|| 6/12 Sunday ||
|| Daytime ||

By the time noon rolled around, Mikono and Akira finished their shift at the museum. Isaac and Ichika, who had decided to give the afternoon shift to another pair of part-timers, waved farewell to the couple as they left the museum. They headed to Big Bang Burger to grab a quick lunch.

As they sat down at one of the empty tables, Mikono snickered. "You're not going to try the Big Bang Challenge?"

"I think I'll spare myself the pain this time," Akira said, snacking on his fries. "Even though I did enjoy sleeping in the guest bedroom at your house. The bed was really soft."

Morgana emerged from Akira's bag and peered across the table at the girl. "It was so much better than the attic! When do you think we can stay over again, Lady Mikono?"

"Not sure, but hopefully soon. I haven't given up on my sleepover idea either," Mikono said. She tossed a fry toward the cat, who nimbly caught it in his mouth. He munched down on it with a smile.

"Where do you want to go after this?" Akira asked his girlfriend.

"I'm not sure. Did you have any ideas?" She questioned.

"I do have one."

"And what's that?"

"I've been wanting to go back to the gym. Ryuji took me there once and I've been meaning to visit again."

Mikono glanced down at her summer attire.

"I'm not exactly dressed for the gym and neither are you," she stated. "We could go our separate ways after we finish lunch and then meet back at the gym in an hour."

"Sounds like a plan," Akira said.

"Can I have another fry?" Morgana begged. Mikono tossed another fry his way before enjoying her burger.

After they finished their lunch, the trio went their separate ways. She headed home and went up to her room, packing a mini duffel bag. She placed her gym attire inside along with a small towel, her phone, house key, and her wallet before heading downstairs. In the kitchen, she found a stainless steel water bottle and filled it. She placed it inside her bag and zipped it shut as she left the house and headed to Protein Lovers Gym.

When she arrived, she realized she was fifteen minutes early. As she was debating whether to wait outside or inside, Akira and Morgana arrived. She greeted them with a smile, walking side by side as they entered the gym and paid the fee. They headed into their respected locker rooms and changed into their workout attire.

Inside the locker room, Mikono examines her outfit in the mirror.

Before leaving the locker room, she used her fingers as a comb and pulled her long, inky locks into a ponytail. She rendezvoused with Akira by the treadmills as they were greeted by a trainer. The man could tell they were beginners and suggested they use the treadmills.

Morgana, who had been hiding in the men's locker room, managed to escape and sneak past the other gym goers. He made his way over to Akira and Mikono, noticing the boy had a protein shake in his hand. He hopped up into a chair, watching the boy as he gulped down the shake in mere seconds.

Mikono placed her water bottle down, tightening her ponytail. "How about we make a bet?"

"A bet?" Akira parroted.

"Yeah. I bet a thousand yen I can last longer than you," she grinned.

"Ooh, this is getting interesting," Morgana hummed in amusement.

A smirk appeared on Akira's face. "You're on." He climbed onto the treadmill on the right while Mikono took the one in the middle.

Morgana hopped off the chair and onto the treadmill on the left. "All right, let's do some training! Lady Mikono, if you please."

Mikono smiled as she started the treadmill for Morgana. She set it at a pace that allowed him to keep up without having to run at full speed and exhaust himself in a short amount of time. Once the cat no longer needed assistance, she looked over at her boyfriend. "You ready, Akira?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," he replied. "I'm gonna be a thousand yen richer after this."

"Smack talk, huh?" She snickered. "We'll see who's the winner soon enough."

The couple started their treadmills and began at a steady pace. They easily kept up with the speed and soon bumped it up, shifting from a leisurely stroll to a light jog. After getting use to the pace, they increased it. The couple exchanged glances, wondering how each other were doing and if there were any signs of fatigue. When there weren't any, Akira became bold and bumped up the speed. He broke out into a full-on sprint in order to keep up with the treadmill.

Mikono heard his heavy breathing and turned her head. Her eyes widen when seeing how fast Akira was running on the treadmill. She could see beads of sweat forming on his face as his breathing picked up. What she also noticed was he was starting to wear himself out at a quicker rate due to the speed of the treadmill. She couldn't believe he would bump up the speed so high in such a short amount of time. Eventually, she saw his form beginning to falter.

