HEY GUYS.
THIS IS KINGNIKEN WITH CHAPTER 4 OF POCKET CHANGE.
I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU ALL AGAIN FOR THE AMAZING SUPPORT. IT'S GOOD TO BE A PART OF THIS COMMUNITY.
AS ALWAYS, REVIEWS AND COMMENTS ARE MUCH APPRECIATED.
FAVS/ALERTS AND KUDOS ARE ACCEPTED WITH GRATITUDE.
IF I HAVEN'T REPLIED TO YOUR REVIEW/COMMENT YET. I WILL BE SOON.
HERE WE GO!
The Phantom Thieves sat silently as they waited for Joker's return. Morgana was curled up on Ann's lap purring softly as she scratched his ears.
The blonde beauty seemed to be lost in thought herself. Her mind exploring the hopeful idea of how better things would possibly be after stealing Kamoshida's Treasure.
Shiho's happiness and safety was a goal she sought more than anything else.
Ryuji got up from the crate he was sitting on with determination etched on his face.
"I'm going back in."
Morgana opened an eye.
"Don't be a bonehead Ryuji. Akira said we should escape and with good reason. We're all exhausted."
"It's been too long. He may be in trouble!"
Ann checked her phone.
"It's only been three minutes."
Ryuji blushed.
"Oh...it kinda felt longer."
Morgana continued.
"I'm worried about him too guys but we wouldn't be much help if we went back. Plus this is Akira we're talking about if he can't handle it then we certainly can't."
Ann added her own commentary.
"Morgana's right,Ryuji. Even I'm a little anxious but I also have a feeling that Akira was holding back in the castle for our sake, giving us a chance to learn and grow. He's really strong and smart. I'm sure he's fine... He's probably robbing those poor Shadows of every single yen they got."
Ryuji snickered.
"Yeah, I guess you guys are right. I hope he doesn't come back with that horrible bathrobe Kamoshida was wearing, I could never trust him after that."
"I prefer my pink hearts to be on my underwear and out of view, thank you very much."
The Phantom Thieves spoke as one.
"Akira!"
The black haired Persona user greeted the group with a small wave.
"Yo."
Ryuji spoke first.
"What happened? You look a bit tired."
Akira nodded as he pulled a soda out of his bag and took a sip.
"Used a lot of energy to hold them off but I'm good otherwise."
Morgana's curiosity was piqued.
"What did you do?"
Akira took a few more sips of his soda before smiling.
"I just...scared them off."
Morgana narrowed his eyes.
"Scared them off, huh?"
Ann continued.
"Did you learn anything new?"
Akira finished his soda and dropped it into the trash.
"The Executioner's a lot tougher than the other Knights. He wouldn't be a problem for you as a team but I don't think any of you should try to take him on one on one if the opportunity arises."
Ryuji frowned.
"So we're still not strong enough."
Akira pulled out another drink.
"Things take time Ryuji. Believe me when I say you're all much stronger than you were when we started. Training is key for any athlete, right?"
Ryuji smirked and nodded. Ann spoke next.
"We really are getting stronger?"
"Yup, didn't you learn new skills? You were all too exhausted to notice the improvements. You'll see the difference when we head back in."
Morgana spoke next.
"The next two days, right?"
"Yeah tomorrow is about preparation. We send the calling card the day after."
Ryuji stretched.
"So are we done for today? It's getting a bit late."
Akira smirked.
"I was wondering if we could stop by a diner or something on the way home. There's just one last thing we need to do. The most important thing to be honest."
The Phantom Thieves looked at each other.
"Most important thing?"
Ann groaned.
"I can't believe you brought us here to count money."
Akira corrected her as he finished his calculations. The diner table was packed with notepads, a calculator and a few envelopes.
"Count and share our money. We made a decent haul from our time in the Palace. You all should be proud."
Ryuji grunted.
"You could have at least treated us."
Akira looked insulted.
"I bought everyone a drink. Just because we just earned some money doesn't mean we should splurge it all in one day."
The Phantom Thieves shook their heads as Akira handed Ann an envelope.
"Here's the share for your team."
Akira then handed her a large sheet with several numbers and calculations on it.
Ann spoke up.
"Uh, what's this?"
"It's a copy of my calculations. I want you to have a record of every yen that was shared and the amount I also procured for weapons, medicine and other items. I may be a Metaverse Mercenary for hire but I ain't no thief...well I don't steal from my employers is what I mean."
