|| 6/8 Wednesday ||
|| After School ||

With the conclusion of her second session with Dr. Fujioka, Mikono headed over to the Teikyu Building Accessway to rendezvous with her friends. When she arrived, she smiled at them before discussing their plan to enter Mementos. Akira pulls out his phone and gave his teammates the names of their three targets—Aiko Watanabe, Daisuke Takanashi, and Hikari Shimizu. He opened the MetaNav app as they headed to the train station.

The moment they entered Mementos, Joker placed the phone back in his pocket. He looked around at the others with his hands in his pockets. "Everyone know the plan?"

"We'll take out our targets and then locate the next fragment," Panther replied.

"I'm nervous and excited at the same time," Sphinx said.

"Is it because of the shard?" Fox inquired.

The inky-haired girl nodded. "Yeah. The last time we located a fragment in Mementos was rather...frightening."

"I'll say..." Skull muttered in agreement. "I thought you were a goner."

Fox was even more intrigued and asked, "What happened?"

Sphinx shared their first encounter with Anubis as Mona transformed into the bus and they disembarked. She told Fox how they located the entrance to the Path of Aiyatsbus and about the moment she was dragged deeper into Mementos against her will. She then explained the appearance Anubis had taken and how frightened she was. When she met Fox's gaze, she couldn't help but smirk when seeing how enthralled he was with the story. She was deeply invested in telling the tale and hadn't realized they entered a segment.

Inside the room, they came face-to-face with Aiko Watanabe. The manager was mumbling to herself, failing to sense their presence. "Leaving me for someone like her... I'll make sure her life is hell!"

"Looks like Watanabe will be the first name to check off our list," Sphinx said, unsheathing her khopeshes.

Joker grabbed his dagger. "Let's make this quick."

And they did.

Watanabe's Shadow stood no chance against the phantom thieves. She begged for forgiveness before Joker told her how to atone for her wrongdoings. With a stern tone, the leader was able to convince the Shadow to return and confess her sins. Mona cheered victoriously before morphing back into a bus and exiting the segment once everyone was safely strapped in.

The phantom thieves descended to the Path of Aiyatsbus, where they were able to locate Takanashi and Shimizu. Like with Watanabe's Shadow, the group was able to knock them off their high horses and force them to have a change of heart. Now that all their targets had been dealt with, they headed to the end of the Path of Aiyatsbus. While they were exhausted from battling the numerous of Shadows, they pressed on for Sphinx's sake.

Arriving at their destination, Sphinx activated the Eye of Horus and sighed in relief when she saw the hieroglyphics were still present. With Mona, she walked over to the stone door and pressed her hand in the center of the immense golden hieroglyph of the God of the Skies, Horus. The duo stepped away from the door as they watched it slowly open. The sound of stone grinding against stone echoed throughout the area, creating a more eerie aura.

When all fell silent, Sphinx approached the escalators and peered down into the darkness. She could see hieroglyphics glowing in the shadows of Mementos, providing illumination. The moment she descended the first step of the escalator, she heard a menacing sound that was a combination of pained cry and an angry growl. Immediately, she stepped off the escalator and backed away.

"Wh-What was that...?" Mona whispered in fright. Like Sphinx, he slowly backed away from the escalators.

"Think it was a Shadow?" Skull asked.

"I-I don't think Shadows make that kind of noise," Panther responded.

Sphinx deactivated the Eye, feeling the same chilling presence as when she first met Anubis. "I think it's—"

A bloodcurdling shriek emanated from the darkness, silencing the girl. Fox wrapped his hand around the hilt of his katana, readying himself for battle. "We should be cautious."

Joker, being the brave soul he is, sauntered over to the escalators and stared into the darkness below. When another disembodied growl resounded around them, his eyes widened when he heard how close it was. Like his teammates, he backed away from the escalators when he heard the sound of scraping metal accompanying the angry snarl. The creaking of metal crescendoed as another bone-chilling screech came from only a few feet away. "Get back," Joker commanded his teammates. They didn't argue and put distance between them and whatever being was approaching them.

From the darkness crawled an anomaly covered in a tar-like substance. It dripped from the creature's body as it pulled itself up the escalators. Its claws pierced the metal, a gurgling sound coming from its throat before it screeched again. Once it hauled its body up the escalators, its glowing crimson eyes focused on the phantom thieves. They bounced from each person until landing on Sphinx.

The cerulean-eyed girl watched the creature's every movement as it focused its seemingly ominous gaze on her. Its size was much larger than hers, but she wasn't intimidated by it. The alarming presence she felt was radiating from this creature and she didn't even need to use the Eye to know it was another fragment of her heart.

