[June 26th (Sun), Late Afternoon, Leblanc's Attic]
After the slight… event that happened in Shibuya, the thieves rushed back to somewhere they could talk about stuff without too much problem. In other words, going to Ren's room because that's the only 'private' place they have.
However, once they arrived at the attic, they found themselves in one hell of an emotional rollercoaster.
And right now, they were at a low point.
"God WHYYYYYY!"
That was Ren, and it was a miracle that Leblanc was empty right now. Or else, Sojiro would have a mouthful to them.
Clutching a stack of money in his hand, Ren fell on his knee overdramatically. With an opened golden briefcase that was filled with stacks of money, which only made his reaction even more absurd. Next to him, Ryuji's head hung low as if he just lost the lottery.
Staring at their leader on the ground with a deadpan stare, Ann only felt a hint of regret for befriending these two idiots in the first place. And by the deadpan look of the other girls, there was a slim possibility that they all felt the same.
"My deluxe pork soup combo…" Ryuji said, slumping against the chair he was sitting on. "My dream…"
"Can't you just think bigger than that, Ryuji," Morgana sighed, shifting his disappointed gaze toward Ren. "And Ren… we're not the Phantom Thief just for money!"
"...But look at this, children's bank?!" Ren sat up, gesturing over the case of money in that golden case. And just as he said, all the money inside the case had 'Children's Bank' written on it.
To make it all worse, Kaneshiro's face was plastered on it, every single one of it.
"Well, on the bright side, we're not in shortage of money for Monopoly now," Akira said with a dry chuckle, internally cringing in his attempt to lighten the mood. And the deadpan stare at him didn't help a single bit either.
"Are you really sure you want to play Monopoly with his face?" Shinji asked, holding up a different stack of money. Pointing at the face of the former crimelord. "Seriously, maybe we should burn it all or something?"
"Considering how many stacks we have… that's probably the only good way to get rid of it," Keigo said, looking at the stacks of fake cash before him with a solemn look. "Still, that's one hell of a fake-out to mess with us."
"Actually, the case seemed to be made out of pure gold," Yusuke spoke up, catching everyone by surprise. "What if we can just… tell this case instead?"
"That's… a pretty good idea," Akira said, rubbing the back of his neck. "... It's gonna be Iwai-san, right?"
"Yeah." Ren nodded, glancing at the case with a scowl of disappointment. "So we get rid of the cash, and sell the briefcase… I just hope it'll sell for quite a sum though."
"Because you need compensation for the fake-out?" Ann asked with a deadpan voice, accompanied by an equally deadpanned gaze.
"Absolutely!"
" Well, enough with the money problem now," Choosing to cut this topic before it got too drawn out, Keigo pushed his glasses. His gaze focused. "There's one more thing we need to talk about though."
"You mean that other person Kaneshiro mentioned?" Makoto asked, to which the half-Frenchmen nodded in response.
"You suspect this is the same person Madarame's shadow spoke of?" Yusuke added.
"Yep, it's just… too coincidental to have two different shadows talking about someone doing the same thing," Keigo answered, stroking his chin. "Especially when it's from their shadows. Which are not going to lie."
"So… we got an evil Persona user who's wrecking rampage through people's palaces?" Shinji asked, his face paled slightly. "Actually, there's more Persona users than just us?"
"A lot more," Akira said, nodding as he pointed at Keigo. "Like, Keigo awakened Fou Roux long before he came to Tokyo."
"And unfortunately, Persona users with malicious nature or intent are… not that uncommon," The half-Frenchman said with a sigh, his arms crossed. "So, we don't have much other than the shadows' words. But we should still be vigilant about this."
"Besides, the tiredness is creeping in too," Shiho spoke up, stretching her arms with a yawn. "Fighting a giant piggybank is a lot more exhausting than I thought."
As if on cue, a wave of soreness and tiredness emerged on everyone. Maybe they were already tired after the fight, and only recognized this point after Shiho pointed it out. And the warmth and rays of orange light from the setting sun outside only intensified that feeling.
"Shiho got a point," Nodding as she stretched, Hifumi let herself go and laid on the table. "Maybe we can call it a day?"
And like usual, everyone nodded in agreement. Until Shinji suddenly snapped up from his slumped form, as if he just remembered something important.
"Oh right, mom must be getting worried too, me and Mako-chan have bene gone for too long…"
"But we left a note for her, it should be fine," Makoto said, laying her head on his shoulder.
"I… well, I just have a bad feeling about this."
[Later, Izumo Household]
Unfortunately, Shinji was right about his bad feelings about this.
As he and Makoto returned, all they could see was Ise sitting next to the dinner table with her arms crossed and a deep frown. To make matters even worse, the note they left before they left was right in the middle of the table.
Even though not a single word had been said, the young couple could feel the unspoken words in the air.
"So… you're finally back," Ise said with a plain tone, slowly turning her head toward them. "Sit, I want to talk."
Exchanging a worried look with Makoto, Shinji swallowed a lump in his throat and walked toward the dinner table. He pulled out a seat for Makoto first, then himself. Maybe it was just an act to improve Ise's mood, but seeing the frown remained… It didn't work.
"Uh… sorry for not telling you earlier," He said, choosing to take the initiative. "I know just leaving a note is a bit insincere, but it's just because this matter is a bit of an emergency…"
"Y-yeah, Ise-san," Makoto nodded in addition.
"I know, I can see it's an emergency," Ise paused for a moment, glancing at the note and shifting toward the couple. "Considering you two had to leave at midnight."
In a sudden, a tense silence fell upon the dinner table, accompanied by a pair of widened eyes from the couple. There was no mistaking it, Ise here must've heard them going out for the calling card. Then… did she figure them out?
"Look, I'm not angry at you two going out for the entire day," With another pause, the single mother took in a deep breath to compose herself. "I'm angry that you two lied to me."
"I… we didn't want to lie either," Shinji said, fidgeting his thumbs under the table. "It's just-"
"To protect me from Kaneshiro, right?" Cutting him off, Ise looked at the shocked look from the couple. And that was all the confirmation she needed, for every guess she had.
And the worst outcome she had thought of.
"Mom, h-how did you…"
"I'm not stupid, okay?" Ise shook her head. "You two are going out at night quietly for no reason, and then there's the calling card out in Shibuya for Kaneshiro. And you assume I wouldn't think it's too much of a coincidence?"
Seeing that no response came from the two, she chose to continue.
"Just… answer me, you two are part of the whole Phantom Thief thing, isn't it?"
With each second they didn't answer, the weight of silence grew more and more. Right now, there was only a single road ahead of them, either they could double down on the lies, no matter how absurd it'd sound. Or just tell her the truth.
And in the end… Shinji nodded.
"You're right, Mom," He spoke, taking a long pause as if it was a struggle for him to admit it. "Me and Makoto… we are a part of the Phantom Thieves."
In response, Ise just lowered her gaze, not a single word spoken. However, the way she clutched her eyes shut said enough. Not just them, she was struggling to find a way to respond to this as well.
"...So you two are risking your life, right?" She asked without shifting her gaze, internally hoping they would say 'no'.
However, silence was her answer, it was all the confirmation she needed.
"Ise-san," Makoto spoke up. "I… we made sure that we'll come back in one piece, and-"
"And that still doesn't change the fact you two are putting yourself in danger!" Cutting them off, even Ise was surprised by her sudden outburst. But then, as if a dam had broken through, she continued. "I… I know you two are doing this for everyone, especially for the Akashis. And that's the worst part!"
"It should've been us, the adults to risk our lives for the future generation, not you!" Taking in a choked breath, Ise squeezed her fist tight, under the desk. "...Even if I tried to tell you to stop, you still wouldn't, right?"
"...Yeah," Shinji nodded, not without a hint of conviction in his eyes. "We… it's something only we can do. And… if not for us, who'd stop someone like Kaneshiro?"
Ise looked up, toward her son's gaze. He was never the hardest person to read, even if he wasn't her son. But right now, that conviction in his eyes reminded her of a bit of herself, and him. Of Hayato.
And she knew there was no way for her to talk him out of being a Phantom Thief anymore, or even try to stop him. The only thing she could do now, as an adult, as a parent…
"Okay, then… I want to meet them," She said, to the young couple's surprise. "At the very, very least, I should know what kind of people my son and daughter-in-law are getting involved with."
Eyes widened, Shinji and Makoto exchanged an uncertain gaze. It would be an awkward conversation with the team, but it was something they couldn't avoid. To think of it, they just joined the team for less than a week, and Mom had already figured them out…
Letting out a small sigh, the young couple nodded.
"We'll talk to them about it," Shinji said.
"You better, Shin-chan," Seeing how he stiffened at her serious look, Ise shook her head. "Now, I think I should remind you of something. I am a light sleeper, so… don't you think you can do stuff without me hearing."
