Chapter 62: Declaration of War
Ω • Ω • Ω
•Akira•
"Does Boss have any family?" Yusuke asked him.
As soon as class had ended he texted everyone that they had new information to go over, and they met at the hideout. The realization they'd be reported if they didn't change a heart wasn't received well, but they quickly moved on to the target's name, and the similarity to Sojiro Sakura's.
Morgana made to answer, before pausing. "Does he…?"
He shook his head. He didn't know. Sakura had barely opened up to him since he had started staying in that attic, even after three months. "For reals?! How laid-back are you?! Wouldn't you normally be introduced at least? I mean, you ARE living at his place."
Yusuke shook his head. "Well, his situation does make things difficult…"
"I would be hesitant to introduce a possible dangerous criminal to any family members," he admitted.
"The calling card was delivered to Boss's house," Makoto noted, "it'd be more natural to assume this is all related. One of the reasons for that is because Alibaba mentioned nothing about 'which' Futaba Sakura. Perhaps they think the name alone is enough."
"That makes sense," Morgana nodded.
"Additionally, the fact that the card was delivered to Sakura's house, with absolutely no information besides being addressed to me, has to mean that Alibaba is close by. It would never be sent if they tried to mail the card in that envelope."
Ann looked at him with wide eyes. "I see."
"What I want to know is how Alibaba got a hold of Akira-kun's smartphone information. However, since they're ordering us through chat, I do feel as though they're taunting us."
"You mean, this might just be a prank?"
Makoto frowned. "I mean, look at their demands. Pay me if you don't want me to leak who you really are— that I'd understand. But they're telling us to steal someone's heart without explaining why."
Yusuke's brow furrowed. "So we're being tested."
"Regardless, I think we should ask Boss about Futaba Sakura once."
"That's probably for the best." For a brief moment, Morgana looked at him, before continuing. "...There's nothing else we can do at the moment, and Chief might have an idea on what this is about too."
"I'll check the school's roster, just in case."
"That's our Prez!"
"We must make sure Boss doesn't figure out who we are," Yusuke noted. "We'll have to go about this cautiously."
Ann grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. "Alright, Akira! It's up to you!"
"Joy," he drawled.
Ω • Ω • Ω
He walked into Leblanc and mentally steeled himself. He had no good reason to know about Futaba, if she really was Sakura's family member. "Hm?" Sakura looked up at the door's bell ringing, and nodded at him. "Welcome back."
"Thanks." Alright, might as well rip the bandaid off. "Hey, Boss, do you know anyone named Futaba?"
If he lived in an anime or a game and Sakura had been holding a cup, he'd have expected the man to drop it with a crash with how suprrised he seemed. "Why do you know about her?!"
Akira's eyebrows rose, taken aback. He expected a defensive response at the worst, but not anything like that. Not quite sure how to respond, he took a gamble. "Uh, sorry. I overheard that silver-haired lady mention her, and she had the same last name as you. I figured she might have been a family member, but I should have expected that you wouldn't want to introduce them to a guy with a criminal record, or have me know about her… Just forget about it."
Sakura took a moment to collect himself, glaring at him. "She mentioned her, huh? Tch… That's got nothing to do with you. I'm going home. Make sure to lock up."
After the man left, Morgana hopped out of his bag and met his gaze. "Looks like we've got a hit."
The Phantom Thief group chat was alight with texts that night, as they discussed what little he'd learned— mostly just that there was, in fact, a Futaba in Sakura's house. In the end, they ended the conversation with an agreement to wait for Sojiro to bring her up himself.
Ω • Ω • Ω
7/22, Friday
Sojiro mostly ignored him that morning, but he still had a plate of curry and a cup of coffee waiting on the counter for him when he walked down the stairs, wisps from the heat still floating above both.
He smiled to himself but ate in silence as Sojiro worked on his crossword puzzle. His eyes drifted to the television playing the news for the morning and nearly choked when he saw an image of Uncle Anthony on the screen, with a reporter reading from his script next to it.
"…Surprisingly, Anthony Andonuts has pledged his support to the Phantom Thieves, following Medjed's most recent proclamation. While he could not come to the station personally, we have a copy of his response here."
Morgana popped his head out of his bag, intrigued with his new knowledge of Akira's relationship with the man. "So that's what the guy looks like," he muttered as he studied the picture.
"'Without a full understanding of their procedure, I cannot say whether their methods are evil or just. However, from what I have seen of the results, I can wholeheartedly say that I am on their side. After each of their targets confessed, hard proof was exposed of their actions thanks to the authorities finally investigating them, all because of the Phantom Thieves' actions. Clearly, they target vile and evil individuals, though how they discover their target's misdeeds is another mystery to me.'"
"Your uncle is a smart man," Morgana spoke smugly. He didn't say anything in response, considering Sojiro was standing within earshot.
"'Ignoring how they go about the investigation, Medjed targeting them now after they've proven their justice several times over is posturing by the group, attempting to raise their infamy by denouncing the Phantom Thieves.'" The reporter cleared his throat after finally finishing. "With that, I believe we can safely say that the Chief Executive Officer of Andonuts Laboratories is on the side of the Phantom Thieves. How Medjed will respond to this is…"
He looked down at his curry and furrowed his brow. Well, he'd already told Morgana that he was pretty sure his family would be on their side, and that certainly confirmed it. But… Publicly making a statement like that made him a bit worried. What if Medjed decided to target his uncle?