Ann tried to not go dizzy from the long sheet.
"Uh Math and Accounting aren't necessarily my strongest subjects."
She looked over to Ryuji who only tilted his head.
"Nope."
Morgana sighed audibly from Akira's bag.
"Fine, I'll look it over later."
Both Ryuji and Ann expressed their thanks to the feline as Akira stood up.
"You guys should maybe seek a small time investment that will help keep your money rolling when you're not in Palaces. The amount in the envelope is a bit small but we'll surely make more in the future."
Ann perched an eyebrow.
"Is it just me or do you actually enjoy this more than being in the Metaverse and having superhuman abilities?"
Akira adjusted his glasses and smirked.
"Money can't buy happiness but it can certainly buy you the kind of misery you prefer."
Ann plopped down on to her sofa with a heavy sigh. Shiho was in the living room finishing up some homework.
"Rough photo shoot huh?"
Ann stretched.
"Huh photo shoot ?...Oh y-y-yeah photoshoot, yea it was pretty rough."
Shiho blinked a few times.
"Where was it?"
"What?"
"The photo shoot."
"Uhhhhh it was in...the park! Yea the park."
"Inokashira Park?"
"Uhhhhh yeah."
"For what magazine?"
"Uh...I...uh...forgot the name."
"Really... Well I guess we'll have to wait till next month to see it then."
Ann nodded as she got off the sofa.
"Yeah... I'm gonna go take a shower."
Shiho smiled.
"Sure, I'll re-heat dinner for you."
"Thanks!"
Ann disappeared in a flash, hoping to evade the rest of Shiho's questions.
Shiho's smile was slowly replaced by a look of concern. She loved Ann with everything she had but the girl was a terrible liar.
"What were you doing Ann?...Why lie about it? Why be so nervous?"
The volleyball player sighed as she thought about recent developments.
The fake gun that she had seen in Ann's closet a few days ago.
The conversation she had overheard that night.
And now Ann's strange behaviour.
Maybe she needed to talk with someone.
"I hope you aren't doing anything dangerous..."
Akira locked LeBlanc's doors behind him as he entered the already closed coffee shop.
He noticed two covered plates of food on the counter. A small note was scribbled by Sojiro.
"These are for you and Bruno... Futaba said to tell you that is what real curry should taste like."
Akira's eyebrow twitched several times as he crumpled the note.
"I will have vengeance."
Morgana jumped out of his school bag.
"Why do you allow the Chief to call me Bruno?"
"It's a nice name."
"Yeah just not mine."
"Just deal with it. Shouldn't Phantom Thieves use different aliases when undercover."
"Fiiiiine...the food does smell delicious though."
Akira touched the sides of the dishes.
"Still pretty warm. He must have just left. I'll bring them upstairs, Morgana."
The cat nodded as it skipped up the stairs with Akira not far behind.
After finishing his meal, Akira activated his earpiece and made a phone call as Morgana meddled around his work desk.
The call connected as the other party answered.
"Hey Akira, we still under Protocol three?"
"Mhm. I'm hands-free though."
"Okie-dokie."
"How you've been doing?"
"Horrible! Sojiro made me clean my room all by myself today! I'm actually behind on my manga reading plans."
Akira rolled his eyes but it was impossible to miss the large smile on his face.
"Oh how terrible. We should report this to the higher authorities."
Futaba whined.
"Don't mock me! You promised you'd help me the next time I cleaned my room!"
"Yeah but every time I come over all you want to do is watch anime and play video games. It's not my fault."
" Speaking of which, when am I gonna see you again? It's been foreeeeeverrrrrrrr."
"Sorry I've been a bit caught up in business but soon, I promise."
"Good. I have the new SMASH game and I'm going to absolutely wreck you like last time."
"Oh please, I let you win."
"Sure, whatever makes you sleep at night."
Another voice could be heard from Futaba's side of the phone.
"Futaba?! I drew a bath for you. You have five minutes before I plug out the Wi-Fi!"
Futaba groaned.
"Cleaning my room AND taking a bath in one day. Sojiro must have turned to the dark side."
Akira chuckled.
"I suppose he has. I'll talk to you later, I'm gonna get some sleep."
Futaba spoke again.
"I wanna talk shop before you go."
Akira glanced at Morgana who had moved over to his bed and had dozed off.
"Sure. Line secured?"
"Of course. How was the Palace?"
"Good. It'll be gone soon."
"Your team gotten any stronger?"
"Somewhat. Still some work to do."
