6/14 Thursday

After roll call finished for the day, she went back to her room to gather her things, only to feel her phone buzzing.

Ren: Hey, I was thinking of taking a walk along the beach. We're in Hawaii after all.

Ren: If you're not busy, maybe we could take a walk together. Just the two of us?

Makoto could feel her cheeks heating up. Was Ren… asking her on a date?!

"No… no… it can't be." she mumbled. "We're… just friends."

Still, now that she had some free time, she really wanted to spend some time with him.

Was that doctor really correct about her feelings?

She nervously typed a response, deleting and retyping it multiple times before finally sending it.

Makoto: I'd love to.

She anxiously glanced at her phone, waiting for his response.

Ren: See you there, my Queen.

She flung the phone away, curling herself up in the corner of the room and burying her blushing face in her hands.

Unfortunately, Takayo just so happened to walk in at the moment, raising her eyebrow in confusion.

"Umm… is everything ok, Ma-"

"Please don't ask!" Makoto whined.

"Ooook, I won't." Takayo replied.

Makoto took a few seconds to compose herself before she went out to the beach.

She saw Ren waiting for her on a bench, waving her over.

"Sorry to call you by so suddenly." Ren apologized. "I know that you must be really busy being a chaperone."

"It's alright." Makoto assured him. "The job is a little exhausting, but I'm glad to have a break."

"Yeah… that's good." Ren nodded. "S-So… wanna, uh, take a walk on the beach?"

She let out a small giggle, noting his shyness. He was the same way when he had first seen Ann and her in their swimsuits.

"Yes, let's." Makoto beamed.

The two Thieves walked around the beach, eventually coming across a food stand.

"Garlic shrimp." Makoto noted. "I've heard it's a famous Hawaiian dish. Are you adventurous when it comes to food, Ren?"

"Sometimes, yeah." Ren nodded. "I've never actually had a cheeseburger before I came to Tokyo, but now I love them!"

"I've always stuck with standard fare myself." Makoto admitted. "But maybe it'd be nice to expand our horizons."

The two of them enjoyed their meal before sitting on a bench, watching the sunset.

"How beautiful…" Makoto trailed off, admiring the view.

"Yeah… very beautiful." Ren muttered, sneaking a glance at Makoto.

"Have you ever been to the beach before, Ren?" Makoto asked.

Ren nodded. "There was a really nice beach in my hometown."

"What was it like in your hometown?" Makoto asked. "Living with your mom and dad."

"My dad's not around anymore." Ren told her.

"O-Oh…" Makoto stammered. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine." Ren assured her. "I never knew him anyway."

"You didn't?" she asked.

"I, um… wasn't exactly a planned child." Ren confessed. "My mom and my dad had me by accident. Once my dad found out my mom was pregnant, he… left her."

"Ren…" she trailed off.

"My mom was so ashamed at herself for not… being able to keep the relationship going, I guess." Ren muttered. "She tried to hide it from family, friends… she dropped out of college and tried to get a fresh start in a small town."

"It must have been tough for you two." Makoto sympathized.

Ren nodded. "Mom had to work a lot to keep us afloat, so I didn't see her much. And, well, in a small town, news travels fast."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"People see a single mom doing her hardest to raise her kid… and they stigmatize them." Ren muttered. "As a kid, I never understood why the other adults always seemed to speak in hushed tones whenever me and my mom were nearby. But I slowly started to figure things out when other kids said their parents wouldn't let them play with me."

"But… Why would they do that?" Makoto asked.

"They said I came from a 'bad household'." Ren answered. "I got bullied a lot because of that. The other parents told their kids how bad I am, and the kids would mock me for it."

"That's awful…" Makoto whispered.

"I got into a lot of fights as a kid, because of the awful things they'd say about my mom." Ren muttered. "Then the school would call her, and she would get chewed out by my teachers. Then I realized that… I was making my mother suffer more and more."

