Chapter 15: Phantom Calm

June 19th, 2016

"Another slow day today…" Sojiro groans while Ren cleans up a table. "Well, at least you don't have to worry about a mafia boss hounding your school anyway." Ren turns to look at him, a reply ready on his lips, but is suddenly interrupted by Futaba.

"NOOOO! My ultimate defence line has been broken!" She cries in dismay as Hifumi easily breaks through her line in a game of Shogi. A proud smirk on her face.

"A worthy defence, but ultimately futile in the face of my assault." She replies in her Shogi queen persona before trapping Futaba in a trap. "It is over. I recommend surrendering to save you any more death." Futaba stares at the board, blinking owlishly before turning back to look at her.

"You may have won today, Queen Hifumi. But mark my words! Queen Futaba will rise again!" She proclaims dramatically before the two diverge into an array of giggles. Ren and Sojiro smiled at the sight.

"I was worried when Hifumi said she wanted to leave her house after what we heard from her mother. But I'm glad to see that she's fitting in." Ren comments, walking back behind the counter.

"I agree. There is still some hurt in her eyes, especially when she first arrived. But I'm glad to see she's bounced back." Sojiro agrees, watching as the two set up for a rematch just as the doorbell jingles. "Welcome—" He begins, only to stop as he spies three customers enter his shop. And it was a very unlikely trio.

Chihaya Mifune, Ichiko Ohya and Shinya Oda.

"Afternoon boss! Hope you don't mind us dropping in." Ohya cheerfully says, sitting down at one of the bar stools like a regular at Crossroads. Chihaya and Shinya shake their heads at her as Sojiro gives of a chuckle.

"I was wondering when the Devil reporter would arrive. But I wasn't expecting company with you." Sojiro replies while Ren disappears to fetch some curry.

"I met them when on my way here." Shinya replies, sitting in the same booth as Futaba. "It was a real pain to slip away from my mom, but it went easier when I ran into them."

"Shinya's right." Chihaya adds, sitting next to Hifumi with a smile. "Although, I was not expecting you to be here when I read my fortune today."

"A change in living circumstances, Chihaya-san." Hifumi replies while greeting her with a bow. "It is good to see you three again."

"Ditto. Although there were some concerning things, I've heard in the journalist space about you, Hifumi-chan. Although it is getting overshadowed by you guys doing that live broadcast and taking Kaneshiro down for the second time." Ohya replies as Ren serves them all curry while Sojiro pours coffee. "And that's not even getting into who we all somehow TIME TRAVELED! I almost ran Lala out of stock trying to convince myself it was all a crazy dream…."

"That explains why the Devil Tarot Card was positioned down…" Chihaya quietly mummers to herself before looking at Ren with an apologetic stare. "Still, I suppose the fortune I read for you did come true in the end… You did die."

"Only because Yaldabaoth decided to do a Voltorb. Sore metallic losing jerk…" Futaba grumbles while crossing her arms. "He won't win this time."

"Still, that was a pretty epic moment." Shinya says, grinning at Ren. "You shot a God in the face!" Ren couldn't help but smile at that while letting out a chuckle.

"Yeah. I did do that, huh. And with any luck, I'll do it again." He glances around, leaning back onto a stool and crossing his arms in contemplation. "That's almost everyone who's remembered now. The only one left is Sae…"

"Sae Nijima? The Prosecutor?" Ohya asks, swallowing a spoonful of curry.

"Yep. She was the last confidant we made before taking on Shido. She was also there when Ren got interrogated…" Futaba's voice fells as she remembered the state Ren came home in that day. "I…I don't want that to happen again…"

"It won't, Tabers." Ren replies, stoic. "That only happened because Okumura was killed. And we won't let him die a second time." That alleviated her fears while Chihaya pulled out her cards and did a fortune test.

"Doing a test already, Chihaya-san?" Shinya asks, watching as she turns over the cards. First was the Fool Card, no surprise there, followed by the Justice Card with the final card being the World.

"It never hurts to do so." Chihaya replies before noting two more cards on the table. "Strange, something else is happening…" She flips them over, revealing them to be the Councillor and the Faith. "And it involves these two…" While the information went over Ohya, Shinya, Hifumi and Sojiro's heads, Futaba and Ren shared a look. They knew who those two cards represented.

