A/n: College has been hectic and I'm currently drowning in assignments, but I did find some time to type up these next three chapters. I also wanted to let you all know why Mikono "bullies" Ryuji. It's because I pictured them having a brother/sister relationship and if you have siblings, you know exactly what I'm talking about when I mention bullying/teasing. Love you all!!!
~✨Celestial✨~
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|| 6/19 Sunday ||
|| Daytime ||

While waiting for the others in Station Square, Mikono paced back and forth in front of Akira and Morgana. She nibbled on the tip of her thumbnail nervously. "Ryuji's totally gonna kill us when he gets here..."

Akira watched his girlfriend as she stalked back and forth at a high speed. "This is Ryuji we're talking about. There's nothing to worry about, Mikono."

"But still!" She shrieked, entangling her fingers in her hair and yanking. "I had a terrible lapse in judgement and let Ryuji get dragged away by two strange men!"

"I doubt they did anything to him, Lady Mikono," Morgana stated. "Even if they tried anything, I'm positive he would've been able to run away before anything bad happened to him. Ryuji's not THAT dumb, I don't think."

Mikono continued pacing until Ann and Yusuke showed up. She managed to calm down for a short while until Ryuji appeared a few minutes later. When seeing his sharp glare, she grabbed Akira by the arms and pushed him in front of her. She edged him toward the blonde, using him as a human shield.

"I can't believe you guys ditched me yesterday! I almost entered a world I want nothing to do with," Ryuji hissed.

The cerulean-eyed girl peeked our from behind Akira, offering her best friend a nervous smile. "I-I'm really sorry about that, Ryuji."

The boy stared into her eyes for a few seconds before rubbing the back of his neck with a sigh. "Fine. You're forgiven." He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he could never stay mad for a very long time at her.

Unlike Mikono, Akira grinned and decided to tease him. "You seem fine. How was it?"

Ryuji frowned at their leader. "It was horrible! And wipe that effin' grin off your face, man!"

Ann, like Yusuke, was confused at what the others were referring to. "What're you talking about?"

"Nothing!" Ryuji snapped, wishing to purge his mind of any images of the night before. "Just start it up, Yusuke."

The artist pulled out his phone and opened the Meta Nav app. He typed in Kaneshiro's full name and heard a familiar computerized voice tell him there was a candidate. "Okay, I entered Kaneshiro's name into the Nav. And just as expected, it's a hit."

"All we need now are the two other keywords: what he thinks of as his Palace, and where it is. But we don't have any clues other than people falling victim around here..." Morgana said. "We'll just have to try whatever keywords we can come up with."

"Urgh, that's gonna be impossible..." Ryuji groaned.

"On the contrary," Mikono spoke up, emerging from behind Akira. "We're talking about a mafia boss, not some person who travels around the world. Since Kaneshiro does none of the dirty work himself, it should be easy to find the other two keywords."

"You do realize Shibuya has tons of buildings, right?"

"I know!" She retorts. "Like I said, we're talking about a mafia boss. What does the mafia like the most?"

"Money," Akira replied.

"Exactly! That narrows down our choices."

"That's true," Ann said.

"There's only one place that manages money," Mikono stated.

Akira was the first to figure it out. "It has to be a bank."

The Meta Nav app beeped, accepting the word. Everyone grinned, satisfied they made progress.

"So, he thinks of somewhere in this city as his own bank!" Yusuke proclaimed.

"I thought it'd be something less realistic," Ann confessed. "That's all it is, huh?"

"The mafia is a fearsome group, but they all share the same end goal: to get rich," Mikono explained.

"Maybe I should join the mafia," Akira chimed in. "I could use the money."

The inky-haired girl elbowed him in the side lightly. "Hey, focus. We're trying to locate Kaneshiro's Palace, not wonder whether we should join the mafia."

"Now then, what location would Kaneshiro think of as his bank?" Morgana inquired, setting the conversation back on course.

"If we're talkin' about a place where he keeps his cash, maybe his hideout?" Ryuji pondered.

"How about a real bank?" Ann suggested.

"His cognition wouldn't be distorted in that case," Morgana answered.

The fake blonde's brow furrowed together in frustration. "Dammit, we ain't gettin' anywhere..."

Yusuke looked around at his friends. "This may be difficult to explain, but doesn't it seem we're thinking a little too inside the box? Palaces emanate a passionate madness. It feels as though we're missing that aspect."

"The hell're you talkin' about...?" Ryuji grumbled, hooking his thumbs onto his belt.

"This Palace is a bank for someone who extorts money with criminal acts. It's something more..."