"Do you think I could-"
"Oracle."
"Hey you could at least let me finish!"
Akira sighed.
"We've talked about this several times. The answer is still no. I would never be able to face Sojiro again if anything happened to you."
"That was when it was just you but you've got a team now..."
"They're not strong enough to protect you yet..."
"Wild Card...I want us to complete my Mom's research...please."
Akira closed his eyes as the memories and anguish flashed before his eyes. He'd be an absolute monster to deny Futaba of a goal like that.
"Let me train them some more...and if only if they get strong enough to hold their own against me in a spar...I'll allow you to accompany us."
"Thank You Wild Card."
Sojiro's voice bellowed again.
"ONE MINUTE LEFT FUTABA!"
Futaba shouted back.
"I'M COMING!"
Akira spoke again.
"You should get going."
"Yeah...Oh right before I forget, I decided to look into your other teachers while I was checking on Kamoshida."
"Oh?"
"Yeah you should check out your homeroom teacher's bank records. You might find something interesting. All of the files have been sent to your phone. Laters."
"Later."
The call disconnected and Akira was left to consider the promise he had just made.
He'd have to turn the Phantom Thieves into real fighting machines before he could trust them to meet and protect Futaba.
"Well it's not like they'll have a problem. I doubt they'll want to stop after Kamoshida...Hmmmm."
The Metaverse Mercenary took a seat on his bed next to Morgana as he took a look at the files that Futaba had sent over, pausing at Kawakami's bank statements.
"I don't see anything strange or...no way. You've gotta be shitting me."
The Next Day
Akira stifled a yawn as he walked out of the train station on his way to school. Morgana spoke as he observed his companion's state.
"You still tired from yesterday?"
Akira shook his head.
"Nah just a bit of a late night. I was doing some...research."
"Something about the Palace?"
"No. Just something of personal interest."
"Oh. okay...you've noticed the girl following you, right?"
"She's wearing a Shujin uniform, she could just be on her way to school like us."
"No she's definitely been looking at you for a little bit. She's gonna say something soon."
Akira opened his mouth to disagree but the girl's voice stopped him.
"Pardon me."
Akira could heard Morgana's smug snickering.
"Whatever smartass...Uh Hi."
The red headed girl offered a small bowl before speaking.
"Thank you so much for earlier."
"Hmmmm?"
"For allowing that elderly woman to take my seat on the train. That man seemed to be intent on swooping in but you prevented him."
"I accidentally stepped on his foot. That's all "
The red head smiled.
"For some reason I felt it was more than that. Your body movement seemed intentional. You're a second year, correct? I'm a first year myself."
"That's right. The name's Akira Kurusu."
"Kasumi Yoshizawa. It would have been rude to thank my senpai for helping me out...Please excuse me."
Akira perched an eyebrow as the girl went on ahead of him. Morgana spoke again.
"She must be that girl..."
"Huh?"
"Lady Ann was hearing rumours of a new transfer coming in. The girl with the red ribbon. I think she's some kind of pro-athlete. I forget which sport though."
"Ah I see. She could tell that I stopped that guy on purpose...she must be pretty good."
Another day of school had come to an end and Ann was simply grateful that it was over.
The female Phantom Thief smiled happily as she piled her books into her locker before closing it.
Even though the rumours about her, Shiho and Ryuji continued to circulate and worsen, Kamoshida had actually kept his distance from the three of them.
No lustful stares at her or Shiho.
No derogatory comments about Ryuji and his family history.
Nothing.
Ann was in no shape or form making a complaint about the situation but she did find it weird.
"Maybe finding Kamoshida's Treasure had some kind of effect on the him in real life ? I should ask Akira and Morgana about it."
But that conversation was for later , right now all she wanted to do was head home with her best friend, hang out a bit and rest up for tomorrow's mission.
Ann walked out to the school's entrance where Shiho was supposed to be waiting on her. What she ran into was a bit...unexpected.
Shiho was there. She was just not alone.
Shiho laughed heartily at Akira's story.
"How long did it take you to pay Sojiro-san back for the coffee maker?"
Akira groaned.
"About four paychecks. He did eventually forgive me for breaking what he called a 'classic golden-age appliance'. "
"It was that old?"
"You had to wiggle the power cord for it to even work!"
Shiho laughed again.
"Well at least the store got a brand new model."
"Yeah and he's warmed up to it but every once in a while he pulls out the old one and tries to fire it up."
"You can't be serious."