"Ren… It's not your fault." Makoto insisted. "It's the fault of the society that judged you."

"I think… that's part of why I joined the Phantom Thieves." Ren confessed. "You hear all the time how important the 'group' or 'community' is… but not everyone's a part of that 'group'. Those people get left behind. I know… because that's me. And… I want to help others in my position. People who society turned their back on."

"I think… that's a very noble goal." She told him. "But remember to take care of yourself as well… and that you can rely on me."

"Thanks." Ren smiled, his face lighting up.

She figured that, with how people had treated him, it must have taken a lot of courage to confess that to her.

"Sorry for bringing down the mood." Ren said.

"Don't be." Makoto replied, shaking her head. "You don't ever have to be afraid or sorry about talking about things like that to me."

Ren's smile widened a bit, but she noticed the tiredness in his expression.

He must be exhausted, Makoto thought.

She knew he put in a lot of work helping both the Thieves and others, but he needed to relax once and a while.

So she was glad that this trip was serving as a nice way for him to take a break.

"It's getting so late…" Makoto trailed off. "Sis would be upset if she saw me laid back like this…"

"Well, what she doesn't know won't hurt her." Ren grinned.

"...Yeah, you're right." Makoto giggled. "To tell you the truth, I wasn't looking forward to this trip. I didn't really enjoy the last class trip I was on. So I wasn't expecting to enjoy it this much."

"Honestly, I felt the same." Ren admitted. "But now I'm glad I got to spend this trip with you and the others. Oh! By the way..."

Ren reached into his bag, pulling out a small charm of King Kamehameha.

"I noticed that you had a lot of respect for him, so I thought that you'd like a charm of him." Ren told her.

"I love it!" Makoto beamed. "Thank you so much, Ren."

"Ah… no problem." Ren mumbled, scratching the back of his head.

"I actually got something for you too." Makoto told him.

She handed him a small tiki keychain.

"It's not the best souvenir… but I hope it will remind you of me… and the memories we made here." Makoto said.

"It's great." Ren beamed. "Because it's from you."

She could feel her face heating up. How could he say something like that with a straight face?

"Thank goodness…" she whispered, happy that he liked it. "Um… we should probably return before it gets dark."

"Maybe… we could stay like this a little longer?" Ren asked hopefully.

"...I suppose we could." Makoto replied, giving a small smile.

She felt the tips of their index fingers touching, and judging from his expression, Ren seemed to notice it too.

But neither of them moved their fingers, leaving them entwined.

She could feel herself getting tired, and at some point, she must have laid her head on Ren's shoulder.

But again, neither of them seemed to mind.

As they watched the sunset together, Makoto found that she could no longer deny her feelings.

She had fallen in love with Ren.

FOOL CONFIDANT: RANK 5

After basking in the Hawaii sunset for a while longer, they reluctantly parted, heading back to the hotel to rest.

Yusuke made his way back to his hotel room, satisfied with the quality of the foreign brand paints he had purchased.

As Yusuke opened the door to his hotel room, he heard a grunt of pain.

"Naoya?" Yusuke called, worried about his roommate.

Yusuke went to open the door to the hotel room, where he had heard the voice.

"Y-Yusuke, don't!"

Naoya's warning was too late, however, as Yusuke had just opened the door, shocked at what he saw.

"Your back and chest… they're covered in bruises." Yusuke pointed out.

"I-I'm fine." Naoya insisted. "It was just an accident during training."

Naoya bandaged up his harsher injuries before putting his shirt back on.

"All of that was from training?" Yusuke asked.

"Y-Yeah." Naoya nodded. "So you don't have to worry."

Yusuke frowned, but didn't pry any more. As the two teens went to bed, however, Yusuke began to wonder whether he should tell the others...

6/15 Friday

As it was the final day of the class trip, they all gathered in the hotel lobby.

"Maaaan… Operation Babe Hunt was a total bust." Ryuji groaned. "If only I was able to tell em' that I was a Phantom Thief!"

