Author's Note: Hey, everyone. Sorry I haven't updated this for a long, long, really long while, but I'm only back with a new chapter of my Persona 5 novelization fanfic for now, one that begins Part 2. In that case you didn't know, my Persona 5 novel will split into 3 parts in the near future.

Plus, I don't think I'll be adding more Confidants scenes that rank up 2-10, but I'll only added those that only introduces the Confidants and their Arcana, like I did with Ryuji Sakamoto (Chariot), Igor (Fool), Ann Takamaki (Lovers), Morgana (Magician), Tae Takemi (Death), Sojiro (Hierophant), Yukki Mishima (Moon), Muneshisa Iwai (Hanged Man), Toranosuke Yoshida (Sun), Caroline and Justine (Strength), Kawakami (Temperance), Yusuke Kitagawa (Emperor), Ichiko Ohya (Devil), Makoto Niijima (Priestess), Hifumi Togo (Star), and Chihaya Mifune (Fortune) on Part 1.

Only Sae Niijima (Judgement), Futaba Sakura (Hermit), Haru Okumura (Empress), and Shinya Oda (Tower) remained on Part 2...for now.

PART 1:
The Beginning of it all
The Castle of Lust
The Museum of Vanity
The Bank of Gluttony

PART 2:
The Pyramid of Wrath
Dark Clouds Gather
The Spaceship of Greed
The Casino of Envy

PART 3:
Return from Ruin
The Cruiser of Pride
Mementos
The Prison of Regression
The World
Epilogue

Apologies, everyone, but I don't think I'll be updating my Persona 5 novel fanfic very soon, so until further notice, it will be on hiatus for the time being. Anyway, enjoy. Any and all comments (on the story) are welcome.

? – The Interrogation Room

"Don't be ridiculous!" Sae exclaimed as she slammed the table hard with her hand while summarizing what happened after the Kaneshiro case. "This new ally you gained was Makoto!? Just tell me the truth!"

"You can't handle the truth," Akira said harshly. "We would've made it this far without your sister's help. You should be thanking her."

Sae looked down, muttering to herself. "Makoto…" She then looked back at Akira. "That's preposterous. However, I did assume you had a thing with my sister. But if what you said is true, was Makoto also running from the police when you were arrested!?"

Akira shook his head. "I don't want to say."

Sae began to ponder. "Now that I think about it… she did start talking a lot about the investigation from summer onward…." She then looked at Akira for confirmation. "That romantic sub-story with my sister aside, you mentioned one other important detail. Did Kaneshiro really say someone was using the Metaverse besides the Phantom Thieves?"

Akira nodded. "Yes."

Sae narrowed her eyes. "Those words could just be taken as you are shifting blame to this other person."

"Take it how you will," Akira replied. "It's the truth."

"But why would you fabricate such an elaborate story and then shift the blame elsewhere…?" Sae asked. "There are two possibilities: either you've been trying to confuse me with your lies… Or everything you've stated is true." She then looked at Akira for an answer. "Have you been telling me the truth from the very start?"

"Yes, of course," Akira answered. "I have no reason to lie."

"...Then again, I am investigating a 'thief who steals hearts,'" Sae said. "Very well. No matter how absurd it may seem, I'll reevaluate my stance on believing you for now. In return, speak the whole truth and nothing but the truth. It's a fair deal. ...Is that acceptable?"

Akira nodded as he made a deal with Sae.

I am thou, thou art I... Thou hast acquired a new vow.

It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.

With the birth of the Judgement Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power...

Hovering below Sae was the card of the Judgement Arcana as it bursts into pearls of light. Akira noticed that the Judgement Arcana represents making a decision, rebirth, absolution, and the moment of reflection at the end of a journey.

"We're running out of time. Let's move on to your target…," Sae said as she pulled out a green-colored card that said 'Medjed.' "…I stand corrected. It was them who targeted your group. We have no pictures. Even their names and identities are unknown. If what you told me is true, then this 'Nav' thing you've mentioned wouldn't have worked in this case. How did you target them? Tell me everything."

"All right," Akira said as he continued with his story.

7/10 – Sunday

A woman with black hair and glasses stood before Akira in the deep, black darkness.

"Who are you?" Akira asked.

The woman, however, just smiled. Could she be an ally or an enemy?

Before Akira could ask the woman her name, his consciousness slowly came to light…

…and he suddenly woke up the next day with his wide eyes.

"Who was that woman?" Akira asked, muttering as he slowly sat up. Then, suddenly, he sensed someone standing, turning to see who it was. "Huh!?"

The woman from his dream was there, but that couldn't be real. Could it?

Akira rubbed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the woman who had just appeared before him was gone.

"Was it just a dream…?" Akira muttered to himself.

Akira felt like he had a dream last night. And then, at the end…that woman had appeared. She seemed knowledgeable while also prominent.

"Are you okay?" Morgana asked Akira as he went up to him.

"Y-Yeah…," Akira answered.

Just then, Sojiro's voice popped up. "Hey, you there, right? Come downstairs."

"Coming!" Akira called out.

A moment later, Akira was helping out Sojiro with the café as he did the dishes.

"Check the ingredients in the fridge once you're done," Sojiro told Akira.

"Yes, sir," Akira said.

Just then, Sojiro's phone rang as he answered it. "Hey, what's up? Is it not right? …Not cute? That was the one the staff recommended to me, though… Won't that printer do? It'll do, but it's not it? Okay, I'll be right over."

Sojiro hung up his phone and turned to Akira. "This might take a while… I'm leaving the store to you. Lock up for me if I don't come back."

"Got it," Akira answered. "You going on a date?"

"Something like that."

While Sojiro left Leblanc, a news report appeared on TV later. "…And that concludes the latest news on the suspect Kaneshiro. This case is said to result from the Phantom Thieves' actions, but what do you think?"

"We don't know their methods," A pundit said. "But I believe they're a menace threatening this law-abiding country."

More chatter appeared on TV. "This dangerous group tampers with people's hearts. It's no different from brainwashing."

"I wonder what's going on," An elderly female customer said. "Didn't this happen a little while ago, too? Who was it again? You know, that famous artist…."

"Madarame, was it?" Another elderly customer guessed.

"They punished awful people, didn't they? The Phantom Thieves aren't at fault, then."

"That may be true, but…."

The elderly lady turned to Akira. "Don't you think so too, deary? The Phantom Thieves aren't doing anything wrong, are they?"

"Of course, they're not doing anything wrong," Akira answered, sounding upset. "The Phantom Thieves only target those who hurt and exploit the weak just to satisfy their desires. Good people have to fight for themselves while selfish adults do whatever they want! And yet they turned a blind eye because they're too scared to stand up for themselves!" He then looked at the news on TV. "The Phantom Thieves are NOT a menace! They are only trying to help people. That's all!"

"See? Even he says they're doing good," The elderly lady said to her husband. "We should probably head home."

"Thanks for the drink," The elderly man said to Akira as the two left the café.

"Yeah, sure," Akira mumbled as Morgana hid behind the counter, feeling concerned.

Elsewhere, the SIU Director was having a phone call with someone.

"Yes, I've received the reports on Kaneshiro's case. But to think the so-called Phantom Thieves would honestly attempt an absurd idea like social reform…." He then took a deep breath to calm down. "You're right. I'm not pleased about the general public's support of them either. There's also the danger of the Metaverse being exposed with their continued actions. But there's one countermeasure he brought in that seems usable. It involves having the Phantom Thieves destroy themselves without our direct intervention..."

The SIU Director walked over to the enormous window to see the city's view. "We'll set things up so that the mental shutdowns are their doing. I felt it was too brutal for it to be his idea. Still, to think you'd go through elaborate details to crush them… Their actions must be that much of an eyesore for you. I sympathize with what you're going through. We'll clean this up quickly and put it behind us. A grand undertaking like social reform is beyond a group like the Phantom Thieves. Only a few people like us are qualified to alter the world…and who'd better than the future prime minister such as you, sir."

The following evening at Leblanc, a devastated Akira was still at Leblanc, washing dishes, just as Morgana popped up.

"Is something on your mind?" Morgana asked.

Akira sighed. "Sorry, it's just… What they said on TV about us is complete BS! We took down Kaneshiro, and this is the acknowledgment we get! They just don't hide that we're showing them true justice. Why can't they see that?"

"It'll come around eventually," Morgana assured Akira.

Akira sighed in dismay. "I-I know… Remember how you said about Mementos affecting the public's belief in us and how you need to know what lies there? To be honest… I wanna know that, too."

Morgana blinked in surprise. "Really?"

"I thought that there's no doubt that Mementos is what made caused the public and its society to be like this," Akira said. "I'm confident that once Mementos and the Metaverse are no more, I'll be able to see that the whole world will come to its senses." He looked at Morgana with a smile. "And I'm glad we had a good idea of how to do it, thanks to you."

"I'm glad to hear that," Morgana said.

"We still need to catch that other Metaverse user in the black mask," Akira added. "There's no way the cops can do it. Who'd believe that the culprit kills people using the Metaverse and Mementos? Even if someone uses something supernatural as a tool, it's unforgivable."

Morgana nodded. "I agreed."

Akira's phone rang, and he answered it to hear who had called him.

"Hey, it's me!" Ryuji's voice spoke out. "Where you at? What 'cha doin'?"

"Watching the store," Akira answered sternly.

"Pffft! Don't be such an ass! I bet you're at home, right?"

"That depends."

"We're going to come over right now about the you-know-what. Seeya!"

Once Akira hung up his phone, he and Morgana sighed in dismay.

As Akira took off his apron a few moments later, he noticed Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, and Makoto coming.

"Hey!" Akira called out to the others.

"Sorry we're late," Ann said.

But just as the others walked over to Akira, everything suddenly froze as time stopped.

"Huh? Wh-What the-!?" Akira blinked in surprise as he saw his friends, and even Morgana stopped and paused like a video. It reminded him of how Shibuya froze in time when he first arrived back in April.

Just then, an unfamiliar voice appeared. "Hello, Akira-kun."

Akira turned to see the woman from his dream appearing right in front of him while he stood in complete surprise and stunned at the same time. He saw that the woman had shoulder-length black hair, glasses, a sleeveless black shirt, and brown trouser pants.

"Uh, hello?" Akira began. "Who are you? Can I help you?"

The woman held her finger to silence Akira. "Let's just say…an acquaintance. I only needed to see you for once."

Akira blinked in surprise. "Me!? Really!?"

"We'll talk later," the woman said as she turned to walk up the stairs to the attic…and disappeared without a trace.

Akira's eyes grew wide in surprise once more. He had an unease feeling that she could explain her identity and why she suddenly came to him. Was that woman an aspiration?

Just then, time resumed as Ryuji ran up to Akira. "'Sup? We're here to hang out."

"That's not why we're here!" Ann scolded Ryuji. "We have to study for finals… Because a certain someone reminded us that yesterday before we could celebrate!"

Akira remained silent as Ann looked at him. "I'm talking about you, Akira-kun."

"Oh, right…," Akira said as he snapped himself out of it.

Makoto sighed. "Why am I here, too…?"

"You're one of us now, so you gotta help us," Ryuji answered with a smile. "We're in trouble if you don't teach us?"

"I don't need to study," Akira said, pointing his head.

"Ohoho, I'll hold you to that!" Ryuji said, determined while looking at Akira. "Wanna see who gets the higher test scores?"

Ann turned to Makoto. "Let's leave those guys be..."

"You know, I couldn't ask the last time I was here…," Makoto said as she looked around Leblanc. "But what is this place? The storekeeper doesn't seem to be around..."

"It's where this guy lives," Ryuji answered, pointing at Akira.

Makoto looked at Akira in surprise. "You live here?"

"Well, that's…," Akira tried to answer.

"He's got complicated circumstances…," Ryuji explained to Makoto as he turned to Akira. "We can tell her about it, right? Actually, tell her yourself."

Akira sighed as he told Makoto his past, as did the others.

"That's… That's terrible…," Makoto said to Akira sadly after hearing his long backstory.

"Ann, Yusuke, and me are pretty much the same too. I mean, it's not as bad as Akira's, though," Ryuji said. "That's just something we can't ever put up with. That's why we all became Phantom Thieves."

"Hey, don't forget me!" Morgana chimed in angrily.

"I know, I know. We're all part of the team," Ryuji said to Morgana, then he turned to Makoto. "By the way, Makoto, ain't there someone you can't forgive either? Like, a heart you wanna change?"

"...That's a secret," Makoto answered.

Ryuji became intrigued. "Ooh, there's someone like that? You could just tell us, you know. You don't gotta be so cold."

"Well, are you done poking around secrets?" Akira said to Ryuji with an unamused look. "Let's hurry up with the studying."

"That aside, do you intend to study for the exam?" Makoto asked.

"Not really…," Ryuji answered.

"It's fine if I leave then?"

"N-No, I'm just joking! Please teach us..."

Ann looked at Akira with confusion and worry. "Akira? Are you okay?"

"Oh, um… It's nothing," Akira answered, glancing at the stairs to his attic room, where that mystery woman walked up, but no one was there.

"Well, all right, if you say so…," Ann said with a puzzled look.

A few minutes later, the group sat at the table, studying.

"What was this term?" Makoto asked. "It's 'phobia,' so it's a fear of some kind."

"I think it's a fear of open spaces," Ann replied. "You don't hear it that often, though. Leave vocabulary and long sentences to me. I suck at proper grammar, though..."

Ryuji sighed. "Even if we study English, it's not like I'm going to use it in the future."

"When it comes to you, your Japanese is questionable too," Morgana said to Ryuji.

"Aw, shuddup!"

"Explain the writer's feelings?" Ann looked at the notes. "What point is there in that?"

Ryuji groaned in dismay. "It's impossible! I can't memorize all these formulas… Ain't there a good way of cheatin'?"

"Nope," Akira answered. "All this studying pays me off, so no cheating."

"Since when did you get the gift for studying?"

"That's a secret."

Makoto sighed, knowing she said the same thing. "…Why don't we take a break?"

As they turned on the TV, the TV reporter appeared on the screen. "…And that was the follow-up on the suspect Kaneshiro." Then, he turned to Akechi. "Now, Akechi-kun… This case is said to be the result of the Phantom Thieves' actions, but is this true?"

"Considering how a calling card was scattered about, I believe there's no mistaking that," Akechi said as he appeared on TV. "The question is what the Phantom Thieves did. If they tampered with a suspect's heart, it casts doubt on the authenticity of any confession."

"So then, by tampering with hearts, the Phantom Thieves are fabricating crimes that may not exist?" The TV reporter asked.

"We can't deny the possibility," Akechi said. "There's no doubt that the Phantom Thieves expose hidden injustices in society. However, if this is done by sidestepping the law, their way of thinking is hazardous."