The only question was, why them?

"Is everything okay, Sis? You've been quiet today." Makoto asks while eating tea. On the other side, Sae was busy picking away at her food, unusual for the prosecutor. Makoto's words seemed to knock her out of whatever stupor she was in as she looked back.

"Sorry, Makoto. There has been a lot on my mind recently, and events at work are not helping in the slightest." She replies. Makoto hums, eating some of her rice before looking back up. She remembered what happened today, how Sae called her useless.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Makoto ventures. She didn't know if it would work or not, but it didn't hurt to try.

"Normally, I would say no. But then again, keeping it inside does no one any good." She places her chopsticks down. "You may have noticed, but I haven't felt like myself since April. Suddenly, I start second-guessing myself and questioning orders from above. And now this recent development with Kaneshiro and the Phantom Thieves." Makoto puts her own chopsticks down, ears open to her sister.

"I had been pursuing him with full intent on getting a promotion, and yet when he turned himself in, I felt no sting of envy or anger. Instead, all I felt was relief that he had been caught. And when the Phantom thieves put on that broadcast, a small part of me said, 'I can trust them.' And it confuses me. As a prosecutor, I should go after them with everything I have. And yet…"

Makoto watched, listening to Sae's words as she spoke. She could hear the confusion in her voice, as though she didn't even trust herself. "If you don't mind me asking, but what do you think Dad would think of them?" This was the question that caused her to snap at her, so she had internally braced herself for that same lecture.

But surprisingly, it didn't come.

"I don't know. Kaneshiro did confess that he had one of his men kill him when he found out Dad was getting too close to him, so I suppose hearing that has placed some of my trust in these Thieves. But, if he were alive, I think he would be on their side entirely." Makoto sat in silence as the words bounced around her head while Sae stood up. "Sorry, but I'm not feeling hungry tonight. I'm going to turn in early." Makoto watched as Sae left her alone, her meal only half eaten.

Sis, your other self does remember. She's trying to stop you from going down that dark path…Please wait. We WILL help you remember!

Chatroom: Return of the Thieves!

Shadow: With Shinya, Ohya and Chihaya back on our side, the Phantom Thieves are back at full strength.

Noir: That only leaves Sae-san, correct?

Queen: Yes. My sister has still not remembered. However, it would seem her other self does and is trying to influence her in real life.

Spring: Isn't that bad?

Fox: Not necessarily. It may, in fact, be a boon for us instead.

Joker: Even so, it looks like she won't remember until we change Okumura's heart.

Skull: Until then we just stay nice and low.

Panther: Finally, a break! We've been doing nonstop Thieving ever since we came back!

Oracle: PANTHER! YOU JUST TRIGGERED MURPHY'S LAW!

Panther: Wut?

Queen: Murphy's Law: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.

Panther: Huh… And how does that relate?

Oracle: Murphy's Law ALWAYS happens when you say stuff like what you did!

Outlaw: She's not wrong.

Shadow: It has been proven.

Panther: Me and my big texting thumb….

Joker: Regardless, whatever happens we tackle it together. No matter what.

June 23rd, 2016

"How do you even take care of this kitten, Shiho? It has too much energy!" Mishima asks as he watches the white kitten dash around the house in a 'mad hour'. Shiho had taken to calling her 'Yuki' due to her snow-white fur, and she was proving to be a bundle of energy.

If the scratching post was of any indication, Shiho was busy replacing it.

"It's not too hard, Mishima. Just need to tire her out when she dashes around." She points to Morgana sitting on the table, swinging his tail around with Yuki trying to catch it. "Just like what Morgana is doing."

"Happy to help." Morgana replies, flicking his tail to the side just as Yuki almost grabs it.

"Just be careful not to let her bite your tail. Even if she still has tiny fangs." Ren warns, cleaning out the litter tray. Morgana scoffs at Ren, lying down flat on the table.