Sphinx took a single step toward the tar creature but froze when two wings suddenly sprouted from its back. Tar droplets were flung everywhere as the appendages sprung open to reveal white feathers. The girl's eyes widen in astonishment at the sight. Before she could say the creature's name, it flapped its wings and flew straight toward her. She was bewildered at its speed, but she wasn't frightened of the creature. She could feel her connection to the creature and knew it felt the same. But unlike her, the shard recognized her allies as threats and would do anything in its power to protect her.

The creature snatched up Sphinx in its grasp and flew away in the direction the phantom thieves came from. What it had yet to notice was Joker had latched on to its back. It didn't notice the boy's presence until it felt a blade plunge into its back. A screech erupted from the creature's throat as it began flying recklessly to shake him off. It crashed against the walls and bulldozed through myriads of Shadows before its wings cracked and bent, preventing it from flying. Its large, tar-covered body fell to the ground.

Joker yanked his dagger out of the creature's back and leapt off, landing in a crouched position. He watched with wide eyes as it crashed into the ground with Sphinx still in its grasp. He ran toward the monster, praying she was uninjured. When he was only a few feet away, he immediately jumped back when one of its broken wings mended in seconds and lashed out toward him. A broken growl emitted from its throat as it turned its crimson gaze toward him, its body hunched over Sphinx's in a protective manner.

Joker was taken aback at the creature's protective nature and took a few steps back, sheathing his dagger. He kept his distance to show he wouldn't harm it or Sphinx. When he was about to try and speak to the monster, it threateningly snarled as it healed its other wing. It screeched loudly as both of its wings ricocheted outward. Joker ducked just in time to avoid the attack, but he remained on the ground when he saw the creature had been targeting the Shadows creeping out from the darkness. It was able to destroy the enemies with a single blow, leaving no traces behind.

Once all the Shadows were annihilated, the creature focused its rouge gaze on Sphinx. The young girl stared into its eyes as it began speaking to her. "Seven sins..." Just like Anubis, the creature was weak and could barely talk.

"What about the seven sins?" Sphinx pried.

"The sin...of gluttony..."

"Gluttony?"

The creature slowly nodded its head. "Find me...within the heart...of a sinner..." Its wings retracted into its back. "The Eye...shall guide you..."

Sphinx reaches up and places her hand against the creature's cheek. The second her hand made contact, the tar on its cheek retracted and revealed white feathers underneath. "I hope to find you soon, Horus."

It nodded its head. "Farewell..." Piece by piece, the creature's body evaporated into oblivion.

When Sphinx could no longer feel its presence, she pushed herself up into a sitting position and tucked her legs underneath her. "Gluttony, huh...? What could that possibly mean?"

Joker rushed to her aid and kneeled down in front of her, smirking. "Is this going to become a normal thing?"

The cerulean-eyed teen lifted her head and stared into his obsidian eyes. "I really hope not. I don't think my heart will be able to survive all this..."

"That was another fragment, wasn't it?" He asked.

"Yeah. If my hypothesis is correct, the fragment corresponds with the hieroglyph etched on the stone door. That creature must've been Horus. The wings and feathers are a dead giveaway, but that doesn't mean the other fragments will correspond with the hieroglyphics."

"It said something about gluttony. Do you think it has to deal with another Palace we have yet to discover?"

Sphinx shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not. I guess we won't know that answer until we find our next big target."

Joker offered her a hand and she took it. He helped her to her feet just as a familiar feline bus approached them. They climbed inside and were bombarded with questions. Panther, Skull, Fox, and Mona expressed their relief when seeing their friends were safe before asking about what happened. Joker and Sphinx answered all their teammates' questions as they headed back to the surface and returned to the real world.

|| 6/8 Wednesday ||
|| Evening ||

After splitting ways with everyone, Mikono headed to an arts and crafts store a little ways down the road from Shibuya Station. She browsed the aisles until coming across a section with a grand selection of beads. From color to style, there were tons of options she could choose from. Deciding on something basic, she grabbed a small pouch of wooden beads and two small turquoise stones that matched the scarab stone. Next, she grabbed some black string before heading to the register and buying everything she had picked up. She left the store with a small plastic bag in her grasp and headed home.

Mikono greeted her parents as she walked through the front door. Ichika told her dinner would be done soon as she ascended the stairs. Inside her room, the girl sat at her desk and began assembling the scarab bracelet. She threaded the beads with the black string before sliding the scarab stone on. She repeated the process until she tied a knot and completed the bracelet. A smile graced her face as she examined it.

