The Suou brothers pour over Sae's case notes. The Niijima sisters have a good time together.

[10/08, The Present Day - Early Hours]

Sae returned home past midnight, several hours after the others had concluded the Okumura heist.

She saw the myriad of notifications from the team chat, discussing the events. She had sent them a belated congratulations a bit before she left her work, to which only Sakura-chan replied with one of her so-called 'memes'.

Upon entering her house and putting her shoes away, she noticed that the entire living room was dark with the exception of a single side table lamp. Makoto curled on the couch, sleeping peacefully.

She smiled fondly and approached her sister, gently shaking her awake.

"Wake up, baby sis. What do I always tell you?"

"To stop waiting for you because I always end up falling asleep on the couch." Makoto grunted, bleary eyed.

Sae tsked. "Yes, sleeping on the couch It's bad for your limbs. Now, up, go to your room."

"Don't you wish to know how the heist went?" Makoto asked, voice sleepy as she got up. The older sister steadied her.

Sae shook her head. "You can tell me all about it in the morning."

"Okay sis. Goodnight."

She gave Makoto a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Night, Mako."

[10/08, The Present Day - Morning]

She found Makoto in their kitchen as soon as she woke up the next morning.

"Good morning, sis." Said the other girl, voice tired.

"Morning, Mako." Sae said as she ruffled her baby sister's hair, to the other girl's annoyance, and then sat down.

Her sister herself also sat down, after serving them both their breakfasts.

"Can you believe it's only been a week since my awakening?" Sae spoke out loud.

She saw Makoto stiffening and sighing. "Feels like it has been ages since…" Her baby sister replied in a subdued voice.

It did not go unnoticed by Sae.

"How are you feeling lately, with everything that has happened?" The silver haired woman asked gently.

"I'm fine."

Hm, classic Makoto.

"You don't have to pretend everything is fine, you know? You can tell me." Sae offered, trying to sound more approachable.

She failed as her words only seemed to irritate Makoto.

"I'm not pretending. It's just that there is nothing more I can say that hasn't been talked about over and over again."

Makoto was closing up again. Sae had to thread carefully.

"Alright, I'm not gonna pressure you. But I'll be here if you need to talk, okay?" She said earnestly.

She saw Makoto relax a bit. "Thanks, sis."

They enjoyed their food in contemplative silence, until Makoto seemed to perk up.

"Right, before I forget. I need to tell you what we've learned at the end of Okumura's heist." Makoto said in a no nonsense tone.

Sae resisted the urge to smile. It was cute seeing her sister all serious like that.

"Go on." She prompted.

"He… Was terribly despicable. He pretended to care about his daughter so he could try to convince her to betray us. Fortunately, Haru had no intentions of doing so."

"Of course she wouldn't. After what we've learned of his character and how he saw his own daughter, it wouldn't be surprising if she wanted to strangle him instead. Okumura is a vermin."

"Yes. But what has troubled us is that after we defeated him, he told us that he was not directly responsible for the mental shutdowns."

Hearing that, Sae sat straight in her chair. "Oh?"

Makoto sighed and shook her head. "He had spent a large sum of money to elevate his company and to take out his rivals. He mentioned having a contract, and…"

Sae saw her sister's fists clenching.

"And that it wasn't just one person involved. It was a whole conspiracy with several government institutions, corporations and personalities involved… The police chief among them." Makoto whispered bitterly.

Sae rubbed her temples. "Hm. Figures."

Makoto looked up, surprised at her sister's lack of angry reaction. "H-huh?"

"An operation of this scale would obviously have more than one accomplice."

Her baby sister looked discouraged. "So our questioning was for naught..."

"Not necessarily. Before, It was a mere conjecture on my part. Now we have an actual confirmation." The elder sister pointed out.

Makoto nodded, seeming more reassured at her words.

"It does mean that narrowing down the suspects and the head of this conspiracy becomes more difficult since everyone is now implicated." Sae concluded in an annoyed tone.

Makoto hugged herself. "Well, Ren-kun tried to ask who the mastermind was, but the shadow didn't cooperate. The palace was also going to self-destruct, so we had no option but to leave."

Sae sent her a reassuring smile. "It's fine, your safety is more important. Investigating and finding the culprits is my job, not yours. You did all you could at the time."

