Chapter 33: Velvet Room/Prison Labor

July 30th, nighttime…

After taking down Futaba Sakura's palace and saving her from her own hatred, Kazumi entered a new stage of fatigue that she pressed on until she could get to bed. However, this fatigue turned out to be her soul deciding to leave to a fateful place with her shadow, the Velvet Room shaped as a prison:

"You've come." Justine said as she and Caroline received the girl, who had changed into her magician thief clothes.

"Where did she go…?" Ace asked, confused, as the shadow had vanished after she arrived.

"Nowhere. That shadow is the chains tying him!" Caroline claimed, as she put her baton over her shoulder, "One last time, are you ready or not to take her down?"

"I want to know first. Was everything she said to me true? About a game, and about him being prisoned because of it?" Ace said bravely with her hand on her chest, "Why does she know all that stuff?"

"..." both wardens stayed silent, then Justine talked: "You have an interesting way of referring to your shadow."

"Huh?" Ace muttered confused by her remark.

"That's why it's become so forceful." Caroline commented. "Listen here, inmate. If you want answers, you have to make her give them to you. The only reason your shadow has adopted this weird ascension is because of the distortion caused by him meeting you."

"The shadow gained knowledge because you and him have similar souls. However, for some reason, she has become stranded here and forced an interruption against your connection." Justine added. "Well, are you ready to take on or will you ignore her?"

"I am your choice." Ace remembered that was what the shadow told her before.

"This chained boy in my dreams is bringing more questions than answers, but our bond has brought me a lot of help" , Kazumi monologued in her head, "Caroline and Justine also intend to make this a secret. It's suspicious…"

"Should I really release him…?", she asked herself. It was a really important decision. She could just feel it could completely affect the way she goes on about life.

"I'll fight it." Ace replied to the twins as she made her way to where the boy was chained. The chains started to pour out a mysterious red energy from where Shadow Kazumi sprouted.

"I'm not surprised. You… We always jumped to the rescue of others without thinking." The shadow mentioned as she pointed to herself and then Ace.

"Is there any reason why I have to fight?" Ace asked her, as she wondered why it was not mentioned until now.

"If you want to choose this, you'll have to accept me first, but I know you won't." Shadow Kazumi mentioned as her form started to glitch.

"Kuh…!" Ace clenched her teeth as chains came out of her body, showing Arsene and Frost Ace tied down even when she had not summoned them: "Why…? My mask is still on…!"

"The persona that came to you as you wanted to steal back from the wrongdoers that tortured others. That is Arsene", the shadow explained, "and then, the persona that reflects our late little brother's vision of you: a super powerful and fearless heroine, Frost Ace."

"You are a wild card. A person who can wield multiple personalities, but these two are the most prominent within yourself. They are the representation of you without the wild card power, and additionally, another one, that would be her." Justine explained Ace.

"That's right" Shadow Kazumi smiled as she slowly ripped her face off like it was a mask and her shape changed to a woman dressed in black, with crow legs, black winged arms like a harpy and tree branches with small gray apples growing on them in her back. The woman had long red hair covering her face and a hunched down posture: "Let's go, if you are itching for it!!"

The hunched lady threw the apples like seeds close by Ace's feet and she jumped back trying to avoid getting hit, then the shadow proceeded to do a piercing scream:

"Agh!!" Ace felt less willing to attack, dodge or resist attacks after her whole body felt that scream.

"Neko Shogun!" She summoned the feline general, "Dekaja", and ordered him to remove the debuffs from her body.

"It's futile!" The harpy shadow said as the seeds started to sprout, and she launched at her to attack her with her claws, being stopped by the blades of the persona, and Ace was able to cut her feet with her royalty looking dagger (Helper Knife), making her retreat.

"Why are you saying I'll reject you!?" Ace asked her as she saw it fly around, waiting for it to strike again.

"So you don't recognize me…" the shadow said with a sad tone, "Of course you wouldn't. Your parents told you to 'be a good and average girl' and you have repressed me ever since…"

"What do you mean…?" Ace wondered. Soon enough, the sprouts of the seeds started to grow taller, forcing her to remember:

"Kazumi. You are going to have a baby sibling soon." She remembered her mother saying that, back when she was 9 years old, "You have been in the world for 9 years, so make sure you teach them the ways of the world with us, alright?"

"Yes! I'll teach them all kinds of stuff!" the little Kazumi said enthusiastically.

"What was that?" Ace asked her as she looked at the sprouts.

"Oh. Seems like the seeds of discord have started to sprout." The shadow said as she stopped flying and hovered over the sprouts, "You better hurry before they bloom… It won't be pretty~"

"Lachesis! Rakukaja!" Ace proceeded to buff her defense and then waited for the shadow to make her next move.

"Here!" The shadow used Eigaon on her, which she resisted well. Ace summoned Arsene to gain his wings, and when she tried to curse her again, her attacks were less effective.

"Sukunda!" Ace used Arsene's spell to lower the evasion of her opponent. About to attack again, the plants brought branches as they grew bigger.

"Angelman's syndrome!? You better be joking. This child…We have been waiting for a boy and now this!?" Ace felt a headache as she remembered hearing her mother screaming those words at the doctor who attended her brother. "This is his fault… He hid his family history for this!! I'll never forgive him!"

"Mom…? Is Kazuya going to be alright?" The young Kazumi, 12 years old, said as she heard her mother talk like that.

"I don't know. I…don't want to know anymore." The woman replied to her with a certain rage within.

Ace overflew the shadow and summoned another persona, making it so her wings vanished for a moment:

"...! Zouchoten, Charge!" and then she dropped towards the shadow with the intent of impaling her with her dagger.

"Heh!" The shadow did not bother to dodge and instead they both fell on the floor right in between the branches, which started to wrap Ace.

"What…?" She was surprised as she tried to touch her mask and summon a persona to cut them, but couldn't.

"Oh, did I touch a nerve?" The shadow flew away injured, "Right. Your mother was so mad that she made your dad sign a divorce after the whole ordeal, and then she tried to take you away, remember?"

"Kazumi, you have to say goodbye to your dad and your brother. We are moving with your grandparents." Her mom told her as she had already packed all of Kazumi's stuff without her consent, when she was at school.

"Why…?" The small girl asked in shock, "How long are we staying?"

"Wan go, maao", her 3 year old young brother said as he extended his arms to his mother, and his dad was carrying him.

"Let's go." Her mother said coldly as she grabbed her arm.

"Wait…! I haven't said goodbye!" Kazumi refused her grasp but her mother forced it even more, almost stabbing her hand with her nails.

"M-Mom…you're hurting me…!" she complained.

"Mi…Maaaoo…" the toddler still tried to reach them.

"You! How can you witness this and still go ahead with it!?" Her dad had said frustrated as he held the boy to look away.

"This is your fault! Don't act like the victim here." her mom said, "Giving me a worthless child…"

Ace tried with all her might to break through the branches and aim her gun at the shadow, being able to shoot through her shoulder:

"Stop with the charades…! What are you actually!?" She exclaimed, frustrated.

"Rather impatient, are we?" Shadow Kazumi smiled as the branches grew more stabbing Ace and growing leaves, causing her excruciating pain, "Well, that is helping you remember."

Advancing forward in her memories, Kazumi could hear the voice of another girl calling for her in middle school:

"Kazumi-chan! Kazumi-chan!" the girl, of two piggytails of brown hair and brown eyes, exclaimed at her, as Kazumi was sulking down one day at lunch. It had been a week since she was forced to leave her old house and her young mind could not process the world the same anymore. "Hey, you are coming for practice, right?"

"I don't feel like it." she replied, as she closed her full lunchbox.

"Oh right, because your father is no longer coming to pick you up…" the girl, who she used to know her name and hangout with all the time until that day, said as she crossed her arms. "I heard your mom talk to the trainer. She said that your parents divorced and your dad stayed with your brother."

