5/2 – Monday

The following morning, a school-wide morning assembly occurred as Principal Kobayakawa stood on stage while the gathered student body murmured about things.

"What's with the sudden morning assembly…?" A student asked.

"I bet it's about that girl that jumped the other day."

"They don't have to tell us not to commit suicide."

"There was that weird calling card too, so I guess the teachers are freaking out?"

"We were lucky that morning practice got canceled, though."

"I feel like I may faint if this takes forever."

"Let's begin this school-wide morning assembly," Principal Kobayakawa spoke up. "As you all know, a tragic accident took place the other day. Thankfully, we've been informed that she has pulled through, but it'll take time 'til she recovers. I implore that everyone has a bright future ahead, so rethink the importance of life and—"

Just then, Principal Kobayakwa noticed someone arriving at the assembly already—Kamoshida. "Mr. Kamoshida, what's—"

"I…have been reborn," Kamoshida spoke up. "That is why I will confess everything to you all…"

That caught the students by surprise as Kamoshida got on stage.

"What's wrong with Mr. Kamoshida?"

"What's this about?"

"Confess? Did the volleyball team do something?"

"I have repeatedly done things that were... unbecoming of a teacher," Kamoshida began. "Verbally abusing students… physically abusing my team, and… sexually harassing female students. I am the reason why Shiho Suzui tried to kill herself!"

That shocked the whole student body.

"I thought of this school as my castle…," Kamoshida continued. "There were even students that I sentenced to expulsion simply because I didn't like them… I will, of course, rescind those… I am truly sorry for putting innocent youths through such horrible acts. I am an arrogant, shallow… and shameful person. No, I'm worse than that... I'll take responsibility and kill myself for it!"

"Mr. Kamoshida!" Principal Kobayakawa called out to him. "Please get off the stage for now!"

"Don't run, you bastard!" Ann spoke up angrily. "Shiho's still alive even after all the things that made her want to die! You have no right to run from this!"

"You're right… You are absolutely right… I should be punished under the law and atone for my crimes…," Kamoshida said. "I did horrible things to Takamaki-san, as well. In return for giving Suzui-san a position on the team… I tried to force her into having relations."

More students murmur in utter disgrace as one said, "Disgusting."

"Ugh, for a position on the team? That's horrible."

"I feel so bad for Takamaki-san."

"So, the rumors were true."

"As of today, I will resign from my position as an instructor and turn myself in," Kamoshida finished.

"Wow…," Ryuji looked around in surprise.

"Isn't this just like what that calling card said?"

"Does this mean the Phantom Thieves thing was for real!?"

"Was something done to Kamoshida!?"

"C'mon, there's no way you could steal someone's heart!"

"But why else would he start saying things like he'll kill himself or turn himself in?"

"Maybe because it almost got leaked? Don't they go easier on you if you turn yourself in?"

"I wonder what happened..."

"Who knows? But man, Kamoshida turned out to be one sick bastard."

"Hey, is this for real? He's turning himself in, just like that? This makes no sense!"

"What's going to happen to the volleyball team?"

A moment later, after the assembly ended and the students went to their classrooms, Akira, Ryuji, and Ann were the only ones left standing.

"Kamoshida's heart really did change…," Ann said, worried.

"Seems like it," Ryuji replied. "But was this really for the best?"

"Of course, it was," Akira answered. "I mean, I think so. Why are you guys still gloomy? This is what we wanted it to happen, right?"

"Yeah… It has to be. But things are happening way too fast."

"Come on. We should check if Morgana heard all of this."

Just then, Mishima and a few students appeared.

Ryuji noticed them. "Huh…? What the…?"

"Takamaki-san…I'm sorry!" Mishima bowed to Ann as he apologized. "We all knew… but we pretended we didn't."

"Takamaki-san, I had you all wrong…," One female student apologized. "I'm sorry that I spread rumors about you!"

"I didn't know at all…," Another female student said to Ann. "Kamoshida was forcefully pushing himself on you… It must've been so hard for you!"

"I'm sure there's a ton of people who want to apologize to you. We're so sorry!"

"No, it's OK. The same goes for me too…," Ann replied. "Besides, that's all in the past now."

Mishima then turned to Akira. "I can't apologize enough for what I did to you. ...I swear I'll make it up to you someday."

As Mishima and the other students left, Ryuji was surprised. "Looks like Kamoshida ain't the only one that had a change of heart," he said as he then turned to Ann. "Man, I'm glad for you. It looks like those weird rumors are going to go away."