Makoto shook her head. "We want to help you. And we need answers for ourselves too."

"That is fair, but I don't want you to beat yourself up too much."

"I suppose. It seems our only option now is to ask Okumura directly as soon as his change of heart takes place."

Sae smiled at her. "Indeed. See? We won't be empty handed either way."

Makoto gave her a tentative smile back.

"Now, let's make haste and get ready. You have to get to work and I have school as well." The younger sister commanded sternly.

Sae groaned at the reminder. She didn't want to go to work at all.

Katsuya hoped Sae knew what she was doing.

For the past couple of days since their nieces' visit, he and Tatsuya have been pouring over her notes and documents.

The picture it painted was not a good one.

Clearly, after Odawara was replaced, the SIU's mismanagement and corruption ran deeper than even he had expected.

For starters, the mental shutdown case was a mayhem that made no sense at all. Secondly, the handling of documentation from TMPD and the court was a complete joke. More than that, it was a disgrace, and he shared his niece's frustration with the mishandling of evidence and witness accounting.

Something was not adding up.

He rubbed his eyes and decided to reread Sae's attached notes on the case.

I have come across a valuable piece of information that was not present in the original case. Wakaba Isshiki did not end her own life. She was murdered, likely in a cover up. Sojiro Sakura used to work with Isshiki as the government liaison to her laboratory, but that is all the information I have on this regard. The man will not open up to me as I have (understandably so), burnt that very bridge. He is now a lead that can no longer be pursued.

I have, instead, a long list of other relations and a chart of characters who might be connected to Isshiki. Chief among them is one Mitsuru Kirijo, who expressed interest in Isshiki's research prior to the woman's death. For a while, I had considered her the chief suspect, but that suspicion was cast into doubt after the mental shutdown of an executive of the Kirijo Group, who was believed to be Kirijo's most ardent supporter in the company board.

In that case, I believe foul play is at work. Kirijo has not expressed any wish to cooperate with me unless I have a judicial order. Director Ishikawa, and by extension the magistrates, had not granted me this permission. They told me, perfunctorily, to cease pursuing that angle.

Since I no longer trust my boss (and the presiding court judge as well), I believe they may be, in fact, cooperating in some kind of cover up. The director has had me pursuing dead ends, strange leads and doing some rather unethical things. Uncles, I do not understand how I simply do not know who I have been aiding and abetting. This entire investigation has been a wild goose chase of ridiculous proportions.

He felt awful for his niece. She seemed to be at her wits end.

"I think Sae-chan is biting more than she can chew." He declared.

Tatsuya, who was beside him, going over other evidence, snorted. "You can say that again, bro. This is simply ridiculous. It's like they are purposefully blindsiding her. It's either incompetence, or… "

"Malice." Katsuya concluded for his brother.

Tatsuya nodded, clearly agreeing with his assessment.

Leaving his brother to do his share of work, Katsuya soon resumed his reading.

In the end, I have attached a list of suspects, and cause/relation of suspicion, in no particular order of relevance. Sojiro Sakura is free of suspicions due to familial circumstances I do not wish to divulge, even though I still believe he is involved to a certain extent (either as a witness, or someone who has been coerced into keeping quiet by this conspiracy). The Phantom Thieves are also ruled out for the time being. I will discuss the reason for that at a later date.

SUSPECTS

#1 - Mitsuru Kirijo, head and CEO of Kirijo Group - My main suspect due to having expressed direct interest in Isshiki's research in the past, as well as having refused to cooperate with the investigation. Extremely wealthy, used to lead and fund a government sanctioned, classified military group of undisclosed purpose, called "Shadow Operatives". This particular group has been shut down, and all records related to its activities have been wiped out, to my infinite frustration.

#2 - Kunikazu Okumura, head and CEO of Okumura Foods - Several of his rivals have died by mental shutdowns or suffered psychotic breakdowns in a short span of time. As a billionaire, Okumura possesses enough money and influence to be the head of a conspiracy, or at the very least, play a part in it.

#3 - Nobuaki Ishikawa, director of Special Investigations Unit of the TMPD - It goes without saying. Controls a specialized team of police investigators and court officers that deals with large scale white collar corruption scandals and national security level threats. He has been the director for the past two years now, with his installment at this position being relatively new - and coinciding with the start of the first mental shutdown cases. If there is anyone with the power to cover up any scandal or heinous crime, it is the director.