Ann hung her head with a defeated sigh. "But what other ways can we think about it?" She suddenly perked up as an idea came to mind. "Oh, could it mean a place you withdraw money?"

"Hold on!" Morgana intervened. "Do you think it might have something to do with the victims? He's taking money from his victims' wallets, right? That means his bank is wherever they are!"

"That's terrible, but you may just be right."

"I think Morgana is on to something," Akira stated. "Maybe the location is where he collects most of his money."

Ryuji grimaced, scratching the top of his head. "Oh, come on! How many people do you think Kaneshiro's taken advantage of in all of Shibuya?"

"Wait a second!" Yusuke glances down at his phone when he heard it beep, gasping in shock when realizing they discovered the second keyword. "I have a hit."

"Huh?" Ryuji's eyes widen in bewilderment. "Wait, what?! D-Did I say something right?"

"The place that Kaneshiro thinks of as a bank is "all of Shibuya"."

"What?!" Ann gaped in surprise. "Like...the entire city?"

"I never knew an entire city could be the location of a distortion," Mikono commented.

"Neither did I, but it would make sense since Kaneshiro's hunting ground is the entirety of Shibuya," Akira said.

Ann looked around at the faces of her companions. "But wait, is it okay for us to go into the Palace right out of a crowd like this?"

Ryuji shrugged his shoulders and replied nonchalantly, "Eh, nobody notices if a piece of trash disappears from a trash can. This ain't any different."

Mikono crossed her arms, arching a brow as her cerulean eyes landed on the blonde. "Did you just compare us to trash?"

"Hey, it was the best thing I could come up with!" Ryuji defended himself.

"No wonder you always need help with essays," she retorts.

He clicked his tongue. "Why're you always bullyin' me...?"

She smiled innocently at him. "You make it too easy and I enjoy it. Besides, you bullied me when we first met. Pulling my hair, pinching my arm, punching my side..."

"Ryuji, you did all that to Mikono?!" Ann growled, sneering at the boy.

"I-I didn't mean to!" He shouted back. "I was just messin' with her! Y'know, teasing!"

"That's rather violent to be considered teasing," Yusuke stated.

"Okay, I admit I was a little rough on Mikky, but I learned my lesson!" Ryuji hung his head with a sigh, refusing to look at his friends. "Can we drop it and enter the Palace already? I'm itchin' for some action!"

"Smooth," Akira commented.

"Oh, shuddup!"

Mikono giggled at seeing Ryuji's red cheeks before turning to the young artist. "Let's get going, Yusuke. I'm quite interested in how Kaneshiro views Shibuya."

Yusuke nodded. "As am I. Let's go." He activated the Meta Nav and their surroundings started warping.

<------------<<<<<

The bright blue sky was replaced with an ominous green. Dark clouds hung over Shibuya, creating a dreadful sensation. The phantom thieves' clothing changed, signaling their arrival in the Metaverse.

Panther was the first to analyze their surroundings and gasped with wide eyes. "What are those?!"

Joker, Fox, Skull, Sphinx, and Mona followed her line of sight and saw what had caused such a reaction. The people of Shibuya had turned into walking ATM machines.

Fox watched closely as the cognitions walked to and fro in all directions. "Walking ATMs... That must be his cognition of people. So this is what Kaneshiro considers a "bank"."

"I have to admit, it's fitting for a mafia boss," Sphinx commented. "Poor taste, yet suitable."

Mona's eyes widen as he hops down from his perch. "I never thought it would be the entire district." Turning around, he looked up at the group of teens. "Look at us... The distortion is affecting the whole of Shibuya."

"Huh? Whaddya mean?" Skull questioned.

"Ohhh, that's right!" Panther chimed in realization. "Even when we were in the castle and the museum, the city outside looked normal."

Fox crossed his arms with a disapproving frown. "He sees everyone in Shibuya as his patron."

"No surprise for a mafia boss," Skull murmured.

"The mafia only cares about control and money. They'll ruin as many lives as possible just to remain on top," Sphinx said.

Joker slid his hands into the pockets located on his coat. "We should locate Kaneshiro to know who and what we're dealing with."

"Yes," Fox nodded in agreement. "It's best we focus on finding Kaneshiro's location and stealing his treasure as soon as possible."

Skull stretched his arms, readying himself to face off against any Shadows. "Yeah, his hideout's gotta be somewhere around here. Let's go look for it."

Joker led his companions down Central Street. As they passed numerous of ATMs, their eyes scanned the numerous of buildings surrounding them in search of a bank.

