[June 9th]

After the little run-in with that Akechi guy, most of the thieves just chose to continue on with what they had already planned and moved on. As all of them moved toward the elevator and left the TV station.

However, staying at the back of the group, Shiho took hold of Akira's hand and stopped him. The rest of the group walked toward the lift to leave, they stayed where they were.

Looking back, Akira noticed how… heavy her gaze was. "Shiho? What's wrong?"

"…Akira," She said, as the frown on her brow deepened. "That Akechi guy… he seemed very weird and off-putting. You feel the same here?"

"Yeah, now that you've mentioned it, that guy's just…" Trailing off, Akira tried to put his feeling into words, but it was just weird. "I don't know how to properly describe it, but his over-friendliness just screams 'uncanny valley' for me."

"And oddly infuriating too," Shiho added, crossing her arms and upheld the frown. "Maybe he just got a very, very punchable face…"

"Uh… just don't make it into action," Sweatdropping, the amateur writer paused for a moment. "But yeah, it's just so weird…"

"Well, I agree with what you two are saying, but this is just giving some weird signal for everyone."

Startled by the sudden third voice chiming in, Shiho and Akira almost yelped as they turned their head toward where the voice came from. And standing right there with crossed arms, Keigo just kept his deadpanned face.

"…Thank god I didn't see you two making out though," Still keeping his deadpanned look, Keigo pushed his glasses. "God knows how awkward it'd be if you two are doing JUST that."

"K-Keigo, why are you-" Stopping himself, Akira just gave out a sigh as realization hit him. "Oh, Ren called you to look for us, right?"

"Technically it's Takamaki, but that's beside the point," Letting his entire body relax for a little, the half-French took a few steps closer to them. "Anyway… back to that Akechi person… His over-friendliness definitely is off-putting."

"Half of the time I can't even read if he's genuine or just putting an act," As his trains of thought ran as fast as it could, a sigh leaked out. "But anyway, they're still waiting, c'mon. We can talk about it later."

With a nod from both of them, the trio moved over to the elevator connected straight to the ground floor. And as they arrived, someone else was inside the said elevator and closing the door.

"Hey, wait for us!"

Thankfully, the person inside the elevator heard their (minus Keigo) calling, and was kind enough to keep the door from closing. Letting the couple rush into the elevator with Keigo followed closely.

"Tha-thank you for holding it for us…" Getting his breath back in control, Akira bowed politely to that person, as Shiho followed.

"No, it's fine…" Noticing the uniform they were wearing, the kind person raised an eye. "Oh, you're from Shujin. Did they have a trip here?"

"Yeah, just from a social studies trip-" Cutting off herself, Shiho's gaze widened in recognition. "Wait, you're Yanagishita Hajime!"

"That's me," With a surprising nod, the recognition also lit up inside the kind person- Hajime's eyes. "Oh wait, you're that girl in Wilton!"

Standing aside and confused, Akira tried to process the things that just happened before him, "…Wait, you met him before?"

"Yeah, back in that Wilton trip that you missed, Akira," Shiho nodded, shifting to Keigo. "And that was before you transfer to here too, Keigo."

"Oh, that day…" Trailing off as memories of that day surfaced, Akira sighed.

And on the other hand, something lit up inside Hajime's eyes. Just like when he saw Shiho mere moments earlier, it was filled with recognition. As if it reminded him of something.

"Oh, uh… I know it is way out of the blue, but… do you happen to be Ichijo Akira?"

The entire elevator was silent for a solid twenty seconds, as the shock and surprise slowly settled in for the trio. And more on Akira too.

"…Uh… yeah, it's me," With hesitation clear within his voice, Akira nodded. "But how did you know…"

"Oh, I'm studying in Kosei, and… Hime-sama mentioned you a lot," Noticing the purely confused gaze as the trio heard his nickname, the chef immediately corrected himself. "O-oh, by Hime-sama, I meant Hinaki, the student council president."

After another 10 seconds of awkward silence, the aura inside the elevator finally relaxed. As the trio gave each other a gaze of… realization. "Oh… okay," They all said in unison. "So you're her-"

"Close friend, before you made a wrong assumption about the nature of our relationship," Before the trio could finish their words, Hajime hastily cut them off. "Anyway, Ichijo-kun, I know it's also out of the blue, but… I know a cafe nearby that's pretty good. Maybe we could have a cup of coffee together?"

Once again, an awkward silence fell upon the entire elevator, the third time in a row. And Akira stepped up again, shaking his head. "We're supposed to meet up with our friends to Dome Town, so uh… sorry."

"Oh… That's a shame," Tilting his head and deep in thought, a different idea popped up in his head. "Then… are you all coming back tomorrow?"

"…Yeah, we're coming back for another day, and that's it."

"That's great to hear then!" With a slight smile, Hajime quickly opened a map on his phone "I also have a shooting tomorrow, so I think we can meet up in this cafe."

Taking a note of the name and address of the cafe he showed, which was called 'Cafe Ranpo', Akira exchanged glances with Shiho and Keigo. And both of them nodded in agreement, no real need to say much here.

However, Keigo kept glancing over Hajime's shoulder. It was a little weird, but Akira paid not much thought to it.