"...Mom, what are you implying?"
In response, Ise just gave her son a deadpan stare. For a moment, she even had the urge just to say a 'duh' out loud. Thankfully for her, the reddened cheeks on Makoto seemed to put the point across for her son. In other words, it actually got through that thick skull of his.
"...MOM! C'mon!"
For the first time since today, Ise let out a soft giggle. And broke the tense atmosphere around them for the last few minutes. "I mean, I just have to be sure, okay?"
"But you know I wouldn't do that…" Burying his face into his palm, Shinji groaned. "You've been teasing me non-stop ever since Mako-chan is living with us, can't you just not do it for once?"
"Hard to say, it's pretty fun to tease you though," Unable to hold a cheeky grin from forming, the single mother couldn't help but giggle again. "Either way, I guess you two are hungry? I can make something for the three of us."
"Also, one more thing." Standing up from the chair, she suddenly paused as if she remembered something. Actually, this might be the case. "Shin-chan, you're going back to school tomorrow, right?"
"...I am?"
"Yeah! I only asked for two weeks off for you, so… you're going back tomorrow," Ise nodded. "And you need to apologize to some people too, isn't it?"
"...Oh no."
[June 27th, Kosei High School]
In fact, Ise was right.
On one hand, they were lucky to finish Kaneshiro's heist a day ago, and now it felt like a big piece of weight had been lifted off of his shoulder. After all, after the long talk (or was it a straight-up interrogation?) with Ise, Kaneshiro did send Makoto a message that he had called off the debt and the photos. Not to mention the 'debt' Kaneshiro cast upon the Akashis. So overall, it was a good outcome.
But on the other hand, now Shinji had to face the consequence of his… for lack of a better word, downright idiotic actions.
Standing in front of the front gate, Shinji looked up at the school like it had a total makeover. Of course, it didn't, it was still the same traditional-looking school. However, he just like the school before him was ten times bigger than it was. Like a shadow that loomed over him.
"Well, I need to apologize to Higashikuni-senpai and others… of course I'd feel like that," He sighed, tugging his trusty shoulder bag. After all, there was no use standing here and trying to delay the inevitable. "Time to face the music, Shinji."
With a deep breath, he took his steps and walked. Unfortunately, from the moment that he stepped into the entrance of Kosei, he very much regretted his decision to return to school this early.
With each pair of surprised gazes laid upon him, the embarrassment only grew larger within him. Of course, what he did was literally filmed and posted on Twitter, and is quite a popular topic of its own… He should've expected it, at the very least.
Still, he hoped the entire "The Phantom Thief sent out another calling card to Kaneshiro" and "Kaneshiro's heart has been changed" things would've saved him from the gazes. However, the reality was always much more disappointing than he thought.
Thankfully, this place wasn't the rumor mill factory that was Shujin, so that's a silver lining. No matter how thin that lining was.
And the fact Naoko wasn't back in school either. It's merely delaying the inevitable mouthful she'd gladly give him, but at least that's one thing off of his problem for today. Still, right now, the glances he's been getting were getting on him.
Thankfully, not in an irritating way, but just making him quite self-conscious of himself. And it only grew more and more by the time he got to his classroom. And alongside the self-consciousness, his regret of coming back grew at the same rate.
He could've just asked Hinaki to meet outside of school and apologize, among a million other ways to deal with this. But now, all he could do was endure all this and just wait till lunch or just a break, then he went and apologized for everything.
[Noon, Kosei high, 2/F hallway]
Now standing outside of the student council room, Shinji suddenly felt cold feet once again. Of course, he knew that Hinaki wouldn't be too angry with him, she was never the angry type. That's more for Ise, and sometimes Makoto. If he did do something so bad that it pissed her off.
Still, he got cold feet here, that's the important part.
"Why the hell are you having cold feet NOW, Izumo Shinji?" Muttering under his breath, Shinji tried his best to ignore the glances from passersby behind him. Partly because of the fact he's standing there and talking to himself, and partly because of his new reputation. "It's just going in, apologize for everything and you're done."
Taking in a deep breath, Shinji reached for the door's handle. But not before he could even reach it, the door slid open and revealed a confused Hinaki.
"...Izumo-kun? You're back already," She said, still confused. "But… why are you here in all of a sudden?"
"...I uh… I wanted to apologize, for everything," Still trying to ignore any glances coming at their way, Shinji rubbed the back of his neck. "Especially getting you involved with Kaneshiro and it's shit."
"Well, it's not me you should be apologizing to, but Akashi-chan."
"I know, she's in the hospital so… I'll apologize to her later."
"It's… somewhat hard to believe your primrose though, considering what happened…"
"I know…" Sighing, Shinji tried his best to keep the awkwardness from growing too big. "That's why I… I owe you a favor for everything."
"Really? Everything?"
"I know it's a slippery slope, but yes," He nodded. "I'm thinking of saying the same thing to Naoko too, I made her suffer too much…"
"Okay…" Tilting her head, Hinaki pondered for a long moment. "Unfortunately, I can't think of something for that favor, but I'll hold on to that."
"That's fine, I'm not expecting you to just give an answer right away either," With a pause, Shinji found himself struggling to find anything more to say. "And… I guess I won't bother you much longer either, you looked like it's been a busy week."
"Now that Kaneshiro has called off all the debt, it did take some weight off my shoulder," Hinaki shrugged. "Still, there's a lot of work to deal with, so… there's that."
"Still, good luck with apologizing to Akashi-chan too."
"...Yeah, I think I might've needed that."
[Meanwhile, canteen]
"So… Akira-senpai, about what I ask you before…"
His hand stopped, Akira looked up from his half-eaten bento toward the other side. Hidden behind the (still absurd) five boxes of bento, his gaze was met with Kasumi's awkwardness-filled glance.
"You mean what Ren is into?" Akira said, trying his best to keep a smirk from forming. "Well, good news, I have some answer for you."
"O-oh, really?!" Pushing the boxes of bento aside, Akira was greeted by a look of excitement. Which, in return, only made his effort to hold the smirk even more of a challenge.
"Yep, it's from a very reliable source, so you can believe me on that."
"...A reliable source?" In an instant, the excited look morphed into one of suspicion. "Shouldn't you just ask Ren-senpai himself?"
"Uh… I can't really get to ask him, but it's the next best thing."
[Not long ago, Classroom of class 2-D]
"You're asking ME what Ren's into?"
For once, Akira was grateful that no one was in the classroom right now. Like, it'd already be weird to see a cat in the classroom, let alone seeing him talking to the cat as if he knew what the cat was talking about-
"Besides, I'm not a cat, Akira!"
Crap, he was thinking out loud again.
"Yeah, I mean, you're with him all the time, so… what exactly does he like to do in his free time?"
Even through a feline's face, Akira could see a deadpan stare from Morgana. It wasn't one of confusion or shock, but more like… disappointment. Was it all about him not asking Ren directly about stuff like this?
To be honest, Akira himself did agree on that as well, maybe he should go and find him instead.
"You're asking for someone else, right?" Morgana finally broke from his stare, sitting up on his table. "Let me guess, is it Yoshizawa?"
"...How did you-"
"She's been teaching him gymnastic stuff for a while now," The not-cat cut him off, now returned to the deadpan stare. "They're… close, per se. You're trying to be her matchmaker?"
"She did help me with my date with Shiho, so I want to return the favor," Akira nodded, but not before something surfaced. "But uh… am I being too rash here?"
"Well, how much did Yoshizawa talk about Ren?"
"Uh… not really that much, she did mention Ren from time to time," He shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. "Still, she was asking me what Ren likes to do in his free time, so… I guess it's slowly creeping to the state more than friends?"
"I can't be sure either, but… I wouldn't disagree that they're going to be more than friends," Morgana nodded. "Now back to the question, Ren… is a big movie nerd. He always rents some DVDs and Blu-rays to watch every week, on top of going to the theatre."
"...Huh, that's interesting."
"Yeah… Oh, that reminds me," Eyes widened, Morgana suddenly looked annoyed. "He's been missing the deadline to return those DVDs for days now…"
"Yeah, I don't really need to know that," Akira said. "But still, thanks for that, I owe you for that, Morgana."
"Does that translate to a lifetime supply of sushi?" For once, Akira could see sparkles in Morgana's eyes. "Ren still owes me for sushi after I packed that umbrella in his bag. I let him have a full romantic walk home with Yoshizawa!"
"...I was going to say yes anyway, but yeah," Surprised by the sudden rant, the amateur blinked. "Lifetime supply of sushi, that should be fine."
Back in the present, and in the canteen, Kasumi pondered as she processed Akira's words. Which, considering that it wasn't that much information, only took her a couple of seconds to finish processing it.