"Why do you think we own so many fire extinguishers?"
Another round of laughter erupted from the duo.
The pair's joyous time together would have continued uninterrupted if not for a certain blonde part time model approaching and clearing her throat rather loudly.
Shiho smiled.
"Hi Ann."
Akira nodded.
"Hey."
Ann watched the both of them keenly.
"What's so funny?"
Shiho responded.
"Akira-kun was just telling me about some stories about LeBlanc."
"LeBlanc?"
Akira spoke next.
"It's the coffee shop I work at."
"Oh..."
Shiho raised her hand to show the cup she was holding.
"It's where he makes these!"
Ann's eyebrow twitched.
"He's making more swirls for her! "
Ann perched an eyebrow.
"Where's mine?"
Akira folded his arms.
"I thought you said it was just 'okay'. I didn't know you'd want another one."
Ann blushed a little.
"I...uh..."
Shiho snorted.
"Just 'okay'? Ann almost inhaled the cup last time."
Ann's blush got worse.
"Shiho!"
Akira smirked.
"I see. I promise to consider you when I make any more...speaking of which, I'm working on a new three flavour drink...
Akira turned to Shiho.
"...I was wondering if you wanted to come by sometime and be my official taste-tester."
It was Shiho's turn to blush.
"Sure...anytime."
Ann was trying her best not to lose it.
"Why isn't he inviting me?! No, that's not what's important! He's trying to steal my Shiho!"
Ann stepped a little closer to Shiho.
"Shouldn't you and Ryuji be going somewhere?"
Akira nodded.
"He ran off to the little boys room. He'll be back soon."
Ann bit her lip, realising she had no idea of what to say next. Fortunately for the blonde she didn't have to.
Another woman made her presence known.
"Kurusu-kun! I've been looking all over for you."
Akira gulped as Kawakami approached the group.
"Oh, hello girls."
Ann responded first.
"Hi Kawakami-sensei."
Shiho went next.
"Hey Sensei."
Kawakami put her hand on Akira's shoulder as she spoke.
"I wanted to tell you that your essay was actually quite good, Kurusu-kun. You could even be in the second year's top ten ranking if you weren't so busy being a troublemaker."
Akira chuckled nervously as he scratched the back of his head. A small blush coloured his cheeks.
"Oh uh...thanks Sensei."
Neither Shiho nor Ann had ever seen him like this before.
Both high school girls were somehow having different yet similar trains of thought.
"Why is he so nervous and blushing? Is there something I'm not getting here?"
"Does Akira-kun fancy older women? Am I just the girl he felt sorry for ?"
Kawakami was a bit caught off guard herself. This was not the Akira she had grown accustomed to. Even after calling him a troublemaker there was no witty response or anything.
Had she done something offensive to him ?
The brown haired teacher did find it a bit concerning but thought it best to ask him about it another time.
Kawakami spoke again before excusing herself.
"Uh..right I'll see you guys tomorrow. Don't forget to study, we have exams coming up."
Both girls nodded.
"Thanks Sensei."
Akira squeaked out a response.
"Yeah, thanks."
Kawakami offered a small shrug before walking away, sparing a last minute glance at Akira before disappearing into the building.
An action that both Ann and Shiho noticed.
Before either girl could say anything, Ryuji walked up to them with a grin.
"Hey girls. You ready to go dude?"
Akira nodded.
"Ryuji! You're such a lifesaver!"
"Yeah. Ladies, please get home safely. We've gotta go, later!"
Ryuji offered a goodbye wave before following Akira who had taken off.
Ann and Shiho both watched the departing Akira with several questions forming in the back of their minds.
Questions they would seek the answers to in short order.
Ryuji gulped as they arrived at the airsoft shop's entrance.
"You sure you don't want to go in alone? That guy really creeps me out."
Akira responded.
"It'll be fine come on."
Akira pushed the door open and both males entered.
"Hey, old man."
Iwai looked up from his magazine and grunted.
"Could you at least show me some respect in my own shop, you little shit?"
Akira smirked.
"Where's the fun in that?"
Iwai took notice of the trembling Ryuji standing behind Akira.
"He a friend of yours?"
"Yeah. He's cool. Extend my customer benefits to him as well. I'd appreciate it."
Iwai perched an eyebrow.
"You want me to show him the collection? You sure he won't rat me out to those pigs?"
That got a reaction from Ryuji.
"Hey I ain't no snitch!"