The moment she went to tell him he should stop is when Akira could no longer keep up with the moving rubber mat under his feet. He lost his footing and slipped, smacking his face against the mat. A cry of pain erupted from the boy as his body was flung off the treadmill.

Mikono gasped in horror at the sight. She stopped her treadmill before hopping off and rushing to her boyfriend's aid. She fell to her knees beside him, looking down at his balled up form as he covered his face with his hands. She pried his hands off his face and saw his nose was red and it was bleeding. Swiftly, she ran to the locker room and grabbed the towel from her duffle bag before leaving. She snatched her water bottle off the treadmill and sat down on her knees, placing Akira's head in her lap.

"Is it broken?" Akira asked, his eyes still sealed shut.

Mikono examined his nose and shook her head. "No, but you've a nosebleed and your entire nose and parts of your cheeks are red." She poured some water onto the towel before placing it under his nose and dabbing at the blood.

"You're an idiot..." Morgana grumbled. He leapt off the treadmill and sat beside Mikono. "What were you trying to accomplish?"

Akira opened his eyes and immediately found himself staring up into his girlfriend's glistening cerulean gaze, muttering under his breath, "I was trying to show off."

"What?" Mikono gasped. "Why?"

"Well..."

"Akira was trying to show off in front of you, Lady Mikono, in an attempt to swoon you," Morgan commented. "Am I right or am I right?"

Akira looked away, unable to keep his eyes locked with Mikono's. He didn't want to admit Morgana was right, but his silence was enough of an answer.

With a gentle smile, Mikono combed her fingers through his frizzy locks. She gingerly strokes his hair as she tended to his bloody nose. "You don't have to show off in front of me, Akira. I'm already yours."

"I-I know, but..." He turned his head to the side slightly, staring at the wall. "I just wanted to show you what I was capable of. But in the end, I made myself look like a total idiot."

She combed his hair away from his forehead before leaning down and kissing it. "Well, you're my idiot and I don't like it when you get hurt. Just be careful from now on, okay?"

"Yes, Doctor," Akira chuckled, teasing her. He enjoyed feeling her fingers entangled in his hair as she tended to his bleeding nose. It took a couple minutes for the blood to vanish from his sniffer. The only thing that didn't go away was the redness from where his face collided with the treadmill's rubber mat.

With the clean side of the towel, Mikono dabbed the red areas on Akira's face with cool water to alleviate some of the pain. Once she finished tending to him, she placed the towel down with a sigh. "The bleeding's stopped, but your face is gonna be red for a little while. Does it still hurt?"

"A little," he answered. Turning his head, he gazed up into her cerulean eyes. Slowly, he lifted his hand and placed it against her cheek. "So, when am I gonna get that kiss?"

"You're gonna have to wait a little while longer," she replied.

"Damn..."

"C'mon, handsome. Let's go change," she giggled, patting the top of his head.

He smirked. "You think I'm handsome?"

"Don't let it go to your head."

Mikono headed to the women's locker room once knowing Akira made it safely into the men's locker room. She was changing back into her summer outfit when she heard her phone buzz inside her duffle bag. Pulling it out, she opened the IM app and accessed the group chat.

Ryuji: Yo, I just checked the Phan-Site.

Ryuji: There's some kinda thread on there looking for info about burglars using the Phantom Thieves name.

Ryuji: Sounds pretty lame to me.

Mikono: I'm not surprised.

Akira: Why's that?

Mikono: Throughout history, petty burglars have used the names of famous thieves to receive attention. This is no different.

Yusuke: How intriguing.

Ann: These guys are targeting restaurants, right?

Ann: I actually found a really interesting post on there.

Ann: "My brother has suddenly started acting violent towards everyone."

Ann: "I might end up getting killed at this rate..."

Ann: "I wonder if it's because he got caught up with all those weird people in Shibuya."

Mikono: Weird people? That's a little vague.

