of hell but dammit they didn't have to die like that!" Homura ranted. "Why...Why do I care so much about them now...?" She then muttered in frustration.

Akira said nothing, only sitting down with the girl and rubbing her back.

"Th...There's nothing left of my past self...it's all gone...it's all gone..." Homura then sobbed.

"...You really think so?" Akira soon questioned.

"It's all gone!" The tan skinned girl soon declared. "The Homura I was at the start of the year is dead. The Homura I needed to be wasn't strong enough to kill Dōgen! I don't have anything anymore! My goals, my dreams, my strength, my growth...they're all fucking worthless!" She soon raged, wanting to just stomp around destroying everything but her body had lost all the energy to do so. "I don't know what to do." She then concluded in a small tone.

"Yes you do." Akira insisted.

"Don't speak for me." Homura growled. "You're acting like you know me but you don't. You don't even know my real name." She then mumbled.

"I don't have to." Akira responded. "To me, you're Homura, and that girl is the one of few people I would trust my life with." He then stated and declared.

"You're just saying that." Homura scoffed.

"How can you tell?" Akira however asked. "We've gotten each other's backs plenty of times in the Metaverse. This isn't any different." He then reminded and pointed out.

"Yeah, throwing ourselves into danger without anything but our weapons and our guts." Homura countered. "...But what happens after this?" She then asked.

"We move on. We find a new goal. Find something else to believe in." Akira answered in a no nonsense tone.

"You make it sound so easy." Homura sighed out while palming her face.

"It isn't, but you wouldn't know until you try." Akira responded before looking around. "Heh, you know...we could probably use this place as a base..." He then noted in a joking manner.

Homura in response blinked to that idea as she looked at the spacious empty building once more. "...You know what? We might." She agreed with a nod. "...Actually, I suddenly remembered something..." She soon revealed.

"Hm?" Akira hummed out with a raised eyebrow.

"I think...this is the only piece of good advice my old parents ever gave me..." Homura got out before letting out a peaceful smile while going over to the window and looked out at the night sky. "Life is fleeting. We only have a century at best to make your mark in history. People may not know your face, or your name, or even if you existed in the first place. But it's what you do that defines what happens to the world. That's why we live...why we fight...to leave a legacy for others to remember and pass on once they make theirs." She soon recited.

"Heh. They sounded wise." Akira had to admit. "...Still total assholes for what they did to you though." He then added.

"No arguments from me." Homura responded.

"I'll drink to that." Akira chuckled before simply watching the night sky along with the tan skinned girl for a while, with the flaming bouquet giving them a little warmth.

"I...I'm going to start living for myself." Homura eventually decided with a smile. "I don't care where I belong. As long as I'm with you guys...I'll be happy." She then stated while leaning her head against his shoulder.

"That's the girl I know." Akira responded with a smile on his face as he placed a hand on the girl's shoulder.

SHATTER!

RANK UP! Aeon Rank 9!

Unlocked Crimson Lotus!

Activates at critical health. Homura's skill costs are reduced to 0 for three turns.

"Thank you, Akira." Homura whispered out, sniffling as she cleaned up her face. "...I'm gonna go home. I'll see you tomorrow..." She then got out.

"I'll be waiting then." Akira replied with a smile before helping the girl leave this place.

There was nothing left for them here.


(Fast Forward)

"So you never met this Dōgen, let alone killed him?" Sae clarified with a frown.

"Well...let's just say we had another chance and even then it was a rip-off." Akira vaguely admitted while rubbing the back of his neck.

"...Should I put attempted murder as part of your charges?" Sae questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Look, my criminal record is already a shitshow. You may as well, but I doubt you'll be able to prove it given that there's no evidence other than my story." Akira pointed out with a shrug.

"...Fine. Continue." the prosecutor sighed before signaling the Leader to keep going.

Again...maybe Akira decided to change a few details to his story...

(Rewind)


(9/3, After School)

(Tsukiji, Dentsu HQ)

Tonight has been a wild roller coaster ever since meeting Homura in their usual training spot.

Fighting Tsumuji, stopping Homura from killing her, hunting down Dōgen only to find he was long gone? That was only in a span of two and a half hours.

And now they were here, simply talking about life and its meaning while a bouquet of flowers burned in front of them like a campfire.

"Heh, you know...we could probably use this place as a base..." Akira noted in a joking manner.

Homura in response blinked to that idea as she looked at the spacious empty building once more. "...You know what? We might." She agreed with a nod. "...Actually, I suddenly remembered something..." She soon revealed.

"Hm?" Akira hummed out with a raised eyebrow.

"I think...this is the only piece of good advice my old parents ever gave me..." Homura got out before letting out a peaceful smile while going over to the window and looked out at the night sky. "Life is fleeting. We only have a century at best to make your mark in history. People may not know your face, or your name, or even if you existed in the first place. But it's what you do that defines what happens to the world. That's why we live...why we fight...to leave a legacy for others to remember and pass on once they make theirs." She soon recited.