"Come one. Like there's any way she can—MEOWW!" He suddenly yowls as Yuki manages to briefly nip on his tail, causing him to bolt out of the room. Yuki chased after him, still in a playful mood. While Ren, Shiho and Mishima all laughed at Morgana's unfortunate situation. Eventually, the kitten tried herself out and was placed in her small bed as the three humans and Morgana sat around the coffee table.

"Thank you again for coming to help. I was starting to panic when I found out I ran out of supplies." Shiho tells the boys, casting a glance at the sleeping kitten. "She really has made things lively around here." Morgana gives out a grumble of a reply, holding his tail close to him.

"It's no problem. I'm always happy to help out." Mishima replies with a smile. Shiho blushes lightly while returning the smile, while Ren hid a grin behind his hand.

"You two seem to be getting close. Anything we should know about?" He asks, catching the two off guard as they quickly look away from each other.

"Hahaha. Oh man, that reminds me of how Yusuke and Haru were like before they confessed to each other." Morgana chimes in, causing the two to blush even more. Although, it did draw Shiho's eyes.

"I've been meaning to ask that. How did they fall in love? I mean, Yusuke is an artist, and Haru is heir to Okumura Foods. They have such different lifestyles." Ren couldn't blame her for thinking that. On the surface, the two were technically worlds apart.

"Well, I suppose it all started when we first went into Okumura's palace." Ren begins folding his hands on his lap. "It was during the time when we and Morgana had a falling out, with him wanting to prove himself to us." He looks at the cat in question, who is looking at the ground with a wince.

"I was being such a stupid idiot as well. And I almost ended up getting Haru injured as well. All because of my stupid pride." He shakes his head before looking back at the two. "Anyway, after me and Haru left the Metaverse after Ren and the others tried to talk to us, we were approached by Haru's ex-fiancé. Or current fiancé at the moment. Future ex-fiancé?" He looks up at Ren, who shrugs. "Either way, he tried to force her to come with him, and he ended up kicking me into the wall when I tried to stop him. Luckily, Ren and the others were nearby and came to our rescue, with Yusuke stepping between Haru and Sugimura. Even taking a punch to the gut when he refused to budge."

"We learned later on that Yusuke and Haru had actually hung out together during the Hawaii trip. He even asked if he could do a portrait of her at one point." Ren adds. "So by that point in time, the two had already a strong friendship building. And when we were going through Okumura's Palace, Yusuke was the one helping her to improve her skills that Morgana had already taught her."

"It sounds like the two of them just clicked." Mishima quips, leaning forward. Ren gives off a chuckle at Mishima's observation.

"You would think so. Yet neither of them seemed to realise that they were falling for each other. At least, until the fight with Akechi in Shido's ship…"

December 15th, 2016, Original Timeline

"NOW! Let's see you DROP DEAD. One at a time, in front of your PRECIOUS FRIENDS!" Akechi screams in deluded madness, his Black Mask persona fully consuming him while his Persona, Loki, hovers behind him in a menacing blood-red glow. Before fusing to his face as his mask, Akechi's bloodshot eyes glared through the red-plated eye holes. A lone serrated blood-red plasma blade manifests in his left hand while his right twitched sporadically.

All the while, the Phantom Thieves stared in horror as Akechi had driven himself psychotic.

"Damn it, he's lost it!" Morgana cries as the team readies themselves.

"Here he comes!" Joker calls out, aiming his gun as Akechi leaps towards them, screaming in frenzy as he lashes out with his blade. The team flip back, avoiding the crazed strike while Panther tries to whip him across the face.

Akechi grabs her whip, attempting to pull her towards him, sword held out like a spear before Skull slams his mace into his chest. He is knocked back, yet instead of crying in agony, he laughs like a madman before rushing towards Oracle, who is busy trying to find his weaknesses.

"Shares your mother's fate, bitch!" Akechi yells, bringing his sword down only for Joker and Queen to block the strike, wincing under the strain.

"Stay away from my sister!" Joker shouts as the two force him back as they rip their masks off. "Arsène! Megidola!"

"Anat! Freidyne!"

The two attacks, one of almighty and one of nuke, streak towards Akechi as he jumps away. Despite his leap, the blast still clips him as he finds himself flung away before dodging a join fire, thunder and wind attack from Panther, Skull and Mona.