"My thing doesn't really matter," Ann replied. "We made Kamoshida apologize about Shiho… That's more than enough for me."

"You should hurry and tell her about it then."

"...Yeah," Ann nodded.

"…And that's the way it happened," Akira finished as he told the whole thing to Morgana after school while they were on the rooftop, sitting down.

"I totally freaked out… He really did have a change of heart…," Ryuji said. "And we were lucky his mind didn't get messed up either! This was an A job!"

"Does this mean that they won't have a mental shutdown even if their Palace disappears?" Morgana asked. "I see… So, we need to persuade the Shadow without killing it and then send it back to its real self. Our targets won't undergo a cognitive collapse if we do that."

"So, we can get them to confess with no bad stuff? Hey! That works for me!"

Just then, Ann arrived. "Do you have to be so loud?"

"Don't worry about it," Ryuji assured her. "So… how'd it go? With Shiho, I mean..."

"She's regained consciousness!" Ann answered with joy.

"For real!?" Ryuji was surprised, as did Akira.

"It was only for a little bit, but I got to talk to her…!" Ann said, fighting tears. "I was able to tell her that Kamoshida admitted to what he did!" She then looked down sadly. "Shiho, she… she told me she was sorry… It looks like she found out that I was flirting with Kamoshida for her sake… And here I was, wanting to apologize to her."

"Kamoshida's the one at fault for all this," Morgana said.

"I know…," Ann nodded. "Shiho's mom is thinking of transferring her to another school after she recovers. The whole sexual harassment and attempted suicide… People will label her after that. It sounded like Shiho had the same idea too."

"It's gonna get lonely...," Ryuji sighed.

"But I think it's for the best…," Ann said. "I'm sure it'll be hard if she stays here."

"She's alive. You can see her anytime," Ryuji assured Ann.

"And on the bright side, you got us," Akira added.

Ann nodded. "...I need to change too."

"That aside, I was surprised you hold yourself back against Kamoshida's Shadow," Ryuji said.

"It wasn't like that…," Ann replied. "I just wanted Kamoshida to apologize."

"You're so kind, Lady Ann," Morgana said with grace.

Ryuji shrugged. "No matter how much of a shitbag he was, finishing him off would've left a bad aftertaste, huh?"

"Huh? That's not it," Ann shook her head. "I think revenge is better served if I make him repent. Realizing what he's done, he'll grovel for forgiveness for the rest of his life, you know? I just believe there are fates worse than death."

"Holy shit…," Ryuji exclaimed in shock as he and Akira looked at each other.

"Did you have to say it like that?" Akira asked Ann, sighing in dismay.

"A-Anyways, that's all settled…," Ryuji spoke up as he then turned to Morgana. "But you know, there was one more thing I was wondering about that castle. Why was Kamoshida the only one who had that Metaverse thing?"

"It isn't necessarily limited to him," Morgana answered. "It's something anyone could have if their heart became warped from their desires."

"Anyone...," Ann muttered.

"Wanna check it out?" Morgana asked.

"N-Not right now," Ryuji said, shaking his head. "We better lay low for a while. People are still going to be talkin' about Kamoshida. Then again, it's totally impossible for someone to find out what we did at his Palace."

Ann began to speak up. "Yeah, about that…Weird rumors about you guys are already going around. Stuff like you got together and threatened Kamoshida with something close to physical violence…"

"WHAT!?" Akira exclaimed in shock and surprise.

Ryuji was shocked as well. "The hell!?"

Akira groaned in shame. "It's just one weird rumor after another! Can't we catch a break!? How come the students apologize to Ann, but not us? We saved them too, you know!"

"Well, people aren't going to believe that phantom thieves really exist," Ann replied. "The calling card's being treated like it was a prank by someone who knew what Kamoshida was doing."

"B-But…," Akira stammered but lowered his head as Ryuji patted him on the back.

"Makes sense…," Ryuji sighed in dismay. "We're the ones who did it, and I still don't completely believe it myself."

Akira turned to Ryuji. "Right when you said that we would both feel better about being at school after exposing Kamoshida, this happens?"

"Let's wait for things to settle down for the time being," Ann assured an upset Akira.

"Anyways, let's check how much this medal can be sold for," Ryuji said as he pulled out his phone. "It'd be better if we pawned it off ASAP."