Before the blond Persona user could correct himself and apologize for shouting at the store's owner, Iwai smirked.
"Hmm, I guess you're alright for a casual. So what will it be today,kid?"
Akira shrugged.
"I have a few items to sell but I need to make some purchases as well. Got anything new?"
Iwai stood up and punched in a series of numbers on a keypad hidden behind a poster.
"See for yourself."
CLICK!
The door to the store automatically locked as the display case split open and raised a platform revealing a whole new array of weapons.
Ryuji's eyes widened at the selection as Akira started to look around. Iwai turned his attention to the blond.
"Pull that drape over the front door, will ya?"
Ryuji nodded.
"Yes sir."
Akira was busy spinning a dagger from hand to hand.
"This is pretty nice. I'll take it."
"Of course."
"I need to see some other stuff."
"Oh like what?"
"I want to see a selection of bludgeoning weapons, whips and swords that suit those of smaller body structures."
"You waging a war out there?"
"Nah this is for our cosplay group."
"Cosplay...right."
Akira smiled before continuing.
"Need to see the model guns too and the armour rack."
"Looks like you're spending big today."
Akira folded his arms.
"I hope to get a reasonable discount."
Iwai chuckled.
"We'll see about that."
Akira frowned as he checked over the final bill.
"A seven percent discount, really?"
Iwai retorted.
"You should be grateful."
Akira sighed.
"I suppose."
Ryuji was busy posing with his new model shotgun.
Iwai called out to him.
"Make sure you keep that thing in your bag while you're out in the public!"
Ryuji quickly pushed the gun and his other weapons into his bag.
"Yes sir!"
Akira walked over to Ryuji and spoke softly.
"You mind dropping those off at Ann's? I want her to get a feel for them before tomorrow. Tell her to keep her old stuff for re-sale. Remember that we also need the calling card for tomorrow."
Ryuji packed away Ann's weapons with a nod.
"Yeah, I'll take care of it."
Akira returned the nod.
"Alright, see you later."
Ryuji offered his salutations to Iwai before leaving.
"Thanks again, sir!"
Iwai sighed.
"He's a weird kid."
"He's a good guy too. How's Karou been doing?"
"Pretty good. His grades have gotten even better after you helped with tutoring him."
"He was already a smart kid. I just gave him a few pointers. Tell him hi for me."
"Will do...make sure you're not getting yourself into much trouble."
Akira shrugged.
"A guy can only wish."
Later that evening
"It's been too long my little Guinea Pig, gotten so caught up with the girls at your high school to pay your resident Doctor any attention?"
Akira sighed as he entered Tae's examination room.
"My apologies Tae-san. It's been a busy couple of days. I hope everything's going smoothly."
Tae sighed.
"All business and no play will make you a dull young man you know ? But to answer your question, yes. My research is moving forward rapidly. Speaking of research, I have another sample for you to test if you're up to it.."
Akira nodded as he dropped his bag and took off his shirts, leaving his toned upper-body out in the open.
The bespectacled male took a seat on the examination room's bed as Tae handed him a cup with a dark red concoction.
Akira spoke up before downing the mix.
"I'm gonna need a double package of the stuff I usually buy."
"Oh what's the occasion?"
Akira smirked.
"I have a lot of exams to study for."
Before Tae could respond, her 'Guinea Pig' drank the entire container's worth of liquid.
The young man smacked his lips a few times.
"Hmmmm this one kinda tastes like mango..."
PLUFF!
Akira fell on to the bed unconscious. The back alley doctor wasted no time as she got out her stethoscope and placed it against Akira's bare muscled chest.
"Steady heartbeat. Regular breathing pattern. Good."
"Mrrrow?"
"Huh?"
Tae blinked in surprise as a black cat jumped out of Akira's bag and climbed on to the bed.
"I didn't know my Guinea Pig had such a cute pet."
The cat looked at the unconscious Akira before speaking.
"Mrrrrow."
Tae chuckled.
"Oh he'll be fine. We do this all the time. Hey now that I think about it, one of my patients actually paid the balance of his bill with tins of cat food, even though I don't own one. Want some?"
Morgana answered with another 'Mrrrrooowww'. Who was he to turn down a free meal?
Back at LeBlanc
Morgana spoke as he finished licking a paw.
"You know...you could have told me about the whole medical research thing with your doctor. I wasn't sure what was happening when I saw you fall unconscious like that."
Akira apologized.
"Sorry. It kinda slipped my mind. I hope I didn't have you too worried."
