Makoto shuts down, then comes back to her senses.


[?, The Velvet Room]


"Igor" held an impassive gaze and a stale grin as he cautiously observed the latest events.

How very interesting that the game kept changing. Humanity's will was challenging him more than he expected, and he did not like having his game rigged against him.

The sinner of envy leaving her post, for example, was unacceptable. It changed everything and "Igor" had tried to course correct it.

And yet, he failed. It seemed like the sinner of envy's will and resolution was stronger than even he had expected, so he could not use her as a pawn in his game any longer.

So be it. There are other venues left to be explored.

He was now guiding his Dark Trickster towards the next best path to take down the Champions of Humanity. He was also sure his agent would have already succeeded by now if it wasn't for an insistent, small golden butterfly constantly circling a certain girl.

His massive perpetual grin split into a manic one. Philemon thought he could rig the game back in his favor by trying to subtly guide the High Priestess back to her original path, but that was a most foolish endeavor, as she was too weak and vulnerable to truly understand Philemon's cryptic messages.

She would be his pawn , whether she liked it or not. The Ultimate High Priestess resisted and tried its best to shield the girl, but the other self was erratic and resentful for its abandonment and neglect inside the girl's soul.

A vulnerable shadow to twist into a realm of dark desires . His agent would do a fine job of it, as "Igor" helpfully planted the idea and suggestion in his mind.

He didn't need direct interference. This would be an easy win, after all.

In the meantime, he would continue to fool the Velvet Room and the Trickster of Fate with his ominous warnings and passive aggressive comments. The boy and his attendants were clueless and lost.

Ruin will come at any cost. He'd make sure of it.


[10/20, The Present Day - Evening]


Tae didn't know Makoto very well. At best, she was acquainted with the girl thanks to her guinea pig, who was smitten with her. She also used to think that the girl was very familiar in mannerisms and features to someone from her past.

So, it was a pretty funny and yet pleasant surprise to discover that the girl was in fact the sister of Sae Niijima. It was even better that she crossed paths with that very woman again.

Tae had very complicated feelings for Sae. During their school days, Tae took Sae under her wing on the rare occasions the girl decided to come out of her self-imposed isolation to join her on the roof of Shujin to hang out.

But now, she has grown from that snarky little thing into a snarky damn stunner.

Goddamn.

Now, she wouldn't say she had a proper crush, but she could easily say that Sae was one hundred percent her type.

She was beautiful, attractive, smart, had no patience for bullshit, she could tear down any assholes with just her words, and did she say beautiful already? Yes, and the best part: She was also very easy to tease.

Sadly, it was more likely that the woman was as straight as an arrow, and despite all the fun teasing and the "just kidding!" tone of her flirts whenever she talked to Sae, Tae knew she had to avoid crossing any line that would alienate her or make her too uncomfortable.

Tae would honestly be fine with just friends. She liked her kouhai enough to tolerate having their relationship going only as far as that.

'Now, if she ever shows any signs of being interested, I'm not gonna be fucking stupid and play hard to get either.'

She smirked, but then steeled herself as she finally arrived at Leblanc.

"Where is she?" The doctor asked no one in particular as she entered, noticing the anxious group of teenagers crowding the booths of the café.

Sojiro, who looked tired behind the counter, responded on the behalf of the distraught teens.

"Upstairs, with the kid and her own sister."

Takemi nodded and strode in the direction of the attic, not waiting for permission. She had a patient to check in on.

She spotted her guinea pig sitting on his bed and holding his girlfriend's hand, whereas her kouhai sat on the couch, hands covering her face in a position of utter defeat and sadness.

Tae detested the image vehemently. She preferred when the woman was all confidence bordering on arrogance, or better yet, when she was overcome with dorky awkwardness.

"Hey, guinea pig, suit girl." She greeted them quietly. Both looked up.

"Hey Doc." Amamiya greeted her.

Sae looked up at her, face full of vulnerability. Takemi actually never saw her look so lost and sad before.

"Doctor… Thank you for coming so swiftly."

It tugged at her heartstrings.

