Realizing that she wasn't going to find what she needed on her own, Erina quickly slipped away towards the girls, while the guys were discussing something. "Hey, can I ask you all for a small favor..."
"What's bothering you, Erina?" Makoto asked.
Erina glanced away, slightly embarrassed by her impending request. "Actually, I dropped something important of mine, and I was hoping you'd help me look for it. I know this is probably a bad time since we're getting ready to strike Yoshiki, but..."
"Hey, don't worry about that!" Ann shook her head. "You're our friend, so we can quickly find it!"
"What did you lose?" Haru asked.
"Um. It's a white cloth, actually." Erina admitted, glancing off to the side. With the way she said it and how she looked elsewhere, she wasn't really great at hiding how embarrassing it actually was.
"Is it a handkerchief of some kind?" Haru tilted her head, asking for more details.
To that, Erina shook her head. "No, it's longer than that."
"Is the object you're looking for a towel?" Sophia asked. Again, Erina shook her head.
"No, the shape is similar, but it's more tattered and...there are blood stains on it." Erina said quietly.
"Gross..." Mika nearly gagged when she heard that description. How on earth could something that dirty be a keepsake?
"Say no more! Ancient mummy wraps, isn't it!?" Futaba suggested.
"Get out of here with that! That's terrifying!" Ann gasped. She wanted no part of it.
"I somehow doubt that." Hifumi shook her head. "Erina, I do not think this conversation will advance very far without a clear cut answer. But we will help you look for it."
"We is a far reaching word. I refuse to look for anything with blood on it." Mika shook her head, but it was at that moment a grin slowly stretched onto Ann's lips.
"Ah ah..." Ann said, which made Mika look at her. "You're coming with us."
"Why?" Mika did not like the sound of it.
"Don't tell me you forgot already! I won our competition! And we both agreed that the winner would have to do two things the winner said!" Ann smirked. That was Mika's own idea, and she clearly wasn't expecting to lose. So Ann was going to have a bit of fun with this.
"And you're burning your first one already? You were so desperate to use it." Mika huffed.
"Watching your expression as you're forced to help someone is fun for me." Ann admitted. Was this a waste? A little, but at the same time, she felt like she was getting good use of it already.
"Ugh." That's all Mika could say as she stood up, going to get changed.
"You're enjoying this a lot, aren't you." Ichinose asked. Ann just nodded. She was going to have to hold onto that last demand for as long as possible.
.
.
The girls did make their way back outside, with their disguises on. Since the cameras were on, they had to traverse carefully. Luckily, they were easily able to fly under the radar Without any difficulty. Erina scoured the area along with the others, and she was the one who ultimately found what she was looking for. "Oh, there it is!" She went to grab it off the ground with a smile.
"That's great!" Haru smiled, only to vaguely recognize what it was Erina picked up. "Wait, is that..." Bloodied bandages.
"Bandages? Is that what we were looking for this whole time?" Makoto asked.
"These bandages are important to you?" Sophia tilted her head. While she was much better at comprehending the heart, this was a unique circumstance.
"Yup." Erina nodded in response. "It's the bandages that wrapped my wound when I was shot by Marie's army. I know it sounds weird to treasure something like this, which is why it was hard for me to say what it actually was..."
Mika opened her mouth, but Hifumi nudged her with her elbow. She already knew exactly what Mika was about to say. "Ow..." Mika grumbled. Hifumi knew her too well.
"I don't think it's weird at all, Erina." Sumire shook her head. "But, um, why used bandages?" Most would throw something like that away.
Erina closed her eyes, taking a moment to word her response. "I guess they're sort of like my anchor. It's prove that I can, and have, overcome adversity. I just can't bear to lose toss them, so I carry it around like a good luck charm."
Mika's expression said that was kinda gross. But even still... "Yeah, I guess I get that too." Mika said while glancing off to the side. She always wore the bracelet Hifumi got for her from Hawaii. But if she were to compare her and Erina's good luck charms, hers was most definitely more aesthetically and visually pleasing.
"She does have a heart in there somewhere!" Futaba pointed at Mika and snickered. Mika just gave her a cold glare that was enough to silence her.
"That's one heck of a good luck charm you've got. I'm glad we found it!" Ann placed her hands behind her back and smiled.
"And I'm glad to hear what's important to you." Makoto added.
"Thank you." Erina smiled warmly." Oh, and if you guys ever lose anything, I'll be happy to help look for it too!"
"Well, Inari was whining about some weird mushroom he lost..." Futaba trailed off.
"Let's not talk about that." Hifumi and Haru said at the same time. As they were on their way back, they noticed a number of Aizen Squad members making some rounds.
"Uh-oh. Looks like we got incoming if we don't skedaddle." Futaba warned. When their plan of attack was on the horizon, it was best to not waste any energy.