Ryuji: You think he means those burglars when he's talking about them "weird people"?

Akira: I'm not entirely sure.

Yusuke: It may be too soon to assume that.

Ann: The post said he started spending a bunch of money lately, too... Isn't that kind of suspicious?

Ann: I wonder how many burglar groups there even are in Shibuya...

Ryuji: Damn, things're really starting to get serious.

Akira: Let's look into it.

Ann: I thought you'd say that.

Mikono: I agree with Akira. We might be able to locate our next big target when we start searching for answers.

Yusuke: Although how exactly will we go about investigating?

Ann: We'll go to Shibuya in the middle of the night and catch them all red-handed!

Mikono: I don't think that's the best idea...

Ryuji: Yeah. The police'd totally nab us if we were out that late.

Yusuke: Hm, if they target restaurants...

Yusuke: Aha! What if we drew them to Leblanc?

Ryuji: What?!

Ann: Wouldn't that cause a lot of trouble for Boss...?

Yusuke: "Leblanc targeted!" It seems like a viable plan to me...

Akira: That's a horrible idea.

Ryuji: Yup.

Ryuji: I mean, you'd get kicked outta Leblanc if we failed.

Mikono: Didn't you leave "Sayuri" at Leblanc, Yusuke? Akira mentioned to me this morning you hung it up in the café before leaving.

Mikono: What if those burglars steal "Sayuri"?

Yusuke: Oh, I had forgotten. Thank you for reminding me, Mikono.

Ryuji: How'd you forget something that important?!

Ann: Either way...

Ann: I don't really want more thieves to be posing as us in the future.

Ann: I wish there was some way we could make an example of these ones...

Yusuke: At the moment, our lack of info means we will just have to wait.

Yusuke: We can continue searching for more information wherever possible, though.

Ann: Yeah.

Ryuji: I'm gonna try looking for stuff too!

Mikono placed her phone back in her duffle bag before resuming changing. Once finished, she regrouped with Akira and Morgana and left the gym, the bet they had made earlier being forgotten.

|| 6/13 Monday ||
|| After School ||

Mikono stretches her arms up with a smile as the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. "Thank goodness it's over with."

"Me too," Akira sighed as he gathered his things.

The girl stood from her seat and slid her bag onto her shoulder. "Are you ready for work?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

"With the money you've earned from working at the museum, we've been able to buy enough supplies to last us for a while," Morgana stated. "And we still have some left over! You're going to buy me some proper food, right? You know, like real fish and not canned cat food?"

"Depends if I'm in the mood to swing by the market," Akira stoically responds.

"You better get me fish! I need real food!"

"Cat food is real food."

"I'm not a cat!"

Akira was about to retort when Ms. Kawakami entered the classroom and sauntered over to him and his girlfriend. "Oh good, you two haven't left yet."

The two teens turned around and faced their homeroom teacher. "Is there something you needed us for, Ms. Kawakami?" Mikono asked.

She shook her head. "Not me, but Niijima-san's looking for you both. Could you two head to the student council room right away? She says there's no report of a lost item, so she wants you guys to start filling out some paperwork."

Akira's brows knitted together in bewilderment. "I don't understand. Why's she asking us?"

"Don't ask me," Ms. Kawakami sighed. "Tsutsui-san knows where the student council room is. I'm sure you won't have any issues finding it. Got it?"

"Yes, Ms. Kawakami," Akira replied.

The teacher turned around and muttered to herself, "Why am I running errands for a student? I know she's the principal's favorite or whatever..." Another sigh came from Ms. Kawakami as she left the classroom.

Once the teacher was gone, Morgana pokes his head out of Akira's bag and looked up at him. "Niijima's the girl who keeps following you around, right?"

"Yeah, but I didn't see her following me today," Akira stated.

"What could she want with you and Lady Mikono?"

"Only one way to find out." The boy looked over at his girlfriend. "Where to, Mikono?"

"The third floor," she replied. "The student council room is right next to the library. Let's make this quick so we aren't late for our shift."