While her friends were occupied with searching for Kaneshiro, Sphinx's mind veered to her first meeting with Horus. She remembered the god mentioning the sin of gluttony and Kaneshiro fit the bill perfectly. His over-indulgence with money made him the gluttonous sinner she'd been seeking. Activating the Eye of Horus, she lagged behind and searched the area for hieroglyphics.

Separating from the group, Sphinx excused herself as she weaves between the walking ATMs and heads down the alleyway where Protein Lovers was located. She stood in the middle of the empty alleyway, her eyes darting around in search of what she was seeking. There were a few golden hieroglyphics scattered about, but what caught her attention was a single black feather on the ground.

Curious, Sphinx bent down and grabbed the feather. It was covered in the same inky substance Horus was in Mementos. Examining the feather closer, she watched in amazement as it slowly turned pure white. Her eyes widened in shock before returning to normal when she remembered the moment she touched Horus and the inky substance receded.

Sphinx lowered the feather, keeping the quill between her thumb and index finger as she glanced down the alleyway back toward Central Street. She saw a few more feathers and ran toward them, collecting each one. In total, she had discovered four. They were purified by her touch and now were pearly white.

All of a sudden, Sphinx heard her friends calling out to her. She didn't realize how long she was gone and left the alleyway, deactivating the Eye of Horus. She held the feathers tightly in her right hand as she wandered down Central Street toward the station. She found her companions standing in the middle of the street beside two lifeless ATMs. She noticed smoke rising from one of the cracked screens and blinked in bewilderment. "What did I miss?"

The group turned around and sighed in relief when seeing their teammate was safe.

"We were just about to go over the intel we were able to find," Joker said. His obsidian eyes fell to the feathers in her hand. "Where did you get the feathers?"

Sphinx raised her hand and showed her companions the white feathers. "I found them scattered about in the alleyway where the gym's located."

Panther tilted her head in confusion. "Why were there feathers?"

"They belong to Horus, which means there's another fragment somewhere. I've checked with the Eye, but there isn't a clear path."

"Once we locate Kaneshiro, I suggest checking again," Fox advised. "This distorted utopia is much larger in scale than Madarame's."

The inky-haired girl nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're right. Finding the next fragment won't be as easy as finding the previous." She decided to drop the feathers and watch them flutter to the ground. Slowly sailing through the air, the tar-like substance returned and they were no longer a glistening white.

Skull saw this and grimaced. "Kinda freaky..."

"Anyway, what did you guys learn?" Sphinx asked, looking around at the others.

Fox gestured to the recently broken ATM and said, "They mentioned how they've fallen quite far."

"As in literally or figuratively?"

"That...we're not sure of," Joker sighed.

"Wait a second... They've "fallen" from a place that Kaneshiro doesn't have any tracks?" Mona paced back and forth for a few second in deep thought. He patted his chin with his paw while humming. A few more seconds ticked by before he gasped in realization. "Could that mean they were actually thrown down from somewhere high up?"

"What, y'mean like a skyscraper?" Skull inquired. "Uhhh, there ain't any of them around here, I don't think."

"He's right," Sphinx said. "There aren't any skyscrapers in this area. It's possible they could mean..." The girl suddenly fell silent when black feathers fell from the sky and yen was sucked upward by an unknown force.

Panther noticed this strange phenomenon as well and looked up. Her eyes widen, a gasp falling from her lips. "W-Wait! What's that?!"

The others followed her line of sight and gazed up at the sky. Floating above the skyline was a large bank. The money from the city below was being drawn upward and into the bank.

Sphinx suddenly felt a chill down her spine as she detected a presence behind her. Turning around, she gasped in shock when spotting the tar-covered creature she'd met in Mementos. "Horus..." Reaching out to touch the god, she quickly retracted her hand when he spread his wings with an ear-piercing screech. Flapping his wings, Horus took the the sky and headed straight for the bank.

The girl, even though knowing it was futile, chased after Horus. "W-Wait!" She came to a halt in the middle of the street when the Egyptian god vanished from sight. Staring up at the bank hovering above, numerous of feathers danced down around her. She held out her hand, catching a single one in mid-air. With a dejected expression, she watched the feather turn from black to white.

Feeling a hand on her shoulder, Sphinx turned her head and saw Joker. She stared into his obsidian eyes through the eye holes of his mask. Dropping the feather, she sighed. "Is it too much to ask that this be easy?"

Joker chuckled, releasing her shoulder. "It would be nice if everything was easy, but there's nothing to worry about. We will get that fragment, I promise."