"Heh. They sounded wise." Akira had to admit. "...They're still unforgivable assholes. If they weren't dead, I would've kicked their asses." He then added.

"I'd help." Homura responded.

"Heh. Sounds like a good fun idea for a date. Maybe we'll keep it on the backburner." Akira chuckled before simply watching the night sky along with the tan skinned girl for a while, with the flaming bouquet giving them a little warmth.

"I...I'm going to start living for myself." Homura eventually decided with a smile. "I don't care where I belong. As long as I'm with you guys...I'll be happy." She then stated while leaning her head against his shoulder.

"That's the girl I know." Akira responded with a smile on his face as he placed a hand on the girl's shoulder.

Homura simply smiled before looking down at the floor. "...So...about the other day..." She began.

"Huh?" Akira got out in confusion before he remembered what he foolishly said the last time they hung out. "...Oh. Oh, crap, uh...you know, we can just..." He then stammered out.

"Forget about it?" Homura assumed with a raised eyebrow. "...I...I don't feel like it." She then got out with a smile.

"Eh?" Akira gasped.

"Akira...I've been thinking..." The tan skinned girl began as her cheeks began to redden. "A-A lot since you, um...confessed." She soon admitted.

"And...?" Akira pressed as he leaned in a little, causing Homura to blush even more.

"...Dammit, why is this so hard?" Homura soon mumbled to herself, sweating as her heart began to beat faster and faster. "Come on, just...freakin' say it."

"You're talking to yourself." Akira couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Gah!" Homura yelped in embarrassment. "L-Look, I...We both got some pretty crappy hands dealt to us in life...and we only got better because of...everything." She soon pointed out.

"Yeah." Akira nodded. "A fun yet traumatizing ride we've had so far." He then added, his voice cracking slightly.

"Probably only gonna get worse from here..." Homura grumbled under her breath before shaking her head. "B-But that's not the point! The thing...The thing I'm trying to say is...is..." She continued rambling before trailing off.

"Homura, breathe." Akira instructed.

"Argh! How can I say that I love...you...too." Homura growled in frustration only to slowly realize what she just said out loud. She then squeaked and covered her face.

"You...You do?" Akira responded.

Homura shivered before steeling her nerves and uncovered her mouth. "I-I mean...yeah..." She finally admitted. "But...there are tons of better girls with...better life expectancies. You should go out with Ann...or Makoto-senpai or Yumi-senpai...hell, maybe I'll...I'll put in a good word for you to Sis." She then offered, blushing heavily at the thought of talking to her sister about it.

Akira frowned before taking her hands into his own. "Homura...I would have never said what I said in the first place if I wasn't prepared for such a thing." He stated. "But...I know you're strong enough to last longer than me. I don't just want to be boyfriend and girlfriend. I...I want to be with you, share my life with you and...I don't know I'm strong enough to love you." He then confessed, his voice cracking again.

He just...felt so weak...

"...You are." Homura whispered out before leaning in and kissing him on the lips. When they finally pulled away, the tan skinned girl couldn't help it anymore and cried into his shoulder.

"It's okay." Akira comforted the girl as he patted her back.

"I...I love you, Akira." Homura sobbed out before embracing the boy in a hug, pressing her breasts against his chest. "I love you. Dammit, I love you! I-I can't stop crying...but I'm so happy...Please, stay with me...don't die and break my new heart..." She soon enough begged.

"I promise...I won't." Akira whispered into her ear, letting his body warmth and the flaming bouquet comfort her.

Akira had entered a relationship with a shinobi. He knew that there was no going back.

SHATTER!

RANK UP! Aeon Rank 9!

Unlocked Crimson Lotus!

Activates at critical health. Homura's skill costs are reduced to 0 for three turns.

"We better get out of here soon." Akira reminded in a quiet tone.

"Yeah...we should." Homura replied before resting her head on his shoulder.

But they didn't. They stayed for a while, simply enjoying each other's warmth even long after the bouquet became mere ashes.

There was nothing left there...but each other.


(9/2, Evening)

(Shibuya, Shin Megami Apartment Complex)

Homura soon took in a breath as she arrived at the door to her home before entering. "I'm home." She calmly called out, closing the door behind her.

"Ah, welcome back Homu-neechan." Asuka greeted with a smile as she was in front of the stove. "Dinner will be ready soon." She soon informed.

"Hey..." Homura softly replied, a small smile on her face before going over to the living room and sitting on the ground in a seiza position.

"Hm? Is something wrong, Homu-neechan?" Asuka soon asked, confused by her sister's action.

"I just had...an enlightening day, Sis." Homura replied. Then, with a deep breath, she held out her hands and summoned something she had not touched in a very long time. "Engetsuka..." She muttered.