"Take this!" Noir shouts, swinging her axe down as Akechi rolls next to her. Her axe bites into Akechi's cape as he rolls away before he kicks her in her side and sends her to the ground. Noir rolls to her side, already aiming to stand, before she finds Akechi aiming his laser gun at her head.

"How fitting to die like your father did." Akechi says with a wide grin, finger slowly pulling down the trigger. Before his gun was suddenly sliced in two by Fox's katana.

"Stay away from her!" He shouts, channelling Kamu Susano-o. "Myriad Slices!" With blinding speed, he slices into Akechi's form, leaving numerous cuts along his arms before locking blades with the deranged detective.

"Why do you care for her!? She's the daughter of a criminal!" Akechi shouts back, eyes wide. Fox groans under the strain, the difference in power between them an unwanted reminder of how strong he was. Yet that strength was all he had.

"You would never understand." Fox replies through gritted teeth. "Haru is more than that. She is a beautiful flower with a kindness and warmth that few others can match. She is the light in which my work can find meaning. And I will not allow you to take her away!" Fox pushes back on Akechi, the deranged detective finding the sudden burst of strength as a surprise.

But it was all it took to take his already strained concentration away from his surroundings.

"Astarte! Triple Down!" Noir's voice echoed from his right as the gun attack slammed into Akechi's side, knocking him away from Fox. With Noir already running up to his side. "Are you alright, Yusuke?" Codenames forgotten in the heat of the moment.

"I am alright." He replies, glancing back to the battle as Joker leads the others into attacking from every angle. "We should hurry and join the others." Before he can move, Noir's hands grasp his own. He turns to look at her, noting the faint blush under her mask.

"When we return, could you repeat what you said to Akechi? Please?" She asks quietly. Fox, now only remembering what he had just said, blushes as well as he rubs the back of his neck.

"O-Of course." He replies quietly. Noir smiles at him, grabbing her axe with both hands before leaning in to whisper quietly to him.

"And for what it's worth, I think you're handsome as well." She winks at him, rushing in to join the fray as Fox stands there numbly as a statue before shaking off his stupor and rushing to aid his found family.

"Did they really flirt with each other during the middle of a battle?" Mishima asks as Shiho struggles to hold her laughter in. "Then again, that somehow doesn't surprise me…."

"It was a shock to hear it at the time, but it was also sweet to hear as well." Morgana adds, stretching his back. "Anyway, after we got back to the real world, the two of them stopped dancing around and finally confessed to each other. And they've been stuck to each other like glue ever since."

The room fell into a comfortable silence.

"You know…I've been thinking." Shiho suddenly speaks, drawing the eyes of all. "About those girls who hate me. I've been thinking that it's time I made a stand against them." She glances up at the ceiling. "It's true that I've always put up with and ignored people like them, but now? Now is different. I've had it with people claiming to know me when they don't understand anything about me."

"Shiho…" Mishima breaths. Before his face hardens. "When that happens, let me help you. They have numbers on their side, so having one more person would help."

"All of us are willing to help." Ren adds, leaning forward. Shiho looks between them and Morgana, a wide smile adorning her face.

"Thank you, Mishima, Ren. I feel more confident about standing against her now."

"Hey! What about me?" Morgana asks in mock insult. The trio laughed at him as Shiho patted him on the head while Ren watched as the seventh star was added to her card. Part of him couldn't help but wonder what would happen when it hit ten.

June 29th, 2016

Another day of school has passed, and rumours of the Thieves continued to spread throughout Shujin, even more so about the identities of the Thieves after their first public announcement and arrest of Kaneshiro. The Phansite had also been updated, showing the masks of the Thieves along with their codenames, but that was all that was known about them.

And for Ren, that was more than enough. Even now, as he prepared to make his way home, he couldn't help but wonder what would happen next. And judging the loud sigh from Makoto, he wasn't the only one.

"I swear, Kobayakawa is getting desperate…" She mummers. "He's going on and on about the Thieves, demanding that I and the Student Council look into it. It's starting to get out of hand." Ren puts a hand on her shoulder, a sign of comfort, before dropping. He was about to reply to her before his phone suddenly buzzed with a message. Taking it out, he saw it was from Kasumi, asking if he could quickly come to the cafeteria.