"Well, consider it done then, it's not common to have a celebrity ask me for a meeting."

"Same here, I'm interested in knowing you too, Ichijo-san," With a smile, Hajime noticed something weird about… the place they're in right now. "Uh… weird, the elevator shouldn't take this long, it's just six floors…"

"Maybe you forgot to push the buttons?" With a deadpanned look of slight disappointment, Keigo just gestured to the panel behind Hajime. "Not to sound mean, but we've basically stuck in here for five minutes now."

"…OH right, sorry about that," Feeling the awkward aura hastily approaching (AGAIN), Hajime quickly pressed the button leading to the ground floor. "…We just kept things going awkward again and again, it's… certainly something."

In response, the trio just nodded.

"Yeah."

[June 10th, a different TV Studio]

As unfortunate as it was to come back for another day, the group all felt relief washing over them with the reveal of what they would be doing today. No more fighting against the sea of cables because of a salty Assistant Director, just sit in the audience seats of a shooting of a TV show and that's it.

It should be easy to get through. Or so they thought.

As their mind was snapped back to reality by a Floor Manager's calling.

"Mr. Akechi's coming on!"

Physically snapping their head and now full of focus (and slight surprise), the Persona-users couldn't help but wince at the sudden surge of screaming from fangirls. If not that they met him yesterday, they would probably guess that it's some kind of idol or actor.

And the screaming only intensified as Akechi himself walked in, dressed in the exact same uniform as yesterday. With that same 'barely-fake' smile on his face, he shook the two hosts' hands.

"Ain't that the guy from yesterday?" Ryuji asked with widened gaze, uncrossing his legs and leaning forward.

"Well, consider he's dressed the exact same as yesterday," Sitting on the row behind the trio from The Phantoms, Keigo was clearly deep in thought, as his gaze was locked onto Akechi himself. "It's either a perfect body double of him, or it's just him."

"So now you're thinking he's a robot," Shiho sighed, sitting in the middle of the row and left to Keigo. "What's next?"

"A human lizard disguised as a human," Sensing the deadpanned gaze from everyone, the half-Frenchman shrugged. "Just… go back to watch the show, I need to get a bit more reading of him."

"…You're acting weird, Keigo," Sighing, Akira just turned his focus back to the stand ahead when the veteran Floor Manager called out again.

"Ms. Togo's coming on!"

And now, the screaming wasn't just from the girls, there were some boys who joined in too. With everyone now locked their gaze to the side, widened in shock and realization… Someone in Kosei's uniform also emerged from aside.

Hifumi.

Even though she looked normal and quiet, like how her public appearances (outside of Shogi matches) were. There was a subtle hint of nervousness and determination inside her eyes. And she also shook the show hosts' hand with politeness, taking a seat next to Akechi.

Until her gaze met with the thieves.

In all of a sudden, the nervousness and determination were nowhere to be seen inside her eyes. In replacement of those emotions, were shock and awkwardness. Mostly the former. Still, it looked like nothing had changed on the surface.

Meanwhile, the thieves just exchanged a shocked glance with one another. And in the end, Keigo just gave her a subtle wave.

However, all these interactions only lasted for fifteen seconds max, as the veteran Floor Manager called out again.

"Cutting back from commercial!" He exclaimed, counting down with his fingers in synch with his voice. "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five seconds…"

Counting down the final four seconds silently with just his hand signature, music returned as the female host put on a friendly smile. And looking toward the camera with red light lit.

"And now, onto the 'Hottest Meet-and-Greet' segment of our show…" She said, upholding a sense of both professionalism and friendliness. "After his last appearance was so well-received, we decided to bring back this fine gentleman today."

"Not only that, we have a new guest on the show today," She continued. "And coming on as her first appearance on this segment, please welcome…"

"It's the high school detective, Goro Akechi!" She announced, then turn the gesture over from Akechi to Hifumi. "And the Venus of Shogi, Togo Hifumi!"

As if it's on command, the fans' screaming returned again. And both Akechi and Hifumi put on their public smile, a bit slower on Hifumi's part though.

"Hello there."

"Greetings," Following Akechi's greeting, Hifumi nodded with the nervousness slowly creeping through.

"And thank you two for taking the time to join us today, Akechi-kun and Togo-san," The male host replied with an equally friendly smile. "Akechi-kun, your popularity is stunning."

"Even I've found it to be quite a surprise. It is a bit embarrassing though…"

Nodding, the host turned his attention to Hifumi. "And for you, Togo-san. There's been some controversy with your mother's sudden confession not long ago…"

"I know, and this is why I requested to come on to the show," Taking a deep breath, Hifumi tugged some of her hair behind her ear. "Ever since my mother confessed on her fixing my matches and stepping down from being my manager… the media and the world aren't kind toward her, to say the least."

"I apologize for making the mood heavy from the get-go, but I think this is the best way to spread this to as many people as I could," Taking a pause, the Shogi player took another deep breath. "So first, yes, my mother has made a big mistake. Caused after my father's unfortunate passing. But she is still my mother, and I wouldn't tolerate any kinds of slander or attacks toward her."

As she spoke, the entire studio was silent, as both Akechi and the hosts just let her continue. And for the audiences… they were surprised, especially by the thieves.