Seriously?
He held back a snort, acknowledging Arsène's unspoken point. As if that would even be an issue for Uncle Anthony. He may primarily be an inventor and engineer, but he would eat his glasses if the man couldn't shut down all of Medjed with his programming skills alone, and that wasn't even counting the various cybersecurity experts he likely had working for him.
He finished eating his breakfast and traveled to Shujin, Morgana praising his Uncle's 'intuition about their character' the whole way there.
Ω • Ω • Ω
After school let out he explored Yongen-Jaya, asking everyone he could if they'd ever heard anything about a 'Futaba Sakura'. None so far had ever heard of her, which was becoming more and more suspicious considering he was certain by now that there was a Futaba Sakura at Sojiro's house, thanks to the reaction he'd had the previous day.
The only clue he'd gotten was that Sakura bought a lot of food, and not just for the café. What he was getting for his home was three times the amount someone living on their own would buy. I'd say the chances of this Futaba being within his house have neared one hundred percent.
'Agreed.'
Well, nothing for it. He'd have to rely on questioning Sakura directly again.
He wasn't looking forward to walking into Leblanc, and his mood soured further when he saw the silver-haired businesswoman talking to Sakura. "You read the letter, did you not?"
"So you are the one who tipped him off about Futaba," Sakura scoffed. "You really shouldn't have done that. I have no intention of talking to you about Wakaba."
"Tipped off…? What are you talking about?" She shook her head. "Back to the matter at hand. Your parental authority will have to be suspended. I take it you're okay with that outcome?"
"What?!"
He looked on with wide eyes as the adults argued, Morgana staying silent in his bag. "Considering the state of your daughter and your family overall, there are no points in your favor. Would you like to take this to domestic court? Our chances of victory are roughly ninety-nine point nine percent though. With these suspicions of abuse… There's no way you could avoid having your custody revoked."
"You're going that far?!" Sakura snapped, leaning on the counter. "I told you, I don't know a damn thing about it!"
"We're extremely serious about this. As long as there's a possibility that cognitive science can be linked to the psychotic breakdowns…" They both finally noticed him as she cut herself off.
Sakura took a moment, before tsking in annoyance. "Fine. You win."
"Thank you. I will contact you at a later date," she smiled as she placed a business card down. Akira didn't like the sight of that smile.
"I doubt you'll find anything you want to hear though."
"That's fine. It will be up to us to decide whether the information you give us is useful or not. Next time I come here, it will be for a nice cup of coffee."
She finally left the store, Sakura glaring at her the whole way as he yelled "and stay out!" The door closed behind her and he groaned, face furrowed in frustration. "That woman is real good at pissing people off."
He silently walked toward the counter and set his bag down. "So…"
"What's with that look? Got something to say?"
"Sakura, what was that? She's trying to accuse you of, what, child abuse? I don't know you that well, but you definitely wouldn't do something like that!"
"This doesn't involve you," Sakura just grunted in response.
"I know you don't like me that much, but I don't want you to get arrested or have Futaba, your daughter, right? I don't want you two to get separated. Please, talk to me, maybe we can figure—"
"That's enough!" Sakura slammed his hand down on the table, but he didn't flinch and continued staring him down. "Just behave yourself and keep going to school if you don't want me to throw you out of here. You got that?"
"Sakura, please, let me at least try and help you and Futaba. I don't think you're a bad guy!"
Sakura closed his eyes, and some of the anger drained away. "Lock the store up."
Akira watched as he walked out. Sighing, he flipped the open sign to closed and turned the locks. "Well, that basically confirms Futaba exists, at least." Morgana hopped onto the counter, sitting on his haunches. "But it sounds like she's got her own problems."
"Hm."
"Moreso, our conjecture that Alibaba is connected to Leblanc seems to have a pretty solid foundation. Oh, and didn't they mention 'cognitive' something?"
"They did."
"...I wonder what the Chief is hiding. We can't really press him on the subject though, especially after he mentioned throwing you out." Akira merely nodded at Morgana's words, crossing his arms. This whole situation was tricky… But at least he had gotten more information for everyone to go over the next day. "Hey… Didn't you say something once about your parents knowing the Chief? And that's why you're staying with him for your probation?"
He glared at the not-cat. "Morgana, I thought we agreed that it'd be better to leave my family out of this."
"I did, but asking your parents about your current guardian wouldn't be suspicious at all! Just frame it as you wanting to learn more about him because he's being standoffish!"
"...You just want to see me videochat my parents and find out more about them."
"Uh…"
"Either way, Dad's a busy guy. I can send him a text to ask him to call when he can, but if I call now he probably won't be able to answer. As for Mom, she'd likely be able to talk, but I don't think she knows Sakura as well as Dad does."
Morgana sighed. "Well, that plan's a bust, then…"
Ω • Ω • Ω
7/23, Saturday
"A woman was threatening Boss?"
"Yeah, she was going on about domestic abuse and taking the case to court and stuff…"
Makoto frowned and cupped her chin at Morgana's explanation, causing Ryuji to raise an eyebrow. "What's up?"
"...It's nothing. So, to summarize what you told us, Futaba is Boss's daughter, and he's abusing her? I don't know him very well… Is he really the kind of person who would do that?"