"Ah, yeah. That's right…" Kazumi nodded.

"It was him, right? My mom said he was special and it was your dad's fault. Both are screwed in life. That's why…" before the girl, who Kazumi used to know as a friend, said anything else, she pushed her against her desk and chair in front of everybody in the classroom.

"It's not my brother's fault!!" Kazumi exclaimed enraged at her as she went to the girl. "Apologize. Apologize to Kazuya and my dad!!"

"You pushed me…! Teacher…!" The girl exclaimed, offended, but when Kazumi heard no apologies, she picked up her lunchbox and dropped all the contents on the girl.

"Apologize!!" She kept exclaiming at the girl with rage while the middle schooler started to cry, covered in rice, soy and fish. "My brother is just a baby… He can't even speak… Why are you blaming him!?", in her fit of rage, she also dropped her cold drink on her still waiting for an apology, until she was pulled back by the homeroom teacher.

"Pisaca!" Ace summoned the gross bug monster with an open thorax, and used the skill 'Stagnant Air' to make the plants drop her, as they became more sensitive to alignments.

"Abysmal Surge!!" She proceeded to use an alignment skill to inflict despair on the plants, stunning their growth.

"Good~ You're remembering!" The shadow exclaimed with joy, before using Mudoon on her, luckily, Ace's Pisaca could naturally avoid curse attacks.

"After that, I was made to apologize to her in front of our parents, but I didn't want to and my mother made me get on the ground and lower my head…" Ace said as she remembered the rage she felt when she was forced to apologize without receiving an apology, "I hated it. I refused to eat and go to school, and I threatened to bite my own tongue if I didn't go back with Kazuya…"

"That was enough for my grandparents to convince her to pass down custody to my dad…" she said exhausted as she summoned Isis to heal herself. "They said that if he could not control me, then I'll be forced to attend a private school in another continent to 'reinstall me in society'..."

"Yes~ and you suppressed me to become a good girl who will lower her head when talked to." The shadow said, and then the sprouts recovered themselves from the despair alignment. "Even to this day, you suppressed me… That's why 'You don't like to be in situations that you can't control'..." the shadow quoted, which made Ace remember that was what she said to Yusuke when he asked her why she was afraid of facing Furukawa.

"Frost Ace!!" Ace desperately summoned the snowman elf. "Mabufu!"and attempted to use the multi-target ice spell, but to her bad luck, it was reflected against her, and the branches started to grow their blue flowers, draining her life one by one, which made Ace weak and susceptible to their grasp.

"I told you! You wouldn't accept me!" The shadow exclaimed, "I am your rage, your retaliation to this cruel world! You once had a loving family with a brother you loved to teach everything you knew about life and all the joys of living… and they broke it apart for their own selfishness!"

"I am your true rebellion!!" The shadow said enraged, as she made the flowers bombard Ace with white seeds of Almighty damage until she dropped unconscious on the floor.

"No… I can't move…!" Ace thought as her consciousness slowly left her.

In her room, Morgana had noticed the moment where she stopped breathing, and forcefully tried to push her chest up and down like he giving her pulmonary resuscitation:

"It's no use… She's not waking up…!" The cat exclaimed as he slowly got distressed, "I gotta get help!"

Then he dropped her phone on the floor and tried to search with his paws the call button:

"Makoto would know what to do, surely…!" The cat claimed to himself as he tried to press the call button.

"This user is not available. Please try again later." However, the voicemail was the one that replied.

"Damn it! Who else…? Lady Ann?" Mona tried to look for her number but was unable to scroll down to look for her contact. "The chief…! If I go to his house…"

The cat jumped towards the window that was open:

"Wait, but, chief can't even understand my words…" Morgana reflected before he jumped out, and turned around to see how Kazumi's body still showed no vital signals. "I am just trapped in this cat body…"

"This is just like the hospital incident and when she got that stress attack…" the feline sulked in depression, as he felt he could not help her at all.

"Kazumi! Come on! This isn't funny!" He exclaimed as he started to think it was a distasteful joke. Suddenly, her phone opened the Metanav by itself.

"No… I can't move…!" The voice came out of her phone, and Morgana recognized it.

"Kazumi…?" The cat jumped to the phone again and noticed the open app, with the name of the girl on it. "Is she on the Metaverse…? How…?"

Given that it was his only clue, Morgana clicked on the access of the app without hesitation:

"That girl is always up to something mysterious! Why can't she just tell me about this!?" Mona started to run through a void, frustrated with the current situation, "If I didn't have this tiny body…I bet I could do much more!"

"Kazumi!!" Suddenly, he arrived at the Velvet Room to the surprise of everyone present.

"Who is…?" Caroline exclaimed surprised as the little one entered the room.

"Zorro!" His persona appeared as he touched his mask with his…hands, and used Recarm to bring Ace back to consciousness.

"Eh…?" Ace woke up and heard Morgana's steps get closer until he was by her side.

"Kazumi! Are you alright?" The thief exclaimed, but she noticed it was odd how he had white paw-looking shoes instead of his paws.

"Morgana…!?" She exclaimed surprised as she looked up: The usual cartoon cat was now human and still small. He had skin like hers, black frizzy short hair with white pointy ends, and his silk mask fold showed his blue eyes. His costume was more like a bulky black shirt and pants, white gloves, with his porting tool belt with yellow buttons, similar to his cat form, and he even had a small black and blue cape on his shoulders. "Why are you…? How did you…?"

"Ah!" The humanized cat slapped her on both cheeks to her surprise.

"Oh? What is this!?" Morgana exclaimed as he just realized he had become human, "I'm sorry! I thought I was still a cat!!"

"I had received worse slaps, believe me…" Ace mentioned; she did not feel pain after a second.

"Anyway, what were you thinking!? What is this place!? What is that thing!?" Morgana asked a lot of questions exasperated, forcing an angry Caroline to hit him with her baton, "Guh mew!"

"Silence, cat!" Caroline exclaimed, "You're standing in the inmate's way!"

"Those outfits…You are related to those two lousy kids!" Morgana recognized them, "What are you doing to Kazumi!?"

"Morgana. Calm down." Ace said to him and took him by the shoulders, "I don't know what's happening with you, but let me explain you one thing shortly."

"I made the decision to come here. Justine and Caroline are the ones who requested my help to free someone." She explained, "So for that, I have to fight…"

She stood up and faced her shadow again:

"Are you still trying? I told you there was no point if you keep rejecting me." The shadow said as the flowers still bloomed on the discord branches she had planted.

"This presence…is this your shadow?" Morgana asked.

"...Yes." Ace nodded, "I'm sure you know I act frantically when I get frustrated…That's that part of me. I am always scared of getting it out of control, because I could end up regretting it."

"But I have to beat her and control her. There's someone who needs me to do it." Ace finished explaining as she changed her mask to Neko Shogun.

"I'll fight with you!" Morgana exclaimed, "Whatever this is, it's kicking your butt. I'll navigate you through!"

"Don't you think getting more help is going to make you stronger!" The shadow exclaimed as she made her hollowing scream again, debilitating both.

"Ace, you can't control the shadow if you don't want to do it for yourself." Morgana warned her. "You remember what happened with Futaba, right? No matter how much you tried to get your feelings through, it was useless if she didn't put in the effort!"

"So that's what this is about…!" Ace realized as she used the cat general to remove the debuffs again.

"Persona!" Morgana was able to summon Zorro to lucky punch the shadow, "A hit! Ace!", and high fived her for the baton pass.

"Lachesis!" Ace summoned the persona to use Matarukaja to buff their attacks.

The flowers started to drain both of their energies once again, while the shadow was knocked down:

"Wah…! What is this??" the young thief complained as he felt drained.

"Let's get rid of them! They keep emerging from my memories and draining our energy…!" Ace advised him as she changed her mask to Mitra, a red skinned human with a lion head, wrapped around by a coral snake, while holding two black staffs like serpents. "Mitra! Agilao!"