"Your family's sword?" Asuka however asked as she noticed said sword. "Homu-neechan, what are you doing?" She then questioned.

"...Facing myself." The tan-skinned girl replied with a hint of determination in her eyes.

Upon hearing that, Asuka was a little confused, but decided to stand back and let her do whatever she needed to do.

"...You know, I saw this sword as a burden." Homura began as she clutched onto Engetsuka's sheath. "A mockery of what I'll never have again. A monument to all my sins. Something to remind me that I'll never truly become that little girl who dreamed of becoming a Good Shinobi." She continued with some shame in her voice.

"Homu-neechan..." Asuka got out in concern.

"But...I think I know why my old family let me keep it." Homura soon revealed. "It's my future, not my past. This sword is the strength I can find in you, Akira and everyone else in my life...and myself. I realize now that the power I needed...it lies in the very depths of my soul. Engetsuka isn't me clinging onto the person I used to be on that fateful night..." She then explained to herself as she gripped the sword's handle...

SHIIIIIIIING!

And with one move, she pulled out the sword from its sheath, her hair turning a fiery orange to mirror the unshackling of her new power as flames covered her being.

"It's me letting go...and accepting the new dawn." Homura concluded, opening her eyes, revealing they were now the same color as her hair.

"H-Homu-neechan..." Asuka got out in awe with widened eyes.

Homura let out a breath. She felt as though she had achieved zen and true enlightenment.

Then she felt the cold steel on her thighs, causing her to realize what she just accomplished.

"I...I did it! I-I pulled out Engetsuka!" Homura declared in excitement as she felt an intense rush of power going through her body. She jumped to her feet and started dancing, waving her family heirloom around and accidentally slicing a couch pillow in two...before it became lit ablaze.

FWOOSH!

The Vice Leader already grabbed the fire extinguisher and put out the fire before the whole couch burned, but her focus was still on her goofy-dancing sister. "H-Homu-neechan...y-your hair...y-your eyes..." Asuka got out in amazement.

"I know!" Homura got out as she then rushed over and pulled her sister into a hug. "I did it! I did it! I did it! I finally pulled out my seventh sword!" She happily declared while jumping in place.

"Um...H-Homu-neechan..." Asuka awkwardly called out to try and get her attention.

"Oh, I can finally pull off some old techniques I know! Crimson Sun! Shadow Lotus!" Homura excitedly listed off. "I'll have to go through the basics for single sword style again, but this is so worth it! Yes! Yes, yes, yes!" She then started rambling.

Asuka meanwhile smiled at how excited her sister was. "Homu-neechan, I'm so happy for you and everything! And you look so awesome with your new look!" She soon declared.

Homura however blinked as she calmed down immediately. "...What was that about my appearance?" She soon asked as her sister pointed to the mirror, causing her to look as her eyes widened. "WHOA!" She exclaimed in amazement.

"Is that a new technique you've been working on?" Asuka assumed.

"No...this...this is different..." Homura responded as she brushed her fingers through her glowing hair.

The Vice Leader soon gasped as she then realized what happened. "You got your Awakened state like Miyabi-chan!" Asuka exclaimed.

Homura's eyes immediately widened in shock. "S-Seriously!?" She stammered out as she looked at her hands. "Wow, it feels kinda...I feel amazing!" She soon admitted.

"So Homu-neechan, do you have a name for this form?" Asuka eventually asked.

The tan skinned girl in response nodded as she smiled with the name coming to mind. "Crimson Lotus." Homura and Wolverine answered at the same time. "I must tell Yumi-senpai about this!" She soon decided as she got on her phone.

"And I'll tell Miyabi-chan!" Asuka got out as she pulled out her phone as well.

"I already know!" Miyabi called out from the other side of the wall. "Congratulations. Now QUIET DOWN!" She then added and ordered.

"Right, thin walls..." Asuka and Homura thought in unison.

"I hope I get my Awakened state too!" Asuka soon got out in an excited tone. "Oh, should we celebrate with a bath bomb!" She then decided.

"Yeah!" Homura responded with a giddy smile before blinking. "...Now how do I turn it off...?" She then wondered before sheathing her nodachi as she checked her hair. Yep, still crimson.

"You think my hair will change color too?" Asuka soon asked. "Ooh, maybe Miyabi-chan can teach you a few things." She then suggested. "Maybe she can teach me a few things as well!" She soon added in her head. She was gonna train with her sensei tomorrow!

"I'll think about it, but I'm happy with what I have. My Six Sword Style, Noh Style and now Crimson Lotus from Engetsuka..." Homura mentally listed off with a fire in her eyes. "Dōgen is never gonna see what's coming to him!" She then thought.

"Don't get cocky though." Wolverine reminded in a serious tone.

The tan skinned girl in response nodded. "I know. I'm still not good enough to fight him...but at least I have something over him now." She thought with a smile.

"What is it?" Wolverine questioned.