"And… that's all I wanted to say," Nodding to herself, Hifumi awkwardly turned back to the hosts. "Um… I apologize again for dragging the mood down, but we can move on."

"O-oh, right," With slight awkwardness behind her voice, the female host nodded and continue. "M-moving on, we've been told there's a case on your mind right now. Care to explain, detective?"

With his mind snapped back from Hifumi's pseudo-speech a moment ago, Akechi nodded. "Ah, yes. That would be the scandal involving the master artist Madarame."

"There it is!" The male host exclaimed, not noticing how Hifumi's whole feature stiffened at the mention of Madarame. "All of this phantom thief excitement has caught your attention too, Akechi-kun!"

Meanwhile, the thieves themselves just exchanged glances of shock. "Oh no… don't get too nervous, Hifumi…" Akira murmured, internally praying for the best.

"Allow me to be blunt for a second," The male host continued, leaning a bit forward. "What do you think of these justice-oriented Phantom Thieves?"

And Akechi put on a smile in return, a smile that was a bit too… smiley. "If they truly are heroes of justice, I sincerely hope they exist."

"Ohhh, so you don't deny the possibility that they're real?"

"I may not seem like it, but I sometimes wish that Santa Claus actually existed," Upholding that smile, there was a hint of sarcasm within his voice. "Although if he did, I'd have to arrest him for breaking and entering."

Of course, the fangirls laughed at his little 'joke', or a 'jab' toward the thieves. Meanwhile, the thieves themselves frowned at him, aside from Keigo. Instead of following the expression of his friends, he was deep in thought, suspicion clear within his gaze.

"His first answer is to say we may be real…" Murmuring, the half-Frenchman narrowed his gaze. "And it's still way too fake…"

As for Shiho and Akira, they noticed the widened gaze on Hifumi. And the two immediately shook their head and made a clear cross with their arms, trying to get her attention and calm her down.

Thankfully, Hifumi did notice them, and she took another breath.

As for the front row, Ryuji just tch'ed with an annoyed look.

"But hypothetically speaking if these Phantom Thieves are real…" Back onto the stage, Akechi continued. And his smile dropped for a serious frown, a frown that seemed genuine. "I believe they should be tried in a court of law."

And the thieves immediately widened their gaze, even for Keigo too, this time.

"That's quite the statement," The male host nodded. "Are they committing crimes?"

"Some people even say the Thieves are actually helping their victims abandon their evil ways."

"What the artist Madarame did truly was an unforgivable crime, there's no denying that," Akechi responded, keeping that serious frown… and not noticing the shocked look on Hifumi's face. "However, they are taking the law into their own hands by judging him. It is far from justice."

"More importantly, you should never forcefully change a person's heart."

With murmuring emerging within the audiences, the thieves' concern for Hifumi only grew. Not just from the fact that she might accidentally spill something, but because she had a high chance of becoming the receiving end of any kind of questions. Especially ones that might connect her to the thieves.

"You have a point. These people are calling themselves 'Phantom Thieves of Heart', after all," The male host nodded in agreement, the hint of sarcasm was clear within his voice. "Amazing as always, Akechi-kun! I could listen to you for days! You have the most radiant charisma!"

Staying completely silent, HIfumi just gave a deadpanned look at the hosts and Akechi, mixed with slight annoyance. Unfortunately, she didn't notice the camera pointing right at her… had its red light lit up.

And the same could be said for the thieves themselves, they just couldn't help but cringe at the clear flattery from the host.

Back to Akechi himself, that somewhat plastic-like smile returned, in response. "I have to say though, I would be embarrassed if it turns out these Phantom Thieves are just as their name suggested, a mere Phantom and doesn't really exist."

"If that were the case, I'd summarize it into a report as a school project."

"…Alright, now he's just makin' fun of us…" Ryuji murmured the rage clear within his gaze.

"Shame that we can't just go up and defend our name…" Ren added, with a furrowed brow.

As if remembering that Hifumi was actually there in the first place, the female host turned their attention to her. "Togo-san, you are of a similar age as Akechi-kun here," She said, as Hifumi hastily snapped back to focus. "We are curious about your opinion about the Phantom Thieves as well."

"Hu-O-oh, in my opinion…" Seeing the entire room's attention was on her like a spotlight, Hifumi swallowed a lump in her throat. "I believe that they are real, and… I am grateful for them."

"Grateful for them?" Stroking his chin, Akechi nodded with intrigue in his gaze. "It's interesting, to say the least."

"Yeah, care to explain, Togo-san?" The male host added, and Hifumi had to fight a frown from emerging on her face.

"Well, it's because…" Trailing off, Hifumi could clearly feel the worried glance coming from the audience's seat behind the camera. And she knew exactly why. "Because…"

"I'm a friend with the last pupil of Madarame, we were in the same school," She finally said, internally apologizing to Yusuke and making a note to do something to make up for that too. On top of apologizing in person. "The Phantom Thieves… helped him by changing Madarame's heart."

"And that is why I am grateful for them."

For one second, the shogi player could feel the gaze of more curiosity laid upon her, from the male host, and everyone in the audience seat. Even if she did deflect any kind of suspicion or anything close to that, it's… still something big.