Just then, the phone dinged as Akira exclaimed, "Ooh, you got a hit!"

Ryuji looked at the price. "…Wait, 30,000 yen!? That's all the gold medal is worth!?"

Ann leaned on to Ryuji. "Remember that time in middle school? I lent you some money."

Ryuji tried to deny it. "There's no way I borrowed 30,000 yen from you!"

"Wouldn't it be around that much with compounded interest?"

"Interest, my ass!"

"I'm not saying that I'm taking all of it. I mean, it's your fault for not paying me back all these years! It's just common sense!"

"Dammit…," Ryuji groaned.

Akira turned to Morgana. "See what I have to put up with? They're acting a bit like a blonde couple. So…what now?"

"I agree on laying low and keeping an eye on the situation," Morgana replied. "However, you dragged me into this. It would be nonsense not to celebrate a successful mission."

"I guess we could blow this dirty money on something fun," Ryuji said.

"Discussions among phantom thieves are to take place over luxurious food. How about it?"

"Hey, wait—" Ann halted them but shook her head. "…Nah, I guess it's fine. There's somewhere I want to go then."

"Where's that?" Ryuji asked.

"It's a place that Shiho and I have wanted to go for a while."

"I owe money, so I can't complain…" Ryuji muttered as he turned to Akira. "You good with that?"

"Fine by me," Akira nodded. "Although we should save some money."

"We can eat something like that whenever we want."

"I'll leave it to your discretion as well, Lady Ann," Morgana said to her.

"I'll call and check the prices later then."

"When should we go?" Ryuji asked. "Wanna do it soon, like tomorrow?"

"Why don't we go on the last day of the holidays? It'll help energize us when school life starts up again the day after."

"Then… the 5th, on Children's Day."

"So, who's going to sell this?" Ann asked, looking at the medal.

"Leave that to us," Morgana said. "We know a store that'll buy anything. Don't we, Akira?"

"We sure do," Akira nodded.

"OK, I'll leave that to you guys," Ann smiled. "By the way, is that gold medal real? When did it get inside his Palace?"

"No, that one is a fake," Morgana said. "It's just a by-product of his cognition. The real medal should still be in his possession."

"What…? You're telling me Kamoshida still got the medal?" Ryuji cried.

"Who cares? What matters is that we changed his heart," Ann replied. "And anyway, if we had taken the real thing, that'd be stealing! I don't think he'll be proud of that medal anymore regardless."

"You let go of stuff pretty easy, huh? Wanna forget about my debt?"

"That's different. 500 yen is a lot of money for a middle schooler, you know. Do you even still have that dolphin anyway?"

"Dolphin?" Akira repeated. "What are you talking about?"

"Stop digging that up!" Ryuji told Ann angrily.

"Back in middle school, we went on a field trip to the aquarium," Ann said to Akira. "But Ryuji had to spend all his money on a souvenir, so I lent him some for the train fare."

"I said I was sorry… That was for my mom."

"Well, I guess I can call it even after all we've been through."

"Anyways, we don't got to worry about selling that medal off if it's a fake! End of story!"

"Kamoshida will never be proud of that once-in-a-lifetime gold medal ever again," Morgana said. "Depending on how you look at it, that punishment might be even worse than death for him."

And with that, everyone went home for the evening.

5/3 – Tuesday

The next day, as Akira helped Sojiro out with the café, the news appeared on TV.

"And now to our next topic… Fall from Grace: The story of a dishonored Olympic medalist," The newscaster announced as Kamoshida's face was on the screen. "Just recently, a high school coach admitted to his school that he had been perpetually abusing students. Given his prior Olympic achievements, this has caused quite a stir. What caused this habitual offender to confess these heinous crimes to his entire school suddenly? The police are hoping that the upcoming interrogations will bring light to this question."

"I knew it," Sojiro muttered as he turned to Akira. "That's your school, right?"

"Seems like it," Akira answered.

"Things might be getting turbulent at school, but you need to keep your head down, all right? More importantly, I've got some more stuff I need you to do."

After a long day of helping Sojiro out, Akira and the others called each other on their phones.

"Did you see that!? It was on the news!" Ryuji exclaimed. "No way the school's going to be able to play dumb after that."

"I saw it too. Shiho's name didn't come up, right?" Ann replied.

"Not that I saw. Bet they just wanted to keep that part quiet."

"I'm so glad..."