"I think I know him well enough by now. He's strict and gruff, but inside he seems to care. I can't possibly imagine him abusing his daughter. He made me coffee and curry just the other day, even after getting angry that I was asking about Futaba."
Makoto nodded in agreement. "I would like to believe so as well, but we don't have any conclusive evidence, do we?"
His phone suddenly pinged, and Morgana struggled to look over his shoulder. "Is it Alibaba?!"
The sight of the little cat-like icon on his screen made him sigh. "Speak of the nerd and they shall appear."
"I don't think a nerd can call someone else a nerd."
He flipped Ryuji off.
Alibaba— I've given you a calling card and told you the target's name. You should be ready for this.
Alibaba— Why aren't you doing it?
Alibaba— I told you I'd help you if you stole her heart. What seems to be the hold up?
Alibaba— I also said I'd report your identity to the police if you didn't help me.
Alibaba— Are you OK with that? I'm serious here.
"What a selfish person," Yusuke muttered while he texted back 'Hi serious here, I'm Akira.'
Ω • Ω • Ω
•Alibaba•
Their head hit the keyboard at the terrible joke.
Ω • Ω • Ω
•Akira•
Ryuji just gave him the stink eye. "Seriously?"
"Well, they do have information on us…" Makoto spoke.
"Anyways, this Futaba he's talkin' about have a Palace? Cuz, we'll still need keywords to get in. Think they'll even know what those are?"
He nodded and typed out a message while Alibaba was presumably still fuming at his amazing dad joke.
You— BTW we're gonna need the keywords to her Palace. You do know we need to infiltrate it to start the change of heart, right?
Alibaba— Palace? Keywords?
Alibaba— What are you talking about? That has nothing to do with this conversation.
Alibaba— Are you just saying random stuff to dodge the issue? Do you really want me to leak that stuff to your friends?
"What stuff is she talkin' about?"
"My nudes," he answered Ryuji, deadpan. The bottle-blond's face immediately scrunched up in disgust, while Makoto and Ann looked confused at his dodging the question. Morgana hung his head and sighed.
You— It does have to do with the conversation. I figured that you at least had the slightest idea how a change of heart works. Do you really not know anything about this?
Alibaba didn't respond, which caused him to raise an eyebrow. He'd had the thought that Alibaba held no knowledge about the Metaverse, and just wanted them to change a heart, and this confirmed it. There had, after all, been a possibility that Alibaba couldn't access the Metaverse but knew about it.
"What do we do now?" Ann asked.
"If we could meet up with Alibaba, maybe we could make some headway," Morgana suggested.
"It'd be easier than talking over the phone, but I very much doubt they'd be amicable to an in-person conversation." Even saying that, he texted back asking to meet up.
Alibaba, predictably, denied him immediately.
Alibaba— Meet? With me?
Alibaba— That will be difficult.
Alibaba— I have reasons for not being able to go out.
Alibaba— That's why I'm contacting you like this.
"He can't go out?" He ignored Morgana's question, eyes narrowing as he thought to himself. The next texts to come from Alibaba gave credence to the theory that was slowly building in his head.
Alibaba— Wait, I get it. You steal people's hearts directly.
Alibaba— That might make things difficult.
Alibaba— Extremely difficult.
You— If it's that much of an issue, then we'll simply have to investigate Futaba ourselves. We know where she lives, so even if it would have been easier for you to give us her keywords, we can interrogate her and find out.
Alibaba— There's no need for tht
Alibaba had responded so quickly that she'd misspelled the final word. His lips quirked up into a smile for half a second.
You— No need to worry. You just want her to have a change of heart, right? We won't hurt her. Once I've spoken with her face to face I think I'll be able to change her heart for you.
"Akira, what're you doing?"
"Trust the process."
"Yeah, Prez, let him work his magic!"
Alibaba— Again, that won't be necessary.
You— Do you not want Futaba Sakura to have a change of heart? This is the only way.
Alibaba— I do!
Alibaba— One moment.
Alibaba— I'm thinking.
You— What's the issue with me meeting her face to face?
Alibaba— Nothing
Alibaba— OK, it's a shame, but I'm calling this deal off. Stop looking into Futaba Sakura.
Alibaba— Forget this ever happened. I won't report you to the police either, don't worry.
Alibaba— Sorry for taking your time. Now if you'll excuse me…
He stared at his phone, before typing a very deliberate message.
You— Don't you want our help?
Alibaba— I said the deal's off!
Alibaba— We're never going to speak again. Don't expect me to contact you anymore either.
You— Futaba, wa
His message was cut off before he could send it, Alibaba, or as he was heavily suspecting now, Futaba Sakura, having shut down the account.
"Huh? Did they shut the whole operation down?"
"Aw man, I take what I said back! You didn't work any magic, you totally pushed them away!"
"This doesn't make any sense… Not only can Alibaba not go out, but they won't let us meet Futaba either?"
Ryuji shrugged at Morgana. "Well, it's none of our business now. We can't contact 'em anymore."
"But what do we do about Medjed?" Ann asked, despondent. "We won't be able to get Alibaba to help us with them now."
Makoto ignored the conversation and narrowed her eyes as she read the last message Akira had tried to send. "Akira… you think that Alibaba and Futaba are the same person?"
"Wait, wha…?"