"Time to go!" Erina snickered. It was nice getting to bond with the other girls like this. It made her less worried about her own existence. Everything she felt was still real, after all...
.
.
Once the girls returned, it appeared as though things were ready. Ichinose had her arms crossed while looking towards Toshiro. "Alright, why don't you tell them the plan?"
"Of course." Toshiro nodded. "I discussed this at length with Ichinose-san and Hifumi earlier. Essentially, we'll be using the same strategy as when we invaded Marie's castle. We'll attract the enemy's attention with a diversion in town, then sneak in while they're distracted."
"And after that, we take Yoshiki down. Quite simple." Yusuke nodded.
"No reason to fix a broken plan." Akechi said.
"So the people we freed, they'll carry out the diversion in town?" Haru asked. "Is that right?"
"Mhm." Hifumi nodded. "Thanks to Yuki-san, we were able to help them get everything ready, which is why we had so much time to spare. Once Toshiro gives the world, we shall commence our next operation!"
"Er, but wait." Makoto interjected. "How are we going to sneak in? The castle is surrounded by a moat."
"If you suggest we go swimming..." Mika gave Ren a glare. He opened his mouth as a joke, but Mika read his response like a book.
"How did you do that...!?" Ren said with a sweat drop.
"I hope we don't go swimming! I didn't bring a swimsuit!" Ann gasped.
"That's...not the problem here." Sumire also had a sweat drop.
"Nonense! A swimsuit in this Edo scenery would be blasphemous!" Yosuke said firmly. "I, for one, think a loincloth is the only way."
"Veto." Zenkichi shook his head. "Please just skip to the important part." He didn't want to imagine anyone wearing a loincloth and wanted the thought out of his head immediately.
"You don't have to worry about the moat." Ichinose lifted a finger. "Because that isn't the only way in and out of the castle. Yoshiki may be able to fly, but his soldiers are all grounded foot soldiers. It would be a little ridiculous if he didn't have a way for them to get in and out, right?"
"Are you suggesting that there's a secret passage?" Zenkichi picked up on that. Ichinose, Hifumi, and Toshiro all nodded.
"Yes!" Hifumi lifted a finger. "Yuki-san can confirm this for us."
"That's right." Yuki said with a slow nod and a soft smile. "There is a path that goes from the town into the castle."
"That does explain where they kept coming from." Sophia nodded. She understood.
"Is it just me, or is anyone else wonderin' what's up with all these hidden doors and secret passages?" Ryuji couldn't be the only one that had questions about this.
"He's a crooked politician, that alone should explain everything." Akechi said bluntly.
"Yes, you're right." Toshiro acknowledged Akechi's blunt words as fact. "My father excelled at exploiting loopholes in the law and common sense, to benefit his political career and personal life. Perhaps it's having an effect on this world because I perceive it that way. I...was aware of my father's nature, but I always averted my eyes from it." He said that last part with a bit of regret. He knew what his father was doing was wrong, but what could he do about it?
"Toshiro..." Erina frowned.
"Be that as it may, at least you're going to settle things with him now, right?" Morgana asked. "This is the first step in doing just that."
"Yes!" Toshiro said firmly. "I've made all the preparations to do just that."
Right at that moment, the doors to Leblanc opened and two rebels walked in. "Ah ha! The whole gang's here!"
This caught everyone's attention and they turned to face the citizens. Erina appeared the most surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"We thought we'd pop in to pay our respects before the operation." The spirited citizen spoke out. "Everyone is already in place. We're all just waiting for the signal."
"It's finally time to do this, isn't it? We'll be counting on you!" The other citizen said, clenching his fist in a determined fashion. They were ready to do this.
"For that, I can't thank you enough." Erina said with a wide smile. "We'll be sure to deliver on our end, as promised. You have my word."
"The success of this operation hinges on your support." Toshiro said firmly. "We will defeat Yoshiki. And we'll do it together."
"Let's do this!" The two rebels exclaimed.
"Before we go, I'd like to ask a favor of everyone." Erina said while looking at the two of them. "If you ever feel like you're in danger, I want you to run without hesitation. I don't want any of you risking your lives."
"Yes ma'am! that's a promise!"
"You all take care, too!" With that, the two of them left.
"Alright!" Erina turned around to face Toshiro. "It's time to start the operation! I'll be counting on you!"
"Me too." Toshiro said with a soft mumble.
"Oh! By the way, about the operation name...ow about Operation Smack, Crackle, Pop!" Erina suggested.
"Vetoed." Toshiro said with a deadpan, causing Erina to wear a shocked expression. "Your name lacks intelligence. And besides, I've already devised the perfect one. That's right, we'll call it.. "Operation Obfuscation: Midnight Infiltration!""