"Magaru!" Morgana ordered Zorro to use his wind attack in combination with the fire spell, creating a fire tornado that burned the flowers to a crisp.

"Here!" Shadow Kazumi went on the offensive and used Mudoon on Morgana.

"Tetraja!" Ace used Clotho to create a holy barrier that prevented the curse from taking effect.

"Let's finish this!" Human Morgana said as he was ready to go for a finishing technique.

"Transform into a car!" Ace asked of him and he did as told, as she jumped into the roof holding her dagger and Morgana's shamshir sword on each hand.

"Neko Shogun!" She summoned the cat who also prepared his weapons.

"It's time for a mew collaboration!" The general cat said excitedly as he was raring to use his sword.

Ace and her persona jumped out of the Morgana car. She went in first using the double swords to cut the branches on the back of the shadow:

"Ack…!" and she retaliated, using Eigaon to throw her aside.

"Meow!" but Neko Shogun was resistant to curse, so she landed alright, and the cat casted Heat Wave, gravely damaging the shadow. "And with this, your fate in battle is decided…!", the persona returned to be a mask as it said those words, and the hurt shadow could see how the Monabus hoped in the air and crashed on it with great strength.

"Mona!" Ace went to the crash created by the car, finding human Morgana alive, though greatly scarred.

"I'm fine." The boy stood up letting Kazumi see her shadow returning to her previous form. "What are you going to do with her?"

"We were supposed to fight, because I can't accept her as part of me." Ace mentioned looking down, "Is he going to be released now?", she asked the twin wardens.

"You have no tact." Shadow Kazumi stood up, "I have been stuck here this whole time and you and your pet companion suddenly beat me… How humiliating for the both of us."

"I'm not letting a whimsical shadow take Kazumi away", Morgana made a frown to the shadow, "She's our leader, and I'm her partner."

"Thank you, Morgana." Ace said as she held her chest, "I'm sorry to make you come all this way to assist me."

"I accept you." Ace said to the shadow, to her surprise, "The things I did when my parents divorced and everyone kept blaming Kazuya are things that I am not proud of; but if it wasn't because I did it, then I would've lived my years in misery. Hell, I could've even started to blame Kazuya myself."

"When I think about it, perhaps you aren't wrong." She continued to the attentive ears of the others, "You mentioned how my life is a game to others, and if it is like that, I want to ruin that game."

"Now you're starting to act more like yourself." The shadow seemed satisfied by her answer. The shadow grasped Ace's cheeks as her aura slowly became blue. "We'll see each other in the distant future, when you get stronger and can control my power", and then she slowly vanished into the sea of the souls.

"You did it!" Morgana exclaimed enthusiastically, "Now what?"

As soon as he said that, the chains tying the boy in Shujin uniform broke down and fell, and then the boy woke up:

"You did it, inmate." Justine said with a satisfied smile.

"Heh. You got a clutch at the end, but at least you won." Caroline said with a smirk.

The boy slowly stepped in front, and as soon as his eyes focused on Ace, his uniform changed to a phantom thief suit: a black ankle-length tailcoat, a high-necked waistcoat with gold accents, cinched black pants, brown-black winklepickers boots with taller heels and a pair of red gloves, plus his white mask had the same design as Ace's mask.

Ace stepped up to get closer to him, suddenly the shining arcana appeared in between them and gained another star:

"Good job. Your bond with him has granted you a new aid." Justine explained to her, "Cheers of Focus, and you can also use those other skills again."

"Cheers of Focus will let you upgrade the magical powers of your other allies." Caroline explained, but Ace was not really paying attention.

"Uhmm, it's nice to meet you." Ace rushed to greet the other thief, "My name is Kazumi Asaka, and my codename is Ace."

"Ace…?" The boy wondered, surprised.

"Yes. What is your name?" Ace asked back.

"Kazui Asaka." He said as he closed his eyes, "and my codename…"

"Joker!" Morgana exclaimed, as he finally recognized the guy, "You're Joker!"

"Morgana, you know him…?" Ace asked, confused.

"So this is the guy you were asked to save…" the boy thief said as he crossed his arms annoyed, "For some reason, it brings memories…"

"You're quite different from the Morgana I know." Joker mentioned, "Less fur and more childish, that is."

"Who are you calling a child? I am a gentleman!" The kid complained, almost showing his same angry mannerisms he had as a cat.

"I have been waiting for you to wake up", Ace said to him, "I have a lot of questions for you, Joker."

"..." the boy remained silent, "I'll start from the beginning, then you can ask me questions from then on. Justine, Caroline, is that alright?"

"It depends on her that your gamble works, go ahead." Justine mentioned, "She has shown herself to be capable of changing your mistakes."

"Very well, I won't take much of your time for now…" Joker sighed and talked to her and Morgana.

July 31st

Kazumi and Morgana woke up late, close to the afternoon. Despite the crazy day from yesterday with the palace and the other Velvet Room, none of the two were tired:

"Agh. Finally I get to be a human, but just in the Metaverse…" Morgana commented as he stretched, "...", he sighed.

"Don't get so sad. At least you got a few memories back!" Kazumi tried to cheer him up, petting his head slightly.

"I can't wait to see everyone's face when we go to Mementos…" the cat said with a joyful tone, "I can finally be with Lady Ann!"

"That would have to wait. We don't really have any requests." Kazumi mentioned to him as she fixed her bed sheets.

"He's so happy. I can't just break his heart…" she thought, as surely Ann would do that instead.

"Let's check on Futaba with the chief, and if she's not ready, we have summer vacation business to deal with!" Morgana said as he went to Kazumi's bag, ready to go everywhere.

"Hey- At least let me get changed." The frizzy haired girl complained.

After she was ready to go, Sojiro commented on how she slept a lot, and that Futaba was still sleeping when he checked on her this morning. Sojiro served her honey curry as her breakfast and after eating she checked her messages:

/"Hello?" She had a couple of messages from Makoto, who was worried that she called him at night but he couldn't answer because he was still on the train home. Kazumi was quick in telling him an excuse that she dialed him by accident.

#"Asaka!", and then there was also one from Mishima.

#"Sorry, with all this about finals and Medjed… I forgot you wanted to talk to me."

~"Well, I'm free if you want to talk." Kazumi replied.

#"Sure, and I can help you investigate a rumor in the Planetarium!"

~"..."

~"This was your purpose all along, wasn't it?" Kazumi asked, already knowing how Mishima was.

#"Come on. There's a nice exhibition too! I got the tickets!"

~"Alright. Alright." Kazumi added, and looked up the way there before leaving for Ikebukuro.

Once in the Planetarium, she met with Mishima who was dressed in his normal combo of white shirt with green sleeves and beige pants:

"Wow. This place looks magical~" Kazumi commented with joy as she marveled at the roof of the place, "When does the exhibition start?"

"About 10 minutes." Mishima mentioned, "Uhm. I don't really have any hard feelings for what happened last time."

"Were you really going to leave?" Mishima asked, a bit shy.

"Yes. After I was suspended, my father was going to remove me from the city." She nodded, "But, I was able to convince him right after I was told about my suspension being lifted."

"So, your father…" Mishima seemed surprised, as he had misthought Kazumi was going to move by her own will, "Damn. It must've been quite a fight…"

"But, you decided to push forward and still keep with your heroic duty. You're just that awesome" Mishima said excitedly, "Yes, let's get all that awkward conversation behind us!"

"I feel like you're avoiding one issue here…" Kazumi murmured, as she has not forgotten what she said to him to consider.

"I've decided to support your group whether it storms or quakes. Anything else can wait!" Mishima mentioned with a determined face.

"Well, I guess it can." Kazumi agreed with a smile. The most she wanted right now was to make the most of her summer. Since Mishima's support was still with them, she could feel the Moon arcana inside her being released from the chains of doubt.