"It's no problem at all. Now, let me see her." The doctor said softly.

They made space for her to get to work. Approaching the girl, she noticed that she was awake, but looked out of it. Her gaze was like that of a zombie, and her posture was closed off.

"Niijima-chan, I'm going to examine you now, is that alright?"

No response, just blank stares. Clear signs of dissociation.

Tae decided to continue anyways, and checked her vitals. Pulse was okay, breaths steady. Heart rate was nothing out of ordinary. Same for temperature.

She then proceeded to check her eyes with a flashlight.

Dilation was fine. Hm, no burst blood vessels either. Her previous bruises, if Tae remembers well, had healed already, so her skin was also unblemished.

Overall, not a physical issue.

Tae sighed.

"She's dissociating. But I didn't have to check that to know it. There doesn't seem to be a concussion, and she is physically fine. This is just an emotional trauma response." She said clinically, then narrowed her eyes and looked between her guinea pig and kouhai.

"What happened to the girl that led her to this state?" She asked them sternly.

Neither seemed to know what to respond, until the suit girl stepped in.

"I found her passed out at home a few days ago. She has nyctophobia, so she had a panic attack then fainted in response to a blackout." Her kouhai responded, looking crestfallen.

Hm, definitely stress and anxiety.

"What else?" The doctor prompted.

"Today she heard something stressful from our friend… Now she's like this." The guinea pig chimed in, his tone of voice full of defeat.

Now, she liked her kouhai, but she was clearly a little bit irresponsible, if not neglectful for not doing something to properly help the girl the first time.

"You should have brought her to a doctor the first time she passed out in the dark. The stress is already a bad signal, but there was a chance she had a concussion without you knowing when she fell alone at home. Luckily for you, she doesn't show any signs of having one." She said seriously in a reprimand.

Sae looked like a teenager again as she hugged herself and her expression morphed into horrified regret. With that, Takemi softened just for her.

"I'm not saying you're a bad sister, but don't underestimate a head injury, brain damage is extremely serious."

"I understand, I won't make the same mistake ever again." Her kouhai replied.

"Good. Now, back to the matter at hand: has she been having any kind of memory issues, changes in behavior, or mood lately?"

Both occupants nodded to her. Sae cleared her throat and recounted an interesting tale.

Well, more like an interestingly disappointing tale.

It seems like the suit girl had been an asshole for months to Makoto, putting pressure on her and criticizing the poor girl. A part of Tae was disgusted with her kouhai's attitude towards her own sister, but at the same time, she knew Sae , and how much she fretted and worried over the girl during their Shujin days.

Besides, she looked on the verge of bawling her eyes out with regret. Well, that counted for something , so long as she doesn't treat the girl like that ever again.

Still, she should reconsider her feelings now…

…Hah, who the fuck she was kidding , she couldn't find in her heart to hate her Sumaru girl.

"I see. Alright, guinea pig, fetch me some ice cubes. We are going to start some grounding exercises to help her exit the dissociative state."

Ren nodded and swiftly ran down the stairs.

Tae put a hand on Sae's shoulder. "It's going to be okay, Sae-chan. We're going to help out your little sister."

Sae's lips trembled, but as a response, she put her own warm and delicate hand on top of Tae's, and squeezed.

"Thank you, senpai." She whispered gratefully.

Tae's heart skipped a little beat. "You're welcome, suit girl."


Makoto had no idea where she was, or what was happening around her. Everything was so foggy, so difficult to make sense of.

What was going on?

'My priestess, thou art not alone… I am thou.' Anat whispered.

'But who am I?' She asked her persona.

'Thou art I.' Two voices whispered in unison.

Those were her voices. The tone of one was calm, righteous, strong, but compassionate, her higher self.

The tone of the other was, however, resentful, angry, brash and bitter.

Who is she?

Why did she turn out this way?

That voice in particular laughed. 'Look at your piece of shit sister, right there in the corner of the room. The stupid bitch must be telling a sob story. Are you going to let her lie to the doctor?'

'Sis is not like that.' She thought to herself. 'Sis loves me.'

