Welcome to the final chapter of 2024! Senran Persona is still aiming to get to the end, even if it's taking way longer than it should. Hopefully 2025 will be the year we finally get to the Shido arc and actually make several things pay off. I just want to thank everyone who is still ready this perverted, violent, awesome monster of a fic and that I hope you stay for the ending.

If you haven't seen the summary, WWPLunatique is now an official collaborator! We've got four people working on this fic now!

Anyways, onto the reviews. To ZigsL: Yeah, um, hate to break it to you, but that super long Brawl fic has been surpassed several times over. On FFnet, there's a 34.8 million word fic… that's mostly copy and pasted entries from wikis, so I don't count it. The next best thing is 10 million words. Yeah, we are not reaching that.

Anyways, that's it! Let's warm ourselves by a nice cosy… heating unit.

Load Game…Start!

Chapter 140: Snow-White Heart

(10/8, Early Morning)

(Shibuya, Shin Megami Apartment Complex)

Another day soon came as the Shirokage sisters were entertaining the daughter of Hebijo Academy...by taking a group bath together.

SPLASH! BOING! SQUISH!

"Thanks for washing my back, Miyabi-chan." Asuka got out with a smile as she then sighed in satisfaction.

"Y-Yeah. Though I swear it feels like this bath is getting smaller..." Miyabi sighed out. "It's not too tight for you two?" She then asked in concern.

"It's a little tight, but nothing too unmanageable." Homura admitted while scrubbing the white haired woman's head, the scent of rosebuds filling the air.

"Usually I use unscented shampoo, but this is a good change." Miyabi revealed and soon admitted as she rubbed down her apprentice's body.

SQUISH! BOING!

"H-Hey, Sis. Could you move your foot? It's poking me in the posterior..." The tanned girl requested and explained.

"Hehe, sorry Homu-neechan." Asuka giggled.

"Aaaaaaah~" Miyabi meanwhile suddenly sighed out. "This shampoo is making me feel like all my troubles are being scrubbed away." She soon confessed.

"Plans for today?" The Vice Leader asked.

"Besides my job, nothing really." Miyabi casually replied as the tan skinned girl handed her the basin. "Though tonight, you and I are going to be busy." She then revealed.

"Training tonight then?" Asuka soon assumed as she looked at the white haired woman.

"Rooftops for physical training tonight." Miyabi soon ordered with a nod of approval to the suggestion.

"Hai." Asuka replied with a nod and a determined look on her face.

"Don't go too overboard though." Homura however requested.

"No promises." Miyabi replied. "Just wanna make sure my apprentice is the best that she can be compared to Yumi's." She then stated in a confident manner and a competitive smirk on her face.

"Uh, I'm right here, Miyabi." Homura however reminded with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah I know." Miyabi nonchalantly responded as she continued to scrub down the brunette, though still had a competitive look in her eyes.

"Moh, you two...No fighting in the bath." The Vice Leader requested with a pout. "Don't worry Miyabi-chan, I'll become as strong as possible." She then reassured.

"I'm counting on it, my student." Miyabi responded with a nod of approval before she then narrowed her eyes. "And call me sensei again from now on." She then instructed in a slightly more stern tone.

"Oh uh, yes Miyabi-sensei." Asuka awkwardly responded with a nod as the white haired woman filled the basin with water.

SPLASH! BOING!

And poured it on her to get rid of the soap suds before doing it to herself as the trio then started to step out of the tub.

"Nothing like a good washing to start off the day." Homura breathed out, though glanced to see the white haired woman drying off her sister. "Hm?" She mentally hummed out in a curious manner, noticing a...possessive look in the woman's eyes.

"Now remember to get every inch of your body." Miyabi instructed as she dried off the brunette with the towel.

BOING! JIGGLE!

"Hehe, come on Miyabi-sensei, I know that." Asuka responded and reminded with a giggle of amusement.

"I'm just making sure you remember." The white-haired woman pointed out. "As your sensei, I need to make sure you know everything I was taught growing up." She then explained.

The tanned girl blinked at this before a realization hit her. "Miyabi...are you jealous of what Yumi-senpai had taught me? With what I'm able to do now?" Homura soon assumed.

In response, the white haired woman flinched for a moment as she then sighed. "Homura, the power you displayed yesterday...it was incredible." Miyabi soon confessed as the three started getting dressed. "If you were given an exam now, you would get the same rank as Yumi in terms of being a shinobi." She then added.

"Shinobi exams aren't exactly tailored for having Nobunaga, Chiyome or Musashi..." Homura pointed out.

"I'm referring to what Yumi had specifically taught you. Not related to our Personas." Miyabi corrected, pausing for a second while she pulled her shirt on. "And it made me realize that I was slacking on training my apprentice." She soon revealed with a hint of frustration. "So yeah, I am a little jealous." She then concluded.

"Um...sorry?" Homura awkwardly responded, though held back her amusement at seeing the white haired woman pouting.

It's a shame Homura didn't have her phone to capture her expression. Otherwise that would be a close contender for her phone's wallpaper which currently depicts the white-haired woman getting spanked by her sister.

"Don't worry Miyabi-sensei, I'll train so hard under you that my Yiitsu Style will be on par with Homu-neechan's Noh Style!" Asuka replied with determination and a fire in her eyes.

"Not on par, but surpassing Homura's second style fighting." Miyabi corrected with a smirk.

"You are definitely jealous. I'll make sure that Yumi-senpai stays ahead of you in terms of training skills." Homura declared with a smirk of her own and a hint of competitiveness in her voice.

"So, what do you have planned for today, Homura?" Miyabi eventually asked.

"Right, I'm meeting Futaba tonight." Homura mentally reminded herself, curling her hair.

SPRONG!

"You're still doing that?" Miyabi asked in bemusement while running her fingers through her short white locks.

"Hmph! You wouldn't understand the regal meaning behind it." Homura poshly countered with a huff and a hair flick as she then adjusted her uniform. "And as for my day's events, as usual, I will be attending to one of my committee members and I plan to spend some time with Makoto." She soon revealed. "What about you, Sis? Got any plans before meeting with Miyabi?" She then asked.

"I just plan to do some grocery shopping and restocking the toiletries." Asuka revealed as she also got fully dressed in her uniform. "Nothing really exciting..." She then added.

"Unless you somehow stumble into someone or something like all of us seem to do these days." Miyabi sighed out. "Alright, I need to get going. See you tonight, my student." She then added as she grabbed her bag and started to make her way to the front door.

WHOOSH!

Before swiftly vanishing as soon as she stepped outside.

"Ready to go, Sis?" Homura asked as she handed her sister's bag to her.

"Mhm!" The Vice Leader hummed out with a nod as the two then headed out as well.

(Shinjuku, New Moon Apartment Complex)

The light gray-haired girl had risen early despite what happened yesterday and was already in her pristine Kosei outfit ready to continue her role as the Student Council President.

"I'm still not strong enough..." Yumi thought as she did some stretches in her cramped apartment. Her mind wandered back to the last few times they had seriously tried to fight the Reaper. "Am I...still missing something?" She quietly asked herself.

BZZT! BZZT!

"Ah!" Yumi squeaked out as she realized she had forgotten to silence her phone before going to bed. "How careless of me..." She muttered with a giggle. "Who could be calling me this early?" She then wondered as she soon answered. "Hello?" She called out.

"Yumi-chan!" Minori called out from the other end.

"Hey, we agreed to do a video call..." Yozakura's voice, a little more distant, added.

"Hai. Give me a second." Yumi replied as she sat down and propped her phone up on the table.

Soon, the four faces of Yumi's sisters were visible.

"I-I've never done th-th-th-this kind of thing before, so..." A maskless Murakumo meekly got out.

"It is fine. Small steps." Yumi comforted. "...Though may I ask why all of you are only in your underwear?" She soon questioned with a raised eyebrow. "And why are they so...scandalous?" She then added.

"Let's just say I won a little wager yesterday regarding our training and now they gotta follow my orders..." Shiki revealed with a wink, only in her red and black lingerie.

"Moh...It's digging into me..." Minori whined with a pout in her figure-hugging orange and yellow lace underwear.

"Hold on, let me loosen it a bit. You made it too tight again." Yozakura offered, showing her to be in lace seafoam green lace lingerie as the older brunette and the blonde moved to block the other two from view.

"Weeeh...The hooks are digging into me..." The childish shinobi pouted.

"Uuuu..." The maskless Murakumo meanwhile moaned in embarrassment due to only being in her lace red bra and panties that had transparent cut-outs to show everything that would normally be hidden by conventional undergarments.

"Might I ask what this wager was?" Yumi asked out of curiosity.

"You do not want to know..." The bluenette sighed out while the blonde giggled in a satisfied manner.

Murakumo's face, meanwhile, grew even redder.

"It was about Akira-nii~!" Minori giggled out, sounding better already due to the adjustments the bluenette made. "But, that's all I can say~!" She chirped out.

"Be careful not to move too much since it's so loose now." Yozakura cautioned as the two entered back into frame.

"Akira-san is not simply an object for you four to treat as some sort of object of discussion or a prize to fight over." Yumi sighed out. "What would he think of this?" She pointedly asked. "I could tell him about this since I have made plans with him today." The light gray-haired girl revealed.

Yozakura and Murakumo winced.

"Oh? Whatcha got planned?" Shiki asked in a tone that was a mix of curiosity and playfulness. "Nothing too scandalous, I hope, Yuki Yumi-chii~?" She then wondered in a teasing manner.

"Well ..." Yumi began as she noticed a familiar bit of paper placed next to where she had set her phone down.

Her Grandfather's Will.

"Yumi-chan...?" The brunette hesitantly asked.

"I was thinking of spending some time at the arcade and having a study session before exams come up." Yumi lied. "He is a truly irreplaceable friend. We're all lucky to have met him." She added with a smile, this time truthfully.

"Akira-nii totally is!" Minori cheerily replied as her sisters nodded in agreement.

"My apologies, but I have to have breakfast soon before I head to school." Yumi explained. "It was nice to talk to you as always." She then got out with another warm smile.

"L-Likewise. I hope we can see each other in person soon." Murkaumo replied.

"You take care, okay?" Yozakura added.

"We'll be good, we promise!" Shiki stated, though her grin said otherwise.

"Bye-bye!" Minori concluded with a wave as the call ended.

"Hmm..." Yumi hummed out. What was she going to talk to the Leader about?

Her eyes drifted back to Kurokage's Will lying on the table.

GROWL!

Yumi decided to fix up a quick meal of bacon, eggs and sausages. After all, matters of this importance (and, in a more romantic timeline, the heart) should never be contemplated, let alone undertaken, on an empty stomach.

(Kosei High Student Dormitory, Yusuke's Room)

A fresh new day meant a fresh new set of opportunities for Yusuke to expand his artistic horizons as he woke up. Surprisingly, yesterday wasn't affecting him as much as he thought it would be all things considered.

"Ah, right... Suiren-san must've finally fallen asleep at some point." The artist quietly got out when he saw the other occupant in his bed as he thought about how last night went.

(Rewind)

When Yusuke had arrived back to his room after the Mementos run, the first thing that he noticed was a familiar change of clothes. "Hm? Suiren-san?" He got out in a curious manner, soon noticing the girl in mention at his desk with what he assumed was an attempt at a ponytail.

It left much to be desired.

"..." Suiren quietly exhaled with a tiny smile on her face.

Secondary was the fact that she had borrowed one of his empty sketchbooks and was writing at a quick pace.

However, the artist knew it would be impolite to interrupt her when she was in the zone. He has certainly been there when the inspiration to hone his artistic skills struck him. He continued to observe her working enthusiastically on it for a few moments.

BOING!

So he decided to just call it in for the night and rest after getting blasted six ways to Sunday by the Reaper, hoping she would be finished by the morning and that he wouldn't be showing signs of physical fatigue.

He did have to ask why she was in his dorm once again after all.

(Fast Forward)

"Zzzzz~" Suiren softly snored out as she slept, clinging to the boy's arm.

SQUISH!

Especially since she was clinging to him in bed right now after she apparently and finally called it a night.

Luckily, this time, she had elected to wear her undergarments so it would be slightly less awkward to explain to anyone who abruptly entered.

"Suiren-san..." Yusuke quietly got out while gently nudging

"Mmm..." Suiren moaned, her eyes struggling to open. "Morning..." She mumbled out.

"To you as well." Yusuke responded with a nod as he watched her sit up. "I was surprised to see you here again last night, but you were so focused, so I decided not to disturb you." He then confessed and explained.

"Ah, my apologies. I got so wrapped up writing my thoughts on theoretical astrophysics and quantum physics regarding the potential applications for dark matter that I must've not noticed you get back." Suiren explained in an enthusiastic tone with a natural, wide, warm smile on her face. "I really, really, really, really love learning new things about everything, especially the sciences!" She rapidly concluded while bouncing in her seat excitedly with a very child-like glee.

BOING! BOING! BOING! BOING!

Yusuke meanwhile looked completely confused by this. He may not understand what she was saying, but he did recognise that passion she had for it as being similar to his own for the arts.

"As for why I am here in your room again, well...I still haven't found anywhere to go yet... " Suiren awkwardly revealed. "M-My apologies for borrowing one of your sketchbooks to write my thoughts and theories down. I-I made sure to grab one of the blank ones." She then added in realization.

"It is not a problem." Yusuke replied "But make sure to ask me next time. Senpai already has me on a tight budget as is." He then requested and informed.

"Mhm." Suiren hummed out as she started to slide out of the bed.

BOING!

And had her alluring body on view for him to see as she adjusted her black panties.

"Moh..." Suiren grumbled as she finally fixed her wedgie. "Why does my underwear always have to ride up my backside and dig into my privates...?" She then mumbled.

In the meantime, Yusuke had averted his gaze out of politeness to his unlikely roommate.

"Hm? Would you like to use me as a model again, Yusuke-san?" Suiren hummed out and innocently offered, preparing to remove her bra.

"It's fine. We should have breakfast first. Our respective passions do need proper meals." Yusuke offered and explained. "Tonight, maybe." He then decided. "Provided you're okay with it, naturally." Yusuke added, remembering the many lectures that his senpai gave him over that topic.

"Of course I am." Suiren confirmed with a nod.

GROWL!

The two laughed a little at how perfect the timing of their hungry stomachs were.

"You really are an interesting fellow, Yusuke-san." Suiren confessed in amusement. "Especially with your art." She then added.

"You're certainly passionate about what you were working on last night regarding scientific activities. " Yusuke replied. "Still, how did you get into my room last night? I don't recall giving you a key." He soon asked and noted.

"One of the students at your school let me in. They also gave me the set of clothes you saw me in last night." Suiren revealed. "They also suggested I put my hair in a ponytail, but that didn't go so well..." She concluded.

"Allow me to assist you with that." Yusuke offered.

"After I brush my hair to get all the knots out and trim the split ends. I don't know why it only affects the lavender parts..." Suiren responded. "...And getting properly dressed." She then added.

"Ah, of course." Yusuke replied with a nod of agreement. "Also after breakfast." He added as both of their stomachs growled again.

"Hai, Yusuke-san." Suiren responded in agreement as she watched the young artist leave the room. "He's really nice. It's truly a shame that I'm abusing his trust for Uncle's mission..." She meanwhile thought as she looked at the boy, feeling some little bit of guilt towards it.

She knew her Uncle would wipe his memory of her if he found out. Just like he did with the girls she stumbled across at Hebijo and her companion in that research lab. That was something...she didn't want this time though.

"Are you coming, Suiren-san?" Yusuke asked as he finished buttoning up his Kosei uniform shirt.

"Let me get dressed first." Suiren reminded with a giggle, pointing out the fact that she was still just in her underwear. "Hmm..." She then hummed out as she grabbed her tank top while looking out the window.

Suiren was going to make the most of this unintentional opportunity her Uncle gave her to live.

And that self-proclaimed 'Trans-Weapon' was certainly a very interesting thing to sate her thirst of knowledge should she have the time...

Suiren giggled to herself at the prospect of that.

(Rooftop)

ACHOO!

Meanwhile, sitting on the edge of a rooftop near the dormitories in her Kosei uniform, said Trans-Weapon was looking down at Suiren through the window as she was licking a candy apple in a provocative manner despite having just sneezed.

"You certainly are an interesting one. Especially given what's lurking beneath the surface." Nemesis thought to herself. "Maybe even as much as Akira." She mentally concluded while giggling out loud.

She had watched Yusuke's new roommate try to figure both her and her powers out for most of yesterday after school had finished.

The dark-skinned girl giggled again as she imagined the cat-and-mouse game playing out in her head as she gave a coy smirk before vanishing in a cloud of dark matter.

She had others to go watch now...and, for some of them, influence~

(Okumura Residence)

Another day with no news regarding her Father's change of heart. However, Haru wasn't one to sit idly by and worry.

As she took care of her many carnivorous plants (in the nude since she was too exhausted after getting beaten down by the Reaper to change into her sleepwear last night), which included some very eager new arrivals that she had specially delivered using some of her Mementos funds.

The fluffy-haired girl happily hummed the trailer theme for an upcoming movie she was excited to see that promised lots of blood and chills as she doted away on her 'children' as she heard her door open.

Soon enough, Katsuragi came in with a yawn approaching the auburnette from behind. "Mornin'." She sleepily greeted...in nothing but her lace dark blue underwear.

"Oh, good morning Katsu-chan." Haru greeted as she glanced back at the blonde before realizing her current state. "...Please give me a moment." She suddenly requested, dashing off for a moment.

WHOOSH!

"Huh?" Katsuragi sleepily got out, apparently really exhausted to notice what was going on.

WHOOSH!

And soon enough, Haru returned clad in her casual attire as she sighed in relief. "My apologies Katsu-chan." She soon apologized.

"Huh?" Katsuragi got out, once more yawning from exhaustion, trying to refocus her eyes.

The auburnette soon enough tilted her head. "Did you not get much sleep Katsu-chan?" Haru asked in concern at the lack of pervy energy that the blonde usually has. "Katsu-chan?" She asked again before poking the blonde's breasts in an effort to get her attention...only to then notice how big they were.

BOING!

"O-Oh my, Katsu-chan." Haru gasped out in awe before realizing how they could've gotten so big. "K-Katsu-chan...have you been taking on the Big Bang Burger Challenge?" She soon assumed in concern. "Even with all the controversy?" She then reminded.

"The meals are cheap at least." The blonde bashfully admitted with another yawn and a wobble.

Haru decided to drop that line of questioning since the blonde was not mentally firing on all cylinders right now.

"Why are you so tired though, Katsu-chan?" Haru soon asked.

"UM!" Katsuragi stammered out a little louder and higher-pitched than intended. She was not going to admit to her friend that she spent most of last night vividly fantasizing about her boyfriend and their, ahem, future.

Haru meanwhile blinked to that, but then soon giggled. "Hehe, did you have a dream involving Ryuji-kun?" She soon assumed in amusement.

"!" The blonde's face immediately turned red as she tried to laugh it off. "Wha-What are you talking about? I certainly didn't imagine bein' in private with Ryu-kun after the wedding!" Katsuragi soon blurted out. "And I wasn't doin' a hands-on practice run of the consummation for most of the night! Maybe even into the next day!" She then got out before realizing what she had just said and her face turning as red as a stop sign.

Haru meanwhile continued giggling in response. "Hehe, that seems to have perked you up in the morning." She soon noted in amusement. "So, do you have plans with Ryuji-kun today?" Haru asked.

"Yeah, I have a date with him today." Katsuragi responded with a wink. "And it's a picnic no less." She soon revealed before grinning. "EEESHISHISHISHI!" She then giggled out.

"I hope you have fun today." Haru replied.

"Hehe, think he'll notice?" Katsuragi playfully and jokingly asked as she struck a pose that really emphasized her bust.

BOING!

"Ryuji-kun will certainly notice those..." The fluffy-haired girl giggled out as she gave her friend's boobs a playful squeeze.

SQUISH! BOING!

"Eep!" Katsuragi squealed a bit in shock before smacking her hands away and covering her own chest. "W-What are you doing!?" She soon asked.

"Eh?" Haru got out in confusion. "What do you mean, Katsu-chan?" She then innocently asked.

"Not a fan of getting groped myself." Katsuragi revealed. "Maybe if it was Ryuji-kun though." She added with a perverted smirk on her face, before...

DING!

"Oh yeah, tomorrow's my last day." Katsuragi soon remembered.

Haru froze for a bit before glancing towards the blonde with a slightly surprised look. "Wait...what?" She got out.

"I mean before I have to head back to Hanzō Academy." Katsuragi reminded.

"O-Oh! Right!" Haru responded in realization...only to remember something. "...Wait, but that means...your contract with my father's company." She then continued with a mellow tone, earning widened eyes from the blonde.

"So you know about it, huh." Katsuragi got out with a wince.

"Yes...Gyū-chan told me about it." Haru revealed.

"Figures. It explains the paycheck you gave her after all. At least it's better that you know." The blonde admitted with a grimace.

"It is truly a shame, though it is understandable." The fluffy-haired girl replied

"Mhm. Doesn't mean I'm not gonna enjoy the time I have with both you and Ryu-kun." Katsuragi hummed out bittersweetly. "...Can I least get one squeeze in, Haru?" She soon requested with her hands up.

Haru in response giggled. "Sure you can for this one time. Give me one second." She replied as she unbuttoned her shirt a bit to give her friend easier access to her lavender lace bra.

Katsuragi instantly perked up to the response, gaining a cat-like grin as she went in for it.

BOING!

"Ah..." Haru squeaked out. The last time she was groped like that was back in the Melon-Peaches Days.

It was almost...nostalgic.

"Wait... Something's not right here..." Katsuragi thought to herself as she started groping the auburnette.

"Ah... I'm wearing my compression bra right now. Is she going to find out about my...?" Haru began to think in her head.

"Hm?" Katsuragi hummed out. "Are bras usually this wide and covered, Haru? It's like it covers your entire chest." She soon asked.

"Huh? O-Oh, h-hai." Haru awkwardly responded. "I just prefer bras like this so that uh...there's no chances of unnecessary eyes staring, yes." She then explained.

"Huh, usually bras should have some open space in the middle here to show some cleavage for the ones with large tits like mine...but your bra seems weird, Haru." Katsuragi explained and confessed. "Doesn't really show your sex appeal." She then added.

"Hehehe, does it?" Haru giggled out in amusement.

Katsuragi in turn snickered, feeling glad to hear her friend's laugh. "...So, what kind of bra is this, Haru?" She eventually asked with a somehow serious tone this time.

"Um..." Haru stammered as she felt the blonde's fingers start to try and get under the material for more direct contact.

"Haru?" Katsuragi got out in concern.

"It's my...special compartment bra." Haru replied uneasily. "Yes, for keeping stuff a secret within my body." She then added in a more confident tone.

"Hmm... but you can just loosen it a bit." Katsuragi pointed out. "Besides, bras like what you're wearing don't look like that at all." She then added with a grin.

"That...seems like a bit much, Katsu-chan." Haru admitted with a sweatdrop.

"Let's see how these melons of yours feel directly. EEESHISHISHISHI!" Katsuragi giggled in a perverted manner as she finally slipped her fingers under the band of the fluffy-haired girl's bra...

SQUISH! BOING!

Soon feeling something...fuller than expected.

"K-Katsu-chan, that tickles." Haru got out, a giggle escaping her lips.

"Hrm..." Katsuragi, however, hummed out. Something felt off to the blonde boob connoisseur. Almost as if...

SHATTER!

"E-Eh?! Y-You wear a compression bra?!" The blonde hissed out in shock as the realization hit her.

"H-Hai..." Haru replied in an embarrassed tone. "Father had them specially ordered and custom-made for me so I wouldn't draw attention to myself at school." She soon explained. "And...it helps make sure Sugimura doesn't do anything to me..." She then added.

"B-But... that's blasphemy! Sacrilege! You're so...so..." The blonde stammered out as she processed the fact that her friend was naturally stacked instead of flat like she had been led to believe.

"It is for my own safety." Haru responded.

"Still..." The blonde mumbled as she still grappled with the revelation.

"It's ok, Katsu-chan." Haru reassured.

The blonde in turn sighed to that. "Alright, but uh...can you show me?" Katsuragi then asked as her brain finally rebooted.

"Hm?" Haru hummed out

"Your real...bust size?" The pervy blonde requested. "Without that compression bra or anything else up there." She then added.

"Oh, um..." Haru got out. "I'd...rather not." She soon confessed.

"I promise I won't go all out like I usually do." The blonde replied. "Unless you want me to." She then clarified with a wink.

"Katsu-chan." Haru responded in a no nonsense tone with her hands on her hips.

"Pleeeeease?" Katsuragi soon pleaded in a needy manner. "I'm so very curious now!" She soon confessed.

Haru simply sighed. Just like Ika-chan back during the Melon-Peaches days. "Sorry, but no." She then insisted, earning a downed look from the blonde.

"...Can I at least cop a feel for your real size before I leave tomorrow?" Katsuragi requested. "...And permission to kick Sugimura's ass at one point?" She then suddenly added.

"You'll probably have to get in line regarding Sugimura..." The auburnette giggled out. "Ika-chan would probably want to as well if she wasn't holding herself back." She then confessed. "As for groping my bare breasts tomorrow, the answer is still 'no' for now." Haru firmly reiterated.

Katsuragi simply pouted.

"Oh, and promise me you won't tell the others, too. That includes your friends back at Hanzo." Haru requested.

"...Eh?" Katsuragi responded as she then blushed. "T-They don't know about it either?" The blonde squeaked out.

"How about I show you tomorrow if you promise you won't tell anyone else?" The fluffy-haired girl offered when she saw the puppy-dog eyes look from the blonde.

"I'll keep the secret till the day I die." Katsuragi declared in a dead serious tone.

She didn't want to alert the accountants about any abrupt transactions regarding tailors for her bras unless she decided to hire the Shinobi Tailors. Not until Sugimura has been summarily ejected from her life. Hopefully with her (secretly kept) axe like in her dreams.

"Prolly should run it by him whether he'd be OK with me still oglin' and gropin' girls..." The blonde realized.

"You'd better get dressed soon otherwise you'll catch a cold." Haru suggested as a cool pre-winter breeze blew into the room.

"Nah, feelin' pretty warm right now." Katsuragi casually confessed. "But, ya right on that 'gettin' dressed' part. Prolly shouldn't show up to my date with Ryu-kun in just my undies though. Don't wanna seem too eager." She then added with a faint blush and a wink.

"Or get arrested for public indecency." Haru giggled out. "Feel free to use my bathroom to freshen up." She then offered.

"Lemme just grab my clothes first." The blonde noted as she quickly disappeared and reappeared with her choice of attire in her arms. "See ya in a few, Haru." Katsuragi concluded as she entered the auburnette's en suite.

"A date with Ryuji-kun, huh? Good for him." Haru chirped out as she got back to tending to her carnivorous plants.

(Yongen-Jaya, Tokyo Mirage Apartment Complex)

There were days where Hyōki regretted joining (and agreeing to lead) this team of wackjobs and psychos (except Yuki, she's nice to a degree), and this was simply yet another one of those as she watched her self-appointed (and redundantly named) love master of love destroy all her nicely folded clothes, tossing them over her shoulder like trash.

"This is what you get for completely deferring to Miki for help with clothes for today's picnic with Ryuji-kun and his girlfriend." Hyōki thought to herself in a deadpan tone.

"Now remember Hyōki-chan, you just have to dress nice, but not too nice." Miki instructed while rummaging through her Leader's clothes, looking for the best one to wear. "You said you don't want to be like those desperate boyfriend-stealing girls, right?" She soon recalled.

"Yeah." Hyōki confirmed with a nod.

"Then you need to understand the amount of cleavage you should show and what it means." Miki soon stated while pulling out two different clothes. The one in the pinkette's left hand was navy blue top, split in the middle and held together by several strings while in her other hand was a bright, shimmering gold full-length dress that reached the floor with puffy long sleeves. "As you can see, the one on your left has a deep cut that shows off way too much. If you jogged or hopped, your babies would pop out faster than you can say 'This is why you're single, you dumb dirty slut.'." She soon explained.

Hyōki grimaced. "And the other one?" She then asked, though she really just wanted to get it out of the way.

Plus the gold made her think of her hated person.

"This is too much in the other direction. Remember, once you determine that Katsuragi is a terrible match or a terrible person, you definitely need to steal him away before it's too late and he becomes ruined by the relationship, likely becoming a cuckquean." Miki explained.

"What?" Hyōki got out with widened yet confused eyes. What's a cuckquean? Did she mean butt queen?

"Please do not interrupt while I am in the middle of my lesson. This is all important." Miki simply ordered as if she was a teacher. "Now, this dress might seem perfect but look at the details. The material, the shape, the neck. It all but says 'Oh dear me. It looks like my vagina has a lock and only my dear dead parents have the key. You must sign this legally binding contract right now or else my chastity will forever escape you, my sweet boy.'." She then warned before putting on a posh accent to sell the point.

"You are putting way too much focus on my love life, Miki..." Hyōki sighed out in a disapproving tone, her cheeks blushing red. "Also, that metaphor about my parents having the key doesn't work. You know why." She added.

"Fine. Blah-blah-blah 'Your older sister and her right-hand woman have the key', etc. etc. Satisfied?" Miki corrected in a peeved tone with a flat stare. "Regardless, I'd like to say I'm very determined to see you happy." She then replied.

"Then what do you suggest?" Hyōki sighed while rolling her eyes.

"This." Miki answered as she pulled out a black top from her own collection. "It is called The Virgin Killer. Bask in its balance of sexiness and modesty." She then declared, imagining a divine light coming from the dress.

The young ravenette however blushed at the sight of it. "W-Why isn't there a back or much of a front!?" Hyōki exclaimed. "It barely covers my boobs, stomach and privates as well!" She then protested. "This is not clothing, it barely even qualifies as a washcloth!" She concluded venomously.

"To show your back. And your sideboob. And your cleavage. And your belly." Miki helpfully explained. "By the way, you're going commando! Don't worry, I have band-aids." She happily added while showing her teddy bear bandages barely bigger than the average areola.

"...I'm not doing that. Too slutty and I would be both walking jailbait and a public indecency charge..." Hyōki deadpanned as the pinkette pouted from the rejection. "You know, for a model, you really suck as fashion. Can I choose something by myself since you seem completely incapable of good fashion choices?" She then pointedly asked in an exasperated manner. "I want to win his heart on my own terms and stay true to who I am. As a young maiden." She concluded.

"Well, if you want to say 'I'm trying too hard not to fuck my best friend in front of his girlfriend...who would likely be into it given the information available.'." Miki grumbled before admitting, seeing that her leader might have a point there.

"I think I'll be fine." Hyōki assured in a flat tone.

It wasn't like Katsuragi was that much of a pervert.

Right?

Oh God, she could imagine it! She couldn't see herself making out with Ryuji while she's on the side, cheering her on going "French her, baby! Ooh, stick a hand down there! That's right! Keep going!"

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!

Suddenly, Hyōki flinched when she heard a ringing coming from the kitchen.

"Sweets are ready." Maki suddenly informed, getting the Leader's attention.

The ravenette soon turned and took in the scent of chocolate and saw the pan of sweets being pulled out of the oven and set to cool. "Brownies, huh..." Hyōki got out as she looked at the pan. "Thanks Maki for making these for me." She then added in a grateful manner.

"Take the edge pieces. They're the best ones to eat." Maki recommended.

"Shouldn't I take all of them?" Hyōki pointed out.

"..." Maki in response gave a blank stare, though a trail of drool was leaking from the side of her mouth.

"...You want a brownie?" Hyōki assumed as the blonde snickered.

The brunette immediately perked up. "Well, if you insist-" Maki began.

"These are for my picnic with Ryuji-kun!" Hyōki decided. "Besides, it's still cooling down. You'll burn yourself." She then reminded and pointed out.

"I'll make some more just for us." Maki offered.

"You could open a bakery with your skills, honestly." Miki confessed.

Maki however sighed. "I'm only doing this to help our leader. I don't want this to turn into a career." She responded. "Besides, no one would want to work with me." She then added.

"ACHOO!" Hibari suddenly sneezed, causing her hand to twitch and disconnecting a few wires inside her gynoid best friend (while, unknown to the pinkette, Yagyū watched on while silently seething in jealousy). "Ah, sorry, Muramasa-chan! Did I break anything?" She apologized and soon asked.

"Higakergerk!" Muramasa yelped as a loud click was heard before Tejano music filled the room. "Puedo ser una cabeza en este cañón. O podría ser una cabeza en otro cañón. En este momento ya no me importa." The blonde then droned out in a surprisingly deep and masculine tone with a distinct accent.

"Oops. Erm, let me fix your vocal unit again." The pinkette sheepishly replied.

"Mmmrnnm...Ugh..." Minori groaned, confused and in pain as she sat up from the floor. "What happened?"

"You sneezed so hard your boobs smacked into your face while you were in the bath." Shiki answered, doing her best not to stare at the red boob-shaped prints on the youngest member's face. "You blacked out for three minutes." She then revealed.

"Mohhh..." The child-like girl moaned while covering her face. Not again.

(Yongen-Jaya, Tokyo Mirage Apartment Complex)

"Aw, don't say that. You're perfectly fine to work with." Miki assured.

"I prefer interacting with cats than people." Maki stated as she summoned a knife. "At least they don't lie, cheat, and leave you out on the sidewalk in the middle of the rain or lock you in a dark room for the slightest of infractions BEFORE COMMITTING ACTS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST ME!" She then ranted as she slammed her knife into the freshly baked brownies.

CHOP!

"...That's a perfect cut. Impressive." Hyōki noted and praised before realizing something. "Um, you did clean your knife right?" She then asked with a wince.

"I always do." Maki confirmed with a nod as she brandished it once more.

"Maki-chi, your bastard family is gone." Yuki stated.

"Because I killed them. All of the branches and offshoots rendered completely extinct in one fell swoop." Maki reminded with glazed bloodshot eyes. "You can't easily move on from that. Not when it was like a demon had taken control of your body leaving you trapped in it." She then added with a serious tone.

"Maki-chi..." Yuki got out in concern.

"You've all seen my power at full throttle. How it eats away at what sanity I've managed to salvage over the time I've spent with you. How hard it is to keep it from indiscriminately hurting you guys." Maki soon reminded as she casually twirled her kitchen knife in her hand.

"You once compared it to being at the wheel of a massive truck with its brakes cut as it's careening through a packed town." Reki recalled.

"You can't stop it or slow it down, only steer it away from innocents." Yuki added.

"And if a jerk shinobi or two gets turned into roadkill, well, you're not gonna be mourning." Hyōki concluded.

"Hai...~" The brunette languidly responded.

"Which is why you need a new outlet." Miki declared.

"Like what? Something that's productive to society that involves cooking, sewing or fortune telling?" The brunette asked in an annoyed tone.

"..." The others in turn looked at the brunette in an awkward manner.

"Those choices are a bit specific." Reki confessed.

"I just want to be a normal girl with a normal mind, normal body and a normal daily schedule..." Maki quietly admitted as she reflexively shielded herself.

SQUISH!

"You know, cat cafes do exist." Miki soon pointed out. "You can bake and be with all the cats you want." She then suggested.

"Yeah, no." Maki however refused. "Unless there's someone willing to interact with other humans for me, this is nothing but a skill I'll keep to myself." She responded. "No need to turn everything into a contribution to society. I am no longer qualified for that." She then mumbled to herself.

"You have to have some sort of goal." Miki however pointed out. "I mean, I'm a model, Yuki's a maid, and Hyōki..." She began listing off before gazing over to the young Leader.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Is going to be a mistress." Miki concluded with a grin.

"Hey! I told you to stop that!" Hyōki demanded in annoyed offense.

"Yuki's not going to be a maid for the rest of her life, is she?" Maki asked. "The perky, cheery act is good now, but it'll be creepy and pathetic in about ten years or so." The brunette explained.

(Elsewhere, a certain Shujin teacher's eye twitched before realising she had long since quit that game and was only doing it to help one of her students.)

"Plus, there's no guarantee you'll still be loving it." Reki added.

"Complete burnout of enthusiasm is a thing." Miki added. "I've seen many models with bright eyes and bushy tails flame out at an alarming rate." She then explained.

"Well, you never know what the future holds in the end." Yuki simply pointed out as she shrugged her shoulders.