Thankfully, the female host caught sight of how stiff her entire body was, and moved the segment along. "That's certainly a logical reason, Togo-san," She said, as the male host and Akechi turned their attentions back onto the cameras. "Now then, let's try asking some students the same age as Akechi about the Phantom Thieves!"

Trying her best to exhale a breath without being too obvious, Hifumi looked over and noticed the wry smiles from her fellow Persona-users. And she responded with the same wry smile.

"First, please press your button now if you think the Phantom Thieves exist!"

With the female host's announcement, the screen behind lit up and started showing random numbers, flashing rapidly. Eventually, it settled at 17.

"About 20 percent or so?" The male host said with surprise clear within his voice. "What are your thoughts, Togo-san?"

"I'm… surprised," Hifumi said, blinking with a different kind of surprise. "Even though I do believe they exist… I'm glad to know I'm not alone here."

"And what are your's, Akechi-kun?"

"I'm a bit surprised too," Akechi answered, eyes widened in genuine surprise at the result. "That's higher than I was expecting. I'd love to hear some more detailed opinions on the Phantom Thieves' actions."

With a microphone in her hand, the female host stood up and walked over to the audience. Much to the thieves, and Hifumi's hope for otherwise, the female host ended up stopping next to Akira.

"All right, let's try asking this student here," The female host said. "Hypothetically speaking, what are your thoughts on these Phantom Thieves, if they were real?"

"Well… if Phantom Thieves are real…" Trailing off, the amateur writer couldn't help but let the recounting of what happened surface. And a scowl formed. Truth to be told, Akechi's… 'concern' about them did have a ground to stand on. After all, they were a group of vigilantes.

However, there's a thing. If not for them, Kamoshida would get away with everything, Madarame would also get away with everything, and Mitsuyo would continue to be swallowed in her grief…

Clutching his eyes shut for a split second, a new sense of determination filled his gaze. "I think they are necessary, for the people who can't speak up."

"Huh, that's certainly interesting," Intrigued, Akechi stroked his chin with a hint of a smile. "Necessary, huh…"

"This completely goes against the opinion you had about them being tried by law, Akechi-kun."

"Indeed," the young detective nodded in response to the male host. "It's rather intriguing to hear such a strong acknowledgment. Um… I would like to listen to one more student's answer too."

"Alright, let's ask this student here then," Moving up a row, the female host stopped right next to Ren, unfortunately. "Hypothetically speaking, what are your thoughts on these Phantom Thieves, if they were real?"

If he was nervous or shocked, he sure did a good job of making it look like otherwise. "They're justice itself," Without a hint of hesitation, or second thought, Ren answered.

"You say that with such firmness," Stroking his chin to hide his surprise, Akechi nodded.

"In that case, there's one more question I'd like to ask…" Trailing off, Akechi cast a glance over to Ryuji and Ann next to him. "If someone close to you, for example, your friend next to you…"

"If his heart suddenly changed… wouldn't you think it was the work of the Phantom Thieves?"

Ren could clearly feel the whole world's attention fell upon him, the shocked gaze from his fellow thieves, the nonchalant gaze from other schoolmates, and the curiosity-filled gaze from Akechi himself.

But instead of the normal reaction of being nervous and struggling to find an answer, it just came naturally. After all, he was the leader of The Phantoms, he couldn't back down right now.

"They only target criminals," He answered, the firmness remained within his voice. "And I'm sure that they wouldn't change someone's heart without reasons."

"I see. But how can you be so sure?" Stroking his chin in deep thought, Akechi nodded to himself. "But anyway, whether the Thieves' actions are good or not, I feel there is a more important issue at hand."

"And that's the 'how' in their operations of changing heart."

"Hmm? What do you mean?" The male host questioned, as the female host returned to her seat.

"If they honestly possess that ability… it could be used for more than extracting confessions," He explained with a thoughtful expression. "It could be that what seem to be ordinary crimes are actually being perpetrated by these methods…"

"You know, you're absolutely right." The male host said, the flattery was still clear in his tone.

"Oh, please don't understand. This is all purely hypothetical," Shaking his head with a polite smile, the frown soon returned to Akechi. "It is only if people who can use such a power truly exist."

As he trailed off into his thought, Hifumi's eyes widened slightly in recognition. The whole talk about using the power of Personas other than just changing hearts… Right, the 'black mask' Madarame's shadow mentioned.

And the possibility that that 'black mask' could create a giant mess, and forced them to take the blame…

"Either way though, this cannot be ignored," The high school detective continued, snapping Hifumi's thoughts back into reality. "The existence of the Phantom Thieves would be nothing but a threat to our everyday lives."

"To be honest, I'm already working alongside the police to help sort out this matter."

Just like how a bomb dropped into the room, the entire studio exploded in whispers and murmurs. And for the thieves, all had their gazes widened in shock. Even though it was a normal assumption, to think that they were already on the police's radar...

"This certainly raises the stakes…" Ren murmured.

Meanwhile, back onto the stage, Hifumi could feel the gaze of the male host shift to her. And she hastily kept her composure. "And Togo-san, what are your thought about Akechi-kun's statement?"