"It's finally over then… All we have to do now is eat some tasty shit and put all this crap behind us. I'm looking forward to this celebration party."

"I'll try not to let you guys down!" Ann nodded.

"All right, we need to go sell the gold medal tomorrow," Morgana told Akira. "Even if the chief wants your help, make sure you turn him down, OK?"

"Okay…," Akira nodded.

5/4 – Wednesday

The following day, as Akira was about to head out, Sojiro already reminded him, "Make sure you do the dishes."

Akira nodded. "Sure thing. When I get back, that is."

"Just do it by then already. Don't get cocky with me."

Just then, a voice appeared. "Am I interrupting something?"

Akira and Sojiro both turned around to see a tall woman in a black business suit with long, gray-colored hair and a black turtleneck.

"Not at all," Sojiro shook his head.

As the woman sat down, the news feed appeared on TV. "The cause of the runaway-train incident in the subway the other way has still not been found. Police are hurrying to solve the matter as it may relate to the rise in psychotic breakdown incidents."

"Oh, is that the thing everyone's been talking about?" Sojiro asked.

"Doesn't it make you curious?" The woman turned to Sojiro. "People who were living normal lives suddenly went mad or deranged out of the blue… Not to mention that it's happening one after another… Could they be coincidental?"

"Hmm… Leaving that aside… What'll you have?" Sojiro asked.

"...I'll have the house blend, please," The woman replied as she then turned to Akira. "Are you a part-timer? I'm surprised this place can afford one."

"Uhhh, no, not exactly…" Sojiro answered.

"Sojiro's my guardian, so I live here now," Akira said to the woman.

"Are you a high school student?" The woman asked. "Where do you attend?"

"Shujin Academy."

"Oh? Someone I know goes there as well. I've heard that things are rough right now. A teacher named Kamoshida confessed his crimes like he was a completely different person supposedly. And it happened all of a sudden one day… Can a person's mental state change so quickly?"

"Hehe… I have no idea how to respond to that," Akira giggled. "Who are you, anyway?"

"Sae Niijima. The public prosecutor of the Tokyo Division's Special Investigations Unit," The woman introduced herself, then she turned to Sojiro. "Is my drink ready yet?"

"…Coming right up!" Sojiro exclaimed.

Just as Akira left Leblanc, he turned to Morgana. "That woman is sharp!"

"I know," Morgana replied. "But don't worry about it. We'll turn in that medal for cash. We still got a big celebration tomorrow."

And that's precisely what Akira did when he visited Iwai's shop at Shibuya.

"…Huh? You again?" Iwai noticed Akira arriving. "What do you want?"

Akira showed Iwai the gold medal. "I want you to buy this!"

"A gold medal? Why do you have this? We don't buy any fake or stolen goods here, kid." Iwai looked at the fake medal to examine it. Then he looked back at Akira. "I'm just… not going to ask where you got this. How's 30,000-yen sound for it, though?"

"Works for me," Akira nodded as he was given 30,000 yen…and a paper bag with something inside. "What's this?"

"A thanks for sellin' me that medal. But best not open it. Bring it with you next time you come back."

"Got it."

"Glad you're so quick to understand," Iwai smiled, but it faded when he turned to two men coming into the shop. "…They're here."

"Munehisa Iwai, yes?" A stern man turned to Iwai, just as Akira was about to leave. "There are some matters we'd like to discuss with you. Do you know why we're here?"

"I dunno, lookin' for evidence? You tell me, Detective-san."

"Watch your attitude," A vulgar detective angrily told Iwai.

"Well, you guys going to search me? Go on, do what you gotta do."

"...What was that?"

"An upstanding citizen's supposed to cooperate with the cops, right?"

"Hey, you sure that lead was legitimate?" A stern man asked the detective.

"I could've sworn it was..." The vulgar detective shook.

"Can you two hurry it up? I got a business to run here," Iwai told the two men.

"Hey, you!" The vulgar detective spotted Akira. "What's in the bag, huh? Show me!"

"...The kid's just a regular old customer," Iwai said, "You can check the tapes if that'll convince you. They'll show everything that's gone down here today."

I don't want to be here when the detectives see the footage of me with that gold medal…, Akira thought. I should probably leave.

"I don't feel like it," Akira shook his head to the detective.

"Hey, you're talking to a kid, remember?" The stern man warned the detective. "Besides, he's not the one we're here to see."

