|| 6/16 Thursday ||
|| After School ||

At the end of the school day, the group rendezvoused at Teikyu Building Accessway in Shibuya. Akira, Ryuji, Ann, Mikono, and Morgana were the first to arrive and they waited for Yusuke. A few minutes ticked by and the artist soon arrived.

"Mkay, we're all here," Ryuji stated.

"There sure are a lot of high schoolers during the day," Ann commented. "They must be targeting them somehow. You said a man just approached you out of the blue, right, Mikono?"

"Yeah," said girl replied. "He walked up to me and asked if I needed a part-time job."

Yusuke sighed. "It will be quite difficult for us to locate the same man given the number of people around."

"We may not be able to locate the same man, but we have to do this," Akira said.

"We don't have to find the same man. The mafia has myriads of men working for them. We only have to find one," Mikono explained.

Ryuji nodded exuberantly, grinning. "Right! We're gonna grab 'em by the tail!"

Ann looked toward their leader. "As we discussed yesterday, you should head over to Central Street, Akira."

The boy grabbed his bag and placed the straps on his shoulder. "Guess I'll head over now."

"Sweet," Ryuji said. "Let's get goin'! Lemme know if you find any shady people."

The group went their separate ways in search of answers. Mikono's first stop was Crescent Gallery. She entered the building and scanned the sea of faces as they admired the current collection on display. As she searched for any suspicious figures amongst the crowd, she noticed how many high schoolers were enjoying the art exhibit. She noted how places like the art gallery and the museum were perfect places for the mafia to pick their next victim.

Passing a few high schoolers wearing Shujin Academy uniforms, Mikono made her way over to Dr. Ito. He was currently residing on the sidelines, sitting on one of the many cushy benches available around the art gallery. She sat down beside him and gazed up at the painting he was admiring. A girl was floating in a rowboat in the middle of the ocean. There wasn't another soul around, nor was there a slither of land. She was leaning over the side of the rowboat, trailing her finger across the water's surface. In the ripples, there was an image of a beautiful city.

"Magnificent, isn't it?" Dr. Ito asked.

"It truly is beautiful," Mikono replied.

The man turned his gaze toward the young girl. "I know you're not here to discuss art, Mikono-chan. What brings you here today?"

"Sharp as ever," she giggled. "I came here to ask a few questions."

"Ask away, my dear," he smiled at her.

Mikono didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point. "Have there been any shady people hanging around the gallery recently?"

"An odd question, but now that you mention it...there have," he replied. "We've received quite a few complaints from many guests about being followed around and questioned as they walked around the gallery."

"Have you been able to catch one of these people stalking others?"

Dr. Ito shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. Although, Dr. Yamamoto and I have reviewed the surveillance footage and have distinguished a few strange people who've recently come through the art gallery."

Mikono tilted her head in curiosity. "What made them stand out?"

"They all shared the same fashion sense and were clearly not interested in the artwork on display. They also kept approaching kids around your age. A few even left with them."

Mikono flew to her feet with a grateful smile. "Thank you so much, Dr. Ito. I really appreciate this."

He chuckled. "I only answered your questions yet you are this grateful? What is this about, Mikono-chan?"

She couldn't tell him the truth, which is why she already had the perfect lie in mind. "A few people at my school have asked me to look into it. They were wondering if these people were working for the art gallery. By the way you described them, they clearly don't."

"Oh," Dr. Ito hummed. "I see. Well, rest assured. Such shady characters are not employees."

"I'll tell my classmates to avoid them. Thanks again, Dr. Ito!" Mikono raced out of the art gallery and toward the museum. As she ran down the street, she slowed down when she heard a familiar jingle. Pulling out her phone, she read through the messages in the group chat.

Ryuji: Miss President's here. I walked past her at the station.

Mikono: Wait... Niijima-san is here?

Ryuji: Unfortunately...

Yusuke: Is she keeping an eye on us?

Ann: Maybe. I guess she's curious about all of this.

Ryuji: Well let's just ignore her if she's not getting in our way.

Ryuji: More importantly, how're things on your guys' end?

Ann: Nothing so far. I'm going to try staking out the underground walkway.