"So… Ren-senpai is really into movies…" She muttered under her breath, not loud enough for Akira to hear her. "That's…"
"Surprising?"
"A bit expected," Shaking her head, Kasumi couldn't help but wince at the disappointed face before her. "Ren-senpai did mention most of his knowledge of gymnastics and stuff comes from movies, after all."
"Senpai! That's too advanced! You should focus on the fundamentals first!"
"But it looked easy on the movie…"
"Well, in movies, they're performed by professionals. And you're just an amateur, senpai…"
"Aw, man…"
"Then… all I did is just… confirm your guess?"
"Unfortunately, yes, Akira-senpai," Kasumi nodded, brushing her bang aside. "But still, now I have something tangible to have some time with Ren-senpai, your words are not in vain either!"
"In other words, you're going to have a movie date with Ren?"
"...Maybe," Rubbing the side of her cheek, the young gymnast nodded with a hint of embarrassment. "Is it a bit cliche though?"
"It's a cliche because it works pretty well, so… it's fine in my eyes," Akira chuckled. "You don't have to worry too much, Kasumi. And it's coming from someone who's pretty close with your beloved senpai~"
"Says the person who can't just ask him about it," In return, Kasumi just deadpanned.
"Touche…" Trailing off, Akira was about to continue when another voice chimed in.
A voice that unfortunately, Akira found himself quite familiar these days.
"So Suzui is right, you're always eating here, Ichijo," Diverting the attention of the two away from each other, they turned their head and saw Saya. Who was giving them a plain look.
"Akiyama?!" Akira blinked, swallowing a lump in his throat. "N-no, before you ask, I'm ten thousand percent sure I'm not cheating on Shiho!"
"I'm not suspecting on that," Saya deadpanned. "But first, I'm sorry for putting you through the wringer for that whole harem accusation, especially with Yumeko-chan… that's on me."
"...Okay, thanks for that but…" Trailing off, the amateur writer exchanged a confused glance with his fellow Kouhai. "You're coming here to just… apologize to me?"
"Well, partly. I just want to ask you to come with me after school today," Saya said, pushing her glasses so the lens reflected the light. "You owe me a favor, Ichijo"
"...What?"
"You told Amamiya about me, didn't you?" Still keeping the light to mask her gaze, the school journalist continued. "Like, for someone as unassuming as me, why would Amamiya of all people, come to me and ask about Kaneshiro?"
"You're not that unassuming, Akiyama-senpai," Kasumi commented. "You're pretty."
"...Oh, thanks, Yoshizawa-san," Without changing a beat, she turned her hidden gaze back at Akira. "Either way, I need you to be with me after school today, okay?"
"Uh, but I already got Shiho, and… you're not forcing me into a date-"
"It's not a date, it's strictly business stuff, and I… do need your help," Letting out a small sigh, the light finally gone from Saya's glasses. "Before you ask, Suzui knows that I'm asking you for help, and she's fine with it."
"But uh…"
"Pretty please?"
"...Fine," Relenting after a long moment of hesitation, Akira nodded. "But what do you need me for?"
"Oh, I need you as my bodyguard tonight."
"What?!"
[Evening, Shinjuku]
As both Akira and Saya stood under the neon light, in their casual clothes (of course), Akira did find Saya's request as… somewhat reasonable now. However, still, what did Saya see in him to be her bodyguard of all things?
"Even though I said it's business only, we don't really have to treat it like that. " Her words snapped him out of his thoughts, and Akira saw her soft gaze. "Besides, Kaneshiro is under arrest now, so there's no need to worry about that."
"Y-yeah, you have a point there."
"Of course I am. I'm just stating facts here," Saya shrugged. By the way, you did well with Kaneshiro. That stunt was quite attention-grabbing."
"Oh, it's not exactly my idea, I'm just happy that it worked as well as it did-" Pausing in mid-sentence, Akira's gaze widened in shock. And it only worsened at the small smirk on her face. "N-no! I have nothing to do with it!"
"Well, too late to refute that, Ichijo," She chuckled, mostly at Akira's panic. "But still, it just makes too much sense for you to be a Phantom Thief."
"I… is this why you wanted me to come with you?" Akira asked, his initial shock subsided. Now replaced by nothing but anger toward himself, to fall for a trap this obvious in hindsight. "So you can bait me into exposing myself?"
"Uh… no, I actually do need you as my bodyguard. This is just an… intrusive thought." She shook her head, raising an eye. "But no, I'm not going to expose you or anything. After all, now I owe you for getting rid of Kamoshida."
"If only Keiko-senpai could see this herself… "
"Well, you weren't untrustworthy, so… I guess I'll take a gamble on you then," Akira sighed as the two kept walking. "But seriously, I'm not good at fighting. I can't really help if anyone comes to us and stuff."
"I know, I just need you to take their attention if anyone bothers us," Saya said, looking ahead. "Then I can take care of them."
"So you know how to fight?"
"My dad wanted me to learn some self-defense trick, so yeah," she nodded. "I'm pretty proud of my kicks too."
"...Then you just want me to be… a bait for you?" Akira blinked, dumbfounded. "That's it?!"
"Well, there's more than just bait, I… do need you to help me get her home as well…" Trailing off, Saya took off her glasses and pinched her nose bridge. Clearly annoyed at whoever the "her" she just mentioned. "Before you ask, she's a friend of my dad. I'm supposed to check up on her, and… yeah."
"I guess she must be an annoying person to deal with then…"
"Oh, that's a giant understatement," Sighing, the amateur journalist suddenly stopped… at the entrance of a familiar bar. "Either way, we're here."
Standing by her side, Akira stared at the pink neon sign illuminated above them. The sign for the "Crossroad Bar", the same bar he went to for the Kaneshiro's name. And the same bar he met-
"Ichijo? You're just standing here and staring," Nudging his shoulder and snapping him out of his thought, Akira turned at Saya's confused glance.
"O-oh, it's uh… never mind."
"...Okay?" Not entirely convinced either, she kept her raised brow. However, it only lasted for a moment. "Well, either way, let's check on her then."
With that said, Saya went into the bar with Akira following. Which, of course, led to them coming face-to-face with… a certain OTHER journalist. A different journalist that Akira was, unfortunately, somewhat familiar with.
"Saya-chan~ What brought you here?"
"Well, Dad's been calling you for ages, but you just wouldn't answer the phone," Saya deadpanned, staring at the sight before her. "...From the look of it, it's more like you're too drunk to even answer it, Ohya-san."
"Really?! Nah, I'm not that drunk right now~" From how she slurred the words and the reddened cheek, it seemed like the opposite of what she was saying was true instead. "The night is still young, after all~"
"It doesn't mean you get to drink your life away," Upholding the deadpanned gaze, Saya reached into her bag and pulled out an envelope. "Still, here's the stuff you ask from dad."
For once, there seemed to be a spark within Ohya's eyes again as she took the envelope from Saya. Wasting no time, she opened it and poured out a couple of photos, examining it before nodding at Saya.
"Thanks, Saya-chan~" However, just as quick as her mind cleared from the envelope, her drunkenness returned. And this time, she noticed Akira standing behind her. "Wait a second, you looked familiar…"
"...Me?"
"Yeah, you…" Trailing off, Ohya stared at Akira with a frown, until an imaginary lightbulb lit up above her head. "OH, you're that plus-one kid when Amamiya came!"
"Huh?" Saya yelped, her head snapped from Ohya onto Akira. "You've met Ohya-san before?!"
"It uh… It's a long story."
Thankfully, Saya was someone who could read between the lines, thus she didn't pry further into this. Instead, she only looked like she had already figured it out, which probably was what happened in her mind.
However, Ohya had other thoughts about this scenery before her.
"Oh ho ho, you're jealous of me meeting your boyfriend first, Saya-chan?"
Even though the bar was already quiet because of the slow night, at this very moment, an aura of heavy silence lay upon the three. And accompanying that, Akira and Saya's gaze widened in shock, their face paled.
"NO!" The two Shujin students shouted in unison, took a step apart and away from each other. "Hell no!"
"He already got a girlfriend, why in the hell would I go for him?"
"I don't know, maybe it's…" With her voice fading away as the cog in her mind turned, a smirk emerged on Ohya's face. "Oh ho ho, did I stumped upon a secret relationship? Or a one-side crush-"
"NEITHER!"
[Later, back in the street of Shinjuku]
After a lengthy attempt at an explanation, with nothing but a look of slight suspicion from Ohya as a result, Saya decided that it was too much for her sanity. Therefore, with Akira following behind her, the two left the bar, sent her home in a taxi, and now back under the shine of the neon signs above.