"…I do understand Akechi-kun's concern where the possibility of misusing the power of changing heart," Holding the urge of saying too much or too detailed, Hifumi answered. "But I have faith in them, I have faith that they would not misuse this power."

"I know it's certainly on a weak basis, but that's how I think."

[After the shooting's over]

As the live shooting finally ended, and they were all let out and free to go, the group walked aside in a bad mood. As much as Hifumi's appearance helped with that, what Akechi said still stings.

"…It kinda seemed like what he was saying might be right…" Ann murmured, and the whole group paused as they processed what happened.

"I admit that he does have a point on misusing our powers," Keigo sighed, pushing his glasses. "There were examples of exactly that before, and now."

"You mean the Black Mask guy Madarame mentioned?" Akira asked, crossing his arms with a scowl.

"That, and everything in Ayanagi," Also crossing his arms, the half-Frenchman let his gaze cast downward.

"But still, we're not the people that Akechi guy was suggesting as," Shiho chimed in, grabbing everyone's focus. "If anyone of us gone too far, we still have each other, right?"

"Yeah, we're not alone, after all," Ren nodded.

"But man… he made it sounds like we're the baddies, I don't like it," Ryuji groaned.

"Same here," Ann said with a wry smile, but her gaze quickly overtaken with worry. "But that stuff about the police… Do you think it's for real?"

"Technically, we did break the law with the offense of criminal intimidation," Keigo said, arm crossed. "After all, we're vigilantes, and we're delivering justice outside the law."

"He can say whatever he wants," Morgana said, poking his head out from Ren's shoulder bag. "The justice of it all is something we can decide for ourselves."

With that said, a wave of silence fell upon the group, until Ryuji suddenly turned away. "Oh sorry, I gotta go take a leak," He apologized. "Can you guys wait here? I'll be right back."

Before the rest of the group could answer, he just ran off toward the toilet like his life depended on it. "Well actually, I think I gotta take a toilet break too," Akira added, giving Shiho and Keigo an apologetic nod. "Just… I'll meet with you guys outside, just go first."

As both of them nodded, Akira also ran off toward the toilet's direction.

"…Why am I feeling like I missed something?" Ann deadpanned, shifting to Shiho who was next to her. "Shiho, do you… know why?"

"Well, we came across Yanagishita Hajime yesterday, and he wanted to have lunch together," Shiho shrugged, shifting her body toward the exit of the studio. "That's pretty much it."

"…Oh, you mean that guy from those cooking shows," Nodding to herself, the model wrapped her arms around Shiho's. "Tell me more about him, will ya?"

"There's not much to tell you about, but sure."

"And Akira too! I need a progress check!"

"Y-you're just never gonna drop it…"

Watching the two girls slowly walk away from the group, Keigo cast a glance over at Ren. "Well, I'm gonna go too, you're alright?"

"Yeah, Ryuji probably wouldn't take too long," Ren answered, giving him a shrug. "Just go first if you need to."

"…Okay, then uh… I'll leave you be then," Internally cringing at the awkwardness between them, Keigo slowly turned around and left. "…At least I don't have to stare at those bright lights anymore…"

As Keigo followed the ongoing trend among the team and left, Ren was about to just think about what had transpired a moment ago when someone else came in. And as much as he hoped otherwise, unfortunately…

It's Akechi.

"Oh, it's you!" Now with a look that was actually casual and seemed genuine, Akechi approached. "I'm glad I found you. I wanted to thank you in person."

"To paraphrase Hegel, advancement cannot occur without both thesis and antithesis…"

"O… Kay?" Utterly confused at what was going on, all Ren could do was just a numb nod. "I know Hegel is a philosopher, but that's as much as I know about him."

"My apologies," Responding to his question with a chuckle, Akechi put on that subtly plastic-like smile again. "What I mean is that our discussion was quite meaningful."

"Few people around me are so willing to speak their minds as freely as you did earlier," He continued, suddenly dropping that smile and… with an edge of anger within his voice. "Adults are only interested in using the young, while they simply do as the adults say."

However, as quickly as that change of voice happened, it reverted back to the 'norm'. "There are too many irresponsible people in these modern times. I can understand why you'd support the Phantom Thieves."

"You strike a point, detective," Ren nodded, his brow furrowed as the memories of that day returned. Those four words uttered from that drunken man that ruined his life…

"Damn Brat, I'll sue!"

"Thank you," With the same furrowed brow emerging on his face, Akechi let his body lean a bit backward and pondered. "It's possible that this group is just as you and Togo-san believe and they are truly acting with good intentions."

"Since they have special talents, I assume their hearts must be burning with a sense of justice and duty," He continued. "But that justice is merely a facade concealing their lack of true strength."

"That's why I believe, if a truly powerful were to corner them, they would flee without a second thought."

"I'm sure that they'll fight to the end," Without a second thought, Ren responded with a stern expression. As the leader himself, he wouldn't just flee, and he couldn't.

The same could definitely be said for Akira too.

"Oh, you really are intriguing," Surprised by his answer, Akechi nodded with that same smile as moments ago. "I bet you'd make for a worthwhile debate partner on the subject."

"If it's alright with you, would you continue sharing your thoughts with me?" He asked, extending a hand to Ren.