'Does she, really? Her shadow ordered you to be brutally beaten inside her palace, and she was going to execute you. Don't you remember it? Useless Anat could do nothing for you there!'

'Quiet, creature. This will be your last warning.' Anat said imperiously.

'And what are you going to do, you cold and lifeless lump of metal? You are useless to us. You cannot protect her forever.' The voice taunted her Persona.

Makoto then suddenly felt as if a battle was taking place inside her mind as the sounds of a humming, powered up nuclear motorcycle engine met those of an unknown entity garbling out a mix of metallic, digital noises and gunshot blasts.

'Stop it! Please!' She pleaded, as she felt being brought apart.

They eventually went silent.

But soon, the other voice taunted her again. 'Makoto, join me in the hunt. We can be on the dark side of the moon. Let's be bad girls together.'

Makoto felt scared. 'I hate the dark. I hate the dark so much. And I want to be a good girl.'

'For how long are you going to keep rejecting your darkest impulses?'

'I don't want you. I don't know who you are, and I don't need you. Go away, monster.' She told it resolutely.

After her words, the pressure on her head eased a little. And she could clearly hear Anat purr her engine calmly again, creating background noises to soothe her.

She then felt something cold on her hands. The sensation was numb at first, but slowly, clarity reached her entire being.

Someone was talking to her. She soon recognized shapes, and the place she was at. She could smell again, hear again, see again, feel again.

Someone was pressing something to her lips. It seemed like it was a cup of water.

Makoto came back to her senses, slowly but surely.

"Hey, little panda." The subdued voice of her beloved big sis reached her ears.

"Hey, sis." Makoto muttered.

The woman hugged her gently. She let her. Sae was warm and comforting. She loved her big sis.

It helped with the numbness, a little.

Anat continued to hum in the background.

Ren watched on as his love returned to reality, his heart breaking as Sae hugged her only for him to notice that her eyes were still a little lifeless.

She seemed so broken. It hurt his soul, and he wanted to make someone pay for it. He just didn't know who.

He felt Makoto lean on him as soon as her sister released her. It seemed she at least remembered him.

He kissed her forehead. "Hi, Mako."

"Hi" She said quietly, then snuggled up further on him. He let her.

He turned his attention to the doctor, who turned to Makoto to ask her questions.

"How are you feeling? Any pain, or dizziness?"

Makoto shook her head slightly. "No. Nothing. And I'm okay now."

The doctor hummed to herself. "Good. I'm gonna talk to your sister now. Stay here with the guinea pig, and try to not push yourself too much yet."

Makoto just nodded, then put her head on Ren's shoulder again. He hugged her and kissed her hair this time.

The metanav error thing scared him, but he believed in Makoto, he knew his girl must be the victim here. They would figure it out.

They would figure it out.


Sae was taken aside by the doctor.

Her senpai looked solemn as she talked hushedly. "A word of advice, suit girl. Consider taking the girl to a therapist or even a psychiatrist. She is dissociating as some form of trauma response, which I assume is partly because of your issues with each other, but also thanks to the nyctophobia she possesses."

Sae nodded in response, while looking old beyond her years. "I guess you're right, thank you doctor."

"It's no problem. I'm going to prescribe some anxiety meds for her to take as a preventive measure, but keep an eye on her. Call me if there is an emergency." Takemi responded, giving her a prescription.

Sae took the sheet with a trembling hand. Takemi's own warm hand closed over hers in a gentle gesture.

"Everything is going to be okay, suit girl. I'm here for you too." The doctor said softly.

Sae nodded, believing in her senpai, the woman's kindness soothing her nerves.

Takemi left, and Sae turned to her baby sis.

"Hey. How are you holding up?"

Makoto, who was snuggling on Amamiya, sighed.

"I feel awful for worrying everyone again. I'm so sorry." Makoto choked out.

Sae's heart broke all over again. "Don't be, we're just glad you're back here. Do you want to see the others?"

Her sister looked a little surprised. "T-they're still here?"

"Yes. They are worried for you."