"Well, you weren't wrong on the entire "her being a headache" part," Akira said, as Saya turned back with an apologetic look. "Was it because of her being drunk, or…"
"Mostly her being drunk, and partly her being her," Sighing, Saya suddenly shifted her glance away. Feeling somewhat embarrassed. "And uh… sorry for putting you in this, I should've expected that, coming from Ohya-san."
"It's not your fault, that's fine," Akira shook his head. "Still, you seemed like you've figured out why I already had met her already…"
"It's because you need something about Kaneshiro, right?" Saya asked in return, pushing her glasses. "And let me guess, Amamiya is a Phantom Thief too? Or… maybe he's the leader?"
"No comment there, I've exposed enough with myself."
"that's fair," She shrugged. "Still, you guys need to handle the whole secret identity stuff better, y'know?"
"I know, it's pretty bad." Akira nodded in agreement, rubbing the back of his neck. "But uh… what was in that envelope? You said it's something from your dad…"
"Investigation stuff, mostly photos," Saya said, shrugging again. "And nope, I'm not going to dive into details."
"So your dad is a journalist too?"
"No, he's a Gumshoe," Seeing the confused gaze from Akira, Saya let out an annoyed sigh. "It's slang for a private detective."
"Oh, no wonder why…" Akira trailed off, slowly nodding.
"Yeah, an investigative journalist is the closest thing I can be to a detective," Pushing her glasses again, Saya turned and started walking. "Either way, it's getting late, let's go."
With a nod, Akira quickly followed her. "So uh… if you want some other detective, I do happen to know one-"
"You mean Shirogane Naoto, right?" Glancing over at him with a raised brow, Saya couldn't help but start giggling. "You mentioned it back in the first year."
"Oh… right, I did…"
"Yeah, it was a sight to behold," With her giggle turned into a soft laugh, Saya took a couple of moments to compose herself. "In all seriousness though, I'll consider it. It's not every day to meet a detective who's not your dad."
"Isn't the fact your dad is a detective a rare thing in of itself?"
"I didn't choose to have a dad who's a detective, but I can choose to meet another detective," Saya said. "That's the difference."
"Besides, to meet… the real-life version of Cordelia Gray… that's a lot rarer in my book."
"...Cordelia… Gray?" Akira asked, with a raised brow.
"She's the main character in P. D. James' detective novels," The amateur journalist answered, smiling. "And my personal hero, even if she wasn't real."
"Huh, then I guess I'll ask Naoto-san about it then."
"Nah, I'll tell you when I actually want to meet her," She shook her head. "She's been busy with the entire mess over at Ayanagi, right? I don't want my selfish request to overtake her duty."
"You have a point," With that said, the unlikely duo found themselves in front of the Shinjuku station already. "And oh uh… I'm going back to Yongen, but if you need me to accompany-"
"Nah, I'll be fine," Cutting him off, Saya let out another tired sigh. "I've had enough of Ohya-san mistaking you as my boyfriend, let alone my parents."
"Yeah, you're right…" Akira nodded, glancing away.
"But on a more positive note, you weren't that bad of a person to be a friend," Seeing how Akira's head snapped onto her instantly, Saya couldn't help but giggle. "Well, Yumeko-chan is a great friend. But… I do need more friends, to be honest."
"So here, let's make a deal," She held out her hand at him. "Be my bodyguard when I need, and my friend. In return… I'll help you investigate when you need me."
"Heh?!" Surprised, Akira's gaze darted between her hand and her gaze. "Well, that's… sudden."
"Blame it on my intrusive thought," Saya shrugged, still keeping her hand out. "But I'm serious, I'll help."
Akira pondered for a few moments, feeling the logical side urging him to take the deal. To be honest, even if he didn't just spill the bean of him being a Phantom Thief to her, to have someone helping with any investigation… It was a good deal. And to be honest, what other reason did he have to say 'no' to this?
"I… sure," He said, taking her hand and shaking it. "I think I do need to expand my social circle further as well."
"That's great! Then here, let's exchange our contact info," She beamed, pulling out her phone as Akira took out his. "And well, just ask me if you need any help, okay?"
"...Sure."
[Meanwhile, Takemi Clinic]
Staring at her note, Takemi Tae- the resident doctor of the aptly-named "Takemi Clinic" let out a small hum. She liked it, the quiet night in the clinic always meant she could focus more on that new medicine.
Even though it had been a while since both her Guinea Pig and Trial Rabbit had shown up, maybe she could text them for another trial. She did need another run for better data, after all.
"And hmm… let me see…" Trailing off, she took out her phone and checked on the calendar. "Maybe tomorrow for Guinea Pig, then the day after for Trial Rabbit?"
"Hmm… that'd be a good plan, they don't seem to have much plan either," Putting down the planned event in her calendar, Takemi glanced over at a picture frame on her desk. A picture of her past, a picture of those long gone college days….
As if on cue, the clinic's front door opened, and the sound of the door's chime took over her focus. Away from the picture, from her memory.
"Oh, I'm-" Pausing in mid-sentence, her eyes widened in shock. Even after all those years, it was- there was no mistaking it. The same bland glasses, the same messy hair. And the same mannerism…
It was Maruki.
"Um… sorry for surprising you, Tae," he said with a hint of awkwardness in response to her stunned silence, holding a small smile. "It's been… quite a while."
"...Takuto?"
(To be continued)
.
..
...
...
...
...?
[Meanwhile, in another time, inside the vault]
"We… need to fight?"
Naoko was still in shock, and confusion about all this she was in right now. It should be a dream, it had to be a dream. She wanted it to be a dream, a vivid dream that was just a bit too real for her.
Pinching her cheek and winced at the pain, she let the realization fall upon her. However, before she could do much, the closing steps of the guards before her took priority.
Her body was still aching from the dull pain, she forced herself to stand back up. With a ragged breath, she suddenly felt like she was holding something. She looked at her right arm, and she was right. She was holding… a guitar?
On a closer look, it was indeed a guitar. However, its body was shaped like a glaive, with a pointing end at the bottom and sharp edges.
"Listen, I know it's a tough ask, but we need to fight, okay?"
"...But like, I was supposed to be in a hospital, not to be in a life-or-death situation!"
"Look, I wish I could get you back, but we just can't!" The voice paused for a moment. "Well, just forget about it for now-"
"Huh, I guess over-prepared then," Surprised by a booming voice ringing from somewhere, Naoko's gaze shifted around to look for its source. "So, this is the so-called "Phantom Thieves", huh? Just a bunch of weaklings and brats who are way over their heads."
"Listen to me, just bow and say you're sorry. Then I might consider sparing your life."
"Not in a million years," She turned and saw the armored boy (she assumed was called "Knight"), standing back up with the support of his spear. "We are NOT going let you get away with what you did!"
"We said we're going to steal your heart, we're not gonna just give up on it," Hearing another girl's voice, Naoko turned and saw a girl with a sleek ponytail. She wore a black shirt and pants, with a long dark green trench coat over them. More important, it was wearing a mask. A single dark piece that looked more akin to a blindfold, blocking the girl's eyes from the world.
Even though the lens covered her eyes, Naoko could feel the glare coming from the girl. And it only got clearer with how tight her grip was on her dual pistols.
"Hound's right, we ain't bowin' down to a piece of shit like you, yo!" Startled by the yelling, Naoko turned and saw a blonde boy in a skull mask.
"I'm tired of seeing scumbags like you going around without any consequences anyway," Naoko saw another boy standing next to the girl in the trench coat, a boy with light grey hair that was parted in the middle.
He wore an outfit that felt like something out of the Victorian era, with a brown sleeveless jacket (with a few wrench and nails on it) that buttoned over a white shirt, dark grey pants, and leather boots. On his face was a leather mask with round-shaped goggles, which contrasted a lot with the fact that he laid a giant hammer on his shoulder.
Besides, his voice seemed familiar… wait. She could recognize the voice, especially with that hair he got.
"That's… Kamiki Eiji?!" She said in surprise, eyes widened.
However, there wasn't any answer to her exclaim of surprise. Instead, Naoko saw Rose step in the forefront, even with a light wince in her legs. And by her side was a boy in a different long black tailcoat, just like a slightly cliche version of a Phantom Thief.
"We ain't gonna let you get away that easily, Kaneshiro," Rose said, reaching behind and gripping her longsword's handle, sliding it out from its sheath from the side. "No matter what."
"For everyone's sake," The boy next to her said, twirling the dagger before stopping in a reverse grip.
In an instant, everyone rushed toward the giant piggy bank. And the masked… men (Naoko couldn't even be sure that it was human or not) in front of it, their weapons drawn.
And Naoko couldn't help but feel confused at them, they just seemed so fearless in the face of those threats. Were it all because of their experience, or something else?
She turned her gaze to the guitar glaive in her hand, did she have the same power as them as well? Could she be as fearless in the face of those threats? She already did it once with that guy, which ended up with her being stuck in the hospital.