Thinking and processing what Akechi just said, Ren finally ended up accepting the offer. "That's fine by me."

"Thank you, that's great news," Upholding that smile, the young detective and the leader of The Phantoms shook their hands. "I sense something in you that's quite different from other people."

"Really? I think I'm actually the opposite of that."

"I guess you can call it a detective's intuition?" With a soft chuckle, he seemed to not notice how Ren's body slightly stiffened. "Kidding, of course."

"Maybe."

Trying his best to squeeze any kind of a smile, Ren could feel that the detective had taken a liking to him. However, he could also feel that… he was treading on thin ice here, did this man before he was suspicious, or not?

At this very moment, he couldn't tell.

[Meanwhile, on Akira's side]

Stepping out from the toilet after Ryuji had left first, Akira couldn't help but gave out a long sigh. The looming threat of the police, the subtle, but definitely noticeable mocking of the Phantom Thieves as a whole… It just put him in a bad mood. Even if he tried his best to keep that down.

But just as his though reached this point, the female bathroom opened. And Hifumi herself emerged, sharing the bad mood with Akira.

"So much for an easy shooting-" Noticing her friend standing right then and there, Hifumi almost yelped out loud. "A-Akira, when did you…"

"Just happened to use the bathroom as well," Shrugging, a mutual silence fell upon the two. And it lasted for a short while. "…Well, you did get here at the worst time possible."

"That's an understatement," Giving out a long and tired sigh, she let her back slump against the wall. "Never had I thought the host would bring it up as the topic of discussion. And I need to apologize to Yusuke for throwing him under the bus there."

"I think Yusuke would understand why you said that, but you really should," Akira nodded. "At least Kosei should be more friendly than Shujin…"

"I've heard, that whole 'rumor mill' thing is just… annoying at best, hellish at worst," Receiving another nod as her answer, Hifumi noticed something special about this conversation. "And… actually, this is the first time we talked on a one-to-one basis, right?"

"…Oh yeah, it really is," With a pair of widened gazes, he chuckled. "Most of the time, we're just talking as a group… I guess there's always a first in everything, right?"

"Obviously," Hifumi returned the chuckle to him. "But well, we shouldn't stay here for too long, Shiho's probably waiting for you."

"Wha- Huh? How the hell did you-"

"Call it a Shogi player's intuition. And you two are the most obvious couple I've ever seen anyway," With a small shrug, Hifumi felt an amused smile creep up. "Anyway, I need to meet up with Katsuie-san too, wanna walk together?"

"Sure."

With that said, the two Persona-users went on their way, continuing their small talk from moments before. And back to the bathroom door, as if waiting for the footsteps to fade away, it opened right as they turned around the corner.

And standing right there, Saya just froze with a widened gaze. And left her mouth hung open, covered with total shock.

"Wai-wa-wait, WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!"

[Evening, Suidobashi, Cafe Ranpo]

After splitting up from Ren, Ryuji, and Ann (Morgana too), the trio of The Fools arrived at the address Hajime gave them beforehand. Just like what they saw online, it was a modest cafe.

But besides that, Hajime himself was… surprisingly pleasant to talk with. Well, not so much of a surprise for Shiho, but still a surprise for the other two.

"Leblanc?" Raising an eye at Akira's mention of a certain cafe, Hajime took a sip of his coffee. "I… I think I've seen the name before, maybe on some magazine talking about cafes…"

"Sakura-san did mention that he got interviewed by a magazine before, so I think you're probably thinking the right one," Akira nodded in response. "And trust me, the curry with coffee is one of the best things I've eaten in my life."

"I'll add that on the list of restaurants and cafes to check out then," With a small smile, the Kosei student quickly typed the name down on his phone.

"Oh right, you have a YouTube channel about discovering restaurants in Tokyo," With recognition sparkling in her eyes, Shiho leaned forward for with a wide smile. "I loved that series, Yanagishita-san!"

As he leaned back unconsciously, Hajime felt a drop of sweat creep along his face. "…O-oh, thanks for liking that series. It's actually more of a side project, but still, thank you."

"I never knew you watched cooking shows, Shiho," Blinking, Akira had to take a double-take at how… enthusiastic his girlfriend was.

"Oh, it's just… remember that time you had to give up your bento for me?" Suddenly finding it hard to look at Akira's face, Shiho felt her cheeks heat up. "Uh… after that, I want to be better at cooking so I can… cook something for you… Yeah, that's why!"

With a shade of red crept up on Akira's face to match hers, Akira found his throat became very dry from nowhere. "…O-oh, uh… That's… no wonder why you didn't want to say it…"

Noticing how Keigo just sighed as he looked at the two, Hajime let an awkward chuckle leave his mouth. "Kamisaki-san, are they…"

"They're basically a married couple," Without a hint of hesitation, Keigo answered with a deadpanned look. "Usually, I'm the necessary third wheel in this group, keeping these two idiot lovebirds from embarrassing themselves-"

"No! We're not!" Cutting him off, Akira and Shiho exclaimed in perfect unity, as the horror of their fact also mirrored one another.

"But your action speaks louder than words," Chuckling at their reaction to his comments, the half-Frenchman turned to Hajime. "Anyway, that's basically how it is for us."