Sae noticed her baby sis tearing up as she nodded timidly. Ren gave her a small smile.

"Okay, wait here a little." Sae told her.

She went down the steps until she saw the others.

"Hey, kids. She is back to us. You can come up."

She didn't even have to finish her sentence as the whole gang swiftly followed.

"Makoto!" Most of them shouted in unison. Futaba was at the front, her face pale with worry.

"H-hey… Are you okay?" The hacker asked.

Makoto, who was still looking a little vulnerable, nodded.

They all stood there awkwardly, with Futaba and Ann both on the verge of tears. Makoto herself got up from the bed and approached her friends. She bowed her head down.

"I'm sorry for rushing ahead again. I just thought that Anat had left me when I saw that error and she didn't respond…" She sniffled out.

They all looked towards one another. Haru stepped forward, her face full of regret.

"I am so sorry for causing you this much turmoil, Mako-chan. I just thought I had to bring that up."

Her sister, still in her defeated posture, just nodded in understanding.

The group was not sure of what to say, until Sae noticed Haru fidget.

"Mako-chan. Can I give you a hug?" The heiress said, voice full of compassion and empathy.

Makoto silently nodded her head furiously, likely too choked up with emotion to say anything.

The minute the other girl gave her a hug, Makoto broke down in sobs.

Sae watched from afar as Haru held her sister in her sorrow. Soon enough, however, Makoto was also hugged by another friend, Ann, who broke down in silent tears with her.

Then Futaba joined in from another side, with Morgana resting on her legs, followed by Ren, Ryuji and even Yusuke.

It was a heartwarming group hug where all her friends held her in her grief.

She didn't hesitate to join in.

"We love you, Makoto. Everything is going to be alright." She whispered.


After Makoto calmed down, the group scattered themselves across the room to discuss their findings before they all went on their way home.

Ren-kun stepped up, his face full of determination. "We don't know what that error message could possibly mean. What I know, though, is that we'll get through this together, right?"

They all looked towards one another, then nodded. Ryuji got up.

"Eff yeah. We're here for you, dude." He said to Makoto.

Her heart warmed. Ryuji-kun was too precious.

Ann, who was sitting near Makoto, nodded furiously and gave her friend a side hug. "Absolutely. I'm never leaving my bestie to suffer."

Makoto just let out a watery chuckle and leaned on her friend. She loved her bestie so much too.

"Yup, and I'll personally check through what I still have of my mother's research for answers…Just hang in there!" Futaba told her as she clenched her tiny fists.

"I am with the others. And I am sorry for doubting you. Please know that you have my support now, Mako-chan." Haru said with a saddened smile.

"And I will be here to help you with all your troubles as well, just as I had promised." Yusuke said gently.

"Me too! We love you, Queen!" Mona proclaimed as he approached her and headbutted her hand. She gave him a small pet.

They were going to make her cry again.

"Guys… Thank you so much." She told them sincerely.

They gave her more words of encouragement, then left on their way home until it was just the sisters, Ren and Morgana left.

Makoto noticed her sis was off to the side, seeming a little defeated.

Ren-kun embraced her and petted her hair. She closed her eyes and soaked up in the warmth she received in his arms. He was just as comforting as Anat, and that gave her an idea.

"Sis?"

"Hm?" Sae said, absentmindedly.

"Is it okay if I stay here for the night?"

Sae's attitude shifted slightly as she narrowed her eyes between Makoto and Ren.

"I'm not sure if that is wise." She said cautiously and a little sternly.

"Please? We'll behave. I just want to be near Ren-kun tonight." She insisted.

Sae looked torn and ready to protest again, but then she deflated in utter defeat. "Alright. You are eighteen after all."

Then her sis turned to Ren, an ominous glint in her eyes. "Just promise you won't do anything inappropriate Amamiya, or I'm gonna kill you."

Ren, who was normally a jokester, looked serious and solemn. "I'm not that kind of scumbag, and she just wants some comfort after that ordeal. Don't worry, I will be a perfect gentleman, and Mona can chaperone us if it makes you feel better."