"So, in a way, they're outlaws."

"Yes. They are no different than the criminals they target. This cannot be overlooked."

"I see."

An irritated Ryuji couldn't take it as he turned away from the TV. "'I see,' my ass! Why the hell are we still being treated as the bad guys?"

"That's what I thought, too. I feel the same thing," Akira replied, agreeing with Ryuji as he sounded upset. "I can't stand it! Sure, they have no idea it's related to the Metaverse and Mementos, but still... How can they still talk about us like that?"

Ryuji nodded in agreement. "Yeah, why do some people like Akechi want to butt into our business as phantom thieves? It's really starting to get on my goddamn nerves. What we do is none of their concern."

"Don't get cocky," Morgana said to the others. "You guys are still amateurs."

Ryuji looked at Morgana. "What was that? How are we still amateurs?"

"Just let them say whatever they want," Ann reassured. "More people are starting to understand that what we're doing is right."

"When I'm walkin' around in town, I hear more people talkin' about us too," Ryuji said. "And the forum's been full of hype! Do you think we made it big time?"

"Don't get pompous over dealing with some street thug," Morgana scolded Ryuji. "Save it for after we deal with a bigger target."

"We just gotta take down a bigger one, yeah? That was the plan from the start, anyway!"

Makoto nodded. "True, it may be best if we start thinking about it."

"I bet we'll find one in no time," Ryuji said with ease. "The wind's blowin' in our direction and everything! I feel like we won't lose to anything right now."

"Well, we'll decide on that eventually. We need to overcome our exams first."

"Of course," Akira nodded.

"Now then, break time's over! Let's get back to—"

"That reminds me—the celebration party," Ryuji interrupted. "Weren't we gonna do it after exams?"

Makoto sighed. "Yes, I believe so."

"Where should we go?" Ryuji asked with excitement. "I feel like I'll study better if I got something to look forward to."

"The last one was a buffet at a hotel," Morgana said. "We haven't gone anywhere since."

Makoto and Yusuke looked at Akira, Ann, Ryuji, and Morgana in shock.

"A buffet!?" Yusuke repeated in surprise.

"Yeah, that was where we officially formed the Phantom Thieves group," Akira explained. "Besides, that was before we recruited you and the Madarame case. I mean, it was all so sudden!"

"Where would be good…?" Ann pondered. "What about fireworks!? A fireworks festival!"

Ryuji nodded. "Oh yeah, it's that season, huh!"

"That sounds good to me," Makoto agreed.

"It's hard to ignore a buffet, but I'll take the beauties of summer," Yusuke said. "Still, I demand that we feast during the festival."

"Do you guys own a yukata?" Morgana asked. "Will you wear a yukata!?"

"You wanna see Ann in a yukata, don't you?" Akira looked at Morgana with an unamused face. "I knew it…."

Morgana nearly blushed at that question. "Uhhh, what!?"

Ryuji turned to Akira with a smile. "Doesn't a fireworks festival sound good? You think so, too, right?"

"It's a great idea," Akira usually replied as he muttered to himself. "A couple walking together at a festival as summer has barely begun."

Ann noticed. "What kinda tagline is that…?"

"We gotta go by two-by-two. Besides, it's summer, the girls will wear a yutaka, and there'll be a festival. We should get couple up while having fond memories to remember."

"I'm with Akira on that idea!" Ann nodded. "He's got a point, though… We should pair off right away to have fond memories to remember fondly." Then, she smirked as she added, "Plus…he just wants Niijima-senpai to be his partner."

Makoto looked at Ann in surprise. "Huh!? Wh-what are you saying, Ann?"

Ann giggled a bit. "Come on. We're all thinking here!"

"All right, fireworks festival, it is!" Ryuji exclaimed. "Let's look for a good one!"

"Study comes first, though," Makoto scolded, reminding Ryuji and the others. "I won't let you off if you fail any of them. Are we clear?"

"Y-Yes, ma'am..."

"Thanks for reminding me that, Makoto-chan!" Akira nodded.

"Fireworks and yukatas?" Morgana said. "Guess it's that time of the year."

Elsewhere, someone was watching them – a girl with long, orange hair sat down at her computer in a dark, messy room, intently listening to the group on the live audio feed of Leblanc as she chuckled.

7/11 – Monday

The next day, Akira was waiting for the train to Shujin when someone walked up to him.

"What a refreshing morning," Akechi said to Akira. "How are you doing?"

"Doing good, obviously," Akira answered.

"…I didn't expect the Phantom Thieves would suppress a man that even the police had trouble with," Akechi said. "The fact they have so much support online is problematic. I'm in a bind since I previously denounced them. All the interviews these days ask me about that." He then looked at Akira. "...Still, can we really say the Phantom Thieves are on the side of justice with just this example?"

"What do you mean?" Akira asked.

"I was originally investigating the mental shutdown incidents. Don't you think it's similar to the change of heart that the Phantom Thieves are doing?"

"Well, even if it's similar or not, they only change people's hearts to prevent any more of those mental shutdowns. What do you say to that?"

"Now that I think about it, their actions mirror the mental shutdown cases, with the rate of victims," Akechi said as he pondered a bit. "It's impossible not to see a connection there…."

"Is this more of your detective's intuition?" Akira asked Akechi, annoyed. "It's no use asking me about it."

"...Ah, sorry. I don't want to make you late. I'll see you again."

As Akechi left, Akira sighed in dismay. "What's WITH that guy!?"

7/16 – Saturday

"Aaaahhhaaa, it's over!" Akira exclaimed happily, for it was the last day of exams.

The others, however, were utterly exhausted while Makoto looked on typically.

"It's over…," Ryuji groaned as he turned to Ann. "How were the finals for you guys?"

"Exams are finally over…," Ann said. "I'm so exhausted…. English was fine, but I don't know about anything else. I filled in all the answers, though."

"You three all looked like death warmed over," Yusuke said, looking at the others.

"Wow," Makoto was impressed. "You gave up sleep so that you could study longer? You put some effort into this."

Akira nodded. "Mm-hmm, we all did."

"Ugh…now I can finally get back to sleepin' in peace…," Ryuji replied, yawning.

"You must have been studying pretty hard if it kept you up at night," Makoto said.

Ryuji shook his head. "Nah, I was up playin' video games. Slackin' off is just too much fun. How come they get so addictive when I'm supposed to be studying?"

Ann nodded in agreement. "I know, right!? I kept cleaning my room instead of studying! It might even be too clean now..."

"You two are perfect exemplars of what escapism can mean," Yusuke said.

Makoto sighed in disbelief. "And I can only imagine what the result will be." She then turned to Akira. "How about you?"

"I thought I'd make one final effort and stuff," Akira replied. "I studied pretty well."

"Impressive," Makoto smiled.

"Whatever, it's over with now," Ryuji chimed in. "Who cares about that anymore!? What's important is the Phantom Thieves' popularity! Ain't it amazin'!?"

"It kind of feels like our time's finally here!" Ann said.

"I have heard people excitedly speculating about our next target," Yusuke said. "We will have to choose carefully."

"There's no need to hurry," Makoto said. "We should spend some time thinking it over."

"Hold up. The most important thing now is our celebration party!" Ryuji said. "I hope you guys didn't forget. It's the fireworks festival on the 18th. I guess we're good meetin' up in Shibuya, yeah? Let's say… 5 pm!"

"You sure are on top of these things," Morgana said, rolling his eyes.

"I'll go in my normal clothes," Akira replied.

Just then, Ann suggested something. "Hey, I know! Why don't you come without your glasses?"

"What? I need those to see."

"What's the point in that?" Makoto asked Ann.

"I dunno, you don't get to see fireworks daily," Ann replied. "So, it would just be sad just wearing normal clothes."

"…What?" Akira blinked in surprise. "I can still see the fireworks with or without my glasses and a yukata!"

"I just thought that Akira might want to change pace," Makoto said to Ann.

"Even you say so, Niijima-kun?"

"Sounds great!" Ryuji said to Akira. "You should come without glasses!"

Akira sighed in dismay.

"Fireworks and yukatas add to the feelings of summer…." Morgana said. "Even Lady Ann will be wearing one…."

"I knew it…." Akira said, unfazed.

"Well, you guys better not be late tomorrow!" Ryuji said to the others as they disbanded.

7/18 – Monday

As Akira was getting ready for the fireworks festival, his phone rang the next day.

Morgana groaned. "Right when we were just about to leave, too… Who is it?"

Akira answered his cellphone. "Hello?"

"Hey," Mishima's voice appeared. "I saw some disturbing news online. It sounds like it'll be really bad if it turns out true."

"What is this about?" Akira asked.

"Well, an insane group is getting ready to declare war on the Phantom Thieves. I was afraid to just hold on to that information myself, so I wanted to tell you at least."

Akira was stunned. "War? On our group?"

"That's all I have to say, though. Sorry to bother you on your day off."

"It's okay," Akira answered as he ended the phone call.

"What could he mean by an insane group…?" Morgana asked as he pondered.

Akira shrugged. "I don't know."

"Let's think about this after we get back. The holiday must've meant it's as crowded on here as it is for morning rush hour."

"There's also a sudden change of weather, too."

"Wait, so all these people are going to the festival!? This could be fun…."

The following evening, Akira and Morgana met up with Ryuji and Yusuke as the fireworks festival was about to be underway.

"It's so hoooooot…," Ryuji groaned, feeling like he might die of the heat.

"I feel like I'm being baked...," Morgana replied, feeling the same way.

"Ann and Makoto are way too late..."

"It must be taking time for them to put on the yukata," Yusuke said, wearing a black yukata. He looked at Akira and Ryuji's clothes. "Why aren't you two wearing one?"

"I don't get clothes like yukata," Ryuji replied as he looked at Yusuke's yukata. "But man, you look way too normal in that."

"People often say that to me," Yusuke said as he turned to Akira. "It was nice to see you without your glasses for once."

"Ryuji suggested that I change something up tonight," Akira replied.

"Well, duh! Without a yukata, we've gotta do something to look cool," Ryuji said as something else came up in his mind. "Ah, by the way… The exams..."

"Come on, they're gonna come back graded this week," Akira reassured the others.

"I bet you got a big fat F on them," Morgana said to Ryuji with a smile.

"Shuddup! We just don't know that yet!" Ryuji groaned in annoyance.

Akira giggled a bit. "You're just dying to see Ryuji fail, huh, Morgana? And to think, he suggested that we would cheat."

Ryuji looked at Akira in shock. "Even you say such things!?"

Just then, two girls in pink and purple yukatas walked up to the boys.

"Are you going to the fireworks festival?" The lady in a pink yukata asked Yusuke.

"That's right," Yusuke answered.

"Us too!" The lady in a purple yukata said. "Wanna go together?"

"Are we…getting hit on!?" Ryuji asked in surprise.

"A forbidden ritual where one person approaches another based solely on appearance," Akira said. "And bets on the inner self being equally attractive…."

Ryuji looked at Akira with an expressionless look. "That's exactly what I meant!"

"Come on, let's go together," The lady in pink insisted.

"Do you happen to be a model?" The other lady in purple asked Yusuke. "You look great in that yukata."

Ryuji turned to Akira. "Waitin' around's a pain, so can we just go with these chicks?"

Akira shook his head. "No way! Don't ask me!"

"The ratio of guys to girls is off, but we can do something about that later..."

"But this is my chance to go with Makoto as her partner," Akira replied. "Push comes to shove, she and Ann will get left out if we go with these girls."

Morgana gasped in shock as he was thinking the same thing. "Wait, what!? Lady Ann will get left out!?"

"We'll apologize to the others later…," Ryuji said, reassuring them with a smile.

"He ain't joking here, Ryuji!" Morgana scolded angrily. "If you try and butt in on this—"

"That's enough," Yusuke exclaimed, turning to the girls. "You're disgracing your yukata, aren't you? You should be more aware of your womanhood."

Akira joined in as well. "And sorry, but we already have dates."

And with that, the two girls looked at each other and then left without a word.

"How could you!?" Ryuji cried in agony. "They were asking us out, dude!"

"How could we!?" Akira repeated in surprise. "Uh, you're the one who insisted we go with them! What are you, a womanizer?"

"Plus, they were disgracing their yukata and womanhood," Yusuke added.

Ryuji couldn't have been more accused. "Wha—Then, it's mostly my fault!? Listen, we don't have girlfriends because we're stuck here in the big city, waiting to meet someone!" He then turned to Akira. "Plus, you have more of a hometown boy thing going on in 'ya, and you're now Miss Council President's main squeeze."

"Main squeeze…?" Akira repeated with his face blushing red.

Morgana looked at Ryuji with an unfazed look. "Uh, Ryuji… are you even hearing the things that are coming out of your mouth? Those are a lot of words no one your age

should be using."

"Such a Ryuji topic…," Yusuke sighed while shaking his head.

"Come on, man, we're dudes! Teenage dudes! This is totally normal!" Ryuji said with a smile. "Now, just between us, I personally prefer…girls with great bods!"

"Really?" Akira blinked in surprise.

"Really…," Morgana groaned in dismay.

"Remarkable," Yusuke said to Ryuji, unamused. "Your answer didn't differ from what I expected in the slightest."

Ryuji turned to Akira. "All right, next up is you! What's your kinda girl?"

"It's one I fell in love with, obviously," Akira answered, referring to Makoto.

"There it is – a classic answer that offends no one!" Ryuji said as he then turned to Yusuke. "And now, our closer! But man, I just can't imagine what type of girl you're into, Yusuke."

"My preferred type of woman…," Yusuke pondered as he answered. "I have none."

"You what-!?" Ryuji was stunned. "Then – wait, Yusuke, are you-?"

Yusuke halted Ryuji's question. "Enough of your preposterous prying. I meant that I'm not focused on any particular type. In other words, all women are my type."

"Say what?" Ryuji and Akira asked in unison.

"Women are most intriguing when they inspire," Yusuke said. "Each woman has traits that set her apart from the rest. And those traits are all so splendid. Individuality is a wellspring of inspiration… Therefore, all women are my type!"

Ryuji sighed. "Yep, that's our Yusuke…"

"Spoken like a true man…." Akira nodded in agreement.

"Still, I can't believe you sent those two chicks away," Ryuji said to Yusuke. "What a waste."

Just then, a familiar voice appeared, sounding upset. "Why don't you go after them, then?"

The boys turned to see a frowning Ann and a smiling Makoto. The two girls have been overhearing their entire conversation.

"So, those 'girls with great bods' are the kinds of girls you like, Ryuji," Makoto said, wearing her white yukata.

"Aren't I one of those girls, too?" Ann asked Ryuji with a glaring look on her face.