However, she… she didn't regret that. She never did.
Tightening her grip, Naoko was about to stand up when she felt a hand on her shoulder. And she flinched instantly,
Turning her head, she was greeted by another boy. This time he was wearing like a police uniform out of the Showa era, with his jacket slightly opened to reveal the tactical vest underneath. And with a strap around his body, leading her gaze to behind his back. Also, his mask was just a plain-looking black mask with two curved horns sticking out, just like an oni.
Overall, he looked… like a tough guy, like those with a hard shell to crack. Or in other words, a hardboiled guy.
"Wild-senpai, you're okay?"
"Huh? O-oh," With her mind snapped back from the boy's feature, Naoko found herself surprised again. This time not with anything visual, but how soft and kind his voice was. "Y-yeah, I'm fine."
"Oh, that's good to know, I was worried that blast knocked your mind or something," With a warm smile, the boy adjusted his mask with his thumb. As if it was a pair of glasses for him instead of a mask.
"...Okay, thanks for asking."
"Rook, just go with everyone else," Another boyish voice chimed in, and grabbed her attention. And as she turned her head, all she saw was… the monster cat she saw back on her last accidental trip to this place. "I'll take it from here."
"Mona-senpai… I'm counting on you then," Trailing off, the boy (Naoko assumed was named "Rook") nodded and followed everyone else's path.
And with her gaze shifted to the monster cat (she assumed it's called "Mona" or something.), Naoko found herself not really shocked or scared by its existence. After all, right now she was in some kind of underground vault which definitely isn't the hospital, and with a strange voice in her mind that gave her advice. This seemed strangely the least shocking thing she had seen so far.
"Zorro, Dia!"
Well. scratch that. Now THIS was the most shocking thing she had seen so far. A giant inflated man (thing?) just emerged behind Mona like a stand from JOJO, which swiftly swiped its rapier and cast… something on her. All Naoko could see was a green aura that embraced her, and helped relieve her dull pain.
Of course, she welcomed the healing, but it only confused her more. A lot more.
However, as her gaze turned toward the scene before her, the same confusion emerged as the same thing happened to the other people.
Sidestepping a shield bash from one of the guards, Rose parried another strike from another guard's baton with grace. In a way, with how she moved between the guards, it felt more akin to a dance than a fight. And judging from her confident smile, it was clear that she knew about this as well.
"Man, there are way too many of you guys," Rolling away from another strike from a guard's baton, she touched her mask and let it dissolve in blue flame. "Show 'em our beauty, ZEMIRE!"
With a burst of blue flame, a masked figure with a white dress like a princess from a fairytale emerged. With a pair of armored leggings visible under the shortened hemline of the dress. And on her chest was a blue rose made of steel. And in her hands were a pair of dual swords.
"Kouga!"
Raising her sword, a flash of light "blasted" the group of guards before her. Obliterating them into nothing but dust. It shouldn't be physically possible, but it just did, right before Naoko's eyes.
However, her attention wasn't on the "Zemire" figure, but on the maskless Rose. Specifically, her eyes. Her left eye (that was visible under her mask) was bright blue, as bright as day, but her right eye… was pitch black void. No, it wasn't a void, but just as dark as the night sky.
In other words, she had heterochromia.
Meanwhile, even though that physically impossible move obliterated the guards before her, even more showed up. Like a neverending stream of guards, only to be interrupted by a blast of darkness, the boy beside her earlier landed in a crouch.
"Aha, always want to be my knight in shining armor, Joker?" With a clear hint of teasing in her voice, Rose smirked as her mask returned to azure flame.
"Maybe I am, Rose," Shrugging as he stood up, the boy which Naoko presumed as "Joker" responded with a smirk of his own. "Can't let a princess like you get hurt, after all."
"Oh, how considerate," In a sudden, she pulled out her hand cannon and fired toward somewhere behind Joker, hitting right on a guard's mask. More specifically, a guard that was sneaking up on him. "Welp, now we're even then."
"Oh, shame."
With that said, and a small smile of recognition shared between them, they returned their attention to the guards before them. And turning this 'fight' into a duet dance of light and dark, a dance that felt like they had some unspoken bond between them.
Meanwhile, rushing to a different group of guards, Hound lowered her body into a perfect split and slid. Sensing the air above her ripped apart by the baton's missed strike, she bounced back up into a standing position and opened fire.
Just as the fly-like mask shattered before her, she could hear another set of footsteps coming from behind. Ducking from another swipe of the baton, Hound fired her pistol toward it without looking. The sound of a fracturing mask was all the confirmation she needed, but it wouldn't hurt to have a little more, wasn't it?
With a slight hop, she raised her leg and twisted her body, sending a roundhouse kick right to the guard's skull. Sending it flying and crashing to the far wall. With a quick shuffle of her foot, she dashed toward another guard and jumped. Her calves squeezing the guard's head, she twirled around and leaned backward. Firing toward other guards around her as she spun, finally shooting the guard between her legs. Landing with grace as another guard rushed toward her.
With a hint of annoyance, Hound's mask dissipated in blue flame. Behind her was a feminine figure in a long white coat hiding what was underneath. A blue brim hat casts a shadow over its face, only showing its jaw and the slight smile.
"Cordelia," Hound said, crossing her arms with a glare. "Garula!"
Abiding her words, the figure - Cordelia raised its hand and waved. A blast of wind followed, sending a couple of guards flying back. However, even after this, more guards still came. Like an unending wave that wouldn't let go.
"They just won't let up, man," Landing next to Hound with a roll, a blond boy in a skull-like mask said with a groan. "How many more guards he got?"
"I guess that's how it is to be a mafia boss," Narrowing her gaze, she let out a breath before readying herself and her pistols.
With another hop, Hound dashed toward them with Skull close behind. Lowering into a slide and dodging another strike, she turned back mid-slide and fired her pistols. A guard's mask was broken with each time she pulled the trigger.
However, the streak of broken mask ended as quickly as it began, with a dry click of the hammer from her trigger pull and the locked slide. Eyes widened beneath the mask, Hound weaved and dodged another swipe of the baton, its momentum carrying her into a cartwheel. And gaining her a bit of distance away from the approaching guards.
Releasing the locked slide and stuffing her pistols into the thigh holsters, she merely took a breath and dashed. Leaping as she closed it and delivered a full dropkick to the guards, knocking them back.
Meanwhile, smacking a guard's head with his bat, Skull weaved away from another strike. Sparks emerged from his bat with each second passed, intensifying until it fully grew into an aura surrounding it. And then, he jumped, raising the bat high.
"Voltaic Rampage!"
Slamming it down, a burst of sparks and lightning spread through the ground. Electrocuting the group of guards before him, followed by Hound sprinting in and jumping. She spun in the air, shattering the mask with a spinning kick to its head.
However, as more guards emerged, Hound only grew more annoyed. With Cordelia materialized behind her, a burst of wind suddenly erupted around her before condensing itself around her armored boots.
"Cordelia, Truthseeker's... Gale!"
With a emerld glow to her boots, she dashed forward and jumped into the incoming guards. And with each kick and flip, a violent burst of wind knocked away the guard her kick hit. One after another, as if she wasn't just fight... but dancing in them, without a hint of fear.
Meanwhile, watching their dance of death with a widened gaze, Naoko found herself feeling… conflicted. The more proficient they seemed at fighting those men, the more unworthy she felt. After all, she wasn't supposed to be here, let alone to fight like them…
She wasn't sure if she could do it like them.
However, the voice in her head thought otherwise.
"Of course you can, you just have to try, Naoko."
"But… I'm-" Cutting herself off, Naoko turned toward the guitar-glaive in her hand. She didn't know if she could do it, but… it wouldn't hurt to try. "...Whatever."
Steeling her resolve, Naoko took her first step forward. Then another, one more and one after one. And with each step she picked up her pace, breaking into a mad dash toward the guards before her.
For once, she let her mind be empty, her action fueled by nothing but a burst of adrenaline. With her eyes set on one of them, she picked up her pace and rushed. Stabbing the tip of her guitar-glaive into its body.
It was at this very moment that she realized the true weight of the guitar-glaive in her hand, it was a lot heavier than she just felt. Maybe it was the adrenaline she had earlier that made it felt lighter, the same adrenaline that she was trying to muster up at this very moment.
Tightening her grip on the guitar-glaive, Naoko swiped it to the left. Tearing the guard's body in half the glaive removed itself from its body. Within seconds, the guards before her dissolved into a puddle of dark goo.
Noticing another guard rushing toward her from behind, she twirled the guitar-glaive around and stabbed blindly. Feeling the soft impact of impaling the guard's body, she tightened her grip and ripped. And the guard followed in the same fate as the last one.
It was heavy, it was slow, and clumsy. But it was enough to kill those guards, one by one. Strike by strike.