"We need to keep our identities secret." Yusuke pointed out.

"I-I know that!" Ryuji exclaimed. "I just think a little fame and recognition would be nice."

"Do I even want to know about 'Operation Babe Hunt'?" Ann sighed.

"Aaaanyway...The school trip is finally coming to a close…" Makoto realized. "I had a lot more fun than I thought I would."

"Yeah… but I can't wait to get back to Japan!" Ryuji grinned.

"I'm just glad that the storm didn't follow Yusuke here." Ann laughed.

"It wasn't exactly the most organized trip, but it was still pretty fun." Ren added.

"Heh… I'll bet." Ryuji smirked. "You enjoy your little date yesterday?"

"H-Huh?" Ren stammered.

"Oh yeah, I barely saw you or Makoto at all yesterday." Ann giggled. "Sooo, where did you two get off to?"

"H-Hold on!" Makoto stammered. "Why do you assume that we were together?"

"Ah… if only I had known." Yusuke lamented. "Moments of passion make for wonderful art pieces."

"M-Moments of passion?!" Ren stammered.

"A-Anyway… we should probably get ready to pack up and leave." Makoto advised, wanting to change the subject.

"We still have a little bit of time… maybe we could go shopping a little more." Ryuji suggested.

"Oooh, count me in!" Ann replied excitedly.

"I would like to join as well." Yusuke agreed. "Although… I've already spent my entire souvenir budget."

"You… will be able to get back to Japan, right?" Makoto asked, concerned.

Everyone made their way over to a nearby souvenir shop.

Makoto glanced around the shop, wondering what to get.

"I think that the traditional gift in Hawaii is chocolate." Ann informed her. "Although… Morgana's a cat, right?"

"I think so… maybe… I'm not sure." Makoto admitted. "So maybe I shouldn't get him any to be safe. Although… I think I'll get some for Sis."

Ann and Makoto continued looking around the store, Ann stumbling on some hula dancer necklaces and keychains.

"Shiho would like these…" Ann trailed off.

"Let's get some souvenirs for her too then." Makoto suggested.

Ann smiled. "Thanks, Makoto."

Eventually, she settled on a sea turtle toy for Morgana before going to check on the boys.

She saw Ren grabbing some coffee beans as she approached.

"Getting some beans for Boss?" Makoto asked.

"Yeah." Ren nodded. "I also got him this."

Ren pulled out a Jack Frost figurine, except that it was dressed like a hula dancer.

"You know, when I was your age, hee hoo boy!" Ren said, giving some sort of mix between a Jack Frost and Sojiro impression.

Makoto couldn't help but let out a few giggles. "Sounds like you've made a lot of nice finds."

"Yeah. Maybe if we looked hard enough, we'll find a Buchimaru in a hula skirt." Ren chuckled.

"I-I don't know about that…" Makoto mumbled.

As the two of them were talking, she noticed someone sneaking up on Ren, but before she could warn him...

"SENPAI!"

Ren turned around, seeing Kasumi smiling brightly at him.

"Aloha." Ren greeted, making a 'hang loose' gesture.

"Hehehe… that's a much more appropriate greeting, isn't it?" Kasumi giggled. "Did I surprise you?"

"Yeah, you did. Those are some impressive stealth skills, Kasumi-chan." Ren grinned. "I know some people who wished they had stealth skills that good."

"Oh really, Ren?" Makoto frowned, reminding him she was still there. "And who would that be?"

Ren nervously chuckled, while Kasumi's eyes widened when they landed on her.

"Oh, Niijima-senpai, hello!" Kasumi greeted.

"Hello, Yoshizawa-san." Makoto nodded. "Um… what are you doing here, exactly?"

"Oh, well, our club's here at a training camp to get ready for the next big meet!" Kasumi explained.

"A training camp halfway across the world?" Makoto asked.

"Yes!" Kasumi nodded.