All of a sudden, Mikono's phone buzzed. Looking down, she saw Ryuji was messaging the group chat.

Ryuji: You know how we're going to that TV station tomorrow, yeah?

Ryuji: I'm thinking we might find our next target there.

Mikono: You might be right, Ryuji. Who knows what juicy gossip we'll hear while we're there.

Ann: Oh, that's right!

Ann: You always hear about how celebrities are involved in all sorts of shady business.

Akira: I haven't heard that. But still, we could find a lead.

Ryuji: With that much money, they've prolly got their fingers in all sorts of dirty business.

Yusuke: Hm...

Yusuke: That phrasing has quite the immoral ring to it...

Ryuji: Dude, you always react to the weirdest stuff...

Ann: Anyway, we get to observe a live recording of a show, right?

Mikono: That's what I've heard.

Akira: Guess we'll see tomorrow.

Ryuji: Ooh, maybe we're gonna be on TV!

Ann: We'll just be in the crowd, remember? Any TV appearance would be for like, two seconds.

Yusuke: Hm. Try not to pull any fanciful stunts to gather attention, okay?

Mikono: That means you, Ryuji.

Ryuji: You're always singling me out...

Mikono: You know I love teasing you~!

Ryuji: Whatever...

|| 6/9 Thursday ||
|| Morning ||

At the TV station, Mikono stood beside Akira as they listened to a PR woman as she escorted their class around the studio. The cerulean-eyed girl crossed her arms, sighing as she was forced to listen to the woman. "She's talking to us like we're a bunch of five year olds..."

"Seriously..." Ann groaned, rolling her eyes. "Can this get any more boring?"

Mikono looked up at her boyfriend and noticed his eyes were closed. His head hung limp to the side with his hands in his pocket. She poked his cheek repeatedly and whispered his name. When his eyelids opened slightly, she tugged on his cheek to wake him up. "As much as I would love to fall asleep too, try to stay awake. Ms. Kawakami is watching us."

Akira grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently. "I can't promise anything. Just make sure you catch me if I do fall asleep while standing up."

"I can't make any promises, either," she snickered.

The girl turned her gaze back to the PR woman, who began talking about sponsors. "I'm sure you know about commercial breaks? Well, those are actually sponsor-related product placements. To sum things up—"

"Kill me now..." Mikono grumbled.

"So sleepy..." Akira mumbled tiredly.

Ryuji crosses his arms, glancing at his friend and noticing the distant, somnolent look in his eyes. "He ain't even listenin'..."

"For example, soap-opera reruns are shown in the day, whereas alluring news women are broadcast at night," the PR woman continued. "Thus, the scheduling department is where we decide what time we broadcast which program. I suppose you could say it's the place where the scheduling is determined."

"Am I dead yet?" Mikono asked. "Is this my personal Hell?"

"Could this get any more obvious?" Ann sighed.

"So sleepy..." Akira murmured a second time.

Ann turned her head and glanced at the bespectacled boy. "Wow... He's not even listening to what we said..."

"I think Akira's batteries are running low on juice," Mikono stated.

The PR woman, who was oblivious to the teens' murmuring, continued sharing information to the class. "So, the best parts are taken from the footage in order to cut down the program to the desired length. The place where this filmed footage is edited would be the editing room."

Morgana managed to unzip Akira's bag from the inside and poked his head out. "Hey, how much longer does this go?"

"Hopefully not much longer..." Mikono remarked.

"I swear," Ryuji yawned. "I'm not gonna last..."

Out of the blue, a man in a suit shoved Akira, Morgana, and Mikono aside, earning a strangled grunt from the animal. The teens regained their balance before they fell to the floor. "Hey...!" The girl hissed, glaring at the man's back as he approached the PR woman.

"What's going on?" The man demanded, glaring at the woman. "I can't stand all this noise."

Ryuji scowled at him when he saw what he did to his friends. "Hey, assho—!"

"My apologies! I'll have them leave right away!" The PR woman shouted over the blonde. She then directed her attention back to the students of Shujin Academy. "Now then, it's time for a bit of hands-on experience!"

The students scattered, but Ann, Ryuji, Mikono, and Akira remained together. The chocolate-eyed boy's brows furrowed as he faced the others. "Dammit... Who does that jerk think he is?"

Akira was still weary and barely registered Ryuji's words. Mikono went to share her thoughts but stopped when a man in an indigo jacket approached her and Ann. The two girls grimaced when they saw how he was eyeing them with a mischievous glint in his eyes and a playboy grin on his face. "Hey there. You two wanna be on TV?"