Katsuya paused in his reading, and contemplated. Could the director be involved?

He wouldn't put it past him - Ishikawa was a cockroach, nothing like how Odawara was back when he was the director.

But still, he needed more evidence. The entire situation with the strange phenomenons gave him an odd feeling in his gut. One not so dissimilar from how he felt back in 1999, when he and the others had to deal with that crisis.

And with that thought in mind, he pulled out his phone and quickly dialed someone who could, in fact, help him.

The number one man in Japan, Kei Nanjo.

"Nanjo. I need your help getting in touch with Mitsuru Kirijo." His tone was all business.

From the other side of the line, he heard Nanjo click his tongue. "... Can you not ask for an easier kind of favor? I don't know, like borrowing a yacht? Or perhaps a full paid vacation to the Swiss alps?"

Katsuya snorted. "I'm afraid that as tempting as that sounds, my priorities are in another place as of right now. I would truly appreciate your cooperation."

"This isn't going to be easy, Katsuya. Kirijo has decided to shut everyone out for some reason in the past few years." Kei said, his voice serious.

"I understand, and I gathered as much. Just tell her that our meeting will be off the record. Surely she cannot refuse that from the head of the Nanjo group?"

The man seemed to contemplate his words. "Fine. I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you. Tell your wife I said hi."

Kei chuckled. "Will do. Send Tatsuya my regards."

Then the man hung up the call, and Katsuya ran a hand through his hair.

This was going to be more problematic than even he had anticipated.

[Haru Okumura The Ghost Robbers]

[Haru Okumura: Hm, father has begun to act a little odd lately.

[Haru Okumura: He has been cooped up in his study, and his voice lacks energy.

[Yusuke K️: Well, that actually sounds quite similar to what Madarame went through.

[Ann T: Yep! And Madarame still had a change of heart in the end. Don't worry, Haru!

[Haru Okumura: Is that so…?

[Bonehead: For real, trust us!

[Haru Okumura: Oh, my apologies! I don't mean to doubt you or anything!

[Makoto Niijima: It's alright, we understand what you meant.

[Alibaba: Yeah people just act a bit weird after their treasure gets stolen.

[Alibaba: It'd be hard to not worry about a sudden shift.

[Nasty Crime Boy: It'll be fine, Haru. And we're here if you need any reassurances.

[Haru Okumura: Right... Hm, I feel better now after consulting with you all. Thank you.

[Ace Attorney: Someone please kill me.

[Makoto Niijima: Sis?

[Alibaba: lmao wat

[Bonehead: what the eff

[Ace Attorney: My job is driving me insane. Please, never grow up.

[Ace Attorney: Stay in school forever, kids.

[Bonehead: Hell no, aint nobody got time to be in school forever.

[Alibaba: rofl the grindy life of a Japanese career woman.

[Ann T: Is it really that brutal?

[Ace Attorney: Yes it is. You need to work three times more to receive 77% of the wages that are paid to your male counterparts.

[Ace Attorney: Then you also have to deal with the usual unfunny asshole that commits to the same tasteless sexist jokes over and over again.

[Ann T: That sounds terrible…

[Yusuke K️: How horrifying.

[Alibaba: Ayy that is why I mine crypto. And take software dev commissions. Ain't no way I'm gonna grind my ass working for corpo or gov.

[Ace Attorney: I am at my wits end here at the SIU.

[Nasty Crime Boy: RIP, did I just miss seeing Satan having a work meltdown?

[Ace Attorney: No.

[Ann T: Yup.

[Haru Okumura: Yes.

[Yusuke K️: Indeed.

[Bonehead: Aye, cap'n.

[Alibaba: Hell yeah.

[Makoto Niijima: Yes. And stop calling her names.

[Ann T: Ace_Attorney if you don't mind me asking, why did you become a prosecutor?

[Ace Attorney: Family trade. Our father and uncles are policemen. Our mother was a public prosecutor in Sumaru City. I grew up fascinated with legal conundrums and criminal investigation.

[Makoto Niijima: Our family has always been very focused on upholding justice and helping others.

[Bonehead: Dats kinda cool, sorta like a legacy, right?