He chuckled at Ryuji's bewildered expression, as well as Ann's confusion, before nodding at Makoto. "I do… But it's just a hypothesis at this moment. I'm sure that you've noticed the same things I did… Unfortunately, with how hard she's pushed us away, I'm afraid to look into it, as it might force her to release our information to the police in retaliation for forcing the issue."
"I don't understand how you reached this conclusion," Fox frowned. "And would that mean she wants us to steal her own heart?"
"If she was getting abused, maybe she wants us to save her from the scars of her abuse? That would be hard to ask directly," Ann spoke sadly.
He shook his head. "Like I said, it doesn't matter right now whether she is Alibaba or not. If we try to investigate further, who knows what she'll do? I'll explain if we need to get her help and have to talk to her again."
Morgana's tail flicked in confusion, but he just sighed and accepted he wouldn't understand Akira or Makoto's thought processes. "Anyway, Lady Ann is right. Now that we don't have Alibaba, or Futaba's if you're right, support, what do we do about Medjed?"
"Maybe they were just prankin' us," Ryuji shrugged. "They made that huge declaration, then ain't done nothin' since. I bet we got 'em freaked 'em out."
"You mean they backed out because they're afraid we'll change their hearts?" Morgana questioned.
"Yup. And now it'd just make 'em look lame if they came out and apologized!"
Makoto furrowed her brow. "But…"
"I guess with Alibaba and Medjed outta the picture, can we just say this case is closed?"
"Don't be so sure," he warned Ryuji. "People like Medjed, with their faces and names hidden, think they're invincible. Until they've received actual retribution, I wouldn't be surprised if they weren't finished. Keep your guard up, and keep your eyes on the news."
"Akira is right," Yusuke nodded. "It's best we be prepared. I've seen criticisms of Madarame's work online when he was still popular, drowned out by the praise of course, but filled with vitriol that I believe they thought they could get away with because of their anonymity."
"So we should still be careful," Ann sighed.
"Well, that's for the future! For now, Medjed's done jack shit!" Ryuji grinned and crossed his arms. "Now then, remember Kaneshiro's treasure? Prepare to have your minds blown! We got one hundred and fifty thousand yen out of it!"
Everyone's eyes (but his) bugged out of their heads. "That's awesome! We can really go all out with that kind of money!"
"Yeah! Let's make up for what happened at the fireworks festival! We gotta eat somethin' special for the PT's worldwide debut!"
"Where would be good?"
Morgana sighed at the two blonds.
"Ooh, how 'bout sushi?!" Morgana immediately perked up. "I could really go for some eel too!"
"The best method is to fill yourself on ginger before beginning to eat sushi," Yusuke began to explain with a hand to his chin and a happy, closed-eye smile on his face. "That is my master technique."
Makoto looked… Well, he wasn't quite sure how to describe that expression. "You don't need to do that this time. Actually, definitely don't do it, okay?"
"I'm all for sushi! You're okay with that too, right?!"
He chuckled. "Yes, yes, I'm fine with sushi."
"Then it's decided," Morgana nodded vigorously.
"All right! We'll go tomorrow night!"
Ω • Ω • Ω
By the time he got back to Leblanc it was getting late, but not too late for him to hang out with someone. Sakura had already left for the day, so he got on the yellow phone and called up his maid-teacher.
Hm.
'Shut up.'
I said nothing at all.
Kawakami showed up shortly after that and got to work while he made some coffee in the kitchen to replenish their stock. It was damn useful in their Metaverse excursions, after all. After brewing a batch and storing it in several to-go cups, he returned to his room just as Kawakami finished the cleaning.
He sat on the red bench and she sat down next to him. He blinked in surprise for a moment, giving her a confused side-eye. "So, Master… I want to provide more services for you…" He was very thankful for his ability to keep a straight face, especially as the male Personas in his head began going ape-shit at the proclamation, and it got even worse as she reached over and placed a hand on his leg at the same time.
"That would be great," he responded, as naturally as possible.
Her face did that… thing again. "I'm really good at giving massages. Meow ❤️! I'll massage aaanywhere you like.❤️" There was a beat of silence where he tried to restart his brain and she stared at him. "...Well? How was that?"
"Uh…"
"The thing is, I talked to my boss about picking up more shifts… But he said that he prioritizes 'younger' women!"
"Well, that's just unnecessarily rude."
"Seriously… He didn't have to say that right to my face. I mean, age has nothing to do with cleaning a room!" She finally let go of his thigh to sit up straight. Something he was thankful for, since he wasn't sure how much longer his mental fortitude would have held out. "And I look damn fine for my age, if I do say so myself. The girls in my neighborhood always tell me I'm pretty. And the latchkey kid who lives next door always asks me to tie up her hair. Thanks to that, I'm an expert with these pigtails now. See? So I'm damn good for… Wait, don't tell me I'm the only one who thinks this way?"
He just raised an eyebrow.
"Master… Would you please give me your honest opinion? I look pretty good as a maid, don't I?"
Yes, obviously. "You need to love yourself," he answered instead. It would… probably be a bit weird for him to say outright that his teacher in a maid outfit was hot.
It seemed that she hadn't expected that answer, however, as she paused. "Huh? I don't really feel like I'm worth being loved." He wasn't sure how to unpack that one… "But… You're right." She stood up, face downcast. "You go out of your way to request me, and all I do is sit here and vent to you. What the heck am I saying? You're my student…"
"We already have a pretty odd teacher-student relationship," he pointed out. "I figure I can lend an ear while you're keeping my room in order."