"Lame." Erina rolled her eye.
"What?! You'll understand when you say it with your own mouth! Go on! Say it!" Toshiro insisted.
Erina, however, just glanced off to the side. "Ooooh no. The lame ass Toshiro is harassing me again...!" She spoke with an exaggerated tone.
"You consider that harassment?" Toshiro had to keep himself from rolling his eyes. "Fine, I have about 80 more iterations." Toshiro wasn't going to leave until Erina was satisfied with a name! Or until she gave up. Either or.
"Ugh." Akechi pinched the bridge of his nose. This was annoying to witness.
"I guess this means we're ready to get started." Ren said while standing up from his seat.
"I will give the signal as soon as you all are ready." Yuki told the others. "Once the battle begins, there will be no turning back."
"We're ready." Ren looked to the others. They didn't need to say anything, the looks they wore on their faces said it all. They were ready to take the fight to Yoshiki.
.
.
The Phantom Thieves rushed into town. Time was of the essence, so they couldn't afford to waste even a second. "From here on out, we should sprint to the castle."
"Can you even handle that?" Viper gave Toshiro a doubtful look. "I've seen you run. You get winded after ten seconds."
"Heh." Toshiro gave a cool smile. "Skull walked me through a brief regimen of thorough leg stretches. My legs already feel like they're on the verge of cramping up, but it's no problem!" He said that with so much gusto. But it was a bit too much to make it sound believable.
"Sounds like a problem to me." Skull mumbled.
"By the way, for this plan to work, won't we need our disguises?" Noir questioned. She figured they'd get spotted quickly with a straight shot like this.
"Once we're inside, being disguised hardly matters." Dragon explained. "It's far easier for us to make a direct line to the castle. As such, we aren't the ones who are disguised?"
"What...do you mean by that...?" Queen looked at Dragon, Toshiro, and Ichinose, who all wore knowing smiles.
"We found them! Over here!" An Aizen Squad member shouted from up ahead.
"Did they spot us already?" Sophie asked while getting ready to fight.
"Have at them! Have at them! I've got the scoundrels here!" Another member shouted.
"What the...?" Joker tilted his head. "But we aren't over there?"
"What are they looking at?" Wolf scratched his chin.
"What the-!? I've got them over here, too! Urgent report, sir! The entire town is overrun with rabble dressed as the infidels!"
"W-What are you talking about!? Round them all up!?"
What had the Aizen Squad so disoriented? The Phantom Thieves. Or rather, the Rebels disguised as the Phantom Thieves! There were multiple 'copies' of all of the Phantom Thieves, rushing through the town to barrel down and distract the Aizen Squad.
"WHAT?!" The entire group gasped.
"I see now!" Erina said with such a great big smile. "You got the townspeople to dress up like us!"
"Where did they get all that material!?" Violet was surprised. "Aw, but they're so cutely made, too!"
"Speak for yourself!" Viper exclaimed with a huff. "They got my bad side on a few of these! And why are my teeth so sharp!?"
"The best place to hide a tree is a forest." Toshiro said proudly. "I asked Yuki-san and the silk shop owner to prepare those outfits."
"But, uh...I kinda agree with Viper here. The designs are kinda...out there." Panther said with a small sweat drop.
"This is the first time I'm actually seeing them." Dragon stared at her own 'disguised' self. "Are my eyes really that intense?" It was based off of how she looked when she was deep into Shogi mode.
"Mine looks so soft! Although it looks more like a snowball." Sophie tilted her head a bit.
"I had a hand in the design. They turned out rather well, if I might say no myself." Fox said proudly.
"SO IT'S YOUR FAULT!" Viper turned and pointed to Fox.
Queen stared at the angered expression her costumes bore. "A-Am I really that intimidating...?" She didn't think so...!
"Any reason I look like a fossil compared to the rest of you guys here?" Wolf looked to Fox.
To that, Fox just chuckled. "You misunderstand, this was no mere attempt to recreate appearances. This is the projection of the Self as seen by the Other - perhaps it will deepen your self-perception. Yes! As a matter of fact, this could very well be a new form of self portrait."
"I have a number of objections to this self portrait." Crow said with an annoyed grunt.
"You need to work on your perception of other people!" Viper stomped her foot. Now this was perhaps the one time she wished she didn't hide her artistic talent. She could've done way better on her own image than Fox could have!
"The weird Inari is back..." Oracle grumbled.
Fox, however, only saw this as a compliment. "Ha! Flattery will get you nowhere."
"I think I'm the only one okay with mine." Joker said quietly.
"Well, the diversion's holding out. So it looks like it was a good idea all the same!" Mona said.
"Now we can begin Operation Smack, Crackle, Infiltrate!" Erina beamed.