[Ace Attorney: Yes. In all honesty, I truly love being a lawyer. What I hate right now is the corrupt institutions making my job less about justice and more about maintaining fake statistics.

[Yusuke K️: I can see that being a discouraging factor.

[Haru Okumura: I wish my father had taken some time to encourage me in learning the family trade as well…

[Ann T: Haru…

[Ace Attorney: It's never too late. Perhaps after his change of heart, you could request to be properly mentored? You are his heir.

[Ace Attorney: I'm sure you'd make a good and ethical corporate head with the appropriate studies and the right people backing you up.

[Haru Okumura: That would be wonderful! I really want our company to be reformed. Here is hoping I can approach my father with this suggestion after all of this is over.

[Nasty Crime Boy: Niijima-san, I'd never thought you could be such an amazing career counselor. Any advice for me?

[Ace Attorney: Yes. Try to stay out of jail.

[Alibaba: Lmao.

[Makoto Niijima: Sis!

[Bonehead: Yo dont do my man dirty like that.

[Nasty Crime Boy: Ryuji for lord's sake don't phrase it like that. I am Makoto's man, not yours.

[Nasty Crime Boy: Ace_Attoney unfortunately I can't comply with your request, I'm too much of a thief since I stole your little sister's heart~

[Makoto Niijima: Ren-kun!

[Alibaba: Ahahaha, you really have a death wish glasses-kun.

[Ace Attorney: Makoto, please give me one good reason as to why I shouldn't strangle your dumbass boyfriend.

[Makoto Niijima: It would make me feel extremely sad if you did it.

[Ace Attorney: Fine.

[10/09, The Present Day]

Early Sunday mornings on Leblanc were Ren's favorites. It was the best day to sit down and brew a good cup of coffee, and eagerly await for Sojiro's evaluation. It would always bring him some smug satisfaction when he noticed Boss silently approving his newest attempts at brewing.

Of course, Boss would say something along the lines of "Not quite there yet." Or "Almost, but you've still got a long way to go", but the older man couldn't entirely hide his gaze full of pride.

It never failed to warm Ren's heart, especially since Sojiro was the closest thing he had to a caring father figure.

Well, It was not like he didn't have an actual father though - contrary to popular belief, Ren didn't possess abusive or awful parents. They were just distant.

He was a child of divorced parents. His father, Akio, fulfilled all his parental obligations and properly paid for child support. His mother, Hana, took care of him and raised him to the best of her abilities. He was never met with violence in his household, and had a relatively okay childhood.

Ren and his father were on lukewarm terms - He'd only get calls from his father on birthdays or special occasions, or receive impersonal gifts on appropriate situations. The two of them never had any sort of conflict, but they didn't have a close bond either.

Ren and his mother were far closer to each other by comparison, as she was the one to actually raise him. However his arrest, subsequent stay in juvie and eventual probation has caused a large rift between them. She hasn't called him in months.

Hm, he and his beloved queen had a lot more in common than he expected, now that he really thought about it.

Thankfully, Sae was trying. It was true that he still held a little grudge against her, and he knew he was being too much of a petty bitch whenever he was in her presence, but he couldn't help it.

Plus it was incredibly fun to taunt her and rile her up.

One thing that has made him a little concerned though is how quiet and disgruntled Igor seemed about his acquisition of a new "ally", going as far as calling it a "terrible cheat against fate" with his usual annoying cryptic tone.

So either Igor was just talking out of his ass and couldn't predict shit in the first place, or his Satan-in-law sucked so much that not even that weird looking motherfucker liked her.

He could believe it was both cases, to be honest.

The front door bell jingled and soon entered his favorite person in the world, with Sae in tow.

"Hey love." He called out lovingly, making moon eyes at her. It never ceased to fluster Makoto to the point of short circuiting whenever he was incredibly brazen and overly affectionate.

"H-hi Ren-kun." She stammered out, her cheeks dusting with a lovely shade of red.

He knew Makoto was very shy and self conscious as far as PDA went, so he couldn't exactly sweep her off her feet and kiss her senseless unless they were alone.

Life was so terribly cruel.

He gave her a boyish smile as he kissed her hand instead. "You look lovely today. As majestic as always, my Queen."

"Look, it's way too fucking early in the morning for this shit." Someone terribly unpleasant spoke, ruining his perfect moment of chivalry and suaveness.