"At the same exact town, in the same exact country that we're staying at?" Makoto asked.

"Yes!" Kasumi nodded.

"At the exact same time that we were vacationing here?" Makoto asked.

"Yes!" Kasumi nodded.

"That's… quite the coincidence." Makoto observed.

"Hehehe… I suppose it is!" Kasumi chirped.

"Are you on break right now?" Ren asked.

"I am! It took a bit to find you." Kasumi admitted. "I tried calling for you at the hotel, senpai, and some locals said you were at a bakery, but I couldn't find you there."

"...Maybe they thought you were saying 'send pie', not senpai?" Ren wondered.

Kasumi blinked. "Oh. That would make sense. Anyway, I was hoping that we could talk for a bit, senpai. I was feeling a little nervous about my upcoming performance."

"I, um… don't have a lot of time before I have to leave." Ren told her. "I wanted to spend some time with the others to grab some souvenirs."

"O-Oh… I see…" Kasumi muttered. "I… I understand."

Ren frowned. "Well… I suppose I could help you out for a little bit."

"Oh, good!" Kasumi chirped. "I was feeling so stressed that I felt like crying all night long."

She found it a little odd how she said that with a bright smile on her face.

"I'll catch up to you guys at the airport!" Ren called.

It seemed Ren had a problem saying no… she hoped he wasn't wearing himself too thin.

"See you, Makoto. I'll be with Kasumi-chan for a bit." Ren told her.

Kasumi's eyes widened for a moment, before she nervously glanced towards the ground.

"Senpai…" Kasumi began. "Could you… call me Kasumi? Just Kasumi?"

"H-Huh? Oh, sure… K-Kasumi." Ren mumbled.

"T-Thank you, senpai!" Kasumi beamed, before taking him by the arm and leading him out of the store.

Makoto felt strange as she watched the display. She was happy that Ren had found another friend, but she also felt a little strange too.

After looking through the souvenirs for a bit longer, she went to the airport to take the plane back home.

Kobayakawa clutched his head, a distressed look on his face.

"I… I can't take it anymore!" the principal cried. "I've done... so many horrible things! Let so many people be hurt."

The principal rose from his bed, his body shaking.

"I-If they find out about my change of heart, they'll kill me!" the principal cried. "I have to get to the police! I-I'll confess everything! I need protection!"

As Kobayakawa moved to leave his home, he heard the sound of his door being broken into.

"W-What?! Who's there?!" the principal exclaimed. "Show yourself."

Kobayakawa peeked his head out of his bedroom… only to be met with a fist to the face, knocking him to the ground.

A man in a black suit, slicked back hair, a thin moustache and sunglasses approached him, pointing a gun to his face.

"Y-Yakuza?" the principal stammered.

The other man simply grinned.

"P-Please… no." the principal pleaded. "Please don't kill me! I don't want to-"

*BANG*

The Cleaner fired a shot, striking the principal in the chest before firing several more shots.
"K-Kaneshiro… Shi...do…" the principal muttered. "Was I really… just a pawn?"

As the light left the principal's eyes, blood started to pool on the floor, and the Cleaner pulled out a calling card and placed it on the principal's lifeless body.
After confirming the kill, the Cleaner exited the building and ran to an alleyway a few blocks away, another Yakuza member waiting for him.

"The job's finished." the Cleaner told him.

"New orders from the boss." the other man said. "There's these two girls… Sae and Makoto Niijima. The boss wants you to keep an eye on their movements. If they start snooping too much, he'll give you the signal, and you'll take care of them."

"Got it." the Cleaner nodded. "I'll keep an eye on them."

The Cleaner made his way out of the alley, smirking as he heard police sirens in the background.

As soon as she got home, Makoto immediately started studying to catch up on the few school days that she had missed.

A little while later, her sister walked inside, seeing her at the table.

"Just got back from your trip and you're already studying." Sae said approvingly. "That's very diligent."