Mikono: I discovered the art gallery has been receiving a few strange visitors who like stalking high schoolers. I'm not sure if they're mafia or just creeps, but I'm heading to the museum next.

Ryuji: Then I'll check around the Inogami Line. I guess I'll get there from the underground.

Yusuke: I will gather some more intel in the underground shopping mall as well.

Yusuke: Please continue on your end, Akira.

Akira: All right.

Akira: If anyone finds out something, text us immediately.

Ryuji: Gotcha.

Mikono put her phone away and continued down the street. She arrived at the museum, entering the large building and immediately being greeted by the head of security, Daisuke Amano. He tipped his hat with a faint smile. "Your next shift isn't until Saturday, Tsutsui-chan. What brings you here on your day off? Are you here to see your parents?"

"No. I...was hoping you could shed some light on something that's bothering me," she answered.

"What's on your mind?" He inquired.

"I overheard a few students at my school talking about how some strange men were following them around the museum a couple days ago. Did anything happen? I didn't remember seeing anything during my shift."

"There was one instant where I had to escort a man out the back entrance a couple days ago. He was bugging a girl from your school. She said he was asking her some weird questions and wouldn't leave her alone," Daisuke responded.

"What kind of questions?"

"Something about a part-time job and if she needed some money."

"That is rather odd..." She tapped her cheek with her finger. "Has this man returned?"

"No, but I had to escort out a couple more weirdos yesterday. They were pestering more high schoolers."

Mikono lowered her hand. "Thanks for answering my questions, Amano-kun. You've no idea how much you've helped me."

"Of course, Tsutsui-chan. I'm glad I could help," Daisuke said.

She waved at the security guard before heading to the rear entrance of the museum. She stepped outside, entering the alleyway located behind the building. Looking up and down the alleyway, she spotted a homeless man sitting by a pile of trash bags. Cautiously, she approached the frail, dirty man. "Excuse me, sir."

The homeless man looked up at her and asked with his gravely voice, "What do you want, kid?"

"Just some answers." She peered into his dull eyes.

"Eh, what the hell?" He sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "Ask whatever ya want. I ain't got nothin' to hide."

"Were you here a couple days ago?" She asked.

"Yeah, I was."

"Did you see a security guard escort a man out of this building?"

"Uh..." The homeless man glanced at the metal door not too far from where he sat. "Yeah. What 'bout it?"

"Did he say anything as he left?" She questioned.

"The guy was mumblin' to himself about how his boss was gonna kill him for failin' his job. That's it."

Mikono pulled out her wallet from her school bag and handed the man 2,000 yen. "Thank you, sir, for helping me. I hope you can buy yourself a few meals with this."

The homeless man took the bill from her with wide eyes. "Thanks, kid. I 'preciate it."

She offered him a smile before leaving the alleyway. As she sauntered down the main road toward Central Street, her phone buzzed and she promptly fished it out of her school bag.

Ann: How's it going, Akira? Have you found anything?

Akira: Maybe a little.

Yusuke: Ah, so you've grasped something already. As to be expected of someone like you, Akira.

Ann: Why don't we just go over the intel we've gathered so far?

Akira: Good idea. Who'll go first?

Ryuji: I'll start.

Ryuji: Supposedly some guy near the accessway talking about some kinda "strong drug."

Ryuji: I'm not counting on anything, but I'll go check it out.

Ann: As for me, I heard about someone soliciting a "high-paying job" in the station plaza.

Ann: Apparently they're mostly targeting girls, which kinda does explain what happened to Mikono yesterday. I'll go see what it's about.

Yusuke: On my end, I heard there are people saying strange things in the back alley near the arcade.

Yusuke: Something about ice and vegetables, and something about snow tomorrow...

Yusuke: I will go observe, just in case. The arcade is on Central Street, correct?

Akira: Yeah.

Akira: What about you, Mikono? Find anything?

Mikono: Amano-kun told me he had to escort a few men out of the museum recently because they were bugging guests. He said they were pestering high schoolers.

Mikono: I then talked to a homeless man who happened to overhear one of the men Amano-kun escorted out. He overheard the man mumbling to himself about his boss and how he was going to kill him for failing his job.