"Oh, right. What was that rumor we were going to investigate?", she asked him as the exhibition would start in 5 minutes.

"Yeah, about that. I read it on the Phansite", Mishima said with a serious frown, "According to my information, there should be an eccentric character around here. Apparently, he lives in his own world, totally escaping reality…", Kazumi nodded, asking him to continue, "I heard he even talks to himself about the mysteries of the universe and the beauty in harmony."

"I see, I see—Wait a moment." Kazumi stopped nodding nonchalantly when that description sounded familiar.

"W-What? You see him!?" Mishima exclaimed, alarmed. Then, he noticed a tall guy with blue hair speaking to himself, "Is it that guy?"

"No…It just sounds like someone I know…" Kazumi mentioned as her mind pictured her local broke artist friend, Yusuke. The tall guy noticed them and calmly approached as Mishima was facing Kazumi.

"Oh? I thought I saw a familiar face." Suddenly, the tall guy, Yusuke himself, appeared behind Mishima, scaring the crap out of him in the process.

"It's him! The e-eccentric!" Mishima exclaimed as he hid behind Kazumi, but after thinking it for a second, he stood up to shield her.

"How rude! Who are you calling an eccentric?" Yusuke replied, offended, crossing his arms with an artistic posture.

"Yusuke-kun. I never imagined we'll meet here." Kazumi greeted him trying to defuse the situation.

"I came to experience the mysteries of the universe. I'm glad to see you here as well, Kazumi-san." Yusuke replied, adopting a less menacing posture. "Though, I see you have a not very eloquent company."

"He's my classmate, Mishima-kun." She introduced him, "We were investigating the rumors of the eccentric man of Ikebukuro."

"Those? I have heard of them. Though it pains me to hear it phrased so nonchalantly." He replied with a pained expression.

"I can't tell Yusuke-kun the rumors talked about him, definitely." Kazumi thought as she was hearing him with a nervous smile on her face.

"Sorry. I didn't know you guys were friends." Mishima apologized to the handsome boy, "You just matched the description of the 'rumored eccentric' and it slipped out…"

"The rumors say he talks to himself and mumbles about strange things…" Mishima kept rambling. Kazumi observed Yusuke's expression, figuring out he definitely was clueless that the rumors were about him.

"That does sound like odd behavior." Yusuke replied, with concern.

"Yusuke-kun is so clueless, it hurts…" Kazumi thought, as she sighed in resignation.

"A-Anyways, it seems like we can't keep investigating…the exhibition is going to start any time soon…" Kazumi claimed as she frantically moved her hands.

"Yes. I sense how nature's divine providence has drawn us together in this place." Yusuke said with a pleasant expression.

"...What?" Mishima asked, confused by his words.

"Yes?" Yusuke asked back, not understanding his expression.

"What I meant to say is…WHAT!?" Mishima exclaimed, "You might be the eccen—"

"Oops!" Kazumi grabbed Mishima's arm a little tight to silence him, "We should grab our seats now~ Say, Yusuke-kun, you want to sit with us?"

"I'll gladly accept your invitation." Yusuke nodded.

The three sat in the upper seats of the Planetarium's observation panels, with Kazumi seating in between both guys:

"This eccentric person, I will keep an eye on him to aid your investigation." Yusuke mentioned as he looked at the other two.

"Really? That's so considerate of you, Yusuke-kun." Kazumi smiled at him, "Right, Mishima-kun?", and she looked back at the other blue-haired boy.

"Yes…I count on you…?" Mishima said with doubt, as he was still processing why Kazumi was so secretive about it, "By the way, how do you guys know each other?"

"If you have a group, you always look to recruit new members." Kazumi murmured to him.

"Oh! I getcha!" Mishima mentioned, understanding that Yusuke was also part of the Phantom Thieves.

"Hm?" However, Yusuke was not able to hear that part, "I advise we focus on the espectacle of the sky now."

"Yes!" He replied, "This case is as good as closed." Mishima whispered to Kazumi.

The three of them enjoyed the visuals of the beautiful galaxies and planets on the roof of the planetarium, and Kazumi felt closer to both of them.

After the show, Kazumi received a text from Yoshida who mentioned an invitation for the two of them in the Milton Hotel Buffet with that one old friend of his, Mr. Matsushita. She headed over there; surely he needed her input. Once at the buffet, Kazumi did not miss out on the chance to eat a lot, while the two adults talked about how the leader of the party, Kuramoto, was in his dying bed and wanted to put his grandson, Benzo, in his place. Suddenly, Matsushita diverted his attention to Kazumi:

"Say, Ms. Secretary. I invited you here to ask you something as well." The Diet member mentioned as she finished her second plate, "What do you think about the Phantom Thieves? You've heard of them, right? They've become quite popular as of late…"

"What do I think of…? In what context specifically?" Kazumi asked him back.

"Are you in their favor or against them?" He specified.

"In their favor. It's hard to find people these days who will act against injustice without caring about being famous." Kazumi replied, "Just like Yoshida-san."

"Well, most people who want to get into politics are jealous of them for that reason." Yoshida nodded with a smile.

"What about you, Yoshida?" Matsushita asked his old friend.

"I once discussed this with Asaka-kun, but I must say with the recent news about Councillor Furukawa, my opinion has greatly changed." Yoshida mentioned, which made Kazumi pay more attention to him, "However they change hearts, I respect their belief of crushing evil and saving the weak."

"Oh, because that's what you advocate as well, right?" Matsushita commented.

"I can't deny that. But, that's not why I support them." Yoshida shook his head in disapproval, "I bet they're a group of young people. Young people who have experienced cruelty and injustice…They bravely face the societal ills that plague our world without thinking of the consequences."

"Yoshida-san…you're the best…" Kazumi thought with watery eyes. Surely there was no one she respected more than him at that moment. Heck, if only her own father was half the man Yoshida was, her life would be happier.

"Brave, yet pitiful, I suppose." He ended his speech showing sadness on that last sentence; Kazumi was surprised by how he felt.

"So the former Diet member who was disgraced by a scandal is going to side with them, huh?" Matsushita's tone while saying those words felt serious and disappointing.

"Is this what you really wanted to ask me about?" Yoshida asked him, feeling that the conversation was no longer casual.

Finally, Matsushita revealed his true intentions: He wanted Yoshida to abandon the elections, as he apparently had no chance to win against the party member designed for the area of Tokyo Metropolis. In exchange, he offered the defamed politician to join him as a right-hand man, so that he can reinstall him as a party member in the Kuramoto Brothers Party and also open an investigation about the missing funds. After he offered that deal, Matsushita left both Yoshida and Kazumi to think about it:

"He likely has an ulterior motive. If he felt hopeful, he wouldn't ask me to not run for the Diet." Yoshida mentioned as he massaged his tired eyes with his right hand, feeling a headache.

"Why is that, Yoshida-san?" Kazumi asked curiously as she returned from the buffet table with her plate of dessert.

"I believe he expects to take advantage of me…That happens a lot in this world." Yoshida replied to her. "Asaka-kun, what would you do in a time like this?"

"Me? Well…" Kazumi mentioned as she took a spoonful of cheesecake. "If I were you, sir, I would honestly reject it."

"Last time you mentioned how I should strive to become my own faith. If you take the deal, you would put all your hopes on Mr. Matsushita's words and if he doesn't do as he says, you would miss your chance to fight for the position in the Diet Building." Kazumi explained as she left the cheesecake aside.

"So you're telling me I should keep taking control of my own destiny. Haha, you're very inspiring." Yoshida said with a happy grin. "Thank you for your honest opinion, and don't worry, I won't stop giving speeches."

"I wasn't expecting you to stop." Kazumi said to him, while going back to her sweet food.

"You sure are a unique girl. I would like to keep learning from you and your unique outlook in this world." Yoshida said with a pleasant smile.