"I was more surprised than anything, I did see you drink it of your own will after all. So she's your contact for medicine? Most of the stuff seems original."
"Yea she makes her own medication. It can be a bit pricey but it's worth it. They're very good."
"So you're friends?"
"I enjoy her company to be honest but I'm sure she just sees me as a tease-able test subject. Her nickname for me is Guinea Pig after all."
Morgana remained silent on the matter, it wasn't his place to say what said to Akira while he was asleep or how many times she played with his hair.
"If you only knew Akira."
A few moments of silence passed before Morgana spoke again.
"Am I missing something?"
"Huh?"
"You've been done here staring at that yellow phone for at least fifteen minutes. Do you wanna call someone?"
Akira stared at the flyer in his hand for almost a minute before folding it and placing it back onto his pocket.
"I think someone I care about may be in some financial difficulty...and I want to help them."
"So why don't you?"
"I have a feeling that it won't be as easy as that. I wanted to talk to them tonight but we have a Treasure to steal tomorrow and I'll need my rest."
"Oh...I get it."
"Once we're finished with Kamoshida, I'm gonna do all I can to help them."
Morgana was genuinely happy.
"That's great...wait is that why you stayed up so last night? You were talking to them ?"
"No I was trying to prove my theory right... Let's go to bed. Big day tomorrow."
Morgana nodded.
"Right."
Unknown to the black feline, the flyer in Akira's pocket had a list of names on it. Six in total, five were crossed of. The last name had a question mark beside it.
It looked just like this.
6.Becky???
The Next Day
Akira sang softly as he bought a soda at the vending machine across from Shujin's stair entrance.
" Ain't it a shame..I'm not a figment of your ailing old mind. I'm just as real as, I'm just as dangerous as you will find."
Morgana chuckled.
" What are you singing?"
"Music helps to get the blood pumping. I need the focus for today."
"Sure. You're not too bad of a singer. A man of many talents I see."
Akira smirked as he ascended the stairs.
"Hmm I wonder how Ryuji chose to deliver the calling card? Maybe a letter or note? I hope he wasn't crazy enough to use his own personal email...maybe I should have asked Futaba to deliver it..."
As the curly haired male entered the school, he saw a large crowd in front of the bulletin board. The students gossiped amongst each other as more and more people came to investigate.
"I wonder what that's all about?"
Curiosity got the better of Akira and he slowly walked around the crowd to get a look, some of the persons who noticed his presence stepped aside to give him way.
Akira's eyes widened as he saw the cards. Blazing emblems of black and red. Three words bravely embossed on the border of each one.
TAKE YOUR HEART!
"Oh no."
Ryuji leaned over to Ann and whispered.
"Why's Akira rubbing his face like that?"
Ann whispered back.
"Morgana says he has a terrible headache."
"What do you think caused it ?"
"Probably your terrible calling card."
"Hey it wasn't that bad!"
Akira finally spoke as he drew closer to them.
"You're right it's worse than bad."
Ryuji frowned.
"Ouch, man."
Ann snickered.
"See?"
Akira spoke again.
"Trust me the wording may be terrible but it will be effective. What I want to know is why did you put it here for everyone to see?"
Ryuji scratched the side of his face.
"Isn't that how it works?"
"No. Only Kamoshida needed to see it, to make matters even worse you signed it with your group's name."
Ann countered.
"How is that a bad thing? Shouldn't everyone know who got Kamoshida to change his evil ways ?"
Akira groaned.
"Please tell me what you think is going to happen when he confesses? Every cop with half a brain is going to suspect that the Phantom Thieves are Shujin students that blackmailed him or something! Rumours were being spread that the both of you and Shiho were gonna be expelled. You'll be prime suspects!"
Ryuji swore.
"Shit, we fucked up."
Morgana spoke up.
"I understand where you're coming from Akira but this has to be done. The Phantom Thieves had to make this statement. That's at least what my heart is saying to me."
Akira sighed heavily.
"After we deal with Kamoshida, you guys should lay low. I'll have to think of something to shift everyone's attention."
Ann nodded.
"We...we just wanted everyone to have heroes to look to."
Akira responded.
"It's fine. I guess I'm also just used to being much more covert."
An explosion of rage echoed in the lobby ahead of them.
"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE? WHO POSTED THIS? WAS IT YOU?"
Kamoshida roared angrily as the crowd of students dispersed.
Morgana nodded.
"An appropriate response for someone who knows exactly what rotten perverted desires we'll be stealing."