"You do have a plan in case you start hating the job and want to do something else, right?" The silverette countered. "You are still effectively a shinobi middle school dropout receiving homeschooling." She then reminded.

"Hehe, my plans have plans." Yuki vaguely revealed with a playful wink.

"Speaking of which, once my weapons arrive, me and Miki may need to intensify the practical lessons in a Kekkai for you three in case we need to fight against Elite shinobi. The situation may not favor us bunkering down while the storm comes through" Reki decided and explained. "This will also be a good indicator for my new limitations should the need arise." She added.

"Uwah...lessons again..." Yuki awkwardly got out with a wince.

"You used to love them." Maki deadpanned. "Or are you more of a maid than a shinobi honour student now?" The brunette taunted with an unusually confident smirk on her face.

"I'll take whatever I can to bring down Onee-sama and make her suffer as much as I did..." Hyōki added in a dark tone, but then blinked as she shook her head a little. "...Was I always like that?" She then suddenly asked.

The other four all nodded their heads in agreement.

"Your father really did mess with your head." Maki reminded.

"Did unforgivable things to you." Miki added.

"The perfect example of the kinds of people that need to be purged from the system." Reki concluded.

"Y-Yeah..." Hyōki responded, though now there was a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

"What we've done to her and her friends cannot be easily forgiven. You're committed to this path now." Reki reminded.

"Mhm. The next time she and I fight will be the last time and I will win by any and all means necessary." The ravenette decided. "I will send her crying home to Father." She declared.

"Your father's dead." Yuki recalled.

"I know." Hyōki darkly replied with a grin.

"Well what about Reki then?" Maki soon asked. "Now that she's human, she should be thinking about her future." She then pointed out.

"I wish to die peacefully." Reki soon revealed.

"There you go." Miki responded, only to blink in realization. "...Huh?" She then got out in confusion as they all looked at the silverette. "Come on... Not immediately, I hope ..." She then asked in concern.

"I was merely a Yōma possessing a corpse until recently. I have no intention of living a life held down by society and obligation. With this finite lifespan I have now, I wish to use it well and enjoy it while I can, so that the person who had this body before may finally have some peace." Reki replied and explained in detail.

"...Want a harmonica?" Yuki suddenly asked.

"Is it a weapon?" Reki soon asked as the others sweatdropped.

"If you throw it hard enough." Yuki responded, deciding to just play along with it.

"Hm, I will think about it." Reki hummed out and decided with a nod.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Ah, that must be the mail." The Leader assumed as she went and opened the door. "Hello." Hyōki soon greeted.

The delivery man nodded. "Hey, delivery for...Reiki Sexybitches?" He greeted and read out in an awkward manner regarding the name.

Instantly, everyone looked over to Maki...who was in the middle of trying to sneakily eat a brownie. The Leader's glare made her put it down. "...What? I didn't want to use any real names. It's from a black market website." Maki whispered.

"W-We go by codena-" Yuki soon tried to remind the girl, however...

"That's me." Hyōki soon got out, deciding to take one for the team.

"Just sign here." The delivery man instructed, handing the clipboard to the ravenette, who did as instructed. "Thank you. Here you go." He then responded as he handed the package.

"Thank you. Have a good day." The young Leader politely responded.

"Don't tell me what to do." The delivery man however bluntly ordered.

Hyōki gave the delivery man a flat look before slamming the door in his face. "...Rude." She soon remarked.

"Don't worry, he says that to everyone that tells him that." Miki stated, remembering the other times she had stuff delivered to her. It seemed like his own little joke.

"Speaking of weapons..." Yuki got out as they looked at the items in the package.

The rapier had a pappenheimer hilt and a triangular blade with a moth trinket tied to the handle. It looked like something a princess would wield when faced with a duel, which was fine since Reki's Tenshin was a princess dress.

The revolver, however, was much more...brutal looking. It was large, engraved with markings none of them recognized almost as if a crazed zealot wrote on it. At the end of the barrel, it was stained with some sort of black material that would never be cleaned.

"Oooh~" Reki got out in fascination as she held her weapons. "Now this feels...right~" She concluded in approval as she felt a shiver running down her spine.

Maki meanwhile sighed as she heard this, remembering that she and the silverette were the only ones there. "Guess I'm giving her the first training session since everyone else is going out today." She decided to herself.

"...Hey, did you remember to order bullets as well?" Miki soon asked as she checked the revolver.

"Well, with whatever is leftover of my Yōma powers, I should be able to create my own without the need for any." Reki responded and explained as she focused on sending her yōma power into her new weapons, causing them to glow and change slightly as a result, gaining a lavender hue and moth motif to them as she nodded in approval to the changes.

"So...What are they called?" Yuki soon asked.

"Hm?" Reki hummed out as she looked at the others. "You want me to name my weapons?" She soon asked.

"They are an extension of yourself. Tools as they may be at the end of the day, giving them a name will ensure proper protection." Miki stated and explained.

"What are the names of your weapons again?" Reki soon asked.

"...I feel it would influence your decision and it should come from your heart." Miki however replied.

Reki soon looked at her rapier and smiled. "Chrysiridia." She revealed with a hint of pride before then looking at her six-shooter. "Acherontia." She then stated, the words rolling off her tongue as if it was natural.

"Fancy." Maki admitted. "Going for the moth motif for them, huh?" She then assumed.

"Like a moth to a flame." Reki stated as she struck a pose with her new weapons. "It's going to be difficult being unable to control the weak any longer, but I must improve if I am to keep up with all of you." She then confessed and concluded.

"Well, I hope you're ready. Just because you dress like a princess doesn't mean I'm going to treat you like one." Maki stated and warned.

"Hmph, I expect nothing less." Reki replied as she readied herself. "How you say, in gar-de!" She then declared.

"...En garde." Maki corrected.

"Bless you." Reiki replied.

"Shinobi Kekkai!" Both of them declared.

The ravenette, pinkette and blonde soon watched as the silverette and brunette vanished in an instant, leaving the three of them alone.

"...Anyways, back to your wardrobe, if the Virgin Killer isn't to your liking, maybe the Pussy Magnet style will-" Miki soon spoke up, however...

"I'll just look up suggestions online." Hyōki deadpanned as she went back into the bedroom to check her clothing options again. "Your services are no longer required." She then concluded.

Yuki meanwhile snickered at this. "Rejected~" She teasingly got out.

Miki in turn pouted in disappointment, but eventually smiled herself. "Finally making her own choices." She muttered in approval.

"Only because you were picking stuff that only you would wear..." Yuki pointed out. "Not even I would be that crazy to wear stuff like that unless you use your power on me again. Don't do that, by the way, or we're gonna have problems." She added in a more serious and mature tone while glaring at the pinkette.

"Yes, Yuki-chan." Miki got out in an unusually meek tone. "...You were more fun at the time though." She then admitted.

"Do you want me to break your face with my flail again like I did the last time we sparred?" The blonde threatened in an ice cold tone. "Last time was accidental..." She recalled.

"Miki... I suggest you stop pissing off Yuki and get your backside to Ranze." Hyōki called out.

"You should definitely take Fearless Leader's advice here." Yuki giggled in an ominous tone with her red eyes unusually wide giving her a deranged look.

"W-Well, if I am no longer needed, I must be off." Miki responded with a hint of a stammer in her voice. "I have an interview about my personal fashion choices, a training session with Ranze, and an appointment with my dentist." She then revealed, listing off what she had planned for the day.

"Aw, you have dental?" Yuki got out.

"We all do." Hyōki pointed out, popping her head out of the bedroom. "You're just afraid of the lecture he'll give you given how many sweets you eat." She then added.

"A bright white smile is necessary for a model." Miki proudly revealed, showing off her gleaming smile before posing seductively. "That and a sexy body~" She then cooed out in a seducing tone.

BOING!

"Hey, a winning smile is needed for my job as well." The blonde countered. "I just prefer taking care of these in our bathroom with a brush, some paste, some floss and that kickass brand of mouthwash that's approved by several worldwide dentistry organizations." Yuki then added.

BOING!

"And a body full of sweets." Hyōki remarked.

"Hey, this gorgeous girl genius needs her sugar to make sure her mind stays sharp." Yuki countered. "Like that detective L guy from a somethin' I read at the manga cafe near where I work." She then added.

"Just make sure you take regular exercise. You don't want to outgrow your uniform." Miki cautioned.

"'Careful' is second nature for a shinobi." The blonde replied. "Heh, modelin' really does suit you best, Miki-chi. Especially when you just started doing as a hobby." Yuki then remarked in amusement as she gave the pinkette an appreciative glance.

"It was our main way of getting money before we recruited Hyōki-chan." Miki recalled and reminded

"Though most of what we had on the board got binned when Shin died, which was a hell of a curveball in our favor." The blonde replied and recalled. "Hey, Hyōki-chi, me and Miki-chi need to head out now for work." She called out to the bedroom.

"Someone should leave a note for Maki and Reki since they're still in a Kekkai." Hyōki ordered from the other room.

"One note coming right up." Yuki replied as she used the rejected Virgin Killer as an impromptu writing pad much to the pinkette's anguished horror.

(Leblanc Attic)

"Zzzzz...From the top rope, is Haru with the DDT...And here comes Makoto with a steel chair...Zzzz..." Akira mumbled.

"Zzzzz...Homura, don't be jealous I got to him first...you can come to our honeymoon if you want, hehehehehe~" Haruka giggled out with a dopey grin on her face.

"Wake up, you idiots! Ulp!" Morgana yelled out.

The not cat had been awake for several minutes by this point and he wasn't sure if he'd last another one.

"Can't...breathe!" Morgana barely struggled out, his body in between the bust of the blonde that was cuddling him affectionately like a plushie. "So...big and...soft. Nya~" He then added...before soon purring in satisfaction as he nuzzled himself.

You know what, dying here might be worth it. Who needs to live when you can die in-between the biggest funbags?

"What am I thinking!?" Morgana suddenly exclaimed, snapping out of it just before he fully sank into Haruka's sandbags. "My loyalty is to Lady Ann. I must...live...for her! RAAAAAAAH! PERSONA!" He then roared while clawing his way out (although he didn't actually bring out his claws).

BURNING UP!

With the power of love on his side, Morgana squeezed out of the blonde's grip and leapt to safety. "How is it...that was...the closest I've ever got to dying...?" He panted while wiping the sweat off his fur on the Leader's bed.

However, all that commotion he caused managed to stir their frequent guest awake. "Ufufu~ Morning~" Haruka cooed out.

"Oh now you wake up!" The not cat deadpanned in annoyance.

"And morning to you too, Morgana-chan." Haruka greeted with a smile as she took the not cat into her arms. "Ufufu~ So soft and fluffy~" She giggled and complimented as she began petting him.

"No wait, I just escaped!" Morgana exclaimed in a panic.

"There, there. Let my warmth comfort you." Haruka cooed out while petting.

"Oh come on! I- Meooooow~" Morgana started, but barely got anywhere as the blonde started petting him at the right spot, causing him to purr as a result.

It was official. It was game over.

"Mmm...No...Don't throw me in there. They'll kill me..." Akira suddenly mumbled aloud, turning in his sleep.

"Darling?" Haruka soon got out in concern, loosening her hold on the not cat to wake the boy up.

"Huh?" Akira groaned while opening his eyes.

Morgana went ahead and leaped towards the workbench before sitting down, looking casually at the two in bed.

"Damn, that was a nice dream." Akira yawned out as he sat up and grabbed his underwear and glasses, swiftly putting them on.

"What were you dreaming about?" Haruka asked as she sat up. "Was it about me?" She then guessed while fluttering her eyelashes.

"Actually it was about my friends." Akira revealed. "Erm, the details are kind of getting hazy already, but it involved a large crowd and the two of them...um..." He then started revealing before trailing off at the end.

Haruka quickly checked his bedsheets. "You're clean." She confirmed in amusement.

"Oh good." Akira reacted in relief...only to realize. "I-I mean...It wasn't anything pervy, I assure you that." He hurriedly got out. "Besides, you'd know right away." He stated, realizing that he was verbally in a hole and should stop digging.

"What was that?" Haruka asked with a coy smirk.

"Nothing." Akira quickly said. "So, what time is it?" He soon asked.

"Just past six." Haruka informed. "You have around an hour before your guardian arrives to open up." She then added.

"You better get dressed then." Akira advised

"I don't wanna~" Haruka playfully whined. "It's nice and warm here~ I want to take the day off~ Stay with me~" She then confessed before cooing out.

"I wanna take the day off too, but I don't think Shujin is as forgiving as Takemi." The Leader sighed out. "And come on, aren't you close to a breakthrough with your cancer cure?" Akira then reminded.

"I'm sure a day won't be too much of a difference." Haruka jokingly whined. "Come on, I'll let you feel my butt." She then added and offered.

"Not your boobs?" The raven-haired boy asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I wanna keep things spicy." The doctor-in-trained replied.

"...I think for the sake of my attendance record and not going to juvie, I'll have to decline." Akira flatly replied.

"Aw..." The blonde got out while pouting.

"I might take you up on that offer one day though." The Leader then pointed out. "Not every day a girl offers you her body to play with."

"It's every day for you." Haruka pointed out.

"...God the boys at school would actually murder me if they knew." Akira sighed out with a chuckle.

"So, is sleeping naked a habit now for you?" Haruka teased. "'Cause I've been noticing it for a while now every time I sneak in." She then revealed.

"I appreciate it, but I don't wanna do it too often. It's getting colder, I'd rather not freeze my nuts off, and given my luck, someone is going to walk upstairs and see more of Akira Jr. than anyone should." Akira replied and explained.

"Why do you insist on calling it junior?" Haruka then had to ask. "It looks more like a sir. Or even captain." She soon confessed while listing off titles.

"Ahoy ye mateys." Akira declared without much thought...before realizing what he just said. "...I said that out loud..." He awkwardly stated.

Haruka soon burst into laughter. "You really can't control your mouth, do you?" She assumed.

"I have excellent mouth control when the situation calls for it." Akira teasingly responded.

Haruka snorted. "I'm sure you do." She then commented with a smile.

"...Wait, dammit!" Akira cursed from realizing the phrasing of the words. "I blame Asuka." He then added.

"Don't blame others for your...unique eccentricities." Haruka deadpanned with a sultry smile. "But that's why I love you, my darling." She soon confessed.

"Y-Yeah." The Leader awkwardly replied.

"(cough) Philanderer. (cough cough)" Morgana coughed out.

"Oh, is Morgana-chan getting sick?" Haruka began, noticing the faux feline's coughs and concerned-sounding meows.

"No, but he might need a trip to the vet to get spayed and neutered." Akira replied, his eye twitching.

"Ulp!" The faux feline gulped as he tucked his tail between his legs and against his stomach in an effort to shield his crotch.

"You never got around to it?" The blonde asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't even know if I could." The raven haired boy admitted with a shrug. "Bro code." He then added.

The doctor-in-training raised her eyebrow higher at that.

"...Boys." Haruka sighed as she stated. "...I should let Akira-chan do it then." She then suggested.

"No, that was...it's just a joke. Morgana isn't going near a vet unless he is dying." Akira firmly, but gently, stated.

"Akira-chan?" Morgana wondered in his head.

"Well, you should at least let me check on him again." Haruka decided in a firm tone. "That kick might have some hidden consequences." She then stated.

Both Morgana and Akira grimaced. "Right now?" They responded in unison.

"Of course." Haruka replied with a nod, though only responding to the boy. "It's just to make sure he's perfectly fine and that I haven't messed something up." She then noted as she got out of the bed...not even caring about wearing nothing but her panties as she did her hair into a professional ponytail using her bow.

"Tell her I feel fine." Morgana got out, starting to feel unnerved. "You shouldn't worry about me, guys, but the thought is very appreciated." He then tried to assure...while looking away from the blonde's bare breasts.

"It's just a quick check-up, Mona. You'll be fine." Haruka reassured the faux feline as she heard the meows and slowly reached out to him.

"I'll fix us up some breakfast while you do that." Akira decided as he headed downstairs.

"Ugh, no way I'm getting out of this..." Morgana grumbled as he started flailing in the blonde's arms in an effort to escape.

"I'll give you some of the sushi if you are a good boy." Akira offered.

"S-Sushi~!" Morgana got out with sparkles in his eyes as he instantly calmed down.

"Darling, you really shouldn't baby him like that." Haruka advised. "Then again, I'm really not one to talk since I did that with Mirai." She then added in amusement.

"Since Mirai's cat-like?" Akira jokingly guessed.

"Please, don't compare me to her..." Morgana sighed out as he felt the blonde's fingers start to examine him.

"In a way. Though, who knows now? I think it'd be exploitative to have her call me '-sama' now..." Haruka quietly replied, though she giggled in amusement at the joke. "You're such a joker though, Darling~" She then added in a more seducing tone.

"You never know." Akira chuckled out. "I'll be back soon." He added as he disappeared downstairs.

"Hai~!" Haruka replied as she continued to examine the not cat. "You are such a cute kitty." She soon complimented.

"T-That's-" Morgana began before being touched in just the right spot, causing him to purr again. "Meeeeow~ Nyaaaaa~" He soon happily mewled out.

"Fufu...Good boy." Haruka praised as she continued with her check-up.

"Nya~ I'm a good kitty~ Nya~" Morgana got out in a more cutesy yet dazed tone.

Soon, Akira returned with two cups of coffee, two plates of curry and a plate of fatty tuna and handed them to the doctor-in-training and the not cat.

"T-Tuna!" Morgana exclaimed in a frenzy as the Leader handed the cups out before setting the plates down.

"So, how's Morgana?" Akira asked as the not cat purred and cuddled up to the blonde in an affectionate manner, causing him to snicker at the sight.

"The picture of health, though he still seems, ahem, underdeveloped in a certain area." Haruka revealed as she cuddled the not cat.

"Hm?" Akira hummed out in a curious manner.

"It still works though..." Morgana protested. "Size isn't everything." He added.

"Just be glad whoever hurt him didn't cause any permanent damage." Haruka added. "If I ever find out who did it..." She then grumbled as she held the not cat close.

"I'm alright Lady Haruka, nyathing's wrong." Morgana reassured with a slight mewl in his voice.

"Food's getting cold." Akira prompted, getting the attention of the others as they started eating, snickering some more when he also heard the slip of the tongue from the not cat.

"Not. A. Word." The not cat pointedly responded as he started nibbling at his breakfast.

"He's definitely okay if he can eat that much that quickly." The blonde giggled out in between mouthfuls of her own curry.

"Wanna go to the bathhouse together after breakfast?" Akira soon suggested. "We'll take Morgana with us." He then added as he stood up.

"...Eh?" Morgana got out from hearing that.

"Don't cats hate water?" Haruka tried to point out.

"He's one of a kind." Akira simply replied.

"In more ways than one." Morgana added, though he was still feeling unnerved by that bathhouse offer.

Haruka glanced at the cat, who she only heard meows instead. "...Morgana-chan is rather smart, isn't he?" She then inferred.

"He has his moments." Akira simply replied with a simple shrug of his shoulders.

"Hey!" Morgana got out in an indignant tone. "Liking water is a human trait, right?" He then assumed.

"Well, I guess there's enough time for a quick dip." Haruka suggested, "I am paying, however." She then stated in a no nonsense tone.

"Haruka, I got this. Really." Akira soon assured. He had more money than he knew what to do with.

"You do, but I will pay." Haruka however told him as if it were to remind him. "That way, you'll owe me for our date tomorrow." She then whispered for only him to hear.

Akira snorted at that. "...A cunning plan, Toyoguchi-sensei." He simply stated as he nudged his glasses. "I'm almost impressed. But you forgot one thing." He then admitted and stated.

"Oh? And what may that be?" The doctor-in-training asked.

"It's that-" Akira began before grabbing his uniform and began sprinting downstairs.

"Eh!?" Haruka exclaimed in surprise before realizing she had been had. "Oh no you don't, Kurusu! With me, Morgana-chan!" She then declared while taking the cat into her hands.

"Hey, gently!" Morgana yelped before realizing something. "Hold on Lady Haruka, you forgot your-!" He then began.

"I will show you, Darling, that I am more generous than you in this relationship!" Haruka however declared proudly as she sprinted...all while wearing nothing but her panties.

Suffice to say, she was suddenly very glad to be a shinobi.

(Hebijo Academy Remains, Elites Quarters)

Sounds of construction were heard from out of the massive tent. Progress, however, was slow due to the rising dissension among the varying splinter factions as a result of the Crimson Squad's failed escape and its aftermath.

Over the past few days, the lack of extra supplies and comforts were starting to show on the students as uniforms started to suffer from wear and tear while hair started to get messier among other things that are hell for a girl's beauty despite everyone being shinobi.

Observing the work from a reasonable distance against one of the few remaining intact and structurally sound walls that they were using as a key structure in the building of the makeshift huts that would be the new Hebijo Elite dorms going forth were the twins as well as a certain foul-mouthed plushie who's been unusually quiet and placid today.

Not that either Ryōbi or Ryōna was complaining though as they watched two of the New Wave students supervise the rank-and-file.

"Construction's going well, but it's slightly stalled due to some issues." Ashiya informed as she read a piece of paper.

"Some of the students are still recovering from eating those flowers?" Bashō assumed as the two slowly approached the twins.

"That and there's also the fact that some students refuse to work with certain others." The redhead revealed. "If only we could all unite under the great and infallible Demiurge..." Ashiya added.

Several students rolled their eyes when they heard the redhead mention her 'beloved Demiurge' again...

"This shit again?" The brunette sighed out under her breath.

"They only started eating the flowers after Ryōbi-chan here decided to eat that first one." Ryōna reminded in amusement.

"What else was there to eat at the time that we knew of apart from the corpses from the students who died before this whole thing went up like the fuckin' Hindenberg?" The brunette countered.

"Hunting in the surrounding forests?" Ryōna suggested with a raised finger. "You do use a hunting rifle after all." She then reminded.

"Still fixing the damn thing because idiot me got high, fucked it six ways to Sunday both figuratively and literally and I don't want to half-ass it in case it jams when it really needs to count." Ryōbi spat out in frustration at Past Ryōbi. "Also, do you have any idea how hard it is to get enough food to feed all of us without collapsing the ecosystem?" Ryōbi pointed out. "Especially considering what would happen if I was injured in that explosion or got injured while hunting." She then explained.

"Ryōbi-chan, I didn't say just you." Ryōna sighed out. "Though, I admit that you do have a point with the 'collapsing the ecosystem' issue..." The blonde added. "Also the jealousy when some students get fresh meat while others don't would cause even more infighting and issues than it would solve." She then sagely concluded.

The brunette then looked at her twin in disbelief at how...mature she was being. "Yeah, still gonna take some time getting used to you not being a full-on masochist anymore." Ryōbi deadpanned.

"Like you now having a bit of a bust outside of your Tenshin?" Ryōna countered in a quippy and witty manner with a grin.

"Shut it you bitchlet cum dumpster before I give you a concussion and rip out your spleen before using the hole I made to piss in." The brunette snapped back in a half-hearted tone that was more out of old habits.

Ryōna moaned and shivered a little due to her own old habits as she playfully blew a raspberry at her twin and then gave her both middle fingers.

Ryōbi blinked to that, jaw dropping to the action her twin gave her but quickly shook it off. "Shame I'm not gonna use all these creative insults and threats for you now since you're no longer a chronically horny masochistic sex addict." The brunette admitted.

"Due to those accidental outburst moments, I'm now a quarter-time masochist." Ryōna soon stated.

"...Screw it, as long as you can function in normal society. Keep the freaky stuff for the bedroom." Ryōbi conceded and advised.

"Mhm..." Ryōna hummed out as her mind briefly drifted to her crush before snapping back to reality.

"Well, I like Ryōna-chan how she is now." Ashiya confessed with a smile as she and the greenette approached the twins. "Public indecency reports are down by a considerable margin now." The redhead added with a smirk. "Though we've had an uptick in ones regarding Sōji-san in recent days..." She muttered under her breath.

"Let me guess, flaunting every inch of skin on her perfect body now that she's an Elite?" Ryōna assumed before sighing. "You'd better keep an eye on her just in case she tries something." She then cautioned.

"Mhm. It also doesn't help that she is also not contributing to the reconstruction efforts. You can probably guess why." Ashiya sighed out. "Now, what was this regarding bedrooms...?" She soon asked in a curious manner.

"Wait, bedroom?" Bashō meanwhile got out in confusion. "Why bedrooms?" She then asked.

"Just in case this lovestruck sow actually gets a guy horny enough to bang her." The brunette replied with a half-hearted kick to her twin's backside. "And while she actually has managed to find someone, getting into his boxers is another story entirely." Ryōbi then revealed with a smirk.

"Ooooh~ So there's a boy you like~" Bashō teasingly asked as the blonde blushed scarlet.

"And here we go..." Ashiya sighed out.

"Hwawawa! I-I-It's not like that." Ryōna meekly stammered out with a blush, her hair suddenly shifting to a more helmet-style as her right eye was suddenly covered by some of her hair and now had a ahoge atop her head.

"..." The other three meanwhile looked at the blonde, confused, curious and surprised by the sudden personality shift as well as her physical appearance changing a bit too.

"Did she eat one of the flowers?" Bashō asked in concern.

"Those flowers make people high, not have them go moe on us." Ryōbi reminded.

"Different effects for different people?" Ashiya suggested. "Still, what is this about the infamous masochist actually liking a boy?" The redhead asked.

"Hwawawawa! I-I never ate one of those flowers..." Ryōna meekly confirmed.

"Then why are you going moe on us, dumbass?" Ryōbi soon asked with a raised eyebrow. This was definitely a first seeing her twin like this. "Don't tell me that your crush is affecting you like this? Come on Sis, don't join the ranks of the crazies again..." The brunette deadpanned with a faint hint of worry.

"But...there are no male students here in Hebijo aside from the two male teachers and the Principal." Bashō replied and recalled. "Don't tell me... She's a teacher's pet in that way or maybe the mistress for the Principal?" She then assumed.

"Hwawawawawa! H-He's around our age!" Ryōna stammered in a panic at the mere idea of the assumption.

"Eh? Wait, you mean...outside Hebijo?" Ashiya soon asked. "...Did you meet him while you were in Tokyo?" She then assumed.

"I met him as well. He's as much of an ass as my dogfucker twin sister is. They're perfect for each other." Ryōbi revealed with crossed arms in front of her semi-flat chest.

"...Is he cute?" Ashiya eventually asked in a curious manner.

The blonde immediately perked up to that. "Hwawawawawa!" Ryōna stammered out, her blush red on her face as her head started steaming.

"Kind of a 'John Doe' in terms of looks. Guys looking like him are a dime-a-dozen pretty much anywhere." Ryōbi admitted. "But it's probably just so he can blend in with the crowd." She then assumed as she looked at her twin. "...Holy shit, she's really being like Murakumo without her mask on." She meanwhile thought.

"So he's got an air of mystery." Ashiya assumed in a curious manner.

"Sounds kind of suspicious to me for someone to have his cards that close to his chest." Bashō pointed out.

"I-It's...the same boy Murasaki-chan has a crush on...as well as Haruka-chan's crush..." The blonde meekly quietly revealed with twiddling her fingers.

"Ooooo~ A love square~" Both the greenette and the redhead got out in unison.

"What!? That implies that they're in love with each other as well." Ryōbi got out. "Murasaki and Haruka are like sisters according to that fitness freak." She then revealed.

"Unless he's into incest play." Ashiya pointed out.

"...S-She just said it's like sisters. M-Murasaki-chan and Haruka-chan aren't actually related." Ryōna replied and stated.

"Incest play would be if he was fucking both me and Ryōna and we did lesbian stuff." Ryōbi added with a disapproving look. "Same applies if he was doing Murasaki and the Four-Eyed Fivehead and those two started to pleasure each other. Like that's gonna be a thing." The brunette added with a snicker.

"You have no imaginations." Bashō mumbled.

"I do have one! The Great Demiurge suggests that they could go for the Harem Prince End..." Ashiya replied. "Like those books I borrowed from what remained of Mirai-chan's and Murasaki-chan's collections." She then added.

"Hypocrite..." Ryōbi mumbled out in the redhead's direction.

"Hwawawawa! H-H-H-Harem!?" Ryōna squeaked out. "P-Prince?" She meanwhile thought to herself with piqued interest.

"Honestly, it's more like a love corner that this boy is getting backed into while the girls are eyeing him like a piece of meat like they're hungry lionesses." Ryōbi sighed out.

"Isn't that every man's dream though?" Bashō assumed with a tilted head.

"Most guys don't usually end up in these situations." Ryōbi replied with hands on her hips. "The reality is far harsher, especially when you're confronted with the fact that maybe he doesn't want this or already has someone he's into." She then stated.

"Like that anime in Murasaki-chan's collection where the guy ends up decapitated by one of his lovers after the whole love triangle kills each other and she sails away on her boat." Bashō replied.

Ryōna immediately paled to that as she gulped in fear. She was going to have to talk to Murasaki about that!

Unfortunately, she wasn't allowed direct access to the purplette right now...

"I'm pretty sure one of them isn't gonna go possessive yandere or something on his ass." Ryōbi got out.

"I don't know. It seems insanity is a requirement to be a shinobi..." Bashō sighed out.

"...The guy gives good advice though." Ryōbi had to confess while shrugging her shoulders. "He frickin' made Ryōna less of a masochist now as a result." She then reminded, emphasizing her currently blushing, meek and stammering twin.

"And unintentionally made Murasaki-chan into a fitness lover..." The redhead added. "Who knows what effect he's had on Haruka?" She then stated.

"I only hope Ibuki-chan won't be too disappointed in whatever the new Haruka may be like..." Bashō replied.

"Alright, alright, let's talk about our tastes in men later." Ryōbi soon decided with a sigh. "Even though we only talked about Sis's current crush." She added.

"P-Please..." Ryōna meekly got out in agreement, her head still steaming. "...I-If Akira-kun's a prince...would me and the others be his princesses then?" She meanwhile thought to herself, soon going doe-eyed at the idea.

"Tastes...in men?" Bashō repeated as she began to blush bit by bit.

Ashiya simply gulped. "S-She's right, we still have some reports to get done." She soon reminded in an attempt to change the subject.

"R-Right." Bashō responded in agreement.

"Okay, let's go." Ryōbi ordered as she began walking away. "Before Suzune slices our asses for sitting around here or personally kicks us in the cunts." She then added before pausing as she looked at the blonde.

"That would hurt like hell and I wouldn't enjoy it." Ryōna confessed.

"Good to hear." Ryōbi declared as she started walking away.

However, for the blonde...

"Hehehehe~" Ryōna giggled pervertedly, her mouth drooling and her gaze blank. "My prince, may we join Haruka-dono and Murasaki-dono in the dungeons~?" She soon muttered in a daze.

Ryōbi groaned before clearing her throat. "Whatever you wish, my sweet sunshine." She replied in a deep voice.

Ashiya and Bashō blinked. "What're you-" They began to ask, however...

"Let me work here." Ryōbi interrupted. "It's like lockpicking. You need to have a delicate or else it all resets. Just need to find what's binding..." She soon mumbled while narrowing her eyes.

If she messed up, Ryōna would spend hours in her own head...and likely start masturbating on the spot. Hands-free. While tied-up and naked. In front of everyone in Hebijo. With lots of cameras filming every second of it before being uploaded online.

"Oh, my sweet prince, how do you rule this country so kindly?" Ryōna asked with sparkles in her eyes.

"With you by my side, my sweet melonhead, I can rule the world." Ryōbi responded as she stroked her twin's cheek.

"Oh, my sweet- wait, what did you just call me?" Ryōna began only to blink at the strange nickname.

"Melonhead." Ryōbi repeated in a deadpan tone.

"...Oh, the way you say it just makes it sound more romantic! Keep calling me that until the end of time~!" Ryōna cooed in a sweet manner, drooling even more than before. "Especially after tying me up as your captive princess..." She moaned out on wobbly legs as she became even more visually and physically stimulated by her delusions.

"Melonhead..." Ryōbi let out in a soft tone as she walked around the daydreamer while she pulled back her foot. "Melonhead...melonhead...MELONHEAD!" She kept repeating, getting louder before...

THWACK!

"AHN~!" Ryōna moaned as she clutched her butt as she flew several feet into the air before landing flat on her ass with an audible crack. "Ow! What the hell Ryōbi-chan!?" She then exclaimed in anger after getting back to her feet.

"Quit your daydreaming, melonhead!" The brunette sighed as she looked at her angered twin. "Save the perverted stuff for nighttime, 'kay?" She requested with a wink. "Or at least until we show these idiots how to build shit that's liveable. Sooner we get it done, sooner you can waste your time dreaming about riding your boyfriend's massive di-." She then advised with a smirk.

"Hai...~" Ryōna hurriedly cut her off with an embarrassed pout as she rubbed the spot where her twin had kicked her.

"You ok, Ryōna-chan?" Ashiya asked.

"Moh, my panties are ruined...that kick actually ripped them and you can see everything down there now..." The blonde whined as she covered her butt with her hands while blushing. "...Including how excited I was in my daydream..." She then shamefully admitted.

"Actually, ripping them is better given the situation regarding our supplies." Bashō pointed out. "You don't want to have them chafe due to how wet they were." She added. "You were really excited there..." She concluded in a whisper.

"Goodness me...how shameful and embarrassing this is..." Ryōna mumbled, her face blushing scarlet.

"If our clothing supply situation doesn't improve soon, ripped panties are the least of our concerns. Goddamnit... We're gonna be the biggest fucking single gender nudist colony if this keeps up..." Ryōbi sighed out. "Besides, you've done worse to yourself. You'll be fine." The brunette deadpanned then reminded and reassured, though raised an eyebrow to what her twin just said and how she just said it as she started to leave.

"...I wanna be a princess now..." Ryōna unconsciously confessed, imagining and liking the idea of it before following her with the stuffed bear in her arms.

She was going to blow off some steam tonight with some target shooting and some intense thinking about her princely crush before she went to sleep.

(Dungeons)

In the dungeons, living conditions had improved a tiny bit for the imprisoned Crimson Squad due to some legwork and bargaining from Suzune and Imu. They were still naked and chained to each other (now only by the necks by intense shock collars from Ryōna's and Ibuki's personal collections) and to the cell itself, but the restraints were less strict so they could move more freely than before.

BLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH!

"And this is what happens when you eat flowers that you heard were making others high..." Hikage deadpanned while leaning against the cell bars, holding Poochie close to her.

"What...else...could we eat?!" Mirai weakly protested before she vomited again before lapsing into a severe coughing fit.

Murasaki meanwhile winced as she rubbed the back of the smallest member of the group as she continued retching in the corner. "There there." She got out in a comforting tone. "Why is their vomit rainbow colored...and sparkling?" She meanwhile thought in concern and confusion.

"It's your flowers." Hikage reminded.

"Doesn't mean I know everything about them." Murasaki countered in a deadpan tone. "Urgh...is everyone up there vomiting rainbows too?" She then wondered.

"...You think the vomit is edible?" A very pale and exhausted Yomi asked while lying on her back looking more dead than alive at this point.

"What!?" Murasaki got out in disgust.

"I mean, it's all sparkly and stuff. It could be good." The blonde replied.

"That is...is all the gruel and cardboard we've been eating getting to you!?" The ravenette got out in shock.

"We've been doing nothing for so long, I'm afraid I won't be able to adjust to the outside world anymore." The greenette admitted.

"I don't think I could ever feel comfortable in clothing again..." Mirai sighed out. "Especially not my eyepatch..." She added.

"We've been here for three days." Yomi pointed out.

"You just can't face the fact that I've adjusted to life on the inside... I'm hard now..." Mirai replied in a weakly defiant tone.

"Arf arf!" Poochie barked.

"Poochie, please don't enable such antics!" Murasaki exclaimed. Oh God, was she becoming the straight man in this comedy routine!? "Onee-chan, hurry it up!" She mentally demanded in annoyance.

"Patience." Hikage sighed out.

"Ngh..." The two sick girls got out as a fresh wave of what was the contents of their stomach spilled from their mouths.

"Ah, feeling better?" Hikage soon asked.

"I think we just ran out of stuff to actually puke out...including, I think, our blood. Ack!" Mirai coughed out with colorful drool leaking down her body. "Ugh... We've got no privacy or dignity left... We've done nearly every disgusting act in front of each other now..." The ravenette mumbled between dry heaves.