"Same here. It's great to chat with someone who actually cares about the state of the country like you." Kazumi replied back, feeling the connection between them being deeper, and the Sun arcana gained a sixth star.

"Let's finish up for today. I'm sorry to make you tag along." Yoshida advised her as he was done eating.

"Anytime." Kazumi smiled, like she definitely wasn't hiding her feline companion, with a full tummy and a satisfied smirk.

August 1st

It was a Monday. Kazumi received a message in the morning from Ann, who asked her if she wanted to accompany her to the gardening club as it was her turn to water the plants. The both of them watered all the plants and put some new compost on it:

"Agh. It's so hot… I'm gonna have to come here for summer school soon…" Ann complained while watering the plants to her right. "I envy being smart like you and Makoto…"

"Lady Ann. Even when you're not smart, you're perfect in my eyes." Morgana commented with a joyful smile.

"Zip it. Next time for sure I will ace those exams!", she exclaimed, determined.

"Fight, Ann!" Kazumi exclaimed as she made a gesture with her hand to show her support.

A few moments later, Haru came in to check on their progress:

"They look healthy. Maybe they will be fully grown by next week." The curly haired girl said with a satisfied smile, "Good job."

"Hehe. This gardening work is actually pretty relaxing." Ann smiled, "Maybe I should start doing it on my own too."

"In that case, I can recommend some houseplants." Kazumi said to her as she took out her flowerpedia book, "Would you like to start with flowers? Cacti?"

"Huh…?" Ann stuttered confused, "I think I will start with a low management one…"

"I think a cactus will do nicely." Haru smiled, "Most of them just need sunlight and you can give them water once every two weeks."

"..." Ann did not seem very convinced about it, "Maybe I'll just look for one on my own…"

"Ann, don't judge a plant by its cover~" Kazumi said with a chuckle.

By passing the time together, Kazumi felt closer to both Ann and Haru.

On the evening, Kazumi decided to visit the Crossroads bar to talk with Ohya:

"Oh my, it's the young lady", Lala the Bartender noticed her arrival, "Unfortunately, Ichiko isn't here today, darling."

"I see…" Kazumi sighed disappointed.

"Oh, don't make that face." Lala shook her face, "If you keep coming down to a place like this, even I don't know what could happen to you…or is it that you're interested in working here at night?"

"You would hire a student, Lala-san?" Kazumi asked interested as she sat in front of her on the chairs by the counter.

"Uhmm…lemme see that angel face…" Lala turned off her cigar with the ashtray beside her and looked at Kazumi's face and hands, "Uhmm yes, a kind and charming face and skilled with your hands… If you were a bit older, you would bring me lots of customers."

"Is there anything enjoyable about working in a place where people get drunk though?" Kazumi asked.

"Drunk people are still adults with all their own paths of life. If you worked here, you could broaden your perspective but like I said…" Lala commented, but Kazumi interrupted by standing up.

"When do I start?" She asked excitedly, which surprised Lala quite frankly.

"Well, if that's how it's going to be, I will teach you the basics." Lala admitted with resignation, "Don't worry, I won't get you to do anything illegal."

"I'll give my best, Lala-san." Kazumi made a subtle vow of respect to her.

Lala directed the girl to the back of the store where she stored her stuff and wore a rundown apron:

"Alright. Since it's your first time around, things might be scary, but don't worry it's easy work." Lala told her with a serious face, "I've never had any problems with 'touchy' customers, but just in case you feel in danger, make a really loud clap, alright? Do not accept any drinks from guests either."

"Got it." Kazumi nodded. "So, my duties are…?"

"Washing dishes, clearing tables, and the like." Lala replied, "I have to entertain the customers so I can't do any of those things…and there you have it, explanation finito."

"Oh, so it's not so different from helping around the café…" Kazumi mentioned as she heard Lala's explanation, "There's a lot of alcohol. Do I get to…?"

"Dear lord, absolutely not." Lala interrupted her, "You're underage so nothing about drinking nor serving alcohol, that's my job."

"If you see that any customer wants to talk to you, don't be shy. Some of them just want to vent their worries." Lala mentioned, "But if you feel in danger…"

"Loud clap and not accepting any drinks, got it." Kazumi replied to her.

"Well then, it's time for the customers to arrive, deep breaths, honey." Lala said as she clapped her hands, asking her to get ready.

While Kazumi cleaned the counter, she noticed a downcast office lady all depressed and approached her to ask if she felt alright. The woman went into a rant on how she felt like she wasted her youth and her potential and Kazumi stood there listening and nodding to every single phrase until the woman felt better. After a little more work with Lala, Kazumi was able to learn how to be more considerate to those who openly expose their worries without expecting a solution.

*Kazumi's kindness increases by 4*

After earning good money for the shift, she went home.

August 2nd

Another day of relaxation, as Futaba still showed no signs of being at 'full battery'. After helping out to open the café, Kazumi received a message from Ann who wanted her company to go to a photoshoot with Mika, the bully model from last time, and invited Ann to the Sky Tower, in Asakusa. They met in Shibuya where Ann discussed the details of the photoshoot and how she felt about starring in another one with Mika. Once they arrived to the tower, they could not spot the outstanding model anywhere:

"Oh, so you came to my special." Mika noticed them. She presented herself in a purple dress, sunglasses, and stylish makeup.

"You asked for me…right?" Ann asked, confused, "Wow, I can barely recognize you. Did you lose weight…? Or maybe change your makeup?"

"The theme for today's shot is the 'elegance of a woman'." Mika explained as she struck a graceful pose and spoke in a dignified tone, "So I conditioned my body to be more elegant."

"W-What do you mean?" Ann exclaimed, feeling like that sounded like dark magic or something.

"Controlling what you eat, how you move, that's all. It might sound pretty easy, but it's pretty tough." Mika explained.

"I am taking notes…" Kazumi quickly murmured as she took out her little notebook.

"You have to note down everything you eat, making sure to check out the nutritional and caloric content…" Mika kept saying and Kazumi annotated and nodded, to Ann's bewildered expression, "I even hired a personal trainer to take special note of my diet and oversee my exercise regime."

"Caloric content… I wonder if Sojiro-san knows how many calories a plate of curry is…" Kazumi murmured as she was still writing, "Maybe I should ask around the gym about a special trainer too…"

"You're interested in becoming a model too?" Ann asked Kazumi after she finished taking notes.

"No…but I have my goals of having a nice body." Kazumi smiled.

"Wouldn't that mean we can't go for double chocolate crepes everyday?" Ann asked with a sad frown, "Do you eat them, Mika? They are exquisite!"

"..." Mika resisted the urge to facepalm, but still could not handle Ann's airhead comment, "Of course I don't! I'd get fat with just one bite of that stuff!"

"Not to mention the other stuff I do! I take herbal medication, wear warm socks, do pilates and yoga…" The elegant model reproached with an annoyed and fast tone.

"H-Hold on…! I already put my notes away!" Kazumi exclaimed, feeling the rush, "Herbal medication…"

"Day after day, how many squats do you think I do in a week!?" Mika kept reproaching against Ann. "Ugh, a natural beauty like you could never understand how much work I put into modeling!"

"Ehehe. You know it's kind of embarrassing to be complimented like that…" Ann mentioned as she scratched her neck embarrassed.

"That wasn't a compliment…" Kazumi thought, unable to break Ann's confidence.

"Sorry, did I say natural beauty? I meant a natural airhead." Mika said with an annoyed face, given Ann's reaction.

"Who are you calling an airhead!?" Ann replied back, offended.

"Eeek! Ann-senpai, stop itt!" Mika got scared, or so she pretended, "You're scaring me!"

"Mika-chan, are you OK?" Suddenly, the cameraman of the agency came to the rescue, while the magazine staff people started to murmur things about them having a 'cat fight'.

"Grrrr…" Ann groaned in frustration. At this point, it probably was a cat vs panther fight.