"Uh, w-well… I, um… That's...," Ryuji stammered, trying to talk himself out.

"S-Sorry!" Akira apologized. "We didn't know you were still standing there."

"Yeah, it's fine," Ann said, wearing her blue yukata. "Sorry that it took so long."

"It took us some time to get dressed," Makoto added.

"You must wrap towels inside, so they're not as breezy as they say."

"That aside, you look great and cute in it," Akira said. "Same goes to you, Ann."

Makoto smiled. "That slipped out so naturally."

Ann turned to Makoto. "You know, Yusuke's such a pretty boy, but he is really missing out because of what he says. All his good looks go out the window the second he opens his mouth."

"I guess," Makoto replied. "But even though he does get points for being honest, he's more likable since he stays true to his ideals." She and Ann then turned to Ryuji with glares. "Definitely more than somebody I know."

Ryuji turned away to avoid looking at their glaring gaze.

"I heard that Ryuji's pretty much failed some of his exams," Morgana chimed in.

"Oh?" Makoto raised her eyebrows angrily and dangerously at Ryuji.

Ryuji turned to Morgana, scowling. "Mona, you little—"

"And what's more questionable is whether or not Ryuji is a total womanizer," Akira muttered as he turned to a snickering Morgana. "Good comeback, huh?"

Ryuji turned to Akira in shock. "Not you too, man!"

"Hey, it's gonna get crowded if we don't get going," Ann said.

"Agreed," Yusuke nodded.

As the others went on ahead, Ryuji caught up to them. "But man, you both look amazin' in a yukata! Talk about Japanese beauty…."

"Save it!" Ann said sternly.

"You both still have great yukatas," Akira said.

"Thanks," Ann and Makoto said in unison.

"I appreciate the compliment."

The group finally made it to the fireworks festival a moment later, as they could at least see the epic bursts of color in the sky. Unfortunately, the area was so crowded that it was impossible to enjoy them. Not to mention some buildings were in the way as well.

"Oh… It started already…," Ann said as she tried to look above the crowd, jumping up high as she could. "There's just way too many people!"

"It's so crowded," Morgana muttered. "It's just like the exhibition from back then."

"More like a land rush," Akira said. "Ryuji, go piss off the crowd."

"Hey, we're trying to watch some fireworks, so move it!" Ryuji yelled at the crowd.

"We haven't moved in some time now," Yusuke said.

"Never mind starting," Makoto replied. "At this rate, it might end before we get there."

"No way!" Ann groaned. "Then, why did we even bother to come out here!?"

Just then, a drop of rain hit Ann's cheek. Another drop hit Morgana, forcing him to hide inside Akira's bag.

"Why now…?" Makoto groaned as she and the others could see that rain began to pour down, along with lightning and thunder.

A while later, they took refuge from the rain under the sign of a convenience store. Akira tried to get some water out of his ear while Yusuke held a fan over his head.

Ann was wringing out her soaked yutaka when Makoto called her. "Ann…"

Ann turned to Makoto. "Yeah?"

Makoto, smiling, pointed to the boys looking away up high like monks.

Ann can tell that they looked at her beautiful legs before she noticed…and they didn't even bring towels.

"Oh, come on!" Ann groaned angrily. "Are you seriously trying to sneak a peek right now, of all times!?"

"Looks like you need help…," Ryuji muttered to Ann, teasing her. "Sucks to get drenched."

"Then, why don't you go buy me a towel already, huh!? Some gentlemen you are!"

"Well, that's what you get for having a longer yukata," Akira said.

"It's not our fault we came in late! So much for pairing up to make fond memories."

Ann quickly recalled the odd tagline. "'A couple walking together at a festival as summer has just begun,'" She then realized something in the middle. "'Unused to wearing it, the girl's yukata comes loose…'"

Realizing that, Ann looked at Akira and pointed at him accusingly. "Wait… You little! You're implying that we aren't wearing anything underneath our yukata, are you!?"

"Well, he is a guy," Ryuji piped up with a smile. "It's the natural thing to do."

"There's nothing natural about it!" Ann yelled angrily.

Akira could not have been more accused. "Why would you think I thought of that!? I must've misread it or something. Besides, if it weren't for this weather, I would at least see some fireworks of love." Then, he turned at the others. "At least you guys checked the forecast, right?"

Ryuji looked confused. "Uh…what!?"

"Well…," Ann tried to speak as she and Makoto looked away.

Akira glared at the others. "You guys didn't check the forecast before we left, did you? Don't tell me you forgot!"

"That's…," Yusuke looked away to avoid answering that question.

Akira couldn't believe it. "Seriously!?"

Just then, an announcement blared out throughout the city. "Due to the sudden change in weather, heavy rain and a flood warning have been issued nearby. Since the festival cannot proceed in this weather, we truly apologize for canceling today's fireworks show."

After hearing the announcement, Akira sighed in dismay as he looked more soaked than before. "It's too bad it got canceled in the rain just now. It would've been something to look back on."

Akira then looked at Makoto as he wanted a pleasant time with her, but the rain didn't allow it. "Why did the rain have to hit now of all times? It was supposed to be an important page in the story of our youth."

Makoto looked at Akira with a saddened smile as she wiped him with a small cloth, making him less soaked. "It's not that bad, but that rain left us no choice."

"I feel bad about it," Akira said to Makoto, depressed. "And to think I wanna see some fireworks of love with you."

"It just comes to shove that we can't even fight the weather, let alone Mother Nature," Yusuke said.

As the others went inside the store, Makoto suddenly caught a glimpse of someone getting into a black car – a girl with fluffy auburn hair.

"Ack…" Ryuji yelled after seeing the store seemingly crowded. "We're just trying to get out of the rain, but look how crowded it is."

"I guess everyone had the same idea…," Ann said, then turned to Makoto. "What's up?"

"I think I just saw someone I know...," Makoto replied.

"You mean the girl in that black car?"

"I bumped into her once," Akira said. "She's a third-year like Makoto."

"Well, she's got a ride…," Ryuji muttered as he turned to Morgana. "Time to show your skills, Mona! We need you as a car!"

"It's not possible in the real world, you idiot!" Morgana scolded Ryuji. "Besides, I can't do that outside the Metaverse!"

Ann groaned in dismay. "My feet hurt… It's cold… The festival's been canceled… This sucks..."

"Tell me about it. We made such a commotion with the public for all the headlines, and this is what we get? Laaame," Ryuji complained as he turned to Akira. "Aren't heroes that lurk in the shadows boring?"

"True," Akira replied. "That's just how it should be. We're treated like vigilantes who bring the law into their own hands without authority. Lots of suffering people are out there in the world, after all. Those who bowed to society's unbalanced will, just like all of you did until Morgana and I came along and made you see the light. Plus, I like the shade, and it's most comforting to stay out of the limelight."

Ryuji looked at Akira with an unamused face. "What are you, moss!? But you got the point there, about people suffering and all. I wanna change the world with a loud bang, like a huge firework!" He then sighed in dismay. "...Then again, we aren't going to find someone bigger than Kaneshiro that easily. We should at least be beloved by the public, gettin' the VIP treatment for all we're doin'!"

"If you think a red carpet will be rolling down for us like celebrities, that ain't happening," Akira replied with a serious tone. "Need I remind you that getting famous is not our group's purpose, or is all that fame the satisfaction you're looking for now?"

"The rain is letting up," Yusuke said, seeing the rain stop outside. "Though regrettable, we should go our separate ways for today."

"Yeah," Morgana nodded. "Let's go home."

As Akira and Morgana were returning to Leblanc, something was bothering Akira, as if he felt someone was watching him.

"What is it?" Morgana asked Akira, looking worried.

"I-It's nothing," Akira answered as he shook his head.

Remembering the woman in glasses from before, Akira couldn't help but wonder…Did he know her from somewhere?

But he shook his head at that question. Why would Akira be seeing someone he had never seen before? Is it due to a new ability Igor had granted him in the Velvet Room?

Soon, Akira finally went inside Leblanc as he called out to Sojiro. "Sojiro, I'm home—" But he noticed Sojiro was already talking to a regular. To his surprise, Sae Niijima, the woman he met back in May, was sitting there.

Akira did a double-take—Sae was Makoto's sister. Then, remembering that Makoto mentioned Sae has a commendable job as a prosecutor, that she's a much more remarkable person than her, and that she's useless to her, Akira's mood changed.

"Oh, you're here as well," Akira said with a frown, seeing Sae.

But Sae was still talking to Sojiro. "So, you won't tell me, no matter what?"

"I have nothing more to say to you about that," Sojiro replied.

"I see. In that case, I have ways of making you talk."

Sojiro blinked in surprise. "Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Thanks for the drink," Sae interrupted as she got up to leave when she noticed Akira right away. "You're that boy from before. What's that odd look about?"

Akira stood up in front of Sae. "Oh, I just got back from a canceled festival thanks to the rain, and now you came here, asking Sojiro questions?" He then pointed at Sojiro. "You had better not have this man, who welcomes regulars into his own café, involved. If Boss hated people so much for asking him questions about his personal life, he would never allow them into his store."

Sojiro looked surprised as Akira continued. "And I'm the one residing here and lending him a helping hand. So I'm saying you're not finding answers from him, so leave him be."

Sae shook her head. "Sorry, but I can't allow that. That's all the more reason I got to know."

"Ugh, you can't be serious," Akira scoffed. "I didn't think Boss had any secrets when my parents asked him to take me in as a favor, and he asked me to help him run the café you're seeing now. If you continue interrogating the man who's been taken good care of me, you will rue this day!"

"You really think that?" Sae asked right before she left Leblanc without a word.

Sojiro looked at Akira. "What's gotten into you!? It's not like you to take me seriously."

"I'm just…upset about the festival being canceled," Akira answered.

"Well, it's past closing time. Mind cleaning up the place?"

Akira slowly nodded. "Sure…"

A while later, a news report appeared on TV. "…Regrettably, the cause behind the recent psychotic breakdown incidents is still unknown. The international hacktivist group Medjed has released a statement to the Phantom Thieves in other news. These are the details of the message posted on Medjed's website."

The TV reporter began reading the statement aloud. "'To the Phantom Thieves causing an uproar in Japan: Do not speak of your false justice. We do not need the spread of such falsehood. We are the true executors of justice.'"

"The Phantom Thieves again…?" Sojiro muttered.

The TV reporter continued reading the statement. "'However, we are magnanimous. We will give you an opportunity to repent your ways. If you agree to a change of heart, we will accept you as our own. If you reject our offer, the hammer of justice will find you. We are Medjed. We are unseen. We will eliminate evil.'" He then turned to Akechi. "Akechi-san, why do you think this announcement was made at this time?"

"I don't know the details, but there's no doubt that the Phantom Thieves provoked them," Akechi said on TV. "Whether it's a sense of rivalry or a simple attention grab given the recent trends, I cannot say… But, regardless, it's quite a nuisance."

"A nuisance?" The TV reporter repeated.

"Medjed and the Phantom Thieves are nothing more than groups that uphold an egoistic justice."

Sojiro sighed. "What a stupid thing they're getting riled up on…." Then, he pondered to himself as he turned to Akira. "Phantom Thieves, huh? What in the world are they? You know about them?"

"I don't," Akira answered.

"Well, it's about time I go home. Make sure you lock the place up."

As Sojiro left for home, Akechi continued on his statement. "It's possible that more people like these will continue to appear due to their influence. In that respect, the Phantom Thieves face a very serious crime."

A moment later, after closing up Leblanc, Akira got ready for bed as he got a new message in the Phantom Thieves chat room on his phone.

"Guys!" Ryuji spoke up first. "We got to talk about Medjed."

"You mean those guys people online are going nuts over?" Ann asked.

"Medjed…," Yusuke pondered. "That name seems to come from one of the obscure gods from the Egyptian Book of the Dead."

"I saw the news too," Makoto said. "For some reason, they think we speak of false justice..."

"False justice!?" Akira repeated. "They don't know a single thing or two about what we're doing."

"What exactly did you want to speak of regarding Medjed?" Yusuke asked.

"Wellllll, why don't we go after them as our next target?" Ryuji suggested.

"What a sudden suggestion."

"I mean, they're bad crackers or something, right?"

"Technically, they're hackers, not crackers," Makoto replied. "Those who use the internet to illegally access and alter data. Medjed is an organized group of such people recognized by the larger international community."

"So, they operate on a global scale?" Yusuke asked.

"That makes them even bigger than Kaneshiro!" Ann said, surprised.

"Right!?" Ryuji nodded. "Then it's settled. Our next target's going to be Medjed. I wonder if the Meta-Nav will get a hit if we put Medjed in."

"That's impossible," Akira said.

"Akira-kun's right," Makoto agreed. "That name has to be a pseudonym. We don't even know how many people Medjed is."

Ann looked down. "Oh..."

"Wouldn't we get at least one member's info if we try and look into it, though?" Ryuji asked.

"Even if we did, how would we discover their location? The only confirmed presence of Medjed has been online."

"This is a more significant problem than merely finding their keywords," Yusuke said. "Unless you have any more ideas, Ryuji?"

"C'mon, we can't back down now! People are all excited about it!" Ryuji said. "Our reputation will plummet if we don't face this shit."

"That is true," Yusuke agreed. "If we remain silent, people would believe we chose to run away from the matter."

"Medjed has taunted us publicly, after all...," Makoto said.

"If they are criminals, we cannot just let them be."

"Yeah," Ann nodded. "And we don't have any other targets right now either."

"Let's talk to Mishima tomorrow," Ryuji said. "This is more of his thing."

"Yeah, let's do that," Akira nodded.

"Also, Makoto. Try seeing if your sister has any info on them."

Makoto sighed. "It's improbable."

As Akira hung up, Morgana spoke up. "A world-class target, huh? If we can change Medjed's heart, it'll most definitely affect Mementos."

"But Medjed doesn't have a Palace," Akira said.

"I know that," Morgana said, then he pondered. "An internationally known enemy… I hope we can figure out a good way to fight back!"

"I suppose so…," Akira yawned as he put on his pajamas, getting ready for bed. He closed his eyes and almost fell asleep.

Just then, an unfamiliar voice appeared. "I have finally been waiting for you."

Hearing that voice, Akira got up suddenly, as did Morgana. They looked around the attic, then at each other.

"Did you say something?" Akira asked.

Morgana shook his head. "Nope…"

Just then, the same voice appeared again. "Don't think you can get away with not letting me try to talk to you."

Recognizing that voice, Akira turned around to see the woman from his dream before him, making him jump in fear. "Y-You're that woman from before!"

"Yes, I am," The woman smiled as she nodded. "My name is Wakaba Isshiki, an old friend of Sojiro and the mother of his adopted daughter, Futaba."