"That's what prison does." Hikage sighed while rubbing the sick girls' backs. "At least we haven't resorted to that yet to alleviate boredom and stress." She then added.

"I would never do something so shameless!" Yomi protested before she started retching again.

"I wouldn't count on it..." Mirai groaned. "We're already acting a little loopy and we've been here for only a few days." The ravenette pointed out.

"We're going to lose more dignity once things start to get colder." Murasaki suddenly realized. "T-This place has heating, right?" She soon asked.

"It's a dungeon. There isn't even insulation." Yomi mumbled.

"Hebijo never had insulation. Not even in the Elite room according to Imu..." Hikage sighed out. "Except for Miyabi's room according to those crazed fangirls..." She added.

"Perks of being the principal's daughter..." Murasaki sighed out.

"We'll practically have to cling to each other 24/7 if we're still in here by then." Mirai confessed with a shiver.

Poochie whined at that revelation.

"Are you okay, Yomi-neechan? Mirai-chan?" Murasaki soon asked in concern.

"Ugh...I'm alright, Murasaki-chan." Yomi groaned out in reassurance as she spat out the last bits of vomit stuck in her mouth. "I think that's the last of the flowers now since it's no longer rainbow colored." The blonde then revealed.

"Y-Yeah... That last one was normal colored for me." Mirai weakly added in the midst of a coughing and retching fit as she scratched the top of her head before pausing as soon as her fingers touched her black hair, which was now scattered across the floor. "...Eh?" She then squeaked out.

"...My word. Our hair got longer." Yomi then noted in awe.

"And got curly yet silky smooth." Hikage meanwhile noticed.

"And got flowers in it." Murasaki then added, noticing the yellow and green flowers in the blonde's hair while the young ravenette of the group had black and white flowers in her hair. "Though...different than mine. Weird." She then noted and confessed.

"Don't even start thinking of eating your own flowers." Hikage sighed out as she and the purplette started plucking the flowers.

"I wasn't planning on it." Murasaki pointed out.

"Who knows what would happen if any of us did?" Mirai added.

"No eating the flowers from now on." Hikage deadpanned. "Not your own or each other." She then added.

"It isn't worth puking non-stop for several hours..." Yomi bitterly admitted.

"And why is our vomit rainbow colored?" Mirai asked in concern, grimacing at the sight.

"No idea." Hikage responded while shrugging her shoulders.

"You two...got really loopy." Murasaki awkwardly confessed.

"There was lots of giggling and frolicking with ecchi undertones." The greenette additionally revealed. "And no, you didn't go any further than that." She then reassured when she saw the concerned looks on the blonde and the ravenette.

"Urgh, I hope I didn't get a womb tattoo..." Mirai mumbled as she looked down at her body before gasping. "I'm...!" The ravenette squeaked out.

"What?" Murasaki prompted in concern.

"Taller! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!" Mirai chanted while punctuating each 'Yes' by thrusting her arms above her head while pointing.

"Huh?" Hikage got out.

Yomi meanwhile blinked to that as she then went over to the ravenette, soon comparing the height between the two of them and gasped. "You really are." She got out in awe.

"Congratulations Mirai-chan!" Murasaki replied as she clapped for her friend and sister.

"Thanks Murasaki-oneechan!" Mirai replied with a grin.

However, Hikage looked unconvinced. "...I don't see a difference." She soon admitted.

"When you're this short, you notice." Mirai deadpanned, crossing her arms over her chest.

SQUISH!

"Looks like you're starting to develop a bust as well..." Yomi added as she observed the ravenette's chest start to swell and expand.

A sparkle immediately came to the ravenette's eyes as she smiled widely. "WOOOOOOHOOOOOO!" She loudly and happily cheered.

Suddenly, in Tokyo, Futaba felt inferior for some reason. "Huh, why do I feel like I'm in last place?" She wondered out loud while looking at herself in the bathroom mirror. "I'm 149 cm of cuteness! How could I lose in that category?" She then grumbled. "And why do I have the ominous feeling I'm about to become more inadequate in that way in the near future?" She concluded with a pout.

She decided to vent that problem by busting a few cybercrime rings dealing in sex trafficking as soon as she got back to her best friend/weapon.

"Mwehehehe~!" Futaba giggled out in a mischievous manner.

"I'm so proud of you Mirai!" Yomi proudly got out as she rubbed the ravenette's head.

"Hehe, I guess I should thank Murasaki-oneechan's flowers despite all the bullshit they caused us, Yomi-oneechan." Mirai giggled out in a joking manner.

"So, how much bigger are you now?" The blonde prompted when she saw Mirai's breasts stop expanding.

The ravenette in turn once more looked down at herself for an examination before nodding. "Well by the looks of it, you're looking at 152 cm of maturity complete with a 75 cm bust!" Mirai declared with a fist pump. "That means I have C-Cups now!" She then added with a giggle and a small hop.

BOING!

"That's quite a change..." Murasaki admitted in awe.

"From 150 and 62 respectively." The greenette recalled.

"You'll need all your clothes resized if we get out of here." Yomi pointed out.

"Yes!" The ravenette got out. "Two whole centimeters taller and thirteen whole centimeters bigger!" She added with a cocky giggle.

BOING!

"Hehe, I got a boing to me now." The youngest of them giggled out with a starry look in her eyes even though her bounce was still far below her fellow cell mates.

"At least that proves you haven't stopped growing." Murasaki responded "Your body still has potential!" She then added.

"Though jiggly boobs like ours that move with every step are still a work in progress." Yomi added. "...Ah, I'm bigger now too..." She soon realized as she looked down at her own slightly bigger bust now. "Maybe as big as Haruka-san now..." She then assumed as she cupped them in her hands.

"You look a little bigger than her actually, maybe even 100cm big now." Hikage assumed. "We'll need a side-by-side comparison..." She then added.

"If we ever get out of here." Mirai countered. "Still..." She then trailed off as she started groping herself with a grin on her face.

SQUISH!

"It really is a good start." Murasaki praised with a smile.

"Unless this is your maximum potential and you become one of those oppai lolis like Ryōbi." Hikage pointed out while Poochie snickered.

"Don't ruin this for me!" Mirai deadpanned while pointing a finger directly in the greenette's face. "At least I finally got something of a bust! Who knows? I could maybe have an insane growth spurt in the works." The ravenette added and assumed with another cocky giggle. "Could be bigger and bulkier than Akira-nii maybe..." She then theorized.

"I look forward to seeing you fully grown." Murasaki replied in an encouraging tone as she began petting the girl's head. "But, that's then and this is now. And now calls for another congratulations, Mirai-chan." The purplette added with a smile.

"We'll have to have a big celebration once we get the opportunity to. Hopefully with Homura-chan, Haruka-san and Tsumuji-san as well." Yomi replied as the heavy dungeon door opened in the distance.

CREAK!

The Crimson Squad waited cautiously as a pair of footsteps slowly approached their cell. Their instincts and training immediately tipped them off as to who their visitors were.

The two New Wave members, Ibuki and Chitose, who both were looking a little more dishevelled compared to before with their hair in disarray and their uniforms showing the signs of wear and tear with various rips, tears and even missing chunks in places.

"Hey guys. How's prison life?" Ibuki cheerfully greeted the four with a wave, accidentally causing her sleeve to tear.

RIP!

"Boring as fuck." Mirai replied in a blunt manner before sighing. "Any updates from up top?" She then asked.

"Besides the happy girls cheering about their bigger busts thanks to eating those flowers?" Chitose answered.

"I mean. I'm certainly celebrating." Mirai countered while puffing out her larger chest.

BOING!

"...You're a little taller now." Chitose noted. "And much bustier." She added.

"What's with the black and white flowers as well as those green and yellow flowers?" Ibuki meanwhile asked.

"We got them from eating Murasaki's flowers but if the other students are eating them you should at least prepare for intense vomiting sessions." Yomi replied and advised, going over and picking them all up before offering them to the New Wave girls, only for them to gently push them back towards the imprisoned girls.

"Yeah." Hikage responded before sighing. Was everyone getting shallower and crazier by the second?

"Noted." Chitose responded with a sigh. "You should keep that as impromptu bedding. We already have enough from Murasaki's." She pointed out.

"And risk accidentally consuming them in our sleep and have them cause some other wacky effect on us?" Hikage pointed out.

"...Good point." Chitose sighed.

"This floor is hard as fuck. I'd rather take that risk, especially with winter around the corner." Mirai countered getting a nod from the blonde and the purplette in agreement.

"Plus, if they find out about mine and Mirai-san's flowers they'll be making us produce it like a sweatshop as punishment for our 'betrayal' despite the fact anyone who has eaten then has probably produced their own now." Yomi added in a worried manner.

"You could try weaving them into a hammock to minimise that risk." Ibuki helpfully suggested. "It'd help pass the time and keep you from going stir-crazy." She then explained.

The blonde's eyes sparkled at that idea as she started bouncing energetically at the prospect before she snatched them back.

BOING! BOING! BOING! BOING!

"Waste not, want not...~" Yomi sang as she started working in a giddy manner, instantly rejuvenated from her earlier state.

The others meanwhile sweatdropped to this, really hoping that none of them would start sleep-eating this new hammock when it was finished.

"A-Anything else going on up there?" Mirai asked as the blonde's cheery humming filled the room.

"As for updates, we finally got a few huts made using materials from the ruins." The sandy blonde soon revealed. "We're mainly using them for food storage while we build the bigger ones for sheltering the students." Ibuki then added and explained.

"Took less time than expected given the circumstances." The brunette added.

"And how some people refused to work due to their hang-ups." Ibuki added with a shrug.

"People are saying no? That's rare for here." Mirai noted with a raised eyebrow.

"Barring the obvious slacker who's suffering from chronic egomania which seems to be rising daily." Chitose began. "We've heard something that may concern you." The brunette added.

"There's apparently a forming resistance that wants to free Murasaki-chan." Ibuki whispered. "They also seem to be the main group that's been actively refusing to work until she's released." She then explained while pointing to the purplette.

"And not us!?" Yomi indignantly questioned with her face flushing red in anger.

Murasaki however facepalmed to this. "It's gotta be from mine and Miyabi's group of fangirls..." She groaned.

"Why are so many people driven by their libidos these days!?" The Crimson Squad thought to themselves in unison.

"Well, the principal as well as some of the more loyal students are hunting down those very students. He doesn't want dissidents while the school is trying to just get into a position to recover." Chitose deadpanned. "Some people have disappeared already." She then revealed.

"No..." The ravenette squeaked out.

"Son of a bitch..." Hikage growled out with narrowed eyes.

"Dammit, I don't want anyone dying for my sake!" Murasaki spat out as she slammed her fist against the wall. "I'd rather be hated then..." She added in a dark tone.

"Well, it's too late to do anything." The brunette replied. "Imu is doing her best to deal with the principal, but she's also busy just trying to make sure it doesn't fall into chaos again. She is really running herself ragged here. Everyone is getting suspicious of each other. I mean, if you didn't start the fire, someone among them did." Chitose explained.

"And we know you guys didn't." Ibuki added.

"So there might be an all-out fight." Yomi got out in realization.

"...Dammit, Suzune-sensei." Murasaki cursed under her breath.

"Everything is getting worse, isn't it?" Mirai guessed.

"Not right now but...yeah. Hebijo might not be able to recover from this." Ibuki replied with a nod.

"We might have to just wipe the slate clean and start fresh." Chitose suggested. "Or try and find other Evil Shinobi schools that would accept us." She added with a sigh.

"And a lot of people will die regardless." Yomi concluded.

"Fucking shitballs..." Mirai cursed in frustration.

"Don't start thinking this is your fault though." Chitose however stated. "If it wasn't you guys, someone else would've bound to destroy the school and cause disorder." She then explained.

"What, like a Yōma?" Mirai guessed.

"More like a self-destruction of the academy that didn't need bombs to help." Chitose corrected. "It's a miracle someone hadn't snapped earlier and done all this themselves." She then admitted.

"Sooo...it was inevitable?" Ibuki assumed.

"There's also the possibility of a rogue shinobi terrorist cell just cutting off the head of the snake to put a new guy in charge." Chitose added as the thought came to her mind.

"Those don't tend to last long..." Hikage pointed out.

(Elsewhere, a quintet of shinobi in Tokyo sneezed at the same time.)

"You also don't get away with putting lasers on sharks and call it training for too long either." Chitose stated in a deadpan tone.

"You clearly weren't around where they carpet-bombed us with flaming diseased sheep for three days..." Hikage sighed out.

"Is that why one of the training grounds was called the Kogeta Hitsuji?" Ibuki asked. "Certainly would explain the constant smell of roast mutton. Huh." She added.

"Yup." Hikage sighed out.

"And don't get us started on the plastic cows covered in paper bombs..." Yomi sighed out.

"So many cases of PTECD..." Mirai groaned.

"..." Everyone looked at her in confused silence.

"Post Traumatic Exploding Cow Disorder." Mirai bluntly explained.

"Ah." The others responded in unison.

Soon enough, the room fell silent except for the faint scuttling of the various bugs and the breathing of the six girls.

"...How is the gang in Tokyo doing?" Mirai hesitantly asked.

"I've intercepted Homura's reports. They're doing fine." Chitose replied with crossed arms. "Although, Hebijo is starting to look into Haruka's drugs. With all the injuries since the fire, we're running through our stock pretty fast and it seems that they aren't having any effect on wounds anymore." She added in a more neutral tone.

"That's because Haruka has been feeding Hebijo false and incorrect recipes. She didn't want the school to have access to Doctor Takemi's secrets." Hikage revealed. "I guess the placebo effect is wearing off now." She then guessed.

"Clever move, as expected of Haruka-sama." Ibuki responded and praised in approval.

"Isn't it also bad?" Chitose pointed out. "I mean, we really do need good medicine. It's punishing the people rather than the ones at fault for this mess." She then explained. "Would you be praising her if you needed healthcare right now that only Takemi's drugs could handle and Haruka was withholding them?"

"...Oh." Ibuki only got out, hearing her point before shaking her head. "N-No... I would be cursing her..." She then admitted in a dejected tone.

"N-No one is going to die because of this, right?" The beansprout loving blonde asked in a concerned tone.

"Only if they don't force Haruka to do her mission and steal Takemi's drugs by either threatening you four with cold-blooded torture or setting off this." Chitose assumed while tapping the back of her neck as she said that last word in acknowledgment of the yoke technique placed on all of them.

"Well, thanks to Murasaki-senpai's healing thing, no one will but they'll probably have to live with chronic pain and more wanting to quit now." Ibuki admitted.

"At least it's less shinobi for Hebijo, and less people to stop us." Murasaki admitted. "I wish we could do something about this though. It is sort of our fault here." She then added.

"No, you don't." Chitose bluntly spat out. "Your time in Hebijo is done. There is nothing you can do, and there's nothing you should do. Your obligation to the people here ended that night." The brunette explained in a venomous tone.

"You were willing to leave them to their fates, even before the bombs went off." Ibuki added in a more sympathetic tone. "Let us worry about the people here. You don't have the power any more, so why take the responsibility?" She then asked.

"Because it's still the right thing to do." Murasaki answered as the other Crimson Squad members nodded in agreement. "We didn't want the school to be destroyed, but still a lot of people got caught in the crossfire and we still wanted to run away without looking back. We might not be at fault but that doesn't mean we should knowingly allow people to suffer." She then explained in detail.

"It's a nice sentiment, but you don't even have clothes on your backs. Not even your trademark accessories." Chitose pointed out "You can't do anything while down here." She then reminded.

"Maybe not right now, but...we will soon." Mirai replied in a determined tone.

"...True, we ourselves are essentially part of your group as well." Chitose confessed as her companion nodded in agreement. "The only one really not with us is Sōji." She then added with a sigh.

"Is she still-" Yomi began to ask.

"Yes, she's still lording it over the peasants and boasting over how she won against you guys." Ibuki deadpanned.

"It's been three days! How is she still riding that high?" Mirai remarked and asked.

"Through the power of narcissism." Chitose and Ibuki answered in unison.

"Suck my perfect clit, you bitches and whores! Ohohohoho~!"

The six girls standing in the dungeon sweatdropped and sighed at that as they facepalmed.

"I hate to think how insufferable she's going to get if she beats Homura..." The brunette sighed out. "Or manages to usurp Imu as the Leader of the new Elites..." She added.

"Her ego would swell to a size that would break space and time..." Mirai deadpanned.

"Not to mention the demands to have those filthy rebels build her a throne." The sandy blonde groaned out.

"She would absolutely be that kind of person to have a secret stash of fresh food just for herself." The blonde spat out in disgust.

"Wouldn't surprise me given how she's refusing to do manual labor." Chitose deadpanned with a shrug. "Thinks she's the damned Queen of the Castle despite everyone either being indifferent or starting to hate her guts if they weren't already." The brunette explained.

"Homura would never lose to her." Mirai stated in reassurance as the greenette and blonde nodded in agreement. "Not in an octillion, nonillion, hexillion, septillion years!" She then added.

"Oh, before we go, we got you all bread and some relatively fresh water." Chitose revealed as she began handing over loaves of brown bread to the imprisoned girls as well as a small bucket.

"Thank you! Actually something solid to eat." Mirai got out in relief as the prisoners began to devour the bread like ravenous wolves...until, slowly, they began to grimace and painfully swallow.

"Wh-Why does it taste like...wood?" Yomi had to comment, finally tasting the entire thing.

"Yeah...the cooks had to improvise." Ibuki sheepishly informed. "About 30% of the flour is sawdust. And the salt came from sweat. Be thankful that the 'herbs' that everyone loves were out of stock for the day," She recalled and stated.

"Ew." Mirai and Murasaki got out in disgust, the former nearly starting to retch again.

"I take it the herbs are Murasaki's flowers...?" Hikage assumed.

"Yeah... After what happened with the students eating them, no way in hell were we going to bring them to you." Chitose sighed out.

"Although, the temptation to lace Sōji's food with them is certainly appealing..." Ibuki admitted.

"Meh, necessity is the mother of invention." Hikage mumbled as she took another bite. "At least they haven't resorted to Soylent Green yet..." She added in relief.

"OH GOD NO!" Mirai and Murasaki exclaimed in both disgust and in a panic.

Ibuki, on the other hand, looked ready to hurl.

"We'll try our best to make sure that stays off the menu..." Chitose replied. "If it does, we'll try to avoid giving it to you. You're already suffering enough down here..." She added.

"Thanks." Hikage sighed out in relief.

"Yomi-oneechan, if you say you would happily eat it under particular circumstances, I will kick your ass." Mirai cautioned the blonde.

"Don't even give her ideas by threatening her not to do it..." Murasaki sighed out.

The blonde merely tilted her head in confusion.

Ibuki coughed into her hand. "So, Yomi-chan. What's the most plant-related thing you ever had to eat for long periods of time?" The sandy blonde asked in an effort to steer things in a less dark direction.

"I once ate bark and licked moss for a week." Yomi eagerly revealed in a nostalgic manner.

"At least you didn't get rocks in your bread." Ibuki got out with a comforting grin...which showed a slightly chipped tooth.

"..." The nude prisoners stared at her for a few seconds.

"...They started eating rocks now?" Hikage soon assumed.

"No, we started running out of sawdust, so they had to add more into the flour to make it last longer. So there's at least 20% other stuff." Chitose responded and explained. "Plaster, animal bones, dried bugs...You got a slightly safer batch that Imu-senpai made herself to try and motivate the Militia to do something more productive than suicidally trying a prison break." She listed off before she then revealed.

"As for the water, we managed to find a relatively uncontaminated natural flowing spring about a day and a half away from here. Imu-senpai managed to divert some of the supply to you guys to be delivered on a semi-regular basis with some help from Suzune-sensei." Ibuki added. "Though, like with the bread, neither of them can play favourites." She then cautioned.

"We're also boiling the water to get rid of anything bad in it." Chitose concluded.

"I'm guessing Onee-chan really is trying everything to make up for her mistakes..." Muasaki admitted in awe.

"..." Hikage quietly exhaled. "Hey, the first chance you get, you two tell her we appreciate her efforts and to not push herself too hard. We don't want her destroying herself via overwork to atone for how she acted. Make sure she knows that I said it." The greenette added and requested as she took a bite of her bread. "It may not be much but it's all that us four can do for her now." She then explained.

Murasaki meanwhile smiled gently upon hearing that.

"We will." Ibuki replied with a nod. "You should eat up, I don't know how long that bread will last given the ingredients." The sandy blonde then suggested.

"...I think I hate brown bread now." Mirai however mumbled out, turning a little green while setting down her loaf before her stomach growled loudly. "Geh, fine..." She groaned out to herself as she started nibbling on it again.

"It's why white bread is a symbol of the rich." Yomi meanwhile informed with the hint of a pout.

"...You're kidding." Hikage deadpanned.

"I am not." Yomi insisted in a serious tone.

"She actually isn't." Ibuki added. "White bread was seen as a symbol of the rich until the mid-19th century." She then listed off and revealed.

Yomi shot the greenette a smug 'I told you so' look while the greenette, on the other hand, continued eating her bread with a nonplussed expression.

"Still, our supply lines are effectively cut so we really need to make every bit of food last for as long as we can. So, don't go wasting anything. Or else..." Chitose advised and threatened. "Especially given the situation you four are in." She concluded and reminded the four.

"Yep. Not dead cause we're still useful in some way that has yet to be determined. We'll keep that in mind." Mirai recalled as the others of the Crimson Squad nodded in agreement.

"Now that you're all up to speed on what's going on up there, let's talk about the other rumor floating around between most of the Elites." The brunette stated with a sly smile.

"...Huh?" The four Crimson Squad members got out in perfect unison.

"...Soooo, we heard from Ashiya-chan, Bashō-chan and Ryōna-chan you have a crush, Murasaki-chan." Ibuki soon got out. "Someone that even got Haruka-sama's interests." She then added with a playful grin.

"W-Why is everyone talkIng about this!?" Murasaki stammered out. "D-D-Don't you have anything else to gossip about? Come oooon..." She then whined with a pout.

"Probably to keep from going insane." Hikage suggested "Well, more insane..." She corrected herself.

"Don't worry, it's just us six, Imu, the twins, Bashō and Ashiya that know about this." Chitose reassured. "We won't let anyone else know." She then added. "Especially since what could happen should the higher-ups find out." She soon reminded.

"Wait, Sōji-san doesn't know?" Yomi asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I wouldn't put it past her to use that info to become the most prized student here, so, yeah, we're keeping her in the dark on that." Ibuki explained.

"If the higher-ups do find out, either by themselves or by that damned blonde egomaniac tattling to them, they'll use him as leverage to make Ryōna, Murasaki-oneechan and Haruka-sama toe the line and do what they need to do..." Mirai spat out in disgust.

"And we will not let that happen." Yomi declared before remembering that she actually couldn't do anything at the moment.

"Yeah, you might want to hold off on that until you're free of those collars." Ibuki pointed out. "Those ones really hurt. Even more so than the last ones you were wearing." She then explained and revealed "The one around Murasaki-chan's neck made me feel so good for three days." She recalled with a shiver and ablush.

Murasaki winced before she started pouting even harder than before. "Still, it's not nice to pry into my love life like that, so I will never let you know anything about Akira-kun." She soon stated. "...Please tell me you already knew his name." She then assumed.

"We did. Ryōna blurted it out." Chitose replied. "She apparently went completely moe when she was caught, according to Bashō." She then explained.

"For real?" Mirai asked with a raised eyebrow.

"She's now saying she wants to be a princess now and plans to go anti-masochism apparently." Chitose revealed.

"And how is Ryobi taking this considering their whole sadomasochistic twincest thing they had going?" Mirai asked.

"Secretly celebrating when no one's around." Ibuki responded with a snicker. "Still, this guy's good if he can charm the masochism out of someone." She then added.

"What if he charms the sadism out of Haruka?" Hikage pointedly asked. "She's just as much in-love with him as well." She then added.

"At least she would be nice-nice and not intimidating-nice..." Mirai got out with a sigh of relief.

"But that means Haruka-sama no longer wants to abuse me." Ibuki cried out with a pout. "Neglect play can only scratch that itch for so long before it gets stale..." She then sobbed out with tears gushing from her eyes.

"Ibuki..." Chitose sighed out with a facepalm.

"...Haruka-sama has been focused on wanting to find a cure for cancer." Mirai awkwardly revealed.

"Really now." Chitose responded with a raised eyebrow. "So he helped her discover a new path?" She then assumed.

"A new...path..." Ibuki repeated in awe.

"One that we would've helped her follow by her side, but, well ..." Murasaki explained as she rattled the chain attached to her collar to emphasise the point.

"...Is he cute at least?" Ibuki hesitantly asked between pitiful whimpers and whines. "Yours, Ryōna-chan and Haruka-sama's crush I mean." She then added.

"V-Very." Murasaki confirmed with a bit of a stammer in her voice.

"And no one is dating him, right?" Chitose pointedly asked.

"I-I mean, Haruka-oneesama practically lives with him, and he has so many friends, and...he...he's why I decided to change for the better." Murasaki soon got out and confessed.

"But he isn't dating someone." The brunette reiterated in a firmer tone.

"..." The purplette refused to speak.

"...Why?" Hikage eventually asked. "You thinking of wanting to meet him?" She then assumed.

"I'm just making sure he isn't a heartbreaker. I care about you, Murasaki-chan, but I hope you chose a good person and not some vigintuple-timing asshole. Or gay." Ibuki admitted.

"Or asexual and/or aromantic..." Chitose added. "You better make sure you know what you're getting into is what we're saying." The brunette explained.

"I mean it's not like you'd be willing to share him with others, right?" The sandy blonde then asked.

Murasaki in response blinked at that for a moment, pausing and looking at the ceiling to think about it...as a small leak of blood came out of her nose.

"...What is she thinking about?" Hikage wondered.

"Murasaki-oneechan..." Mirai mumbled with a blush, already getting the idea of what the purplette was thinking about.

"Ah, I know." Ibuki got out in an understanding manner. "NTR." She then suggested as her own nose began to bleed for a slightly different reason than the purplette's.

Chitose shot the sandy blonde a 'Really?' look.

"Akira-nii's life is becoming like a harem anime." Mirai got out with a sweatdrop. "And if he's anything like those protagonists, he's as dense as tungsten." She then added.

"That or he is unsure of himself and doesn't want to hurt the feelings of any of the girls that are attracted to him." Chitose soon suggested.

"...That is a possibility." Hikage had to admit as the purplette and blonde nodded in agreement.

"I just hope he doesn't end up like that protag who got killed by one girlfriend and then decapitated by the other girlfriend after she killed the first one before she sails away on a boat carrying his head..." Mirai sighed out.

"Oh god no!" Murasaki exclaimed in a panic as she reflexively tried to leave at full speed.

She was going to have to talk to Haruka and Ryōna about that.

"Murasaki, you're still-" Hikage started to warn the purplette, however...

RATTLE! ZAP! THUD!

Murasaki got shocked by the collar and collapsed onto her back, twitching like crazy and covered in black stuff with her hair in an electricity-induced perm.

She would warn them as soon as she got out of that cell of course...

(Shibuya, Ginza Line)

Another day, another crazy journey to Shujin via the infamous packed trains (which seem to be getting more packed with each day). At least Akira managed to snag a seat on the first train on his trip to school before making the connection.

"Akira, you are as dense as tungsten. Quit your daydreaming melonhead..." Morgana deadpanned, popping out from his bag like usual.

"I am not." Akira replied. "...What's denser than tungsten? 'Cause I'm that." He then asked.

"This isn't a joke." Morgana sighed.

"Who said I was?" Akira pointed out. "And if I recall, you also become like putty in the hands of certain girls." He then recalled with a smirk.

"You must act appropriately when in the vicinity of gentle ladies." Morgana got out with his tail bristling, despite the fact he was blushing.

"You do that with all the female cats in heat?" Akira however started. "Do I have to worry about a litter of Monas and a feline paternity case nine months down the line?" He then jokingly asked.

"I would never engage in premarital intercourse." Morgana deadpanned. "And it's sixty-five days for the record with cats. Not that I am one." The not cat then corrected.

"But you do hang out with the lady cats." Akira soon noted.

"I don't go to them, they just come to me sometimes because I just happen to look like one." Morgana countered. "But none of them are Lady- Yumi?"

"You really have to decide who your crush is, man. You're just as much of a manwhore as I am." Akira sighed out in disapproval.

"No! Lady Yumi is coming this way." The not cat pointed out, causing the Leader to turn and see that, indeed, their shinobi idol was walking up to them.

"Akira-san." Yumi greeted with a polite bow.

"Yumi, morning." Akira greeted in return. "Today's the day we're hanging out." He then recalled.

"Yes, we are." Yumi confirmed with a smile.

"So...what place are you thinking of spending time in?" The Leader asked.

"Actually...Do you mind if you come to my apartment tonight?" The Vice-Advisor whispered.

"E-Excuse me?" Akira got out, hearing that from her.

"It's something that requires the utmost privacy." Yumi explained. "I hope you don't mind." She then added.

"It's fine. I would love to come over." Akira responded with a nod before asking. "Hey, are your sisters visiting anytime soon?" He then pressed.

"Not at the moment, no. And we should be thankful the council hasn't sent them here." The light grey-haired girl informed him. "Why though?" She asked out of genuine curiosity.

"Well, I've been so busy worrying about you that I realized I haven't done my best to check on them as well." Akira explained.

"Oh. Well, I'm glad you care that much about them, even if it's a little late." Yumi said with a smile on her face.

"Yeah, I'm not trying hard enough." Akira admitted with a chuckle.

"You are trying to please way too many people, you know." Yumi cautioned in a teasing manner.

"I know." The Leader replied. "Life is one of the greatest tricksters of all." He then muttered under his breath.

[Train arriving. Please stand behind the yellow line.]

"Well, here we go." Akira breathed out as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Before I lose the chance to say so: I'm so sorry and stay close."

"I know." Yumi replied, accepting her perverted fate.

As they stepped in, they realized that it was going to be very tight. How they allowed it to get this tight was a question that had long since taken permanent residence in their minds.

"Ugh, rush hour sucks." Akira simply stated under his breaths, seeing the sea of people inside the recently arrived train.

"Ngh, packed like sardines..." Morgana groaned.

"Hopefully...I won't get touched by some unnecessary hands once more." Yumi had to state as well.

"Don't hit me if it was mine." Akira simply responded.

"I'll do my best not to." Yumi responded with a sigh.

At that moment, the train doors opened and the sea of people flowed across the station, some entered the train and others exited from it.

"Here goes..."Yumi sighed as she and Akira immediately got pushed in by dedicated public transit employees hired for maximum efficiency.

"MMPH!" Akira got out as his face and mouth were stuffed by something after being knocked back by the sea of people, having been abruptly separated from the Vice Advisor in the interim.

"K-Kurusu-san!?" A familiar female voice freaked out.

Akira turned to where the voice was...before he went into disbelief as he noticed who it was. "Huh? K-Kawakami!?" He began. "Why are you on the train!?" He then asked, still in disbelief.

"Um, my car broke down and-" Kawakami tried to explain, only to falter when she felt something being touched. "P-Please get your hands..." She then requested with a blush.

At that, the young man then noticed that his hands were on his homeroom teacher's inner thighs.

"I am so- WHOA!" Akira apologized before the train shook, causing the passengers to stumble and shift around.

"AAHH!" Kawakami squeaked out.

"Dammit, hold on!" Akira cursed.

"What is even happening!?" Another familiar female voice got out.

"Kawakami-sensei!?" Akira got out in confusion.

"Asuka!?" The teacher asked in disbelief.

"Why are you- NO!" The Vice Leader squeaked as she felt her teacher's butt slam her in the stomach causing the brunette to realize that the impact had tweaked her uniform skirt's zipper.

After even more agonising seconds (that felt like millenia) of everyone shifting around, the train finally settled down...for the worst.

Kawakami blushed entirely red as both her students were...well, in very precarious positions.

Somehow, Akira managed to get a seat and have the teacher sit on his lap while Asuka was forced to loom over Kawakami with her hands on the window above her.

From an outsider's perspective, it looked like they were...double-teaming her.

"...This is it. This is how I finally lose my teaching license." Kawakami muttered in shame.

"My skirt is starting to slip down!" Asuka mentally panicked as, due to her position, she couldn't do anything about it.

"I really hate this effing train." Akira thought with a groan. "Sensei, just...keep still, okay? It'll be over soon." He then whispered to her on her shoulder.

Kawakami simply gulped.

Akira then noticed something over his teacher's shoulder and immediately, he shot his free hand across his teacher's side and grabbed the kunoichi's skirt by the belt before pulling it back up.

"Thank you, Akira-kun..." Asuka uttered under her breath.

"All in a day's work in a year full of them." Akira responded as he settled in for the long haul. All fifteen minutes of it.

(Aoyama-Itchome, Shujin Academy School Gate)

After what felt like forever, the train finally reached its destination and people started pouring out, leaving Asuka, Akira and Kawakami catching their breath before doing anything else.

"Sis, are you sure you're okay?" Homura got out in concern as she reunited with the brunette. "I hope you didn't get too badly roughed up in your car."

"Haah... Could've been worse..." Asuka sighed out in relief as she quickly fixed her zipper to make sure her skirt didn't slide down again. "How about you?" She then asked.

"I got crammed in the corner of my car with Makoto, Ann, Ryuji, Haru and Mishima." The tanned girl admitted. "Though we weren't as crushed as you were." She added with a wince. "How about you Kawakami-sensei? Are you okay?" She then asked.

"I am. I'm just gonna rest here for a bit and grab something to drink." The teacher replied as she came to a stop. "Go ahead, I'll see you in home...room...oh God..." Kawakami muttered as she waved her students to go ahead.

Akira nodded as he started walking to school with his two fellow students and Thieves.

"We seriously need the Morganamobile in real life." Homura sighed with a hint of annoyance as they walked closer to the front gate itself. "Or the government needs to invest in a train just for students." She then added.

"I don't think that'd be too feasible, Homu-neechan." Asuka replied.

"Feel free to get yourself a drink." Homura soon suggested. "I'll be going on ahead." She then added.

"We aren't stopping you." Akira soon got out as he and Asuka went over to the vending machines as their friend headed off.

DAZZLE! SHINE!

Meanwhile as Homura walked to school with poise and grace, all eyes were on her.

The boys looked on at her as if they were smitten, enticed by her beauty as she walked.

The girls meanwhile looked at her in awe and admiration for her regal, mature and cool stature with no hints of envy whatsoever.

It was not like however things were with Kamoshida when he was around.

"Hey, it's Homura-senpai!"

"You're doing good work!"

"You saved my life!"

"Sign my doujinshi!"

"Wait, you have a doujin of her?"

"WHY do you have a doujin of her, nee-san?"

Homura heard these statements and immediately, she began to feel a little intimidated from the kind of attention she was receiving at the moment.

"Look at her... Just walking down the halls like she owns the place..." One male student stated as he gazed at her raven hair flowing.

"Yeah, she's truly a sight to behold." Another male student agreed as they watched her walk past them.

"I'm so thankful to be attending this school if I get to see a hot girl like her!" A third male student got out in joy.

"KYA! Homura-oneesama is so divine!" One girl meanwhile squealed.

"Homura-oneesama! I'm a huge fan of yours!" Another girl on the other hand confessed in admiration.

"I want to be just like you someday!" Yet another girl got out.

Homura meanwhile smiled kindly as she basked in the praise she was receiving.

As she walked past the school grounds, she did another hair flick.

SPARKLE!

In response, some of the students shake in excitement along with some giggles and cheers from the male and female student body of Shujin Academy.

In the past, Homura would've been annoyed by this, her training making her feel weary of praise like this, thinking that lowering her guard would put her at risk of attack.

But now...she really didn't mind it. It felt good hearing the kind words.

It made her feel good. Making her want to bask in it.

But she also knew better. Despite being treated as a queen, she knew better then going down the same path as Kamoshida.

Her fellow students were not servants to her, but just that, students.

Students that just happened to admire her for her accomplishments.

Being called a queen or dragoness...was just a bonus to her at this point.

"Ohohoho~" Homura mentally laughed to herself with a charming smile, causing other students to swoon over her as she continued on her way to school.

"Man, things really have gotten better since Homura-san formed the Disciplinary Committee."

"You got that right. Brains and beauty from a girl like her."

"It honestly almost reminds me of someone else."

"Really? Who?"