"Being human." Homura concluded as she began undressing herself while still holding her phone.


(Shinjuku, New Moon Apartment Complex)

"Really!? That's wonderful news, Homura-san!" Yumi exclaimed in awe with a starry look in her eyes. She was currently on a call with the tan skinned girl and she had just explained what had happened to her when she got home.

"I know!" Homura excitedly replied before pausing. "It's still not turning off tho- WHOA!" She then began before yelping.

"Homura-san!?" Yumi called out in concern.

"I'm okay. I guess I can only be in Crimson Lotus mode for only a few minutes given my recent acquisition of it and my own reserves." Homura then informed. "Oh, I miss it already..." She soon confessed.

"Well...it's certainly better than when Miyabi-san used her Awakened state." Yumi responded and admitted.

"Yeah...tell me to never get comatose." Homura muttered under her breath. "I wonder what happens if I use it in the Metaverse...?" She then wondered.

"Well, we have plenty of time to test it out before we determine our next target." Yumi pointed out, eager to spar with her.

"Oh, I forgot to ask...how's school going after the whole...you know..." Homura soon began.

"Idol thing." Yumi assumed before letting out a sigh. "Well, a lot of people tried asking me to be their friend or take pictures. I've gotten quite a few love letters today as well." She revealed and confessed.

"Everyone wants their chance to know an idol, I assume." Homura guessed, sounding empathically annoyed and sympathetic towards the light gray haired girl.

"Yes, many only wish to merely use me for their own gain..." Yumi soon sighed in a disappointed tone. "Don't worry though, I won't let any of that get in the way of what's truly important: My duties to better the world at large." She reassured.

"You better. Fame can change people." Homura warned.

"And I won't let it change me. So, will I see you again for another session?" Yumi assured and assumed with a smile.

"Of course!" Homura excitedly replied. "After all," She then began.

"Cuteness is justice!" The two soon declared at the same time before giggling.

"I am glad you understand the truth about cuteness." Yumi praised.

"Well it is the truth. Cuteness makes the world go 'round." Homura replied and explained.

Yumi meanwhile felt as though a single tear was running down her eye. "You've come so far..." She sighed with delight.

"Hey, I've only come this far because of the friends I made along the way." Homura stated. "I won't deny that I'm not the perfect person, but at the end of the day...I'm happy with myself now. From here on out, what I do with my life is for myself."

"Homu-neechan! The bath is ready!" Yumi heard the Vice Leader call out before there was a splash and a whine. She must've slipped and fell into the tub.

"Oh! Gotta go! See you tomorrow?" Homura responded and asked.

"Definitely. Have a good night!" Yumi replied with a smile.

BZZT! BZZT!

"Hm?" Yumi hummed in confusion before it hit her. "Oh, the data!" She then gasped as she quickly went to the group chat.

[Alibaba9: Did you get the data yet?]

[Road2Queen: No, my sister still hasn't come home.]

[Shut7heFUp: Mannn, she's seriously that busy?]

[DarkEyeXI: She's a prosecutor in a country with the highest conviction rate in the world. She's probably always busy.]

[Road2Queen: Probably more because of us.]

[Sweetkat06: So, uh...do you still want to go through with this...?]

[Road2Queen: Yes. I can do it.]

[Road2Queen: Hold on, I have a message.]

[Road2Queen: It sounds like she's on her way home.]

[FireGirl20: What!? Now!?]

[Shut7heFUp: All right! It's finally time!]

[SushiRoll23: Be careful, Makoto-chan!]

[Alibaba9: My heart's pounding...]

[All4Painting: Make sure to be cautious, OK?]

[Road2Queen: Understood. I'll report back tomorrow.]

"I wonder what we'll find...what targets we could choose..." Yumi muttered to herself as she plugged in her phone to charge.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Hm? It's so late..." Yumi noted in a curious manner. "Give me a moment!" She called out.

After fixing herself for a moment, she then approached the door before unlocking and opening it.

To the gray-haired girl's shock, it was her blonde Gessen shinobi companion, Shiki, in her casual attire in front of her doorstep.

"Shi-Shiki-san! You're here!" Yumi gasped before happily hugging her junior. These past few days have been amazing.

"H-Hey, Yumi-chii..." The fashionista blonde responded in an uneasy tone.

"I'm so glad to see you here." Yumi confessed as she looked at her friend. "How is everyone? It has been a while since Minori-san left. Oh, and how is Ojii-sama?" She soon asked.

"E-Everyone is fine...you know...physically..." Shiki replied, albeit nervously with her fingers fidgeting and rubbing.

This however caused Yumi to raise an eyebrow. "And Ojii-sama?" She soon asked. "The last I heard of him was that he was in the hospital..." She then recalled in concern.

"Okay, moment of truth. It was now or never." Shiki thought as she stared into her leader and best friend's eyes, who had the same serious expression on her face as when she was at Gessen leading them.