Akira's eyes grew wide in surprise. "Wait, you know Sojiro!? And—Wait, since when did he have a daughter!?"

"So, he hadn't mentioned her or me to you, huh? I see…," Wakaba muttered as she sighed in dismay while shaking her head. "That Sojiro…"

Akira pulled himself together as he looked at Wakaba straight. "That aside, why are you here!? Hey, are you—!?"

"Just calm down and listen to me," Wakaba interrupted as she tried to calm Akira. "I came to you because I need your help. It involves my daughter's sakes and Sojiro's."

"Why's that?"

"Because I'm not really alive. I'm…I'm dead."

Akira was stunned as he blinked in surprise. "Dead? You're dead?"

Wakaba nodded. "Exactly. When I died two years ago, Sojiro looked after Futaba as if he were her father. Futaba can't leave her room or Sojiro's house because she thinks I wrote a note that said I blame her and committed suicide." Then, her eyebrows went lower. "But I didn't do any of those things. A mental shutdown killed me."

Akira couldn't believe his ears. "For…real!?"

"Yes, I died of a mental shutdown right before Futaba's eyes," Wakaba continued. "Then, through some bizarre phenomenon, I became transparent and incorporeal. No one can see or hear me."

"So, in short, you're a ghost?" Akira guessed. Then, realizing that Morgana was still here, he turned to him. "Are you hearing this, too?"

"Uh, I think…?" Morgana answered. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Akira's eyes grew wide in shock as he turned back to Wakaba for confirmation. "Wait… Does that mean only I can see and hear you for some reason?"

"Looks like it," Wakaba answered with a smile.

"What the heck is going on?" Akira muttered to himself, and then he looked at Wakaba. "Anyways, what you were talking about earlier… Is it true?"

"Just bear with me on this. I can't move on until Futaba and Sojiro are at peace," Wakaba said. "My death must be avenged! It's no easy task, and I feel bad for asking you about this. But I implore you; seriously help my daughter."

"But how?"

"Don't do anything for the time being. Futaba might be hearing this right now."

"What!? Really!?" Akira looked around the attic for cameras hidden around.

"She's been listening and watching you this entire time," Wakaba continued. "Therefore: really. She hasn't exposed you yet, but she'll eventually ask for your help to get her out of the cognitive labyrinth in her heart."

With his mind reeled with this much information, Akira slowly nodded. "All right."

Wakaba patted Akira's head and smiled. "Good. I'll contact you sooner or later. Make sure the time comes by then."

And with that, Wakaba vanished.

Akira laid his head on the bed, staring at the ceiling with confusion in his eyes and mind. A forged suicide note… Killed by a mental shutdown… Each detail is more surprising than the last, he thought. And Sojiro has an adopted daughter who is spying on me and the others!? What have I gotten myself into?

Soon, Akira drifted to sleep.

7/19 – Tuesday

The next day, during lunchtime at Shujin, Akira and Ryuji met Mishima in the halls.

"We were busy. It's not like I could focus on studyin'…," Ryuji said, complaining about the test results. "It's not my fault my scores suck, right?"

"It's definitely your fault," Akira replied.

"You don't gotta throw the truth the right in my face like that… Anyways, there's something more important here!"

Akira turned to Mishima. "Mishima, do you know who Medjed is?"

"Well, I suppose the news about Medjed and the Phantom Thieves has caused quite the commotion…," Mishima replied. "They started out as hackers of justice, but now they only look out for their own self-interests. ...That's all I know. They were the group I texted you about yesterday."

"I see…" Ryuji slowly nodded.

"Nobody's sure who actually belongs to Medjed. Well, it looks like things'll be exciting this summer. It'll be the Phantom Thieves' world debut, no?"

"Uh, you know we're only changing hearts in Japan, right?" Akira said. "We're not rock stars."

"I see. Sorry," Mishima apologized. "Don't worry. I'll be rooting for the Phantom Thieves. I'll get the forum mobilized. Now, if we're done talking here, I really must be going. I'll see you guys later."

As Mishima left, Morgana sighed. "That was fruitless."

"Wonder if anyone else got any info," Ryuji said as he texted the others. "You guys got anything."

"I tried asking my sister, but it seemed as though she didn't know very much about them," Makoto said. "She doesn't specialize in cybercrime, after all."

"I tried looking into them too," Ann said. "but I didn't come up with anything. There are just no leads."

"Hm, our opponent is indeed elusive," Yusuke said through the speaker on the phone.

Ryuji groaned. "No luck…"

"Medjed, hm?" Morgana pondered once more. "It seems like we won't be able to deal with them alone."

A moment later in the afternoon, Ms. Kawakami turned to the students. "I know summer vacation will begin next week, but I have an unfortunate announcement. We will be holding an emergency assembly on Monday, the 25th."

The students, except Akira and Ann, groaned and chattered.

"Settle down!" Ms. Kawakami cried. "We've had many strange incidents: the psychotic breakdowns, students being dragged into crime rings… Hence, Principal Kobayakawa has instructed all teachers to caution the student body. This is inconvenient for us too, you know? Having to find things to warn you about so suddenly..."

Akira's phone rang as he texted the others.

"How are we gonna find Medjed?" Ryuji asked impatiently.

"I'm not sure," Ann replied. "No matter how hard I look online, all I find are just unreliable rumors."

"They have carried out corporate terrorism," Yusuke said. "Yet they still manage to elude arrest somehow. Kaneshiro was a lot of trouble, but this is turning out to be a much greater ordeal."

"Did we bite off more than we can chew?" Ryuji asked.

"I'm not sure," Akira answered. "They're just too big."

"Yeah," Makoto nodded. "We don't even know whether it's a single individual or a large conglomerate of people. And even if we get a lead, what do we do from there?"

Ryuji groaned. "Damn, this stuff's not going so good… That's probably why my exams are going to shit too."

"You know those are two separate things, right?" Ann said, unamused.

"If we can't identify who it is, there's nothing we can do," Morgana said. "Let's just wait until they make a move."

"Yeah, sure," Akira nodded.

After school, Akira was getting ready for bed when he and the others were having yet another phone chat.

"I looked into Medjed," Yusuke said.

"Did you find anything?" Ann asked.

"As you know, Medjed is a god that appears in the Egyptian Book of the Dead," Yusuke explained. "Its name means 'the smiter.' It seems nobody is sure that Medjed is a real name. On top of that, almost everything else about him is unknown. Even his form is unattainable. An unseen god that flies through the sky and shoots from his eyes… He truly is an elusive being."

Ryuji was petrified. "Dude…"

"Everything about his existence is shrouded in mystery," Yusuke continued. "Fundamentally speaking, ancient Egyptian art always depicted gods drawn in a side profile. However, Medjed is facing straight ahead in all depictions of him. Considering this, he seems to be quite the alien being."

"I see…," Akira nodded. "Well done."

"I hope that information was at least somewhat useful."

"It was… something, all right."

"Indeed it was," Makoto nodded.

"Should I look into it more?" Yusuke asked.

"That's enough, thank you."

Morgana sighed. "So, we still don't have any tangible clues... What a mysterious group. Just what is their goal?"

"I don't know," Akira answered as he slept. "But we'd better find out…."

As Akira drifted to sleep, he suddenly woke up and found himself again summoned to the Velvet Room within his dreams.

"It seems you've got your share of problems, inmate," Caroline said to Akira.

Justine looked at Akira. "To think you would relax under such circumstances. Either you're quite bold…or quite foolish."

"One with an 'unseen' form, hm?" Igor said to Akira. "It seems a troublesome company has targeted you."

"You mean Medjed?" Akira guessed. "It's big news!"

Igor chuckled. "I've been enjoying this endless dispute over 'justice.' However, it will soon come to an end through the appearance of an unexpected force. Engaging with formidable enemies is also part of your rehabilitation. I ask that you overcome this."

Akira nodded. "All right."

"By the by," Igor added. "Have you come to appreciate your newfound power to contact the dead?"

"The dead?" Akira repeated as he then remembered seeing Wakaba's spirit. "You mean when I was talking to Wakaba!?"

"Indeed. After all, you must hone your powers…and become a magnificent thief..."

Suddenly, the grating sound of alarm rang as Justine said to Akira, "Time to return to your world."

"Better trek with caution, inmate," Caroline added.

7/20 – Wednesday

The next day during lunchtime at Shujin, Akira's phone suddenly rang. Assuming it was from the others, Akira checked his phone.

"Hey, your phone was buzzing earlier," Morgana said.

"It has, hasn't it?" Akira replied as he suddenly got many messages from an unknown account, picturing only a cartoon cat head with no eyes and shark teeth.

?: Nice to meet you. I am the one they call Alibaba. I want to ask you something. You're a phantom thief, aren't you? Can you steal hearts?

Akira's eyes grew wide in shock as he showed the messages to Morgana.

"Who is this 'Alibaba'? And why does he know that you're a phantom thief?" Morgana asked in surprise. "Is one of our teammates pulling a prank on you?"

"I don't know, but it's not them," Akira answered as he stared at his phone's screen while more messages from Alibaba appeared.

Alibaba: There is someone whose heart I would like you to steal. But I'm not asking for charity. Let's make a deal.

Alibaba: You wish to know about Medjed, correct? I can give you information on them if the change of heart is successful. If you so desire, I can take care of them as well.

Alibaba: Do you believe in my skills? I can track down their accounts, just as I have with yours. But this is all I can prove at the moment.

Alibaba: I've prepared the necessary tool on my end. I look forward to it.

"Shouldn't you respond to it?" Morgana asked Akira.

Akira tried to respond as he texted back.

Akira: Is this a prank?

But all Akira got was an error message, even though he couldn't find the Alibaba account to send a response.

"I can't reply," Akira said.

"I don't know what this is all about," Morgana replied. "But we should probably let everyone know about this…."

A moment later, after school, the group was at the Shibuya Teikyu Building Accessway, where Akira and Morgana showed the others the text messages on his phone.

Ryuji was surprised. "Considering he mentioned stealing hearts, he knows, doesn't he?"

"Seems so...," Makoto nodded.

"How were we found out?" Yusuke asked.

"He may have traced our chat log..."

Yusuke sighed in dismay. "How careless of us…."

"But how would he have known all these details with just that?" Makoto asked.

"We've been pretty cavalier about discussing Phantom Thieves business through text," Akira replied.

"Do you think that there is another cause?" Yusuke asked.

"I'm not sure why," Makoto pondered. "but that's the feeling I get."

"Hey, is it easy to look at someone's chat log?" Ann asked.

"I don't know much about it myself, but… it's probably not impossible, I think?"

"How's it done?" Ryuji asked.

"Maybe they extracted our phones' data?" Makoto guessed.

"But why is Akira getting an error when he tries to reply?" Ann asked in confusion.

"Perhaps the receiving end doesn't exist?" Makoto suggests.

"That's possible?" Ryuji asked in surprise.

"Don't ask Mako-chan everything!" Akira scolded Ryuji. "She may be our advisor, but she just told us there are still some things she doesn't know about."

Makoto smiled at the response. "Thanks."

Just then, Yusuke thought of something. "Wait. Is this what they referred to as hacking?"

"Then, this guy's a hacker!?" Ryuji blinked in surprise.

"I don't get this high-tech stuff!" Morgana said. "But what does this all mean?"

"It means an unknown hacker contacted us!" Ann replied.

"I see," Morgana nodded. "I don't really get it."

"Then, is this person Medjed?" Yusuke asked.

"Nope," Akira shook his head. "This person's called Alibaba, so I don't think he's part of Medjed."

"I doubt it, considering he says he wants to 'deal' with them," Makoto said. "That is, only if we take his words for face value."

Yusuke nodded. "True..."

Ryuji then thought of something. "Hey, wouldn't it be great if we got this guy on our side?"

"But we know nothing about his identity," Makoto said. "We can't trust him."

"I don't think it's a bad deal, though..."

Yusuke shook his head. "Even if Alibaba turns out to be a criminal? I am not helping anyone of that sort."

"Oh, right," Ryuji sighed. "That wouldn't be good..."

"The 'I've prepared the necessary tool' part makes no sense either," Morgana said.

"Could this just be a prank?" Ann asked with worry.

"He knows an awful lot for it to be a prank," Makoto replied.

"If he knows who we are, won't we get caught?"

Makoto shook her head. "No. If Alibaba wanted to report us, I think he would've done it already."

"I was thinking the same thing," Akira replied.

"He must have some sort of objective," Yusuke said. "He did offer us a deal, after all. I'm certain he'll contact us again."

"There's no telling when he'll do so, though…," Makoto said. "It'd be best if we stay together. If something happens, we can act at once."

Ann pondered a bit. "It's somewhere we can wait and hide for long hours..."

"How about Leblanc?" Makoto suggested as she and the others looked at Akira.

"Sure," Akira nodded.

That evening, Akira returned to Leblanc – with the others in tow.

"I'm home," Akira called out to Sojiro.

Sojiro turned to see Akira and the rest of the gang. "What's with the big group?"

"Good evening," Ann greeted. "We were thinking about putting together plans for our summer."

Sojiro then turned to see Makoto. "Hm? Is that a new face I see?"

"It's nice to meet you," Makoto introduced herself. "My name is Makoto Niijima. I hope we're not a bother."

"Niijima…?" Sojiro repeated, remembering Sae. So, there's another Niijima, eh?

"She's our student council president," Ryuji said. "And Akira-kun's main squeeze."

Sojiro narrowed his eyes at Akira. "Oh?"

Akira and Makoto turned to Ryuji in anger. "Ryuji!"

But Sojiro was still bothered by the name as he pondered a bit. "Niijima…?"

"Is something wrong?" Makoto asked Sojiro.

"...Nah, it's nothing," Sojiro said. "I hope Akira's not causing you too much trouble. I'm Sojiro Sakura, but everyone just calls me Boss." He then looked at the envelope on the counter. "By the way, this was addressed to you."

Akira looked at the envelope and picked it up.

"This old man will get going and leave you kids be," Sojiro said. "The store's all yours."

A moment later, as Sojiro left Leblanc, the Phantoms were gathered around the table when the news on TV appeared.

"We have late-breaking news on Medjed, whose notoriety rose since their statement the other day," The TV reporter announced. "Just moments ago, a message was on their website. They have announced their victory over the Phantom Thieves. Medjed also warns Japanese citizens who praised the Phantom Thieves to stop doing so. We will report any further actions by Medjed as they arrive."

"A new message?" Akira repeated.

Ryuji checked his phone for Medjed's new message. "Oh, come on! It's in English!"

"Let me see…," Ann said as she read the message aloud. "'The Phantom Thieves remain silent at our question. This proves that we are just. People of Japan, wake up. You must not worship the Phantom Thieves.'"