"Ann, deep breaths, deep breaths", Kazumi said to her as she tried to calm her down. Mika really was good at gaining attention.

After Ann changed into her modeling clothes, the photoshoot started. Mika completely took over the session with her charming smile and sexual poses, unfortunately for Ann, she got shoved under the rug by her pitiful cute performance…with none of the sexiness that her metaverse self always shows:

"You mean like this?" Mika took over by overshadowing Ann once again.

"Why are you doing this? I thought you looked up to me!" Ann complained, feeling betrayed once more.

"That was a lie, obviously… but I guess you're just as naive as you look." Mika remarked while still showing her better photogenic side to the photographer, "Anyway, stupid amateurs like you really piss me off. You better not drag me down, ok?"

"Oh, you're amazing, Mika-chan!" The photographer exclaimed, completely ignoring their whole banter.

"Grrrr..!" Ann groaned again. Kazumi felt that Ann could pop up ears and a tail, and maul Mika at any given second.

"I guess modeling is really competitive…" Kazumi commented as she continued to see the session and noted to buy the magazine where they will feature later.

After the session was over, both girls saw Mika speaking over with the staff about her connections and other business. Frustrated by the whole ordeal, Ann and Kazumi went back to Shibuya strip mall:

"Here. A double chocolate crepe." Kazumi offered to cheer her up, "My treat."

"Thank you…" Ann received it and noticed that Kazumi did not have one, "You didn't get one…? Oh right, you probably want to start to follow her tips…"

"Why do you think Mika asked for me…?" Ann mentioned with a sad frown, before giving a small bite to her crepes.

"She wanted to show you up, considering all those remarks about how you have natural beauty for granted." Kazumi replied.

"So she was being mean about it…" Ann replied, then proceeded to give it a bigger bite, "Then, I probably deserved everything she did…"

"I wouldn't phrase it that way…" Kazumi said with sweat rolling down her cheek. It sounded like Ann was victim blaming herself.

"Uhmmp…" Ann made a small grunt, like if she was holding on to her emotions.

"It's alright. Don't cry." Kazumi tried to cheer her up.

-"Of course not, I'm so pissed off!" Ann exclaimed as she crushed her half crepe between her hands, which scared Kazumi a little.

"Mika had to work super everyday to get where she's now." the blonde girl angrily claimed, "She couldn't rely on connections like I did…! She didn't become a model just for the heck of it."

"Her resolve, her knowledge, her fashion sense…They're all on a different level from me!", after her rant, she took a deep breath to calm down, "Mika is amazing…Mika is strong! But me? I'm nothing…Ugh, it makes me so angry to think about it!"

"You two make a great pair of rivals." Kazumi smiled after hearing how Ann felt, "So, what's the plan to get stronger than Mika?"

"I will become a real model…!" Ann replied and wrapped her crushed crepe on a bag before putting it inside her bag, "I thought being a model was just letting the clothes wear me to look great, but I was wrong…"

"A real model draws out the beauty of the clothes they wear…casts a stunning magic on them…" Ann mentioned, "A real model is flexible, beautiful and strong. That's how I'll become!"

"Go get them, Panther!" Kazumi said to her as she made a gesture of cheering by pumping with her arm.

"Right! I'm gonna take this whole world by a storm!" Ann said with a confident smile, "Just you watch!". Feeling Ann's dedicated motivation, the Lovers arcana gained a seventh star.

*Ann's Sexy Technique unlocked*

"I'm so mad. This is the perfect time for sweets, but I already ruined my crepe." Ann said disappointedly, "Come Kazumi, let's get some more."

"Ehh?" Kazumi stuttered confused. Guess the real model goal did not start that day.

After that, Kazumi received a text from Chihaya who asked her to come to accompany her as she read another fortune. Once in Shinjuku, Kazumi sat next to the fortune teller while they attended an office guy approaching his 30s, who required a fortune reading about his decision to marry his friend since pre-school, against the offer of marrying his company's boss' daughter. Chihaya proceeded to read what his future would be like if he declined the offer, which turned out to be a financial ruin. Simple enough, Kazumi decided to give him a different suggestion:

"I think you should follow your heart, sir." She said to the troubled man.

"That sounds like a wonderful suggestion! No, anyone could've come up with that answer…" Chihaya said with a changing happy to distressed expression, "What would you say to make him choose his childhood fiance?"

"A thief might take her away from you when you're not watching." Kazumi replied to her. Surely the threat of another man being interested in his fiance was enough for him to reconsider it.

"Thieves…? She's not a child." Chihaya said, confused by her suggestion.

"Wait. Y-You really think someone else would try to go after her…!?" The man said, distressed after he heard the high schooler, "No, I guess guys would line up to date such an amazing girl…"

"Well, I'm not gonna let it happen! The one who can make her happy is me!" The man stood up, motivated to follow his feelings, "I'm going to marry her!"

"Bingo~" Kazumi celebrated mentally as the man reacted exactly as hoped for. The man made a vow before making a dash home.

"It happened again…" the blonde teller murmured flabbergasted and read the cards again, getting a successful result once more, "So you have altered fate once more…His fortune now states he will be quite successful."

"I guess I have no choice but to accept that fate, in fact, can be changed." Chihaya determined from their interaction, "You've proven that to me, and as thanks, I'll provide you with a special fortune service from now on."

"Really? What's it about?" Kazumi asked curiously.

"Wealth will now smile upon you." Chihaya replied with a smile, "It's the least I can do for the fate changer you turned out to be." The fortune teller's motivation to change fate resounded in Kazumi's heart, and the Fortune arcana gained a third star.

*Money Reading unlocked*

"I am not a psychic that changes fate…" Kazumi reproached with a pout, "I feel like your clients changed their fate by taking on the challenge."

"Is that so?" Chihaya looked down, "Destiny really can't change for those who do not want the challenge…I guess that's why I'll forever remain a monster."

"Mifune-san…?" Kazumi asked as she wondered about the last thing she said.

"Hm?" Chihaya noticed that she said out loud, "Oh my, it's gotten so late! I should start packing…and you should go home too!"

"Let's wrap up for today!" Chihaya exclaimed as she stood up to grab her stuff.

"Ah…sure…" Kazumi nodded, trying to dissuade what she heard.

August 3rd

Kazumi received a text from Yusuke asking her for his help to get inspiration for his next art piece and she agreed to help him. Not only that but also a text from Mishima:

# "This is crazy. I can't keep up with this constant influx of posts." He complained.

#"Isn't it tough to be popular, Les Blues Rebelles?"

~"Is there any post of use you want to tell me about?"

#"That's right!"

#"This one is about someone abusing their powers? I wonder if it was written by a former employer for that company in question."

#"Apparently, one of the higher ups has been claiming the achievements of his subordinates as his own. That really sucks."

~"Sounds like normal office business to me."

~"What's so crucial about it?"

#"You can't possibly be alright with that!" Mishima wrote demandingly.

#"I know the name of the company but I don't have any details of the person myself."

#"The company's over by Shinjuku, so maybe you can get a hint if you ask around the businessmen from that area."

#"A bar might be a good start! I could come with you if you don't feel comfortable."

~"Don't worry. I got contacts for that type of thing." Kazumi texted him back and left the chat.

"Oh. Since it's summer, we should take over some Mementos requests too, right?" Morgana commented after he read the conversation, "Seems like we'll be waiting a long time for Futaba to wake up…"

"I hope she's alright…" Kazumi said concerned, but decided to leave for Shibuya, once there Yusuke said if both of them could head to Inokashira Park as he could not do this step of his new painting by himself:

"Thank you for your assistance today, Kazumi-san. After all, it would've been impossible for me to sketch on my own." Yusuke said with a pleasant face as he was getting his sketchbook and pencil ready.

"I can see why…" Kazumi commented, feeling complex, as she was holding the row pads of the small boat they were in, the both of them, in the middle of the lake, "Except, why are we on this boat again?"