Morgana actually stepped in. "Ren and I will take care of Makoto, Ace!"

With that, Sae finally acquiesced. "Fine."

Ren and Makoto both looked at her with a grateful look on their faces.

Sae approached Makoto and drew her into a hug. "I'm going home now, but keep in touch with me. Call me if anything happens, alright?"

"Okay sis."


She didn't realize at first, not until the traffic made her stop a little, but she was crying the entire ride home from Leblanc.

Sae is not someone who cries very often, yet she has been doing a lot of that since her own mock trial in her palace. And at that moment specifically, she couldn't help but feel like she failed her sister again.

What hurt the most was not knowing what was going on with Makoto, or how she could help her.

She feared her sister may have developed something akin to depression thanks to everything that happened so far and Sae's own vile contributions. At the same time, the supernatural muddled things up so much that it made everything uncertain for her.

She just wanted Makoto to be okay.

Her sister was the only thing she had left now, sans their uncles.

Arriving at their empty home, she entered her sister's room.

Makoto's room was neat, neater than hers. Everything was sensible and organized, to the point of almost seeming boring and methodical. And yet, if you looked again, you could find traces of her personality.

She had more Buchimaru paraphernalia than what was healthy possessing, and a few issues of motorsports magazines neatly stacked on her desk, alongside a few sports bike miniature models that uncle Tatsu gifted her every year.

Sae picked up one of the models and studied it. It was a gorgeous replica of a black Kawasaki Ninja ZX-12R, one of the fastest bikes in the world.

Uncle Tatsuya actually got both of them interested in motorcycles since they were little kids, much to the chagrin of her parents. The sisters would often browse the magazines that their uncle gave them from time to time and enjoyed seeing all the different articles and pictures from the world of super bikes.

Sae herself had a Honda NM4 in storage, collecting dust because she had been too busy tweaking at work for the past year or so. Maybe she should do some maintenance of it and give it to Makoto now. She was sure her sister would love it.

The fact that Anat's bike form was eerily similar to the design of that motorcycle was an irony not lost on her.

Thinking of Makoto and her persona again, her heart clenched once more. Her sister's face was so blank and lost, nothing like the sensible and responsible, calm girl she knew. Or even the little dorky, happy and rebellious little girl of her childhood days.

She was scared. Scared of losing Makoto. She had to do something about it, but she didn't know what .

For now, she decided to support her in any way she could, even if Makoto pushed her away or tried to make her give up on her. She would not commit the same mistake she has been committing for months now because of her stupid pride.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of her phone. Fishing it out and checking the caller id, she was surprised to see that it was uncle Tatsu.

"Hello?"

"Hey kiddo. How are you girls?"

"We're… Managing. Makoto is a little worse for wear because she had a panic attack after a blackout."

Tatsuya let out a sigh. "Fuck. Is she around?"

"No, she is having a sleepover with her boyfriend." She said bluntly, but then cringed as she realized her words.

"What, and you're letting her?" He asked, more surprised than stern. Her uncle was actually pretty relaxed and non judgemental, but still , he knew Sae pretty well.

"Ugh, don't remind me. But he promised he would be a gentleman and she just wants some comfort."

"Well, if that helps… She is a big girl after all."

"Ack, let's just change the damn subject. How are you and Katsu?"

"We're doing well, don't worry. I'm actually not just calling to check in on you girls, but to let you know that Katsu and I are coming to Tokyo in a couple of weeks. We're still trying to work it out with our superiors."

"Huh, really? Well, that is amazing, but If you don't mind me asking…Why?" She asked, both elated and curious.

"Well sweetheart, you just left a ticking time bomb in our laps, and turns out, we might already have a lead on that investigation of yours ."

Sae's eyes widened in excitement. "What!? Uncle, that's amazing! So, what did you find out!?"

"Hey, not so eager. And we can't really discuss this kind of information over the phone, it could be pretty dangerous if our suspicions are correct. Wait for us to arrive, and we'll have a proper conversation. Is that alright?"