"That's right, Detective-san," Iwai told them with a smile. "Maybe next time, try not harassin' my customers, see how that goes." Then, he turned to the door. "Safe trip home, kid."

"What were those detectives doing there?" Morgana asked Akira once he exited Iwai's shop. "More importantly… aren't you curious about what's in the bag?"

"Maybe a little…" Akira opened the bag, and to his surprise, it was a model gun.

"It's incredible, though! There's something weird about that place… Hey, I just had a great idea. We should totally buy this gun from him later!"

"You sure?"

"I mean, it's perfect. Something this real looking would work wonders in the Metaverse… Anyway, he did tell you to bring it back the next time you came, right? You should try striking a deal with him when we go to return it!"

That evening, as Akira returned to Leblanc, Ann was calling him on his cellphone.

"Hello, it's me…," Ann called. "I saw the news about Kamoshida. It's getting a lot of coverage..."

"How do you feel?" Akira asked.

"I don't know… The reaction's been bigger than what I was expecting… I guess I'm just… surprised. I don't think we did anything wrong, though. I wonder if we helped those people speak up about it..."

"I'm sure we did."

"That's pretty amazing, huh? I didn't think we'd actually be able to do it! And yet, look at us now!" Ann exclaimed happily. "This calls for a celebration! Let's meet in front of Shibuya Station at noon tomorrow. Don't be late! Oh, and did you pawn off that medal? You didn't forget, right?"

"Already taken care of!"

"Good to hear! I already made reservations! You should be excited about the place I chose, by the way. I'm sure everyone's going to love it! Well, see you guys tomorrow!"

"A restaurant of Lady Ann's choosing," Morgana said happily. "Finally, a decent meal! What do you think we're going to be eating?"

"Or maybe some barbeque?" Akira suggested.

"Ooh, I could go for some wagyu beef! It better be Grade-A!" Morgana said with excitement. "In any case, I'm surely looking forward to it! Mwehehehe!"

5/5 – Thursday

The next day, Akira, Ryuji, Ann, and Morgana were already at the Wilton Hotel, sitting down at a large table and eating delicious food around the buffet.

"Mmmm… So good…" Ryuji exclaimed, eating some delicious food.

"No wonder Lady Ann chose this place!" Morgana smiled.

"Of course, it's good. This is a famous hotel, after all," Ann said. "Oh yeah, I heard that the police are coming to interview some people at school."

"That's troublesome," Morgana said as he sighed.

"Our names are going to come up for sure," Ryuji said. "People are spreadin' all sorts of rumors about Kamoshida and us…" Then he smiled for some reason. "But we got them pumped up! I keep hearin' stuff like, 'The Phantom Thieves really stole his heart!' I think most people don't believe it, but some of them actually seem grateful."

Ryuji pulled out his phone to show Akira, Ann, and Morgana something.

"The Phantom Aficionado Website?" Ann blinked, then she read the comments. "'Well done, Phantom Thieves'… 'Now I can keep going too'… 'Thank you for giving us hope'..."

"Pretty cool, huh?" Ryuji said.

"I was just desperate to deal with my own problems," Ann said, smiling. "but seeing people saying all this feels… strange."

"Yeah…," Ryuji nodded as he turned to Akira. "Hey… What do we do now?"

"You sure we haven't taken a little too much?" Akira asked. "By the way, you plan on eating?"

Ryuji scoffed. "Well, of course, I'm gonna eat, but…"

Suddenly, Ann gasped as she realized in shock. "This place has a time limit!"

"Oh, crap!" Ryuji exclaimed. "We only got an hour to eat!"

"Just 50 minutes left!" Ann cried as she and Ryuji got up from their seats.

"I'm not gonna finish all the beef dishes at this pace!"

"I need to eat my way through the entire dessert menu!"

"Look after our stuff!" Ryuji told Akira. "We'll snag something for you guys, don't worry!"

As Ann and Ryuji left, Akira sighed. "This is the place, huh? Sojiro's going to flip."

A short while later, Ryuji and Ann got back with even more food.

"Aw man, it melts in my mouth!" Ryuji exclaimed happily as he ate some meat.

Morgana looked at Ryuji in surprise. "Seriously? Only meat?"

"Now, where should I start?" Ann smiled.

"And she's all about the cake…" Morgana shook his head.

"So happy…" Ann cried happily as she eats.

"Hey. Calories!" Ryuji reminded Ann with a smile.