However, there was a trade-off of putting all her strength into each swing, the mere fact that she was very exposed from anywhere outside of her sight. As she stabbed deeply into the guard before her, she heard another set of footsteps closing in on her.
Before she could react though, the sound of a motorbike grew louder than it. Followed by a bike crashing into the guard and sending it flying back.
Naoko turned and saw Niijima on that bike (and in the skin-tight biker outfit) as it came to a screeching halt. Just like that one famous shot from the film she watched a long time ago. With their gaze meeting one another, Naoko could feel like they, somehow, understood what each other was thinking. Maybe it was because of some kind of camaraderie between Niijima and the other Naoko, but it still translated well to her.
Without a need for a nod, Naoko raised her foot and pushed the guard before her away, pulling out her glaive in the process. In an instant, Niijima leaped from her seat on that bike and punched, knocking it away with an explosion of cyan-colored energy.
But before a single word could be said between them, the ground beneath them shook.
"Ha, I guess y'all just forgot about me, huh?" Kaneshiro's voice boomed from the giant piggybank's speakers, as it opened up and revealed more miniguns and missile ports. "All fire!"
Obeying his command, both Piggytron's miniguns and missiles started firing. And in an instant, the entire arena was covered in smoke and explosions. It definitely did hit his own guards, but Kaneshiro didn't care. Not at all.
However, with each passing second his finger was held on the trigger, his brow furrowed more. He expected to hear the scream of those pesky thieves at his barrage. But right now, it was eerily quiet.
Until he let go of the trigger, for a second.
"Got'cha,"
In a sudden, a blast of razor-sharp wind knocked back Piggytron. Clearing the smoke in the process. Watching through his monitor, the shadow's gaze widened at what he saw.
There was not a single surviving guard from his barrage of bullets and explosions. But the thieves remained, completely unscathed. And from the bullet holes that strangely went around them, it was like his bullets got diverted elsewhere.
But in the middle of the thieves, Hound stood with Cordelia behind her. And on her face was a confidant smirk. It was clear that what she did, diverting all those bullets away from them.
"What the-"
"Arsene!" "Zemire!"
In an instant, a burst of light and darkness struck and shook Piggytron, and Kaneshiro within its cockpit. Even with the state-of-the-art nanobots fixing any damage Piggytron got, Naoko could see the damage was taking a toll on it.
Maybe, just maybe. If they kept overwhelming Piggytron, it might be the play here.
And it was, until the air around them suddenly became heavier. Much, much heavier. As if the gravity around them suddenly increased by tenfold. Eyes widened, Naoko and everyone else were crushed and downed on the ground. Struggling to even raise a finger off of the ground.
Her teeth gritted, Naoko raised her head to see a giant pillar the top of Piggytron. Was it the thing he used to amplify the gravity in this arena right now? She couldn't be sure, but it looked like it.
"Hahahaha! So that's all I need to do… I really should've done this earlier," With an ugly laugh spread all around the arena, the nose of Piggytron extended and… started glowing. "Now, let's see if you can handle it!"
"Piggytron! Golden Death Ray!"
In an instant, a golden beam of energy shot out from Piggytron's nose to the ground before them. Then, a massive explosion blew everyone away.
"...What the fuck… was that?" Naoko looked up at Piggytron before them, feeling the pain all around her body.
"Even more tricks up his sleeve, huh," The voice said once again, sounding like she was also in pain. "But… that wave…"
"...Wave?"
"Zemire… Medirama…" As the princess in the white dress cast the same green aura around everyone, the pain did get fainter and into just numb pain. "Is… everyone alright?"
"That son of a bitch just happened to have something like this, huh?" Joker said, kneeling on one knee and trying to help Rose up. "Just have to save it for the last…"
"Seriously, how much more bullcrap he's gonna bring out?" Knight asked, using his spear for support again
"You're jinxing it, Knight," Eiji said (she still didn't know what's his codename), panting heavily. "But… I'm not sure if we can take another hit of it either."
"As much as I wanted to say otherwise, I'm not sure either, Fixer," The boy in the Fox mask said. "We have to think of another way to attack."
"Or just a way to deal with this bullshit in the first place," Hound groaned in pain, taking in deep breathes, one after another. "Rose and Joker's attacks did make some damage on it, it's just this combination… I can't divert it either."
"Maybe we'll use somethin' as powerful as that death ray thingy?" Skull asked, turning his glance at Rose. "Rose! You got that super powerful shot, right?"
"I do, but it'd take time and-"
Suddenly, before Rose could even finish her answer, the same heaviness descended upon the thieves again. And aside from Knight and Naoko, the thieves were crushed into the ground again.
Eyes widened by the sudden reappearance of the weight, Naoko felt… weird. Because right now, the weight felt less than a moment ago. Was that pillar's weight getting lighter, or was she getting adapted to it?
"It's the latter, Naoko," The voice in her head answered. "It's the same as our power! It's not gravity, it's just crushing us with a dense wave."
"Then… can do we anything about it?"
"We can neutralize it if we match its wave… or even repel and crush it if we're strong enough!" Pausing as she heard the voice's answer, Naoko looked down at her hand. "But you'll have to use my power. I'll happily borrow you all of me, but… you'll have to do it."
"...What? How the hell can I… do that?"
"Just reach into yourself and- WATCH OUT!"
Surprised, she looked up and was greeted by the sight of Piggytron charging again. And this time, the ball of energy looked even bigger than before.
"Shit-"
"Piggytron! Golden Death Ray, Maximum Output!"
Upon Kaneshiro's voice, the ball of energy fired. And a golden ray rushed directly toward them. But just before the ray hit them…
"Don Quijote! Muro de hielo!"
A giant wall of ice grew from the ground and blocked it. They could hear the sound of the ray continuing firing, but this ice wall blocked it. However, that wasn't Naoko's focus.
Instead, it was Knight, using his spear to barely stand up. But levitating behind him was… a knight in broken armor, with a sword in his grip. Strangely enough, it's a hamlet shaped like a hat. A round hat with a piece of it missing.
From the fact it was raising a hand toward the wall of ice, it's definitely Knight's power.
"I vowed that I wouldn't anyone die under my watch," He said through gritted teeth, his grip on the spear tightened. "And I'm not going to break it, no matter what!"
"Now's the time, Naoko!"
"I know, but how can I like.. .reach into myself and shit?"
"Don't think too much, but just… reach deep inside you," The voice said, the urgency still apparent in its voice. "You're not the same Naoko, but I'm still you… and you're still me."
"What are you talking abou-"
In a sudden, the sound of cracking took hold of her attention, and she looked up. Cracks were appearing on the ice wall before them, even if Knight was holding on as much as he could.
"I… won't back down!" Glaring at the glowing spot on his ice wall, Knight started to feel his knee giving up at the increasing pressure. "C'mon Mishima, you're a Phantom Thief, you're Knight, you're THE Knight! You can do it… You can!"
"Time's running out, Naoko!"
"I know! But I still don't know-" Stopping in mid-sentence, Naoko's gaze widened in remembrance. She turned her gaze at the guitar-glaive in her hand, and she started thinking.
She was never the introspective kind of person, because all she would do was dig up painful memories. Of herself, of Kimiko, of all this bullshit that's happening to her. All because of Kaneshiro, and his own bullshit. Instead, she chose to be distant, toward other people, and herself.
At that moment when she fought against that prick who came in and threatened her, she definitely didn't think of anything. It was nothing but… instinct. She let her body move before her thought caught up to it. Now, same as when she rushed in and fought those guards.
Maybe, just maybe…
Taking in a deep breath, Naoko struggled against the wave against her and stood up. It was hard, it was painful, but she still stood up. She was very sure that Rose and the others were calling out to her for some reason, but she didn't care. She turned them out.
Holding her guitar-glaive like an actual guitar, she let her body do the work. Even if she wasn't a guitar player, her other self might be one. Or else, why the hell would her weapon be something as specific as a guitar-glaive? As her fingers roamed the fretboard and formed a simple power chord, it felt like they belonged there.
She took a look at her right hand's glove, especially the 'pick' that was integrated into its thumb. Then she turned at the ice wall, as the cracks were spreading like a fungus. Growing and covering the wall, millimeter by millimeter.
Against the crushing pressure upon her, Naoko raised her hand high. Pointing up as her mask burned in blue flames, a woman in a black dress and cowgirl hat emerged. But even if the dress itself looked elegant, the leather belt of bullets around her waist said otherwise.
With a blindfold around her eyes, the woman lifted the revolver in her hand and pointed toward the ice wall. Smirking.
It shouldn't be possible, but Naoko already knew that figure's name. The name of that voice for the entire time. It felt like something natural, a second nature to her. Maybe it was the other Naoko creeping in, but it didn't matter now.