"Niijima-san, couldn't you have waited five minutes before ruining a man's moment with the girl of his dreams?" He spoke sarcastically.

Sae rolled her eyes. "Not when I didn't have my morning coffee and said girl is my only sister. And I would prefer it if you refrained from touching or interacting with her like that in front of me, while we're at it."

"That's too bad for you then, since you're in my turf. Better get used to it, big sis." He taunted her with a sing-song voice.

"You think you're so clever, huh delinquent? I have no idea now she puts up with your bullshit." Sae retorted.

Makoto just sighed as she sat down and leveled a glare at them both. "Can the two of you not start with your bickering so early in the morning?"

"Sorry, dear." Ren said placatingly.

Sae just shrugged and sat down next to her sister.

They ordered some cups of coffee. Sojiro was out doing a supply run so Ren was minding the store and taking over as the barista for the time being.

He noticed that Makoto seemed a bit quiet. He hoped she was getting better but that didn't seem to be the case. She seemed almost normal during the taking of Okumura's treasure but he could pinpoint the moments where her head was not in the game and she seemed to fall behind.

Maybe he needed to take some time aside and spend it with her? She could probably use some reassurance. And he wanted to mend the small rift that still seemed hanging in the air between them both.

To impress his girl (and to prove a point to his Demon-in-law), he prepared the brew with care and precision, just like how Sojiro taught him.

"So, what brings you two here? Not that I'm complaining or anything." He asked, sending a gentle smile to Makoto, who in response gave him a fond look.

It was Sae that responded. "We wanted to stop by for some coffee. I owe Makoto a lot of outings, so we're just going to hop around town, maybe do some shopping and enjoy ourselves."

"I'm looking forward to getting a couple of new books in Jinbocho as well." Makoto said, leaning her cheek on her hand. "I think I need a good read to get my mind off things a little."

"Sounds wonderful." He replied serenely.

He finished his brewing just in time for Sojiro to appear. The older man greeted both sisters and went behind the counter, putting away his purchases.

Then he smirked at Ren and crossed his arms. "Serving my customers without my approval now, are you?"

Ren just grinned. "Come on Boss. Don't you trust my hard earned skills?"

Sojiro just leveled a challenging eyebrow at him. "Well, go on then."

He poured their coffees. Makoto gave him a grateful smile and tried a sip, smiling warmly at him. "It's delicious, Ren-kun."

"It's a slop." Sae quipped but continued to drink the coffee with blissful gusto, he noted.

Makoto shook her head, Sojiro chuckled, and Ren grinned ferally at her response.

Another score for his bonafide criminal self.

Of course, she would never admit to Amamiya that the coffee he brewed was delicious, almost on par with Sakura-san's. She had an image to maintain.

Another customer entered the café and greeted the owner of the establishment with a nod.

Sae didn't think much of it until the person brazenly sat next to her.

"Why, if it isn't the Sumaru girl." The newcomer teased her.

Sae let out an exasperated sigh as her sister, Sakura-san and Amamiya all looked surprised between her and the other person.

"Hey Doc." Spoke Amamiya, his eyebrow raised in curiosity. The doctor threw him a meaningful nod.

"Hi, Doctor Takemi." Makoto greeted her while shooting Sae some questioning looks.

"Hello, Makoto-chan. Feeling better already?" Takemi-senpai asked with clear interest in her sister's wellbeing.

"Yes doctor, thank you. Your medicine helped." Her baby sister replied gratefully.

Her senpai smiled one of her very rare kind smiles that provoked confusing flutters on the pit of Sae's stomach. It made no sense.

Sae cleared her throat. "Takemi-san. We meet again."

The doctor just raised an elegant eyebrow. "Indeed. I didn't expect to see you so soon, but that isn't too bad, don't you think?" The other woman prompted her, clearly referring to their encounter the other day.

Sae pinched the bridge of her nose. She can't let her senpai catch her off guard in front of Amamiya and Makoto. Her sister would be too curious, and Clown would likely make fun of her if she made a fool out of herself.

"I suppose." She replied as neutrally as possible.

Takemi turned to the older man behind the counter. "The usual, Boss."

Sakura-san just scratched his head, unsure whether to be amused or confused at all of their interactions. "Coming right up, doc."