Dammit, she wanted answers NOW , but she knew she couldn't alienate her uncles. They were her best shot at solving the investigation on the non-metaverse side of things.

"Fine. I'm not happy, but I understand your cautiousness." She said in exasperation.

Tatsuya chuckled. "It's okay. Now, I have to go, but send Mako-chan our love later. Katsu says hi too."

"Please send him my love as well. Bye uncle, love you."

"Love you too kiddo, take care."


Ren managed to find an old, long shirt and a pair of pajama pants for Makoto to sleep comfortably in. She was a little lethargic and quiet still, but accepted the change of clothes gratefully.

After a quiet dinner where even Morgana didn't talk their ears off, the trio decided it was time to sleep.

Now, of course he promised Sae he would be nothing but a perfect gentleman, but he couldn't help but feel slightly on edge as his girl tightly clutched him on his bed.

Makoto was too cuddly, and she seemed to think he was a teddy bear. He wondered if he should buy a Buchimaru mascot suit while he was at it.

Their proximity was causing him to feel some rather inappropriate feelings too, so he proceeded to imagine that he was lovingly embracing Igor instead.

He shuddered in revulsion.

Okay, maybe that was a massive insult to his Makoto, but at least it did the trick.

"Ren." Makoto whispered.

"Y-yes, hon?" He squeaked out, his voice going a note higher.

"You can relax. I don't bite." She said huskily.

Oh fuck.

Don't give in, don't give in, don't give in.

"That's too bad, I wish you did." He quipped, losing the battle against the urge to tease her.

Makot groaned and just put her head on the crook between his neck and shoulder in response, likely to hide her embarrassed face.

She didn't bite though. Pity.

"Hey, I am in the room!" Morgana whisper-screamed in terror at witnessing their exchange.

Ren rolled his eyes. Thank god for Morgana and his cockblocking abilities.

Makoto sighed. "Sorry Mona. But really, Ren-kun, just relax."

"Okay, sorry." He said.

Ren closed his eyes and he did as told. They stayed in a quiet embrace for a time and the boy started to finally feel as if he was going to enter the land of dreams, when Makoto sighed deeply. He opened his eyes and frowned.

"Something on your mind, love?" He asked.

"A lot on my mind, honestly…" She started, but then went quiet, until she sighed again. "Ren-kun…Just recently, I have started hearing voices in my head."

"What kind of voices?" He asked, puzzled and concerned for his girl.

"At first I thought it was just Anat. Like I told you earlier, she and I weren't exactly seeing eye to eye lately, but then… Then there was this new voice just earlier today…" She trailed off, sounding vulnerable and scared.

"New voice? What does it sound like?"

He also saw Morgana perk up beside them.

"It's… Abrasive and a bit vicious too. I don't know how else to describe it… Sometimes, it's taunting me, sometimes it's trying to tell me something I don't understand… It's honestly scary."

He hugged her tighter. Could it be something related to the error in the nav? He wasn't sure, but he couldn't rule it out either.

Perhaps he could inquire with Igor about it.

"If you ever hear more of this voice, please don't hesitate to tell me or Mona about it, okay?'

"Alright. Thank you Ren-kun." She said, snuggling up with him further. He kissed her forehead.

After a few more minutes, they finally fell asleep peacefully.


[10/21, The Present Day - Early Morning]


[Ace Attorney - The Ghost Robbers]

[Ace Attorney]: Due to yesterday's events… I forgot to inform everyone of something rather important. My apologies.

[Nasty Crime Boy]: That's alright. We're all ears.

[Ann T]: Yup.

[Ace Attorney]: Yesterday, the director had granted me a new position: Spearheading a secret operation to catch the Phantom Thieves, with full control of a police squad and other resources.

[Coach Bonehead]: Damn

[Ann T]: Oh no!

[Nasty Crime Boy]: What do you plan on doing?

[Ace Attorney]: This is honestly the best case scenario for us. Were it someone else in charge, I wouldn't be able to control every aspect of the investigation. This way I can ensure they never get close to our team. I just have to concede to some actions so as to not appear suspicious.