"Shuddup!" Ann exclaimed. "How much do you think one of these costs!? I'll never get the chance to do this again! Mmm, the Wilton Hotel cake buffet…," Ann said happily as she tasted the cake. "I'd heard rumors, but I never thought it'd be so amazing!"

"And… where's our share?" Morgana asked while Akira nodded in agreement.

"I didn't know what you'd want… So, I just grabbed you some beans," Ryuji said.

"B-Beans?" Morgana repeated.

"There were some pretty bizarre things there too, so we got you a variety of those," Ann said. "Fried bananas, preserved eggs, and… some kind of beans."

"M-More beans? How come all I get are beans? I want delicious fish! Meat! Rice! Even dessert!"

"Will you shut it!?" Ryuji exclaimed. "I don't know what you want. You didn't ask!"

"We put so much on the plate that it got all mixed up," Ann said. "but it should probably still taste good."

"This is just plain grotesque…," Morgana groaned in dismay as he then turned to Akira. "Let's go. These two just don't know what fine dining means! We'll show them!"

"Fine dining, eh?" Akira nodded as he got up from his seat. "Leave it to me."

"That's reassuring!" Morgana smiled as he turned to Ryuji and Ann. "You guys watch our things while we're gone! Wait patiently for our return!"

"Ahhh, it's like a meaty explosion in my mouth…" Ryuji said in excitement, still eating.

"Ooh, this part's cream cheese!" Ann smiled as well.

"Are you two even listening!?" Akira and Morgana yelled in unison, annoyed.

As Akira and Morgana went to a table full of delicate foods, Morgana couldn't help but get excited. "As I'd expect from the buffet at a top-class hotel. The ingredients and variety of dishes are crazy good. There's a reason it costs 8,000 yen."

"8,000 yen?" Akira repeated in surprise.

"They have a lot here…but fish should come first! I'd prefer it raw, but grilled is great too! Let's fill our plate with all sorts of fish, along with the other variety of food."

Just then, as Akira gathered some food on the table, he overheard some guests talking.

"Have you heard? The news about that Kamoshida fellow was dreadful."

"Ah, right. That teacher at Shujin Academy caught doing such indecent acts. Shameful."

"And they still haven't managed to solve those horrible psychotic breakdown episodes, have they? I wish they wouldn't let themselves be distracted by such a tawdry scandal."

"It's not even an incident we can take seriously. The whole story is pretty ridiculous. We should probably look into it, but we can just let the low-ranking scrubs handle it."

"It seems most adults aren't very interested in the news about Kamoshida," Morgana said.

A moment later, Akira and Morgana brought more food on the plates.

"Ooh, you brought a ton back," Ryuji said with a smile. "What do you think about comin' up against such ritzy food?"

"I just want to eat," Akira replied.

"I was thinkin' that too. Usin' better ingredients make stuff taste way different!"

"Look at you, acting like you have a refined palate all of a sudden," Morgana said. "You're the last person I want to advise about that, Ryuji."

"Don't you think you're eatin' too much, Mona?"

"There's no knowing when we'll get to come here again."

"Sure, but you guys brought back loads of food…," Ann said. "It'd be a shame to let it all go to waste. Why don't you help them out, Ryuji?"

"We should both help."

Ann shook her face. "Oh, me? I'm wayyy too stuffed! I couldn't possibly help!"

"Yeah… stuffin' your face with cake...," Ryuji muttered as he then turned to Akira and Morgana. "Whatever. Let's deal with this ourselves!"

No matter how much they ate, the amount of food stays the same. Still, Akira and the others managed to eat everything a moment later, even a plate full of gamonbozia.

"W-We did it…," Morgana said, feeling complete.

"Y-Yeah… This is a victory… for all of us…," Ryuji agreed.

"Is this a game to you?" Akira asked Ryuji, while his belt feels multiple sizes too small.

"N-Not exactly…"

"But still, that was a breeze. Tough."

"Good job, you guys," Ann smiled. "How about one last dish to cleanse your palates? I recommend the seasonal tart! The grapefruit has both alluring sweetness and a tangy sourness!"

"Stop… I don't wanna hear about any bad, sour stuff…," Ryuji said, feeling queasy as he burped a bit. "This isn't good… I gotta go to the bathroom..."

"M-Me too…," Morgana groaned. "Please… carry me gently..."

As the two boys and Morgana were about to get up and head for the bathroom, two patrons saw their table full of empty plates.