"Um, sorry doctor, but do you actually know my sister?" Makoto swiftly asked as soon as Sojiro and Ren went to work on Takemi's order.

"Yes. We attended Shujin together."

Makoto's eyebrows rose and she looked surprised. She threw her sister some not so subtle questioning looks, but Sae just shrugged.

"It was back when we moved in." She supplied minimally.

"You were such a cute little firstie too, all serious and sharp." Tae teased her good naturedly.

The silver haired prosecutor felt her own face heating up. She hated that it felt as if she was back in school, with her senpai constantly teasing and riling her up just to break her composure.

Behind the counter, she noticed Amamiya sporting a shit eating grin, loving seeing her awkward and out of place. She sent him the stink eye.

He grinned even more widely.

Sae took a sip of her coffee to mask her awkwardness.

'Act natural.'

"So, we didn't have much time to catch up last time. How is the life of a prosecutor going for you?" Takemi wasted no time bullshitting, and went straight for what she wanted to know.

That is partially why Sae used to look up to her.

"I don't even know where to start. Let's just say it's all consuming and not as rewarding." She responded, rubbing her temples.

"Not as glorious as you'd expect, huh?"

"You could say that."

Takemi smirked cynically. "Seems like we have that in common."

Sae noted the twinge of bitterness coming from the doctor and frowned.

She remembers how determined Takemi was of becoming a pharmacologist doctor. It was a dedication to rival her own and another reason for Sae to secretly admire her convictions.

"What do you mean, senpai?" She asked, not actually noticing that she slipped into old habits.

She only realized after the fact as Amamiya stifled a laugh, only being silenced by Makoto's glare.

Takemi was unfazed. "Let's just say that expectations versus reality knocked on my doors pretty early."

"Still having problems with Oyamada-san, doc?" Amamiya interjected with a surprisingly concerned tone of voice.

"When is he not ever being a pain in my ass? Regardless, that is for me to worry about, not you. I'm used to it."

Amamiya shook his head. "If you say so, doc. I'm here anytime you need an ear."

"I know. Thank you, my little guinea pig."

The silver haired prosecutor threw Amamiya a questioning look at the little nickname. He ignored her.

Sae rolled her eyes at his typical avoidance, then considered her senpai's predicament.

She was unsure what to say to Takemi. Sae could relate to her on a fundamental level, but since she didn't know the specifics of her senpai's problems, she couldn't give any kind of comforting words or advice.

"I'm sorry to hear that things didn't pan out as expected, Takemi-san." She replied diplomatically.

Tae just smiled fondly at her. "Thanks, Sae-chan."

Back in their Shujin days, when Sae was one of the school pariahs (both by choice and thanks to the grudge with the student council), Tae had taken her under her wing. At first it was awkward because Tae was a weird third year, while she was a mere first year, and they led completely different lifestyles. Tae was "alternative" and had a devil-may-care attitude, doing what she wanted. Sae was a closed up individual that treated others coldly and distantly.

Against her will, though, she quickly warmed up to Tae, and came to appreciate and respect her senpai. Takemi didn't treat her like she was stupid or inferior, and she respected Sae's intelligence and cunning. Despite being so different, they were kindred spirits in some things, and Sae would often find herself hanging out around the older girl, sharing COOLEST Magazine issues that Amano-san would religiously send her way every month.

She didn't know Tae for long. At best, they spent around 10 months as 'allies', until her senpai graduated and she had to deal with the rest of her Shujin years alone.

She was the only person from those days that she could almost call a friend.

Almost.

She decided to check the time, and realized that she and Makoto got held up.

"Well, it has been fun catching up with you guys and all, but we must get going." She said as she got up and paid for her and Makoto's orders.

"Leaving so soon already? You sure love to make your timely exit, don't you, Sumaru girl?"

She flushed again, but didn't give Takemi the satisfaction of acknowledging her bait.

"We just stopped by to get some coffee. I'm spending the rest of the day bonding with Makoto."

"Aww, how cute. What a good big sis you are." The older woman cooed at Sae.

Even Makoto was a little awkward now but Sae could see a hint of a smile that her sister was holding back. Amamiya and Sakura-san actually chuckled out loud.

Goddamn her for blundering like a teenage idiot and giving the other woman that kind of opening.