"Ngh, it's on the tip of my tongue..."

"Rias Gremory and Akeno Himejima. You heard about them?"

"Huh?"

"Ooooh, DxD?"

"Oh yeah, I can see it now from Homura-san."

"She's definitely like our own Rias now."

"Huh. If she is Rias, then who's our Akeno?"

"...Makoto-senpai?"

"..."

"Nah. She's a queen too, but nothing like Akeno."

"Still, it feels like we're being bestowed with gifts like Homura and Makoto for the sake of Shujin Academy."

"We really were idiots when we thought they were bad..."

"Didn't we think the same thing about that transfer student?"

"Do you even know his name?"

"...You've made your point."

"What made him infamous again?"

"Kamoshida BS exposing his criminal record, duh."

"DxD? Rias and Akeno?" Homura mentally repeated in a curious manner. "...I'll have to ask Futaba about it tonight." She then decided in her head.

"If those guys are comparing them to you, they have to be good characters to look up to."

"You think so?" Homura mentally responded. "First, I need to handle my duties perfectly here."

"As one of its Queens?" Musashi assumed in amusement.

"You know it." Homura mentally replied. "Ohoho~ Let's get to it." She then added in her head with a laugh.

(10/8, Morning)

(Akihabara, Maid Cafe)

Miyabi was hard at work making sure that everything was running smoothly. They had just gotten through a crazy high influx of customers and had finally gotten a lull where the cafe was empty.

A Mementos trip was one thing, but this...this was a whole other story. Miyabi even entertained the thought that the Reaper was preferable at times...

At least there wasn't anyone who may have recognised her in that onslaught.

"Uuuuh, what a rush, Morgan-senpai." Yuki breathed out in exhaustion as she stretched. "We worked up a good sweat." The blonde then revealed with a giggle as she used a napkin to help clean herself up.

"Yep. We definitely earned this break, Kiki." The white haired woman replied in agreement.

"Looks like Muji-chan needs it as well." The blonde giggled out while pointing to Tsumuji, who was currently passed out in the corner.

Miyabi however sighed to that display as she placed her hands on her hips. "Oi, Muji! Get up already!" She called out in a chiding manner.

"A few more...minutes...to catch my breath..." Tsumuji groaned as she tried valiantly to not give up the ghost.

"Moh... I didn't sign up... for this."

"If I have to deal with another clogged toilet..."

"Kiki-senpai. Neko-chan broke her prosthetic leg again."

"Really?! That's the third time this year according to the records..." Yuki sighed out. "You should contact the manufacturer of that, Neko-chan and see about getting a replacement..." She suggested.

Miyabi in turn sighed to this, but then noticed a familiar face approaching her. "Ah, manager." She got out as she bowed to the older woman.

"You girls did really well to handle all that. Especially you, Morgan-chan." The manager soon praised as she then turned to the white haired woman with a proud expression on her face. "You're a natural leader when it comes to handling things out the front." She then continued, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"M-Manager..." Miyabi breathed out, touched by hearing those words.

"Especially since you had to run the whole shop while I was bogged down in the back office dealing with the paperwork and our suppliers." The manager soon stated with a sigh. "All of you did amazing today. You should all be proud of yourselves that you were able to take Morgan-chan's instructions down to a T." She then praised.

BANG!

"I...really don't know what to say. I'm at a loss for words" Miyabi got out and confessed in an uncertain tone. This was...a different kind of praise than she was normally used to.

"Rare to see Morgan-senpai all flustered..." Yuki thought to herself with a smile.

"I must be having a fever dream..." Tsumuji mumbled as she returned to reality.

"Morgan-chan, all I can say is that I know now you would succeed if I let you take over some day." The manager soon confessed. "That is why as of now, I am promoting you to be my second in command. Co-manager." She then revealed in a proud manner.

"!" Miyabi's eyes immediately widened after hearing that. "C-C-C-Co-manager!? M-Me!?" She gawked in disbelief as she watched the manager nod in confirmation.

"Just like that?

"Wait for it..."

"Any second now..."

DING!

A sparkle soon came to the white haired woman's eyes. "I...I mean if you really want me to, then I won't disappoint you, hehe~!" Miyabi replied with giddiness and excitement, her voice an octave higher and sounding more cutesy and girly.

"Attagirl!" The manager encouraged with a smile.

"Look at you, Manager Morgan." Yuki praised as she gave the white-haired woman's shoulders an appreciative rub.

"Hehe, thanks Kiki-chan!" Miyabi happily replied with a cutesy giggle as she then turned to the others. "Everyone, I hope you will all continue to treat me well." She then requested as she bowed to her fellow employees.

"Morgan-senpai is the coolest!"

"We'll gladly work under you."

"I'd break my real leg to make sure everything is done right!"

"I'm definitely losing it..." Tsumuji muttered as she passed out again.

CRASH!

"Muji-chan may need an early day..." Yuki got out in a sympathetic tone. "Followed by some mandatory sick leave." She added.

"As a reward for all your hard work today, add the fact that we're out of several key ingredients, all of you officially have the rest of the day off." The manager declared, causing the employees to perk up. "As for the vacancy of Morgan-chan's prior position, I am appointing Kiki-chan to take it as she has been really going above and beyond with her work ethic especially with the really revolting jobs." She then revealed.

"I appreciate the opportunity, Boss!" The Senki Shu blonde replied with a bow before looking up again with a grin. "I won't let you down!" Yuki then declared.

"Excellent." The manager replied in approval. "Now Morgan-chan, can you please come with me to my office so we can finalize your promotion?" She soon requested. "After I'm done with Morgan-chan, could you join me Kiki-chan?" She then added.

"Righto." Yuki replied with a salute. "Can I have a quick word with you once we're done, Morgan-senpai?" She then whispered to the white-haired woman.

Miyabi gave a thumbs up and a nod as she exited the cafe area as the other girls started cleaning up.

(Manager's Office)

"Have a seat Morgan-chan." The manager offered as they entered the office.

"Mhm." Miyabi hummed out as she sat down.

"It was a surprise, wasn't it." The manager suddenly assumed. "Being promoted like that on the spot I mean." She then added in amusement.

"Obviously." Miyabi replied with a smile.

"You've definitely come a long way from the woman that was unsure of herself when she first applied." The manager soon reminded with a giggle.

"Naturally. This was more of a job out of desperation at first, but I've really grown to love it." The white-haired woman replied and confessed with a giggle.

"And looks like a side of you has come out that you didn't realize you had." The manager noted. "A much cuter and girly side of you." She then added with a hint of pride in her voice.

Miyabi immediately blushed at that. "Th-Thank you." She responded. "It felt...good honestly." She soon confessed.

"That is good to hear." The manager praised in approval. "Keep that positive energy as a good example for the other girls. You are also their boss now after all." She praised and instructed.

"Hai!" Miyabi excitedly replied with a nod.

"Now, I'm sure you are aware that your duties will increase a lot as the co-manager." The manager assumed.

"Yes ma'am." Miyabi responded.

"That's all I have to say. Could you bring in Kiki-chan now after you sign this paperwork?" The manager requested as she placed the paper in mention in front of her new co-manager.

The white-haired woman quickly did so and handed the clipboard back.

"Good, you'll now be receiving the same amount on your paycheck as I do, ten thousand yen per hour and you'll get paid every Friday." The manager soon revealed in a nonchalant manner.

Miyabi immediately sputtered to that pay increase. "T-TEN THOUSAND AN HOUR!?" She repeated.

That would certainly mean she wouldn't have to rely on the others for spoiling herself for a while.

No way she was quitting now!

Not even her damned Militia would stop her now!

(Locker Room)

The newly promoted co-manager and head maid were changing out of their uniforms and back into their civilian attires after the blonde was brought into the office to settle her own paperwork.

BOING! BOING!

"Seriously Morgan-senpai, ten thousand an hour!?" Yuki gawked in a whisper.

"It would appear so." Miyabi replied. "Totally blew my mind as well" She then added with a grin.

"I got a pretty sweet bonus as well. Gonna put a good chunk of it in my 'rainy day' pot and spend the rest on a little fun." Yuki revealed.

"Good plan Kiki-chan." Miyabi praised in approval.

"You down on an outing to celebrate our promotions?" The blonde suggested.

"You know it!" The white haired girl happily replied. "How about tomorrow after work?" She then suggested.

"Tomorrow works. Let's exchange contact info so we can better communicate." Yuki confirmed as she pulled her phone from her purse.

"Sure." Miyabi replied, taking out her phone as the two then tapped their phones together.

["PrincessBride" has been added to your contacts list.

["DarkEyeXI" has been added to your contacts list.]

"Hehe, princess huh?" Miyabi teasingly giggled out in amusement.

"What can I say? I'm a sucker for good literature." Yuki replied. "Movie wasn't bad either. Starred André the Giant." She then added.

"You dream of being a princess someday?" Miyabi then jokingly asked.

"We all have our little fantasies. They do wonders for one's mental health when the world goes mad. Or horny. Maaaaaybe both." Yuki replied and listed off as she then held her chest in her hands.

BOING!

"...We are pretty big huh?" Miyabi noted, also holding her breasts in her hands as well.

BOING!

"I know and I've still got a couple of growth spurts to go." The blonde replied. "Though I'm not sure they'll be as big as yours, Morgan-senpai." She then admitted, showing her bust to the white haired woman.

"I dunno. You probably could still catch up to me" Miyabi replied, doing the same action towards the blonde. "Provided Futaba doesn't make me any bigger with her groping..." She then thought to herself with a mental sweatdrop.

SQUISH!

The two soon began squishing their breasts up to one another.

"Hmm..." The two began humming out in curious manners, unphased by their current action.

"Hey, how big are ya actually Morgan-senpai?" Yuki asked out of curiosity.

"96cm, H-Cups. You?" The white-haired casually answered and then asked.

"88cm, E-Cups. Yep, I definitely am gonna catch up to ya in a few years." Yuki admitted as she pulled away. "Got any tips?" She then asked as the two started getting dressed back into their street clothes.

"That's tough since mine naturally grew to be this big." Miyabi sighed out. "Milk, I guess?" She then suggested.

"If I drank any more milk, I'd be sucking on an udder 24/7! Or a boob!" The blonde joking replied with a wiggle of her fingers while licking her lips. "Still, I hope I can someday become as sexy as you, Morgan-senpai." She soon confessed.

"I think you're already quite sexy. At least compared to a hunk like I am." Miyabi responded and admitted with a sigh.

"Pfft! Hunk!? No way!" Yuki got out before snickering in denial. "Honestly, I just think you're a really cool, beautiful and confident young woman. Just like one of my roommates." She replied and complimented as she listed off the qualities.

"..." Miyabi's eyes widened to hear that she wasn't a hunk, a touched smile soon appearing on her face and a sparkle came to her eyes. "Totally! And I have such a cute and sexy kouhai as well!" She soon declared in excitement and giddiness as she hugged the blonde.

SQUISH!

"Steady there, I nearly lost my balance. I'm not used to these new boots yet." Yuki advised while glancing down at the knee-high platform footwear adorned with several zips and buckles for decoration. "Though thanks for the compliments." She then added as she returned the hug.

"Itai! You're jabbing me with the spikes on your jacket." Miyabi got out in a mix of amusement and pain.

"Turnabout's completely valid, senpai." Yuki teasingly replied. "Guess being called a hunk's trigger word for ya, huh?" She then jokingly assumed.

"I went to an all-girls school when I was younger." Miyabi revealed with a sigh as the blonde nodded in understanding.

"Ooh, girls were horny for ya?" Yuki guessed with a wince.

"Oh you have no idea." Miyabi sighed out with a pout. "No respect for their student council prez and all..." She then added in whiny annoyance.

"Jeez, that had to suuuuuuck." Yuki got out in sympathy as she brushed a few strands of her blonde hair out of her face.

"Oh you have no idea..." Miyabi grumbled.

"How bad we talkin' here? Like 'unruly mob' kind of bad?" The blonde asked.

"...Yes." Miyabi answered.

"I sense many great tragedies in that comment." Yuki sagely replied. "Perverts?" She then guessed.

"Worse. You, Kiki-chan, are one of the few girls I know that don't see me as a hunk nor want to take my panties or take nude photos of me while I'm sleeping." Miyabi revealed with a haunted expression on her face.

"Yeesh..." Yuki sighed out with another wince. "Not even Miki-chii's fans are this desperate and she's had to retaliate a few times." She thought to herself. "Well, you don't gotta worry about that from me, Morgan-senpai." She then reassured. "Ah, right. We'd better not use our real names tomorrow." She reminded.

"I'll remember that, Kiki-chan." Miyabi replied in agreement.

Yuki flashed a wide grin as she then looked at the time on her phone. "Ah, I better get going. Gotta do a grocery run for home. I'll see ya tomorrow, Morgan-senpai. Stay safe. Au revoir, adios and dovizhdane!" The blonde replied with a bow as she slung her black leather bag with decorative chains around her shoulder.

"I'll see you tomorrow." The white-haired woman replied as she grabbed her own bag and left through the 'STAFF-ONLY' door at the back.

"Unleashing a side of yourself you usually don't let out." Nobunaga noted in approval.

"Kiki-chan's a good friend and I feel more free working here." Miyabi mentally confessed with a smile.

"Despite her general carefree and lackadaisical demeanor, she's a definite and steadfast ally in your path to womanhood, young shogun." Nobunaga observed. "However, you should remain vigilant lest you let an unaccounted for enemy get too close." Her other self cautioned.

"True." Miyabi mentally responded in agreement. "In any case, I better get ready for tonight with training my apprentice." She then decided.

"Do you have a plan to have her become on par with Yumi's apprentice?" Nobunaga assumed.

"Naturally. To do any less would be an insult to my training ethics." Miyabi mentally declared with a smirk.

"Coming from the girl who was first unsure of her apprentice dressing similarly to you." Nobunaga reminded in amusement.

Miyabi immediately blushed at that. "T-Things were different back then." She awkwardly got out as she headed out, still thinking of her training regiment she would be giving. "You said it yourself in regards to Kiki-chan. She may dress and act somewhat unconventionally for my tastes, but her drive to succeed and do her best is what matters in the end. That's why I accept and respect my apprentice's decision to emulate my outfit." She then mentally stated with pride.

Nobunaga merely chuckled in approval at her other self's reasoning as Miyabi disappeared into the crowd.

Meanwhile with Yuki, she stretched her limbs as she felt giddy about the day's events. "Yes! Got a promotion and a new BFF!" She cheered with a fist pump. "Might grab somethin' special to celebrate before I head home and plan for tomorrow's outing with Morgan-senpai." She then decided. "Maybe a quick bite at Seiren would be best or maybe grabbing something to go at the Hee Ho Mart..." She declared mentally as she headed out.

(10/8, After School)

(Shujin Academy, Classroom)

"Phew, another day done." Ann sighed out as she stretched.

"Indeed it has." Homura responded in agreement as she maturely placed her books away. "Planning a shopping run, Sis?" She soon asked.

"Hai." The Vice Leader replied. "Just groceries though." She then clarified to the ash blonde

"Remember Asuka-chan, we have a Fall and Winter Clothes shoot two days from now on the 10th." Ann soon reminded.

"Ah, that's right. Kokito-san texted me my upcoming shoot schedule as well." The Vice Leader got out as she checked her phone.

"What about you, Akira?" Homura asked.

"Hanging out with Yumi later tonight." The Leader replied.

"Ryuji-kun left as soon as the bell rang." Asuka recalled.

"While I have my committee duties." Homura reminded the group.

"Roger that, my Queen." Akira quipped with a mock bow.

Homura simply sighed, though mentally smirked at the title. "Okay, don't get used to it, Akira Kurusu." She responded with an eye roll as she then headed out.

(In a more romantic timeline, Homura expertly hid her blushing face as well from her silver-tongued boyfriend while surreptitiously calling him an 'ass' in a playful whisper.)

(Disciplinary Committee Room)

Homura entered the room, gently closing the door behind her to find nearly everyone present and awaiting her instructions.

There was another empty seat today. She knew Naomi was still out of it (due to Bleach Japan) so the other vacancy would have to be...

"Hm, has anyone seen Ichiko today?" Homura asked the rest, trying to look for the girl she wanted to see.

"Nope." Daigo responded as he shook his head.

"Nuh-uh." Ryoga replied with a shrug.

"Is she skipping school?" Yui asked in annoyance while folding her arms under her (now much larger) bust.

Homura let out a long sigh. "I wish she'd take her duties more seriously." She confessed in disapproval.

"Didn't she join for purely selfish reasons?" Satoshi pointed out.

"She's still an important part of our group." Homura insisted. "Everyone is. The school needs us more than ever, and that means no one should be flaking on their duties." She then declared.

"Oh crap, I forgot! I need to pick up my brother in half an hour!" Suzuka realized. "I made a promise that I would spend the afternoon with him." She then revealed.

"You may flake on your duties." The tanned girl instantly replied.

"Thank you, ma'am!" Suzuka replied in gratitude before getting up and briskly walking out.

"Just...everyone go on your patrols. I'll see if Ichiko actually has a reason to be away." Homura decided with a sigh.

"Alright." Keiichiro got out in an unsure manner as the committee began to head out.

"Come on, Ichiko. I know you're better than this." The tanned girl muttered to herself as soon as the room emptied.

BZZT! BZZT!

"Hm?" Homura hummed out as she pulled her phone out.

[Road2Queen: Homura, do you mind printing some papers for me and delivering them to the council room? I also need to talk to you about something tonight at my place.]

[FireGirl20: No problem on either one of those requests.]

"Huh, couldn't she ask one of her council members? I mean, I've only seen two of their members but..." Homura wondered aloud as she put away her phone, before turning towards the door after picking up a noise coming from outside. "Hold on, who's running down the hall?" She thought with a frown.

SLIDE! SQUEAL! SLAM!

At that moment, someone entered the committee room and slid the door closed with a very loud slam.

"Ichiko!?" Homura gawked in confusion, seeing the girl in a clear panic.

"Eeeeeeeeee..." Ichiko screeched in a panic as she stumbled over to a table and flopped over it, clearly exhausted.

"What the- you look terrible!" Homura exclaimed. She had dirt and tears on her outfit that made her look like she just came out of the woods with no sleep or food. "And you aren't even in your uniform." She then added in a flat tone.

Ichiko could only sob in response.

Seeing how absolutely traumatised the girl looked, the head of the committee put on a more sympathetic expression. "...Okay, let me go get you something to eat and drink. I'll be-" Homura began as she was about to leave the room.

"DON'T LEAVE!" Ichiko yelled in a panic, cutting her off.

"I'm just going to the cafeteria. It'll take two minutes, tops." Homura simply explained as she continued on.

"No, they'll find me and take me away." Ichiko demanded while clinging to the tan skinned girl with a death-like grip.

Instantly, Homura got serious. "Who?" She questioned in a no nonsense tone.

"The yakuza." Ichiko revealed.

"Th-The huh!?" Homura got out in surprise.

"The yakuza, you fool!" Ichiko repeated "I spent all day running away, but they keep finding me. This is the only place I could think of that's safe! Please, don't let them take me!" She then begged.

The tan skinned girl mentally cursed. If her committee member was telling the truth, she might have led some thugs to the school. "Calm down. Just...let me think for a second." Homura frowned before pulling out her phone and calling a number. "Yui?" She soon got out as soon as the call was picked up.

"Homura-san?" Yui's voice began from the phone.

"You're patrolling the front of the school today, right? Is there anyone...suspicious outside? Stay out of sight, this is kind of important." Homura asked right away and then warned.

"Give me a second." Yui replied. "Um...there's two men with sunglasses and really bad haircuts just outside the entrance. They're just looking and- ah, I think they spotted me!" She then added in a slightly higher pitch.

"Shit." Homura swore under her breath. So Ichiko was telling the truth. "How do I play this?" She soon thought. She might need to use a few shinobi techniques to resolve this.

"Wait, I think they're leaving." Yui assumed. "Yes, they've moved on." She then confirmed with a sigh of relief.

"Whew." Homura breathed out before instructing. "Yui, tell the teachers that there were suspicious individuals coming by earlier and tell the others to keep an eye out for them."

"Should I call the police?" Yui suggested.

"Not yet, but don't hesitate if they are on school grounds. Stay safe." The tanned girl advised before ending the call. If the police came again, it would tank Shujin's reputation. Again. "God, we need actual security guards here." Homura mumbled under her breath.

"...I-Is everything okay?" Ichiko hesitantly asked, having decided to crawl under the tables for protection.

"I think so, but I'm not letting my guard down." Homura responded before quickly texting Makoto about the situation. She might not be getting her printouts any time soon.

"Oh, thank you, Shinkukage-san!" Ichiko got out in gratitude as she bowed frantically. "I promise to...to..."

"Promise nothing." Homura cut her off before adding. "Actually, I want an explanation."

"Erm..." Ichiko stammered.

"Ichiko, how in the world did you get mixed up with the yakuza!?" Homura questioned in a dead serious and concerned tone.

"I don't know!" Ichiko cried out. "They just showed up and they kept demanding my dad for money! I-I think they're going to take me as payment!" She then revealed in a panicked manner. "Oh man, what am I gonna do Homura!? I-I don't know what's going on! My luck was never this bad!" She got out as she held her head in fear.

"And where have you been all day?" Homura asked in a firm, yet concerned tone.

"Everywhere!" Ichiko replied as she started hyperventilating. "I kept finding them around every corner! It's like they're tracking me! I thought ditching my phone would help, but they still found me!" She rapidly recalled.

"Where is it now?" Homura asked.

"I just threw it somewhere. It should be scrapped by now...or stolen. It is really cute." Ichiko replied as her head drooped.

"Dammit, why didn't you call the police!?" Homura asked in frustration.

DING!

"...Oh that would've been a good idea." Ichiko admitted.

"...You know what, it was probably the heat of the moment. Your short-term survival and safety is more important before you think about the long term." Homura explained in a calmer tone. "And right now, we should be discussing that. Do you really have no idea why they're demanding your father for money?" She then prompted while looking her committee member in the eyes.

"No. I don't really get myself involved in something like that." Ichiko responded.

The tan skinned girl sighed. She might need to resort to drastic measures with this. "...Who are these yakuza? What's their clan or family or whatever." Homura eventually asked.

"I think it was the Ena Family. I don't know anything else." Ichiko managed to reply.

Homura nodded. It was a start. "Everything will be fine, Ichiko. It'll work out somehow." She soon reassured.

"Oh come on! My only hope is the freaking Phantom Thieves!" Ichiko blurted out in frustration. "They only help weak people. I'm...not anything like that." She then admitted as she started crying again due to the stress.

"They help anyone in need." Homura explained. "And if they can't help, and I highly doubt that will be the case, I'll always be there to get you out of trouble." She then added in reassurance.

"Y-You will?" Ichiko asked in shock. "After everything? I barely show up to meetings, I don't do any work, I spend most of my patrol time watching ViewTube!" She then admitted while averting her gaze out of shame.

"While I do want you to be more responsible, you're still part of my committee, and I protect my committee with everything I have." Homura confessed and soon stated.

"...You do realize this is the yakuza you're talking about." Ichiko reiterated in a calmer, yet still shaky, voice. "Don't you hear what they do to you if you mess with them? Your corpse won't even be recognizable once they're done with you, if anyone finds you afterwards!" She added with a look of concern on her face.

As much as Homura wanted to say she could easily take care of yakuza without even using her katanas, she couldn't exactly let her committee member know without busting her identity.

"...I know Haru Okumura and she has bodyguards." Homura soon revealed, internally grimacing. She didn't want to use her connections like this but it was necessary in this scenario.

"That bitch!?" Ichiko cursed in disbelief. "Urgh...okay, I'll accept some help from that five-headed wingnut." She then relented.

Homura went still as she stared at her. "Okay, what did you call my friend again?" She then had to ask her.

Ichiko froze in place, realizing what she just said. "Erm, nothing. Please help me." She then replied and requested with an obvious change in tone.

"...You're apologizing to Haru-senpai after this." Homura simply responded...only to get tackled to a hug by the girl. "OOF! Ow!" She grunted out.

"Thank you so much." Ichiko mumbled, sniffling into the committee head's shoulder.

Homura felt her connection to Ichiko strengthen as she realized she was the only person she could turn to.

SHATTER!

RANK UP! Fortune Rank 4!

Money Boost: Increases the amount of money obtained in battle.

"Are you okay?" Homura decided to ask her.

"Better now." Ichiko replied as she let go from the hug before facing her. "I-I'm still so scared but...I, I think I can trust you with this." She then admitted with a small smile.

Homura soon placed her hands on her committee member's shoulders. "Don't worry, everything will be alright in the end." She reassured.

"I hope you're right about that." Ichiko muttered. "O...ho...ho...ho...ho...~" She weakly laughed. It was hollow, but there was a tinge of hope within it, as small as it was.

"Looks like we're gonna have to deal with the yakuza...again." Homura thought with a sigh. It hadn't even been a full day since dealing with one of them.

"Okay, what do you suggest I do?" Ichiko eventually asked.

"You should go home and rest for now. Stay out of sight. Maybe stay over at someone else's house. If you're seriously in danger, you might want to take some days off school." Homura instructed in a dead serious tone.

"Um, actually, can you walk me over to the station?" Ichiko hesitantly requested.

"Alright." Homura responded before gaining a thinking expression. "Hmm, actually, give me a second." She hummed out and soon requested.

"Huh?" Ichiko got out in confusion.

"Trust me. I have a plan." Homura replied as she pulled out her phone and called another one of her committee members .

"But...I don't want you to leave yet." Ichiko pleaded.

"...Give me one more second." Homura replied as she took out her phone and dialed a number. before addressing the person on the other end. "Hey, Sora? Do you mind swinging by the Lost & Found and grab any unclaimed clothing for me?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sure, I'm actually there right now. It shouldn't take more than a few minutes to grab what you need." Sora soon answered. He sounded a little confused, but he trusted his buchou.

"Thank you." Homura replied as she hung up.

"Ew, peasant's clothes? Why would you give me those?" Ichiko protested.

"..." Homura gave a deadpan expression as she glanced down at her committee member's current appearance.

"O-Oh, I get it." Ichiko stammered out.

A few minutes later, Sora stopped by and gave Homura a bunch of lost items, which conveniently included several wigs. After handing the clothes to Ichiko, she picked out the...least bad options and changed into them in a private corner of the room.

Ichiko was now wearing a loaned Shujin uniform, but it was how a gyaru would interpret it with a ridiculously short skirt that barely covered her panties, loose socks, lots of bangles and a partially unbuttoned shirt that gave a peek of her bra with the loose tie untucked and the blazer tied around her waist.

"I look hideous." Ichiko whined as the tan skinned girl adjusted the very fluffy twin tailed strawberry blonde wig on her head before grabbing two pink and purple bows to attach to the base of the tails.

"You look fine. Now head to the entrance. I need to do something real quick." Homura complimented and instructed.

"Can't you do it later?" Ichiko then complained in a nervous manner.

"I promise, it'll help solve your problem. Please." Homura insisted.

"Fine, but if I get kidnapped, you're paying my ransom!" Ichiko threatened as she cautiously left the room after glancing down the corridor.

"I will." Homura promised. "...Fuck me." She muttered under her breath as she brushed her hand through her hair before she pulled out her phone.

There was only one person she knew who was (secretly) powerful enough to help her with this situation.

"Hey, Futaba...do you mind looking into the Ena Family Yakuza...?" Homura asked over the phone.

"Already have their names. I was listening to the entire conversation." Futaba casually replied.

"Please stop doing that." Homura groaned out.

"But I live vicariously through you guys. BTW, if you wanna bring it down, you need to take down the patriarch and his four lieutenants. I'll send it to the NPC by the next Phantom Thieves meeting." Futaba informed.

"Five targets huh?" Homura muttered out. "Oh, this is gonna be a pain in the ass. If we only go after them one at a time, they'll just get rid of whoever we change with someone new. We need to take them out in one go." She then stated.

"A boss rush? Are you sure we can handle such a thing?" Futaba asked in concern. "Well, hopefully if we hit them quickly enough with the calling cards they'll spawn in the same room and we can decapitate 'em like the Hydra." She then assumed. "Not literally of course, mwehehe." The orangette concluded.

"We absolutely have to take them all out. If we can't, Ichiko gets sold to pay for her father's debts. I'll call Akira and inform him of what's going on. You should send Mishima an anonymous tip." Homura replied as she then headed out for the day.

(Inokashira Park)

Hyōki arrived at the park about 10 minutes earlier than the expected time, feeling a mix of excitement and dread as she made her journey to the place while clutching tightly to her basket of food.

"Okay, Hyōki, just calm down and stay focused..." The ravenette muttered to herself as she adjusted her clothes.

She had decided to go with what she wore the last time she hung out with her crush in Kichijoji with the addition of a frilly black with white trim bow headband and a few basic haircilps, to tidy up her fringe. He was obviously charmed by it after all. Maybe she would get the same reaction and-

"Ack! No! I am not being a boyfriend stealing bitch!" Hyōki mentally chastised herself in disapproval.

Especially since she was meeting her crush's girlfriend now. As much as she abhorred that she wasn't the one being called that, she had to remain civil with the girl...lest she murder her right in front of Ryuji, thus making him sad.

"Now, where were we meeting here again?" Hyōki muttered to herself.

"Yo, Hyō-chan!" A familiar voice called out. "Over here!" He then again.

"Ah." The ravenette yelped out before quickly rushing over when she saw her crush in an open spot where a picnic blanket was laid out. "H-Hey Ryuji-kun." She soon greeted.

"Good to see you again." The dyed blond greeted back.

"L-Likewise..." Hyōki stammered out as she bowed politely.

"Man though, lookin' good again." Ryuji sheepishly admitted with a blush. "You get any cuter the last time we talked?" He then asked, though mentally kicked himself for asking that. Gah, he was getting as bad as the Leader.

DING!

DOKI! DOKI! DOKI!

"N-N-N-No. Same ol' me, nothing major about it." Hyōki stammered out with a blush. "Don't ruin your panties 30 seconds into this, Hyōki! You can do it at home! Moh! He had to be such a gentleman!" She meanwhile unconsciously thought to herself, however she quickly composed herself when she saw the other girl sitting next to him.

"Yo." The blonde greeted, wearing casual winter clothes consisting of a tan sweater that had a hole in the center of the shirt showing off some of her best, a dark blue short skirt with brown leggings underneath it and knee high slightly heeled blue winter boots.

"Ah, you're..." Hyōki began.

"Katsuragi Ryu." Katsuragi playfully introduced herself. "Nice to meet you." She then added with a grin.

"O-Oh um...I'm Hyōki. Hyōki Saiga." Hyōki got out followed by her own introduction. "A p-pleasure." She then added with a bow and a small lift to her skirt.

"Heeeeh, a polite one aren't ya?" Katsuragi jokingly noted in an interested tone, though a thought then crossed the natural blonde's face as she recalled what her ravenette friend from Hanzō Academy had told her. This girl standing in front of her couldn't be the sister of one of her Melon-Peaches teammates...right?

That would be too much of a coincidence. There was no way.

If she was, though, she knew what she would do.

She'd teach them a lesson. Well, after Melon-Peaches kicked his ass.

"I really need to stop queueing to beat up entitled rich guys." Katsuragi mentally sighed out with an internal giggle as she imagined the ravenette she knew and her old team stomping on him repeatedly while they were curled up in the fetal postion.

Ryuji meanwhile blushed to the action. "...Cute." He offhandedly thought to himself.

"She is indeed." Seiten Taisen responded in agreement with a nod. "You seem different after what Morgana revealed to you yesterday." He then noted.

"Yeah." Ryuji mentally replied. "I thought it'd be best to have the three of us meet and properly sort out this mess before it gets too bad." He then explained in his head.

"And your feelings towards both girls?" His Persona questioned as he rested on his cloud. "I can feel your affection towards them both...and it's at equal lengths for the two of them ever since Morgana informed you of Hyōki's." He then revealed.

"Yeah, but is that anything special? I like 'em in different ways. Like, for example, Katsu-chan's so energetic and fun and you can't help but get swept up in her wind." Ryuji soon started in his head. "Meanwhile with Hyō-chan, she's so reserved and, like, uh...I swear there was a word for it startin' with D. She's cute but when she smiles, it's great." He then continued in his head before concluding.

"Very keen observation. You've learned well from your shinobi teammates." Seiten Taisei complemented.

"It's nothin' much." The dyed blond responded as he then glanced at his girlfriend. "What about you, Katsu-chan?" Ryuji then asked.

"Best to let her bring it up on her own terms. Picnic first." Katsuragi meanwhile mentally decided and concluded. "So, you're the Hyōki girl Ryu-kun's been talking about." She then got out with a smirk, giving the ravenette a quick glance with emphasis on her curves.

"H-Hai. It's nice to meet you, Katsuragi-san." Hyōki responded before glancing at her assets. "...She's massive...is she bigger than Maki?" She mentally gawked in disbelief.

"Eh, too formal." Katsuragi casually stated, surprising and confusing the young ravenette. "Just call me Katsuragi." She then requested.

"O-Okay. Katsuragi." Hyōki hesitantly got out.

"Relax. We're all friends here." Katsuragi replied. "You know, except I get to make out with my best boy friend." She added with a confident smirk.

"Don't you have any male friends?" The ravenette asked.

The blonde in turn gave a thinking expression in response. "There's Akira and...nah, that's it." Katsuragi replied before revealing. "Most boys don't interest me. They aren't as fun to play with." She then added in an easy going manner.

"Huh..." The ravenette got out with a nod before recalling what the blonde said. "Wait...Ryuji-kun talks about me?" Hyōki soon asked in a curious manner.

"Yeah. He happens to bring you up on occasion." Katsuragi informed. "You're a lot cuter up close, pipsqueak." She then complimented.

"P-Pipsqueak!?" Hyōki repeated with a stammer as she blushed in embarrassment. No one had ever called her that before...and it didn't even feel like an insult to her height.

"Uhhh...Hyō-chan?" Ryuji's voice started.

At that, Hyōki snapped out of it. "Huh? What?" She then got out as she faced him.

"You gonna sit down?" Ryuji soon asked as he offered a spot. "You look kinda exhausted." He then noted in concern.

"I-It was a long trip here." Hyōki responded as she set down her basket and sat next to the dyed blond. "Ahhhhh..." She then breathed out while she leaned on the boy's shoulder.

"You two must be seriously close to do that." Katsuragi commented.

"Huh?" Ryuji got out in confusion before noticing the ravenette purring and rubbing his thigh. "Uhhh..." He then started as he looked on.

"Just...really need some rest before we eat." Hyōki mumbled.

Katsuragi only smirked. "Well then, I guess you won't mind if I copy you." She soon responded as she did the same.

"Eh?" Ryuji got out.

"You like this?" The blonde asked with a coy smirk.

"A-A lot." The dyed blonde nervously replied.

"Anything for you, handsome." Katsuragi added with a sultry smile.

Hyōki puffed out her cheeks. "She's doing this deliberately! I'm not stealing Ryuji-kun, but she's trying to make me jealous! Well, two can play that game, pervert." She thought to herself.

SQUISH!

"Oh, this is heaven." Ryuji couldn't help but mutter as he began to really indulge himself in his girlfriend and girl friend's soft bodies...until something got hard. "...Wait, shit!" He suddenly swore, moving frantically all of a sudden.

The blonde in turn smirked even wider, though the ravenette blushed.

"Hehe, heaven you say." Katsuragi teasingly repeated.

"R-Really?" Hyōki meanwhile asked.

"I-It's nothing! Really." The dyed blond managed to get out.

"Eh? What's wrong, Ryuji-kun?" The ravenette asked in concern.

"I think the right phrase is what's up." Katsuragi however got out as she shamelessly looked at her boyfriend's polearm.

"Eh?" The ravenette got out in confusion...before soon taking a peek herself and blushed. "EEP!" Hyōki squeaked as she quickly went into a seiza position with her head steaming. "Th-th-th-that's a..." She mentally stammered out while gawking at the pitched tent in his pants.

"S-Sorry." Ryuji embarrassingly got out, doing the same as the ravenette.

"I-It's ok." Hyōki meekly reassured.

"It's bigger than I thought it would be..." Katsuragi meanwhile thought in amusement with her own blush forming.

"H-Hey, you guys hungry? I didn't cook all this food for nothin'." Ryuji soon got out, desperately wanting to change the subject.