"Wonder what she wants." Ren asks, putting his phone away.

"Doesn't hurt to ask. Let's go see." In unison, the couple head for the cafeteria, finding Kasumi sitting at a table by herself. With a large bento box. The second she sees them, she smiles and waves them over.

"Thank you for coming over. Sorry if I interrupted anything you were doing today." She says, shooting a sorry glance at Makoto, who shakes her head.

"Don't worry about it. We were busy finishing things up in the Council room before heading out." Makoto reassures before looking at the box. "Is this a bento that you made?"

"Yes." Kasumi readily replies with a grin. "Since last time, I've been trying to think of other things besides gymnastics that I'm good at, and cooking is one that came to my mind." She motions to the box. "This is a trial run for one I'm planning to make to a childhood friend, and I'm wondering if you would like to try it. It's been a while since I last made one, like half a year or so, so I might be a bit rusty." She brushes some hair out of her eyes. "It's also a thank you for helping me get out of my slump as well."

"The pleasure is always ours, Kasumi." Ren replies as the two sit down. "And it would be rude of us not to turn you down. Right, Makoto?"

"Right. We'd be happy to taste test for you." The two of them were given parts of the bento from Kasumi she took out her own from the box and began to eat it. Immediately, they were met by what could be simply called a contradictory taste. Some parts were absolutely delicious; they would not deny that, but there were as many other parts that tasted bland. No flavour at all. Then there were the tiny parts that were downright awful.

Not that they could say it to Kasumi's face!

"How is it?" Kasumi asks, with hope in her eyes. Ren and Makoto looked at each other in a silent conversation. How could they tell her while being as gentle as possible?! Then again, she did ask them to give her an honest opinion, and she was rusty as well.

"To be completely honest, Kasumi, it is a mixed bag." Makoto begins gently. "Don't get me wrong, there were parts that were absolutely delicious, but there were other parts that tasted…bland."

"I'm afraid my opinion is the same as Makoto's. But still…" He pushes his glasses up. "You said this was your first try after about half a year? It's pretty well done. Just keep at it, and you'll be back at it again."

"I see. Thank you for your honest opinions. Still, I'm not sure where I went wrong…" Kasumi seems to go into deep thought as her eyes narrow, tapping a finger to her chin. While she thought, Ren and Makoto wondered about who this childhood friend of hers was.

"If you don't mind me asking Kasumi. But who is this friend of yours? I think you mentioned him during our practice session, but we didn't ask who it was out of respect for privacy."

"Oh!" Kasumi silently gasps at Makoto's question. "I'm sorry, I completely forgot to tell you. But I'm not sure if you'll believe me…" She looks away, uncertainty in her eyes.

"Try us, Kasumi." Ren replies, folding his arms with an easy smile. Kasumi looks between the two, seeing the soft looks on both before sighing to herself.

"Okay." She straightens up, looking right at them. "My friend is actually Akechi Goro."

If there was a record player in the room, it would have screeched to a stop at the name drop.

"Akechi? You mean the 'Detective Prince' Akechi?" Ren asks in complete shock, a face mirrored by Makoto as Kasumi nods.

"Yes. We've known each other since we were kids. My dad found him and his mother struggling to survive and, with help from mom, invited them into our home." Kasumi reveals, her eyes locked right onto theirs. Ren and Makoto knew the signs of someone lying, especially after all they and the others went through. It was why when they looked at Kasumi, it only made their internal commotion louder.

She was telling the truth.

"I-Is that so?" Makoto asks, pushing back some hair. "That's certainly a surprise to hear about." She and Ren share a glance, hiding their shock at the news.

"I know. Who would believe it, right? A gymnast such as me being close to a celebrity like him? Honestly, I'm surprised he still remembers me." Kasumi adds, glancing out the window. "Even after his mom died and he moved out when he became a detective…." Her voice trails off as her mind wanders. "Honestly, I worry about him… Ever since April, it's like there's this oppressive cloud hanging over him. I even told Dr. Maruki about it but I can't shake the feeling off me. And he won't tell me what's wrong…" She glances back to the bento, placing her arms on the table. "That's why I want to make him a bento. To try and see if it can cheer him up."