Sae ran a hand through her hair. "We'll be off now, everyone. Let's go, Mako."

"Bye Boss, doctor, Ren-kun." Makoto said hastily.

"Wait!" Takemi interjected. "Why don't we exchange numbers? We could reminisce about the good old days and commiserate over our adulting issues." Tae offered, a teasing glint in her eye.

Sae's mouth ran dry and instead of replying, she helplessly nodded and exchanged numbers with the smug doctor.

The silver haired prosecutor soon recovered and cleared her throat. "There. I guess I'll see you guys around."

She didn't wait for their replies and hastily left the café, with Makoto quickly following after.

Outside, she saw her little sister throw her several glances while sporting a teasing smirk.

"Not a word, Mako."

Her annoying little sister just burst into laughter.

Makoto was full of mixed feelings in regards to her sister.

She could tentatively say she had a good time with Sae earlier in the day. She was discovering more and more sides to her big sis, and Makoto was surprised seeing her being a little cute and awkward - words you just don't associate with Sae Niijima - in front of the doc and the others.

It was a surprisingly nice revelation. And to think that it was all thanks to her sister awakening to a persona.

On their excursion, she got herself a couple of new books and a couple of Buchi-kun merch that she sneaked in when Sae was not looking. Her sister's knowing smirk told her that she wasn't being as inconspicuous as she thought she had.

Later, they had a pleasant walk at Inokashira park where they reminisced about Honmaru park back in Sumaru. Their conversation brought Makoto's thoughts back to her visit to the Alaya shrine as she remembered Kashihara-san's kind words.

Could she truly be kinder to herself?

She knew she hasn't been herself for awhile, but it has just been a little over a week since she committed the mistake of barging into her sister palace alone, dragging Sae and the team into her mess. She was lucky things turned out okay for them.

Sometimes though, it still felt like Makoto was in a dream, for it was too good to be true that her sister was so caring and attentive now. Makoto was so unused to this amount of attention that Sae's well meaning attempts were starting to suffocate her slightly.

However, so as to not hurt her big sis' feelings and discourage her from trying to change, Makoto kept quiet.

"So… You and the doctor, huh?" Makoto asked during lunch. They were inside a very nice hole in the wall diner down in Shibuya.

"What about it?" Sae asked neutrally.

"I didn't know you had friends. Wouldn't you like to share more with your precious baby sis?"

"I don't, unless you count yourself, Amano-san and Akechi-kun. There is nothing to share."

"Are you sure about that, Sae-chan?" Makoto teased her.

Sae rolled her eyes. "Well, Mako-chan, Takemi-san used to be my upperclasswoman. We hung around together for a bit before she graduated. That is it."

The younger Niijima frowned. "But she seemed so friendly with you. The doc is usually a little closed up and sarcastic."

"She was just trying to rile me up like she used to back in the days. Think nothing of it."

Makoto looked at her skeptically.

Sae ignored her and changed the subject. "I got a couple of tickets to an opera performance in the New National Theatre on the evening of the 28th. They're going to play Turandot."

"Oh, that's really interesting… I actually never went to an opera." Makoto said sheepishly.

"I know. That's why I'm giving you the tickets. Why don't you take Amamiya-kun as your plus one? You're going to love it."

"You… Are you telling me to go out on a date with Ren-kun?" Makoto asked incredulously.
Sae leveled a single raised eyebrow at her. "Is that not what normal couples do?"

"But you hate Ren-kun."

"I don't hate him. I just think he is insufferable. And a smartass. But you could have done worse, like dating Sakamoto-kun, or god forbid, Akechi-kun."

"Hey, Ryuji-kun is not that bad, it's just that he is not my type. And I'd rather die than date Akechi."

"You don't say?" Her sister said sarcastically.

Makoto frowned. "I never asked but… Does this mean you approve of my relationship with Ren-kun?"

"No. If I could, you two would not be dating at all, but I don't believe I have a say anymore after everything I have done to you this past year or so." She whispered regretfully.

Both sisters looked away.

Then Sae cleared her throat. "Besides, you are a big girl now. Just promise me you are being safe and responsible. That is all I really ask at this point."

"Um, what do you mean, safe?" She asked, genuinely confused.

Sae looked like she ate something sour. "Makoto for the love of all the shinto deities out there, don't make me spell it out for you."