"What other reason could there be but to search for my next motif?" Yusuke said motivated.

"Next motif…?" Kazumi asked, still feeling confused.

"I have observed many paintings with a passage of couples enjoying a boat ride." Yusuke explained, "I believe it's perfect for my artwork."

"C-Couples…?" Kazumi felt embarrassed all of the sudden and her inner thoughts went wild, "W-W-Wait!!! What does he mean? Is he going to like draw me here? I don't even look that good for a painting right now! Or maybe… is sketching an excuse? Is Yusuke-kun trying to confess to me? This atmosphere is all too perfect for that…!"

"Perfect. This is it!" Yusuke exclaimed enthusiastically.

"W-Wait, Yusuke-kun! I am not ready…!" Kazumi panicked.

"Look at all the ducks! They are soo cute!" A woman said next to them, and then Kazumi noticed that Yusuke's eyes were on a couple of a man and woman rowing a boat next to them.

"Hahahaha. Don't get so excited. You're going to fall off, you know?" The man giggled joyfully as he warned the girl he was in the boat with.

"Uhmm…Yusuke-kun?" Kazumi called him, confused, "By couples, you meant…"

"Is this one not the most adequate?" Yusuke asked with the happiest expression, like a child who found the biggest beetle in the playground, "My last painting only captured one aspect of the heart: Desire. As such I was unable to arrive at a truly authentic representation."

"That is why we have come today. I shall paint a second aspect…the burning passion between man and woman!" Yusuke said as he rushedly started to picture the perfect frame, "Fittingly, our theme today will be…the wonders of love!"

"I see…" Kazumi chuckled, not knowing whether to feel relieved or upset. With Yusuke, she should have expected it.

"I'm going to be counting on you to keep us afloat as stable as possible against these devilish ripples." Yusuke went back to his drawing as he said that.

"This is the perfect angle…!" He glanced at the couple next to them, "That bashful side profile, those moisty eyes…Their overflowing passion is wholly evident!"

"They are akin to Adam and Eve… yet in time all lovers must come to know the pain of separation…" he kept rambling while Kazumi listened attently, "Separation is the natural end to any relationship…but even beyond that, love endures."

"Precisely…! This is the truth of the human heart!" Yusuke chuckled, "It will make the most wonderful painting!"

"Are you sure this painting is going to be about love…?" Kazumi murmured, feeling confused by his whole speech about 'separation'.

"It will be worthy of the top prize of any exhibition…!" Yusuke continued, and then by giving a glance to the couple, he noticed the lady slightly move her hands as she spoke, "Can you please remain still!?", he exclaimed at them, almost standing up.

"Ah, Y-Yusuke-kun! The boat!" Kazumi tried to warn him of not standing up so the boat didn't flip over.

"Huh!?" The young couple was startled as soon as they heard him.

"Return to your previous angle! I must capture your profile!" The handsome boy said, as he sat down.

"W-What the hell are you doing!?" The young man asked him, seemingly offended by his demands.

"Rejoice! For I shall preserve your beautiful love so that all coming generations may bask on its glory." Yusuke declared to them, "Once I complete it, you will become legends in the art world…A modern Adam and Eve!"

"L-Legends…Art…?" The young woman asked, confused.

"S-Sorry about him. He was just trying to sketch you guys for his next painting…" Kazumi tried to explain it in menial words.

"What!? You're using us as models!?" The woman exclaimed even more confused.

"A man and a woman intimately swaying in a dinghy of dreams…The blush of their cheeks…The bashful looks…" Yusuke detailed with joy as that was what he wanted to picture, "Yes, this is the love I was so emphatically looking for!"

"...Love? Uh…I guess you can call it that, but it's kinda weird…" the young woman in the other boat said while shaking her head confused.

"It's familial love. This one here is my sister." The young man explained, with a helpless expression.

"Oh, oh no…" Kazumi murmured, feeling that she and Yusuke have just assumed and done something beyond ridiculous.

"Ugh. This is why I told you I didn't wanna come here with you. The only ones who do this crap are stupid couples." The young man complained to his sister.

"But I always dreamed of coming to Tokyo and riding a boat here!" The girl complained with a pout, "Though it was supposed to be with my boyfriend, not my brother!"

"Familial…?" Yusuke wondered, flabbergasted, as his dream picture of a couple on a romantic boat ride just broke in pieces, "So that overflowing passion was just a figment of my imagination…?"

"It seems like my bias has caused me to overlook the truth of the matter…" he concluded as he tried to rethink what he did wrong.

"N-Next time, let's just ask for the consent of the people we draw, alright?" Kazumi tried to cheer him up with a lesson, "Besides, love comes in all forms, don't feel bad."

"Yes. Love is a broad, multi-faceted beast…This only serves to prove how narrow my perspective can be." Yusuke agreed, finding support in her words, "Hm. Familial love and romantic love…The two might be nigh indiscernible depending on one's point of view."

"Perhaps, the truth of the heart lies in the eyes of the beholder." Yusuke said as he looked down, "Kazumi-san, I feel as though I learnt something today…!"

"If you say so…" Kazumi replied, unsure of whether he will keep with her advice of asking for consent before jumping into the inspiration train. Regardless, his quiet resolve managed to deepen their bond, and the Emperor arcana gained a fourth star.

"Wait…so only couples ride these things right?" The young woman asked her brother, "Then why are those two looking for a couple to draw when they are one already?"

"Right? Hey, weirdo, if you wanna draw someone, ask your girlfriend!!" The young man exclaimed at them.

"My girlfriend…?" Yusuke wondered confused, "What are they talking about?"

"Look at the time~ We can't stay to chat!" Kazumi quickly gained the strength of fifty horses and rowed back to the lakeside with tremendous speed.

"Kazumi-san, you are incredible." Yusuke praised her once they were closer to the lakeside, while she was panting frantically as she held onto the rows, "Is there something wrong?"

"I-I just felt embarrassed when they mistook me as your … girlfriend…" Kazumi tried to explain as she tried to recover her breath.

"Oh, that's what they meant." Yusuke said flabbergasted, and then stood silent, "No, that wouldn't work…"

"W-What thing?" Kazumi stuttered confused.

"I was thinking perhaps using ourselves as my model but how could I even picture that as true love if we are but friends?" Yusuke wondered.

"You're killing me here, Yusuke-kun." Kazumi complained in a whisper. One day, a heart attack will take her life with the amount of romantic misunderstandings her clueless artist friend puts her through.

"Ah, but, this is my first time riding on a boat too!" Kazumi mentioned, trying to make the misunderstanding a thing of the past, "Can we still have the picture as a memory?"

"Very well." Yusuke agreed, "If that would be enough to thank you for accompanying me today."

"It's plenty!" Kazumi said excitedly as she took out her phone.

At night, Kazumi went to Shinjuku again, asked Chihaya for a fortune reading and got a prediction that she would get a good source of knowledge that night. In hopes of that knowledge being the information on the target Mishima mentioned, she headed to Crossroads to take a shift. On one hand, there was no luck with the target, but on the bright side, she gained a ton of knowledge from a drunk businessman who explained to her a whole lot about economy, politics, and the national debt.

*Kazumi's knowledge increases by 6*

August 4th

Summer vacation kept going. No news about Futaba yet, but Mishima had been on fire lately…a small fire. This time, he asked Kazumi to investigate the rumors heard by the strip mall on the Phansite about someone who has been assaulting people in Shibuya's central street. Following his lead, Kazumi decided to pick a shift in the flower shop of the strip mall.

*Kazumi's kindness increases by 3*

Once she was finished, the owner, Hanasaki, approached her:

"Your shift is almost over, right? Great job today." She asked with a frown, "Be careful on your way home, this area is getting very dangerous lately."

"Did something happen?" Kazumi asked, worried.