She sighed. "My double life as both a teacher and a maid is so exhausting. Maybe I'm letting my guard down because you know both sides of me. The more I come here, the more I feel like I can relax. As a maid, I'm supposed to help my master relax… But instead, I'm the one being helped. Ha… Sorry I'm such a terrible maid."
Even through the self-deprecation, he felt her kindness, and chains crashed within him.
RANK UP!
Temperance Arcana, Sadayo Kawakami: Rank 4
"I have to confess something. I lied about the reason why I need to make more money…" She tried to look back at him, but couldn't meet his eyes. "I don't have a sick sister. All that stuff about the fees and charges was a lie too."
"I already knew that," he placated with a shake of his head. "There's no need to beat yourself up for lying to me about that. Your reasons are your own."
"I know, but… I can't get requested unless I make up those kinds of stories. See, you understand now, right?" She finally met his eyes, a deep sadness in her brown orbs. "Nothing good will come of getting involved with a terrible person like me. It's a good lesson learned." A sigh. "Let's just… Put an end to this."
He silently watched her leave. There was something deeply troubling her. It was a good thing that he wasn't going to leave her right enough alone, and invite her back as soon as possible to help her get past this.
Thou art a meddler, Trickster.
Commander wouldn't be the Commander if he wasn't, Rakshasa cackled.
You got that shit right!
With that, he got prepared for bed, and just as he was about to lie down he realized that the group chat was lit up with an ongoing conversation.
Chat Room: The Phantom Thieves
Makoto— I'm simply wondering if all that business with Medjed truly was a prank. Now that I think about it calmly, it's strange that they haven't actually done anything yet. If their goal is to target the Phantom Thieves, they should be want to be acting now, given our fame.
Ann— When you put it like that it makes me wonder too.
Ann— Especially after their theatrical taunts and stuff.
Yusuke— Yes. However, it would be best for us to come up with a countermeasure regardless.
Yusuke— For now though, we should cautiously enjoy the sushi. That is all we can do.
Ryuji— But thts no fun
Makoto— Yusuke is right. I'm sorry for bringing this up. On the day before our celebration party too…
Ann— Cheer up, Makoto! We'll be eating sushi like kings tomorrow! (*^◯^*)
Yusuke— I hope one person in particular is on their best behavior. I'll refrain from saying who though.
Ryuji— U better nt b tlkin bout me
Ryuji— Aki bck me up!
You— No comment.
Ω • Ω • Ω
7/24, Sunday
The meet-up for sushi was going to happen that evening, leaving his morning wide open. Considering that, he looked through his phone contacts. He had put in the effort to avoid favoring Ann too much, but it was probably long enough by now… right? He could spend the afternoon with her before they went to the sushi place.
You— Ann, want to hang out before we go get sushi with everyone this evening? My day is completely open right now.
Ann— Definitely!
Ann— Let's meet at Buchiko! (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)
You— I'll see you there.
He got himself ready, Morgana hopping into his bag as they set out to Shibuya Square. When they got there Morgana went out on a stroll, likely because he hadn't mentioned they'd be seeing 'Lady' Ann. When she eventually showed up he smiled and raised a hand to wave her over. "Howdy."
"Akira!" She made her way over and beamed at him. But for some reason, she seemed ever so slightly subdued. "It's been a while since we hung out just the two of us!"
"Sorry about that," he apologized, all while discreetly looking her over and trying to figure out what was wrong. "Everything going on right now's been a bit distracting, hasn't it?"
"You can say that again. But at least we've got some time now before we meet up with everyone later!"
"So, what do you want to do in the meantime?"
"I'm starving for something sweet!"
"I really should have expected that," he replied with a grin.
They walked to Central Street and Ann's eyes were drawn towards her favorite crêpe shop. She visibly deflated when she saw that there wasn't a sale going on. "Looks like they're not doing their famous double chocolate crêpes today… Man, I've got the worst luck…"
He frowned at her tone, before shaking his head. "Well, remember how you told me I should learn some recipes to knock the socks off my dad? Why don't I add double chocolate crêpes to that list?"
"For real?! You'd learn to make those for me?!" He laughed as her normal energy returned. Her phone buzzed and she absentmindedly pulled it out, likely still thinking about an endless supply of crêpes. "Oh, an email. Looks like it's from the agency. I wonder what they could want…"
"Probably a—"
"Huh? Mika?!" He raised an eyebrow at her raised voice. "At Skytree…? Where's that?!"
"Asakusa," he coughed into his hand.
"They want me to head over to a shoot now… Feels pretty familiar, doesn't it? Basically, this men's magazine is running a Mika special to try and capitalize on her recent popularity. But apparently, she asked for me specifically to star alongside her for the shoot… I wonder why?"
"She admires you," he chuckled sarcastically, remembering Mika's trick from their last encounter.
"H-Huh?' So you think what she said earlier was the truth?!" He looked at her deadpan as she looked excited at the thought, clearly having missed the sarcasm. "Hold on though… Why would you trick someone you admire? Well, I guess I won't know what she wants unless I head over!"
Her eternal optimism is something to admire, but her critical thinking… is a bit lacking.
Akira internally scoffed. 'You said it, not me.'
"Have you been to Skytree before? How do you get there…? Oh, and… c-can you come with me?" Ann shook her head and took him by the hand. "Actually, I've decided for you. You're going. Come on!"