"If you want, I can try and find out for you." Ren suddenly offers, leaning on the table. Kasumi looks at him with a tilted head. "During our trip to the studio, we actually bumped into him and he gave me his phone number to get in touch. If possible, I'll try and ask him the next time we meet up." Ren wasn't sure if this would work or not. They still had to assume he was Black Mask.

But at the same time, he was begging to have doubts that he was. The Akechi of the old timeline group up with only a single mother, but not this one. Maybe it would give him a different outlook on life?

"You will? Oh, thank you." Kasumi replied with a beaming smile as the third star was added to her card. "I'm not sure if Akechi will tell you, but it would be great if he did."

"I think a lot of us would be relieved to hear what was on his mind, Kasumi." Makoto replies before she and Ren stand up. "Sorry to cut this shat short, but we need to go."

"It's fine. Thank you for trying the food and hearing me out. Honestly, it feels like a lot has been lifted from my shoulders." With a smile, Kasumi bids the two goodbye before leaving the cafeteria, Ren and Makoto slowly behind.

The two wondered if they should tell the others about this or keep it silent for now.

July 2nd, 2016

"I am doing everything I can, but the students are not cooperating with me!" Kobayakawa pleads into the phone, sweat leaking down his bald head. "No matter what, there is no evidence that supports that the Phantom Thieves are part of the student body! How do we even know that they are even human? Madarame and Kaneshiro were untraceable and yet they were found!"

"…"

"S-Sir? What do you mean by that?" Kobayakawa pauses, leaning back into the chair.

"…" His eyes widen at the message from the voice. A mixture of fear and astoundment.

"Are you sure? Would it even work?"

"…"

"N-No sir! I'm not saying anything otherwise!" He quickly defends. "I am a loyal supporter of Shido. It is thanks to him that I am here in the first place. I swore that I would make Shuji Academy a place only for the elite and weed out the undesirable. That's what Kamoshida was for before he let his own desires get a hold of him."

"…"

"Yes, sir." Kobayakawa rests easily as his voice becomes soft. "I promise I will do anything I can. And I already have a group in mind to send to you. It will be sometime after the August break, but I assure you it will be worth it."

"…"

"I am sure he will have fun breaking Nijima and the others in. It is her fault for siding with the delinquent."

"…"

"Of course. Goodbye, sir." He ends the call, pocketing his phone. Just as the world around him vanished into the darkness, Kobayakawa himself was covered in shadows as his eyes glowed yellow.

"Disobedience will be met with appropriate punishment in my academy. No exceptions."

Confidant Ranks:

Yaldabaoth: Jester (Rank 6)

Phantom Thieves of Heart: The Fool (Rank 10/Max)

Makoto Nijima: High Priestesses (Rank 10/Max)

Ryuji Sakamoto: Chariot (Rank 10/Max)

Ann Takamaki: Lovers (Rank 10/Max)

Yusuke Kitagawa: Emperor (Rank 10/Max)

Haru Okumura: Empress (Rank 10/Max)

Futaba Sakura: Hermit (Rank 10/Max)

Morgana: Magician (Rank 10/Max)

Mishima Yuuki: Moon (Rank 9/Locked)

Suzui Shiho: Charity (Rank 7)

Kasumi Yoshizawa: Faith (Rank 3)

Hifumi Togo: Star (Rank 9/Locked)

Sojiro Sakura: Hierophant (Rank 10/Max)

Goro Akechi: Justice (Rank 2)

Sae Nijima: Judgment (Sealed)

Chihaya Mifune: Fortune (Rank 10/Max)

Munehisa Iwai: Hanged Man (Rank 10/Max)

Tae Takemi: Death (Rank 10/Max)

Sadayo Kawakami: Temperance (Rank 10/Max)

Ichiko Ohya: Devil (Rank 10/Max)

Shinya Oda: Tower (Rank 10/Max)

Toranosuke Yoshida: Sun (Rank 10/Max)

Takuto Maruki: Councillor (Rank 5)

Lavenza (Justine & Caroline): Strength (sealed)