"Y-Yeah, we should eat." Hyōki replied in agreement.

"Wait, you cooked all this?" Katsuragu got out in disbelief. "Aw man, I should've brought something." She then sighed.

"Ah, it's okay, Katsu-chan. I didn't ask ya to." The dyed blond responded with a shake oif his head.

The ravenette's eyes widened. This was her moment! "So um...I-I brought brownies if that's alright." Hyōki revealed with a blush.

"Ooh, you made them yourself?" Katsuragi asked in an impressed manner.

"Remember, you need brownie points." Hyōki thought, already apologizing to her ally in her head. "Yep! I worked all morning making it!" She replied with a nod.

"From scratch? Ryuji asked. "That's pretty effin' awesome." He then complimented.

"Gotta agree with Ryu-kun there." Katsuragi replied in agreement. "Ah, a friend of mine would love to talk to you." She then added as a pinkette came to mind.

"Erm...Yeah. I'd love to meet them." Hyōki awkwardly mumbled, already adding cookbooks to her shopping list. In hindsight, she should have known boys like girls that could cook.

"Man, and I had to get help from, like, three different people." Ryuji sighed in a sheepish manner.

"Well, let's not wait any longer..." Katsuragi decided as she began handing out chopsticks.

ITADAKIMASU!

"Ryuji-kun's cooking..." Hyōki thought with a shiver, savoring every favor she could taste and making faces that wouldn't be out of place in a hentai manga.

"Man! These are good!" Ryuji confessed.

"Got that right!" Katsuragi got out in agreement before she quickly mixed up a few sauces and dipped her pork katsu in it. "Ooh, try this." She then offered as she held out her food to her boyfriend.

Ryuji instantly took a bite of it out of his girlfriend's chopsticks. "Wow, that is good."

"Yeah. It works well with sushi too." The natural blonde suggested.

"Dammit, I shoulda asked Asuka if she'd make us some." Ryuji muttered under his breath.

"God, I miss her futomaki rolls." Katsuragi agreed.

Hyōki was beginning to simmer. "I want Ryuji-kun eating out of my hand!" She thought to herself in an envious yet competitive manner. "R-Ryuji-kun, this looks good too." She got out as she offered a sandwich to him.

"Don't mind if I do." The dyed blond replied as he took a bite from it.

Katsuragi meanwhile raised an eyebrow before smirking in approval.

"...I should've taken a bite out of it first! It would've been an indirect kiss!" Hyōki cursed in her thoughts before pausing. "Wow, am I really that desperate?" She mentally realized in a shameful manner.

"Taking the initiative, not bad." Katsuragi thought in an impressive manner with approval as she grabbed a soda.

At the same time, the ravenette had grabbed her own beverage to offer to the dyed blond in the form of a can of cream soda...

SQUIRT!

...only to fumble the can and drop it onto Ryuji's lap while trying to open it.

"Ah! Sorry! I creamed your pants!" Hyōki panickingly apologized.

"Pffft!" Katsuragi spat out.

"Ah, shit. It's fine." Ryuji swore as he tried to wipe the spill off his pants. "I gotta go clean this off." He then got out.

"Don't worry, Ryu-kun. We won't eat everything by the time you're back." Katsuragi replied with a smile. "Better hurry though, I don't think I can stop myself." She then cautioned in a joking manner.

"Save the chicken for me!" Ryuji called out before running off.

"Hurry back!" Hyōki called out.

"Won't be too long." Ryuji replied as he disappeared from view.

"His leg's getting better." Hyōki noticed, unable to stop herself from grinning as she took a bite of her food. Everything that broke him in the past was fading away, just like his presence was doing to her own life.

"So. We're alone." Katsuragi however suddenly stated in a low tone that instantly made the ravenette freeze mid-bite.

"Erm, yes we are." Hyōki awkwardly responded.

"That means we can finally have some girl talk." Katsuragi replied.

"S-Sure." Hyōki responded in a nervous manner. Jeez, she was usually tougher than this. "Um, I'm not exactly too well-versed in that." She awkwardly confessed.

"Eh, don't worry about it. I'm sure it'll be a lovely conversation." Katsuragi stated, wiggling her eyebrows in such a way that scared the younger girl.

"Sh-She can't be onto me already, right? No, sh-she just wants to talk about girl stuff. You're just being paranoid, Hyōki. You haven't burned yourself yet." The ravenette mentally told herself in an attempt to calm herself down.

"So, Ryu-kun is a great guy, right?" Katsuragi soon started with a grin as she got herself relaxed.

"Ack!" Hyōki got out as she quickly calmed herself down. "Yes! I mean, he's cool. He's, erm, a very nice person." She awkwardly responded.

"Made all this food for us, set up this picnic in the most scenic spot in the park just for the three of us, and the endless compliments. Oh, what did we do to deserve knowing him?" Katsuragi replied, listing off the positive aspects before eventually asking.

"Well, um, I think...with what he's gone through, I think we're the ones he deserves, not the other way around." Hyōki awkwardly explained. "I mean, I don't know about you, I haven't really done anything to deserve him."

"Aw, don't put yourself down like that. Everyone needs a good friend." Katsuragi responded and pointed out before blinking. "...Wait a minute, you don't think I deserve him either?" She then asked.

"Huh?" The ravenette got out. "What are you talking about? Did I say that? Pssssh, that's...you must've misheard. Hey, is that daigaku imo?" Hyōki soon responded and waved off before asking.

"Don't change the- hey, share that with me!" Katsuragi got out before whining as she noticed the food in mention being taken.

"There's plenty of other things! And save some for Ryuji-kun! Moh!" Hyōki reminded and requested.

"Don't think I'm gonna forget about that jab just because you're keeping delicious Ryu-kun cooking away from me." Katsuragi got out as the two started eating some more. "So, what makes you think I don't deserve him?" She then questioned.

Hyōki swallowed. As much as she wanted to go on a rather lengthy rant about her swooping in out of nowhere to sweep him off his feet while she had been with him the whole time, she had to remain civil, lest she ruin her relationship with the boy she loved via the girl he loved.

"I...I just think...you...you..." The ravenette started. Oh no, she can feel the self-entitled rant bubbling up in her throat. She had to act fast before it came out! "You...are a terrible influence on him!" Hyōki blurted out in a pique of jealousy.

"...Excuse me?" Katsuragi responded with a raised eyebrow, though was actually struggling to hold back her laughter. This was just too much!

"Y-Yeah!" Hyōki continued. Screw it, she just had to go with it. "I've listened to Ryu-kun talk about you. Past all the compliments about your figure, your personality, your looks, and your ramen obsession, I know you are a massive pervert who likes harassing girls! Y-You harlot!" She soon ranted before weakly insulting with a pout. "...Oh god, I've become a bitch!" She mentally cried in shame and fear.

Surprisingly however, Katsuragi snorted in amusement. "Is that all?" She soon asked.

"Huh?" Hyōki got out, confused by the response.

"Meh, I accept that I'm a perv. I love boobs, the way they feel and bounce in my hands. Society may look down upon it, but it is simply an appreciation of the female form that I have come to love. I don't do it to anyone, I do it because they are my friends and they should love themselves more, even if I have to show it." Katsuragi explained in a more serious tone.

"So...what I just said about you-" Hyōki started in disbelief.

"Doesn't phase me at all." Katsuragi concluded. "Besides, Ryu-kun loves that about me. I don't hide who I am, and he doesn't hide who he is. Honest men are a rarity, and those who would accept me are even rarer. I bet it all on him and I hit the jackpot!" She then stated.

Hyōki's eyes widened to the sincerity from the blonde's words. "...You...You really do love him, don't you." She muttered.

"With all my heart." Katsuragi confirmed. "He's special. One in a billion. No way was I gonna let that chance slip by." She then confessed.

"...Yeah." Hyōki depressingly responded in agreement. "After all, there is that saying: You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." She then mumbled, wallowing in self-pity.

She had way more chances than the blonde to sweep him off his feet. The only person she could blame was herself for waiting too long.

"In any case, let's talk about you now, Hyōki." Katsuragi soon started with a grin.

"I'm...I'm not that interesting." Hyōki denied as she looked around. "Where are you, Ryuji-kun?" She thought to herself.

"Maybe to you." Katsuragi pointed out. "I mean, come on, there is something special about everyone." She then stated.

"What's so special about me?" Hyōki however scoffed.

Sure, she may have been experimented on, murdered her father, had a weird blurring of the lines of love and hate regarding her sister, and wanted to control all Yōma, but the blonde didn't know that.

To her, she was an average 14 year old girl with no other aspirations than...than...

"...Being Ryuji-kun's mistress, dammit Miki." Hyōki thought as her eye twitched.

She wasn't that desperate!

Well, at least she could just make up something to throw the blonde off. There is no way in hell that she knew anything about her-

"Hehe, you like Ryu-kun, huh?" Katsuragi suddenly whispered in a playful manner.

SHATTER!

Shit.

Shit shit shit.

"O-Of course!" Hyōki squeaked as she tried to hide her growing panic. "He's my best friend. Why wouldn't I like him? P-Platonically." She then stated.

"Not what I meant." The blonde however responded with an amused grin. "You like like Ryu-kun, right?" Katsuragi soon assumed.

"Like-like?" Hyōki repeated, pretending to not know what the blonde meant. "Like-like like...?" She then started.

Katsuragi sighed, but then smirked at the ravenette. "Don't beat around the bush. You have a crush on him." She soon stated.

"!" Hyōki's blush immediately flared up to that as sirens went off in her mind. "OH SHIT! SHE DOES KNOW!" She mentally exclaimed in a panic.

No, wait, she still had options. She still had a brain filled with excuses that can definitely help worm her way out of this situation!

I'm a lesbian.

I love you.

I lesbians you.

"Stupid brain!" Hyōki spat out in her head.

"Helloooo? Anyone there?" Katsuragi called out in amusement. "The fact that you're freaking out tells me everything I need to know right now. You are head over heels in love with Ryu-kun." She soon concluded with a smirk.

"Hahabababa...faaaaaah..." Hyōki got out as she began to feel dizzy. It was as if her world was coming apart at the seams. "No, I...I...I go camping in secret. I actually live in the woods with my friends. We hunt deer in Nara. I hate those doe-eyed jerks." She then rambled, earning an amused look from the blonde. "B-Besides, h-he's your boyfriend, I wouldn't deserve someone as cute, sweet and handsome as-" She soon started before clamming up by covering her mouth with her hands.

"Wanna keep talking?" Katsuragi jokingly asked. "I implore that you do. It's really, really funny." She then added with a cat-like grin.

"...I-I lesbians you? Nono... I love you! ACK! I'm a lesbian..." The ravenette got out, mentally kicking herself for all three fumbles.

"Hahahaha!" Katsuragi however laughed out loud at the scarlet faced ravenette. "Sorry, but seriously, don't hide it. You are definitely jealous that I came and started dating him. You aren't that good at hiding it, pipsqueak." She soon apologized and stated while wiping away a tear.

"Geh..." Hyōki squeaked out. "I...I don't deserve him..." She soon weakly and shamefully confessed, now on the verge of tears.

"I don't deserve him too, but am I complaining?" Katsuragi pointed out.

"Eh?" The ravenette got out in confusion. "But I thought..." Hyōki protested.

"I never said that I disagreed with you." The blonde corrected. "As much as we accept each other...there is one thing I am hiding from him." She stated and then vaguely confessed.

"You're...keeping secrets from him?" Hyōki breathed out with widened eyes.

"Relationships are built and made stronger by honesty and yet here I am lying to him about a pretty big part of my life." Katsuragi revealed before explaining. "Everyone has secrets they need to keep but this one...the longer I take to tell him, the worse it gets."

"Then why don't you?" Hyōki soon asked.

"Can't. It's too...it complicates things once it's out in the open, you know." The blonde hesitantly tried to answer.

"...Yeah, I guess it does." The ravenette admitted. "But I do hope you tell him soon. I don't want to see Ryuji-kun sad over it."

"I will." Katsuragi replied.

"And you better make him one hundred times happier than he makes you." The ravenette challenged.

"Hm?" Katsuragi hummed out.

"As much as it hurts, I have to accept I lost my chance." Hyōki soon confessed, her voice breaking. "You got to him first, and I'll just have to live with that. Congrats on being Ryuji-kun's first love. I know you'll be happy together for the rest of your lives." She then got out. "Guess Maki was right about how I should've moved on..." She quietly concluded.

"Uh, Hyōki?" Katsuragi got out, not liking the depressing turn this was taking.

"I just want Ryuji-kun to be happy at the end of the day." Hyōki continued. "I'll find other ways to find my own happiness, don't you worry about that. I'll...I'll let it go, so don't let me stand in your way." She then concluded, feeling all of her hopes and dreams shattered.

A deafening silence filled the air before...

"Hehehehehe...HAHAHAHA!" Katsuragi burst out laughing.

To say the ravenette was confused was an understatement. "Huh? Why are you laughing!? This is really hard to do, you know!?" Hyōki then got out in an angered and offended manner with tears streaming down her face. "I...I don't want to let go of my first love, but-"

"Actually, I'm alright sharing him with you." Katsuragi revealed with a smirk.

FRRRRRIP!

Hyōki blinked for a moment to process the statement...before going wide-eyed and blushing once more. "H-Huh!?" She quietly squeaked out.

Did she hear that right!?

"Yup. I'm alright sharing Ryu-kun with ya." Katsuragi informed once more.

"Huh...wha...why?" Hyōki barely got out as she looked at the blonde in disbelief with widened eyes.

"Simple, it would be selfish of me if I kept him all to myself." Katsuragi quietly responded. "I'm not the hoggy bitch type. I'm the type of gal that wants to make everyone happy." She then added and explained.

"E-Eh...?" Hyōki squeaked out once more.

"And from what I see from you, you should be allowed to be happy with Ryu-kun too." Katsuragi concluded as she rubbed the young ravenette's head in a more gentle manner.

"Y-You're...you're serious!?" Hyōki gawked in disbelief.

"Baby, I've been planning for this since I was aware of your existence." Katsuragi stated with a smirk.

"But...But...You're his girlfriend!" Hyōki gawked out and reminded.

"And seeing you be sad like this is something I hate seeing." Katsuragi simply stated. "Plus, what boy wouldn't want two sexy girlfriends with the best bazonkas in the country?" She then added with a grin as she cupped her breasts in her hands.

BOING!

"B-Bazonkas?" Hyōki repeated, soon cupping her own breasts in her hands.

"You know, funbags. Honkadonkers. Udders. A woman's hopes and dreams." Katsuragi began listing off before proudly thrusting her chest out. "Breasts: the greatest gift to humanity since nut heat." She then concluded.

The ravenette soon blushed to that. "M-Mine aren't-" Hyōki began denying until...

GROPE! BOING!

"KYA!" Hyōki yelped in a surprised manner.

"Nonsense. I mean, these puppies have been blessed by the Breast Goddess herself. I mean, just look and feel how they are in my hands." Katsuragi replied and stated, groping and feeling the ravenette's large breasts. "It's like pudding!" She then complimented.

"Why!?" Hyōki squeaked, her resistance failing from the touch.

"Like I said. To appreciate the female form." Katsuragi reminded with a smirk. "That goes both ways. Love your body and love yourself, Hyōki-chan!" She concluded as she released the ravenette.

"Love...yourself..." Hyōki slowly repeated.

"Yeah. But not in, like, a narcissistic way. Confidence is one thing, but then there's foolhardy dumbassery." Katsuragi clarified. Although she had never met a real narcissist, she'd probably kick them in the face.

"Um, can you excuse me for a moment?" Hyōki suddenly requested. "I-I just got a text from my roommate." She then explained.

"I didn't hear it vibrate." Katasuragi got out with a tilt of her head.

"It's a...new feature. From the latest update, Gynoid version 6.9." Hyōki quickly explained before heading off without another word.

"...Dammit, I knew the school shouldn't have gone for Bapple." Katsuragi soon grumbled while grumpily pulling out her phone, already looking if there was an update for such a thing.

Once the ravenette was a distance away and behind a tree, her steaming scarlet blush returned with a vengeance as she began typing rapidly on her phone.

[LeopardPrincess: CHANGE IN PLANS! CHANGE IN PLANS!]

[HimeLove: Do we need to get ready to skip town and/or bury the bodies?]

[LeopardPrincess: NO! KATSURAGI'S ALRIGHT WITH BOTH OF US SHARING RYUJI-KUN!]

(...)

[HimeLove: ...So?]

[PrincessBride: Busy with getting the groceries. Pics or it didn't happen.]

[LeopardPrincess: Why would I have pics about this!?]

[ZeroPrincess: That's certainly one way of solving the love triangle problem...]

[LeopardPrincess: Oh come on! What am I supposed to do in this kind of situation!?]

[ZeroPrincess: Hyōki. You're the first member of our team to be in a serious relationship. Just be reasonable and respect the boundaries of all parties involved.]

[HimeLove: Is this Katsuragi chick serious though?]

[LeopardPrincess: She seems really into the idea!]

[LeopardPrincess: Said she doesn't want to be a bitch hogging him all to herself.]

[LeopardPrincess: She said she wants me to be happy too!]

[SoulPrincess: Sorry if I'm late. Just finished up with a meeting at work with my manager, Fukawa-san regarding the event on the 10th.]

[SoulPrincess: And then I plan to continue 'rehabilitating' Ranze. So what happened exactly?]

[HimeLove: Leader's apparently scored a possible polygamous relationship.]

(...)

[SoulPrincess: Really?]

[ZeroPrincess: It would appear that way. Hyōki's panicking now in a frazzled manner.]

[LeopardPrincess: RIGHTFULLY SO!]

[LeopardPrincess: KATSURAGI LITERALLY TOLD ME SHE WAS ALRIGHT WITH SHARING RYUJI-KUN IN THE MOST HONEST MANNER POSSIBLE! SHE WASN'T BULLSHITTING EITHER!]

[PrincessBride: Just got a hand free to text. First: Toggle Caps Lock off there, Fearless Leader. Second: What'd I miss?]

[HimeLove: Hyōki got offered to be in a three-way.]

[PrincessBride: For real!?]

[HimeLove: From our Leader's panicking, yes.]

[ZeroPrincess: Well, she is our youngest. Let's not push her too much.]

[PrincessBride: Is it strictly sharing the guy or is she gonna be engagin' in yuri stuff as well?]

[SoulPrincess: Hold on, we're getting ahead of ourselves. What's she like exactly?]

[LeopardPrincess: Well...she's blonde like...Onee-chan.]

[PrincessBride: Natural like mine or dyed like his?]

[LeopardPrincess: Eyebrows were blonde too, so it was natural like yours and Onee-chan's, Yuki.]

[HimeLove: So what's she like?]

[LeopardPrincess: She seems...playful like Yuki...but also seems a little pervy.]

[LeopardPrincess: She was obviously looking at my bust and seemed impressed by it.]

[HimeLove: 89cm F-cups at your age...]

[ZeroPrincess: So a mix of Yuki and Miki?]

(...)

[HimeLove: What the fuck...Could you, y'know... If we do meet...]

[LeopardPrincess: I promise. She will not touch you that way.]

[SoulPrincess: I am scandalized that you think I am a pervert...]

[HimeLove: ...]

[PrincessBride: ...]

[LeopardPrincess: ...]

[ZeroPrincess: ...]

[SoulPrincess: I mean, what?]

(...)

[SoulPrincess: Stop looking at me like that. Somehow. I know you four are giving me disapproving side–eye glances and stares despite the fact that we're texting!]

[HimeLove: Just rich coming from you of all people...]

[ZeroPrincess: Well, Miki does know how to use her looks to get what she needs on missions...]

[PrincessBride: Just be careful. You never know who could be a shinobi in these time, 'kay?]

[HimeLove: Goes without saying.]

[SoulPrincess: Just...try to enjoy your picnic and get to know her better.]

(...)

[LeopardPrincess: Alright.]

[LeopardPrincess: We'll talk more tonight.]

The young ravenette soon took in a deep breath as she turned off her phone. "Ok Hyōki, just stay calm and act natural..." She soon muttered the instructions to herself.

"Ah, there you are Hyō-chan." Ryuji's voice called out.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Hyōki, naturally, screamed as she nearly leapt into a tree out of shock.

"Ah, sorry, Hyō-chan!" The dyed blonde sheepishly apologised. "Didn't mean to scare ya." Ryuji then added.

"R-Ryuji-kun!" The ravenette squeaked. "You, um, sure took a while."

"Yeah, just wanted to make sure everythin's good an' dry before returnin'." Ryuji admitted while scratching the back of his head. "You girls didn't eat everything right?" He then asked.

"N-No, not at all! We barely ate while you were away. We just...talked." The ravenette nervously stated.

"So there's still chicken?" Ryuji asked.

"Erm, yes." Hyōki replied with a nod.

"Sweet! Let's head back." Ryuji declared before grabbing the younger girl's hand.

"H-Hai!" Hyōki responded, feeling her heart flutter at the feeling of his palm and fingers. "So sweet..." She thought to herself.

DOKI! DOKI! DOKI!

"Hey, are you okay? Your legs are shaking." Ryuji asked in concern. "You need to go to the restroom?" He then assumed.

"Eep! Ah, nope! Just fine Ryuji-kun!" Hyōki reassured. "Hehehe..." She then awkwardly began giggling while rubbing the back of her head. "So considerate..." She meanwhile thought.

"Heeeey, Ryu-kun~! Hyōki-chan~!" Katsuragi's voice called out to them.

"Let's get back ta her, kay?" Ryuji suggested as the ravenette nodded before taking the lead.

"Y-Yeah..." Hyōki stammered out as they started to walk back.

"Wow, you two got close fast." Katsuragi admitted when she saw the two approach hand-in-hand.

"Um, yeah." Ryuji awkwardly got out as the ravanette let go of his hand to stand next to the Hanzō blonde.

"Ehehehe..." Hyōki awkwardly giggled out as she sat herself next to the blonde girl.

"Come closer." Katsuragi requested as she pulled the ravenette even closer to her.

SQUISH! BOING! BOING!

"Hehe, sure." Hyōki replied with a giggle.

"Surprised?" Katsuragi asked while looking at the dyed blond.

Ryuji soon blushed as he looked at the two girls, who were smiling kindly at him. "Uhh...what?" He got out.

The two girls glanced at each other at that confusion and giggled some more in playful amusement.

"Glad to see you two getting along." Ryuji admitted with relief.

"Hehe, Kat's a nice girl, Ryuji-kun." Hyōki confessed with another giggle.

"Kat?" The blonde repeated. "Heh, I like that nickname." She then admitted with a wide smile as she playfully rubbed the other girl's head.

"Hehe! Moh! Come on, Kat!" Hyōki giggled and jokingly whined.

"Why didn't I think of that name?" Ryuji jokingly asked as he sat down next to two.

"Ah, don't sweat it." Katsuragi replied.

"Let's chat and eat, okay?" Hyōki advised.

"Think the three of us should hit up the Big Bang Challenge?" Katsuragi suggested as a future date idea.

"Not unless they've got a new level of challenge." Hyōki answered.

"Huh?" The blonde reflexively questioned.

"Got the Captain's Badge and everything!" Hyōki revealed.

"What!? No way!" KatsuragI gawked in disbelief. "I never beat that one!" She then confessed with a pout.

"For real?! How did ya fit that in ya?" Ryuji exclaimed in surprise.

Hyōki in turn proudly puffed out her chest. "I have my ways." She playfully replied with a wink.

"I tried too, but I could barely eat the second one." Ryuji added. "Haven't tried it since." He then admitted

"But...you're a guy." Hyōki replied in confusion.

"Wait, what?" Ryuji responded in confusion. "H-How does being a guy have to do with doing the Big Bang Burger Challenge?" He soon asked.

"Uh...n-nothing." The two girls replied while briefly glancing down at their busts.

BOING!

"...Do they know?" Ryuji thought, "Wait, are Katsu-chan's boobs bigger than they were before?" He then mentally noted.

"...Does Hyō/Kat know?" The girls meanwhile thought the same thing as they looked at one another.

"So, why haven't you gone for it again?" Hyōki asked the dyed blond

"Yeah, never really beat it. Shit's too much, ya know?" Ryuji explined then reveled. "Workin' that off is just gonna make gettin' to my goals harder." He then added.

That answer was true, but not the whole truth. Especially not after what Okumura Foods had done.

"And here you are, eating a massive amount of food with us." Katsuragi jokingly pointed out with a wink while the ravenette giggled.

"Yeah, 'cause calories don't count with friends." The dyed blonde replied with a smile. "But in all seriousness, I wanna get stronger than I was before I was hurt. Show the world I ain't broken no more. And eatin' at BBB isn't going to help right now." He then explained in a more serious tone.

There was also the fact that he didn't want to support Okumura until he confessed but details, details.

"You weren't broken." Hyōki reminded while the blonde nodded in agreement.

"No, I was." Ryuji countered with a sigh. "But with my friends, 'specially you guys, things have been lookin' up. All that bad shit that happened in my life...it sucks, but if it means meeting you two, I'd gladly go through it again." He then stated before confessing.

"...But...good moments like these shouldn't be a reward for suffering." Hyōki replied. "It...should be a gift. For being a good person." She then stated.

"In a perfect world, yeah." Ryuji pointed out. "But this world ain't perfect, but that doesn't mean I'll let it beat me down again. I wanna protect this life I have now, and if anyone wants to take it away from me, they've already sucked shit." He then stated and explained.

"...We really do mean a lot to you." Katsuragi soon confessed.

"Yeah..." Ryuji quietly replied. "Same here with you two." He then added.

Hyōki nodded in agreement. "I think we should switch to a more light-hearted topic." She then suggested. "And eat the rest of this delicious food Ryuji-kun made for us." She then added.

"Good idea, Hyō." Katsuragi responded.

"Thanks, Kat." Hyōki replied.

Ryuji meanwhile smiled, glad that the tension was gone as the girls interacted with each other as friends.

"It's so great everyone's gettin' along." Ryuji thought.

"I...I have a chance! I have a chance, baby! WOOHOO!" Hyōki mentally cheered.

"Threesome! Threesome! Threesome- no wait, foursome! Foursome! Foursome!" Katsuragi internally chanted as they all enjoyed the food.

(Kichijoji, Old Temple)

A certain pinkette was fiddling with her own personal travel mug (black with hot pink lightning bolts criss-crossing it and bearing her first name in bold, gold letters styled in a similar lightning motif) having just finished her third (or was it fourth?) coffee while waiting near the entrance.

Miki sighed as she tapped her foot in antsiness. "Late again..." She sighed out.

Ranze had been increasingly tardy in recent days. Was she slacking or...?

"S-Sorry I'm late," Ranze apologized as she staggered into view. "G-Gabu-chan really enjoyed kissing me for m-most of today and all of l-last night." She soon explained as she blushed. "We-we only stopped like ten minutes ago..." She then mumbled out.

She looked a little more flushed...not to mention her hair seemed a bit frazzled.

Immediately, Miki's annoyance dissipated as she snorted in amusement, realizing what exactly happened. "So, your girlfriend's been-" She began guessing, however...

ACHOO!

"S-Sorry. I've not been getting much sleep lately..." Ranze admitted after she sneezed. "I-Its been really good...but she's relentless...I can barely keep up..." She vaguely added with a lazy and dazed giggle.

The pinkette then truly realized what it was about. "Oh my..." Miki thought to herself, mentally blushing. "...How long-" She soon started asking.

"E-Ever since our last session here." Ranze responded, blushing some more. "G-Gabu-san says she really appreciates you assisting me." She then revealed.

"More like she liked how I've been changing Ranze." Miki meanwhile thought with a mental sweatdrop. "Are you sure you're really okay with training? You look like you need rest more than that." The pinkette pointed out in concern as she saw the bags under the auburnette's eyes.

"N-No no, I already kept you waiting long enough, Miki-senpai." Ranze responded in reassurance. "A-And if me going through your training here leads to more nights with Gabu-chan...hehehehe..." She then started explaining, only to then pause for a moment before giggling with the blush returning to her face.

"Well, if you insist. But I will stop the moment I feel like you cannot progress safely." The pinkette sighed out. "Noted, Ranze has a horny side now and her girlfriend loves it." Miki thought to herself as the duo soon headed in.

Hopefully they would have some peace of mind the moment they do the services being done in the temple.

Miki still knew she had a lot of work to do as they made it to the secluded part of the temple. "Now remember Ranze, start meditating and do not open your eyes for anything." She soon instructed, sitting herself down with the redhead right across from her.

"H-Hai..." Ranze replied as she closed her eyes and relaxed herself, unaware of the serious expression pinkette taking her hat off.

BZZT!

And green electricity soon began lightly hitting the top of the redhead's head. "Mmmm~" Ranze moaned out, a shiver of pleasure coursing through her body.

"Progress is going well." Miki thought to herself in approval. "Just have to be careful so I don't accidentally lobotomize her or make her an addict to sex with her girlfriend..." She then added in her head with a serious tone.

BZZT!

"I-I really was such a b-b-b-b-bitch..." Ranze confessed in a dizzy-like and dazed manner with a stammer in her voice.

"You were indeed." Miki confirmed with a nod of agreement as she narrowed her eyes. "Now then, why did you hate Asuka-chan again?" She questioned in a serious tone.

"S-She's a rookie that suddenly came in and started stealing the hearts of everyone, while it took years for me to even get where I am. I-It's like she brainwashes everyone into liking her, not knowing how hard this industry is for anyone that isn't as privileged as her to be so naturally beautiful like that Takamaki girl." Ranze confessed.

"Is that all?" Miki questioned. "You have gained a negative reputation from many of your peers." She then reminded.

"It's also to make myself feel better because I was always made fun of for my acne and fat. I used to be called Takoyaki because I looked like a ball. Even once I graduated, got pretty, and got my PhD, everyone looked down on me, so I took up modelling. I don't care how everyone sees me, I just want to be the one standing on top of them." Ranze then admitted with a slight hint of guilt in her tone.

"Well, that's no ex- wait, you have a PhD?" Miki got out in disbelief.

"Poultry Science." Ranze informed with a shrug.

"Pfft!" The pinkette would've spat out her drink if she had one after hearing that. "I...wasn't expecting that." She admitted.

"It was the easiest PhD I could get." Ranze admitted.

"At least it's...practical." Miki sighed out in an effort to not hurt her feelings. "At least you have one." The pinkette revealed.

"When I told an old schoolmate of mine, she admitted she thought that I always loved cocks." Ranze informed.

"Phrasing..." Miki groaned.

"I think it was on purpose." Ranze mumbled miserably.

"W-Well, either way, it doesn't excuse you from being so mean." Miki soon continued her scolding. "I mean, one wrong move and you can be blacklisted from modelling altogether." She then informed.

"B-Blacklisted!?" Ranze squeaked in a panic, but then soon calmed down as the pulse of lightning coursed through her head as her eyes dulled a little.

"She...pushed it back somehow there...?" Miki thought to herself in a panic. "I hope she doesn't snap back too severely if it wears off..." She mentally added.

BZZT!

"H-Hai, I feel a-a lot better, M-M-Miki-sama..." Ranze stammered out in a cutesy tone as she looked at the pinkette with more admiration.

"Good, my dear." Miki responded while patting the model on the head. "...Now I'm actually kinda curious. Does your doctorate let you figure out the best places to get chicken?"

"I don't eat chicken. I'm allergic to poultry meat." Ranze explained.

"Ah." Miki got out. Wow, this woman had a life. If only it wasn't buried under so much bitchiness from the beginning.

Still, she could turn that passion into something far healthier than it was before. All of the fire and none of the toxicity.

She just needed a few more weeks...

(Niijima Residence)

"Yes, Sis, I'll be fine by myself." Makoto reassured over the phone. "...No, I keep telling you this, you don't have to remind me not to bring boys over. Yes, I know where they are in case I do something stupid. And I know where your...Sis? Sis. Please, go get a cup of coffee. I know you miss your favorite café, but you don't need to take it out on the machine. I-I have to go now. Bye." She then got out before hanging up.

Makoto had just finished a conversation on the phone with her sister. It seems work was keeping her more and more away from home due to the uproar regarding the Calling Card spree from just over a week ago.

Still, at least she could count on her best friend and head of the disciplinary committee to take time to make sure she stays mentally healthy.

Well, as mentally healthy as one can be in this world that puts crazy, erotic and corrupt shit in a blender for about thirty minutes on high. And that's on a good day.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Door's unlocked. Come in." Makoto infomed the individual on the other side.

"Thank you." Homura's voice replied in gratitude as she stepped into the apartment and laid her bag down near the entrance.

The president couldn't help but giggle a little. Well, her older sister did only forbid boys coming over. "So, how's Ichiko?" Makoto asked.

"She's well for now, but we can't ignore her problems for too long. Especially when it's the yakuza. Again." Homura admitted. "I don't think the others would be up for another Mementos run any time soon after yesterday." She then added.

"The past few days have been pretty busy for both of us, haven't they?" Makoto noted as she offered the tan skinned girl a seat on the sofa.

"Yeah, but we are dealing with it." Homura replied with a smile as she sat down. "Soon enough, Shujin won't need the committee to keep the foundations from collapsing." She then added.

"I don't know. It is nice not having to take care of everyone's problems." Makoto replied and admitted.

"Everyone was pretty rough on you before." Homura recalled with a wince.

"Yes. But that's in the past now." Makoto replied and reminded. "I'm aiming for a better future, not just doing what everyone says. Not my sister, not the staff. Just me." She soon decided and declared.

"Same for me." Homura replied with a nod. "Three cheers to being free." She then added with a smile.

"Cheers." Makoto replied as she then went to get some refreshments. "So, what are you going to be studying in university?" She then asked as she opened the refrigerator.

"Well, I'm aiming to be a principal, so probably anything relating to that." Homura replied and stated.

"Huh, I thought you'd have loftier dreams." Makoto confessed as she returned with two glasses and a pitcher of iced tea.

"Hey, that's just my civilian life. I'm still going to be a shinobi and I'm aiming for the top." Homura pointed out.

"So... principal of a shinobi school?" Makoto inquired.

"I could be running a civilian school while being a shinobi." Homura muttered to herself.

"That would certainly be interesting..." Makoto noted with a nod.

"...Honestly, I haven't really decided on that." Homura admitted. "I don't wanna steal Miyabi's thunder but it would be really funny if we ended up as rivals like that." She then added with a giggle

"You really do like getting rivals." Makoto noted in amusement.

"Rivals push each other to be stronger and do better, as long as there's a sense of respect between them. Otherwise it's just trying to murder and destroy each other's lives." Homura replied and explained.

"I guess that's one way to improve." Makoto got out before pausing. "...Am I a rival?" She then asked in a curious manner.

"..." Homura exhaled in thought. "Do you want to be a friend or a rival?" She soon asked back, pouring herself a glass.

Makoto in turn giggled in amusement as she poured herself a glass as well. "Honestly, a friend like you have always been one towards me. But I'm free to be both if you're willing." She confessed in a grateful manner.

"Works for me." Homura replied with a nod. "You do have your moments where you become bloodthirsty and wild like I was back at Hebijo." She teasingly reminded.

Makoto immediately blushed in response. "I-It's the Metaverse and the costume. It just brings something out of you, okay? We can't even go two seconds without doing something over the top." She then got out.

"Like swearing up a storm while turning all the sandbags at Protein Lovers into trash?" Homura pointed out the new reminder in amusement.

"It...It lingers." Makoto shyly mumbled.

"Yeah, I definitely see you sometimes keep your distance to keep your shoulder spikes away." Homura confessed and noted. "Ann and Yusuke wiggle their butts as if they had their tails." She then added with a sigh. "So many lectures I had to give to students who were ogling Ann-chan that day for her unconscious action..." She grumbled.

"I'm sure Yumi did the same thing at Kosei." Makoto then assumed. His general weirdness aside, he was still rather conventionally attractive.

"Ugh, I do not wanna keep adjusting my outfit just in case my bust pops out at uni..." Homura confessed. There have been many near nip-slips over the year, she had just unconsciously made sure it never happened.

"Speaking of, what university do you plan to attend, Homura?" Makoto soon asked. "You need to have ample time to properly prepare for this after all." She soon advised.

"I am aware. I plan on surpassing Akira in the upcoming exams unless the dumbass manages to get a perfect 700." Homura responded and revealed. "Still ... It would be prudent to not rely on a single person's advice. No offense meant." She then added.