Akira was shocked to hear it. "Wait, what!?"

"WHAT!? That's bullshit!" Ryuji exclaimed angrily.

"Keep listening," Yusuke said.

Ann continued reading Medjed's message. "'We will discipline any who worship them. The punishment is the confiscation of possessions. We are Medjed. We are unseen. We will eliminate evil.'" She then turned to the others. "...That's what it says."

Akira was stunned by the message as he looked paler. "Are you serious? They're going to confiscate people's stuff?"

"What does that all mean!?" Ryuji asked impatiently.

"They're saying they'll target sympathizers of the Phantom Thieves," Makoto answered.

Yusuke pondered a bit. "Confiscation of possessions, hm…?"

"Perhaps their bank accounts or personal information…," Makoto said. "Either way, it won't be anything that easy or pleasant."

Ryuji could not have been angrier. "Why the hell are WE being singled out?"

"Perhaps all they care about is labeling us, the Phantom Thieves, as crooks," Makoto replied. "And that all of this wouldn't have happened had the Phantom Thieves not existed."

"That's complete bullshit."

Morgana sighed. "Talk about a troublesome organization that we've been targeted by."

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Ann asked.

"Certainly, we can't do anything about this on our own…," Yusuke replied.

"Maaaaan! This sucks!" Ryuji exclaimed as he turned to Akira. "So, what's this letter about?"

"I bet it's from my parents," Akira replied, looking at an odd envelope. "But I doubt they send me anything. Now that you mention it, I hope it's not another problem."

"We don't need any trouble."

"It is rare for you to get something like this," Morgana said.

"All right, fine, I'll open it," Akira said as he opened the envelope, and what pulled out of it was a red, blank calling card.

Morgana was confused. "A calling card?"

"Anything else in there!?" Ann asked. "Who's this from anyway?"

"There's no stamp on it," Makoto said. "Someone must've directly dropped it into the mailbox here…."

"Could it have been Alibaba…?" Yusuke asked.

"That reminds me, he did mention something about preparing the 'necessary tool'…," Morgana pondered, but he then gasped. "Don't tell me… Is this what he was talking about!?"

"What the hell's goin' on here…?" Ryuji asked.

"All we can do now is wait for Alibaba's orders," Makoto assured the others. "Let's brace ourselves and stand by… in case anything comes up."

Ann groaned. "Oh, dear..."

Morgana could not have been more perplexed. "First that Alibaba character, and now a blank calling card? What the hell's going on? We don't have nearly enough intel. All we can do is wait for them to make a move."

"We're out of options, huh?" Akira sighed. "I guess we're putting our fate to this Alibaba person."

The others looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

The others left Leblanc for home a while later, as it was getting late. Akira was getting ready for bed when he called out Wakaba's spirit and told her about the situation.

"I see…," Wakaba nodded. "You're saying this 'Alibaba' contacted you all of a sudden and sent you a blank calling card as a necessary tool."

"Yep," Akira answered.

Wakaba sighed. "I knew it… It's probably Futaba."

Akira was surprised. "Wait, what? Futaba did this?"

"My little girl was the original Medjed a long back, but people used that name for their own deeds. So, Futaba just dumped that name and became 'Alibaba.'"

"So, Futaba was the one who asked us to steal her heart," Akira deduced. "And she hacked into my phone to contact me!? Wait 'til the others hear about this!"

"Wait a sec!" Wakaba halted Akira. "I insist you wait as your friends instructed…and until Futaba's Palace reveals itself."

"Futaba has a Palace!?" Akira asked. "But we don't know what else to do!? She's at Sojiro's house, and we don't know the distortion she mistakes it for to enter."

"I know you're concerned," Wakaba reassured Akira. "But if you tell the others about Futaba and me, it'd be more than I can anticipate. I don't want poor Futaba being overwhelmed by all of this."

"What do you mean?" Akira asked in confusion.

"Don't worry about it. But at least wait for the right moment in time."

And with that, Wakaba disappeared once more.

Akira sighed as he turned to Morgana and explained what transpired.

Morgana was shocked as he blinked in surprise. "No way… So, that's how…."

"There's no mistaking it," Akira replied.

"If Futaba had contacted us and knew that she has a Palace, that could've been more difficult than we thought. A Palace can be changed by the cognition of its owner, after all."

Akira nodded. "Yep."

"But Futaba is in a mental and yet fragile state," Morgana continued. "And if she can't help us with that fake Medjed or even ready, we'll never get access. As sad as it may be, her Palace is born of pain and trauma."

Akira crossed his arms. "Fine, I think we'll wait for Futaba to respond. If she can't, then we'll figure something else out. We need to let the others know about this, too."

And with that, Akira and Morgana went to a peaceful sleep.

In Futaba's room at Sojiro's house, Futaba Sakura crouched like a gargoyle on her chair, listening to the entire recorded conversation between Akira and Morgana. Lights from her computer illuminated her face as she repeated the conversation, hoping it would calm her down.

As Akira deduced, Alibaba is Futaba.

7/21 – Thursday

That afternoon at Shujin, Akira's phone rang as Morgana muttered, "Ryuji again? He just never shuts up, does he?"

Akira pulled out to answer his phone, only to see another message – from Alibaba.

Alibaba: Good day.

Akira texted Alibaba back, knowing that it was Futaba texting him.

Akira: Good day to you. Now, what do you want?

Alibaba: Ah, you responded today. Once again, I am Alibaba. You're the leader of the Phantom Thieves, correct?

Akira: That's right.

Alibaba: I take it you received the calling card? Are you at school right now?

Akira: I'm in class.

Alibaba: Hm, you're a surprisingly diligent student. Now then, I have prepared the calling card for you. When are you going to steal it?

Akira: Steal from who?

Alibaba: What do you mean by that? Aren't you able to steal a heart as long as you have a calling card?

Akira: This is not how things work. I need a target's name first.

Alibaba: …A name? Is your heart thievery truly impossible without such information?

Akira: It is.

Alibaba: …I see. Hmm, I suppose past calling cards did have names on them. One moment…

Akira and Morgana waited for a response as Alibaba texted back.

Alibaba: Very well. I'll tell you. I believe their name was…Futaba Sakura.

Akira: That wouldn't happen to be you, right?

Alibaba: …How did you-?

Akira: Don't try and hide it. I already know it's you. You want us to steal your heart, right!?

Alibaba: …

Alibaba: Okay, you got me!

Alibaba: I was about to blackmail you that I'll expose your identity to the world and the police if you fail this mission. But to think you have found me out.

Alibaba: But…given the circumstances, I'll let it slide and assume you'll do the job.

Alibaba: Well then, I'll be counting on you. We shall speak again after the change of heart.

Akira: Wait.

And just like that, Akira got an error message.

"At least I showed that Alibaba," Akira said to Morgana.

"So, it's just as we thought," Morgana replied. "In any case, we should let everyone know about this."

After school, Akira showed the others the text messages on his phone at the Shibuya Teikyu Building Accessway.

"Let me see if I get this right," Ryuji spoke up as he summarized. "We will get reported if we don't steal Futaba's heart? And she is coming to us and knows who we are!? What the hell…!?"

Ann was confused. "So, this Alibaba was this 'Futaba Sakura'?"

Makoto pondered as well. "But wasn't Sakura…?"

Ann gasped as a realization hit her. "Wait a minute…it's Boss's last name!"

"Does he have any family?" Yusuke asked.

"Of course, he does," Morgana replied. "I mean, uhh…does he?"

The others looked at Akira.

"How should I know!?" Akira said. "Boss did not even tell me about her. I mean, I don't think I've asked."

"For reals!? How laid-back are you!?" Ryuji asked Akira in total shock. "Wouldn't you normally be introduced at least? I mean, you ARE living at his place."

"Hey, I only live in the attic of his café, not his actual house. And besides, even if I did ask Boss about Futaba, there's no way he'll let me meet her."

"Well, his situation does make things difficult...," Yusuke said.

"The calling card was delivered to Boss's house; it'd be more natural to assume this is all related," Makoto said. "One reason for that is that Alibaba did not mention anything about 'which' Futaba Sakura. So perhaps he thinks that the name alone is enough."

"That makes sense," Morgana said.

"I believe it's adequate for us to think that this is the doing of Futaba being close by."

Ann nodded. "I see."

"I don't know how Futaba got a hold of Akira-kun's smartphone information," Makoto pondered. "However, since she's ordering us through chat, I feel like Futaba is taunting us as Alibaba."

"You mean this might just be a prank?" Ryuji asked.

"Look at the demands. Pay me if you don't want me to leak who you are—that I'd understand. But Futaba is telling us to steal her heart without explaining why."

"So, we're being tested?" Yusuke deduced.

"Probably because of that cognitive labyrinth inside her," Akira said, but he covered his mouth, seeing and realizing that the others had heard that.

"For real!?" Ryuji blinked in surprise. "Is that even possible!?"

Akira showed Futaba's name and location on the Meta-Nav, which shocked the others. "We got the name and location, but we don't even know the distortion for which she mistakes Boss's house."

"You mean…Futaba has a Palace!?" Ann asked in surprise. "And this 'cognitive labyrinth' is inside her heart?" She then made a confusing expression. "No way! How? Why!?"

"Oh, come on," Ryuji groaned as he looked at Akira. "You knew this stuff already, and you didn't tell us!? So what are you, psychic or something?"

Akira shook his head. "It's not like that. Morgana and I didn't know the right time to do it."

"I didn't want to believe it myself," Morgana replied. "And Akira is not psychic, Ryuji."

"HA! He got you good," Ann said to Ryuji with a smile.

"Regardless, I think we should ask Boss about Futaba Sakura once," Makoto said. "Plus, we might work on the distortion of her Palace."

"That's probably for the best," Morgana said. "There's nothing else we can do now, and Chief might have an idea of what this is about too."

"I'll check the school's roster just in case," Makoto said.

"We must make sure Boss doesn't figure out who we are," Yusuke said. "We'll have to go about this cautiously."

That evening, Akira returned to Leblanc as he saw Sojiro with a straight face.

"What's up?" Sojiro asked.

"I wanna meet Futaba," Akira replied.

Just then, something made Sojiro ticked. "…Why do you know about that? It's got nothing to do with you." Then, he took a deep breath to calm down. "I'm going home, and make sure you lock up the place."

As Sojiro left Leblanc, Morgana spoke up. "Looks like it's a hit."

Akira closed up Leblanc and went to bed as he and the others talked through phone chat.

"Were you able to ask Boss about Futaba?" Ann asked Akira.

"No," Akira replied stubbornly. "He doesn't want to talk."

"Could there be a reason as to why that was?" Yusuke asked.

"Futaba might be our only hope of defeating Medjed," Makoto said. "I wish we could get some info about her from Boss..."

"But trying to force it out would probably have the opposite effect," Ann replied.

"To be honest, I owe a great deal to both Boss and Akira," Yusuke said. "I don't wish this would be a source of discord between them."

Ryuji nodded. "Yeah, I know just what you mean!"

Makoto sighed. "It's probably best to wait for Boss to bring the subject up."

"First there was Medjed, then Alibaba, and now Alibaba is Futaba Sakura…," Morgana said, pondering. "We almost got any info on each of them. So, what in the world is going on?"

"I was thinking the same thing," Akira said.

7/22 – Friday

Earlier the following day, Akira and Ryuji were going to Shujin.

"Tomorrow's the end of the first semester," Ryuji said. "But we still got all this lame shit comin' up..."

"If you don't take care of this 'lame shit,' you can kiss your summer vacation goodbye," Morgana replied.

"Oh yeah, about this Futaba Sakura girl… If she's related to Boss, would people livin' nearby know about her?"

"That's some keen intuition coming from you, Ryuji. You should have made use of that on your exams."

Ryuji groaned. "Ugh, I never wanna think about exams ever again…."

"I'll hold you on to that!" Akira said.

"Anyway, askin' around in your neighborhood might be the fastest way to figure this shit out," Ryuji said. "Then again, I doubt it'll be that easy, and it never is..."

"I'm not so sure," Akira replied. "I don't think Futaba should be overwhelmed."

"But Ryuji might be right…," Morgana said to Akira. "We already have a single clue, so we might as well try – we've got nothing to lose!"

A moment later, after school, Akira and Morgana were in Yongen-Jaya to gather more info from the neighborhood about Futaba. Still, as they guessed, some other people aren't beneficial.

"Sakura-san's single, right? I thought he didn't have any children."

"Futaba? Who's that? I don't think I know anybody by that name."

"Futaba? Over at Sakura-san's? I haven't heard anything… Sorry. Come again!"

"Hrm," Morgana groaned. "We didn't find anything new on Futaba… Our only option is to go home and ask the chief directly."

"All right," Akira nodded. "But if Boss won't talk, we should ask Wakaba's spirit."

"Oh, right! You have that 'power.'"

As evening followed, Akira and Morgana returned to Leblanc for the night, only to find Sojiro facing a recently arrived Sae Niijima.

"This again…?" Akira groaned, seeing Sae questioning Sojiro.

"You read the letter, did you not?" Sae asked Sojiro.

"So, you're the one who tipped Akira off about Futaba," Sojiro said to Sae angrily. "You really shouldn't have done that. I already told you I have no intention of talking to you about Wakaba."

Hearing that name, Akira turned to see Wakaba's spirit standing next to Sojiro, making him flinch. Wakaba frowned at Sae, who didn't see her.

"Tipped off? What are you talking about?" Sae asked in confusion but got back on track. "Back to the matter at hand… Your parental authority will have to be suspended. I take it you're OK with that outcome?"

Sojiro narrowed his eyes. "What!?"

"Considering the state of your daughter and your family overall, there are no points in your favor," Sae continued with a glare. "Would you like to take this to domestic court? Our chances of victory are roughly 99.9%, though. And with these suspicions of abuse, there's no way you could avoid having your custody revoked."

Parental authority? Abuse!? Akira thought.

Sojiro was furious. "You're going that far!? I told you I don't know a damn thing about it."

"We're extremely serious about this," Sae said. "As long as there's a possibility that cognitive psience can be linked to the psychotic breakdowns, I will drop this matter if you tell me everything you know about Isshiki's research."

Just then, Sae glanced over at Akira.

"Oh, come on now! How many times do you think you're going to interrogate my guardian with threats like that!?" Akira asked as he walked over to Sae. "Didn't you hear? He is not telling you anything! Are you still snoopin' on Boss again? I already said to you before, leave him be."

Sae looked at Akira straight. "Why are you defending him all of a sudden? Could Boss be hiding that secret from you?"

"You're hungry for whatever promotion your job is giving you, huh? Of course, you are, because no one takes your commendable job."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sae asked with narrowed eyes.