Mikono: It's nothing solid, but their actions align with the suspicious men who've visited the art gallery. If they are mafia, then the museum AND art gallery are prowling grounds for these creeps.

Akira: Good work.

Ryuji: Where you gonna go now, Mikky?

Mikono: I'm going to Station Square then to Central Street.

Mikono: I'm gonna see if I can find the man who approached me yesterday.

Ann: Be careful, Mikono.

Mikono: No need to worry. I'll text you guys if things go south.

The girl placed her phone back in her bag and headed to Station Square. She stood by the statue of Hachikō, looking around at the crowd as they moved to and fro the train station. She searched for the face of the man who approached her yesterday but wasn't able to locate him. She trotted around Station Square, checking all the places he could possibly be waiting for his next target. When she couldn't find him anywhere, she huffed out a sigh of annoyance before departing for Central Street.

Mikono sauntered down Central Street, looking around at the many people who were shopping. She peered into the windows of the myriads of stores in search of the man she was seeking. Her search soon bore fruit when she overheard a familiar voice from the alleyway the gym was located in. Peeking her head around the corner of the building, she saw Akira, Niijima, and the man she's been looking for. Unlike yesterday, he was sporting a dress shirt with the collar popped and the first couple buttons undone.

Overhearing their conversation, Mikono realized Akira and Niijima were struggling with the man. An idea popped into her head and she patted her cheeks a few times. "Time for a performance." She stepped into the alleyway and inhaled deeply before screaming and jabbing a finger at Akira. "So this is where you've been!"

Akira and Niijima's eyes widen in bewilderment at her sudden outburst. The man turned around with a bored expression and faced the girl as she stomped down the alleyway. "The hell is this about?"

Akira watched his girlfriend's every movement as she was heading straight for him with a furious expression. "M-Mikono...?"

The inky-haired girl glared daggers at him as she pushed past the stranger. She then looked over at Niijima, who was dumbfounded by her rage, before pointing at her. "You've been cheating on me with her?!"

The student council president gasped. "W-Wait...!"

"Th-That's not...!" Akira has yet to see through her act and tried to defend himself.

"I won't fall for your lies!" Mikono bellowed. She then suddenly spun around and jabbed her finger in the man's face. "And you! You're that creep from yesterday! He hired you to stop me, didn't he?!"

"Eh?" The man stared at her in confusion. He examined her appearance for a few seconds before being struck with realization. "You're that chick who told me to go to Hell."

"So your memory isn't rusty, huh? " She scoffed. Stomping her feet, she stalked toward the man with a ferocious glare. "My boyfriend hired you so he could get away with cheating! You're trying to collect your payment, aren't you?!"

The stranger, frightened by the short girl, took a few steps back. "I-I don't have any idea what you're tryna accuse me of, lady!"

"Don't play dumb!" Mikono hissed.

The man shrieked in fear, falling to the ground as he tripped over his own feet. "I-I swear! I was only asking these two if they needed a part-time job. That's it!"

"You really think I'm gonna buy that?!"

"I-I'm telling the truth! I'm only doing what my boss says to do!"

Mikono grabbed the man by his collar with both hands and hauled him to his feet. She pulled him close until her face was only a few inches away from his. "Get the hell out of here," she growled. She released him, tossing his body to the ground.

The man scooted away, staring into the girl's menacing eyes. Another screech of fear emitted from the man as he scrambled to his feet and ran away.

Akira and Niijima, who were still in shock, stared at the cowering man's form as he stormed off. Once he was out of sight, the bespectacled boy looked toward his frightening girlfriend. The moment he reached out to place his hand on her shoulder, she spun around and he saw a smile plastered on her face.

"So, how'd I do?" Mikono casually asked.

"Wh-What...?" Niijima stuttered.

"You were...acting?" Akira asked, eyes wide as saucers.

The cerulean-eyed girl nodded. "Yeah. I saw you two were struggling and decided to intervene."

"I must confess, I'm shocked," Niijima commented. "I never thought you could get so angry, Tsutsui-san. You even managed to get some information out of him."