Shiki opened her mouth and...

"He's...resting comfortably." The blonde eventually informed...while mentally kicking herself.

"Oh...that's good to hear." Yumi responded, though could see the uneasiness in her friend's eyes. "Is that all you wished to talk to me about?" She soon asked.

"No, not at all!" Shiki squeaked.

"Well, why not come inside first?" Yumi soon suggested as she stepped aside and gestured for her blonde companion to enter. "I'll make some tea. I also have a spare futon if you wish to spend the night here." She then offered and added.

"I...I would like that." Shiki hesitantly replied before entering the room. "Holy crap, how small is this place?" She soon asked in disbelief while looking around at what the inside of her apartment looked like.

Yumi then closed and locked the door. "It's bigger than it looks. Most of it is taken up by the bathroom though." She then informed and explained as she rolled up her futon and moved her table to the center of the room.

"I dunno, it feels...cozy." Shiki soon admitted. "If it had more space for clothes, I'd totally live here when I graduate." She then revealed.

"That will be a long time before you have to consider such a thing. Focus on your present." Yumi suggested as they sat down.

The blonde winced. Right now, she didn't want to live in the present. "Okay, I'm not going to avoid this any longer. Yumi-chii, why...did you become an idol?" Shiki soon asked.

Yumi immediately winced at the question before blushing and poking her fingertips together in a meek manner. "A-Ah, y-you found out..." She awkwardly responded.

"You were on TV. How could we not?" Shiki countered with a hand on her hip.

"So the others..." Yumi began assuming.

"Big time." Shiki simply answered with a nod.

"How did they take it?" Yumi soon asked.

"...Fine enough." Shiki hesitantly responded while holding back the urge to wince.

"Well...I know Yozakura-san would have some words." Yumi assured with a nod. "She called during my debut concert. Maybe I should call her..." She then recalled and suggested.

"She's busy!" Shiki immediately got out. "Mission. Really important, she can't afford distractions." She then explained before mentally bashing her head against the wall. Why did she further her friend's ignorance?

"Oh. I see." Yumi muttered, looking a little sad. "It must've been a goodbye message then." She soon assumed.

"Yeah..." Shiki responded, holding back her guilt.

"Oh, how did Ojii-sama react?" Yumi had to ask, looking rather worried. "I haven't had the chance to explain myself until now. Hopefully it wasn't too bad..." She then assumed.

"He...He was knocked dead." Shiki answered, screaming into a pillow in her mind.

"That's...unusual..." The gray haired girl noted. "I didn't think he'd be the type of person." She then admitted.

"Don't worry. He had a smile on his face." Shiki then stated, remembering the last time she saw Kurokage breathing. "Still, how did that happen exactly?" She soon asked in a curious manner.

"Well..." Yumi began, smiling as she remembered the day. "I was heading home one night and I happened to see one of Rise Kujikawa's music videos being played on a screen and I started singing it...and then I was approached by Rise-san herself..." She meekly revealed while blushing.

That reveal definitely wasn't something the fashionista blonde was expecting as she blinked a couple of times and looked at her Leader. "...Are you totes serious? You...You were scouted by Rise Kujikawa herself!? The Rise Kujikawa!?" Shiki eventually asked.

"Hai. She became my mentor when I decided to become an idol." Yumi replied with a grin.

"That's...That's great." Shiki breathed out in awe. "Crap, this was not what I was expecting! This was not how this was supposed to go!" She mentally exclaimed from both how things were going and learning how her friend became an idol.

"Hmm..." Yumi hummed out. "Shiki-san is hiding something..." She thought to herself in a serious tone. "Ah, the last train must've left by now. Let me get you the extra futon." She soon noted and offered.

This blonde fashionista in response nodded. "Thanks, Yumi-chii." Shiki replied.

"It is not a problem." Yumi responded. "So how long are you staying?" She soon asked in a curious manner.

"I don't know. Maybe until the funeral-" Shiki responded before immediately stopping herself with widened eyes and a gasp.

"F-Funeral!?" Yumi repeated in concern.

"Uh...yeah." Shiki replied, beginning to sweat as she felt as though she was cornering herself against a wall. "There was a celebrity that died a few days ago and it devastated one of my girl friends." She then lied.

Yumi narrowed her eyes to that. "...Who was it?" She questioned.

The blonde whimpered before running through her knowledge of pop culture. "Hanako Tokachi." Shiki answered.

"...The 70 year old retired actress?" Yumi recalled.

"She liked her shows." Shiki explained. "Look, I'm tired. I...I don't have the brain to talk anymore." She then admitted. Despite doing very little other than walking around, eating and talking today, she felt like sleeping until the whole thing blew over.

"Of course. It is getting late." Yumi responded with a nod of understanding. "Here's the futon." She then informed.

"Thanks. Let me move the table." Shiki replied and offered.