"Belle Starr! Rebel's Ouverture!"
Then, Naoko strummed.
It felt weird, for her to play a different instrument as if she knew it like second nature. Back when Kimiko suggested they would make a band with Akira and Shinji, she always wondered why she'd want to be the guitarist. What's there to love about a guitar? Especially over a piano?
But now?
She understood why.
As the distorted roar broke out from her guitar, she felt the heavy weight on her shoulder being lifted off. The other voice was right, it wasn't gravity all along, just a wave. However, she didn't feel the wave being neutralized like she expected.
She felt them expanding, fighting back against the wave Kaneshiro and Piggytron imposed on everyone. Actually, not just fighting back, but eroding, conquering over him.
In an instant, a shockwave blasted toward Piggytrron, knocking it back and shaking it. Thus, the aim of its death ray moved upwards and sent it right into the ceiling, causing a giant explosion, which surprisingly didn't cause any debris to fall on them.
A side effect of having a sturdy vault.
With the weight lifted off, Knight slouched and kneeled on the ground. The ice wall immediately broke into pieces and melted away, the same as the floating knight behind him.
"...Wild?" He asked, looking over to her.
"If you got that, just said so earlier…" Hound groaned, pushing her own buddy up with a bit of difficulty. "It saves us a lot of pain and annoyance, y'know."
"I… I just knew that I could do this," Naoko answered, looking down at her guitar-glaive as her mask returned. "It's… new to me too."
"But you did that back when you awakened, right?" The girl in a red Panther-like mask asked, holding Skull with an arm over her shoulder.
"...I did?"
"Oh, shit. right, you- my Naoko did."
"Huh?! Then just tell me earlier!" Noticing the weird glances from the other thieves, the western rockstar held in an urge to let out a tired groan. "U-uh… sorry, just thinking out loud."
"I've never seen someone thinking out loud by yelling to air," Eiji (she assumed his codename was "Fixer":) said, helping the boy with a fox-like mask up. "But to each their own."
However, Naoko found her gaze turned toward Rose, who gave her… a look she couldn't decipher in an instant. It looked like she knew something more was happening, something was wrong with her right now. Like… she knew it wasn't the same Naoko?
Thankfully, before that question would latch onto her thought, Kaneshiro's voice broke through and diverted everyone's focus. And they could see it, the pillar on top of it was broken beyond any repair. In other words, that whole 'gravity' move was out of their problems.
"Damn you… DAMN YOU!" His rage-filled voice roared throughout the arena again, but it felt more like a child tantrum than anything now. "PIGGYTRON! GOLDEN DEATH RAY!"
"Another one already?!" Niijima exclaimed.
"I can still hold against it," Knight said, holding up his spear. "I'm not that weak-"
"The problem is he can probably spam the shit out of this death ray thingy, Knight!" Naoko shouted back, looking down at her guitar-glaive. "We have to go on the offensive here, I can help!"
"The problem is we can't-" Seeing the golden ray going straight toward them, Knight shook his head and flipped his hold on his spear. "I'm counting on you, Wild!"
"Don't worry, I got your back!" Running her fingers through the fretboard, Naoko took in a breath and played a quick riff. "Belle Starr! Song of Triumph!"
Just like earlier, she could feel another burst of… something from her guitar. She couldn't describe it well, but all she felt was… strength. She felt stronger, and it seemed like this also made the team stronger.
And she's sure that Knight could feel the surge of strength as well.
His grip tightened on his spear, Knight stared directly at the ray coming at them. He took a firm step forward, as a coat of ice formed on the spear's head. Along with Don Quijote materialized behind him.
"Don Quijote! Lanza de Congelación!"
With a deep breath, he threw the spear against the ray itself. The possibility of his spear being vaporized against the ray was high, very high. However, his gamble played off.
Against all odds, the spear pierced through the beam like a hot knife through butter, splitting the beam into pieces, into a perfect spiral that sprayed outward. In an instant, the nose of Piggytron exploded. And through the cloud of smoke and fire, the spear returned and into Knight's hand.
As the smoke cleared, they could see an opening in the form of exposed wires and the inner workings of Piggytron. Right at where the nose should be, the ray cannon should be. In other words, they had their chance now.
"Rose!"
"I know, Panther!" Rose responded, drawing her hand cannon from her holster. And she started focusing her mind on the hand cannon itself. "Just buy me some time, same as before!"
There wasn't any verbal response to her words, but Naoko could feel everyone's agreement and understanding. She could feel the trust everyone had toward each other.
Naoko wondered how long this had been going on. All she remembered her first time hearing about the thieves was after Kamoshida's change of heart in May… merely less than two months ago. Right now though, they felt like a group that had been through life-or-death situations together.
However, thanks to Kaneshiro's voice, her mind didn't linger on this topic for long. Again.
"YOU… YOU BITCH!" Accompanied by his rage-twisted voice, the two miniguns pointed at them again and fired. "DIEEEEEE!"
"Cordelia!"
Holding out her hands as she stood in front of Rose, Hound braced herself as the bullets flew toward them, the women in white coats behind her. Just like last time, the bullets shifted away and hit the wall behind them instead.
"I can't keep this forever, someone deals with the miniguns!"
"Leave this to me!" Rushing by her side, Fixer could feel the heat emitting from the hammer as flame emerged. He wasn't as quick as the others, but he was quick enough. "Quasimodo!"
Obliging his command, the mask on his face disappeared in blue flame. And a giant with a hunchback emerged, a giant with chains around his arms and its body. On its face was a plain white mask, with only a single eye-hole that showed a blue eye.
But in the meantime, flame covered Fixer's hammer.
"Calamité… Volcanique!" Slamming the hammer into the ground, flame erupted under Piggytron. Melting the barrel of one of the miniguns in its eye.
Feeling the blast of heat and flame, Kaneshiro's shadow tried to move his remaining minigun. But through the dissipating smoke, he could only see Rook with his rocket launcher. Aiming directly at him.
And without a moment of breather, Rook fired his rocket. Blowing the last minigun it got into smithereens.
Shaking harshly in the cockpit, all the shadow could see through its monitor was a blinding light. A light that shined through from the back, a light so volatile that even through the monitor, it didn't feel warm. His eyes widened in panic, he smashed the red button in the console before him.
Meanwhile, watching as another wave of guards emerged from the ground, Naoko couldn't help but let out an annoyed grunt. At this point, it was the third time he kept bringing pointless goons, what's the point of it again?
With a glance back at Rose, and the bright light from her handcannon, Naoko closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then, she faced the guards again. That's right, she still had one more song, a trick up in a sleeve of her own.
"Belle Starr! Song of… Wild!"
Once again, her finger danced on the fretboard, playing another solo. However, this time, the solo felt… unrestrained and unhinged. With each note she played, her body became lighter and lighter. Accompanying that, a new surge of strength emerged in her body as well.
As she strummed the final note of her guitar-glaive, Naoko moved up and held the fretboard tight. Then, she dashed forward, leaving nothing but a blur from where she was. Blowing past the guards like a gust of wind, leaving nothing but severed bodies and a pool of black goos.
At the same time, everyone else followed her stead, defending Rose with all their effort.
Leaping and slashing a guard right in half, Naoko could hear the footsteps from behind. Just more guards coming at her, more cannon fodders. However, before the guard could even reach her, a flash of lightning disintegrated it into dust. And soon followed by Rook jumping in and kicking another guard away.
"Wild-senpai, you're alright?"
"I'm fine, thanks for the help, Rook," She twirled her guitar glaive and thrust behind her without looking, impaling another shadow that was creeping up on her. "I was going to get to them anyway."
"That's… that's a bit awkward," Rubbing the back of his neck, Rook suddenly snapped his head behind him. Even under the mask, she could see his widened gaze. "Oh no!"
Naoko followed her gaze and turned, seeing a couple of guards closing in on them.
However, before she could react, Rook had made a dash toward those guards. With each step, sparks emerged around him, and with each step, those sparks connected to the Jutte in his hand. In response, his mask burned away, and another figure appeared behind him.
It was a man in a black yukata, like an old-school samurai from an Akira Kurosawa movie. However, even under the yukata, there was a hint of different weapons underneath. Unsurprisingly, another mask—a white oni-like mask, contrasted by the dominant black of the man—was on the man's face.
"Jirocho! Drakodios' Flash —PIERCE!"
Following Rook's order, the man in Yukata—Jirocho pulled out a katana with a straight blade and pointed forward. And in there, a yellow dragon wrapped around the blade and leaped forward. In an instant, the dragon impaled and electrocuted them into ashes.
However, as quickly as he reduced them to ashes, more guards returned. Continuing their assault with no sign of stopping. And Rook stood before them, pressing on the 'trigger' on his Jutte's handle, followed by more sparks as its rod split open.