"You're a public prosecutor, right? Wouldn't you have known already about Medjed?"

Sae looked away at that question. "Of course not! They just declared war on the Phantom Thieves for making a mockery of us."

"A mockery?" Akira repeated in anger. "Aren't you the one who thinks of the Phantom Thieves' efforts to give people courage as a mockery!? Or were you a bit off of saying to a certain someone that they're useless to you!?"

Sae's eyes grew wide in surprise as she turned to Akira. "Hm?!"

Akira continued speaking to Sae. "I don't care that you have a commendable job as a prosecutor or that you're a much more remarkable person than your own sister. All your investigations are doing is invading people's privacy. What could you possibly know about what Boss knows? You're the one who's on the wrong side of things."

Sae remained silent.

"And by the way," Akira continued. "You're all buddy-buddy with Akechi-kun, aren't you? You were so much more fond of him than Makoto-chan, so how come you didn't tell her about your days?"

Sae blinked in surprise. "What's wrong with a prosecutor trying to do her job!? Are you saying I'd put work before family?"

"That's exactly what I meant," Akira replied. "All the Phantom Thieves are doing is punishing corrupt adults and giving hope and courage to people in trouble, and you and the police are going to arrest them for that!? You may be a bit off of calling Makoto useless, but she means a lot to my friends and me. She can't be like you, no matter how she tries. There would come a time when you two don't see eye to eye anymore. Makoto is thankful to have a sister who works so hard, but…there are times she feels sorry for you."

Sojiro looked at Akira in surprise, but he called out to Sae. "Fine… I yield."

"Thank you," Sae said as she turned to Sojiro and put her card on the counter. "I'll contact you at a later date."

"I doubt you'll find anything you want to hear," Sojiro said.

"That's fine. It'll be up to us to decide whether the information you give us is useful or not," Sae replied. "And the next time I come here, it'll be for a nice cup of coffee."

And with that, Sae left Leblanc.

"And stay out!" Sojiro yelled angrily, then took a deep breath. "That woman's really good at pissing people off…." He then turned to Akira. "…What's that look? Do you have something to say? Especially after telling her off."

"What was that about?" Akira asked. "Domestic court? And your custody getting revoked?"

"This doesn't involve you!"

"True, but I just wanna meet Futaba, is all."

Sojiro couldn't take it. "That's enough! Just behave yourself and keep going to school if you don't want me to throw you out. You got that?" Then, he took a deep breath to calm down. "Just…lock the store up."

As Sojiro left Leblanc, Morgana popped up. "Futaba's existence is certain, and she is in a bad situation. Moreover, our conjecture that Futaba is connected to Leblanc seems to have a solid foundation. Oh, and didn't they mention 'cognitive' something?"

"Cognitive psience," Akira corrected.

"Still, it's no doubt the chief's hiding something," Morgana replied. "We can't press him on the subject, though, especially after he mentioned throwing you out."

Akira could've been more upset. "Why is Boss so stubborn? Doesn't he realize that his kid, Futaba, asked us for help!?"

Morgana started to ponder. "What do you think the chief was arguing about with that prosecutor lady? I wonder… She said 'abuse.' Would chief really do that?"

"Of course not," Akira snapped. "It has to be a mistake. And that lady was Makoto's prosecutor sister. Boss is being threatened to spill everything about Wakaba and her research, or it's the domestic court for him."

Just then, Wakaba appeared, calming Akira down. "Don't mind about Sojiro. He may have acted a bit gruff, but he still likes you. …I think."

"That reminds me – Sae mentioned something about 'cognitive psience' earlier."

Wakaba memorizes the notes of her research. "'The cognitive world can only become distorted through desires. If it becomes distorted, a person begins exhibiting problematic behavior in reality. That cognitive world disappears when you remove its core and further problematic actions stop.'"

Akira and Morgana pieced together their experience in the Metaverse, and what Wakaba said, then it suddenly hit them.

"D-Don't tell me…," Akira said in surprise. "Was cognitive psience all about…Palaces!?"

Morgana was surprised as well. "That's the Metaverse! So, she knew about that!?"

Wakaba nodded. "I was surprised to see that it was happening to Futaba. There was nothing she could do alone, which is why she asked you for help."

Akira couldn't believe his ears. "No way…"

Wakaba sighed sadly before telling Akira the whole story as she looked down. "But I loved my daughter. I could see in her eyes that she wanted to be like me, like how I worked late at night, woke up early, made her boxed lunch every day, and how I did my best to further my research on cognitive psience. I even scolded her a bit for peeking at my notes. When I was a spirit and saw Futaba's entire room filled with notes and books, I knew that deep down, she wanted to find out why I was killed."

"How did you end up being killed?" Akira asked.

"It was in my notes," Wakaba replied, memorizing more of her notes. "'Should the self in the cognitive world die, the self in the real world lose consciousness.'"

"Could it be about the mental shutdowns?"

"As I told you before, I was killed by someone, and my research on the cognitive world – the Metaverse, as you called it – was treated like it never existed," Wakaba continued. "But Futaba didn't recognize it by then, and she thought it was her fault that I died. She wished that I had come back to life, but nothing changed. So I felt like…Futaba was the victim of my death."

After that long explanation, Wakaba paused as tears welled up in her eyes. But, despite her words, Wakaba's expression was still calm as she wiped away the tears.

"…Oh, how my heart ached," Wakaba sobbed. "I could only cry to hide my pain and fear. If I wasn't dead by the second, I could've gone to Futaba and been there for her, comforting her. What kind of a mother am I? I can't even protect my daughter…."

"A lot's happened to you, huh?" Akira said as he sighed.

Wakaba looked down at Akira. "When I heard rumors about the Phantom Thieves that steal hearts, I knew it was reminiscent of cognitive psience in practice. You infiltrate a reality that exists solely for their target, separated from the public recognized. By accessing that world, you gain the means of altering their cognition. So I knew you'd be the only one who can cure Futaba's heart."

"Well, we were her only hope," Akira said as he turned to Morgana and explained what Wakaba said. "It all falls into place. Wakaba never committed suicide… It was another party who killed her and stole her research."

"Another party?" Morgana repeated. "So, that someone she mentioned is the same guy Kaneshiro's Shadow was talking about!?"

"Can't say for sure," Akira replied. "We better let the others know."

"Please help Futaba and find whoever's doing this," Wakaba pleaded. "You and your friends are the only ones who know about the cognitive world…."

"At least that's our plan," Akira answered.

7/23 – Saturday

The next day after school, Akira and Morgana shared what they learned last night with the others, even if it wasn't much.

"My sister was threatening Boss?" Makoto asked in surprise and shock.

"Yeah," Morgana nodded. "She was going on and on about suspicions of abuse and taking the case to domestic court and stuff…."

"…And then I told her off for calling Makoto useless and everything," Akira said, feeling bad. "Sorry about that. I couldn't hold myself back and was so upset."

"Dude, don't sweat it," Ryuji said. "At least you tried askin' Boss, so we're all good."

"Yeah," Ann agreed. "I was surprised with how you stood up with Sae-san."

Makoto looked down doubly, thinking about her sister, and then she looked at Akira. "The others are right. You tried your best, so no worries."

Akira nodded. "Right…"

"So, to summarize what you told us, Futaba is Boss' foster daughter, and he's accused of abusing her? I don't know him very well… Is he the kind of person who would do that?"

"I don't know…," Akira answered. "There's no way. Not a chance. I don't know much about Boss, and he's kind of stern."

"I would like to believe so, but we don't have conclusive evidence, do we…?"

"Evidence or no evidence, I won't let Sojiro's good name be besmirched!"

Just then, Akira's phone rang as he answered it.

"Is it Alibaba!? I mean, Futaba!?" Morgana asked as he and the others looked at the text messages Futaba – as Alibaba – had sent.

Alibaba: I've given you the calling card and told you the name. You should be ready.

Alibaba: Why aren't you doing it? I told you I'd help you if you stole her heart. So what seems to be the holdup?

Alibaba: I also said I'd report your identity to the police if you didn't help me. I'm serious here. Are you OK with that?

"What a selfish person," Yusuke said.

"Well, Futaba does have information on us…," Makoto replied.

"Anyways, Futaba has a Palace?" Ryuji asked. "If so, we'll need keywords to get in. Try messaging her about them."

"I don't think Futaba understands what it all means," Akira replied to Ryuji as he texted back. "I mean, considering that she may be confused about the purpose of the calling card."

Akira: The holdup is that Boss won't let us meet you. Plus, we need keywords.

Alibaba: Keywords? What are you talking about? Are you just saying random stuff to dodge the issue?

Akira: We're not! We can't continue if you don't give us the keywords.

"What're we supposed to do about this?" Ann asked.

"Try asking if there's any way we could meet up," Morgana said to Akira.

Akira: Can we please meet you?

Alibaba: Meet? With me? That'll be difficult. I have reasons for not being able to go out, so I'm contacting you like this.

"Futaba can't go out?" Morgana asked. "As we thought…."

Alibaba: I get it. You steal people's hearts directly… That might make things difficult. Extremely difficult.

Alibaba: Hold on. I'm thinking…

The others waited for a response.

Alibaba: OK. It's a shame, but I'm calling this deal off. So stop looking into Futaba Sakura. But bring me sushi.

Alibaba: Forget this ever happened. I won't report you to the police, so don't worry.

Alibaba: Sorry for taking your time. Now, if you'll excuse me…

Akira: Wait a second.

Alibaba: I said the deal's off! We're never speaking again, so just bring me sushi. Don't expect me to contact you anymore.

Akira: Hold it. We're not done here.

And just like that, an error message appeared.

"Did Futaba just shut off the whole operation down!?" Ann asked in surprise.

"This doesn't make any sense…," Morgana said, confused. "Not only can Futaba not go out, but she won't let us meet her either?"

Ryuji just shrugged. "Well, it's none of our business now, and we can't contact her anymore."

"But… what do we do about Medjed?" Ann asked. "We won't be able to get Alibaba to help us with them now."

"Maybe they were just prankin' us," Ryuji replied.

Akira wasn't convinced. "How is it a prank!? We just saw them on TV!"

"They made that huge declaration, but they ain't done nothing since," Ryuji said. "I bet we got 'em freaked out."

"You mean they backed out because they're afraid we'll change their hearts?" Morgana asked in confusion.

"Yup. And now it'd make them look lame if they came out and apologized!"

Makoto tried to protest. "But—"

"I guess with Futaba and Medjed out of the picture, can we just say this case is closed?"

"No!" Akira exclaimed. "Because they're not out of the picture at all!"

Makoto sighed. "...You do have a point. I guess it is safe for us to relax a little."

Akira looked at Makoto, stunned. "Makoto-chan, not you, too!"

"Don't worry about it," Ryuji reassured Akira and the others. "Remember Kaneshiro's Treasure? Prepare to have your minds blown! We got one hundred and fifty thousand yen out of it!"

"That's awesome!" Ann exclaimed. "We can go all out with that kind of money!"

"Yeah! Let's make up for what happened at the fireworks festival! We must eat something fittin' for the Phantom Thieves' worldwide debut!"

"Where would be good…?"

"Ooh, how about sushi!?" Ryuji suggested. "I could go for some eel too!"

"The best method is to fill yourself on ginger before beginning to eat sushi," Yusuke said. "That is my master technique."

"Yeeeah, no!" Akira said, unamused.

"You don't need to do that this time," Makoto said. "Don't do it, OK?"

"I'm all for sushi!" Morgana agreed, then he turned to Akira. "You're OK with that too, right?"

"Sushi's fine," Akira pouted.

"Then, it's decided!"

"All right!" Ryuji exclaimed. "We'll go tomorrow night!"

"I wonder if all that Medjed business was just a prank," Makoto said. "Now that I think about it calmly, it's strange that they haven't done anything yet. If their goal is to target the Phantom Thieves, they should want to be acting now, given our fame."

"When you put it that way, it makes me wonder, too," Ann said. "Especially after they taunted us theatrically like that."

"Yes," Yusuke said. "However, it would be best for us to devise a countermeasure regardless. For now, we should cautiously enjoy the sushi, and that's all we can do."

"Yeah," Akira nodded in agreement. "But something is still not right."

"I was thinking about that, too," Ryuji said. "I can't put it into words, though."

"Hm, Yusuke is right," Makoto sighed. "I'm sorry for bringing this up. On the day before our celebration party too…."

"Cheer up, Makoto!" Ann smiled. "We'll be eating sushi like kings tomorrow!"

"I hope one person, in particular, is on their best behavior," Yusuke said. "I'll refrain from saying who, though."

"...You better not be talking about me!" Ryuji retorted.

7/24 – Sunday

Elsewhere, at the SIU HQ, Akechi met up with Sae.

"You seem busy, Sae-san," Akechi said. "I take it you're stuck in the middle of everything?"

"The Phantom Thieves made a mockery of us when they brought down Kaneshiro…," Sae replied. "And to make matters worse, Medjed has been dormant for some time now, just declared war on them. How much more can they screw us over?"

"Stress is bad for the skin," Akechi said.

Sae narrowed her eyes at Akechi. "Did you come all this way simply to be sarcastic?"

"How about you listen to my deductions for a change of pace? You may think it absurd… But don't you think the case you're pursuing and the Phantom Thieves' actions overlap somehow?"

"What are you basing this on?" Sae asked.

"The one point of commonality across all cases is how those involved have an unforeseen change of heart."

"I've suspected that myself, but those suspicions are unfounded," Sae said.

"I told you at the beginning that this was only a deduction," Akechi reassured. "These 'just' Phantom Thieves are riling up the public; however, that is a disguise. Their real goal is terrorist action by way of psychotic breakdowns… Is that too much?"

Sae pondered a bit. "There's nothing at the moment that falsifies that claim. Have you mentioned this to the police?"

Akechi shook his head. "I'd never tell them such things, and the only value they have to me is in their mobility and organizational capabilities."

"Hm, it seems to have you lend a hand has paid off," Sae replied.

"I'm glad to hear that," Akechi smiled. "What about your case, Sae-san? Did you learn anything from the guardian of that mental shutdown victim's daughter?"

Sae shook her head. "Nothing at all."

"I see. Now, what should my next action be for our victory?"

"Handle the Phantom Thieves without remorse. Use any means necessary to win. That's how I would deal with them."

Akechi chuckled. "Very well."

"This seems to be fun for you. Are you on to something?"

"No, not at all," Akechi answered. "Well then, to our victory."

Meanwhile, Akira, Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Morgana, and Makoto were at Ginza, eating sushi.

"Man, the flounder is out of this world!" Ryuji said happily. "That texture…"

"I-I don't see any prices listed here...," Yusuke replied.

"It's called market price. Don't worry about it; we got the cash!"