Akira nodded in agreement and followed the girl out of the classroom and to the third floor. They entered a small room located by the library and both immediately tensed up when they saw Niijima patiently waiting for them with an unreadable expression. She uncrossed her arms, glancing between Akira and Mikono. "Ah. Earlier than expected. Have a seat."

The couple exchanged worried and puzzled expressions before sitting down across from the student council president. They placed their bags on the floor, eagerly awaiting for Niijima to say what she had to say so they could leave.

After a few seconds of silence, Niijima spoke. "I'll get straight to the point. Mr. Kamoshida and Madarame. Won't you both tell me the truth behind the Phantom Thieves' incidents?" Akira's and Mikono's eyes widen in horror. They had no idea how to react or what to say to her. Seeing this, Niijima smiled faintly. "Can't answer that? Ah, of course. There's no way you two would admit to such things. Have a listen." She pulled out her phone and placed it on the table. She tapped the screen and played a recording.

When hearing the recording, the couple recognized Ryuji's and Ann's voices talking about the phantom thieves. It was a brief recording, but it was enough to make them and their friends highly suspicious.

Niijima glared at her classmates. "What could all this mean?"

"We screwed up..." Akira and Mikono heard Morgana say from inside the boy's bag.

"Was it blackmail? Hypnosis? How do you corner someone into making them confess? Won't you tell how you did it?"

Akira leaned back in the seat, crossing his arms. "Ask the culprits."

"Why do you care anyway?" Mikono spat. "It's not like you cared when Kamoshida was abusing students..."

"I didn't...!" Niijima tried to protest.

"That excuse doesn't work!" Mikono shot to her feet, slamming her hands against the table. "You're the student council president! You're supposed to help your peers! You're telling me not once did you notice how beaten and miserable your classmates were? You were there the day I went to report Kamoshida to Principal Kobayakawa. You did nothing for me! What's the point in being student council president if you can't even see the truth with your own eyes?!" Tears of frustration cascaded down the girl's cheek as her shoulders trembled with anger.

Niijima's eyes widen before returning to normal. Mikono's words shook her conviction, but she refused to show the affects. She quickly hid behind a stoic mask, refusing to show her emotions. "This conversation has nothing to do with what Kamoshida did."

Mikono glowered at the girl with her tear-filled eyes. "You're just a marionette and Principal Kobayakawa is the one tugging on the strings. You'll do whatever he says without question. He knew the truth about Kamoshida and turned a blind eye. Maybe you can see where my mistrust is coming from or are you still blind?" She grabbed her bag and stormed out of the room.

Akira wanted to chase after her but froze when he heard what Niijima said next. "I believe that you four are the Phantom Thieves."

The boy was taken aback at her calm nature and how she completely ignored Mikono's outburst. "You've got nothing to say for yourself?"

"There's nothing to say," she retorts. "Let's return to the topic at hand. Now, what would the police think if they heard my recording?"

Akira shook his head with a dejected sigh. "You're unbelievable..."

"Hey," Morgana whispered from his bag. "Focus. It'd be bad if we're put under police surveillance. There's no telling what'll happen to you, too!"

"If you confess the truth, I don't mind just leaving this between the two of us." Niijima glanced toward the door, remembering how Mikono heard the recording. "Well, the three of us. You'll tell me, won't you?"

"Let me think about it," Akira responded.

"I believe that time would just be wasted," Niijima scoffed. She then redirected her gaze to the boy's pocket when she heard he was receiving a call.

Akira pulled his phone out and saw Ryuji was calling him. "Talk about bad timing..." He looked up at Niijima, who told him to take the call. Reluctantly, he accepted the call and heard the blonde's blaring voice.

"Hey, where you at? Takin' a leak? Let's meet up at the usual spot to hold our Phantom Thieves meetin'! And bring Mikky with you. She's not answerin' her phone and I know she's prolly with you."

The call ended and Akira grimaced in despair, knowing their cover was blown. Morgana, who was still trapped inside his bag, muttered, "That idiot!"

Niijima smirked triumphantly. "As loud as always, but his timing's perfect. I'd like everyone else to hear this as well. Won't you take me to your friends?"