Yumi nodded to that as she watched her friend do her thing. "...She's hiding something from me..." She thought with a frown. "But...why is everything in my heart stopping me from pressing her on it...?" She then wondered as she placed a hand over her chest, feeling its rapid beats before shaking her head. "...I'll talk to Akira-kun about this tomorrow..." She mentally decided as she went to find some extra pajamas for her friend to wear while the blonde set up the futons.


(Hebijo Base)

"Hmm..." Murasaki hummed out as she looked at herself in the mirror while wearing her workout clothes, attempting to flex a bit before sighing. "I feel stronger than when I first arrived...but no change in muscles..." She mumbled in depression while dropping her head.

"I don't think we've ever seen a shinobi with muscles..." Bebeby soon pointed out. Meanwhile, a gym teacher sneezed. "It's all in the yin chakra I think." The plushie then assumed.

"Does it also explain why my chest has been so...big since I turned 14?" Murasaki deducted and recalled.

"At you're less of a wimp physically now. Just the right amount of muscle." Bebeby remarked. "What, you wanna look like one of those overly beefy girls you accidently see online?" The plushie soon assumed.

"Erm...no..." Murasaki answered as she shyly poked her fingers together. "I'll...I'll be looked at too much." She then added.

"Yeah, plus you'll probably need to overdose on steroids to look like that." The plushie then assumed. "To think, with so much muscle, they look so unhealthy..." She then added in disgust.

"They're braver than me though..." Murasaki soon muttered, a blush dusting her cheeks. "I don't think I could stand being looked at in only my underwear..." She mumbled.

"You sell yourself too short too often." Bebeby bluntly concluded. "You're not a loser all the time." The plushie then informed.

"...Is that the kindest you're going to be?" Murasaki bluntly asked with a sigh.

"Until you talk to your sister." Bebeby answered.

"..." Murasaki's heart jumped into her throat.

Oh, she was definitely not ready for that.

"Maybe try going to the gym," Bebeby eventually suggested. "Work on talking with others a bit." The plushie then explained.

"T-That sounds-" Murasaki began, however...

"Alone." Bebeby added. If he could smile evilly, he would've.

"W-Without you Bebe-tan!?" Murasaki squeaked in a nervous manner.

"Or Akira. Or Haruka." The plushie listed off. "You'll be all alone with no one to help you." He then added.

"Th-that sounds..." Murasaki whimpered as she crouched down and hugged herself. "I...I'll melt again...I'll do even worse than last time with Akira-kun." She soon confessed.

"Hmm..." Bebeby hummed out. "Do you prefer positive or negative?" The plushie suddenly asked.

"Huh?" Murasaki got out in confusion. "U-Um...positive?" She hesitantly answered.

"Okay, negative reinforcement it is!" Bebeby stated. "Fail, and your new game goes down the toilet!" The plushie threatened.

Murasaki immediately paled to hear that. "NOOOOOOO! You can't do that!" She soon declared in anger.

"I can and I will!" Bebeby growled in a threatening tone. "I did it with your ramen this morning when your self-control gave out! You don't think I'll do it to your precious Dead End Aegis!?" The plushie remarked and threatened.

"You...You fiend!" Murasaki gasped in horror. "F-Fine! I'll do it! Y-Y-You cruel ruffian! I'll have my revenge some day!" She soon promised as she threw the plushie onto the bed. "I'll show you I can handle going to the gym by myself!" She then declared with a fire in her eyes before storming off.

"..." Bebeby said nothing, simply slumping into lifelessness.

The purplette then ran up the stairs and opened the door, raising her hands to the sky. "TO THE-" Murasaki soon shouted out to the world...only to realize how dark it was. "...TO THE GYM...TOMORROW!" She decided as she made her way to change for the night.

"You gotta stop putting stuff off 'til tomorrow, girl." Bebeby deadpanned as she returned.

"I know." Murasaki sighed in disappointment, taking off the top to change for bed.


(Niijima Residence)

Makoto was in her room, sitting in front of the study desk while staring at the USB the orangette gave to her on her hand, fidgeting and rubbing it with her fingers while feeling a bit nervous on what she was going to do with it right now.

"...Apologies in advance, Sis." She whispered to herself before eventually standing up to do her task.

She then came out of her room, only to notice her sister, Sae, doing some computer work related to her occupation.

"Looks like you're busy there, Sis." Makoto noted as she watched her elder sister at work.

"I'm listing up the evidence that's been taken into storage. It's a chore that any part-timer could do. I don't have time to waste on something like this...I felt like my irritation would show on my face at the office, so I brought it home." Sae simply explained while typing.

"Sorry to hear." Makoto apologized with her head slightly lowered.

"The Phantom Thieves case isn't so easy that I could pursue it in my spare time...The media keeps making a ruckus about it, so people have been wary whenever we make inquiries. Why, I couldn't get anything out of a man who seemed to have intel...I even tried threatening him." The gray-haired woman continued with a focused tone. "All I did was question him a bit harshly." She then added.