Kamoshida marched over to them.
"How about you delinquents? Do you know anything about this?"
Akira smiled.
"Relax Sensei. An upstanding coach like you has nothing to hide, right?"
Kamoshida grabbed Akira by his shirt collar.
"I'm getting real sick of you and your attitude, brat."
"Kamoshida-sensei!"
Kawakami approached the pair with worry etched on her face.
"Please let Kurusu-kun go."
Kamoshida sneered.
"Ever since this criminal trash came into our school we've only had anarchy. He's a virus. You should remember where your loyalty lies, Kawakami-sensei."
Sadayo folded her arms.
"I know exactly where they lie. I kindly ask that you consider your current surroundings at this time."
Kamoshida turned his attention to the world around him.
Teachers.
Students.
Auxiliary staff.
All watching the scene unfold before them. Some of them were observing behind half opened doors, others stood bravely in the open waiting to see what would happen next while a few peeked around corners.
Not many had seen their beloved P.E. Teacher like this before.
Kamoshida released Akira with a grunt, as he stepped back he narrowed his eyes at the transfer student.
"This isn't over."
For every Metaverse visitor present, the world morphed into a corridor of black emptiness. The 'real' Kamoshida was replaced by his Shadow self.
The perverse King gloated and raised a glass of wine towards the Phantom Thieves.
"Come, steal it if you can!"
Akira's Third Eye revealed the Palace's security level skyrocketing to ninety-nine percent.
"That won't stop us."
In the blink of an eye the moment had passed, the real world was back in it's proper place.
Kamoshida leveled the group with one last angry stare before walking away. All of those who were watching slowly but surely returned to whatever they should have been doing.
Morgana whispered so only the others could hear him.
"There's our cue...the Treasure is ripe for the picking."
Akira turned to Kawakami and nodded.
"Thank you Sensei."
Sadayo moved a little closer to him.
"You promised me that you would stay away from trouble."
Akira offered a small sad smile.
"Unfortunately, trouble didn't promise to stay away from me."
"Kurusu-kun. I think we need to talk soon. I have some questions for you."
"So do I...but I think we'll have to postpone our discussion for another time, Sensei."
Akira looked back in the direction that Kamoshida had left in.
"My evening's booked out. I have a job to do."
Kawakami perched an eyebrow as she noticed the most recent email on her school work station.
It was from Principal Kobayakawa.
The brown haired teacher read through the details of the email several times before covering her face with both hands.
"Why does life never give me a break?"
The Principal had scheduled a performance review for a random selection of teachers the day after the upcoming board meeting.
Who was first on the list?
You guessed it.
Sadayo Kawakami.
"Kamoshida must have told him about what happened today. This is his way of saying my head's on the block if my testimony doesn't match Kamoshida's claims...damnit."
Kawakami groaned as she rested her head on the desk in front of her.
"Maybe I should just resign and find a new day job while I keep moonlighting as Becky...no...Takase's relatives would raise hell if they heard I quit. They'd probably think I was going to stop making my payments..."
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
'Go away!' was what Kawakami wanted to say but it was still her office hours and she was still a Shujin teacher...at least for the time being.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
Sadayo raised her head as she answered.
"Yes? Who is it?"
The door opened and a female student stepped in,closing the door behind her.
Sadayo recognised her easily.
"Suzui-chan?"
Shiho responded.
"Hello Sensei...I was hoping we could talk."
Principal Kobayakawa smiled earnestly.
"Once again I would like to welcome you to the prestigious Shujin Academy. We hope that you will have a fruitful, enjoyable and successful journey here."
Kasumi Yoshizawa offered a small bow.
"Thank you again for your warm welcome Principal Kobayakawa. I'll do my best to make this amazing institution proud."
The Principal nodded.
"I know you will. Now with those formalities out of the way, may I introduce the advisor I have chosen for you?"
Kasumi blinked.
"Advisor?"
"Yes. As important as your academics are we also wish to ensure that your ventures into the field of gymnastics is also filled with achievements. We are aware that you have a coach but we thought having an Olympic Gold medalist athlete in your corner wouldn't hurt either."
Kasumi's eyes widened.
"An Olympic gold medalist?"
The side door to the Principal's private study opened and a tall man stepped out. Kobayakawa continued.
"Allow me to introduce Suguru Kamoshida. Our P.E teacher and volleyball coach. He has volunteered to be your advisor."
Kasumi bowed again.