Was she talking about…?

Realization hit the younger girl like a truck and she reddened like mad. "W-what!? S-sis!"

Sae looked just as uncomfortable. "Trust me, I don't want to have this conversation either, but It's my responsibility to give you a warning at least once."

"Ugh…T-thanks, but you don't have to worry! We didn't do anything of the sort, um… Yeah, I don't want to talk about it." She stammered out hastily, absolutely mortified.

Sae let out a breath of relief. "Okay, that's good to know. And don't take this conversation as approval to do anything stupid either, okay? I'm just trying to be responsible here."

"Duly noted." Makoto said while her hands were covering her face.

After a few beats of silence, both sisters ended up chuckling at the awkwardness of the situation.

"We're being just ridiculous." Makoto said amidst chuckles.

"I know, right?" Sae replied with a fond smile.

They soon returned to the topic at hand.

"Anyways. I think you're going to love the opera. You can either wear one of the dresses I have, or we can get one perfectly tailored to you."

"Sounds wasteful to get a new dress just for this." Makoto said, uncomfortable with her sister's trademarked frivolity.

Sae waved her away. "Not really. If you ask me, I think every woman deserves a pretty dress to call her own. We can find some time to find you a new one before the performance." The elder sister boasted with a confident grin.

"If you insist…" She said uncertainty.

Sae just gave her a gentle head pat. "Trust me. It'll be fine."

Makoto pouted.

"I do wonder, though. Did you used to go to many operas?" She asked her big sis a few moments later, eyes full of curiosity.

"All the time. Sensei was fascinated with them and he'd kindly invite me to watch several in his company. His nephew was a violinist in the Tokyo Philharmonic, so we'd get invites from time to time."

Makoto smiled. "That sounds really nice. Are you friends with his nephew?"

At her question, Sae chuckled awkwardly.

"Not really. Sensei disastrously paired me up with Shinichi-kun and that ended up making the two of us too embarrassed to even be friends after we parted ways."

"Wait a minute. Did you really date your sensei's nephew!?" Makoto asked, incredibly surprised. "Um, I mean… I thought you had a crush on Odawara-san…?"

Sae sighed miserably, looking embarrassed. "Well, I did. But Sensei really didn't see me that way. As his last resort, he kept pestering his nephew to ask me out since we were the same age, so he did."

The prosecutor ran a hand through her hair. "Shinichi-kun was a perfect gentleman, and we tried to date for about a week or so, but in the end we didn't click very well. And I was just incredibly awkward, so we stopped trying. In all honesty, I have never been in real a relationship. That was the closest thing to one, and I don't even think it counts." She huffed out, frustrated.

The younger Niijima was surprised at her sister's tale. She didn't realize how many things her big sis went through as a young adult.

Then she just looked utterly sad. "I usually receive tickets like this as a courtesy from my job, but… I never attend operas anymore. It's just hard to do so without Sensei around."

Makoto's heart felt for her sister's sadness. She had never known what had really befell Sae's former mentor and boss, but she suspected he left his post under tragic circumstances.

"Anyways, I think you're going to love it. I won't spoil the plot for you, so just take the tickets, take that annoying idiot you call a boyfriend, and try to have a good time." The elder Niijima said teasingly.

"Okay. Thank you sis." She said, a bit awkward but also slightly happy.

Sae sent her a tender smile her way. "Great. Now, let's get going. I believe we can drop our purchases at home before meeting the others at the train station."

Right. They had a Mementos run that day, and to help a good friend of hers and Ren, no less.

Remembering the disastrous last times she had in Okumura's palace, Makoto's good mood evaporated instantly, and her blood ran cold for a split second.

She felt a sense of dread overtake her once more.

'What is wrong with me? Why am I always this terrified whenever I think of the metaverse?' She asked herself.

Under the table, unseen from her sister, Makoto's hands clenched tightly. She remembered Noir's disappointed gaze from the past excursions.

Makoto had to get her shit together, and work harder. She had to stop running from her problems and being so afraid for no reason.

She had to fight, and assert her position.

She was done being a useless coward, a simpering mess. She would conquer all her fears.

She would show them. She would show herself.

"Alright. Let's go then." She said to her sister, her tone deceptively pleasant, with a hint of something dangerous lurking underneath…

To be continued…