"I got souvenirs for you and Morgana." Makoto happily chirped.

Sae's expression suddenly turned serious. "The principal of Shujin Academy has passed away."

"H-Huh?" Makoto gasped.

"He was found dead in his apartment with numerous bullet wounds." Sae explained.

"He was murdered?!" Makoto exclaimed. "Who would do that?!"

"The police were speaking to the staff at Shujin." Sae informed her. "They said that the principal was acting strange a few days before his death. I think that it might be a change of heart."

"A change of heart?" Makoto repeated. "Then, do you think…"

"They found a calling card from the Phantom Thieves on his body." Sae told her. "And now they're the top suspects for his murder."

"W-What?! But that's impossible!" Makoto cried.

Sae raised an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"

Makoto bit her lip, hoping she hadn't made her sister suspicious.

"It's just… this seems a lot different from their usual methods." Makoto excused. "I don't think any of their other victims died, did they?"

"...Have you been paying attention to the Phantom Thieves?" Sae asked, her eyes narrowing.

"It's all anyone at school talks about." Makoto quickly said. "Especially after what happened with our gym teacher."

"Ah, I suppose that makes sense." Sae acknowledged, before letting out a sigh. "Sorry, you're studying right now, aren't you? I shouldn't bother you."

Sae started to walk off towards her room before pausing.

"Makoto… please, stay out of trouble, alright?" Sae requested.

As Sae went to her room, Morgana hopped onto Makoto's lap.

"Makoto, there's something I have to tell you!" Morgana cried.

"What is it, Morgana?" she whispered.

"While you were on vacation, I managed to get some information about the guys who were targeting your school!" Morgana exclaimed.

"You did?!" Makoto gasped.

Morgana nodded. "Sae mentioned that their leader was someone called Kaneshiro."

"Kaneshiro…" Makoto repeated. "Were you able to get a full name?"

"Not quite." Morgana replied. "But at least we have a lead! And I bet that Kaneshiro might have been involved with the principal's death!"

"You might be right." Makoto considered. "We'll have to tell the others."

6/16 Saturday

As soon as school started, a school assembly was immediately called.

She had a feeling she knew what it was about.

All the students gathered in the auditorium as the vice principal went on the stage.

She could hear some other students gossiping behind her. It seemed that a few students already had an idea about what had happened.

After clearing his throat, the vice principal began to speak.

"Now that you're all here, we should begin." he started. "As some of you may already know, Principal Kobayakawa passed away yesterday."

The room immediately erupted into whispers.

"I wonder if it's true that he was shot…"

"I heard it happened at his house."

"The principal has been working very hard to restore peace ever since the… incident with Kamoshida." the vice principal claimed. "He only wished for everyone to be able to lead a normal school life, and because of that love…"

She resisted the urge to scoff. That didn't describe the principal at all.

Apparently, the other students didn't think so either.

"Bullshit. He was covering things up. Everyone knew about it…"

"The Phantom Thieves must have taken him down!"

"Do they kill people? I know Kamoshida was going to kill himself…"

"Serves him right!"

While she couldn't bring herself to feel bad about the principal's fate, she was a little disturbed that everyone seemed to believe that they were responsible… and some of them even approved.

"E-Everyone, please quiet down." the vice principal insisted. "I would like to see everyone live up to our late principal's wishes as proud Shujin students, and…"

Makoto tuned out the rest of the speech, too lost in thought to pay attention.

The Thieves met up at Leblanc, grim expressions on their faces.

"I suppose there's no point in beating around the bush." Makoto frowned. "We need to talk about the principal's death."

"A lot of people are already talking about it online." Ann brought up.

"Yeah, we took a hit in our ratings on that Phansite." Ryuji grumbled. "But it's total bullshit! We didn't kill him!"

"There are still some people who believe in us." Ren mentioned. "But… they still think we're responsible for his death. I don't know how to feel about that."