"Sooo gooooood…," Ann exclaimed with joy, eating sushi.

Morgana piped up. "Hey, is the fatty tuna ready yet?"

"Hold your horses," Ryuji scolded. "And don't talk!"

Makoto turned to Akira as something was on her mind. "By the way, Akira-kun… Is Boss the kind of person who would abuse someone?"

Ryuji groaned. "That again?"

"Why are you asking that?" Akira asked Makoto.

"I can't get it off my mind," Makoto replied. "Especially if it means he could be taken to court… What kind of person is he? Do you genuinely believe he'd do such a thing?"

"I don't know," Akira answered. "I mean, no chance. He is pretty strict, and I gotta keep sticking up for him, so there's no way he'd be abusing anyone."

"If it's true about the abuse, he'd be a no-good jerk pretendin' to be a guardian," Ryuji said while Yusuke pondered.

"It wasn't like that," Akira denied it. "I-I mean, nothing's set in stone. Boss took me in."

"Maybe the chief is the one who needs a change of heart…," Morgana said.

"About that…," Ann began. "I got curious after our conversation… and checked his name in the Meta-Nav."

"It sounds like there wasn't a hit," Makoto replied.

"Right. Anything beyond this is his family's problem, and we probably shouldn't get any more involved."

Ryuji sighed in dismay. "Maaaann, and here I thought Alibaba could be Boss' ex-wife!?"

"Why would you think that!?" Akira asked.

"Well, he must've cheated on her, and that's where Futaba came from. So that has to be it! I'm totally a super detective."

Everyone remained silent at Ryuji's deduction.

"If your friend only knows that I'm hearing this, too," Wakaba's voice appeared in Akira's head, sounding unamused.

Ann sighed. "Doubtful."

"Your imagination has run rampant," Makoto said.

"How foolish," Yusuke said as he turned to his food. "Still, this is delicious. I've never experienced anything quite like it before."

"Yep," Ryuji smiled. "And it's all thanks to us being the Phantom Thieves—"

That nearly shocked the others because they realized that other customers were overhearing their conversation.

"Crap!" Ryuji exclaimed, realizing his mistake.

"U-Ummm… Ph-Phan…Fantastic!" Makoto said to the chef and customers. "This sushi is delicious!"

"Y-Yeah!" Ann agreed. "This fish is so fresh!"

One customer scoffed. "Hmph! Everywhere we go, we hear about these Phantom Thieves!"

"What rubbish," Another said.

"Think about where we are, Ryuji!" Ann scolded him angrily.

Akira narrowed his eyes at Ryuji in anger. "Ryuji? This will be the only chance you almost slipped something out of your big mouth. Is that clear?"

"…I'll crush you with one strike," Yusuke agreed.

"Sorry, it just kinda slipped…," Ryuji apologized.

Makoto sighed. "My apologies for bringing up Boss again. We should just enjoy the food."

"Don't worry about it," Akira said.

Later that evening, the gang headed towards the train station, and Akira bought some more sushi.

Just then, a familiar voice appeared. "Niijima-san! What are you doing here?"

Makoto recognized that voice. "Akechi-kun…"

"Akechi?" Ryuji noticed that he, Akira, and Ann turned to see Akechi.

Akechi recognized the other three from before with Makoto. "You're the ones from the TV station… Could it be that you're friends with Niijima-san?"

Akira abruptly went up to Akechi. "Yeah, and what's it to you?"

Yusuke turned to the others and asked, "Do you know this guy?"

"You should know that, too," Ryuji warned Yusuke in a whisper. "That's the detective we told you about."

Akechi turned to see Yusuke. "It's nice to meet you. My name is Akechi. Glad to make your acquaintance, Yusuke Kitagawa."

Yusuke was surprised. "How do you know my name?"

"Well, because I'm a psychic," Akechi answered but then laughed. "Haha, I'm only joking. In truth, I'm a rookie detective. You're a former pupil of Madarame, right? I have just recently joined the investigation team looking into the Phantom Thieves. By the way, did you see that Medjed has declared war on them?"

That caught the group by surprise.

"Wait, what!?" Akira blinked.

"War?" Ryuji repeated.

"Their website updated just a moment ago."

"For real!?" Ryuji checked his phone as he groaned. "English again."

Ann checked out her phone to see Medjed's new message in shock. "Wait, what!?"

"What's it say?"

"Why do you seem so agitated?" Akechi asked Ann.

"Oh, um…" Ann stammered.

"She's, uh…a huge fan of the Phantom Thieves," Ryuji said to Akechi. "A total nut job for them."

"I'm not a nut job," Ann scolded Ryuji angrily.

"I don't know how wise it is to be a fan of groups like them," Akechi said.

Makoto narrowed her eyes. "What is with these comments?"

"My apologies. I didn't mean to butt into your conversation," Akechi apologized. "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."

"I don't know what you could be getting at," Akira said to Akechi. "But how about you mind your own business?"

Akechi looked at Akira. "Ah, yes. I wanted to ask you something regarding the whole Medjed commotion…."

"Yeah, what is it?"

"If you were one of the Phantom Thieves, what would you do?"

"I don't care," Akira answered. "Not interested."

"Unsurprising. I suppose you aren't interested in such gossip."

"Sorry to disappoint your expectations, but we're just ordinary high school kids," Ryuji said to Akechi. "If anything, we wanna hear what you gotta say, Mr. Amateur Detective."

"Very well, then," Akechi began. "My profiling of the Phantom Thieves has led me to believe they are a group of juveniles, and they have a relative amount of free time after school and a hideout to slip away. Furthermore, since Kamoshida was their first target, they began activity around April."

The others looked at each other with such surprising expressions. It almost sounded like Akechi somehow knew what they were doing.

"In a way, all I've just said about the Phantom Thieves…coincides with this very group you have here," Akechi said.

Ryuji had heard enough as he abruptly went up to Akechi. "What, you going to report us? Try it."

"I didn't say I was suspicious of you."

"Good to hear," Akira said. "If anything, Ryuji's a phantom thief."

Ryuji looked at Akira in shock. "M-Me!? You're sidin' with him!?"

Akira continued talking to Akechi. "Look, pal. Of all of us here, I think you're acting most suspicious."

"I wasn't anticipating that response," Akechi said to Akira. "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 interesting?" He then made a chuckle. "I bet we would make a great team if we worked together."

Ryuji couldn't believe what Akechi said, as did the others. "What!? What the hell are you sayin'!?"

Akechi continued talking to Akira. "I'm curious to hear what you have to say. You seem to have a wealth of information. In return, I'll teach you how to make deductions, so I believe that is a fair trade-off for you."

It seems like Akechi is interested in me..., Akira thought. Okay, yeah, he's hitting on me.

"Well, this has been a valuable point of reference for me," Akechi said as he took his leave. "I hope to see you all again."

As Akechi left, Ann turned to the others with an uncertain look. "What was that all about? And I am NOT a juvenile!" She then turned to Akira. "You held up pretty well, Akira-kun. Unlike a certain somebody…."

Ryuji noticed Ann looking at him. "Well, what'll you do if he says I'm a phantom thief?"

"I was only saying that sarcastically to change the subject," Akira replied.

"Do you think he's ascertained our true identities?" Yusuke asked.

"Nah, couldn't be," Ryuji replied. "Right?"

Akira smacked Ryuji in the head. "Of course, it could. Why else would you think that?" He then sighed in exasperation. "We're the worst at hiding it."

"I'd like to say that it's merely us overthinking this," Makoto said. "But it may be best to be cautious from now on. We shouldn't forget that Futaba was able to discover who we are."

"True," Yusuke nodded. "but it's not as though he had tangible evidence to prove that discovery. So just keep acting normally."

"More importantly, things are getting serious with Medjed!" Ann said.

"What did they write!?" Ryuji asked.

"Here, I'll read it…," Ann began reading Medjed's new message on her phone. "'We are disappointed in the people of Japan and their belief in the Phantom Thieves' false justice. Hence, we shall proceed with our plan to cleanse Japan. This process will commence on August 21st. As a result, the Japanese economy shall suffer devastating damages.'"

Ryuji was shocked. "For real…?"

"Keep going," Makoto said, wanting to hear more.

"'However, we are magnanimous. We will give the Phantom Thieves one final opportunity to repent. We demand that they reveal their identities to the public as proof of this repentance. 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.'" Ann turned to the others. "...That's what it says."

"Sounds bad..." Ryuji said.

"In other words, if we don't unmask ourselves, Medjed will attack Japan, correct?" Yusuke summarized. "It seems they are quite the attention seekers..."

"I told you guys they were not out of the picture," Akira scolded the others.

"What are we gonna do about this…?" Ann asked with worry.

"If only we could contact Futaba," Makoto said.

"Our only clues… are her and Boss," Ryuji said. "Anyways, it's too damn hot out here. Why don't we go to Leblanc? We can talk more over there."

A moment later, the Phantoms were already at Leblanc as they ran out of ideas.

"We went through all sorts of options on our way here," Ryuji said. "But look likes we got no choice but to ask for Futaba's help."

"The question is, how do we get in touch with her?" Ann asked.

"She cut off all contact with us after that misunderstanding," Yusuke replied. "Then again, if we manage to steal her heart, she may attempt to reach out to us again."

"But we don't have any clues on her last keyword," Morgana said. "We already got the name and location, though."

Ryuji groaned impatiently. "Dammit, Futaba! We're already in trouble with Medjed, and you won't open up to us!? Where the hell are you!?"

Makoto sighed. "Let's just go over a few things. Because…what if Futaba may be closer than we think?"

"What do you mean?" Ryuji asked.

Makoto began her theory. "Hypothetically speaking, even if we stole Futaba's heart… How would she know that the deed has been done? Would she truly be able to discern that just from cell phone messages?"

"You mean she'd have to meet us in person? As Alibaba?" Morgana asked.

"Futaba was able to deliver the calling card here," Makoto continued. "On top of that, she can check on her own condition. Unfortunately, however, she cannot meet with us according to her circumstances. This leads me to believe that it would be bad for her if we were to see the two of them together."

The others looked on as Makoto concluded, "As Akira told us before, it seems to me...that Alibaba may be Futaba herself."

Ryuji was surprised. "No way! For real!?"

"Yes, for real," Akira said.

"So, she is asking that we steal her own heart…," Yusuke deduced.

"Maybe she wants us to save her from the scars of her abuse…?" Ann suggested. "That would be hard to ask directly."

"We can't wait any longer," Akira said as he carried one pack of sushi and headed for the door. "Medjed threatens to unmask us, and Boss won't let us meet Futaba, so I'm going in anyway."

"Wait, Akira-kun," Makoto halted him. "I'd like to meet with Boss… He lives nearby, right?"

"Yeah, I know where his house is."

"I agree," Ryuji nodded. "It's real late, though. So what're we going to tell Boss when we get there?"

"We'll say this take-out sushi is a gift for him," Makoto said.

"But my fatty tuna…!" Morgana pouted.

"No complaining," Ann said.

"Don't worry, I've saved the other one for you, Morgana," Akira reassured Morgana. "Now, let's just hurry up and have some faith in Futaba."

"Let's all go together," Makoto said. "Boss may get the wrong idea if Akira and I show up alone."

"O-Oh, right, this is too sudden."

"That's because a certain someone told Boss I'm your 'main squeeze,'" Makoto stated as she glared at Ryuji.

Akira glared at Ryuji as well. "Oh, right. That's what you meant."

A while later, Akira, Makoto, Ann, Ryuji, Yusuke, and Morgana were in Sojiro's house under the night sky. Akira was still carrying a sushi box as he rang the doorbell.

"Nobody's answering," Makoto said. "But the lights are on..."

"Think he's nappin'?" Ryuji asked.

"Even Boss would've woken up with how many times we've rung his doorbell," Ann replied.

"I would think Futaba would have answered by now if she were here too," Morgana said.

Yusuke pulled the gate open. "Ah, the gate's unlocked."

Ryuji looked at Yusuke. "Dude, you can't go opening other people's stuff like that!"

"Well, the door seems to be open as well," Makoto said as she spotted the front door. "I wonder why. That's rather careless…."

Suddenly, the group heard thunder coming from the clouds in the sky.

"Whoa, it sounds like it's going to rain…," Morgana said. "We should get inside!"

"Do you think that's okay?" Makoto asked.

"Probably?" Ryuji shrugged.

Akira turned to the others. "This is no time to worry about the lightning, so let's just get it over with!"

As Akira went on ahead inside the house, Makoto sighed. "My apologies, Boss!"

Everyone went inside Sojiro's house, seeing it was almost pitch black as the flickering light came from the TV further down the hallway.

"Hello, sir?" Makoto called out, but no answer. "He's not out, is he? The door ahead is open, and I can hear the TV."

"I hope he didn't pass out or something…," Ryuji said. "I mean, Boss is kinda old, ain't he?"

"I'm a bit worried," Ann said. "Should we go in and check on him?"

"Please excuse us..." Makoto whimpered.

Suddenly, the lights went out as the group continued forward, probably due to the thunderstorm outside. Then, they froze as they heard a young girl screaming from somewhere in the house, passing through the walls like a spirit in night's depths.

"A scream!?" Makoto blinked. "What was that!?"

"H-How should I know?" Morgana asked.

Then, a thud was heard.

"Did you hear that!?" Makoto asked.

"Let's just get out of here, please?" Ann asked in fear. "Can we just go?"

Ryuji looked at Ann. "What are you freaking out about? Quit acting all scared."

"I-I-I'm not freaking out!"

"Could it be Alibaba…?" Morgana asked. "I mean, Futaba?"

The group turned to leave as Akira sighed. "We just got in, and now you wanna leave!?"

"Um, sorry…," Makoto said to Akira. "Can I hold your hand?"

"All right…," Akira nodded as he noticed Makoto clinging to his arm painfully. "OW! That's not what I… Ah, never mind."

Just then, a door creaked open as Makoto shrieked. "Eek!"

Akira held onto Makoto as well.

"I can sense someone's presence…," Yusuke said as the sounds of footsteps drew near, almost like someone was walking up to the group.

"Who is it? Who's there!?" Makoto called out as she frantically looked around in search. "I can't take this anymore! I'm leaving!"

Suddenly, Makoto froze. "N-No… My legs won't move…."

Akira, Morgana, and Makoto cautiously turned around to see what was behind them. And there it stood – a young girl with long orange hair and glasses, standing right behind them.

Akira slowly puts down the sushi and pushes it toward the girl, guessing that it's Futaba Sakura in person.

But before Akira can speak to the girl, lightning suddenly flashes, making Makoto scream in fear and grab Akira by the leg. "Aaaaaaah!"

Futaba shrieked as well as she ran away to her room, grabbing the sushi.