"None taken. Maybe you could ask Shinjūin-san for some suggestions for where to attend." Makoto replied then suggested. "She did help inspire you down this path in the first place." She then reminded.

In turn, Homura perked up to the idea. "An excellent suggestion. As expected of my best friend and fellow Queen of Shujin." She praised and boasted.

Makoto in response blushed to the praise. "I would suggest you text her now. Someone like her is undoubtedly a very busy woman." She soon advised.

"Right." Homura replied as she pulled out her phone.

[FireGirl20: Good evening, Kochō-senpai. I'm not interrupting something, am I?]

[DoSButterflyQueen: Greetings, Homura-san. You've managed to catch me while I am bathing in between intense studying.]

[FireGirl20: To you as well Kochō-senpai, though I apologize for the timing.]

[DoSButterflyQueen: It is fine. You wouldn't have been able to contact me otherwise. My phone is usually completely off when I study. I take this time to catch up on current affairs. You contacted me at the best possible time, Queen of Shujin.]

[FireGirl20: Anything interesting, Queen of Hakuō Academy?]

[DoSButterflyQueen: Police and government activity is increasing as they fear potential disruptions to the upcoming elections in the form of the Phantom Thieves.]

[FireGirl20: Ah, the Phantom Thieves is a topic well talked about at Shujin.]

[DoSButterflyQueen: As well as all of Japan. It was mentioned at the summit after all. Several times even as they continued.]

[FireGirl20: To the point where it is becoming repetitive here at Shujin...]

[DoSButterflyQueen: Here at Hakuō as well. And none of the masses knowing they are possibly being manipulated by some unknown third party.]

[FireGirl20: So you suspect foul play as well?]

[DoSButterflyQueen: We can't exactly rule out the possibility now that it is, indeed, possible.]

[DoSButterflyQueen: Do you suspect the same?]

[FireGirl20: A hacker did hack the Phan-site just to get them to go after Kunikaze Okumura.]

[DoSButterflyQueen: But should we blindly accept the words of a Phantom?]

[FireGirl20: Of course not, but there are times where there people act as though they are sheep following a herder.]

[FireGirl20: And this time, the 'herder' being the hacker.]

[DoSButterflyQueen: You're letting your bias show.]

[FireGirl20: Ah, my apologies. It is just that I know a person who seriously requested Okumura's change of heart for a good reason.]

[DoSButterflyQueen: Do you now? Are they a student at Shujin?]

(...)

[FireGirl20: I am not telling you anything about them.]

[DoSButterflyQueen: Of course. My apologies for attempting to overstep my boundaries.]

[FireGirl20: It is not an issue. Curiosity gets to people all the time.]

[DoSButterflyQueen: Exactly. Other than that, it has mainly been the thoughts of Goro Akechi and how he interprets the Phantom Thieves and their methods of justice. It is always prudent to hear all sides of a topic before making a decision.]

[FireGirl20: What's your stance on the matter?]

[DoSButterflyQueen: I admit, his arguments do have some merit. More and more people are relying on the Phantom Thieves to solve their problems, and many of them are posting real names and addresses on the Phan-site.]

[FireGirl20: That...is a serious security risk.]

[FireGirl20: But just because he has good points does not excuse his bad ones.]

[DoSButterflyQueen: Though can I be completely honest with you, Homura-san?]

[FireGirl20: Of course.]

[DoSButteflyQueen: Akechi-san feels...untrustworthy to me.]

[DoSButterflyQueen: His smile just seems...false to me though. My friends at Hakuō also think the same as well.]

[FireGirl20: You as well huh? You see a false smile from him too.]

[DoSButterflyQueen: Though compared to some of our family members' behavior, it is somewhat preferable if not by much.]

[FireGirl20: And what about how he treats his job as if it's a game?]

[DoSButterflyQueen: That as well! Oh it is so good to know someone else notices and thinks that as well! Though, I will admit he has a good track record with solving cases and he does drop the playfulness when he's on the job according to my family when he works with them.]

[FireGirl20: That's...a fair assessment. I'll admit I haven't really seen him when he's working.]

[DoSButterflyQueen: However, I honestly prefer Naoto Shirogane as the Detective Princess over him.]

[FireGirl20: Don't you mean 'Detective Prince'?]

[DoSButterflyQueen: I know what I said. When she first appeared, my family knew she was a female to begin with.]

[FireGirl20: I've seen pictures of her before she let hair grow out. I cannot fathom how you got that. She looked like a really pretty boy.]

[DoSButterflyQueen: I know when someone binds their chest to the point where I can crush your lungs.]

[FireGirl20: I see.]

[FireGirl20: Admittedly when I was younger, I used to bind my chest as well until recently.]

[FireGirl20: Didn't crush my lungs, but I was definitely setting myself up for sagging and back pain later down the line.]

[DoSButterflyQueen: Well I am glad you stopped doing so. It is unhealthy after all.]

[DoSButterflyQueen: Not as bad as only wearing band-aids though...]

[FireGirl20:...]

[DoSButterflyQueen:...I hit send by mistake.]

[FireGirl20: Yeah, that happens to me sometimes. Sometimes in real life too.]

[FireGirl20: In any case Kochō-senpai, what university do you plan to attend after high school?]

[DoSButterflyQueen: What university? Hm...it's a very prestigious one. You'll need the absolute best grades for it. Me, Chihaya-san and Kisaragi-san have already gotten positions at it since we're all graduating at the end of this school year.]

[FireGirl20: The aspiring confectioner and policewoman, correct?]

[DoSButterflyQueen: Ohoho~! Good to see you remembered, Homura-san. As expected of a fellow Queen!]

[FireGirl20: Well a Queen does need to remember the names of those around them. Ohoho~!]

[FireGirl20: The only ones that don't deserve to be remembered are scumbags and peons.]

[DoSButterflyQueen: Such as Kamoshida?]

[FireGirl20: Especially for scum like him.]

[DoSButterflyQueen: Well said, my fellow Queen.]

(...)

[DoSButterflyQueen: If I may ask, why are you asking me about universities? You are only a second year, you shouldn't be worrying about it quite yet.]

[FireGirl20: Well, it's good to start early. I want to be a principal one day, better than all the other ones I've ever interacted with. Well...Except my preschool principal. She gave me candies on my birthdays.]

[DoSButterflyQueen: You do make an excellent point. It is always good to get an early start for your plans for the future.]

[DoSButterflyQueen: Although, I must ask: Where did you even get the idea from?]

[FireGirl20: Well after you inspired me, it made me realize I need to go to an excellent university to learn what is needed to become a great principal. I won't let anyone suffer like how me and my friends did before the Phantom Thieves swooped in.]

[DoSButterflyQueen: The university I plan to attend does have an excellent teaching program.]

[FireGirl20: Is that...Tokyo U?]

[DoSButterflyQueen: Oh goodness no. They accept crazies.]

[FireGirl20: Huh? But isn't it considered the top university in Japan?]

[DoSButterflyQueen: Oh it is, but it's also just an arbitrary title that does not guarantee your success and your future.]

[DoSButterflyQueen: I was thinking more along the lines of Hakuō University.]

[FireGirl20: ...I'd have to turn it down then. I'd like to be close to my family.]

[DoSButterflyQueen: Eh!?]

[FireGirl20: As much as I do value your friendship and words...I would prefer to be with my sister. We've been through a lot together, and I'm gonna ditch her, even if it means losing out on a dream. I'll go where she goes.]

[DoSButterflyQueen: I see. Family is important after all.]

[FireGirl20: I'd rather be dumb and loved than smart and lonely.]

[DoSButterflyQueen: You love your family a lot, don't you. :) ]

[FireGirl20: The only one I have.]

[DoSButterflyQueen: Well, I shall accept your choices, even if it may make me a little sad.]

[FireGirl20: Where is Hakuō University by the way? Just asking out of curiosity.]

[DoSButterflyQueen: It's the same campus as Hakuō Academy here in Tokyo.]

[FireGirl20:...You're in Tokyo?]

[DoSButterflyQueen: Was that not obvious? Hakuō Academy is in Motoasakusa.]

(...)

[FireGirl20: My family lives in Asakusa.]

[DoSButterflyQueen:...It's literally a seven minute car ride.]

(...)

[FireGirl20: T-The point still stands! Where my sister goes, I go unless she says otherwise!]

[DoSButterflyQueen: If you insist. I may be able to give you a recommendation if you apply though.]

[FireGirl20: You would do that for me!?]

[FireGirl20: Wait, students can't give letters of recommendations.]

[DoSButterflyQueen: But I can connect you to people who will. However, do not think for a second that you will get in through nepotism. You must earn your place.]

[FireGirl20: Of course. Meaning I would have to study every waking moment to keep my grades up, despite the fact I am in the top three of my grade at the moment.]

(...)

[FireGirl20: I wasn't bragging, just informing.]

[DoSButterflyQueen: Of course. A girl such as yourself has no reason to brag about her abilities. It is simply fact that you are better than others.]

[FireGirl20: I don't want to be considered better. Just being a decent human being is good enough for me.]

[DoSButterflyQueen: You are more than decent. You are the pinnacle of what a woman should be!]

[FireGirl20: I'm still in high school, Kochō-senpai. There's still so much more I need to learn before I even scratch that surface.]

[DoSButterflyQueen: My, my. Smart, humble, and beautiful? Oh, you must be perfect!]

[FireGirl20: I'm not perfect. Far from it. I actually seem more like a peasant compared to a queen such as you.]

[DoSButterflyQueen: There is no such thing as peasants in my kingdom! But you would be my greatest co-ruler if you ever chose Hakuō.]

[FireGirl20: Surely you jest.]

[DoSButterflyQueen: I do not! Together we will overthrow corrupt kings and queens and create better regimes that do more than simply feed the rich and steal from the poor!]

[DoSButterflyQueen: Pfft! Corrupt kings and queens? They are of a bygone age! We are masters of our own fate, and we learn and grow how we see fit. But without guidance, it would be nothing but chaos, but your very words alone bring order and structure that can reshape worlds and universes into the most incredible places to simply exist in.]

"H-Homura?" Makoto spoke up in an awkward manner. This text conversation had been going on for a while now, for what was supposed to be a quick interaction. "Um..."

"Hush my fellow Queen." Homura responded in a more posh sounding tone with a starry look in her eyes.

"Your codename isn't Queen..." Makoto quietly pouted as the tan skinned girl continued texting her friend for what seemed like ages...

[DoSButterfly: Though the title of Queen does suit us both best.]

[FireGirl20: Oh indeed it does.]

[DoSButterflyQueen: Ohohoho~!]

[FireGirl20: Ohohoho~!]

(...)

[FireGirl20: ...Huh, looking back at all these texts...it really seems like we're flirting...]

[DoSButterflyQueen: I have no interest in such frivolous things.]

[FireGirl20: That is good to hear. We are friends at best.]

[DoSButterflyQueen: Yes, I feel like I would get in the way of you and Niijima-san's relationship.]

(...)

[FireGirl20: Eh?!]

[DoSButterflyQueen: Ah, my phone alarm just buzzed. That means my family is just about to have dinner. I am sorry, but I'll have to talk to you later. We'll have to continue praising each other's skills at a later time.]

[FireGirl20: I must correct you though, my fellow Queen, that Makoto-senpai and myself are just friends.]

[DoSButterflyQueen: Does she think the same? I'll let you think it over until we next talk. Goodbye for now, my fellow Queen.]

"Homura." Makoto spoke in a flat tone.

"Why do people assume-" Homura began, only to remember where she was at the moment.

"Are you done?" Makoto asked with an amused smirk.

"Erm, sorry. That took longer than I thought it would." Homura sheepishly apologised as she pocketed her phone. "What an amusing person my fellow queen is. Me and Makoto-senpai are just friends." She meanwhile thought to herself.

"Well it's good to know she still thinks of you as a friend." Makoto pointed out.

"She did bring up some concerning issues, but we'll save them for the next meeting." Homura revealed as the Student Council President nodded in agreement. "You mentioned some news concerning Shujin when you invited me here. Would you mind telling me about that?" She then recalled and asked.

"The vice principal told me there will be new transfers coming to our school." Makoto informed.

"Transfers this late in the year?" Homura responded with a raised eyebrow. "Is that fine?" She then asked.

"Apparently, it was an emergency transfer. Not only were there only eight students in total in their old school, so it was already going to shut down, it was destroyed by...a runaway fireworks truck?" Makoto explained with a hint of confusion towards the end.

They could swear they heard someone in the city screaming "DOKAN...KAN...KAN...KAN...!"

"From the sticks to the big city. That has to be a culture shock. Although, why Shujin? If I had to go through that, I would choose a less intense and expensive place than a prep school in the middle of Tokyo." Homura listed off and explained.

"It's their parents' decision and we don't know what they're thinking." Makoto replied. "And besides, the school board is scrambling to get good publicity right now." She then explained in an exasperated tone.

"This angle again?" Homura sighed out.

"Even with all our work, we aren't exactly the most desirable school in the country. And bad words travel farther than good ones." Makoto plainly stated.

"Horrible teachers and dead principals as well as a suicide attempt can do that." Homura sighed out in frustration. "We have to make sure they have a better welcome than we did in April." She then added.

"True, but I think the new principal will have that taken care of." Makoto revealed.

Homura turned to her at that mention. "Wait, what? New principal?" She began before sighing in annoyance. "Jeez, they found a replacement, too?"

"Yep. She has amazing credentials too. She just needs to pass the background check before she'll take over." Makoto explained as she .

"She?" Homura repeated, hearing that particular detail. "Huh...a female principal..." She then added, wondering what unfortunate woman will be taking charge of Shujin Academy soon.

"Don't let your guard down." Makoto however reminded her. "We can't just accept the new principal so easily just because she isn't the old principal. Any sign of abuse or crime and we take her down faster than a gunshot." She then elaborated.

"Too slow for my liking." Homura responded with a sigh.

"You're concerned about the three of them potentially being shinobi too due to the rising tensions here, aren't you?" Makoto assumed.

Homura nodded. "Nothing slips by you, huh? Yeah, this just seems too convenient with the timing of things." She admitted then revealed.

"Duly noted but don't forget to keep an open mind. These could just be ordinary people coming in." Makoto advised. "Condemning them now would make us no different than how the others treated you and the others back then." She then pointed out.

"Shujin is going to be shaken up once again regardless." Homura replied with a nod. "Hopefully it won't be as serious as all the previous times that's happened." She then added.

"Hopefully." Makoto replied.

"Anything and everything is easier than being partially blamed for the principal's death." Homura continued before pausing. "...I wonder if it wasn't for the Conspiracy that he actually would..." She then started to wonder.

"Don't dwell on that." Makoto gently, but firmly, reminded. "There should be no more what ifs or buts about it." She added.

"I know, but I don't want anyone to kill themselves over our actions." Homura replied as she began to fidget around. "That's no better than killing them ourselves." She then pointed.

"Homura..." Makoto began. "...The criminals we put away because of our activities, what happens to them is out of our own hands. We may be dealing out our own justice, but it's up to the system to take care of them. We aren't judge, jury, and executioner." She then explained.

"Ugh, you sound like Akechi." Homura groaned out.

"...Son of a whore." Makoto cursed in realization of the comparison. "But that's different. We only ensure the guilty feel the weight of their actions. The police and the justice system is responsible for punishing them. It's the same thing as what happened to the old principal. What happened to him was out of our hands, as tragic as it may be. As much as I hated him, he didn't deserve to die like that. So, once Okumura confesses, we're going to avenge him, as well as everyone Black Mask has killed."

"...And would he have killed himself without the Conspiracy?" Homura asked.

"I can't tell you that because that answer is long gone." Makoto countered. "It takes a lot of willpower to take one's life. Even the most pathetic of people would be afraid to die." She explained.

"...I think I'm done with this topic." Homura sighed out.

"Me too. And I think I'm done with studying as well." Makoto admitted as she stretched her limbs.

"Erm, I still need some help with humanities." The tanned girl sheepishly admitted.

"I'll tutor you, but first, some fruits and refreshments." Makoto got out with a nod as she stood up.

"Thanks senpai." Homura replied in gratitude.

"I have to say though, Homura, you've really matured since we met." Makoto confessed with a smile.

Homura smiled back to that, feeling as though her Maturity was at her peak now from everything she experienced.

And it felt good to her as the day continued on while preparing themselves for anything that was to come.

Whether it was school or Phantom Thief activities...

(Inokashira Park)

The sun was starting to set on Tokyo as the picnic between Ryuji, Hyōki and Katsuragi was drawing to a close.

"Huh? You're leaving tomorrow?" Hyōki got out in confusion, a small hint of disappointment in her voice.

"Yeah, I was here for a seven day internship program, but some things happened, so now I gotta go back to my school in Asakusa." Katsuragi replied, her voice also having a hint of disappointment in it as the dyed blond nodded in confirmation. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna be too far." She then reassured.

"Yeah, but you're gonna be busy and shit." Ryuji soon pointed out. "You're a third year, right? You're studying for tests and graduating. I don't want to distract you too much."

"Exams aren't exactly around the corner and I'm pretty confident in my grades right now. I have plenty of free time on my hands." Katsuragi responded in a laid back tone. "And besides, even when I'm studying, I'll need plenty of relaxation to keep myself focused, you know?" She then told her with the same tone as well.

"O-Oh, well, happy to help." Ryuji replied with a blush.

"I-I'll help too!" Hyōki suddenly added without thinking. "...I...I...mean, like, erm..." She stammered to try and correct herself.

"No, I get what you're sayin'. So glad you're willing to hang out with her without me gettin' in the way." Ryuji soon got out with a proud smile.

"Yeah, me and pipsqueak here will have plenty of fun." Katsuragi assured while she patted the younger girl on the back.

"Mental note: buy a chastity belt." Hyōki thought with a whimper.

"Come on, let's exchange contacts." Katsuragi soon offered as she took her phone out.

"E-Eh?" Hyōki got out in a surprised manner. "R-Right." She then added as she pulled her own phone.

The two girls quickly tapped away on their phones.

["GoddessOfMelons" was added to your contacts.]

["LeopardPrincess" was added to your contacts.]

"Remember the offer I gave ya, pipsqueak." Katsuragi soon whispered as he rubbed the ravenette's head.

"I-I'll think about it..." Hyōki meekly responded. "Kat..." She then hesitantly added. "Stay safe, okay?" She then requested.

"And you keep Ryu-kun happy while I'm gone." Katsuragi then whispered her request. "But not too happy, if ya catch my drift." She then added while wiggling her eyebrows.

"...Catch your drift?" Hyōki repeated in confusion as, suddenly, a eurobeat song began echoing in her head.

"Hey you! Your speaker's too loud!" Ryuji called out to a girl in a paddle boat.

"Whoops! My bad!"

"I gotta get going or else my guardians will be worrying about me." The ravenette revealed. "I'll see you two soon." She then added as she turned to leave.

"See ya." The dyed blond responded with a wave before turning to his girlfriend. "Need an escort back?" Ryuji offered.

"That would be wonderful." Katsuragi replied. "But only to the station at my stop, okay?" She then added.

"Alright." Ryuji nodded as they both reached out for their hands and left the park.

(10/8, Evening)

(Shibuya, Shin Megami Apartment Complex Rooftop)

Miyabi sighed as she tapped her foot. "Getting a bit colder now." She muttered as she adjusted her winter clothes, which consisted of a white bordering on yellow long sleeve shirt with a black jacket over it with a darker yellow scarf around her neck, thigh long black leggings and black slightly heeled boots. She also has her silver necklace on as well.

She was also currently waiting for someone while gazing down on the night city lights below the building she was on.

"Asuka, I really hoped you didn't forget about our meeting..." The white-haired woman softly muttered as she waited.

At that, Miyabi heard quick and faint footsteps that slowly became louder with every step...before a loud thud was heard behind her.

Asuka eventually arrived herself wearing what obviously seemed like winter attire consisting of a light cream colored long sleeved shirt with a tannish winter coat over it, her usual red scarf around her neck, a dark forest green skirt, thigh long lighter black leggings and knee long black boots.

"Sorry I'm late!" The Vice Leader exclaimed as she burst through the door while panting a little.

"And yet you had enough time to change into that?" Miyabi deadpanned.

"You changed, too." Asuka had to remind her as well.

"It's 18 Celsius and dropping right now, of course I would. But I actually had time to change." Miyabi however retorted. "You were late." She then noted with a stern tone.

"I couldn't just spend all day in my uniform." The brunette complained. "I'm not Yumi-chan." Asuka then added.

"You should be able to move and fight at a minimum of 75% of proficiency when in rain, sleet, snow, earthquake, underwater, or during an ongoing volcanic eruption." Miyabi recited from a lesson.

"When...When will I need to fight when near lava again?" Asuka had to ask.

"You went to Hawaii. You have to be prepared for anything." Miyabi answered with a shrug. "Besides, there's a non-zero chance that a Palace will take place in Hell." She then reminded.

Asuka sighed at that. "Right..." She simply responded in reluctant agreement.

"Now take off your clothes." Miyabi ordered in a blunt tone.

"Eh!?" Asuka got out in slight disbelief. "Didn't we already do this!?" She then tried to remind her.

"They look nice, but they'll restrict you during training. So take it off. All of it." Miyabi casually stated and then ordered. "If you won't take off everything, then I will forceably strip you to full nudity." She then clarified in a firm tone.

Asuka's jaw dropped. "You can't- I have my training uniform and everything!" She tried to explain herself, hoping it would be enough.

Miyabi narrowed her eyes as she crossed her arms under her breasts, her face already showing that there's no room for arguments and any further resistance would result in the white-haired woman taking a more hands-on approach in getting her student to comply.

As such, the brunette only sighed "...Yes, sensei." Asuka relented as she began stripping off her clothes and underwear. Soon enough, she was in nothing but her birthday suit and shivering as she hugged herself from the cold. "W-W-What's the point of this...?" She whimpered.

"You shall soon see." Miyabi replied as she picked up her student's clothes.

"I-I-It would be better if you strip too..." Asuka began, still feeling the cold. "I don't want t-to be the only one n-n-naked here." She then added.

"No can do." Miyabi got out as she shook her head. "This is part of the training and I must have full capabilities. Plus, my outfit is really cosy in this weather."

Asuka simply whimpered in defeat. Still, she really hoped what the white-haired woman prepared for her was worth the time. "S-So, what are w-we doing f-f-for training?"

And that's when Miyabi tossed her clothes off the roof.

"..." Asuka stared at what just happened with widened eyes. "AAAAHHHH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

"First task." Miyabi replied before letting out a devilish smirk. "Go get 'em."

"You...You can't be serious!" The Vice Leader protested while trying to shield her private parts from any prying eyes.

Miyabi rolled her eyes. "Just don't get seen by the public, okay?"

"Well, I could just go into my-" Asuka soon began before pausing. "...My keys were in my c-coat." She then groaned while covering her face.

"And no B and E. I might've dropped a rumor that your place might get robbed tonight so there's a few more eyes there." Miyabi helpfully informed.

"...You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Asuka accused in frustration as she started simmering.

"I must withhold my answer as it may interfere with your training." Miyabi responded, leaning on the ledge with shit-eating grin. "Why are you still standing there? People might go grab those clothes for themselves!" She then reminded. "Or do I have to kick you off this rooftop?" Miyabi threatened as she lined up for a punt aimed at her student's ass.

"GAH!" Asuka screamed as she instantly ran towards the rooftop edge and leapt over without giving much thought, mostly due to the panic.

"Don't land with your head first, okay?" Miyabi casually warned before pulling out a can of warm corn soup and cracking it open. This could take a while.

Several minutes later...

Asuka returned on the rooftop, panting even heavier than before...and still naked, but she had all her clothes in her arms. Looked like the speed of retrieval overwrote logic.

Meanwhile, Miyabi was watching a ViewTube video featuring cute kittens frolicking when her student arrived. "Ah, right! And...time!"

"Wh...what?" Asuka managed to say while panting.

"Four minutes, 20 seconds and 69 milliseconds." Miyabi soon revealed. "Nice, my student." She then praised in approval.

"I was...I was..." Asuka could barely form a sentence, simply looking traumatised from the experience.

"You want some soup? My cleavage keeps 'em warm." Miyabi however offered as she picked up another can from in between her breasts.

Asuka could only nod as she set down her bundle of clothes and grabbed a can from her sensei's hand. She had totally forgotten how cold she was until now.

"You get caught?" Miyabi decided to ask

"A cat stole my panties." The brunette mumbled out.

"But no humans?" Miyabi questioned.

"N-No humans." Asuka reiterated.

"...Was the cat Morgana?" Miyabi joked.

"Fuck, no." Asuka swore with a flat look.

"And you get the flags I set up?" Miyabi asked with a raoed eyebrow.

Asuka's jaw dropped. "...Flags?" The Vice Leader managed to get out.

"Yeah, they're hand-sized. Purple. There are about seven of them I put randomly around the place." Miyabi revealed.

"...There were flags!?" Asuka repeated in a more indignant tone her her eyes and nose twitched.

"So I'm assuming you got none of them." The white-haired woman assumed.

"..." The Vice Leader was immediately silent in response.

Miyabi let out a disappointed sigh. "I'm sorry to do this to you." She soon apologized.

"Wait...no, don't." Asuka begged.

Miyabi went over and picked up her apprentice's recently retrieved clothes. "This is gonna hurt you a lot more than it's going to hurt me." The woman claimed as she headed over to the edge of the building.

"M-Miyabi-chan, let's talk about this!" The brunette pleaded with a puppy-dog eyes.

And with that, Miyabi tossed the brunette's clothes off the rooftop...again.

"...What are you waiting for? Go get-" Miyabi started to instruct before...

"Shinobi Kekkai." Asuka hissed out with a twitching eye as her temper finally boiled over.

(Asuka's Shinobi Kekkai)

Before Miyabi could react, Asuka already had her katana out to strike her sensei down, not caring at her literal full-frontal assault.

SLASH! CLANG!

...

...

...

"Heh, you've got nerve." The white-haired woman stated...with her own black-bladed katana on full display.

Right now, the brunette's katana attack was being held back by her sensei with her own black katana, and despite how hard she was trying, Miyabi was easily holding her back.

Asuka simply grunted, annoyed by the white-haired woman's blocking attempt before pushing off.

"What are you doing? You can do better than that!" Miyabi taunted.

Asuka growled before charging in again, wildly swinging her sword with abandon. However, Miyabi was dodging without even moving from her spot, simply shifting her body around her strikes.

"WHY! WON'T! YOU! STAY! STILL?!" Asuka yelled.

"Because I know you can do better! Or should I keep throwing away your clothes until you learn?" Miyabi responded with a cocky smirk.

"GRRRRR!" Asuka growled as she started swinging faster.

"You're too sloppy. Far too blinded by your anger." Miyabi declared as she grabbed the Vice Leader by the wrist and threw her to the ground with a basic judo technique, disarming her in the process.

THUMP! CLATTTER!

"UNF!" Asuka grunted, dazed by the throw.

"Come on, this isn't amateur hour. You should've seen that takedown coming easily for an Elite." Miyabi sighed out in disappointment. And then, her expression shifted into a more caring, concerned look. "Are you okay?" She then questioned.

"Yeah." Asuka sighed in a low tone.

"You wanna stab me?" Miyabi then asked.

"A little, but I'm too tired, cold and sore." Asuka replied with a groan.

"Good enough." Miyabi muttered as she grabbed her student's katana and handed it over to its owner.

"Why did you do all that?" Asuka groaned.

"Well, to make you angry." Miyabi answered as she helped her student up to her feet. "I wanted to see how you fared when you're up against someone you despise. When you aren't thinking of winning a fight, but of punishing someone." She then explained.

"Is there a difference from our Phantom Thieves stuff? We're always punishing bad people." Asuka pointed out with a frown.

"Yes." Miyabi responded. "Fighting the Shadows of the distorted isn't how we steal their heart. We just need their Treasure, but we often end up fighting them because they are protecting it." She soon explained.

"And that means?" Asuka pressed as she furrowed her brows.

"Beating them up is a necessity to get to the true goal." Miyabi answered. "But what if a fight is unnecessary?" She then pointed out.

"Eh?" Asuka got out in surprise.

"What if we stole their Treasure right under their nose? We wouldn't need to fight them, right?" Miyabi soon explained.

Asuka shook her head. "No." She responded.

"But if they're a big enough bastard..." Miyabi continued as she urged her student to complete her sentence.

"...I'd want to beat them up anyways." Asuka concluded.

"On point." Miyabi got out with a nood. "And that's where I was trying to poke at: The need for catharsis even when it's rendered pointless. Revenge before reason." She soon stated.

"Making me fight because I wanted to, not that I needed to." Asuka summarised before groaning. "You could've used a less...humiliating method." She grumbled.

"Late." Miyabi bluntly replied.

"That doesn't- Uuuuuurgggggghhhhh..." Asuka moaned in despair.

"You've always fought with an important goal in mind, but when you attacked me, all you wanted to do was hurt me in any way you can." Miyabi lectured. "And you got sloppy. You threw away your training just to beat my face in, and that would've led to a needless death." She then scolded.

"..." Asuka went silent after that revelation.

"...You're gonna have to deal with someone you hate some day, and the victory over them may be unsatisfying. You need to know when to walk away and when to strike, and control your feelings. Revenge is sweet, but it can very well turn bitter if pushed too far." Miyabi explained and cautioned. "...And that's saying something coming from me." She then added.

Asuka nodded. "...I understand, sensei." The Vice Leader replied.

"Look, I'm really sorry for making you streak around the complex." The white-haired woman apologized. "I made sure that no one was around so there's no way anyone would've seen you in the first place. Oh, and there weren't any flags, I just made that up on the spot." She then revealed.

"...How did you do that?" Asuka asked in disbelief.

"Oh, I just put up a sign saying that there's a massive methane leak in the building so no one should go in unless they wanna get blown up."Miyabi admitted. "I might be dealing with the consequences of those actions later down the line." She then sheepishly added.

"...You have some unique lessons, Miyabi-sensei." Asuka sighed out.

"Hey, I have to mix it up and keep it entertaining." Miyabi repliedwith a shrug.

Asuka shot a murderous look at her sensei at that explanation. "I think you only entertained yourself..." She bluntly stated.

"I'll be kinder next lesson." Miyabi reassured her with a sigh. "You do need to learn how to be less suspicious when tailing someone. Actually, that might be a group lesson..."

"You better be nicer to me. You owe me new clothes!" Asuka replied.

"Not really, I dropped your clothes on a lower ledge. They're safe, if a little dirty." Miyabi however revealed.

"Oh thank God..." Asuka sighed out in relief.

"...Do you wanna take a hot bath after you get dressed?" Miyabi offered.

"Yeah, I would like to very much." Asuka got out with a nod.

"Alright, follow me. We'll use my bath and my supplies. My treat." The white-haired woman replied and suggested.

"Oh, before I forget." The Vice Leader pointed out as she prepared for her revenge attack.

"Huh? What are you-?" Miyabi started to ask as she turned around before...

WHAM!

And with that, Miyabi was knocked out cold with a kick that would make Katsu-nee proud as soon as the brunette saw the whites of her eyes.

"Hah! Teach you to mess with me like that!" Asuka yelled at her unconscious teacher while dusting her hands. This was a lesson she was not going to be telling Homu-neechan about in full detail.

She then blinked. "...Shit." Asuka swore as she saw the copious amounts of blood trickling from Miyabi's nose and mouth. She may have hit her far harder than intended.

Now she had to carry Miyabi all the way to her apartment as well as patch her up and make sure she hadn't accidentally inflicted permanent damage in her indignation-fueled surprise attack.

With a sigh, she put down the Kekkai and went to retrieve her clothes, shivering as a stiff wind blew over the rooftop, only to find that they had blown away in the interim due to the wind having picked up in the meantime.

Asuka sighed again in a mix of frustration and defeat as she slung the unconscious white-haired woman over her shoulder. Luckily, she had decided to keep her keys with her after she had gathered her coat as a precaution, stashed somewhere on her person with ease from her shinobi training.

If she got a cold from this, she would make Miyabi take care of her!

But...then again, she would love Homu-neechan to dote on her for an entire day...

Asuka shook her head. "Nope. None of that. Focus before either of us get sick." The Vice Leader reminded herself as she quickly vanished.

WHOOSH!

(Shibuya, Station Square)

The two blonds were now standing near the side of the entrance towards the stairs leading down to the underground station, talking to each other in the middle of the open crowd after their meet-up with Hyōki.

"Man, today was good." Ryuji breathed out, rolling his one shoulder to stretch it.

"Heh, you think?" Katsuragi jokingly replied in agreement along with crossed arms under her breasts.

"I mean, you and Hyōki-chan got to know each other now, so...yeah, it's a good thing." Ryuji explained.

"That's an understatement." Katsuragi remarked with a smirk. "Hmm...she could be in it, too...oh yeah, she's so in." She meanwhile thought to herself in amusement.

"Man, I would not know what to do if ya didn't like her." Ryuji soon admitted while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well, she's a girl with cantaloupes for boobs. She was already 99% there." Katsuragi claimed as she shook her own tits.

Ryuji chuckled. "Well, I, uh...didn't start dating you for your boobs. It's a nice bonus, but I prefer the girl wielding them." He then added and admitted.

"I dunno." Katsuragi stated with shrugged shoulders before leaning herself near his face. "I bet they'll get even better once I'm pregnant." She then whispered.

"PFFFT!" Ryuji spat out in shock with widened eyes.

"Hahahaha! Sorry, I just had to pull out that card once." His girlfriend laughed as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "But it might be true in a couple of years. Who knows." She then added with a smirk.

"That's...uh...that's..." Ryuji stammered out with a blush, remembering the one dream he had involving the blonde.

"Aw, don't think about it too much. We have plenty of time before that ever happens." Katsuragi casually reassured him. "Let's enjoy our youth while we still have it, you know?" She then added.

"R-Right. Yeah." Ryuji weakly chuckled, letting out a breath of relief.

"What's more youthful than hot monkey-" Katsuragi eagerly started.

"N-Not here!" Ryuji interrupted as people began to stare at them as they passed by. "Uh, but we can...I gotta prepare for that. Give me some time." He then stated.

Katsuragi made a small laugh at that. "Well, I don't mind waiting." She then stated. "Am I going a little too fast for you?" She soon added with a hand on her hip.

"A little..." Ryuji admitted with hands in his pockets. "But...I kinda like it. Makes me push myself." He then admitted.

"Just don't push it too hard. You have two people to please, you know." Katsuragi then urged.

"I'll make plenty of time for you and Hyō-chan." Ryuji promised as he pumped his fist. "We're all gonna make this work!" He then proudly declared.

"We better. I like her, Ryu-kun." Katsuragi confessed with a grin as she kissed his cheek. "You made a very pretty cute friend. You better keep her around." She then added.

"Really?" Ryuji simply stated. "Haha, she is pretty effin' great, right?" He then added with a small laugh.

"Great and with big boobs." Katsuragi casually followed up with a lopsided smile.

Ryuji chuckled. "Yeah, that too..." He then agreed...only to realize what he just said in front of her. "W-Wait, I didn't mean-" He began in a slight panic.

Katsuragi snickered in response, cutting him off. "It's okay, Ryu-kun." She reassured him with a smirk. "I'm fine with it." She then added.

"Oh, uh, okay?" The dyed blonde simply got out before making a small laugh.

"Sorry, but I gotta split here. Love ya, stud." She then added with a hand wave.

Ryuji made a small laugh as he scratched the back of his head. "So glad you do." He then told her. "I promise to call ya every day." He soon promised with a smile.

"And I'll send you sexy pics every day." Katsuragi then promised back to him with a grin and her hands on the back of her head.

Ryuji blushed a bit at that. "Erm, well...I...I won't mind, but I'm sendin' you my workout pics back." He then managed to say and then promised once more with a smile.

"How about sexy post-workout pics from both of us?" Katsuragi suggested with a wink. "To motivate us to go further." She then explained.

"Sounds good to me!" Ryuji replied in agreement.

"Yes!" Katsuragi softly cheered with a pumped fist. "When I come back, we are so going on another date!" She then declared with a grin.

"I'll be countin' the days then. I'll see ya later." Ryuji assured.

"Yep, see ya." Katsuragi replied before beginning to head to her train to head back to the Okumura residence...until she suddenly stopped. "...Wait, I...I have something I wanna ask." She then suddenly requested.