"Look at that table…" An elegant woman muttered.

"Come now, pay no attention," A wealthy man replied. "I'm sure they must not normally have the opportunity to eat such exquisite food."

"I can only imagine what their parents must be like."

Ryuji turned to them angrily. "What was that?"

"Ignore them already! Let's go," Akira warned him.

"Right! We don't have time for that… Come on, let's go..."

A while later, after a quick trip to the bathroom, the boys feel relieved.

"Ughh, I am stuffed…," Morgana groaned.

"Aaah, much better!" Ryuji sighed with relief. "I totally panicked when I saw the 'Closed for Cleaning' sign at the bathrooms..."

Morgana looked at Ryuji with an unamused face. "You were talking big about eating until you puked, but you really did puke… Are you some kind of moron?"

"Hey, same goes for you!"

"Well, that's what happens when you had that much food in you," Akira told Ryuji.

"Hey, if you're gonna eat at a pricy joint, you gotta go for the meat," Ryuji replied. "So, what floor was that restaurant on?"

"We came up to get here, so it has to be on a lower floor, right?" Morgana said.

Just then, a group of suited bodyguards, escorting a bald, distinguished proper man wearing orange glasses, walked up to the elevator while shoving Ryuji aside.

"There's still no update on the case?" The bald man asked.

"Not yet…," A subordinate answered. "Excuse me, but why are you so involved? It's not something you should be concerned with…"

The bald man turned to his subordinate. "I don't care about your opinion, you incompetent buffoon! When I say pick up the pace, you do it!"

"Hey, you're cuttin' in line!" Ryuji called out angrily.

"…What'd you want?" A haughty subordinate asked Ryuji.

"We were here first," Akira said.

"We're in a hurry," The bodyguard told them.

"Oh, I'm sorry. So, you can butt in front of other people if you're in a hurry?" Ryuji barked.

"It seems the customer base has changed since I was here last," The bald man said, taunting. "Have they started a daycare or something?"

Ryuji heard those words. "What?"

"Sir, we don't have time for this," The subordinate told his boss.

"I know," The bald man said as he noticed another of his subordinate shoved Ryuji. "Don't bother with them!"

That voice just now…, Akira thought as the bald man and his subordinates entered the elevator.

"The hell was with that bossy guy?" Ryuji growled.

"Shouldn't we head back down?" Morgana asked.

"Yeah, but... That dick pissed me off. He wasn't even hidin' the fact that he looks down on everyone!"

"Don't lose your temper over this," Morgana warned Ryuji.

"I just can't forgive shitty adults like that!"

But Akira didn't listen as he thought to himself, That man's voice… It sounded almost like the one from back then…

"…What's wrong?" Ryuji asked, noticing Akira's silence.

"I'm okay," Akira replied. "Just a bit lightheaded. Don't worry about it."

"You're not feelin' good? That's just going to make me worry more, you know."

"I bet it's because he rarely eats well, after all…," Morgana said. "Plus, I'm always stuck eating canned cat food too…"

"Ugh, that 'sir' bullshit makes me sick!" Ryuji grumbled. "...Dammit!"

A moment later, Akira and Ryuji got back to their table, where Ann was sitting.

"What took you so long!?" Ann asked impatiently.

"Why're you all pissy?" Ryuji asked.

"Sorry…," Ann apologized. "I had a run-in with some woman a second ago. She bumped into me but then said it was all my fault when she dropped her plate..."

"Sounds like a real bitch..."

"Yeah… Thanks, though. But…the restaurant workers all looked at me with this disapproving expression…"

Ann then looked down sadly. "I wonder if we're out of place here..."

"We're not," Akira said. "But… It always feels like this."

There was a short silence when Ryuji thought of something. "Hey, Morgana."

Morgana turned to Ryuji. "What is it?"

"...Anyone could have a Palace, yeah?"

"Anyone with a strong, distorted desire."

"Same for them havin' a change of heart if their Treasure gets stolen?"

"That would be the case."

"Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?" Ann asked.

"We had trouble earlier, too," Ryuji replied. "These selfish shitheads who just looked down on everyone else... I was just wondering if we'd be able to change those kinds of people too."

Ann's eyes grew wide in surprise. "You mean… you want to continue as the Phantom Thieves?"

Ryuji nodded. "...I've been thinking. We put a lot of work into changing Kamoshida's heart, but nobody believes in the Phantom Thieves. Plus, those guys who had no other choice but to just deal with it are thanking us. Us, of all people."