She dragged him to the train station, all while he yelped and stumbled along.
Ω • Ω • Ω
Ann was practically vibrating the whole ride to the Skytree, and when they arrived she looked around with a smile. "All right, we made it! Wait, where's Mika?"
"Oh, so you came for my special." He rolled his eyes as the snake herself wandered up. And ignored Tangoo's offended hiss.
"You asked for me, right?" Ann looked her over and her eyes widened. "Wow… I barely recognize you. Did you lose weight? Or maybe change your makeup?"
"The theme for today's shoot is 'the elegance of woman—'"
"That's not grammatically correct," he muttered to himself.
"—so, I conditioned my body to be more elegant."
"Wh-What do you mean?"
Mika flipped her hair as she answered Ann. "Controlling what you eat, how you move… That's all. It may sound easy, but it's pretty tough. You have to write down everything you eat, making sure to check the nutritional and caloric content. I even hired a personal trainer to take special note of my diet and oversee my exercise regimen."
"Whoa… That's amazing! Does that mean you don't get to eat double chocolate crêpes?"
"…" Akira struggled to hold his laughter back at the blank expression of rage on Mika's face. "Of course I don't! I'd get fat with just one bite of that stuff! Not to mention the other stuff I do! I take herbal medication, wear warming socks, do pilates and yoga… day after day… How many squats do you think I do in a week?! Ugh, a natural beauty like you could never understand how much work I put into my modeling!"
"She must really like you, Ann," he spoke with wide eyes and an innocent smile, which only grew larger when Mika's scowl turned towards him. "So many compliments, just for you! I'm glad she can see your beauty like I can."
Ann began to blush, twirling her twin tails between her fingers. "A-Akira, stop it! It's kinda embarrassing getting complimented like that by both of you!"
Mika was dumbstruck for a moment, before groaning and putting a hand to her forehead in frustration. "Sorry, did I say natural beauty? What I meant was natural airhead."
"Who are you calling an airhead?!"
"Eeek!" A fake-sounding cry escaped Mika's mouth as Ann got rightfully upset. "Ann-senpai, stop iiit! You're scaring meee!"
The magazine staff looked over "Mika-chan! Are you okay?"
"Man, catfights are scary…"
He internally agreed, while Ann just growled at the smirking Mika. Before anything else could be said the two began to prepare for their shoot. He quickly stepped away so he wouldn't be in the way and settled in to watch. After Ann and Mika changed into the outfits for the magazine, the cameraman quickly began taking photos.
He was no expert on fashion shoots. The only one of their family who had anything remotely to do with fashion was his Uncle Noct, and that was only because he was a king and had to dress in proper raiments. But that had nothing to do with a magazine shoot.
Of course, he didn't need to be a fashion guru to see how most of the praise was being aimed at Mika and not Ann, and it probably wasn't a stretch to say that it wasn't going too well for his teammate. Honestly, even he could see some of the trouble she was having. Ann couldn't seem to strike a natural pose, each one she was choosing seeming more stiff and fake compared to Mika's.
The cameraman was smiling as he clicked away, Mika smoothly moving into another pose as she winked at the camera. Mika's was a deep red dress that teased just a bit of cleavage and ended mid-thigh to show off her long legs, while Ann wore black leggings and a jacket, with a white top beneath. Neither outfit was especially provocative, but they both looked great, Ann more so in Akira's completely unbiased opinion.
He looked at her beautiful face as she smiled for the camera.
Yep. Unbiased.
Simp.
'You're going in the guillotine.'
"This way, Mika-chan. Yeah, that's perfect. That's exactly the expression I'm looking for." Mika giggled in response as she struck another pose. "Amazing, amazing!"
"I see now… This is a test… Well, I'm not gonna lose!" He was a bit worried about Ann muttering to herself like that, especially considering how she could be around Mika, and winced when she struck another… stiff pose with her arm thrown forward and a fake laugh. "Teehee!❤️"
The cameraman faltered. "Um, Ann-chan… Could you try being a little… Sexier?"
Mika struck once more, stealing the opportunity and spotlight as she moved into another pose. "You mean like this?"
"Oooh, that's beautiful!"
"M-Mika?! Why are you doing this? I thought you looked up to me!"
"You should have known that was a lie," Mika sighed in response as she kept in position. "But I guess you're just as naive as you look. Anyway, stupid amateurs like you really piss me off. You better not drag me down, okay?"
With that she leaned forward, moving her body and arms to emphasize the cleavage the outfit showed off, and hinting at more with a coy smile. "Oh, you're amazing Mika-chan!"
Ann just growled.
Honestly, he was just puzzling over how none of the staff heard Mika's comments.
Finally, the shoot ended. Mika was schmoozing up to the magazine staff, while Ann watched silently. He stepped closer to her to offer some quiet comfort with his presence. "Um…" None of the staff heard her. "I'm heading out…"
He followed Ann, placing a hand on her shoulder. The normally energetic girl was quiet the whole way back, only when they were back in Shibuya did she even speak up. "Why did Mika ask for me…?"
He thought about saying something to comfort her, but he got the feeling she needed to hear the truth at the moment. "So that she could show you up."
Ann looked despondent. "I see… Then she was just trying to be mean… If that's the case, I probably deserved everything she did."
"That's not true at all," he immediately shot back. "In no way are you deserving of those tricks she pulled.