"Hm? What's up?" Ryuji asked.

Katsuragi swallowed, suddenly feeling a little nervous. "...Do you like Hyōki-chan?" She soon questioned.

"Yeah." Ryuji nodded. "Course I do." He then added.

"I mean...do you like her...like a girl?" Katsuragi insisted.

The dyed blond immediately blushed to that, but shook it off just as quickly. "...N-Nah, she's just my friend. Don't worry about me cheatin' on you, okay? I'd never do that to you." Ryuji soon assured. "I won't treat you like something to be thrown away once I'm done. If we're together, if it all works out, it'll be for life, dammit." He then added to the reassurance.

Katsuragi nodded in understanding. "...Alright, see ya, Ryu-kun."

"Yeah. Call ya tonight." Ryuji got out with a smile.

As Katsuragi walked away, she let out a huge grin. Her boyfriend was so damn loyal.

But then...she sighed with a hint of annoyance.

Only problem was that he was too damn loyal thanks to what happened between him and that bastard former gym teacher. If she wanted Hyōki to be with Ryuji as well, she was going to have to work with the golden-eyed ravenette on a plan that will make everyone win in the end.

They were going to convince Ryuji to be a polygamist.

(Yongen-Jaya, Tokyo Mirage Apartment Complex)

When Hyōki arrived at the apartment complex, she had imagined she would be coming back in two states: dragging her feet in abject despair, anguish, and loneliness that would fuel her drive to end the world or unbelievable happiness that would outshine the sun itself when she dragged Ryuji all the way to her room to loudly play Uno.

But she never thought that she would be feeling so...content with how today had ended up. She felt fine, content with herself, and most importantly, validated.

For the first time in her life full of suffering...she felt alive.

"...She's good." Hyōki confessed to herself with a smile. "Kat's a good person." She then added with a sigh of relief as she entered the apartment.

She felt as though she was on cloud nine, she couldn't help but contain her joy as she opened the door to their shared apartment.

"Welcome back!" Miki greeted.

"You're a little late." Reki got out in concern.

"Eh." Maki deadpanned with a disinterested shrug.

Hyoki stepped inside, went to her knees...and let out everything she had. "YYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" She loudly and happily cheered.

"Huh? What!? What's happening!? Are we under attack!?" Yuki got out with a yelp as she was woken up from her nap on the sofa.

Nude, for reasons known only to her.

BOING!

"Yuki, seriously. Put some clothes on." Reki sighed out as she grabbed a large fluffy towel and threw it at the blonde hitting her in the face.

"...Hehehe..." Hyōki soon giggled out. "Maki?" She soon asked as she looked at the brunette.

"Yeah?" The brunette in mention asked.

"...Suck it." Hyōki bluntfully and playfully ordered with a DX Crotch Chop as she skipped off to the bathroom.

Maki in turn sweatdropped to that before sighing. "Ok, I deserved that." She had to admit.

"For constantly telling Hyōki-chi to give up and move on, oh yeah." Yuki replied with a playful snarky tone as she reclined back on the lounge with the towel as a blanket.

"Look. It's better advice than what she was giving." Maki deadpanned while pointing at the pinkette. "Having her go out basically naked..." She then recalled.

"It's not basically naked." Miki scoffed as she rolled her eyes...before pulling out a black micro-bikini from seemingly from out of nowhere. "This is. I had it custom made." She then revealed.

"Why do you have that!?" The brunette sighed out. "That covers even less than the note Yuki made earlier out of that Something Murderer." She then added.

"For when Hyōki-chan needs to reel him in for sexy time." Miki replied with a playful smirk.

"I'm fourteen! I-I'm not ready for sexy time for another few years!" The ravenette protested from the bathroom as the sounds of a flushing toilet was heard. "Besides, I managed to get by on my own charms dressed like a normal girl and with the assistance of Maki here." She then pointed out. "Thank you, by the way." She then concluded as she then exited the bathroom while drying her hands.

"Seriously, Miki. Stop trying to interfere in Hyōki's love life. It's clear by this point that she doesn't want or need your help." The silverette sighed out with a flat stare. "I think you may need remedial shinobi lessons to help you not lose sight of what's important." Reki then decided. "I hope you still have your homeschool uniform from when you 'graduated' a few years ago." Shen then concluded with a sly smile.

BANG!

"I still have it, yes. But I may have outgrown it a little..." The pinkette admitted with a wince. "Still, I won't know unless I try it on."

"And unlike other shinobi factions, we don't have access to the Shinobi Tailors." Yuki reminded with a sigh.

"Self sufficiency until our goal is achieved." Maki added.

"We can only use so much of the funds we stole from Onee-sama at a time without raising suspicion." The ravenette reminded. "Which is why some of you got jobs." Hyōki then added.

"Technically, I only got mine since our last info gatherer betrayed us and we already discussed Miki-chi's this morning." The blonde recalled. "Least I managed to retain most of our own contacts. Even if their payments for the info can be a little weird at times" She then added with a wink.

"Oh right, you just got promoted right?" Miki soon

"Hai. Split the money three ways: one for personal rainy days, one for personal fun and I sent the rest back home to my normie family. Just to let them know 'Hey, your girl is doing well despite everything'." Yuki admitted with a nostalgic smile.

"And what about us?" Maki soon asked.

"I'll buy you guys dinner on the 10th, I promise." The blonde replied.

"I believe she was referring more towards the rent of our apartment." Miki explained.

"I've seen the rent on this place. That'd blow through my savings quicker than you can say 'pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis'." The blonde got out with wide eyes. "I already go bargain hunting for my leathers every few months." She then reminded. "Maybe if I was on Morgan-senpai's salary, I'd be able to contribute a little more." She then concluded.

"How much is his salary?" Reki asked.

"Morgan-senpai's a girl and she makes 10,000 an hour." Yuki revealed. "I also have an outing with her after work tomorrow." She then revealed.

"...10,000 an hour!?" The three unemployed girls exclaimed in unison.

"How is a maid cafe paying her that much?" Miki questioned in an impressed manner.

"It's in Akihabara. You'd be surprised how profitable pilgrimages can be at times." Yuki pointed out. "Especially when somethin' big is announced like this ultra rare Lily-Nyan themed thermos they're releasing in three weeks." She explained.

"That is a fair point. I saw a lot of people when I went there not too long ago." Reki recalled.

"I'm guessing Yuki's promotion is more interesting how my day was all of a sudden. Suits me just fine." Hyōki deadpanned in relief.

"Coming from the girl who was offered to be in a threesome with her crush and a pervy blonde." Maki counter deadpanned.

"Make sure you keep her away from Maki in case we have her over for dinner." Reki reminded.

"Obviously." Hyōki responded with a hand on her hip.

"I don't want this new development to turn into a murder investigation." Miki added.

"...So, threesome huh?" Yuki got out as she looked at the ravenette with a smirk.

"Not until she's older." Maki recalled. "She doesn't want to spoil either of their lives." She then reminded.

"She's no fun..." Miki sighed out. "But, I guess I'll respect her decision and wants." She added.

Hyōki meanwhile blushed with her hands on her cheeks. "Kat really is nice for considering me like that regarding Ryuji-kun." She confessed.

"Oooh~ You gave her a pet name?" Yuki teasingly asked while the pinkette giggled in amusement.

"A Kat and a leopard..." Maki added as she stifled a yawn out of tiredness.

Miki however surprisingly perked up to that concept.

"No buying anything cat themed that's sexy for either me and Kat." Hyōki deadpanned. "Despite Ryuji maybe liking it, we're just starting out and we would like to build into it." She then explained.

"Yep. On your own terms and at your own pace." Maki replied. "Guy's probably still unsure thanks to that Kamoshita prick, right?" She then assumed, getting a nod from the ravenette. "That figures." She sighed out.

"That gym teacher really screwed things up for others." Yuki groaned in annoyance. "Male customers at my job were on edge muttering 'Don't pull a Kamoshida' in fear while I was working." She then revealed.

"Some of the employees at my job also mutter the same thing from time to time." Miki sighed out as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Paranoia due to the foolish acts of lust from a piece of scum." Reki stated in an intellectual tone.

"...So you'd rather be ogled at as pieces of fuckmeat." Maki deadpanned. "Also, have none of you been around town this year? I think people are too free with their thoughts and actions. I'm surprised there haven't been more cases of Kamoshida-like crimes happening!" She then added.

"...Erm..." Yuki grimaced, not able to come up with a response to that.

"Also, and this might be a shocker, but maybe Ryuji won't be into such a thing?" Maki then pointed out.

"Normal people generally don't do polygamy." Miki added with a concerned look. "I'm surprised that you're okay with it given what your father was up to."

"That man was an asshole and a monster," Hyōki however reminded in an offended tone. "Ryuji-kun, meanwhile, isn't like him. He treats me like a person." She then added.

"But have you talked to him about this whole threesome thing?" Maki soon asked as she narrowed her eyes.

"Well, no. But Kat is probably thinking of ways to convince Ryuji-kun to be with both of us at the same time." Hyōki revealed before smiling. "Meanwhile, I just have to hang out with him more after she leaves for a while. I think he might actually like me too, but he's holding himself back thinking he can't be like Kamoshida." She soon added to the reveal before giggling. "Hehe, he's so cute trying to force himself to be loyal to just Kat. I saw how he was blushing when he looked at me." She then confessed with a blush.

Maki groaned as she covered her face, unable to handle her leader's stupidity.

"It's probably tearing him up inside." Yuki assumed with a wince.

"Himbo, he's probably too dumb to realize it." Miki chimed in. "That or he does know and like Hyōki-chan said, he's trying to hold himself back to try and be a gentleman despite his budding feelings." She then added as the ravenette nodded in agreement.

"Humans and their relationships..." Reki thought to herself as her eyes darted from teammate to teammate whenever they spoke.

"Fully embracing the fact you like him, huh?" Maki sighed out, only to get two middle fingers once more from the smirking ravenette. "Alright alright, I'm sorry I tried to convince you to move on from him." She soon apologized.

"It's fine. I'm not upset by it." Hyōki replied, despite the shit-eating grin on her face before she then yawned.

"Wipe that smug look off your face. Don't act like you were prepared for it." Maki pointed out. "If the girl wasn't a massive pervert, then that advice would've been useful." She then sighed out as a yawn then escaped her lips as well.

"Weeeh... Can we continue this tomorrow when we've all had some rest?" Yuki interrupted and requested as she, too, stifled a yawn. "Me, Hyōki-chi and Maki-chi look ready to drop." She pointed out.

"Yeah, let's turn in early today." Miki breathed out.

"After the training today, I agree." Maki sighed out with a wince.

"Oh right," Hyōki suddenly started as she looked at the silverette. "How was your training with Maki?" She soon asked.

"Informative." The silverette replied with a wink.

"Damn genjutsu causing bullets..." Maki suddenly grumbled as she blushed. "And she was doing fuckin' bullet hell shenanigans that reminded me of that damned chunni brat..." She then admitted.

"For real?! She can fire that many at once?!" Yuki got out in shock.

"By the looks of it, it seems that my powers have gotten quite a boost since I've fully integrated with my body now." Reki revealed. "I daresay that I'm even more dangerous now than I was in my prime and my old body." She then assumed in a confident manner.

"No longer just able to affect weak-willed people or yōma?" Miki assumed. "Could it be that you can even bend actual career shinobi to your will now?" The pinkette theorized.

"Maybe... She could get Onee-sama to back out of the shinobi lifestyle and go back to being the spoiled rich girl like she's supposed to be..." The ravenette thought to herself.

Reki in response giggled. "Maki's more upset that she got happy and loopy, imagining herself frolicking in a field full of butterflies and lost interest in fighting." She revealed in amusement.

"O-OI! Don't mention that!" Maki demanded in embarrassment.

"Was it like she was in the Sounds of Music?" Miki jokingly assumed, only to get some more giggling from the silverette and a scarlet blush from the brunette. "...Oh my god it was..." She gawked out.

"I-I assure you that the hills are not alive anymore." Maki weakly mumbled.

"Butterflies? But you're usually associated with moths, Reki-chi." Yuki meanwhile repeated and recalled.

"Moths weren't appropriate for the illusion. I mean, what's more pleasant? A kaleidoscope of butterflies or an eclipse of moths?" Reki pointed out in amusement.

"Though they did fit you quite nicely due to your status as an ex-yoma seeking to dismantle the old shinobi system." Miki pointed out.

"Butterflies are also a symbol of death as well..." Maki added.

"Still...did your Guardian Animal change as a result of becoming human?" Hyōki wondered in a curious manner.

"No, I wouldn't say it changed to butterflies," Reki responded. "More like...they were added to it." She soon assumed.

"...What, like, butterfly moths?" Miki spoke up.

"...A second Guardian Animal..." Hyōki breathed out in realization. "Reki, Moth is your personal Guardian...and the Butterfly must have been the Guardian of the body you fused with when you lost your original form due to being critically injured." She then added with widened eyes.

Reki silently gasped at that statement as she placed a hand to her chest. "Well, I guess that makes sense. A Yōma simply does not become human." She responded as she glanced towards a nearby mirror. "Mukuro-san..." She thought to herself in a grateful manner.

"If that's the case, maybe there's a part of her that's still inside you." Yuki guessed.

"Yeah..." Reki responded. "She's with me even now..." She then muttered. She thought Mukuro had given up on life before giving her body to her...but maybe deep down, she had some unfinished business.

"A second Guardian, according to your lessons, Reki-chan, has the prevailing theory that you may be developing another personality there." Miki recalled. "Maybe, you'll be hearing her sooner than you'd think." She then added.

"I mean it's not like she could've just gifted it to you and you just now received it." Hyōki deadpanned.

"Stranger shit has happened." Yuki recalled. "Don't be surprised if we treat hearing you talking to yourself in different tones, personalities and voices like that Platina Tricolour chick/dude in Cross Tag as completely ordinary." The blonde then added.

"Yeah, like, literally about a week ago we had calling cards appear everywhere overnight. And that's not counting the freaking logo at Station Square." Maki soon reminded.

"And that's not getting into what we've done as members of Senki Shu or prior to joining it." Miki added. "...Actually, we probably shouldn't be so shocked by this now that I think about it." She then pointed out.

"Regardless, I have fought through this hardship and gained a new power in return." Reki declared.

"Still, if you could do that to Maki-chi, I'd hate to be an enemy to all five of us beautiful fierce females." Yuki admitted with widened eyes. "You're a fight ender now..." She then stated.

"And a front line attacker like you and Hyōki-chan now instead of being in the back with me and Maki-chan." The pinkette added.

"And her rapier skills? How were they before she ended the fight?" Hyōki soon asked.

"How about you try your luck against her since you use a sword as well?" The brunette suggested.

"Not at the moment since we all need our beauty sleep." Miki replied.

"Tomorrow then, first thing Reki." Hyōki decided. "Blades only though." She then added.

"You're certainly going to push me considering you're one of the strongest shinobi of this generation, if not of all time." Reki admitted.

"Unless she's been slacking due to her crush~" Miki teasingly pointed out.

"I haven't." The ravenette promised. "I can't slack in case I need to drag her down to my level." She explained.

"A clear goal is good, but don't let it consume you like what happened to the infamous Evil Shinobi Slayer I've taught in my Shinobi History lessons." Reki advised. "You are better than her, don't let that single desire hold you back from your true potential." She then encouraged and instructed.

"And besides, Fearless Leader, you have a team of your own that has your back to help carry your burdens." Yuki reminded.

Maki simply nodded in agreement to that before another yawn escaped her lips.

"In any case, time for bed for all of us." Miki decided.

"Works for me." Reki yawned out. "First thing in the morning though, we fight." She then added.

"And shinobi lessons after the 10th, right?" Hyōki inquired. "We are going to be supporting Miki at this shoot she has that day." She then reminded.

"I'll...try to play nice..." Maki replied before the pinkette rubbed her head in acknowledgement.

"One more thing before we go to bed." Hyōki got out as she slowly walked to her shared bedroom. "Does anyone know what a cuckquean is?" She soon asked.

Miki was the only one to choke.

(Yongen-Jaya, Futaba's Room)

Ever since the Phantom Thieves came into her life, she (often with the encouragement/force of Miyabi) was doing her best to keep her room clean. As it turns out, if you don't pile up trash bags in every corner of your living space, it makes room for more figures! Who knew?

Still, it was often a pain in the ass. Outside of keeping her PC and figures dust-free, everything else about clean was...well, a chore. However, she would happily clean anything and everything if it meant having her friends over to indulge in her otaku hobbies.

And tonight, that what was exactly what will happen.

"Okay, anime downloaded? Check. Snacks with the right balance of heart-clogging and immortality granting? Check. Bed?" Futaba began listing off before taking a whiff of her bed. "...Eh, check for now. Probably could do with a little cleaning though. Room? Also check. Okay, Futaba, you're ready to have a binge watch!" She then decided and concluded in a confident manner.

BZZT! BZZT!

Suddenly, her phone set off. [Homura Shinkukage-Shirokage is at the door.]

"Just in time." Futaba got out as she put on her pants and headed downstairs to open the door.

Homura arrived at the residence in her winter attire consisting of a light crimson colored long sleeve shirt, a maroon colored winter coat over it, a blue jean skirt with a black belt with a silver buckle, lighter black leggings that cover her legs and hips underneath her skirt, loose white socks and brown boots.

"Wow, she looks like a business woman who hates Christmas but ends up marrying a prince from some foreign country." Futaba thought in awe.

"Yo." Homura simply greeted as she entered the orangette's room.

"What's up?" Futaba greeted back while swiveling in her chair.

"Just decided to come over to hang out since Miyabi's doing her own thing." Homura replied as she sat herself down.

"Cool. It was getting a little lonely without her around. So I'm glad you decided to come over." Futaba smiled as she jumped off from her chair.

"Hehe thanks." Homura responded with a giggle before sighing. "School was rough today." She then breathed out.

"Still got those boys fighting over you?" Futaba asked with a cheeky grin.

"Nah, I told them to cut it out like usual. This time it's over something different." Homura replied, rolling her eyes to the attempted teasing.

"Like what exactly?" Futaba asked, feeling interested in something juicy.

"Well, do you know an anime called DXD?" Homura asked in a curious manner. "Others at school, both guys and girls keep comparing me and Makoto-senpai to the Queens in that series." She then explained.

"Oh, you mean High School DxD." Futaba realized what she was talking about. "Yeah, I know about it. It's right in my collection." She then informed as she headed over to her anime collection.

"Oh cool. So who are these Queens they keep mentioning?" Homura responded and asked.

"They're talking about female characters of the show by the names of Rias Gremory and Akeno Himejima. They're the Queens of their school in the series called Kuoh Academy." Futaba explained to her. "Before the events of the series, it used to be an all-girls school until it was converted to a co-ed school. Both Rias and Akeno are called the Queens of Kuoh Academy because they're the most beautiful and well known students." She then revealed.

"I see," Homura got out as she nodded to this information. "Got images of what they look like?" She then asked.

"Yep. Right here on my computer." Futaba replied as she jumped back into her chair and rolls it over to the computer where she brought up images of both girls.

"Now let's see." Homura thought in a curious manner as she walked over.

Rias Gremory was a tall girl with long crimson red hair, blue-green eyes, and a buxom figure as she also wore a Kuoh Academy girls uniform that consisted of a white long-sleeved, button-down shirt with vertical linings, a black ribbon on the collar, a black shoulder cape and matching button-down corset, and a magenta skirt with white accents.

Akeno Himejima meanwhile was a beautiful young woman with long black hair tied in a high ponytail with an orange ribbon, purple eyes and had a voluptuous figure as she also wore the same uniform.

Homura soon blinked at the sight of the girls. "Yeesh, and you guys get on mine, Sis, Yumi-senpai and Miyabi about being developed." She got out. "...And everyone at school's comparing me and Makoto-senpai to them?" She then added.

"Yep. Because like you two, they practically own Kuoh Academy." Futaba replied. "No really, Rias' father is an administrator of the school, so she pretty much does own the school." She then added and informed.

"Got it." Homura responded in an understanding tone. "But damn they're developed." She then admitted.

"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet. You may think they're that developed, you should see the other ladies of the series." Futaba revealed with a grin. "Most of them are far more developed than these two and then some." She then added.

"...I find that hard to believe." Homura had to admit. "And these girls aren't shinobis right?" She then asked.

"No, they're not Shinobi. They're devils." Futaba nodded with a smile.

"Oh." Homura got out...before blinking a couple of times. "Wait what?" She soon asked.

"They're devils." Futaba repeated.

"...Seriously?" Homura then asked. "What's this series about?" She soon questioned.

"It's about a really perverted guy named Issei who was killed by a fallen angel until he was revived by Rias as a devil." Futaba explained to her.

"So the main character is a pervert...great..." Homura sighed out.

"During the beginning he was, but over the course of the series, he has mellowed out." Futaba revealed. "Mostly because of the trauma he had from being killed by a fallen angel whom he actually had a good time with. But he does generally loves and cares for Rias and the other girls, so I wouldn't say he's all bad." She then added and explained.

"So he gets good character development, good to know." Homura replied with a nod. "Think we can marathon it?" She then asked.

"Yeah, we can. Just as long as you don't mind any of the fanservice stuff it has and Issei occasional perverted side." Futaba stated to her.

"Futaba, you know shinobis that do things that qualify as fan service." Homura however reminded as the two thought back to the beach trip. "And caused Makoto-senpai to go up a cup size." She then added.

"Oh yeah, that's right. Guess I don't really need to remind you of that." Futaba realized and nodded as she took out the disk and placed it on the tray of her computer and closed it.

"Exactly." Homura replied as the two sat themselves down and started watching the first season.

Throughout the first season, the girls watched as Issei was going on a date with a girl named Yuuma Amano and was enjoying it until the moment where she revealed herself as a fallen angel and kills him, only to be revived by Rias Gremory. Then as the season progressed, Issei got his payback on Rayenare, helped a nun named Asia and even competed in the Rating Games with the rest of the Occult Club.

"Seriously though? Arranged marriage?" Homura grumbled in annoyance. "Ok, I'll admit that Issei does seem like a goofball and is a pervert, but he does have his moments." She soon admitted. "And again I say, those girls are really developed." She then admitted.

"Yeah, they sure are. And that's pretty much the main source of the fan service of the series." Futaba nodded.

"However, Rias's power is nothing to laugh about." Homura admitted as she recalled the Gremory's main form of attack.

"Yep, that's the power of the Gremory Family. They're one of the most powerful devils in the series and her older brother is one of the Four Great Satans." Futaba explained "So yeah, you don't want to mess with them." She then added.

"Yeah..." Homura responded...before a smirk of excitement came to her lips. "I think I might have thought of a new attack." She soon revealed.

"Oh, is that so?" Futaba responded as she turned to her. "So what do you have in mind?" She soon asked.

"Something based on Rias' power..." Homura vaguely stated as she stood up.

"Rias' power? You mean...?" Futaba started to realize what she was talking about.

Homura however smirked as she made the hand sign. "Shinobi Kekkai!" She thought as the two vanished...

(Homura's Shinobi Kekkai)

And arrived in the crimson tinted scenery.

"So you're really going to use the same attack Rias used?" Futaba asked.

"Well, not exactly like it." Homura admitted as she raised her hand to the air. "Nova Power! Make Up!" She passionately called out.

She then transformed into Sailor Nova while Futaba activated her Persona and became Oracle.

"Stand back Oracle and start checking the power for this new attack." Nova soon instructed.

"You got it." Oracle nodded as she entered her Persona to gauge her friend's power.

Nova meanwhile turned away and took in a deep breath as a crimson glowing glyph appeared under her feet. "Concentrate Homu-...No, Sailor Nova..." She thought to herself. "To protect those that I care about, my crimson flame shall burn all true evil and wicked intents and shall be purified!" She soon declared as flames formed in her hands.

"Whoa! This is just insane!" Oracle gasped as she gauged the new attack.

"Purification Fire!" Nova soon called out as she thrusted her arms forward, unleashing the flames as they turned crimson in color with a white and black center.

The power from this new attack was off the charts as Oracle was still trying to gauge it, but it was incredibly powerful and made it difficult for her to properly calculate it.

BOOM!

And soon enough, the attack collided with the ground and created an explosion, however when the flames cleared, there was surprisingly a patch of crimson colored flowers that miraculously sprouted in the crater.

"Whoa! That was awesome Nova!" Oracle exclaimed.

Nova meanwhile let out a sigh of relief that she was able to pull it off. "Yeah, it sure was. I can see why Rias can use that power, but it can really take a lot out of you." She soon admitted as she wiped away some sweat from her forehead.

"I figured. You basically made an all fire version of Rias's signature." Oracle admitted as she looked at the scenery. "The flowers are a nice touch as well." She then added in an impressed tone. "So, can the Sailor Scout share her secret on how she did it? And don't just say magic." She soon asked and stated.

"As much as I want to, but I'm afraid that's the only thing I can think of." Nova however answered. "Though I wouldn't say it was all magic, there could also be some spiritual energy from it. Like how shrine maidens use talismans to exorcise an evil spirit." She then explained.

"Soooo like Rei aka Sailor Mars." Oracle simplified with a grin.

"Yeah, pretty much." Nova replied with a nod as she placed a hand on her hip.

"Nice." Oracle repolied. "In any case, I honestly thought you'd try and do something like Akeno's magic honestly." She then admitted.

"Why? Is it because we're kinda similar in a way?" Nova asked and guessed as she turned to her.

"Well not the sadist part." Oracle corrected.

"You know what I mean." Nova countered as she rolled her eyes.

Oracle however just giggled in response to that.

"Though I might try some of her power as well, so you might not be too far off." Nova Replied as she smiled. "But first, I need to work something out." She then stated as she summoned her new weapon.

"Oooh, your scythe!" Oracle got out in amazement as she looked at the crimson and black scythe with a blue eye. "So, thought of a name for it?" She then asked in anticipation.

"It took me a while, but I think I might've come up with a name for it." Nova replied and nodded as she looked at her scythe. "So what do you say, Alastor?" She soon asked.

"Name registered. Designation, Alastor." The scythe-staff, now named Alastor, responded in a mechanical tone.

"Alastor?" Oracle repeated in a curious manner as she tilted her head in confusion.

"I researched some names and I discovered the name Alastor. As it turns out, there are several myths about the name and I thought it was the right choice." Nova soon explained.

"Ok, sounds good to me." Oracle replied with a nod. "So, what do you plan to do now?" She then asked in a curious manner.

"I'm probably thinking of using Alastor for our next training session. If I'm going to be using it, I'll need to learn how to use it properly so that I won't be a sitting duck." Nova answered.

"Makes sense since you've never used a scythe before." Oracle replied in agreement.

"Yeah, and it'll be completely different from how I use my six katanas or even my fans. Maybe even use it for some magic attacks as well." Nova responded and suggested.

"Good idea, Shinobi and Phantom Thief weapon for a Shinobi and Phantom Thief and Magical Girl weapon for Magical Girl." Oracle simplified.

"Yep, that's pretty much the idea." Nova answered.

"Alright! Let's see what you got!" Oracle replied as she got into Necronomicon. "I'll be getting all the data from in here." She then informed.

"Ok, here we go." Nova nodded "You ready, Alastor?" She questioned as she turned to her new partner.

"Acknowledged." Alastor simply responded.

Nova nodded as she twirled Alastor and held it with both her hands and extended its blade out.

"Training montage~!" Oracle cheered with a grin on her face.

"Yeah!" Nova replied with a nod as she raised Alastor up over her head and did a downward slash to begin the training.

Oracle meanwhile began typing on her keyboard with a grin. "And here's some music!" She soon declared as she then pressed enter.

(Cue Overkill Scythe Hell by Ai Kayano)

"Ohh. I like this song." Nova nodded as she started dancing to the music while performing some basic slashes with Alastor's blade while also feeling the rhythm.

"Mwehe~ I thought you would!" Oracle replied with a giggle and a grin.

"Now with some appropriate music, time to get to work." Nova muttered with a nod as she slammed down the bottom half of Alastor's pole to pole-vault over.

Oracle meanwhile watched as the Sailor Scout practiced, though slowly over time, it became similar to that of a dance as she elegantly used her weapon.

At the same time, Alastor records all of its master's movements as a way for them to feel synced with each other during any potential battles they'll be in down the line.

Meanwhile, a glowing crimson magical glyph appeared under Nova's feet as she kept training.

"Man Nova, your Magic keeps rising!" Oracle informed, though the tan skinned girl said nothing in response and kept going.

Nova meanwhile kept on dancing around, not losing her concentration as Alastor generated more magical energy through her movements.

"Energy level...85%...90%...95%..." Alastor informed.

"Something's coming!" Oracle got out in excitement.

Nova heard her as she continued with her movements where she twirled around Alastor around her waist and neck. At the same time, the blade was being charged up by more magic energy as the eye even changed color.

"Focus...focus...focus..." Nova muttered to herself in a calm and collected manner.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Oracle got out as she read the readings being emitted. "These are off the charts again! Hurry and release that magic!" She exclaimed in disbelief followed by the order.

FWOOOOOOSH!

"Energy level...100%..." Alastor soon stated, it's eye now glowing white and the blade itself igniting with crimson flames.

Until the blade bursts even a massive shape of a crescent moon with Alastor's eye in the center of the blade. The flames emanating from the blade was filled with pure energy and didn't feel hot in her hands. Almost like it's alive and knows that despite all of her past hardships, she was pure at heart and could use its power to its full potential.

"Whoa! You really need to release it now Nova!" Oracle called out. "I can feel the heat from in here!" She then informed from within her Persona as she wiped away the sweat that was forming.

"Then brace yourself, Oracle! This is going to be a big one!" Nova ordered as she takes a step back and brings her arms back while holding onto the scythe tightly. "You ready for this, Alastor?" She soon asked.

"Acknowledged...release all stored up energy when ready..." Alastor responded.

"Then here we go!" Nova shouted as she swung her arms forward while doing a spin from the momentum of her body. "NOVA PURIFICATION SLASH!" She roared as she unleashed a massive slash that travels along the ground until it explodes at a certain distance from the two.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

"WHOOOOOOOOA!" Oracle cried out as her Persona was being pushed back from the even larger explosion that was created as a result that even shook her despite her being in the air

Eventually, Nova panted heavily as she fell to her knees while holding herself up with Alastor's handle to keep her balance. The blade and eye also returns to normal after unleashing all the energy.

And as the explosion subsided and died down, like with the last magic attack, a field of crimson flowers were scattered throughout the entire crater.

"Purification complete..." Alastor soon informed as it then went back into its staff form.

"Whew...that was intense..." Nova panted as she wiped away her sweat from her forehead and let out a sigh of relief.

"Like always, overdoing it." Musashi chided.

"Hey, Oracle...You okay...?" Nova asked while still panting.

"Ugh...I'm good. l just had a nosebleed from the sheer awesomeness of that attack..." Oracle groaned out while steadying herself.

"Then you better clean up your nose once we're done. Don't want to get yourself lightheaded." Nova replied as she stood back up while still holding onto Alastor.

"Got it." Oracle replied as she wiped the blood away and looked at her monitors. "Another flower field in a crater as a result." She soon informed.

"Yeah, I can definitely see it. It's almost like I'm purifying the land." Nova replied as she walked over to the crater and looked at the flowers.

"Yeah, to think you made that." Oracle then jokingly pointed out.

"Ha ha, very funny." Nova laughed sarcastically and rolled her eyes. "But I guess you're not entirely wrong, I'm still surprised at how I even did that." She then admitted.

"Yeah. Bet you can beat things like the Yōma in one shot." Oracle soon got out.

"Maybe some of the smaller ones, but I'm not really sure about the bigger ones." Nova responded. "They're already really hard to kill when fighting them normally, but I can definitely see using this as an advantage over them."

"Still, magical girls do fight monsters in secret." Oracle pointed out.

"Yeah, that's true." Nova nodded.

"Though Yōma don't appear in public right?" Oracle then asked.

"No, they don't appear in public. They're usually hiding in the shadows, waiting for any unsuspecting victims to be alone and then devour them." Nova explained.

"Sort of ironic that the fighting between shinobis is what creates them and yet shinobis are the ones that fight them huh?" Oracle soon stated.

"Yeah, it really is ironic. But I guess it does make some sense, even though we're the ones that caused them to appear." Nova nodded and sighed "Maybe it's just the world's way of punishing us for all our constant fighting between both Good Shinobi and Evil Shinobi." She then added.

"Well at least your out of it." Oracle pointed as she looked at her monitors. "Wow! Your already recharged and ready to go!" She soon informed in amazement.

"Oh yeah, now we're back in business!" Nova grinned "So you ready to continue training, Alastor?" She soon asked as she looked down at her staff.

"Acknowledged..." Alastor responded.

"How about you work on more magic attacks now like Nanoha, Rias and even Akeno now with it being in staff mode?" Oracle suggested.

"Hmm...not a bad idea. Might even learn a few tricks from them." Nova nodded in agreement.

"Alright! Show us the magic!" Oracle cheered.

"Alright! Cue the next song!" Nova requested while twirling Alastor.

"Working on it," Oracle replied as she typed on her keyboard. "Annnd~ Boop!" She concluded as she pressed enter.

(Cue Life Is Show Time by Tatsuo)

"Oh yeah, this is my jam!" Nova declared in excitement as she bopped to the beat.

"Mwhehehe~! Thought you'd like it!" Oracle replied. "Especially since it has that magical feel to it." She then added.

"It sure does. I'm really feeling it now." Nova agreed and declared while still bopping to the beat.

"Hey come on Nova! Focus!" Oracle called out. "You're practicing your magic, not dancing." She then reminded in anticipation.

"Oh yeah, that's right!" Nova snapped out of her dancing and got to work on her magic.

Oracle meanwhile just giggled as she watched the Sailor Senshi work her magic.

"You ready for the next part of our training, Alastor?" Nova muttered as she looked at her partner weapon.

"Acknowledged...Staff Mode...engaged..." Alastor responded.

Alastor retracts its blade into the handle and folds inward. A red jewel pops out from the top, just above its eye and emitted a fiery aura from within.

"Ooooh, you have an awesome imagination when it comes to your magical girl weapon Nova." Oracle got out in awe.

"Yeah, I guess I really do. I'm really getting in touch with something that was lost from my childhood." Nova replied in agreement while smiling at herself.

"How about acting more cutesy then?" Oracle jokingly suggested with a smirk.

"Yeah, in your dreams." Nova shot back with a smirk and playfully sticking out her tongue.

"Come on, pleeeease?" Oracle soon requested in a more childish tone. "I mean we are in your Kekkai." She then reminded. "I swear I'll keep it a secret!" She soon declared.

This in turn caused the tan skinned girl to sigh, but then giggle in amusement. "Well, if that's what you want, then I can do it just for you." Nova replied as she then smiled.

"Sweet! Go for it Sailor Nova!" Oracle soon encouraged. "Show me that cutesy side most magical girls have!" She then added while pumping a fist within her Persona.

"Alrighty, prepare to be amazed, Oracle!" Nova declared with a nod as she cleared her throat and made herself look more cutesy.

Oracle meanwhile looked on in anticipation and excitement. "No way Miyabi would ever do this, so this is gonna be good!" She then thought.

"Ok, you ready, Oracle?" Nova asked, ready to show off her cute side.

"Stop stalling and show me!" Oracle responded in a giddy manner.

"Well, alright. Since you asked so nicely..." Nova muttered with a nod as she did a twirl on the tip of her boot as her hair spirals around her. When she stops twirling, she flips her hair and spun Alastor with her fingers before slamming his handle into the ground and does a peace sign just in front of her face with a cute smile.

"Cutesy talk too!" Oracle soon requested.

"You mean like this Oracle? " Nova suddenly asked, her voice a bit higher and cuter sounding as if she was an innocent school girl.

Oracle immediately gave a thumbs up in response. "Perfect!" She declared in excitement. She also had a little bit of blood dripping from her nose at the sight of the magical girl acting all cute and innocent.

"You ok? " Nova soon asked in the same cutesy tone.

"Y-Yup! A-Okay!" Oracle responded in a panicked manner. She pinches her nose and pulls her head back to not let anymore blood drip out.

"You sure? " Nova then asked with a tilt of her head.

"Uh huh!" Oracle responded. "Calm down Oracle!" She thought to herself she took in a deep breath. She also shoved some tissue papers up her nose from completely out of nowhere, but doesn't really question it.