"It wasn't much, but it's something. He's also the same creep who approached me yesterday."

"So all that was an act?" Akira asked, still trying to wrap his head around what just happened. "You're not accusing me of cheating?"

"I know you're not cheating on me, Akira," Mikono giggled. "There's nothing to worry about."

The boy sighed in relief. "Thank goodness..."

"You two are dating?" Niijima questioned.

"Yeah," Mikono replied.

Before the student council president could make a remark, Akira's and Mikono's phones buzzed. The couple pulled out the devices and opened the group chat.

Ryuji: How about it? Wanna meet up?

Akira: Let's do it.

Ann: Do you think it's safe though?

Ann: We did ask tons of people, so there's a chance we're getting followed.

Yusuke: Just to be safe, we should refrain from doing anything to make ourselves stand out.

Yusuke: The sun will be setting soon, so let us disband for today and report on our findings tomorrow.

Ann: Why don't we meet at karaoke tomorrow? We can talk in private, and it'll be cheap after school.

Yusuke: Ah, that must be what they call hustle hour.

Ryuji: Dude, it's muscle hour.

Ryuji: Wait, is that wrong too?

Mikono: Totally wrong.

Akira: I think you mean happy hour.

Ann: Muscle hour just sounds sweaty...

Ann: Anyway, see you guys at karaoke tomorrow.

Mikono placed her phone back in her bag with a sigh of exhaustion. "We've been running around Shibuya for a couple hours now. I'm exhausted." She looked toward Niijima but noticed she was gone. "Well, Miss President didn't stick around for long..."

"Mikono," Akira called out to the girl.

"Hm?" She turned to face him but gasped when he pushed her against the building, placing his hands on either side of her head. She stared up into his obsidian eyes when he gazed down at her. "A-Akira, what's wrong?" The boy didn't answer her question as he leant in closer. His hands moved away from the stone wall to her cheeks, cradling them gently.

Mikono's eyes widen as Akira's face slowly approached hers. Time felt as if it had slowed down, but her heart was unaffected as it continued to pound rapidly inside her chest. She felt his lips brush against hers, but the feeling was fleeting. His hands fell from her cheeks and hung limp at his sides. He leaned his forehead against her shoulder with a groan of annoyance. "Dammit..."

"Is everything okay, Akira?" She asked, placing her hands on his chest.

"I always chicken out when the perfect opportunity arises," he replied. "Why is this so difficult?"

"I think you're letting your nerves get the better of you," Mikono said. "You may see an opening, but that doesn't mean you should take it. Don't force yourself, okay? I know we both want the same thing, but the time will come."

"Yeah," he lifted his head off her shoulder. "You're right."

"C'mon, let's go home." Mikono grabbed his hands and entwined her fingers with his. Hand in hand, the couple walked to the train station before going their separate ways.

|| 6/17 Friday ||
|| After School ||

Inside a private room at karaoke, the group sat around and discussed what all happened yesterday during their search. When they realized none of them were able to discover the mafia boss' name, Ryuji bellowed, "For real?! We didn't get anything?!"

Mikono went to scold him for shouting but was distracted when she heard the people in the room next to theirs singing. She cringed at how out of tune they were as they sang. Ann glared in their general direction and mumbled, "God, they suck..."

"I'll say," Mikono agreed. "I never knew someone could be so out of tune..."

"I've got goosebumps from how terrible they sound," Akira commented.

The group listened to the terrible singing for a few more seconds before Ryuji groaned, "Man, we're goin' nowhere with this..." He glances around at the faces of his friends. "Hey, can't we ask Miss President to change it up?"

Ann gaped in shock at the boy's question. "You mean...change our target?"

"We just gotta show her our justice to satisfy her, right? There are tons of shitty adults in this world. It's not like it matters who we're goin' after." Ryuji leaned back against the couch with a sigh. "She says this is for the students, but I bet it's just so she can go brag about it on college apps."

Mikono, who sat between Ryuji and Akira with Morgana in her lap, shook her head as she stroked her fingers along the feline's spine. "We're not changing our target. After learning they're using the museum and the art gallery to locate their next victims, there's no way I'm turning my back to this. The mafia must be stopped and we have to save those who are being threatened by them."