"Oh, that's… certainly not boring, to say the least," Hajime said with a polite smile, even though the awkwardness was still clear underneath. "But I think I can see why you chose to stay in Shujin."

In response, Akira just nodded with that shade of crimson on his cheek. "…Speaking of that, how's Higashikuni-san? The last time I met her was during the Golden Week, after all."

"Golden Week- wait, you mean the day of that buffet?" Connecting the dots, Shiho tilted her head with slight confusion. "So… that's why you weren't here for the buffet?"

"No, I was…" Trailing off, Akira paused and felt a heavy aura emerge. "I was visiting Kimiko, then Higashikuni-san just show up and ask me for stuff about Shinji."

Shiho didn't say anything, just held his hand tight. Keigo's face turned somber too, crossing his arms and shifting his gaze down. And Hajime sighed, shaking his head.

"That sounds like something Hime-Sama would do, just marching in to help," He murmured, loud enough to be heard from the trio. "But about her… it's not looking too good either."

"I know it is a bit out of the blue, but have you heard about what's happening with students being extorted of money?"

The trio paused for a moment, processing the change of subject. "…I think I did, just in passing though," Keigo said, and Akira with Shiho agreed with a nod.

"Then I don't need to do much explaining then," Hajime said, as the worry grew clear on his face. "But still, some students in Kosei also got targeted by the extortions, and she's been overworking herself to help them."

"I wish I know more and just… help Hime-Sama on this, but I can't," He continued, giving out a long breath. "She just endures everything on her own…"

"That reminds me of Shinji," Akira muttered, furrowing his brow.

"From the little experience I had with Izumo-kun, I would agree…" However, as if something just crossed his mind, Hajime took out his phone and opened some of his Twitter. "Speaking of him though… I don't know whether you've seen this video before."

"But… it's been trending for a while now, and you all should see this."

Placing the phone on the table, he played the said video for them. It was clear that it was filmed in a hurry, from a bystander's phone. But even with the sub-par quality, Akira could still recognize what, or who it was filming.

It was someone wearing a hoodie with a deep shade of crimson, fighting three low-level gang members. And… it wasn't just 'someone', it was Shinji.

His eyes widened and filled with shock and horror, all he could mutter out from his mouth was seven words.

"…What the fuck are you thinking, Shinji…"

[Meanwhile, an alleyway in Shibuya Central Street]

Even though she somewhat expected this outcome, but Hinaki… still couldn't believe what was happening right before her.

"You little fucker, fucking with our business, huh?"

"Fuck him up, boss!"

Two full-blown grown men were ganging up on someone who was on the ground, someone with a read jacket… someone familiar to her. Just like that video circulating online, it was… Shinji.

Tightening her grip on her shoulder bag, Hinaki took a few steps forward and raised her voice. Of course, she'd be regretting this decision two seconds later. But right now, Shinji's safety came first.

"Hey!" As the gazes of the attackers turned to her, the student council president took a deep breath.

"…What the fuck?" The two attackers, or mafia members to be precise, exchanged a slightly confused look with one another.

Even though he was still clutching from the pain, Shinji looked up with widened eyes. "What the hell… are you doing here…"

"Let him go," Uttering as much courage as she could, Hinaki narrowed her gaze. "You all just want the money, right? I can pay for how much you lost because of him."

Eyes widened in surprise, the gang members exchanged another look. "Oh, so we have a rich gal here thinking paying would solve everything, huh?" One of them, who was referred as 'boss' walked up to her, smirking. "Of course, we can just accept your money and walk away."

"But… I can also get the money, and still beat the shit out of that little fucker," With his smirk widening, the 'boss' scanned Hinaki's entire body with a disgusting gaze. "AND my boss would definitely love to find new blood for the club…"

Even though Hinaki herself would admit that she was lacking in life experiences, it didn't take her seconds to figure out what was underlying in the words from 'boss'. Taking a step back, she regretted the decision to not bring her bokuto with her. The wooden sword she'd usually bring with her to protect herself.

And the same could be said for Shinji as well, as his eyes widened in horror. "D-don't you dare-"

However, his anger-filled grunt was cut off by a stomp on his stomach. "Shut the fuck up, we ain't done with you here," Deepening his foot and enjoying Shinji's pained cry, the mafia member grinned.

And the world slowed down, for Hinaki. As she immediately dropped her shoulder bag and sprinted. If she didn't bring her bokuto, then she just had to settle for her next best option.

Without a second thought, she immediately kicked the 'boss' in between his legs. And did another kick to his head, knocking him down and dazed for a few moments.

And that few moments were enough, as the other mafia member shift his focus from Shinji to her. Without a second thought, she bolted toward Shinji.

However, and before she could react, the 'boss' had already got up again. And he immediately tackled Hinaki to the ground.

"You-"

Cutting him off with another kick to his private area, she tried to push him off. However, the reality of the difference in their strength kicked in, and a hand immediately wrapped around her neck.

"Trying to be snarky, huh?" 'Boss' said, tightening the hold on her neck. "I'll make you regret it, you little bitch."