"W-Well… he was a piece of shit, wasn't he…?" Ryuji muttered. "I mean, he was coverin' up crimes. So… maybe this was just him getting what he deserves."

Ryuji spoke with bravado, but there was also a hint of uncertainty in his expression.

"Even so… did he really deserve to die…?" Ann muttered. "Feeling good about his death just seems…"

"...Then may he receive the same amount of empathy and kindness in death that he's shown others in life." Makoto muttered.

Silence filled the room. She looked around, seeing the shocked looks on everyone's faces.

"Sorry…" Makoto whispered. "It's just… this whole situation is starting to stress me out."

"I think it's stressing all of us out." Ren stated. "We should just take a moment to calm down."

"Well, we know that we're not responsible for this, but do we have any idea who is?" Yusuke wondered.

"Yeah! If we find out who that guy is, then we can change their heart and get them to confess!" Ryuji exclaimed.

"But we don't even know who they are." Ann brought up.

"Maybe not… but Morgana did get a lead on who was messing with the students at Shujin." Makoto mentioned.

"For real?!" Ryuji gasped. "Who the hell is it?!"

"We don't have his full name, but I overheard Makoto's sister talking about a 'Kaneshiro'." Morgana explained. "He's the leader of those Yakuza that are targeting Shujin!"

"We'd have to ask around to get his full name, but this is still a great help." Makoto stated.

"Come to think of it… didn't the principal's shadow mention something about Yakuza?" Ren asked. "Think there's some kind of connection?"

"I guess that would explain why the principal didn't want to do anything about them." Ann realized.

"There could be some connection between this Kaneshiro and the Principal's murderer." Yusuke theorized.

"If there is, that's all the more reason to change his heart as well." Makoto replied. "We could try to gather some information."

"Hmm... actually, I might know someone." Ren stated.

"Really?" Makoto's eyes widened.

Ren nodded. "There's this journalist I met a while back. It's possible that she might have some information on this guy. I'll try to get in contact with her."

"That would be a big help." Makoto expressed. "I'll try and find out some information myself. Everyone, see if you can get some information about this group around school or in Shibuya. But be careful, alright?"

Everyone nodded, and after speaking for a little while longer, left Leblanc as the meeting ended.

As Makoto started to leave, however, she heard Ann calling for her.

"Hey, Makoto, are you free right now?" Ann asked.

"Yes, I am." Makoto nodded. "Why?"

"I was going to visit Shiho today and give her some souvenirs." Ann told her. "Would you like to come with me?"

"I'd love to." Makoto smiled. "It would be nice to get my mind off of… everything that's happened."

Ann frowned. "You… don't think that we're in over our heads, do you? I mean, we're going after Yakuza."

"...Maybe we are." Makoto admitted. "But even so, I can't just sit by while people are suffering."

"Yeah! You're right!" Ann grinned. "We've got this!"

"I'll meet you at the hospital, ok?" Makoto told her. "I have to get the souvenirs I got for her at my home."

"Alright, I'll see you there!" Ann beamed.

After grabbing her souvenirs, she went to the hospital, Ann already waiting for her in the lobby.

"Thanks for coming… and being there for Shiho." Ann smiled.

"Of course." Makoto smiled.

The two girls made their way to Shiho's room, but when they arrived, they heard voices from inside her room, one of them being Shiho.

"I hope you realize… that it's all your fault." a voice muttered.

"B-But…" Shiho stammered.

"Is there someone else visiting Shiho?" Ann asked.

"You ruined everything… for all of us!" the other person shouted.

Before Ann or her could intervene, a girl around their age stormed out of the room, a nasty scowl on her face.

What was that about?, Makoto wondered.

Ann and her quickly went into Shiho's room, seeing the distraught look on her face.

"Shiho!" Ann called. "Is… everything ok?"

"A-Ann? Makoto?" Shiho stammered in surprise.

"Shiho, what happened?" Makoto asked, concerned.