Makoto forced down a rush of anger, not wanting it to affect her enough to toss away her only chance of getting access to the laptop. "Oh, I almost forgot...I'll be going on a school trip starting next week...The senior faculty are being questioned, so I'll be going in their stead..." She revealed and explained.

"Sounds good to me. The school will owe you for it." Sae replied, feeling a little jealous that her sister got to go to Hawaii before pushing it down. "It won't get in the way of your entrance exams, will it?" She then asked. "And...you won't expand again, will you?" She suddenly questioned while glancing towards her sister's bust.

"No, not at all...Feel free to take a bath first. I...need to study." Makoto replied and then suggested in a hesitant tone.

"OK. I think I'll do that." Sae decided as she shut her laptop before going to the bathroom.

"Take your time." The brunette added as she watched her sister approaching the bathroom and closing the door afterwards.

When Makoto finally heard water showering, it was now the perfect time. "Okay. Now or never." She thought as she sat down and opened the laptop. Already she felt like she was treading very dangerous territory. "Sis, organize your files a little..." She then grumbled. Her desktop was a mess of various PDFs and documents. It was a wonder how she got anything done.

"I want to change my toothbrush." She suddenly heard her sister call out.

"I-I bought a new one already! It's on the shelf!" Makoto responded and informed.

"Thanks." Sae replied.

Makoto let out a breath before pulling out the USB. "It should just plug in and work..." She thought before...

CRACK!

Makoto's heart froze. There was no external damage, but she definitely heard something break inside the USB as nothing happened when she plugged it in. "What!? No no no!" She whispered frantically as she tried to make it work, only to crush the thing by accident. "Shit!" She then cursed softly.

"What was that, Makoto?" Sae got out in a curious tone.

Quickly throwing away the plastic shards, she knew she was screwed. "N-Nothing! Just dropped my phone!" Makoto called back before pulling out her phone.

[Road2Queen: USB broke.]

[Alibaba9: WHAT!? I TOLD YOU TO BE CAREFUL WITH IT!]

(...)

[Alibaba9: Urgh...that's what you get for cheaping out and buying from Msty.]

[Alibaba9: Don't worry. I have backups. Sending it your way now.]

"Eh?" Makoto got out, blinking in confusion.

KNOCK KNOCK!

"I-I'll get it!" Makoto assured as she ran to the door and opened it.

"Delivery." A familiar face greeted with an annoyed look on her face.

"M-Miyabi-san!?" Makoto whispered in shock.

"This is why you leave stuff like this to professionals." The white haired woman sighed as she went into the apartment and spotted the laptop. "Is this it?" She assumed in a serious tone.

"Yes." Makoto nodded. "Hurry, my sister doesn't bathe for very long usually." She then urged.

"She should try it." Miyabi suggested before plugging in the USB.

[Hold onto your butts! Cloning in progress!]

Instantly, a progress bar popped up and showed the amount of time before the process was complete. "Take your hands off it now." Makoto whispered as the white haired woman raised her hands away from the computer. They didn't want to mess with it any further than what they already were.

"Stupid technology...why doesn't this thing go faster!?" Miyabi grumbled as they anxiously watched the bar fill and freeze at points. "It's just 256GB!" She then added.

"Miyabi-san, this usually takes longer than only a minute." Makoto pointed out.

"A minute of waiting is a minute of vulnerability." Miyabi pointed out, keeping her eyes on the computer screen. "This is why I prefer physical information. Way easier to steal." She then grumbled.

Suddenly, they heard a small thud. Of padding bare feet making their way towards the living room.

"A-Already!?" The two Thieves mentally exclaimed.

"T-That was fast!" Makoto called out as she kept an eye on the hallway while Miyabi checked how much longer it was gonna take.

"I'm not really in the mood to relax in the tub." Sae admitted.

"Even though you clearly need it!?" Miyabi whispered in a panic. "14 seconds." She then read out.

"It's so close to being done too...!" Makoto whispered before turning to the white haired woman, silently pleading to help buy them a few more seconds before gasping. "Uh, Sis!"

"What is it?"

"I bought a new bath salt. It's on the same shelf, so would you mind putting it in the tub?"

"Not at all."

[Download Complete! Mwehehehe...!]

"Yosh, finished." Miyabi sighed with relief. "I'll bring this to Futaba." She stated in a serious tone.

"Sure. Thanks." Makoto replied with a nod as she gave the white haired woman the flash drive before shutting the laptop.

"You're welcome." Miyabi responded with a nod. "By the way, tell her I was returning something."

"Who was at the door?" A familiar voice said.