Akira adjusted his glasses with a frown. "I guess I've no choice, but I need to find Mikono first."

The student council president nodded. "Of course. I'll be waiting for you at the entrance."

The boy grabbed his bag and left the room. He began searching the school for Mikono and asked a few people if they had seen her. Many of them ignored him, but he was relieved when Mishima told him he saw his girlfriend leave Shujin not too long ago. He thanked the cobalt-haired boy before grabbing his phone to text her.

Akira: Where did you go?

He stared down at his phone for a minute before sighing in relief when he saw the three familiar dots appear, signaling she was about to respond.

Mikono: I need to clear my head.

Mikono: I've contacted my parents and told them we wouldn't be able to work because something important came up at school, so don't worry about having to go to the museum today.

Mikono: And tell the others I won't be at the meeting today.

Akira: Can you at least tell me where you are? I'm worried about you.

Mikono: I'm sorry, Akira, but I know you'll try to find me if I tell you.

Mikono: I really need to be alone right now, okay?

Akira: I understand.

Akira: Be careful. Text me if you need anything.

Mikono: I will.

Akira places his phone back in his pocket. With a displeased expression, he rendezvoused with Niijima and escorted her all the way to the Teikyu Building Accessway in Shibuya. They exchanged no words the entire way to their destination, creating a suffocating atmosphere.

Once arriving at the meeting place, Ryuji was the first to recast when he saw who was accompanying Akira. "Wh-What the hell?!"

Ann lifted her gaze from her magazine. She glared at the girl standing beside their leader. "What's the meaning of this?"

"And where is Mikono?" Yusuke added.

"I had him lead me here," Niijima answered the blonde's question.

"Mikono had something else to do," Akira lied.

The student council president glanced around at the group. "Ryuji Sakamoto, Ann Takamaki..." Her eyes landed on Yusuke. "And you're Kitagawa-kun, correct? Second-year at Kosei High and former pupil of Madarame? I wanted to ask you all about this." She showed them her phone and played the recording.

Everyone, minus Akira, was flabbergasted when hearing the recording. Ann dropped her magazine in shock but promptly picked it up and placed it in her bag. Yusuke and Ryuji both shared the same wide-eyed expression.

Pleased by their reactions, Niijima stopped the recording and put her phone away. "An extremely similar technique was used for both Kamoshida and Madarame. While those affected by their acts were just coincidentally meeting up... How could that not raise suspicions?"

Yusuke crosses his arms, frowning. "What do you intend to do? Have you come just to say you're going to report us?"

"I bet someone told you to find us. The school can't have ties to criminals, after all!" Ann sneered. "And yet they turn a blind eye when it comes to suicide and sexual harassment. Those adults are just using you. I feel sorry for you."

Niijima stared down at the ground. "I... I know... That's the second time I've heard that today..."

The pigtailed girl's eyes widen. "Huh?"

"That's why I would like to verify the justice you speak of."

"What?" Ryuji asked.

"I'm the only one who knows about you. If you prove what you're doing is just, I'll erase this," Niijima responded.

"She wants to make a deal..." Morgana groaned.

"There is someone whose heart I'd like you to change," she said.

"Who?" Yusuke inquired.

"Hm, so you're not saying it's impossible. However, I cannot tell you that just yet. Let's continue our talk after school tomorrow. On the roof. Assuming that you accept my offer, that is." Before Niijima walked away, she turned to Akira and said, "Make sure to pass on my offer to Tsutsui-san."

"Sure," Akira said as Niijima walked away.

Ryuji ruffles his hair in annoyance. "This is turnin' into a real pain..."

"What truly happened to Mikono, Akira?" Yusuke asked, knowing the boy was lying earlier.

"She stormed off after snapping at Niijima-san. I'm not sure where she is now," Akira responded.

"Mikky finally snapped, huh?" Ryuji wondered. "I'm not surprised..."

"She's okay though, right?" Ann questioned.

Akira nodded. "She's fine. I texted her and she said she needed to clear her head."

"I believe we all have to clear our heads. Shall we head to the diner?" Yusuke proposed.

"I could use a soda," Ryuji commented. "Let's go."