[Alibaba]: Holy shit, now you're LITERALLY the Inside Job lmao!

[Ace Attorney]: Yes, but at the same time, I'm extremely on edge, especially if we couple this with the Akechi thing now. I don't know what I'll do when I see him again.

[Ace Attorney]: I'm also worried for Mako. I think if my hair wasn't already congenitally silver, I'd gray the fuck out due to the stress alone.

[Alibaba]: Hang in there, sister.

[Life Coach Inari]: Ace_Attorney That sounds risky, but I trust you are equipped with the right tools to deal with such a conundrum.

[Beauty Thief]: I'm with Yusuke-kun. Best of luck, Niijima-san, and please know that you have my resources at your disposal. Takakura-san and I are in a dispute at the moment but I have personal assets that I can dedicate to protecting our team.

[Ace Attorney]: Thank you, Kitagawa-kun, Okumura-chan. Your offer is most welcome too, Okumura-chan, but for the time being we won't need any resources just yet. First I must create some sort of distractions for the police operation.

[Beauty Thief]: Very well!

[Ace Attorney]: Phantom_Rage! Feeling better, baby sis?

[Phantom Rage!]: Yes, thank you, sis.

[Ace Attorney]: I'm glad. Uncle Tatsu called, he sent his love. He and Katsu are coming to Tokyo in the next few weeks. I am not certain as of when yet, but they'll let me know.

[Phantom Rage!]: That's amazing, I miss them.

[Ace Attorney]: Yes, I'm excited as well.

[Ace Attorney]: Now, for the final matter before I let you all go on your way to your schools: The police will come to Shujin again to interrogate all students. I will be there to oversee some of the interrogations, even though I'm not supposed to.

[Ace Attorney]: So a word of advice for the five of you: Stay calm, stay quiet, don't say anything more than necessary, and if you panic, just tell them that you're nervous because you never talked to the police. They'll underestimate you for being teenagers.

[Alibaba]: It's times like this that makes me glad for being a shut in lmao

[Life Coach Inari]: I don't believe the police will come to Kosei. Or will they?

[Ace Attorney]: Kosei is in the clear, Kitagawa-kun, but you should stay low profile just the same, due to your connection to Madarame.

[Life Coach Inari]: I shall do as you say.

[Ace Attorney]: Most excellent.

[Nasty Crime Boy]: Ace_Attorney Thanks for the heads up, we'll do as your unholiness commands, we don't want your hellfire hordes to come get us!

[Ace Attorney]: Wow, hilarious and original. Please consider becoming a comedian, millions would pay for the holy grail that is your shitty sense of humor.

[Alibaba]: lmao the salt~

[Nasty Crime Boy]: New trophy just unlocked: roasted by my demon-in-law


The first thing she heard from the faculty as soon as she arrived at school was that the festival date got moved ahead to the 25th and 26th.

That was nothing but a slap on her face. Did they honestly think she could organize an entire festival in just a couple of days? She didn't even form the committee yet and god only knows where the other members of the council were at these days.

Everyone piled up the work on her shoulders. Always, without fault.

'They're all useless. Might as well not have a student council at this point.' She thought uncharitably.

Makoto started to see why her sister thought Shujin was a lost cause.

And speaking of Sae, the police swiftly started to interrogate the students of Shujin as soon as they arrived. It was frankly intimidating seeing so many inspectors milling around the school, but Makoto had to keep the calm façade she was sporting.

"Alright class. We'll send two at a time. First, Niijima and Takao, you're up." The teacher proclaimed.

Makoto frowned, but did as requested. Beside her, Eiko rolled her eyes.

"Ugh this is like, so fucking pointless. Why would they think I would know anything about the Phantom Thieves…?" She muttered to herself.

Makoto cleared her throat. Eiko looked at her with narrowed eyes.

"They're just doing their due diligence. It doesn't mean they are going to accuse every student of something, don't worry." She tried to reassure her former friend with a kind smile.

The girl huffed. "Nobody asked you, ugh!"

She stalked ahead, leaving a frowning Makoto behind.