"I-It's nothing." Shiho whispered. "Nothing at all…"

"Shiho, if something's bothering you, you can tell us, ok?" Ann told her.

"It's fine." Shiho insisted. "Really, it's fine.

I feel like she's hiding something." Makoto mused, "But I don't want to push her too hard."

"So, both of you are visiting today?" Shiho asked. "Does that mean…?"

"We made up." Ann beamed. "And we're totally friends now!"

"That's wonderful!" Shiho smiled. "I'm so happy you too are getting along!"

"One of these days we need to all hang out together." Ann suggested. "Are you getting discharged soon, Shiho?"

Shiho nodded. "The doctors said that I'd definitely be ready to leave by the end of the month. But I'll still have to go through physical therapy for a bit. After that though, I'd love to spend time with you two. Speaking of… did the two of you have fun during the school trip?"

"O-Oh, well… it was alright, I suppose." Ann stammered.

"Y-Yeah… nothing too special." Makoto agreed.

Shiho gave a sad smile. "It's ok. You don't need to downplay it for my sake."

"...I'm sorry, Shiho." Ann responded. "I know how much you were looking forward to this trip."

"I'm just glad that you two had fun." Shiho admitted. "Did the two of you hula dance?"

"A little bit." Ann admitted. "We actually got you some souvenirs!"

Makoto pulled out a keychain of a hula dancer, while Ann gave her a few necklaces used by hula dancers.

"I love it!" Shiho beamed. "Thank you both so much!"

She could feel Shiho's gratitude shining through.

SUN CONFIDANT: RANK 4

The three girls talked for a little while longer, before Ann and her decided to leave.

Remembering the girl from earlier, Makoto turned to Shiho before leaving.

"Shiho… if, in the future, there's something that's bothering you… please tell us, alright?" Makoto requested. "We're your friends, and we want to help you however we can."

"Makoto…" Shiho trailed off, before giving a weak nod.

She left the hospital, heading back home for the day.

When she got home, it was already quite late, so she only studied a little before heading to bed.

Right as she laid down, she felt her phone buzzing.

Ren: Hey, Makoto, I was able to talk with the journalist.

Ren: She said she'd give us the information, but only if I get her an interview with someone affected by Kamoshida's abuses.

Ren: Who do you think we should send? I was considering Mishima, but I wanted to know what you thought.

She frowned. In that case, there was only one option.

Makoto: I'll go.

Ren: What?! Are you sure?

Makoto: I wouldn't want anyone else to recall any kind of traumatic event. I'll do it in their place.

Ren: Alright, if that's your decision. Can you meet with her tomorrow night?

Makoto: Yes, that's fine.

Ren: Ok, I'll send you directions later. If you change your mind, or want someone to come with you, let me know, ok?

Makoto: I will. Thank you, Ren. Good night.

She put her phone down and closed her eyes, eventually falling asleep.

Makoto's Confidant Progress:

THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 5

THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 5

THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 3

THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 4

THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 4

THE TOWER - Chiaki Yasui: Rank 4

THE SUN - Shiho Suzui: Rank 4

THE MOON - Takayo Tachibana: Rank 3

THE HIEROPHANT - Sojiro Sakura: Rank 3

THE TEMPERANCE - Naoya Makigami: Rank 2

THE STAR - Hifumi Togo: Rank 1

THE EMPEROR - Yusuke Kitagawa: Rank 2

THE EMPRESS - Haru Okumura: Rank 2

THE LOVERS - Ann Takamaki: Rank 1

THE STRENGTH - Caroline and Justine: Rank 2

THE JUSTICE - Goro Akechi: Rank 2

THE FORTUNE - Phantom Thieves of Heart: Rank 3

THE JUDGEMENT - Sae Niijima: Rank 3

THE COUNCILLOR - Takuto Maruki: Rank 3

Are the Phantom Thieves just? Yes 5.3%