"I'm…" Her head lowered, so he couldn't see her expression, and for a brief moment, he worried she might start crying. "I'm so PISSED OFF!"
That shout got him to jump.
"Mika had to work super hard every day to get where she is now! She worked out, watched her diet, made friends with everyone! She couldn't rely on connections like I did. She didn't become a model just for the heck of it." Ann clenched her fists. "Her resolve, her knowledge, her fashion sense… They're all on a totally different level from me! Mika is amazing. Mika is… She's strong! But me? I'm nothing!"
"Uh—"
Ann began pacing. "Just thinking about that makes me so angry… I feel like I could explode! This whole time, I've just been pretending to model. It was like the clothes were wearing me… I mean, that's what I always thought being a model meant! But I was totally wrong. A real model draws out the beauty of the clothes they wear… Casts a stunning magic on them… A real model is flexible, beautiful, and strong."
"Ann—"
Ann just shook her head, not hearing him. "Well, I've had enough pretending! I want to be a real model!" She finally looked towards him, with a blazing fire in her eyes. He could practically see Carmen behind her, aglow with crimson flame.
He just grinned, offering his fist. "Go get 'em, Panther."
Her face kept its determined, angry expression, but her lips tilted upward as she took the offer of his fist bump. "Right! I'll give it my all!" Slowly, the anger left her and she brightened up. She was just as determined, but now a bright smile adorned her. "I'm gonna take the world by storm… Just you watch, Akira!"
He felt her motivation reach new peaks, and smiled at the sound of chains snapping.
RANK UP!
Lovers Arcana, Ann Takamaki: Rank 7
"Urgh, I don't know how I'll get through the celebration while being this mad! This is the perfect time for sweets!" He raised an eyebrow. "But no, I won't eat them! I mean, I will… but not today! You can eat some for me, Akira! We still have some time before we meet up with everyone! Move it, buster!"
"What? Ann, what're you— Quit pushing me!"
Ω • Ω • Ω
The location Ryuji had chosen was surprisingly good. He figured his friend only had eyes for good ramen places, but he'd give him props where they were deserved.
After discussing some more about Alibaba, Medjed, and Futaba, as well as another near miss thanks to Ryuji and his big mouth blurting their identities, they ate the delicious sushi, grabbed some to-go for Morgana, and left to go home. They all reached Shibuya together, but a familiar voice called out before the group split apart.
"Niijima-san! What are you doing here?"
Jesus Christ, what's with this guy…
Blasphemer! Silence thyself!
'Can we not right now?' He asked his Personas as he turned to see Akechi approach their group.
"Akechi-kun?"
Ryuji immediately scowled. "Akechi?"
"And you're the ones from the TV station," Akechi noted, his eyes then landing on Akira. The pleasant smile on his face widened just a fraction. But he couldn't tell if it was fake, or genuine. "And of course, you're here as well, Starr-kun. "Could it be that you're all friends of Niijima-san?"
"Do you know this guy?" Yusuke asked.
"He's an acquaintance of mine," he explained.
"It's nice to meet you," Akechi greeted. "My name is Akechi. Glad to make your acquaintance, Yusuke Kitagawa."
Akira felt glad that Akechi wasn't looking at him and instead focusing on Yusuke, because he missed his subtle wince. He had wanted to keep Yusuke's name hidden, just in case, but it seemed that Akechi already knew it.
"How do you know my name?"
Akechi laughed at Yusuke's question, and the surprised look on his face. "Because I'm a psychic, of course." Now he was really glad that Akechi laughed with his eyes closed, because he missed the shocked look on Ryuji's face, and the back-and-forth snap of his neck as he looked between them.
"He's joking, you idiot!" He hissed at Ryuji. 'I hope, anyway…'
"Haha, I'm only joking," Akechi confirmed. Probably. "In truth, I'm a rookie detective. You're a former pupil of Madarame, right? I have actually just recently joined the investigation team looking into the Phantom Thieves. Did you see that Medjed has declared war on them?"
Akira held back his jolt of shock as best he could, but he knew his friends probably wouldn't be able to. Ryuji in particular was wide-eyed. "War?"
"Their website was updated just a moment ago," Akechi spoke with worry in his voice. He frowned. Why was Akechi so worried about this declaration of war on the Phantom Thieves?
Ryuji and Ann pulled out their phones, the bottle-blond groaning at the website. "English again?"
Ann read it to herself, muttering as she did before gasping aloud. "Wait, what?!"
"What's it say?!"
Akechi smiled and raised his thumb and pointer finger to his chin. "Hm? Why do you seem so agitated?"
Ann and Ryuji floundered momentarily before Ryuji clapped Ann on the back. "She's, uh… A huge fan of the Phantom Thieves. A total nutjob for 'em."
"Haha, I don't know how wise it is to be a fan of groups like them."
"What is it with these comments?" Makoto finally asked, narrowing her eyes at Akechi. He winced, hoping Makoto wouldn't fall into a verbal trap.
"My apologies, I didn't mean to butt into your conversation. But I must say, this is an interesting group. Prosecutor Niijima's sister, an ex-pupil of Madarame, and a few Shujin Academy students… It seems you're all connected to the Phantom Thieves. Perhaps you have better intel than I do."
Stay cool, Trickster.
"Ah, yes, I wanted to ask you something."
Oh shit, here we go!