"Huh?" Ann muttered, eyes widening in shock at his offer.

"Why?" Mikono glowered at him, abhorring how his eyes raked over her body and Ann's.

"You both got slammin' bods, after all," he creepily chuckled.

"Um, we're on a school trip," Ann said, trying not to be rude.

"Just gimme a call if you guys are interested." He took a step toward the inky-haired girl, invading her personal space. "I'd greatly welcome a message from both of you, day or night."

Mikono went to retort, but she felt a tug on her arm. When she realized Akira pulled her away from the stranger and stood in front of her, she could only stare at his back. With a sharp glare, the boy conveyed his feelings clearly without having to mutter a single syllable. The man swallowed nervously as he took a couple steps back.

Ann glances at Akira with a sigh. "Oh, so now he's listening...?"

"Greatly welcome, my ass," Ryuji scoffed. "It's obvious what he's after. Do these rotten adults care about anything other than looks?! I'll yank their stupid hearts out, dammit!"

"Will you quiet down?!" Morgana snarled. "You're supposed to be acting like good students today!"

Ms. Kawakami overheard their incoherent whispering and walked over with a displeased frown. "I understand you're bored, but please don't cause any trouble. Okay?"

The man in the indigo jacket, who was still being glared at by Akira, looked around with a nervous sweat. "Well then, uhhh... L-Let's have you see what it's like to be an AC. Oh, that stands for "assistant camera." W-When we're moving cameras, we need people who'll keep the cables from getting tangled up." He cleared his throat when he realized how shaky his voice was from Akira's ferocious glare. He decided to get a little payback. "The blonde will do. He seems like he's got energy to spare anyway. Guy next to him, you can come too if you're feeling lonely. C'mon, hurry up and grab the cables!"

Mikono grabbed the back of Akira's shirt and tugged gently. When he turned around to face her, she said, "Just do as he says before you glare a hole straight through him." She then looked over at Ryuji. "Both of you."

The blonde hung his head with a frustrated sigh. "Dammit... This sucks!"

"I didn't sign up for this..." Akira groaned as he and his friend followed the man.

"Urghhh, what a pain in the ass!"

Ann and Mikono watched in amusement as the two boys became tied up in the wires as they tried to prevent them from tangling together. Ryuji tripped over one of the wires, taking Akira down with him when he fell. Both boys groaned in pain as the blonde murmured, "This is totally killin' my vibe..."

|| 6/9 Thursday ||
|| Afternoon ||

After having battled valiantly with the cables, Akira and Ryuji left to head to the restroom. Ann and Mikono waited for them to return, chatting amongst themselves. As they were, the man who was pestering them earlier returned. Mikono's eye twitched in annoyance when he proceeded to flirt with both of them after seeing Akira and Ryuji weren't around. Before he could lay a hand on either of them, the sable-haired girl jammed the heel of her shoe against his toes. "Get lost," she growled, glaring dagger at him.

The man, frightened by her threatening aura, dashed off with a limp in his stride. Ann smirked at the sight of the cowering stranger as he stormed off. "That's what he gets for being a scumbag."

Mikono crosses her arms. "I wanted to punch him, but then I remembered we're on a school trip."

When the two girls heard yelling from the hallway about manual labor, they knew exactly who it was. Groaning, they left the recording stage and followed the shouting until they located Akira and Ryuji.

"Quiet down, will you?" Ann hissed. "I get how you feel though... That sucked for all of us."

Akira places a hand against his back. "I think I pulled something moving those cables..."

"You sound like an old man," Mikono snorted with laughter. "You fought three powerful Shadows yesterday and were perfectly fine. But now, you've thrown out your back because of cables? Were they really formidable opponents?"

"I've never fought a tougher opponent than those cables," Akira playfully retorts. "I really hope we don't have to go through with round two tomorrow. I don't think I'll be able to win."

Ryuji sighed dramatically, hanging his head. "We gotta do more of this tomorrow too...?"

"No flaking out, Ryuji," Morgana commented.

"I know, I know. I gotta be a "good boy," right?"

"It'd be easier if you were a "good boy" all the time," Mikono retorts. "Maybe I should bring treats along."

"I ain't a dog!" He pouted like a child. Another sigh escaped his lips as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Bein' phantom thieves ain't easy..."

"That reminds me, we get to go home straight from here today. We don't spend much time in this area, so why don't we relax and check out some shops beforehand?" Ann asked with an exuberant smile.