'Eiko's honestly such an annoying, entitled little bitch.' The voice from yesterday commented. 'This girl deserves another smack. Maybe see if she can grow a brain cell or two in the process.' It chortled.

That was terribly mean. She knows Eiko is just hurt after what she did, and understandably so. Nobody wants to be gratuitously smacked, even though Makoto thought it was the right thing to do at the time.

The brunette sighed and silently made her way to the council room, with the other girl already several steps ahead of her. Eiko was ushered in first, and Makoto leaned in against the wall to wait. The police officer outside the room swept his gaze towards her and she narrowed her eyes when he continued to ogle her.

"You look just like your sister." He said nonchalantly after several minutes while she waited for Eiko to be questioned.

She looked at him, feeling self conscious and uncomfortable. Makoto hugged herself, but said nothing. The man continued to stare at her.

"I guess it runs in the family. Say, how old are you?" He asked with a rather strange smile on his face.

That was a terribly inappropriate question that creeped the hell out of her.

'Sleazy adults are the worst. Don't they know their place? Maybe we should teach them a lesson…'

"I don't think that's a very appropriate question, sir." She said coldly.

The man just smirked. "I'm just making polite conversation hon, no need to get so defensive all of a sudden, haha."

"Please refrain from doing that, I believe you are here for work, nothing else. Sir. " Makoto told him imperiously.

Why couldn't he just leave her alone?

She could see a small look of irritation cross his face, and he got close, trying to intimidate her.

"You know you're talking to a police officer, don't you girlie? I'd be careful with the way you speak to adults."

'That's it. Now he has done it!'

She felt almost as if an otherworldly force took over her body momentarily and she narrowed her eyes, smirking.

"And I hope you know what you're doing is pretty reprehensible for a police officer. But don't worry, I'm sure my sister would like to hear of it." She taunted.

"Would I like to hear of what?" A stern voice interrupted.

Without them having noticed, the door had opened with Eiko coming out with a puzzled look and Sae standing on the threshold, her eyes narrowing as she stepped out.

Makoto smirked smugly at the man, and her face morphed into one of evil glee as he paled.

Sae turned to Makoto. The girl herself instantly adopted the face of a wounded puppy for the extra effect.

"S-sis… This officer was hitting on me." She said, making sure to sound vulnerable and scared.

Sae's face was instantly morphed into cold fury and she turned to the man. "Nakamura. Explain yourself. Now!"

"I haven't done anything. She is lying." He said, trying to mask his nervousness.

She shrunk in on herself, on purpose. "But…But you were a-asking about my age…'

"T-that doesn't mean anything!" The man protested.

Sae lost her patience and became houndish. "Nakamura, this is beyond unacceptable! I am going to file a complaint about your conduct with the administration."

He seemed furious. "You can't do this!"

"I can, I will, and already consider it fucking done. Now, scram, back to the station! I will call in someone to stand in your place." Sae hissed out.

Meanwhile, Makoto just watched on smugly as she enjoyed the dressing down her big sis gave to the disgusting man. Eiko looked impressed.

"Wowza, is that your sister?" She whispered to Makoto, holding back a conspiratorial grin.

"Yup." Makoto whispered back playfully.

Eiko narrowed her eyes and looked Makoto up and down as if realizing she ended up being a little friendly to her, then huffed as she stalked away.

Makoto rolled her eyes. The man also went away, but not before throwing glares at the two sisters.

A couple of seconds later, she sagged, and then frowned.

Why did she do all of that!?

"Are you alright?" Sae asked her gently.

"Um, yes. Sorry for causing trouble, I shouldn't have called him out like this…" Makoto said as she felt self conscious, looking around and noticing a few onlookers.

Sae shook her head. "Never. You did the right thing, that was honestly disgusting of him. Now, please, go inside, it's your turn."

"Alright, thanks sis." She said quietly with a small smile.

Sae, who looked spooked and ready to fuss over her again, gave her a wan smile as well.

Makoto then entered the student council room.

It was time for her to get interrogated…


To be continued…