'Shh!' "Fire away."
Akechi tilted his head. "Regarding this whole Medjed commotion… If you were one of the Phantom Thieves, what would you do?"
"Probably ignore them. Internet beef with another group of vigilantes would do no one any good. Better to just focus on taking down criminals," he shrugged.
"That is unexpected… Only a small minority of people believe that is the best decision."
Ryuji just glared. "Sorry to disappoint, but we're just normal high school kids. If anything, we wanna hear what you gotta say, Mr. Detective."
Akechi looked intrigued at the question and gazed at all of them. "...My profiling of the Phantom Thieves has led me to believe they are a group of juveniles. They have a relative amount of free time after school and a hideout to slip away to. Furthermore, considering Kamoshida was their first target, it seems they began their activity around April. In a way, all I've just said about the Phantom Thieves coincides with the group you have here."
"What, you gonna report us?"
"I didn't say I was being suspicious of you," Akechi chuckled.
"I mean, you're probably right to be. Ryuji is clearly a Phantom Thief."
"ME?! You're sidin' with HIM?!"
"You were the one shouting about the Phantom Thieves back at the sushi place. Akechi-san, keep an eye on this guy, he's definitely suspicious." Ryuji let out some sort of keening, despair-filled whine at his teasing, and Akechi laughed at it all.
"I wasn't anticipating that response. You always find a way to rise above my expectations. You really are an intriguing one. I lack your calm mannerisms… But don't you think my deduction is an interesting one? I bet we'd make a great team if we worked together."
"Huh?! The hell're you sayin'?!"
Akechi ignored Ryuji. "Well, this has been a valuable point of reference for me. I hope to see you all again." The boy detective walked away, and he watched him go, all of his Personas debating in his head on how onto them he was.
"What was that about?"
"It's possible he ascertained our true identities," Yusuke answered Ann.
"Nah, couldn't be. Right, Prez?"
"I'd like to say it's simply us overthinking this, but… It may be best to be cautious from now on. We shouldn't forget Alibaba was able to discover who we are."
"True, but it's not as though he had tangible evidence to prove that discovery. Just keep acting normally."
"That might be a bad idea," he finally spoke up. "After all, Ryuji acting normally means shouting out who we really are in public spaces." The bottle-blond just grumbled but didn't argue back, unable to refute him.
"More importantly, things are getting serious with Medjed!"
"Oh yeah! So, what'd they write?!"
"Here, I'll read it." Ann cleared her throat. "'We are disappointed in the people of Japan and their belief in the Phantom Thieve's false justice. They have even manipulated figures leading the corporations that have significant sway over the world's future. Hence, we shall proceed with our plan to cleanse Japan. This process will commence with the downfall of Andonut's Laboratories on August second. Following this, the Japanese economy shall suffer devastating damages.'"
He was sure that there must have been more to the proclamation, but it felt like his heart stopped when he heard 'Andonut's Laboratories'.
Ω • Ω • Ω
•Morgana•
As soon as he heard the name, he knew that Akira wasn't paying attention anymore, and would be lost in thought, so he made sure to memorize the rest of Medjed's declaration to tell him later.
"'However, we are magnanimous. We will give the Phantom Thieves one final opportunity to repent. As proof of this repentance, we demand that they reveal their identities to the public. We will attack if these demands remain unmet. The future of Japan rests with the Phantom Thieves. We are Medjed. We are unseen. We will eliminate evil.' …That's what it says…"
"Sounds bad…"
"In other words," Yusuke said, "if we don't unmask ourselves, Medjed will attack Japan… Correct? It seems they are quite the attention seekers."
"What are we gonna do about this? I mean, the time limit is so soon!"
Makoto sighed, unable to answer Lady Ann's question. "If only we could get in contact with Alibaba."
"The only clues we got are Boss and Futaba." Ryuji shook his head. "I mean… If Aki's right that Futaba is Alibaba, can't we just… Go to their house?"
"While I would rather not intrude uninvited… I think the best course of action right now is to meet with Boss. Akira, can you bring us over?"
He nudged Akira to snap him out of his funk, and his partner nodded shakily. "Mm, yeah. We can head to Leblanc, and if he's already home, he lives basically next door. I can show you where." Only Lady Ann seemed to have noticed the hesitation thanks to her natural, wonderful empathy.
"I know I suggested it, but ain't it real late right now? What're we gonna tell Boss if we gotta go to his house?"
Well, as much of an idiot as he was, Ryuji had a point.
"We'll say this take-out is a gift for him."
No! Anything but that! "My fatty tuna…!"
"No complaining!" He whined, hiding in the depths of Akira's bag as they got onto a train, ready to confront Boss and, quite possibly, Alibaba.
The most major change so far- besides the fact that Akira can blow up pancakes with his mind. There has been a major time limit change, and because Anthony made a statement in support of the Phantom Thieves, Medjed has focused its efforts specifically on his company as well as 'cleansing' Japan.
We also had a few rank-ups. I've been using some of the time slots that are unjustly stolen from you for those. Like on the 24th, the gang gets sushi in the evening, leaving your daytime slot open, but no, the game jumps straight to the restaurant.
Yeah, I'm not gonna waste slots that make no sense like that.
In any case, we're ramping up to the next Palace. Can't wait to get started on that. So let me know what you think of the chapter, or just leave a 'nice,' both are always great to read. See y'all next time!