"Ooh, I know a place!" Morgana shouted, grabbing everyone's attention. "I wanna go to that huge pancake-looking place we passed on the way here! It looked delicious! What was that?"

"Ohhh... You mean Dome Town?" Ryuji stared at the feline peering over Akira's shoulder. "The round part is a baseball stadium, then along the outside they've got an amusement park."

"It's right in the middle of a business area, but they have some pretty hardcore rides there too," Ann added.

Morgana nodded with a determined expression. "All right... Let's go! I'll show you just how courageous I am!"

"Going on a scary ride doesn't really prove any kind of courage."

Ryuji folded his arms across his chest. "Not like cats can get on anyways."

"Really?" The feline asked with a hint of relief.

"Really," the blonde smirked. "You might be able to sneak in if you stay in the bag, but you'd totally puke if you did that. But, uh... Let's just go to Dome Town! I'm really feelin' it now!"

"Me too!" Ann chirped. "My stomach's ready for roller coasters!"

The animal winced at the thought of riding a roller coaster. "Uhhh...I think I'll pass on the puke rides..."

"I've never ridden a roller coaster before. This will be my first time riding one. I'm kinda excited," Mikono smiled. Looking around at her friends, she noticed they were staring at her with dumbfounded expressions. "What?"

"Dude, do you realize how sad that sounded?" Ryuji asked.

"It didn't sound sad."

"Did your parents ever take you to an amusement park in Egypt?" Ann asked.

She shook her head. "No. I never had the urge to go to an amusement park. I had so much fun with my parents that I really didn't think much of roller coasters or waterslides."

"Then this is definitely the perfect opportunity to go to Dome Town," Akira said.

Just then, someone walked down the hallway and stopped when spotting the group. "Excuse me, I couldn't help but notice your uniforms. Are you students of Shujin Academy?"

Mikono recognizes the person's voice. She turned her head, eyes wide. "Akechi-kun?"

The shaggy-haired boy smiled at her. "Hello, Tsutsui-chan. I didn't realize it was you until now."

"Did you need something?" She asked politely.

"I happened to be passing by, so it seemed polite to greet you. We'll be filming together, after all." Goro looked around at the the group. "Ah, where are my manners? I should properly introduce myself. My name is Goro Akechi."

"Akechi...?" Ann muttered.

"Filming?" Ryuji's eyes widen. "I thought you were some kinda detective. Ain't you the one who worked on Mikky's case? Didn't know you were a celebrity, too."

Goro continued to smile. "Yes, I was working alongside Chief Goto to apprehend Takahashi. As for being a celebrity, I'm only one to the extent of appearing on TV a couple of times."

"Oh...!" Ann gasped in realization after finally being able to recognize the detective.

The shaggy-haired boy's smile fell after checking the time. "My apologies, I truly was just passing by. I must be going. There's a briefing for tomorrow's recording that I have to attend." Out of the blue, Goro's smile returned as he did a complete 180 with the topic. "So, you're going to go have cake now? I missed lunch today, so I'm quite hungry myself."

"Huh? Cake? What're you talkin' about?" Ryuji inquired, puzzled.

"Oh, am I mistaken?" Goro's eyes widen a fraction. "I thought I heard something about delicious pancakes."

Mikono's brows furrowed. She wondered how Goro had heard Morgana and the strange foreboding feeling she felt from the boy at the museum a couple days ago returned. She covered her suspicious demeanor with a mask of calmness. "I'm sorry, Akechi-kun, but we're actually going to Dome Town to have some fun."

The chestnut-eyed boy smiled at her. "I see. No matter. Welp, see you tomorrow."

Mikono waved to the detective as he walked away. Ryuji hooked his thumbs through his belt. "There ain't no way that guy's a real detective. He's gotta be some kinda start-up entertainer or something. He's never gonna get popular with that kinda hair though."

"You don't get it..." Ann sighed in disbelief.

"Akechi-kun is a real detective, Ryuji. And he's also..." Mikono's voice trailed off. She remembered what the detective said and exhaled through her nose. "You know what, you'll just have to wait 'til tomorrow to learn the truth."

The blonde shrugged his shoulders with a grin. "Eh, it's fine. I can wait. C'mon, let's go to Dome Town!"

"H-Hey, can we skip the vomit machines and get cake instead?" Morgana begged.

"Don't worry, Morgana. We won't force you to ride any roller coasters," Mikono smiled at the feline. "I'm not even sure how I'll handle the rides myself. It might be just me and you hanging out together while the others ride roller coasters."

His eyes gleamed with hope. "We could get cake together!"

She giggled. "We'll definitely get cake."

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