"Drakodios… Unleash!"
A sudden burst of yellow 'energy' from the guard of the jutte formed a light blade around the rod at the end. Now, instead of just a mere Jutte, it's more akin to a Chukoto, or a machete with an energy blade.
"Holy shit…" Eyes widened, Naoko found herself speechless at the sight before her. "That's… really cool."
Pointing the energy blade toward the incoming guards, Rook readied himself and dashed. Weaving between the guards and slashed, followed by nothing but a trail of volatile energy behind.
Her mind snapped back into reality, Naoko immediately followed and assisted. Stabbing and slashing more guards alongside him, weaving her body between the energy blade and the guards' batons.
Meanwhile, staying back and watching her teammates. Fighting and protecting her. Of course, she would definitely put her life in their hands, even to new members like Rook and Wild, but… Now she felt the pressure on her shoulder.
She only had one shot, one chance to finish off the giant hunk of metal before them. And as the light in her handcannon— Daybreak's cylinder shined brighter, the nervousness started creeping in.
No, she wasn't worried that she might miss, she was worried that… this might not be enough. A simple possibility that this big hunk of metal was about to withstand her shot, even after the damage everyone had dealt to it earlier.
A simple "yes" or "no", just like a toss of a coin.
"...Even if he can tank 100% of our power, I'm sure he can't take 120% of it."
Eyes widened, Rose glanced around, trying to find wherever that voice came from. There was no mistaking it, it was… no. That's not possible, it shouldn't be possible at all. Or else it'd be a voice from a long-gone phantom, nothing more.
But… she had to admit it, he was right.
"I guess I should go all out… and beyond it then," Rose muttered under her breath, raising the handcannon up high and toward the sky above. "Lend me your strength… big bro."
In reply, the glow in Daybreak intensified, just like the weight of itself. Was it because of the energy? or some other phenomenon that couldn't be explained by logic? It might be both, or neither, but she didn't care.
She aimed it right toward Piggytron itself, her hands shaking from the weight. The weight of Daybreak and the weight on her shoulder.
"C'mon, stop shaking, Rose… Everyone's counting on you…"
In a sudden, as if on cue, she felt a… hint sense of warmth around her hands. It was like someone else was supporting her, holding her hands. She couldn't see it, but she definitely felt it. And that warmth… it was a familiar warmth. One that she couldn't forget, no matter what.
No word was needed, but the message was clear enough.
Squeezing her eyes to keep the tears from overflowing, Rose took a deep breath and yelled. "Everyone, get away now!"
Without the need for even a nod, the team hastily split up and cleared a path for her shot. And even with the approaching guards, she already had aimed at Piggytron. Even if they'd take some impact from it, it'd be fine.
"Maximum Output…" Shifting her feet back as support, Rose tightened her grip. "Memento Mori—AURORA!"
Without fear or hesitation, she pulled the trigger. In a flash, not only the bullet soared through the space like it was nothing, but the immense recoil that knocked her back. And then, as quickly as the flash appeared before Piggytron, a giant explosion followed.
And then, Piggytron imploded into itself.
Knocked back by the explosion, the thieves to the ball of fire before them. Miraculously, Kaneshiro's shadow stumbled and fell to the ground, his outfit tattered by the fire and the explosion.
"Damn… damn you, I'm not done-"
Stabbing her guitar-glaive to the ground before him, Naoko stared at the shadow with rage in her eyes. All she knew about him was only that irritating voice that kept taunting them, but now seeing him in the flesh… It was darkly fitting, being a hybrid between a man and a fly…
"No, you are done, Kaneshiro," She said, walking back with her guitar-glaive as everyone else approached. 'You can keep trying to beat us, but it won't end differently."
To be frank, the thought of ending his life right then and there did cross her mind. After all, here was the man who brought her, and her family such suffering and agony. Not to mention how it even affected Shinji, but… That'd only give him an easy way out.
After the rest of the thieves took the lead, Naoko pretty much tuned out most of the conversation. It was nothing but shameless excuses by Kaneshiro, trying fruitlessly to paint what he was doing as 'the right thing'. For some reason, just because the world operated under the rule of "eat or eaten", that's why he did the things he did.
All she found interesting was the mention of someone using this power for his own gain—that so-called "black mask."
However, before her mind could even delve into that for too long, a piece of debris fell from the ceiling and broke her from that train of thought. Then, the ground started shaking violently.
"What the-"
"Oh no, not again!" Rose yelped, picking up Mona and threw it into the air. And with a puff of smoke, a… cat-like van landed before Naoko. "Everyone! Pick up the gold bar and bail!"
"God I hate this part…" Joker sighed, hastily grabbing a giant gold bar and tossing it into the van.
"Okay, what in the hell is happening?" Naoko asked out loud, barely dodging another debris that fell toward her head. "Is this place…"
"YES! IT IS!" That voice—Belle Starr shouted with clear urgency, much to Naoko's surprise. "Just get in the car! We'll have to bail!"
"Then-"
"I'm looking for a way to get you back to your side, just… GO!"
Flinched by her other self's yell, Naoko hastily followed and got into the van. She didn't whether it was this crowded usually, but with the pile of gold bars in the back… it certainly did. And there she was, squeezed right between Hound and Panther.
Some part of her was ecstatic to be sitting between two beauties, but that's beside the point.
Before her mind could even settle, the van drove forward at great speed. The problem was that, the van was going straight toward a fragile spot in the wall.
"Shit shit shit, Neko-Ren!" Rose, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, screamed in terror, turning at Joker next to her. "What are you doing?!"
"Well I'm busting us out! We can't just ride the elevator back up, y'know?"
"But we're in the basement, you dummy-"
However, Rose never got to finish her words, just as the van busted through the fragile wall before them. Only to be greeted by the horizon of Shibuya.
"Oh right… I forgot about that."
As if on cue, gravity did its work and pulled the van back to the land, accompanied by screams from everyone, especially Naoko.
"Oh SHITTTTT"
"SHIT SHIT SHIT- I found it! I'm sending you back to your side, Naoko!"
"Wha-" Naoko couldn't even be able to open her mouth when darkness started creeping around her sight. Eroding quickly like a drop of ink dropped on a paper. "What the hell are you talking about-"
"-Sending me back?!"
Sitting up on her hospital bed, Naoko stared at the door… not with a sense of security. She felt a bit empty and disappointed, like she had just woken up from a dream she didn't want to wake up from.
To feel that power in her, seeing all those… Phantom Thieves?
Actually, wait, if they were the Phantom Thief… Then shouldn't Akira be there? All she could recognize were Kitagawa, Niijima, and Kamiki Eiji. So… what the hell really was that?
Holding her head, a plan was starting to form within her mind. She… had something to do, something urgent to do after she's out of the hospital.
"Things… will be busy for me, isn't it?"
(To be continued)
Preview:
As the world moved on into a more casual time, so did the Phantom Thieves.
A new promise between a Senpai and Kohai.
A old, but not forgotten promise between a princess and a peasent.
And a surprise suggestion from one old friend to another.
But among them all, was a conversation between a newly formed pair of friends.
Next Chapter:
"A Quiet Day Among A Busy Life"
Stay Tuned!
So... Actually, let me check when was the last chapter...
Oh GOD, back in September?! So it's been a little more than 4 months since the last chapter, but... Chapter 52 is finally, FINALLY here!
Also, clocking in 14K words, this chapter is officially the longest chapter of the entire fic as well. The second longest chapter is chapter 35, which is all about the clean-up event. Yes, even I was surprised too when I found out it's this chapter instead.
So this chapter mainly is... like a Part-2 to the direct ending of Kaneshiro's arc. With it starting in the same day as the end of last chapter, some development with Shinji and Saya+Akira (he's not beating the harem causation, heh XD.) And... of course, the elephant of the room.
The reunion between Takemi and Maruki!
Just kidding XD. Still, I've put the thread between Takemi and Maruki back in chapter 2, and after all this time they finally meet. So... who knows what'd happen between them?
Either way, onto the actual elephant in the room. What did Naoko see, and who is the 'other' team of Phantom Thieves? Well, aside from Rose, we've actually seen all of them in this very fic before. Aside from Eiji/Fixer, who is a new character. Still, it's pretty fun to think of another team and how their dynamic with The Phantoms differs from the normal timeline.
Still, it'd be a while until the two... journeys intersect, like an 'X' (Totally not a P5X reference here.)
Also,
Either way, the next chapter would be more of a 'downtime' chapter. Going through different... pairs of friends (or more than friends, who knows/) through the eyes of a certain pair. It should be a much easier time to write, and the chapter should come out not with a 4 months gap... Hopefully.
Note to self, never write two boss battles scene back-to-back XD.
Either way, I hope you all enjoy the story so far, Reviews and Favourites are welcomed!