"Huh?" Makoto got out before seeing her sister in nothing but a towel. Glancing back, she saw that Miyabi had left with no trace. "Oh...um...it was a classmate of mine returning something that fell out of my pocket. She was visiting someone and I happened to be on the way. It was nothing serious, just a photo of a friend." She then lied, silently cursing for adding many details.

"Hm..." Sae hummed, narrowing her eyes before shrugging her shoulders. "Well, if that's it...the bath is ready. You better hurry before the water gets lukewarm."

"Right." Makoto replied as she unbuttoned her uniform while walking to the bathroom.

She could use a warm bath. Her back was starting to kill her.


(Yongen-Jaya, Leblanc Attic)

"What a day..." Akira breathed out as he jumped onto his bed.

"Stressful, darling?" A familiar voice assumed.

SMOOSH!

"You can say that, Haruka-chan." Akira replied, not even phased by this, but smiled at seeing the blonde and feeling her body on him.

Morgana meanwhile was already asleep, resting in-between the girl's breasts.

The blonde hummed pleasantly before taking a moment to sniff the boy. "...Why do I smell burned flowers on you...and pepper spray...and a little bit of the human colon?" Haruka asked while petting the not cat, who instinctively purred as a result.

"It's...better if you don't know." Akira replied in a vague manner. "Hey...by the way...do you know someone named Tsumuji?" He soon questioned to change the subject.

"Tsumuji?" Haruka repeated as she placed a finger to her chin. "Um...I believe so. She followed Homura around quite a bit while we were in Hebijo. Why? How do you know her?" She recalled and asked.

"Homura." Akira sighed out.

"Did something happen to her?" Haruka questioned in concern.

"A lot but...it's nothing you should worry about. It's...It's all wrapped up." Akira vaguely responded and reassured.

Haruka narrowed her eyes slightly in concern, but nodded all the same. "If you say so." She responded in a hesitant manner. "Anyways, you ran into Murasaki-chan a few days ago, did you?"

"So Murasaki-chan is a Hebijo student like you." Akira stated in a serious tone.

"What did you think of her?" Haruka soon asked.

"Well...it seems like she has a lot of issues..." Akira had to admit in concern.

"That...is putting it lightly..." Haruka hesitantly responded. "But she's getting better. Hopefully she'll be returning to her classes once her two week stay is over." She then stated.

"Two weeks?" Akira repeated with a raised eyebrow. "Usually it was one week." He then recalled.

"I found it strange too. I assumed they just wanted her out. She is the first and only truant of Hebijo." Haruka responded and deducted while revealing this information.

"She's a shut-in?" Akira assumed, sneaking a glance up to wherever the hacker's hidden camera was.

"For reasons I will let her explain." Haruka stated. "They're called personal issues for a reason darling." She then added.

"You should tell that to Homura." Akira deadpanned.

"Well you know how Homura-chan should be at this point." Haruka giggled.

"Does Murasaki-chan know I know about shinobis?" Akira asked in a more serious tone.

"Not sure. We only began speaking to each other over a week ago, and our conversations mainly revolve around you." Haruka admitted as she shook her head.

"...But not about me." Akira noted with a frown.

"I wanted her to get to know you by the two of you interacting. Interacting is the basis of friendship afterall." Haruka explained, only to see the Leader unassumed expression. "...D-Don't look at me like that, darling..." She meekly requested with a pink blush while poking her fingertips together.

"There has to be other topics you guys can discuss." Akira muttered. He kinda didn't like being so focused on.

"I've been helping her out. Getting her to exercise more, eat better...um...rely less on that toy. Honestly, she was a complete and utter mess when I first met her." Haruka revealed in a more sadden and sympathetic tone.

"Even more than when I met her?" Akira questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Again, a personal issue I'd rather not tell you." Haruka muttered.

The Leader however narrowed his eyes to this as he took her hand into his own in a tender manner while looking directly into her eyes. "Tell me more about her. What she likes, what she doesn't." Akira requested in a serious tone while the not cat listened in.

As Haruka talked, Akira was already forming plans.

He already helped one shut-in break out of her shell, what's one more?


Save Game…Quit!


Asuka/Yin's Social Stats:

Leadership- Mastermind (Level 4)

Knowledge- Professor (Level 4)

Proficiency- Masterful (Level 4)

Diligence- Thorough (Level 4)

Courage- Daring (Level 4)

Homura/Yang's Development Stats:

Maturity- Adult (Level 4)

Knowledge- Professor (Level 4)

Femininity- Natural (Level 4)

Elegance- Yamato Nadeshiko (Level 5)

Understanding- Motherly (Level 4) → Saintly (Level 5)


God, I love writing the romance scenes. It feels nice to actually stray away from all the action, comedy and drama and just write about two people making out. I hope this earns a Heartwarming page of TV Tropes. And there's more coming up! Miyabi's is unfortunately not going to happen for a long time (She's locked behind Haru). Anyways, looking forward to…finding out Yumi's grandfather is dead.

UknownHero signing off, my friends!