"Yes. There have been quite a few assaults…" Hanasaki mentioned with concern, "Just the day before yesterday, somebody was sent to the hospital after getting attacked…"

"Who attacked him? That sounds horrible…" Kazumi asked, feigning a scare.

"It's just a rumor, but…" the lady got closer to whisper at her, "I heard it was a famous thug around here named Taizo Naguri."

"But the police can't handle the situation without any proof." Hanasaki mentioned, feeling helpless.

"That's not right…There are tons of people passing around everyday…" Kazumi said, feeling uneasy, "This man has to be stopped."

"I agree with you. I only take main streets when I get home, so I'm worried I might become targeted too…" Hanasaki sighed,"If only the Phantom Thieves did something, since the police have their hands tied…"

"That sounds like my calling…" Kazumi thought proudly as she took notes of the target's name.

"Oh right. Don't forget your pay for today." Hanasaki declared, handing her out an envelope with cash inside.

Once Kazumi left her job, she headed back home, and decided to call maid services. It was the least she could do, since all that money from palace infiltration and part-time jobs was just piling up in her bag. Oh, what could she do with all that money? Of course! Help her teacher pay her debt!

Sadly, Kazumi had to see her maid and teacher who could barely stand up by herself, almost collapsing from tiredness and she was even coughing. This time, Kazumi decided to be the servant and treat Kawakami to some hot tea and a warm blanket. The woman could only tell her how she has been grabbing more shifts because the Takase family has been asking her for more money; right after a ton of advice about how she should take more care of herself and eat more homemade meals with vegetables, instead of instant food. Kazumi could feel how Kawakami's concern for her wellbeing and inversely, how her taking care of her teacher's health, deepened their bond, making the Temperance arcana gain a sixth star. Once the visit time was up, Kawakami left, feeling a little better, but not entirely.

August 5th

It was the afternoon after Kazumi helped a bit around the café, and soon enough, Mishima fired a rapid shot of another mysterious request: someone was hurting and/or killing cats around the streets of Shibuya, and maybe employers around it will know something. With fiery determination against that disgusting psychopath, Kazumi and Morgana went to Shibuya where she would pick up a shift in the Triple Seven convenience store:

"Welcome~" Kazumi received with a smile a costumer that just entered through the door, who turned out to be Ryuji, "Oh, Ryuji-kun."

"Kazumi, you work here?" Ryuji mentioned flabbergasted, who knew he would run into such luck?

"Sometimes. Today I am investigating some rumors." Kazumi replied and saw her manager looking at her while stacking products, "We can catch up later. Nanami-san is giving me the bad eye…"

"Oh shoot, sorry." Ryuji apologized as he went to buy his stuff.

Once done, he went to the line up with a basket full of instant ramen noodles:

"Is this all you eat…?" Kazumi asked with concern.

"Hey, it's the way to go when you're hungry! I'm all about the carbs!" Ryuji said as he was trying to show off his arms, "Gonna need strength when you get exhausted again and need to be carried."

"Dream about it, Mr. Sunny." Kazumi replied with a pout. They will never let that scene of Makoto princess-carrying her ever go, huh?

"Anyway, you should eat more vegetables…" Kazumi said with a concerned face, "I know! You should come by LeBlanc sometime! I'll make you some curry!"

"That sounds like my type of plan." Ryuji said with a smirk, "Don't get mad if I drop by."

"Alright." Ryuji gave her the cash for his purchase and then received the change and his cups in a bag, "Good luck investigatin'!"

Once her replacement arrived, Kazumi clocked out for the day and went to buy a few ingredients for dinner:

"Nanami-san? Why the long face?" She asked her while she was cashing out. There was no line up at that moment, so surely she can spare some time to talk.

"I saw a cat in the road while I was taking my break…It was injured badly." The manager mentioned while she was looking for the bar code in a pack of refreshing soba, "When I got close, it got scared and ran off, dragging its leg…"

"Is that true?? Poor thing…" Kazumi said worried, but maybe this conversation could lead to the new target's name.

"I heard some college-students in the store talking about another college guy living nearby that abuses animals to relieve his stress…" Nanami kept saying, "And it reminded me of the injured cat I saw, I'm thinking maybe he was the one who hurt the cat…"

"Unforgivable." Kazumi frowned. That surely reminded her of someone.

"I know how you feel." Nanami scanned the last item and stopped, looking down, "But the police can't do anything without any proof… I wonder if the Phantom Thieves could do anything to help? I heard they deal with low lifes like that…"

"Ah, your total is 1050." Nanami mentioned to her while she packed her items and Kazumi reached for an envelope to take out the cash.

"I heard there's a website where the Phantom Thieves can change hearts if you put the name of the target." Kazumi mentioned to her, "I can write it for you if you know it."

"Really…? I would be careful of what to post online, but since you are suggesting it." Nanami thought about it for a second, "I believe his name was Kazuo Tsuboi."

"Alright, I'll make a post." Kazumi mentioned, as she wrote down his name, "Don't worry, it'll work out."

"I sure hope so. Someone needs to stop him from hurting animals like that…" the manager ended their conversation, while giving Kazumi her change.

After she left the supermarket, she could hear the crying of a cat and turning around a stretched alley, she noticed an orange cat licking her paw in distress, with her claws bleeding:

"Oh my…" Kazumi squatted at a small distance trying to not scare her, "That person did this to you…?"

"To do this just for some stress relief…" Morgana grunted disgustedly, "That Tsuboi guy is exactly the guy we should punish. I'm not letting this go."

"Yeah." Kazumi opened a can of tuna from her groceries and left it near the cat, in an attempt to help her gain strength.

Lastly, she went to work on Crossroads for a night shift. The weekend was just starting so more frustrated office workers will come by to complain about their bosses. She will definitely get that name today. Of course, Chihaya's luck reading would be on her side this time, predicting that her skills will get better. The bad was that the office guy she approached was not the one who worked at the company Mishima mentioned, the good was that he gave her a lot of advice about maximizing profits and lowering expenses.

*Kazumi's proficiency increases by 6*

She let out a sigh while drying her hands, after many customers had left. I guess today was not the day she will get that name, maybe the problem was not worth the change of heart after all:

"G-Good evening…" a timid businessman mentioned as he approached the counter.

"Oh my, you look quite exhausted. Here, have a seat…" Lala said out of concern for the man.

"A businessman!! Is this it?" Kazumi thought alarmed, maybe it was not the time to drop the towel yet. She pretended to clean the counter on her side while eavesdropping on Lala and the timid businessman's conversation.

The man ranted to Lala about how his boss belittled him at work and while working, yet took all the credit for his job; and worse of all, many people had to quit but none of the higher-ups see the man as a problem. Yes, that was clearly the target Mishima mentioned:

"Of all the terrible bosses I could get in the world, why did mine have to be Shinsuke Kishi!?" the miserable man complained out loud before chugging a drink down his throat, "Hey, Lala. I wish those Phantom Thieves could do something and help me with this…"

"Like how? Are they going to steal your stress away?" Lala commented with a joking voice.

"Aha. I guess you're right. It's just wishful thinking." The man lightened up a bit.

Kazumi left the bar after a successful night of good fortune, good pay and a target name. The next Mementos trip was secured, even Morgana was looking forward to it, for his own reasons of course.

At home, Kazumi checked on her phone the notes and photos she took during that week: from selfies on the Milton Hotel Buffet with the amazing food she ate with Morgana, to her and Ann enjoying crepes, watering plants with Ann and Haru, going on a boat ride with Yusuke, having fun at the Planetarium, and even a photo of her trying on a maid outfit because Kawakami thought it would be funny for the role reversal…yeah, maybe that last one should be kept a secret:

"Although it's been almost a week, it's hard to forget I met him." she thought while leaving her phone aside, "I can only wait for Futaba-chan to wake up…", her thoughts slowly left her head as she went to sleep after that hectic day.

Take Your Time.