"Alibaba! Futaba!" Ann called out to her. "Come on, where are you!? You're a hacker, right? Just show yourself!"

Makoto held Akira's leg in fear, shaking. "I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry! PleasesavemeSis..."

Just then, Sojiro's voice appeared. "Are you okay, Futaba!?"

"Crap, he's home!" Ryuji exclaimed as he and the others scattered.

"Hey, don't leave me hanging!" Akira yelled at the others but could not move because Makoto was still clinging to his leg.

Sojiro bursts through the doorway. "Who the hell are you!? Don't move! You hear me!?" He then turned on his flashlight, which shined on Akira and Makoto.

Akira looked away as the light beamed at him. "Calm down, Boss! It's me!"

Makoto still squealed in fear. "I'msorryI'msorryI'msosorrySis… Somebodypleasesaveme..."

Sojiro blinked in surprise to see Akira. "You!? What are you doing in my house?"

Makoto looked up to see Sojiro. "Oh… G-Good evening, sir… We…didn't mean…to intrude…."

Sojiro turned to see Makoto. "You're…Niijima-san!" Then, he looked back and forth at her and Akira. "Wait, are you two dating?"

Makoto let go of Akira's leg, shaking her head vigorously. "W-We're just friends!"

"Friends nowadays get that close to each other?"

"That's not it!" Akira and Makoto cried in unison, then looked at each other nervously.

"Wait a sec…," Sojiro muttered as he began putting the pieces together – Sae Niijima visiting Leblanc, Makoto being another Niijima in Akira's group, and Ryuji calling her Akira's main squeeze. Then, his eyes grew wide in realization, looking at Akira. "You're dating that prosecutor lady's sister!?"

"W-well… You see… About that…," Akira stammered out of nervousness, trying to explain as his face turned red. "Things have happened…and…." Then, he lowered his head in either shame or embarrassment. "I-I-It's complicated!"

Ann, Ryuji, and Yusuke walked in as Sojiro noticed them. "You kids are here, too!?"

Ann tried to explain. "Um, we brought you some sushi, but nobody answered when we rang the bell… The door was unlocked too. We could hear the TV, though, so we got worried you might have passed out or something..."

"The door was unlocked?" Sojiro asked.

Ann nodded. "Yes."

Sojiro sighed in dismay. "...I do that sometimes. Guess I'm getting old."

Akira turned to Makoto. "You know, Makoto, it's better than holding my leg."

"Sorry, I panicked," Makoto replied, then she turned to Sojiro. "Um, excuse me. There's something we'd like to ask."

"You wanna ask me?" Sojiro asked.

"There's someone else living here…isn't there?"

Sojiro nodded. "Yeah... My daughter."

"Could she be Futaba Sakura?"

"You told your sister about this too!?" Sojiro asked. "ARGH, this is so confusing!"

"Is there any way we could meet with Futaba-san?" Makoto asked. "We may have frightened her earlier, so we'd like to apologize if possible..."

Sojiro tried to answer. "Well…that's..."

"Is she sick…?"

"No, it's not like that," Sojiro said. "I don't want you all getting the wrong idea."

Akira couldn't take it anymore as he turned to the others, scolding them. "Thanks a lot, guys, for leaving me hanging!" He then turned to Sojiro. "Come on, Boss, how many times are you going to dodge the questions!? Look, you've been hiding some secret from me, haven't you?"

Sojiro turned to Akira with a stern look. "What!?"

"And that secret is Futaba, right? She texted me and asked me to give her sushi."

Sojiro was shocked to hear it. "She texted you!?"

"Don't try to deny it. Your daughter is more than sick, and you should know it. She thinks she killed her mother, and that's why she doesn't come out of the house, let alone her own room, to meet me. There are also suspicions of you abusing her. I'll make this clear; there's no point in hiding this from me. You know I'm under your care the same as Futaba."

The others looked at Akira in shock.

Ryuji was surprised. "Dude…"

"Akira-kun…just got really both brave and pissed off all of a sudden," Ann said in surprise.

"Really?" Yusuke replied, unfazed. "…He seems the same as he always is."

Sojiro sighed, giving up. "You're right. You already know this, and I don't want people to get the wrong idea. I suppose I shouldn't have tried and kept this a secret from you."

"Yeah, you definitely should've done that," Akira said.

"Let's talk at my shop. Futaba will hear us if we stay here a little longer."

Everyone gathered at Leblanc as Sojiro turned to Akira about a moment later. "So, fess up: How do you know about Futaba?"

"Futaba contacted me a while back by hacking because she was curious about us," Akira explained. "She texted me to ask for sushi, too."

"I guess you deserve an explanation. Now, where do I start…?"

Sojiro started to recount a hard-luck story about Futaba and Wakaba. "Futaba's mother and I knew each other long before Futaba was born. Her mother was a bit weird, but we got along well for some reason… She was sharp-witted, somewhat stern, a little socially inept, but always carefree… She truly was a great woman."

"I see…," Makoto nodded.

"When something piqued her interest, that's all she focused on," Sojiro continued.

"And that 'something' was cognitive psience?" Akira guessed. "It was Wakaba, ain't it?"

Sojiro nodded, continuing the story. "Wakaba always worked deep into the night. I thought that'd change after her kid was born, but having Futaba didn't do much. Even with that, she always took good care of her."

"Working and watching over a child at the same time sounds rough…," Ann said.

"I guess raising Futaba alone was challenging in more ways than one..."

"Alone, huh?" Akira repeated. "What about her father?"

"There wasn't a father," Sojiro answered. "Well, there probably was one. I didn't know him, though, and Wakaba never said a word about him, either. She was single when she gave birth to Futaba and single when she raised her. They were an ordinary, loving family, so you could tell how much she cared for Futaba. But one day, she left… leaving Futaba behind."

"Did she die?" Akira asked as if he had already guessed.

"Yes," Sojiro answered. "She committed suicide."

The others, except Akira, were shocked.

"Suicide…!?" Ann repeated.

"Wakaba threw herself into the street, right in front of Futaba's eyes…," Sojiro said.

Makoto blinked. "Shocking doesn't begin to describe that…."

"That's gotta be devastating for a kid," Ryuji said. "Talk about a tough break."

Sojiro continued the story. "Well, a lot happened after that, but I took custody of Futaba… First, she was so depressed she…she wouldn't even talk to me."

"Was that because she couldn't get over her mother's suicide?" Ann asked with worry.

"I kept talking to her, though, and she started opening up to me little by little. That's when I found out…."

"Found out about what?"

"Futaba blames herself for her mother's death."

"I knew it…," Akira muttered sadly, realizing that Wakaba's spirit was right.

Ann was shocked. "What…!? But why!?"

"That's the part she never told me," Sojiro replied. "I wanted to know what led her to believe that, but I decided not to rub salt in the wound. But then, a few months ago, something changed… Futaba started getting scared, even when nothing was happening. She'd say things like, 'I hear voices...' and 'Mom is looking at me...'"

"So, she began having visual and auditory hallucinations…," Yusuke pondered. "Have you taken Futaba to a doctor?"

Sojiro shook his head. "I wanted to, but she refused. Even when I had a doctor come, she locked herself away in her room. Since then, she's become what you'd call a shut-in. She won't take a step outside the house or even try to see other people."

"What about you?"

"She doesn't even let me come into her room."

"That's pretty harsh...," Ryuji muttered.

"Futaba is, well, a unique girl," Sojiro said. "She's so quick-minded that conversations with her tend to jump from one topic to the next… It seems like she's always coming to conclusions in her head. There's a lot I don't get about her..."

"So that's what happened…," Makoto muttered sadly.

Sojiro then turned to Akira. "So yeah, you see… Her situation…is why I couldn't let you in my house."

Akira looked down sadly without another word.

"I'm sorry I kept this from you," Sojiro apologized. "It's just as you said before. Futaba is in some mental state. But don't misunderstand me, though. Wakaba would've owed me a great debt for caring for her kid. As such, it can't be called abuse. What Futaba needs is a safe place where nobody will threaten her. Somewhere she can be at ease. That's why I won't do anything she doesn't want. Of course, I don't make her do anything she's unwilling to either. Then again, I know that's no way for her to live. It's all I can do, though..."

Akira sighed. "Boss…"

"But I guess it wasn't hard for Futaba to contact you so suddenly," Sojiro said to Akira. "I was hoping it would be a good sign. If she does contact you again, be nice to her, okay?"

Akira slowly nodded. "Okay, I'm just…glad you took me in, after all. You did let me stay in Leblanc, after all. But what does Futaba want?"

Sojiro shook his head. "I don't know. She asks me for things she wants, like food or these complicated books…." He then turned to Akira. "Well, that's that. So can you just…leave her be?"

Akira sadly looked down.

"And who knows? If Futaba is calling, keep being a good influence on her," Sojiro said to Akira, then he turned to the others before leaving for his house. "I'm going to head back then, so you all had better head home soon."

As Sojiro left, Akira collapsed into a booth seat. "I hate to say it, but this entire situation sucks. We just started a war with Medjed, threatened to unmask our identities, and on top of that, our only hope is a shut-in who blames herself for what happened to her mom." He then turned to Makoto. "And your sister is trying to revoke Boss's parental rights."

Makoto sighed sadly. "I feel awful for prying into his personal affairs…."

"Yeah, there's no way in hell he's abusin' her," Ryuji agreed as he frowned sadly. "But still… It's no wonder Futaba's got a Palace."

"So, the reason Futaba wants her heart stolen is related to what happened to her mother?" Ann summarized in confusion.

"Futaba would like to discard her feelings of pain," Yusuke said. "but can't do anything about it herself since her heart has become so desolate and painful."

"Will changing her heart really help her, though?" Ann asked.

"If we can help her, we may be able to stand up to Medjed."

"I don't know," Akira spoke up. "I mean, it's possible, but I'm not so gung-ho on the idea of helping a traumatized Futaba just because we want something out of them." He then shook his head. "But Wakaba never committed suicide or treated Futaba so coldly."

Makoto looked at Akira in surprise. "Wait, Akira-kun… What are you saying?"

"Wakaba didn't commit suicide," Akira said. "She died of a mental shutdown because someone in a black mask killed her."

The others were surprised as Ann blinked. "Wait, what!?"

"For real!?" Ryuji asked in shock.

"You mean that criminal that Kaneshiro's Shadow mentioned?" Yusuke asked.

Akira nodded. "Yes. Although there was no proof, I just had a feeling it wasn't suicide. Instead, someone killed Wakaba and pinned the blame on her own daughter."

Ryuji couldn't believe his ears. "Back up. Seriously, how long have you known this?"

"Can we put those questions on hold after we helped Futaba?"

"Fiiinnneee… Let's check if she has a Palace."

Ryuji then said the keywords as Akira pulled out his phone. "'The Futaba Sakura that lives at Sojiro Sakura's house.' Is that enough?"

Just then, the Meta-Nav chimed in. "Candidate found."

Yusuke was surprised. "What the…?"

"I knew it! She's got one...," Ryuji said.

"So someone can have a Palace even if they're not evil?" Ann asked as she turned to Morgana. "Hey, Morgana—"

But Morgana wasn't there.

"Where's Morgana?" Ann asked.

"I haven't seen him for some time," Yusuke replied.

"So, ever since we went inside Boss's house?" Makoto said.

"He's somewhere 'round there," Ryuji said. "He'll be fine, though. He's a cat, after all. The trains will be shuttin' down for the night soon, so we should probably be headin' home."

"We have to go to school in the morning," Makoto added.

"Ohhh, right," Ann remembered. "The urgent assembly."

"An assembly?" Yusuke asked.

"Shujin has garnered much attention since Medjed called out the Phantom Thieves," Ann explained. "So, they need to remind us not to say random stuff online and add more fuel to the fire."

"We have to meet up for every goddamn little thing," Ryuji groaned in dismay. "Talk about a pain in the ass."

"I mean, it is our fault," Ann replied.

"Anyway, let's contact each other afterward," Makoto said. "We'll reconvene tomorrow and figure out the last keyword."

Everyone nodded, and the group disbanded for the night. Makoto stopped and gave Akira a reassuring look before leaving the café with the others.

As Akira put on his pajamas and went to bed, he looked around. "Where'd Morgana go? Wonder where he went…."

Just then, Morgana finally appeared. "Hey, were you just going to sleep without knowing where I was?"

"Nah, I was waiting for you before getting tired," Akira replied.

"I take it the chief told you about Futaba, and you guys disbanded in relief for now."

"How do you know?" Akira asked in surprise.

"You can't underestimate my intel-gathering skills, you know."

"Where were you?"

"I was checking out the chief's house," Morgana answered. "But still…I didn't think our Futaba/Alibaba would be so young..."

"Young?" Akira repeated in surprise. "What's she like?"

"She had long hair and a pretty young-sounding voice," Morgana said. "Well… I say young, but I think she's probably about the same age as you guys."

"Another one the same age as us…," Akira muttered. "It's like a pattern…."

"A pattern?" Morgana repeated in confusion.

"Oh, nothing," Akira said as he reminisced about seeing Futaba for the first time at Sojiro's house. "But I did catch a glimpse of Futaba and gave her the sushi, and she's just like how you described her."

"Well, at the very least, Futaba is no amateur," Morgana continued. "She completely overheard your conversations with Wakaba and the chief, and she can hack into our chats too. So even if she can't take Medjed down directly, she might have some kind of lead on them."

Akira was surprised. "What an odd girl."

"We'll need to rely on Futaba to get closer to Medjed," Morgana said. "Let's meet up again tomorrow."

? – The Interrogation Room

Sae's eyes grew wide in surprise as she looked at Akira. "Futaba Sakura… She had one of those 'Palaces'? Wait, while Medjed was targeting you, you chose to deal with someone completely unrelated to them?"

"That's right," Akira answered. "They were an unseen enemy."

"And you spoke with Wakaba Isshiki's 'spirit,' and she told you the most important details? So then, how was Medjed…?"

Sae Niijima shook her head as she then pondered herself. "...What you've said about the Sakura family generally aligns with our investigation. So it appears you aren't feeding us a false testimony."

"Of course not," Akira replied. "I'm not lying to you."

"You have quite the wit…," Sae said. "Very well, let's continue. We've yet to determine how the Phantom Thieves dealt with Medjed, seeing as they are unseen. If you tell me something coherent, I may be more willing to believe you."

It seems Sae-san is starting to listen to what I have to say seriously…, Akira thought.

"Still, to think the Phantom Thieves would have their hideout in the home of Wakaba Isshiki's daughter," Sae said. "What a coincidence… No, perhaps it's fate."

"Uh, technically, it was Leblanc," Akira corrected Sae.

"Regardless, we don't have time to waste. Continue with your story."