Hinaki tried to struggle against him, but the hold on her neck didn't change at all. And she could slowly feel the strength leaving her, as the world around her slowly moved and darkened.

Until Shinji suddenly tackled that man away, like a football player.

Hastily taking in deep breaths, Hinaki stood up with a slight struggle. And her eyes only widened, out of horror at the sight before her. It was the other mafia member who was holding Shinji down, beaten into a pulp and covered with blood.

Turning around, she saw how Shinji sat on top of that 'boss', beating his head again and again. Even if Hinaki could only see his back, the aura of rage was clearly emitting to the point of suffocating.

And he didn't stop, he just kept going. Even if the 'boss' right below him wouldn't retaliate anymore, he still kept going. As his fist was covered in blood, the face of the man below him became more and more disfigured.

Snapping out from her shock and horror, Hinaki rushed to his side and stopped him. "That's enough!" She exclaimed, keeping her distance to prevent being hurt by him accidentally.

Shinji paused in mid-punch, and turned his gaze on her. He didn't say anything, but his eyes, his gaze… Hinaki couldn't help but took a step away from him in slight fear.

It wasn't a gaze she had never seen on him, it was… terrifying. He looked like he was ready to kill, as if the person on the ground wasn't worthy to live and see another day.

Thankfully, Shinji's gaze slowly softened in synch with his breathing. He looked down at the man below him, and his hands. But as soon as he set his eyes on the bloody man below him, that gaze returned, and he raised his fist again.

"Snap out of it!" Grabbing his arms, Hinaki took an extended look at the two men on the ground. "We… we should get out of here, before anyone else comes in."

With that said, she slung her shoulder bag and led him out of the alleyway. As the two ignored the questioning look from other pedestrians, finding a different alleyway to stay away from everyone else.

However, once they arrived, Shinji roughly shook off her hold on his arm.

From the faint wincing, it was clear how much pain he was keeping to himself. And as much as Hinaki wanted to comment on it, he took the start of the conversation instead.

"What the hell are you doing, Higashikuni," Wiping off the blood on his hand to the wall next to him, Shinji said with a clear edge in his voice. "You just love to dive your nose into someone else's business, huh?"

"I can say the same thing back to you," Hinaki retorted, gesturing over to how his hand clutched over his stomach. "Why in the world are you involving yourself with them? Not to mention, you're risking your safety!"

Shinji didn't answer at first, but the cogs in his head quickly turned. "…You saw that video, right?"

"Of course I did, it already got viral on the Internet," Giving out a long sigh, she took a step closer to him. "But Still, why are you doing… this! You're just getting yourself hurt, and it'd solve nothing!"

"Then what should I do, just stand aside and watch?" Shinji retorted, his fist tightened. "…You know what happened the last time I did just that."

"But that isn't a reason to just throw your life away like this," Hinaki kept her ground, with a sorrowful gaze. "I know you hate me, but… just please, don't do this. I don't want to see you, Akashi, or Izumo-san getting hurt."

Shinji didn't say anything in response, as he averted his gaze elsewhere. "That's why I'm trying to keep this a secret," He said, losing all the edge he was full of a moment ago. "Just… Don't tell the principal about this, she'd definitely call mom and… spiral everything out of control. I don't want her to worry."

"As if it didn't happen already," The student council president sighed, shifting her gaze onto how his hand clutched around his stomach. "But… fine, I'll not tell Principal Hoshido about this."

"…Thank you."

With a subtle nod, Shinji turned back toward the street, staggering with pain clearly visible on his face.

"But about your wound… I know you've been acting tough, but it's still serious," Unable to keep silent about this, Hinaki spoke up. And she slung one of his arms around her shoulder. "Whether you like it or not, we should see a doctor-"

"It's fine, it'd only take me a few days to heal…" Trailing off as he saw the stern look of the student council president, Shinji gave out a sigh and nodded. "Just keep it a secret from Naoko and mom."

"That's on you, Izumo."

"Yeah…" Wincing at the pain, he nodded again. "Let's just… go."

With that said, the two left the alleyway. Even though Hinaki still couldn't wipe that look from her mind. That terrifying look on him, that look of intent to kill… It sent a chill down her spine.

But most of all, she just felt like things would only get worse from here.

(To be continued)

Preview:

Unaware of the future waiting for them, the thieves find themselves returning to the life of mere students.

A mere precious time of calmness in the world of unpredictability.

Meanwhile, for the student council presidents for two different schools...

This just seemed to be getting worse and worse.

Next Chapter:

"Duality"

Stay Tuned!

So here it is, Part 2 of the original Chapter 38 XD.

Even though, I think I'm running into a bit of a 'Death And Rebirth' situation here. So basically, it just means the PArt 1 feels more like a teaser to this part instead. And because of the Evangelion Movie "Death and Rebirth" is basically a recap+the first 30 minutes of End of Evangelion.

Also, the cafe Akira (with the thieves) and Hajime met, 'Cafe Ranpo' is referencing the detective novelist "Ranpo Edogawa". People who've watched Bungo Stray Dogs should be familiar with him. Also, this is a fun parallel with Cafe Leblanc, which is from Maurice Leblanc, the creator of Arsene Lupin.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the story thus far, reviews and favorites are welcomed!