"Why would you combine those names..." Mona gave Erina a side eye.
"My operation name is better, anyway." Dragon said while crossing her arms.
"Okay, Yuki-san! Lead the way!" Toshiro said.
"Right!" Yuki nodded. "This way!" While the Aizen Squad was distracted with the fake Phantom Thieves, this allowed them to easily slip through the town undetected. Eventually, Yuki led them to what appeared to be an abandoned corner. "Okay, here we are. This is the secret passage."
"Huh? Where?" Panther asked while looking around. "It doesn't look like a passage."
"There's a pathway at the bottom of this old well that leads into the castle." Yuki said, gesturing to the well in question. That was their ticket into the castle.
"An old well, huh? Thinking about all the bugs that could be down there give me the creeps..." Panther's voice started to quiver at the thought of it. Dragon gave her hand a comforting squeeze.
Erina giggled at Panther's hesitation. "I guess even the fearless Phantom Thieves have their weaknesses."
"Bugs are not something to take lightly." Viper shuddered. Violet, Oracle, and Queen were quick to nod in agreement.
"I have to crush the bugs back home, and I don't enjoy it." Dragon said quietly. Between her and Panther, the duty of bug killing often defaulted to her.
"We're all still human." Wolf replied.
"Shall we get going? The disguises will only hold them for so long." Yuki looked to Toshiro, who took a moment to exhale a deep breath.
"Yuki-san. Do you really intend to follow us into the castle?" Toshiro asked. "Past here, there's a dangerous battle waiting for us. Why don't you find someplace to hide instead?"
Yuki appreciated such concern, but she made her decision long ago. "Oh, but didn't you say we shouldn't lie to ourselves anymore? I want to do everything I can to help save everyone. And most of all, I want to witness your fight with my own eyes, Toshiro-san..."
"Why me?" Toshiro asked.
Yuki gave a small giggle. "I wonder why? I won't back down on this, though. Please, let me come with you."
"But, Yuki-san. If anything happened to you..." Toshiro trailed off.
Meanwhile, the Phantom Thieves were all watching with intrigued expressions. "Hey, don't those two look kinda..." Erina smirked.
"No way he pulls her." Viper shook her head. "Cognitive world or not." She had no idea who Yuki was to Toshiro in reality; none of them did, but this wouldn't change her opinion on the matter.
"I agree. It's not happening." Ichinose nodded a few times in agreement. "He doesn't have the guts."
"It's sweet. I'm on your side, Toshiro-san!" Sophie pumped her fist into the air.
"Is this really necessary right now? We have things to do." Crow said, choosing not to take part in this conversation.
"Oh, but it's so exciting to watch!" Noir snickered, nudging Crow a bit. He didn't really fight it when she did so.
"I'm rooting for you, Toshiro-san!" Violet said.
"I've heard love is about the push and the pull! Now's your chance, Toshiro! Push!" Fox exclaimed.
"You guys are getting way too into this." Mona sighed.
"We are not here to watch a soap opera, guys. C'mon, focus!" Wolf felt like the only one who was on task. Besides, something about what was playing out didn't seem right to him anyway. This wasn't romantic, but there was undoubtedly a layer of affection surrounding Toshiro and Yuki. It was something that only Wolf could notice...
Toshiro turned around with a stale expression, while Yuki just giggled at it all. "You know I can hear you guys, right? Cut it out, you've got the wrong idea." He then turned back to Yuki. "Okay, I won't stop you from coming with us. However, at least promise me you won't be reckless. Please prioritize your safety."
"I will, thank you." Yuki smiled. "You be careful as well, Toshiro-san. Now, allow me to show you the way." With that, Yuki proceeded to lead the way down the wall and into the secret passage.
As the group entered the well, Dragon was the last one besides Toshiro to do so. "I understand you're worried about Yuki-san. But as I said before, you have nothing to worry about."
"I don't?" Toshiro looked to Dragon as they started to make their way into the well.
"Of course not!" Dragon said with a determined smile. "I am the shield of the Phantom Thieves. I understand completely that Yuki-san is important to you. Cognitive or reality. And like I said earlier, I will do my part to protect your heart and those who inhabit it. I promise you, that Yuki-san will not be harmed so long as I can help it."
"..." There it was again. Toshiro felt that determination flaring off of Dragon. When he first encountered this, he doubted it and was worried. Why was this young woman throwing herself into danger so frequently? But when she spoke like this, and with what he's seen her do...he completely understood it now. Dragon's will to protect was strong. Toshiro found himself smiling at her words. "Of course. I trust you, Dragon."
That made Dragon smile. "You will not regret placing your trust in me. Now...it's time to take the fight to Yoshiki, and topple his kingdom of lies once and for all!"