"Thank you very much, Kamoshida-sensei. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Kamoshida grinned as his eyes roamed Kasumi's petite figure.
"The pleasure is all mine, Yoshizawa-san. The pleasure is all mine."
Shiho took a seat right across from Kawakami's desk. The Japanese Language spoke first.
"What did you want to talk about, Suzui-chan?"
"I...I need your help."
"With what exactly?"
Shiho took a deep breath.
"Akira-kun once told me that out of every teacher in this school. You're the only one he'd ever trust to do the right thing."
Shiho's statement hit like a punch to the gut. Kawakami dug her nails into her denim skirt. How would the brunette student feel if she knew that Kawakami had agreed to help Kamoshida expel her and her friends?
How would Akira feel?
Her traitorous brain conjured an image of a frowning disappointed Akira. She only watched silently as he turned his back on her and walked away.
The imagined scenario hurt on way too many levels.
Shiho continued.
"I have a situation...and I don't know what the right thing to do is..."
Kawakami remained silent, allowing the female volleyball player to find the right words to express herself.
"I think...I think Ann and Ryuji are about to attempt something very stupid.I think it involves Kamoshida."
Kawakami narrowed her eyes.
"Define 'very stupid' ."
"Something that may be...dangerous."
Kawakami bit her lip as she began to worry. She didn't know to what lengths Sakamoto and Takamaki were willing to go to prove their innocence but it would not end well if they or Kamoshida got hurt.
"Tell me more."
Unbeknownst to Kawakami, the most troubling bit of information was yet to come.
Shiho squeaked out the last few words.
"I think they've convinced Akira-kun to help them."
Kawakami's eyes widened.
"Oh no..."
The after school crowd had thinned out to a few dispersed groups and club members.
Akira watched patiently as even some of those groups started to separate and head off in varying directions.
Someone spoke from behind him.
"We ready to go?"
Akira turned around. Ryuji looked like he was going to implode any minute now.
"Someone's eager..."
"I just want to finish this. Kamoshida's been getting away with this for too long."
Akira wasn't going to disagree with Ryuji's statement anytime soon. His eyes wandered out back on to the school, it seemed he was just staring at the building for moments on end.
"Something wrong?"
"Just can't shake this feeling that we're being watched but it could just be paranoia."
Ryuji grinned.
"Didn't think a pro like you would have type of thing."
"Paranoia has saved me more times than my gun or dagger has. Trust me."
The bespectacled male walked over to Ann and Morgana who had been tasked with checking supplies.
He called out to the pair.
"We good and ready?"
Ann gave him a bright smile and a thumbs up. Morgana spoke.
"All weapons, armour and items accounted for."
Akira rolled his neck and shoulders a few times.
Something still didn't feel right. He couldn't put his finger on it though and he didn't wish to delay the team any longer.
If they hadn't already sent the calling card, he would have cancelled today's operation but there was no turning back now.
"Okay Phantom Thieves, let's go steal a silly little King's Treasure."
The entire team shared one final group nod as Ann activated the MetaNav.
Skull could not help but swear as Kamoshida's castle came into view.
"Joker! What the fuck did you do bro?"
Panther and Mona were left speechless in the face of such cataclysmic destruction.
Several castle walls had been ripped apart, leaving the contents of various rooms open to any nearby eye.
Quite a few hallways and towers had also been reduced to rubble.
The Phantom Thieves even noticed that the blackest of scorch marks decorated the area in very concentrated patterns.
"As I said...I scared them off."
Morgana responded.
"You sure you didn't destroy Kamoshida or the Treasure in your rampage?"
Joker sighed.
"I made sure not to target the King or the tower that holds his Treasure. You guys should really trust me sometimes."
"What the hell is this place?!"
That was the voice of a certain Japanese Language teacher at Shujin Academy.
Joker and the Phantom Thieves all looked at each other. They all slowly turned in unison to confirm that which they had hoped was not the case.
They were right.
It was worse.
The pair of Sadayo Kawakami and Shiho Suzui just stood there, facing the group and the heavily damaged castle with mouths wide open.
Akira placed a gloved hand on his increasingly aching temples.
"And the hits keep on coming."
THANKS AGAIN FOR READING!
THAT WAS CHAPTER 4 OF POCKET CHANGE.
PLEASE COMMENT OR REVIEW. TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK.
FAVS, ALERTS AND KUDOS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME.
THIS WAS YOUR BOY KINGNIKEN.
PEACE OUT.