The group departed from their hideout and headed to Central Street. They trekked up a short stairwell and entered the diner, claiming the booth closest to the door. The four ordered drinks before discussing what transpired with Niijima.

Yusuke took a sip of his water before placing the glass down and glaring at Ryuji. "You were careless. I don't think you truly understood how high the stakes were. Anything to say, Ryuji?"

The blonde scowled back at the artist. "Why're you singlin' me out? Ann got recorded too, y'know!"

Ann winced as she remembered the recording. "I'm so sorry..."

"Hey, what should we do?" Ryuji asked his companions. "That girl's got dirt on us..."

"A recording seems to be insufficient evidence though," Yusuke commented. "And even with that, there's no way they could prove our methods."

"Considering who we're dealing with, I think it might be a trap," Ann voiced her own opinion.

"Regardless, Akira would be in real trouble. He's on probation, after all," Morgana stated matter-of-factly.

"Things'd get rough if we didn't have our leader, and I totally don't wanna deal with the police..." Ryuji murmured.

"Then...we have no other choice but to go along with it," Yusuke sighed.

Morgana nodded. "Yes, it's best we agree, at least for the time being. We made a crucial mistake, but not a critical one. We'll just have to recover from here on out."

"Yeah, yeah. My bad," Ryuji grumbled. "So, we doin' this?"

"It's our only choice," Akira replied.

"All right. We're meetin' on the school rooftop tomorrow, yeah?"

"What about me?" The artist asked. "I could always sneak in if necessary."

"That'll draw too much attention. You should just wait outside, Yusuke," Ann said.

Ryuji looked across the table at Akira. "You gonna tell Mikky?"

"Yeah, I'll text her later," the frizzy-haired boy answered.

Ryuji sighed through his nose. "She ain't gonna like this..."

|| 6/13 Monday ||
|| Evening ||

Akira departed from his friends and headed back to Leblanc. He greeted Sojiro before heading up to the attic and sitting down at the foot of his bed. He grabbed his phone and immediately texted Mikono what all happened after she stormed off. He waited for a response from her for fifteen minutes, but he received no message. "She's mad..." He groaned.

"After the way she snapped at the student council president, I'm not surprised," Morgana commented. "I would be mad, too, if I were in her position."

"None of us want to do this, but we have to," Akira said. "I just hope I don't face Mikono's wrath when I see her tomorrow..."

"I doubt she'd be mad at you. It's not like we have a choice in the matter."

Just then, Akira heard his phone go off. He prayed it was a text from Mikono, but his hopes were dashed when he realized his friends were messaging the group chat.

Ryuji: I'm so effing pissed.

Ryuji: Do we just gotta do what she says...?

Yusuke: Considering what has happened, it seems we have no other choice.

Ann: I wonder whose heart the student council president would want us to change.

Ryuji: Don't matter to me.

Ann: But there might be a reason behind who she picks, right?

Akira: I wonder who it is.

Yusuke: I am curious myself...

Yusuke: She mentioned how she wants us to prove our justice, did she not?

Ann: Yeah, she definitely did.

Yusuke: Then there must be some reasoning behind her choice.

Yusuke: Please contact me immediately if you find anything out.

Yusuke: And don't go picking any fights, okay? Do you understand, Ryuji?

Ryuji: Why're you singling me out?! You're just as bad as Mikky! I ain't dumb!

Ann: Speaking of Mikono... How is she, Akira?

Akira: I texted her, but she hasn't responded.

Akira: I think she's angry...

Ryuji: Oh, she's definitely pissed. But she'll be fine by tomorrow.

Yusuke: How are you so sure?

Ryuji: Mikky knows what's on the line.

Ryuji: Besides, you're her boyfriend, yeah? There's no way she'd let that prissy student council president rat us out to the police knowing your circumstances.

Ann: That's true.

Ann: I'm sure Mikono understands.

Ryuji: Yeah. Like I said, she'll be fine by tomorrow. Just you wait and see!

*****
Confidant: Mikono Tsutsui
Arcana: The Puppeteer
Rank: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
*****