"You really want to keep going with this, huh?" Akira said as he turned to Ann. "What do you think, Ann?"

"I…I agree," Ann replied as she nodded in agreement. "If we ignore people who are in trouble, I'd go back to being the same as I was before…"

"Well… that's true," Morgana said, then he looked at the others with determination. "You're under my tutelage. There's nothing we can't accomplish as phantom thieves!"

"Shouldn't we be able to help 'em out?" Ryuji asked Akira.

Akira looked down and pondered for a moment. I didn't even think of that possibility…But it is true that with this power, we may be able to help people out…

Akira looked back at his friends. "Okay, then. Let's do it!"

Ann began to ask, "But… That means we'll have to fight Shadows again, doesn't it…?"

"Indeed," Morgana replied. "That can't be avoided."

"Eh, I'm sure we'll manage," Ryuji smiled as he turned to Akira. "Right?"

"Fine by me," Akira said. "If you're up for it."

Morgana giggled a bit. "Heh… Even if you guys are still just fledglings, this means we're an actual organization now."

"Fledglings?" Ann repeated as she giggled. "That's actually pretty fitting for us."

"All right, it's settled!" Ryuji said with a smile of determination. "We're going to catch all these shitty adults by surprise and make ourselves known to the world!"

Ann turned to Akira. "...Are you okay being our leader?"

"Of course!" Akira answered.

"No objections here!" Ryuji agreed. "I can't handle all that responsibility stuff."

"Where's my say in this?" Morgana chimed in. "But Lady Ann made the recommendation, so I'll allow it."

"Well, should we decide on a name for our group?" Ryuji asked. "I just went with Phantom Thieves of Hearts last time, but don't you think a real name would be cooler?"

"Ooh, I've got it! I want it to be something both cute and luxurious sounding… Let me see…," Ann pondered as she suddenly suggested. "How about 'The Diamonds'?"

"…I'm getting a real little league baseball feeling from it," Ryuji said, feeling unease.

"Well, here's my suggestion," Morgana suggested. "How about 'Tilefish Poele'?"

"Tile… uh, what?" Ryuji asked in confusion.

"That's what I ate earlier. It's commemorative, no?"

"Hell no, you idiot!" Ryuji yelled, then he turned to Akira. "You decide for us..."

"Hmmm…," Akira pondered. "How about 'The Phantoms'?"

"That's not bad at all," Ann said.

"A good name…for a rookie," Morgana agreed.

"The Phantoms," Ryuji repeated the name as he loved Akira's suggestion. "Short, sweet, and right to the point. I like it! We're goin' with that?"

"If that's okay," Akira answered. "Definitely."

"Well, now that the name's set, who's our next target?" Ann asked.

"There are tons of rotten adults and all…," Ryuji said as he pondered for a moment. "...Why not just stick to targeting big names?"

"Like a celebrity or a CEO?" Akira asked.

"Yeah, something along those lines. If we go after some bigwig, it has got to get on the news, right? Don't you think more people would believe in us if we did that?"

"That's not a bad idea…for you, Ryuji," Morgana said to him.

"True," Ann nodded. "If we become better known…we might be able to give courage to a lot more people. I don't really like the idea of just picking someone out of the blue, though."

"Let's narrow it down to someone we can all agree on then," Ryuji said.

"Hm, so we need a bigwig we decide on unanimously," Morgana replied.

"I like that unanimous decision part!" Ann smiled. "It's like we're making some kind of pact!"

"Now then, this is the official formation of the Phantom Thieves organization!" Morgana declared with a smile.

Just then, Ann's eyes grew wide in surprise as she realized something. "Oh, no! Our time for the buffet ran out..."

"I guess we'll just have to talk more tomorrow," Ryuji shrugged.

"All right, then!" Akira said. "Today marks the origin story of the Phantom Thieves!"

"Origin story?" Ann repeated in surprise.

"Every hero or a group of heroes should have one, right?"

"Are you for real!? Is that something out of a comic book?" Ryuji said as he then smiled at that idea. "But then again, not a bad idea."

"Good. I mean, how many people with distorted desires can there be?"

That question made Morgana's eyes grew wide in surprise, as did Ryuji's and Ann's.

From that moment forward, Akira, Ryuji, Ann, and Morgana have formed and became the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, formerly known as the Phantoms.