"Well ok then. " Nova replied with a smile.

"Seriously though, how'd you get into character so easily?" Oracle soon asked.

"It all comes down to knowing how that character would act normally. " Nova soon explained. "So I thought about how both Usagi and Nanoha act normally and just incorporate it. " She then added.

"And it looks like it worked out well! I almost didn't recognize you!" Oracle soon confessed.

"Well, then I'd say that was a complete success. I'm glad it really worked out. " Nova replied as she smiled and nodded.

"Seriously, that voice sounds so cute Nova!" Oracle confessed with a grin.

"I'm really happy to hear you like it, Oracle-chan! " Nova happily replied as she smiled cutely and gave her a wink.

The orangette in response blinked to that. "Chan?" Oracle repeated.

"Hai! Oracle-chan! " Nova happily replied with a nod while holding her scythe-staff with both hands.

That made Oracle's face turn bright red as steam emitted from her head and her nose shot out blood again and her Persona fell from the air.

"Wah! Oracle-chan!" Nova exclaimed in a panic as she rushed over.

A few minutes later...

"Ugh..." Oracle groaned out.

"Oracle-chan! Are you alright?!" Nova asked in concern.

"Yeah, I'm alright..." Oracle groaned out. "I think you got some kind of charm skill in Magical Girl form like how the DXD girls can charm others." She then informed.

"You really think so? I have a charm like that?" Nova asked in surprise.

"Oh yeah." Oracle responded with a nod.

"Hmm...I can definitely use this." Nova thought with a smirk.

"I can't learn Charm Skills..." Musashi reminded.

"What are you thinking Nova?" Oracle meanwhile asked after noticing the smirk.

"Just some ideas I can use this charm for." Nova answered.

"Like?" Oracle then got out in a curious manner.

"I can't say yet, so for now it's a secret." Nova answered while petting her head.

Oracle meanwhile just pouted in response.

"Now, now... Oracle-chan, no need to pout. " Nova chided in playful amusement.

"Fine..." Oracle groaned. "I guess we should get going for the night." She then suggested.

"Sounds good to me. We can continue this some other time." Nova nodded as she released the barrier...

(Futaba's Room)

And the two returned to the orangette's room.

"Whew...good to be back again." Futaba breathed out as she plopped down onto her bed.

"Yup! That was a lot of fun this time Futaba-chan. " Homura replied in agreement, though in the same cutesy tone.

"Mwhehe, still talking like that Homura." Futaba playfully pointed out with a smirk.

"Mmm-hmm, sure am! I'm definitely going to be using this whenever we're together! " Homura happily responded with a nod.

That in turn caused the orangette to blink in a surprised manner. "Huh, looks like becoming a magical girl's making you more confident." Futaba soon started. "Before you'd be embarrassed just even letting something like that slip out." She then reminded.

"Well, that was the me not as a magical girl. So I don't really mind that you are the one I can be like this." Homura replied with a smile.

"Really?" Futaba got out in a curious manner with a raised eyebrow.

"Yep! " Homura simply responded as she gave a cute smile.

"Hehe, looks like you're becoming more of a real girl now." Futaba then got out.

"Yeah, I sure am. It's thanks to you for helping me regain a lost memory I had forgotten for so long." Homura admitted as she nodded in agreement.

"Ah, you're giving me too much credit." Futaba however waved off. "The other girls helped too." She then reminded.

"Yeah, that's true. So I'll probably be thanking them as well." Homura nodded.

"Exactly." Futaba replied in agreement.

Homura simply smiled to that as she felt her Femininity greatly improving as a result.

"Well, I think it's about time for me to head back home." Homura soon decided. "I had a lot of fun learning how to use Alastor and even acting like a magical girl now." She then admitted in a satisfied tone.

"We really gotta put those to use though," Futaba soon pointed out. "But for what, I have no idea." She then admitted.

"I'm sure we'll find out what to do when we're training again." Homura reassured. "I mean it's not like the Yōma can appear in reality outside a Kekkai." She then added.

"Yeah, you're probably right. There's no way that's going to happen." Futaba agrees "So we'll be ready when they do show their ugly faces." She soon declared. "And you'll be purifying them all!" She then concluded.

"Yeah! So watch out Yōma! Because Sailor Nova will be there to purify you! " Homura declared in confidence.

"Yeah!" Futaba cheered while pumping a fist into the air.

Both girls soon enough plopped down onto the orangette's bed and laughed as they just had a fun time hanging out together.

Eventually, the tan skinned girl then decided to leave and head home for the night with renewed vigor and excitement.

"Well, it's time for me to head home now. I'll be back again for our next training session." Homura told her as she opened the door.

"Yeah, see ya for our next magical girl watching." Futaba replied with a grin.

"Okay then, see ya, Futaba-chan! " Homura responded with a nod as she gave off a cute smile and a wink.

Futaba in turn winked back as she watched the tan skinned girl leave, the smile never leaving her face.

Homura meanwhile closed the door and skipped along home after leaving, excited for their next magical girl marathon.

"This just rocks!" Both girls soon thought as they went on with the night.

(Shinjuku, New Moon Apartment Complex)

Akira arrived at the New Moon Apartment Complex about 30 minutes earlier than the agreed time. Morgana was out doing who-knows-what, Haruka was staying late at the clinic to make sure didn't have any important work for their date tomorrow, and Futaba had agreed to shut off his spyware for tonight. After shutting off his notifications, he was ready to fully focus on his friend: Yumi Tsukikaze.

"Let's do this." Akira told himself before knocking on the girl's door.

The door soon opened and the Leader saw Yumi wearing her winter attire that consisted of a long sleeved icy-blue bordering on white shoulderless one piece shirt-like sweater that drapes all the way down to her hips like it has a skirt, dark gray bordering on blue leggings that l and dark gray bordering on light blue boots. Finally, she was wearing her usual white bow in her hair.

"Ah, you're early." Yumi got out.

"Thanks for inviting me over, Yumi." Akira responded with a friendly wave. "Akechi was in the cafe tonight and I do not want to interact with him right now." He soon informed with a sheepish smile.

"Glad to have helped. Come in." Yumi soon replied as she guided the Leader inside her apartment.

"Huh, I've never seen your place until now." Akira remarked as he took off his shoes.

"It's not exactly suited for guests. Nonetheless, please make yourself at home." Yumi replied as she went to her fridge to grab some drinks she bought.

The Leader nodded as he sat down on the floor by the table. "It's quite cozy, you know."

"It's nothing compared to my room back home, Akira." Yumi stated as she placed down glasses on the table and poured iced tea into each.

"Well, you've definitely made the most of it." Akira responded before spotting the small shrine in the corner of the room. "It's nice." He then added.

"Hm? Oh, that." Yumi got out, seeing what he was looking at and smiled. "Me and Shiki-san did the best we could. A few scented candles, incense, photos sent from my friends that I printed at school...I-I'll make a proper one when I get-"

"It's a really nice shrine, Yumi." Akira interrupted.

The light gray haired girl coughed and blushed. "Thank you." Yumi responded while giving a grateful smile. "...My team...my friends...my sisters at Gessen sent me his will as well." She soon revealed, correcting herself as to what she called her fellow Elites.

"...I see." Akira responded before taking a sip of his drink. "Have you read it yet?" He soon asked.

"I have." Yumi muttered with a nod as she quickly grabbed the will, which was still contained within its envelope. "His dream...The perfect world...that world he talked about...that he coveted to us...he...he abandoned it." She hesitantly revealed.

The Leader, meanwhile, was unphased to hear this as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Yumi..." He muttered in concern.

"Akira." Yumi however responded. "Why don't you read it yourself?" She soon suggested.

That immediately got the Leader's attention. "Wait, really? Should I?" He questioned in a confused manner.

"You said you've always wanted to meet the man, did you not?" Yumi reminded as she slid the will over to him. "This is the closest thing we can do. I'm sure he won't mind." She then added.

"O-Okay." Akira nodded before taking the envelope, carefully opening it to retrieve the will and read it.

"Yumi, Murakumo, Yozakura, Minori, Shiki

I have wasted my life. There is no other way I can put it. I was pursuing a dream that I knew deep down would be impossible to pursue. As you know, my parents were also murdered by evil shinobi. Even today, I cannot let that hatred go even though those responsible are most likely long gone - either retired or dead. I wanted revenge. I wanted all evil to be eliminated, no matter the cost. It's why I became a shinobi in the first place.

Hanzō, my dearest friend, tried to steer me away from this path. I ignored him, and now look at us. He is the Legendary Shinobi loved by all, and I am merely a renegade who was simply waiting to die by the hands of my former allies. He was right, and I was wrong.

I had no idea where I could go or what to do...until I met all of you.

You were my world without darkness, you were the ones who showed me that my dream was always true...I just had to accept it, and I did. However, to my shame and regret, you all decided to make my old foolish dream a reality. A world without evil, without darkness or strife.

Oh, to be just as young and foolish. But that time has passed.

As I am writing this, I know my end is coming. Even now, my hand shakes and weakens with every word I write. I just hope my fighting spirit will allow me to complete this letter before I leave for another world. I should be getting to the point then.

No, do not cry or seek revenge against the world for taking so much. I want you to smile, and live your life the way you want to, instead of continuing the traditions of old and letting the cycle of anger and violence go on for another generation. I want you to be happy, and I want you to know that for whatever path you take, I'll be there with a smile on my own face.

You'll see me again. That's the beauty of death. And when that time comes, I'll be there to welcome you with open arms.

This is not a goodbye. This is merely a temporary parting, it should be a celebration! Like leaving home to move into a new house by yourself! You are no longer chained by my authority, you are free to do what your heart desires!

My daughters...my will and legacy...

You have already changed the world...created the ideal world I always wanted to live in, by being there and smiling.

I will see you again.

Kurokage

P.S. I really hope Hanzō does not ruin my funeral. That bastard will probably eat my food again. You can kick his ass for me if I don't rise from the grave and do it myself."

"That was...mostly beautiful." Akira breathed out, though also sweatdropped at that extra bit.

"He has a way with words." Yumi got out with a sad smile. "It's why I followed him and his ideals until..."

"Until now." Akira finished.

"...I haven't followed his ideals since I became part of the Phantom Thieves and started living." Yumi confessed. "I was so afraid about how he would react if he were to find out what I have become for so long, only to realize that...That he would've been proud of me. Is that funny?"

"It's life." Akira got out. "It's never too late to change the path you're going down. You just need a good kick in the right direction, sometimes." He then encouraged.

"Speaking of kick..." Yumi soon began, which only served to confuse the boy why she was lifting up her leg...

THWACK!

"Ow! Hey! I didn't mean that literally..." Akira winced as he doubled over from getting kicked in the lower abdomen. It hurt like hell, but luckily, Yumi decided to aim there instead of a little lower. He was half-expecting it to be between his legs again after what happened yesterday.

"That's for kicking my head back at the museum." Yumi soon stated with a pout.

"...Ah, I forgot about that." Akira grimaced as he held his abdomen. "Then again, you were trying to kill us..." He then muttered under his breath.

"You could've been a little less forceful. I am a lady after all." Yumi replied and reminded in a chiding manner.

"Self-defense is unisex." Akira responded.

"I was nearly unconscious!" Yumi reminded.

"You froze everyone!" Akira complained.

"You cheated!" Yumi countered.

"It's called pragmatism!" Akira soon revealed.

Eventually, the two snorted as they chuckled and giggled in amusement.

"God, we're idiots." Akira laughed.

"You are, at least." Yumi replied with a chuckle.

"...Yeah, you got me there." Akira relented as he wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Hehe, it is though I gained a younger brother now." Yumi confessed in amusement.

"What about Yusuke?" Akira pointed out.

"Yusuke-san is...Yusuke-san." Yumi vaguely responded.

Akira in turn chuckled to that response. "He does act to the beat of his own drum, even when it involves buying a drum set." He had to admit.

"Don't put that idea in his head." Yumi sighed out.

"Hey, I try to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid too, ya know." Akira revealed. "Or, attempt to. Don't know about Ryuji." He then added.

The light gray haired girl giggled some more to that as she then took in a breath to calm herself. "I knew my grandfather was not going to live forever, but it still hurts a little thinking about him. I also know that I won't live forever." Yumi admitted in a solemn tone. "But...he left behind a great legacy, and so will I. I won't die until the shinobi world knows my name. And I won't stop until the Phantom Thieves become legends to spread hope throughout the rest of the world even when we are long gone. You have my gratitude Akira-kun, for if it wasn't for you...I don't know what would happen to me. Thank you, for supporting me and being my friend." She soon declared in a grateful manner.

"I always will be." Akira replied, the sensation of his bond with the Gessen shinobi reaching its pinnacle.

Akira then let the calming feeling wash over him, the world around him going dark while the last of the chains broke around the Adjustment tarot card. He could feel the familiar warmth of his Thief clothing embrace him. Reaching out for it, he grabbed it before crushing it in his hand, letting the blood of the card flow down his arm and seep through his skin.

No longer was this a simple bond, but an unbreakable connection to last a lifetime...

SHATTER!

I am thou, thou art I...
Thou hast turned a vow into a blood oath.

Thy bond shall become the wings of rebellion
and break the yoke of thy heart.

Thou hast awakened to the ultimate secret
of Adjustment, granting thee infinite power...

MAX RANK!

Second Awakening: Transforms Persona into a mythological trickster.

Unlocked the Ultimate Persona of Adjustment! The Mother of the West, Xi Wangmu!

Yumi suddenly gasped as in her mind's eye, she could see Fūma in front of her, smiling proudly before beginning to change into something entirely different.

She looked like Fūma, except her singular eye was split in half vertically, one completely white and the other a solid black. Her dress was much different as well with alternating layers of blue, white, and black sleeveless kimonos, which revealed her frosting, crystallized arms. In her hands was a staff with the crescent moon on it, and had webbing under her arms. Finally, she had four pairs of silver wings on her back instead of spider legs.

"A-Amazing, I believe my Persona has awakened to new power." Yumi muttered.

"It is more than power, my dear." A suave voice began.

"Who are you? I know that you are not Fūma." Yumi soon stated in her head.

"The blizzard has ended, and the snow has melted. With the moon and sun shining above you, you have found your light." The Persona soon declared. "I am Tsukuyumi-no-Mikoto, descendant of Izanagi. You now have the power of a God in your hands. Use it wisely." She soon announced and advised at the same time.

"I will. Remain by my side until the end, Tsukuyumi-no-Mikoto." Yumi breathed out, placing a hand over her heart.

"Yumi?" Akira soon spoke, snapping the girl out of her second awakening.

"Akira." Yumi got out, grinning proudly from her new power.

"I'm glad you're doing better than ever." Akira soon stated, having a feeling about what just happened. "So, what else are we gonna do tonight? Are we just gonna shoot the shit for a couple hours or...?"

"Language." Yumi sighed with an eye roll. "Well, how do you feel about helping me with a song?" She soon suggested.

"Erm, I'm not exactly a songwriter. I'm barely coherent on a good day." Akira muttered while rubbing the back of his neck.

"No, I want you to sing it with me." Yumi clarified in an excited manner. "In the studio and everything. It could be fun." She then added.

"I could be recognised as the Phantom of the Idol Debut." Akira got out in a cautious manner. "Besides, I do not have the voice. And your male fans will kill me." He then pointed out.

"You have an amazing voice and I'll take care of any trouble. Come on, let's do some karaoke." Yumi insisted as she pulled out her phone and started looking up karaoke songs on ViewTube.

Akira could chuckle. Looks like they were going to be singing all night long.

(Fast Forward)

Akira concluded his retelling of his time with Widow, smiling all the while as those memories broke through the drugs to give him some comfort in this cold, hard interrogation room. Or at least, that's what the prosecutor assumed.

"Yet another lifelong friend." Sae remarked. "You're quite popular. Especially with women." She then noted.

"Don't misconstrue anything here. There's more to my bonds than simply power. No matter what, I will stay by their side even when I physically can't be." Akira insisted in an honest manner.

"I am aware you would throw your life away for them, and given your stories and current actions, you certainly have a death wish." Sae then remarked.

"Well, you can't be afraid to bet it all when your life and your friends are on the line." Akira replied with a shrug.

"Hmph, are you looking to win it big?" Sae questioned, looking a little amused.

"Nah." Akira shook his head. "We've already won." He then answered with a cocky smirk.

God, she wanted to punch him in the face every time he did that. Acting like she wasn't one word from ending his entire life.

Sae soon narrowed her eyes. So that was the game he was playing. "...Do you have a preference for older women?" She soon questioned.

That actually managed to stun the Leader causing him to sputter for a second.

"No I..." Akira started before pausing, as he began to remember all his female confidants' birthdays. Being born on April 1st, 11:59:59 PM, he was quite literally the youngest person in his age group. "Well-" He attempted to continue, however...

"Stop. Keep your freakishly detailed and long story going." Sae sighed while rubbing her temples.

She was seriously questioning the potency of that serum those bastards injected to him at this point considering how much more detailed Akira's recollection was getting in recent months, story-wise.

She was also questioning how his voice hadn't given out yet.

His safety was also concerning her now, if only for hearing the end of his tale.

"Continue." Sae advised in a calm, yet firm, tone while looking directly at him.

The Leader happily did so. Although, unknown to Sae for the past several hours, Akira might be leaving out a few details...

(Rewind)

(Shinjuku, New Moon Apartment Complex)

Akira arrived at the New Moon Apartment Complex about 30 minutes earlier than what they agreed on, constantly adjusting his new clothes and making sure not a single petal was out of place in his bouquet of flowers he bought from Rafflesia.

Thanks to all the money they earned yesterday in Mementos, he was able to splurge a little on some nice, stylish clothing. Nothing expensive, but it was all brand new and it made him feel nice. Just a crisp light blue button-up shirt and black slacks, although he did hang his false glasses on his shirt. When he looked into a mirror, he wasn't some punk kid trying to look less intimidating. He was just a boy about to spend a wonderful night with his beloved like one of those movie couples.

Whether or not it was going to have a PG or R (or even X) rating was up for debate.

Morgana was doing whatever the hell he wanted when he left his bag, Haruka was staying late at the clinic, and Futaba had disabled her spyware for the night.

Tonight, he can finally fully focus on his girlfriend: Yumi Tsukikaze.

"Okay, Joker. Showtime." Akira told himself before knocking on the door.

After hearing a girly squeak, there were some sounds of rushing before the door opened.

Instantly, Akira was awestruck at the sight of his girlfriend. Yumi had also decided to dress up nicely. She was in a simple combo of a light blue turtleneck sweater and a white skirt with plain black tights underneath.

"Y-You're here sooner than expected." Yumi breathed out.

The Leader quickly stopped gawking at his girlfriend and looked directly into her eyes (despite how tempting it was to just look down). "I prefer the term fashionably early." Akira responded with a smile. "Thanks for inviting me over." He then got out.

"You're my beloved, Akira-koi. It is to be expected." The light-gray haired girl replied before spotting the bouquet. "Are those for me?" She gasped as her boyfriend handed it over.

Akira nodded. "Yep." He answered. "Ah, don't worry about getting a vase. They're fake gardenias. I didn't want to put another responsibility on you." He then added.

"They smell wonderful. How?" Yumi complimented before asking.

"I sprayed some perfume on it." Akira stated as he gave her the perfume bottle.

"Giving me used gifts. You are such an ass at times..." Yumi teasingly replied with a giggle.

"It's what I do." The Leader replied with a chuckle of his own as he stepped inside.

"Having a boy over in my apartment...it feels so...so..." Yumi mumbled as she trailed off.

"Inappropriate?" Akira prompted.

"Naughty." Yumi decided as she let out a seductive smile.

"E-Erm..." Akira sputtered out. If he didn't know any better, he swore Yumi was secretly a succubus as well as his shinobi idol girlfriend.

"I...I wouldn't mind if you stayed the night. You are my boyfriend, Akira-koi." Yumi quietly confessed with a blush forming on her face.

"I would love to." Akira replied. "Unfortunately, I don't exactly have the freedom to stay where I want. Sojiro does have to ensure where I am everyday. Also, uh...he's watching." He then got out in a cautious manner.

"Hm? Morgana-san?" Yumi hummed out with a raised eyebrow.

Akira silently gestured to the shrine.

"A-Ah." Yumi stammered out. "It's, erm, that's not...I'm so sorry, Ojii-sama!" She then hurriedly apologized while bowing in shame.

Akira gently placed his hand on her shoulder. "Yumi, calm down." The Leader reassured her. "Breathe. This is supposed to be a nice time."

"R-Right." Yumi stammered as she took a few deep breaths.

"Man, I still can't get over how buff he is." Akira confessed while scratching the back of his head.

"Until his last breath, he made sure to take care of his body. Even though he was nearly completely bedridden in the last few months according to my sisters, he still put in as much effort as he could." His girlfriend got out with an expression of pride and nostalgia. "Do you...wish to pray to my grandfather?" Yumi then suggested.

"Sure." Akira nodded. "If this goes well, he'll be my grandfather later down the line."

His girlfriend started blushing again. "A-Akira-koi..." Yumi stammered out.

Akira simply chuckled before sitting in front of the shrine, clapped his hands together and prayed. His girlfriend soon joined him, happy to send her own prayers to her grandfather.

Whoosh...

Suddenly, Akira shuddered.

"Are you okay?" Yumi asked in concern.

"Huh. It suddenly got chilly." Akira mumbled.

"This apartment doesn't get the best heating." Yumi got out in an apologetic manner.

"You should probably close the window as well. It's slightly open." Akira pointed out.

THUMP!

"Ah, I didn't notice." Yumi replied as she quickly adjusted the fixture. "That breeze... Maybe it was Ojii-sama giving us some privacy..." She then wondered.

"Who knows?" Akira wondered.

"...Did you apologize for confessing your love in front of his grave?" Yumi asked.

"I did." Akira quietly replied.

"I seriously need to fix that mouth of yours." Yumi sighed out in a playful manner.

"It does need a little training." The Leader admitted.

"Don't worry. We'll have plenty of time to ensure your lips and tongue are properly‐" Yumi decided before covering her mouth with her hands. "E-Erm, I just realized what I was about to say." She then sheepishly admitted with a giggle.

"Nearly pulled an Asuka." Akira replied with a chuckle.

"Hehehe, almost." A blushing Yumi giggled out with an impish smile.

The two lovers continued laughing for a second.

"Ah, there's something else I wanted you to talk to you about." Yumi confessed as soon as she stopped giggling. "About Ojii-sama's will." Shen then added as she gently picked up the document from her coffee table.

"Have you read it yet?" Akira asked in a more serious tone.

"I have." Yumi replied. "His dream...The perfect world...that world he talked about...that he coveted to us...he...he abandoned it." She hesitantly explained.

Akira raised his eyebrows at that revelation. "W-What?" He managed to ask.

Yumi nodded. "Yes." She plainly stated "Why don't you read it yourself?" She then offered.

"Wait, really?" Akira asked in surprise. "Should I?" He then asked in confirmation.

"You said you've always wanted to meet the man, did you not?" Yumi replied. "This is the closest thing we can do. I'm sure he won't mind." She then explained as she gently offered it to him.

"O-Okay." Akira nodded before taking the envelope, carefully opening it to retrieve the will and read it.

"Yumi, Murakumo, Yozakura, Minori, Shiki

I have wasted my life. There is no other way I can put it. I was pursuing a dream that I knew deep down would be impossible to pursue. As you know, my parents were also murdered by evil shinobi. Even today, I cannot let that hatred go even though those responsible are most likely long gone - either retired or dead. I wanted revenge. I wanted all evil to be eliminated, no matter the cost. It's why I became a shinobi in the first place.

Hanzō, my dearest friend, tried to steer me away from this path. I ignored him, and now look at us. He is the Legendary Shinobi loved by all, and I am merely a renegade who was simply waiting to die by the hands of my former allies. He was right, and I was wrong.

I had no idea where I could go or what to do...until I met all of you.

You were my world without shadow, you were the ones who showed me that my dream was always true...I just had to accept it, and I did. However, to my shame and regret, you all decided to make my old foolish dream a reality. A world without evil, without darkness or strife.

Oh, to be just as young and foolish. But that time has passed.

As I am writing this, I know my end is coming. Even now, my hand shakes and weakens with every word I write. I just hope my fighting spirit will allow me to complete this letter before I leave for another world. A shame I didn't have the strength to write you all individual letters, I know there are some things you all need to be told by yourselves.

I should be getting to the point then.

No, do not cry or seek revenge against the world for taking so much of what you love. I want you to smile, and live your life the way you want to, instead of continuing the traditions of old and letting the cycle of anger and violence go on for another generation. I want you to be happy, and I want you to know that for whatever path you take, I'll be there with a smile on my own face.

You'll see me again. That's the beauty of death. And when that time comes, I'll be there to welcome you with open arms.

This is not a goodbye. This is merely a temporary parting, it should be a celebration! Like leaving home to move into a new house by yourself! You are no longer chained by my authority, you are free to do what your heart desires!

My daughters...my will and legacy...

You have already changed the world...created the ideal world I always wanted to live in, by being there and smiling.

I will see you again.

Kurokage

P.S. I really hope Hanzō does not ruin my funeral. That bastard will probably eat my food again. You can kick his ass for me if I don't rise from the grave and do it myself."

"That was...mostly beautiful." Akira breathed out, though also sweatdropped at that extra bit.

"He has such a way with words." Yumi couldn't help but smile. "After reading this, I am sure that he would've accepted you."

"It...would've been an honor." Akira breathed out. "So, I've met your sisters, I've technically gotten your grandfather's approval...what about the..."

"Parents?" Yumi prompted.

"N-No, I-I mean..." The raven-haired boy stammered out.

Yumi gently took his hand in hers. "Akira-kun, it's been years." She quietly pointed out. "I am fine with it and...I'm sure they are happy that I am happy." She then added with a smile.

Akira raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Yumi gave his hand a firm squeeze. "Really." She repeated. "But if you wish, we could always visit them when we have the time." She then added.

"...I'll bring more flowers. I have to make up for that first crappy first impression." Akira soon decided while smoothing out his hair a little.

"You are such a gentleman, Akira-kun." Yumi lightly giggled.

The Leader chuckled as well. Man, listening to Yumk giggle was like hearing angels titter. "How have you been holding up?" Akira soon asked.

To that, Yumi took a deep breath. "I...I am well, Akira-kun." She replied in a calm tone.

"Is that it? It's okay to let it out if you need to." Akira then offered.

"It's okay. I...I'm done grieving and I have paid my respects. My grandfather wouldn't want me to be like that for too long." Yumi stated. "I will miss him every day but...I have you and all of my friends to make it better." She then confessed with a small smile.

This in turn caused Akira to nod as he smiled back. "I'm glad you're okay but if you need me don't hesitate. So...what happens now?" He replied followed by the question.

"...I have to go back to Gessen when we finish everything going on. My friends...my family, they need me." Yumi revealed in a calm tone.

The Leader in turn nodded to that. "Okay. That's understandable. I'm gonna miss you, Yumi." Akira confessed.

"Huh? No, what I meant was that I'm leaving at the end of the year. I still have my duties as a Phantom Thief...And my duties as y-your..." She began, but then stammered at the end with a blush.

"Hm?" Akira hummed out with a raised eyebrow.

"Y-You know, as your...as your..." Yumi tried to finish her sentence, but just couldn't for some reason.

"As your...?" Akira repeated, now slightly amused as he had an idea. "Let me guess. Advisor? President? Oh, I know, your idol." He listed off with a smirk.

"Please don't tease me so much! I'm your girlfriend, after all!" Yumi exclaimed in an embarrassed and feminine manner with a very visible blush from ear-to-ear.

"Hey, don't go screaming that to the world. Your fans might get jealous...or murder me." Akira chuckled out, causing the light gray haired girl to blush even redder.

Immediately, Yumi coughed her hand into her fist to calm herself down. "You're right. I shouldn't really say that I...have a...boyfriend..." She mumbled out. "Akira-koi, am I dreaming?" She soon asked.

Akira however shook his head to the question. "Pretty sure you're not. But if it is, it would be a nice dream to not wake up from."

"...You're so corny." Yumi giggled. "But...that's how I fell for you, Akira-koi."

Akira blushed.

"Aw, are you embarrassed by me calling you Akira-koi?" Yumi noticed with a teasing titter.

"A little, but...It's nice." Akira admitted as he held the girl close.

"Thank you. I probably won't use it in front of the others, though." Yumi confessed.

"You mean at risk of them teasing you for revenge on you teasing them?" Akira then asked with an amused smirk.

"I assure you it was all in good fun. Plus, Homura-san's clinginess is quite amusing." Yumi confessed as a giggle escaped her lips.

"She latches onto anything." Akira remarked.

"Yes." Yumi bluntly replied.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...So, the weather is nice today." She then added in an effort to move the conversation along.

"Quite." Akira replied. "...You have no idea what to do now, do you?" He soon guessed in a blunt yet amused manner.

The light-gray haired woman bowed her head in embarrassment. "Yes." Yumi regrettably replied.

"Well, let's head to Leblanc. Maybe some lovingly brewed coffee will help." Akira soon suggested.

"Coffee does sound good right now. Okay, lead the way." Yumi replied as she followed the Leader to the humble cafe.

(Yongen-Jaya, Leblanc)

One train ride later (and, fortunately, no one recognized Yuki Yumi along the way), the two lovers had made it to a familiar cafe for some late night refreshments.

Akira was in the kitchen, brewing some coffee while the light gray haired girl was sitting at the counter watching him.

Watching him work dutifully behind the counter brought a warm smile to her face. "You've gotten quite good with your hands." Yumi innocently complimented with a smile.

Akira suddenly started coughing at that statement. "P-Phrasing Yumi." He awkwardly got out.

"Eh?" Yumi got out in confusion as she tilted her head in an innocent manner.

"I'll...tell you later if we ever get to that stage." Akira replied as he finished up making coffee. "Here you go. One mocha for the lovely lady." He informed as he placed the cup in front of his girlfriend.

"Thank you, Akira-koi." Yumi thanked as she took a sip. "Mmm...so warm." She sighed out.

"I'll take that you like it." Akira guessed with a smile.

"No, I love it. Just like I love..." Yumi started before clamming up.

Akira in turn smirked at this action. "Me?" He simply guessed in an amused tone.

Yumi just nodded silently as she blushed. "You said life is one of the greatest tricksters of all. And you were right. It's...surreal to think about where my life has gone." She confessed as she looked at her reflection in her coffee. "I've learned to forgive some things I thought were irredeemable, found a voice I didn't know I had, and...it's all too much for me to understand." She then revealed. "But...I do know one thing, and I will make sure to take it to my grave: That I am in love with Akira Kurusu and will stay by his side." She soon enough declared in a no nonsense tone.

"And I'm in love with Yumi Tsukikaze and will stay by her as well." Akira got out with a loving smile.

Yumi could only smile back before kissing him, sealing their fates to forever intertwine.

SHATTER!

I am thou, thou art I...
Thou hast turned a vow into a blood oath.

Thy bond shall become the wings of rebellion
and break the yoke of thy heart.

Thou hast awakened to the ultimate secret
of Adjustment, granting thee infinite power...

MAX RANK!

Second Awakening: Transforms Persona into a mythological trickster.

Unlocked the Ultimate Persona of Adjustment! The Mother of the West, Xi Wangmu!

Akira let the calming feeling wash over him, the world around him going dark while the last of the chains broke around the Adjustment tarot card. He could feel the familiar warmth of his Thief clothing embrace him. Reaching out for it, he grabbed it before crushing it in his hand, letting the blood of the card flow down his arm and seep through his skin.

No longer was this a simple bond, but an unbreakable connection to last a lifetime...maybe more.

Suddenly, she could feel something deep within her soul change. She felt warmer, as if she was wrapped up in a nice fur blanket and sitting next to a fire as a blizzard raged outside as she witnessed her Persona, Fūma, change its appearance right in front of her mind's eye.

She looked like Fūma, except her singular eye was split in half vertically, one completely white and the other a solid black. Her dress was much different as well with alternating layers of blue, white, and black sleeveless kimonos, which revealed her frosting, crystallized arms. In her hands was a staff with the crescent moon on it, and had webbing under her arms. Finally, she had four pairs of silver wings on her back instead of spider legs.

"A-Amazing, I believe my Persona has awakened to new power." Yumi muttered.

"It is more than power, my dear." A suave voice began.

"Hm? Who are you? I know that you are not Fūma." Yumi soon stated in her head.

"The blizzard has ended, and the snow has melted. With the moon and sun shining above you, you have found your light." The Persona soon declared. "I am Tsukuyumi-no-Mikoto, descendant of Izanagi. You now have the power of a God in your hands. Use it wisely." She soon announced and advised at the same time.

"I will, Tsukuyumi-no-Mikoto. Give me the strength to save the world." Yumi breathed out as she put a hand over her strengthened heart.

"Are you okay, Yumi-koi?" Akira asked as he noticed the Vice-Advisor spacing out.

"Ah." The light gray-haired girl squeaked out. "Do you mind if we head upstairs? There's something I want to do." Yumi asked, followed by the request.

"Sure thing." Akira replied as he helped his girlfriend to her feet before leading her upstairs to his attic.

As soon as they reached the top of the stairs, Yumi playfully spun Akira around like a top while giggling. "No peeking...~"

When Akira eventually stopped rotating, he saw that the Vice Advisor was already on his bed.

Minus her clothes which were neatly folded on the workbench.

"...Oh." Akira got out with a red blushing face.

"Come now, Akira-koi. We have much to do before I leave." Yumi said, already posing in a provocative manner.

"..."

"...Akira-koi?" Yumi asked with her face bright red, her prior boldness wavering a little.

"Hold on." Akira quickly got out before frowning. "...Yep. Definitely cute." He then decided before taking off his top.

And with that, Akira and Yumi spent a long time together.

Save Game… Quit!

Asuka/Yin's Social Stats:

Leadership- Paragon (Level 5)

Knowledge- Sage (Level 5)

Proficiency- Transcendent (Level 5)

Diligence- Rock Solid (Level 5)

Courage- Heroic (Level 5)

Homura/Yang's Development Stats:

Maturity- Sagacious (Level 5)

Knowledge- Sage (Level 5)

Femininity- Onnarashii (Level 5)

Elegance- Yamato Nadeshiko (Level 5)

Understanding- Saintly (Level 5)

(Persona Analysis)

Persona: Tsukuyumi-no-Mikoto

Belongs to: Yumi Tsukikaze

Arcana: L'Ajustement

Origins: Japanese Mythology (Date Unknown)

Stat Spread: Very high Agility and Magic, above average Endurance.

Trait: Dance of the Moon (Increased chance to trigger a Baton Pass when hitting a resistance)

Skills: Bufu Family, Aqua Family, Dazzler, Nocturnal Flash, Makajama, Makajamaon, Dormina, Lullaby, Life Drain, Spirit Drain, Ice Boost, Ice Amp, Freeze Boost, Water Boost, Water Amp, Ailment Boost, Snipe, Cripple, Repel Fire, Repel Elec, Fortify Spirit, Defense Master, Auto-Maraku.

MAX Confidant Skill: Cataclysmic Force - End the battle, or deal 9000 damage in boss encounters, but lose all but 1 HP. Can only be used once per battle. 50% chance of missing.

Resists: Fire

Drain: Ice

Null: Water

Weakness: Electricity

Description: Born after Izanagi washed his right eye or from a mirror made of white copper in his right hand, Tsukuyumi-no-Mikoto is the deification of the moon, order, and beauty Little is known about this kami, including their sex, but Yumi's interpretation is female. After killing Amaterasu's husband over a lousy feast, she was labelled an evil kami and banished from the heavens. Now, for all eternity, Tsukuyumi will continue to pursue Amaterasu across the night sky without ever reaching her; even during an eclipse, the sun will run from the moon.

(Adjustment Personas)

Aquans (Level 9)

Vesta (Level 13)

Sylph (Level 28)

Albion (Level 37)

Bastet (Level 46)

Dzelarhons (Level 50)

Black Maria (Level 64)

Maria (Level 75)

Xi Wangmu (Ultimate) (Level 81)

Whew! Done! I hope everyone has a happy holiday and gets to spend a great time with their loved ones, and don't screw up too badly next year. Coming up on Senran Persona: Even more stuff! And Haruka's date with Akira.

UknownHero signing off, my friends!