"She's right, Ryuji," Ann said. "The mafia's stealing money from kids. We can't just accept that! It doesn't matter who the target came from anymore."

"They're both right," Yusuke spoke up. "We want to give courage to the weak. Isn't this the perfect target to accomplish that goal?"

"The mafia are criminals. This isn't another incident like Kamoshida or Madarame. People will know of our justice if we deal a heavy blow to the mafia. It's-" Mikono was interrupted when more terrible singing came from the room next door. She groaned, hanging her head in annoyance. "This is ridiculous..."

"They really have no talent..." Yusuke sighed.

"I never thought it'd be this noisy if you weren't singin'," Ryuji grumbled. "Anyways, I'm sure we'll shut Akechi up if we pull this off, but-"

"You really hate Akechi that much?" Mikono interrupted him.

"And you don't?" He threw his own question back at her.

"No," she commented. "He's just one person. I'll admit his views do influence the minds of others, but we're not acting as the Phantom Thieves to get famous. I want to prove him wrong, too, but remember what our true endgame in all of this is."

"Exactly," Morgana chimed in. "But all this will be useless if we don't find any clues. It all comes down to intel in the end. If we don't start finding tips on that front, we'll never get any further than this."

"There has to be someone who has what we need," Yusuke stated.

"What about the media?" Akira proposed.

"That's right! What about that journalist?" Ann questioned.

"You mean that woman who was staking out Madarame's house?" Morgana inquired.

Ryuji's eyes widen when a bell rings inside his head. "Oh yeahhh!"

"I completely forgot about her until now. Do you still have her card, Akira?" Mikono asked the boy to his left.

"I think so." Akira searched his pockets before scavenging through his bag. When he located the card, he pulled it out and read what was printed on the front. "It says Ichiko Ohya of Maiasa Newspaper."

"This is for a rather major publication," Yusuke commented.

"You think we can trust her?" Ryuji pondered.

"Only one way to find out," Mikono answered. She leaned her head on Akira's shoulder as she peered at the card in his hand. "It has her phone number and email on it, right?"

"Yeah," the bespectacled boy responded.

"Okay, let's contact her!" Ann chanted with a wink.

Akira pulled out his phone and began typing up an email to send to Ohya. He scanned over his message before sending it to the email printed on the card.

Just then, the phone inside the room rang. Ann stood up and took the call from the front desk. "Oh, yes. Thank you." She covered the transmitter, looking around at her friends. "He says our time's up. Should we extend it?"

"Happy hour's over, yeah?" Ryuji met the girl's azure gaze. "C'mon, let's just go."

Ann passed on the message to the front desk before hanging up.

"How wasteful!" Yusuke grabbed his drink and took a larger gulp than he had anticipated. He placed the glass down on the table with a 'clank' just as he erupted into a coughing fit. Everyone watched silently as they listened to the artist cough. Once he was able to clear his throat, he leaned forward with a groan.

"Are you okay, Yusuke?" Mikono asked.

"Y-Yes, I am fine," he replied, placing a hand on his chest.

"Anyways, guess we just gotta wait for that journalist to email us back," Ryuji stated. "Let us know ASAP when she responds! Got it, Akira?"

"Yeah," said boy replied.

The group fell silent when they heard the people in the next room beginning to sing again. Mikono promptly grabbed her bag, placed it on her shoulder, and picked Morgana up in her arms as she stood up. "My brain can't handle this terrible singing any longer. I'm heading home."

"Are you going to take me with you?" Morgana asked, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

She glanced down at the animal. "Do you want to come with me?"

"I thought your parents didn't allow pets," Ryuji remarks.

"It'll be only for tonight. I can tell my parents Morgana ran away and I found him on my way home. There's no way they'll say no since they know Morgana belongs to Akira."

The blonde grinned. "You gonna lie, huh? You've been doin' a lot of that lately."

Mikono glared at him. "Oh, shut it." She hugged the cat close to her chest before smiling down at him. "C'mon, Morgana. Let's go. I'll give you some fish and rice when we get home."

He smiled back at her. "I can't wait!"

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