She smiled at him. "I know we will. It's just frustrating not knowing what happened to me that day when I was little." Her smile then shattered, revealing a sorrowful frown. "All I remember was waking up in the hospital. I don't even remember where I was or what I was doing. It's just...blank."

"I've never experienced amnesia, but I know how devastating it can be," he said. "Especially if the memories you're missing contain the answers you're looking for."

"The one day missing from my memory might be the most important," she stated. "I've become too eager to learn what happened and have made some idiotic decisions. I...want to apologize for all the times I've acted on my own without thinking of the consequences. I know it's a little late, but I hope you'll forgive me for my careless actions."

Joker placed his hand on the top of her head and patted it gently. "Anyone in your position would be desperate to learn the truth. There's no need to apologize."

Sphinx's smile returned, wider and brighter than her previous one. She was about to thank him when the others caught up and stood behind the couple. When the two turned around, Panther asked, "So, how do we get up there?" She then glanced down at Mona. "Can you turn into a helicopter, Morgana?"

The cat hung his head with a sigh. "No, just a car."

"You're useless! C'mon, don't you have some kinda secret gadget or something?!" Skull bellowed. Due to his sudden outburst, he received a smack on the back of the head from Sphinx. "Ow!"

"Don't yell at him," she hissed. "Maybe you could turn into a helicopter if you really think about it hard enough."

"Wait...really?"

She rolled her eyes. "I was kidding, Ryuji..."

The boy's ears turned red, signaling he was blushing in embarrassment. "I-I knew that!" He adjusted his mask before changing the subject. "A-Anyways, we gotta find a way to get up there."

"Let's think about it some more tomorrow, okay?" Panther proposed.

"I second that," Joker said. "We'll worry about finding an infiltration route tomorrow. For now, we should head home."

Mona nodded in agreement. "All right, let's get out of here. Run for it!"

<-----------<<<<<

Back in the real world, the group went their separate ways all except for Ann and Mikono. The two girls exchanged gazes before questioning what the other had planned for the rest of the day. When seeing their schedules were open, they decided to do some shopping and grab a bite to eat before heading to see what the theater was showing.

"Oh, it's that romance movie everyone at school's been talking about!" Ann chanted in excitement, her eyes gleaming. "I heard a lot of guys enjoyed it, too."

"Really?" Mikono asked in shock.

"Yeah!" The blonde smiled. "Wanna see it?"

A smile spread across the inky-haired girl's face. "Let's do it!"

The two girls entered the theater, bought their tickets and drinks, and searched for a place to sit. Luckily, they were able to find the perfect place to sit in the middle of the theater.

After the movie ended, they left the theater and couldn't help but gossip about how much they loved the movie.

Out of the blue, Mikono froze as her eyes widen. A giddy grin manifested on her face as she grabbed Ann's hand. "That movie just gave me the perfect idea for a date with Akira."

"Are you talking about that scene in the park?" The blonde asked.

She nodded. "Yep! Do you think he would enjoy a picnic in the park? It's kinda cliché, but I think it would be nice to spend a peaceful day in the park together."

The pigtailed girl smiled. "I think he'd be happy just to spend time with you."

"I'll have to think about what to prepare..." Mikono hummed.

"By what I've seen, Akira isn't picky when it comes to your cooking. I'm kind of jealous," Ann sighed.

"I'd love to make you a bento whenever you'd like, Ann. I enjoy cooking for others whenever I have the opportunity."

"In that case..." Ann eyed her eagerly. "Could you make one for me tomorrow? I've been wanting to try your cooking for a while now."

The inky-haired girl smiled from ear to ear. "Tomorrow it is! I'll bring you a special bento for lunch!"

"Thanks, Mikono," Ann giggled.

"Don't thank me yet. I've got to make it first."

The blonde squealed. "I can't wait!"

|| 6/20 Monday ||
|| After School ||

After receiving praise from Ann about the bento Mikono made, she headed to the hideout alongside her friends. There, they discussed what they found and how they had no leads to go off.

Ryuji rubbed the back of his neck with a frustrated sigh. "We ain't got nothin'..."

Ann frowned, swinging her upper body back and forth slightly. "Are we out of luck?"

Morgana's tail swished as he spoke. "It's not fair his Palace is up in the sky..."

"If only we could contact the real Kaneshiro," Yusuke added.

"We can't give up just yet," Mikono said, trying to perk her friends back up. "There has to be something we can do."

Suddenly, the group's attention was drawn to an approaching figure. When seeing who it was, they all glowered at the person.

"What do you want?" Ann hissed at Niijima.

"Nothing in particular," the crimson-eyed girl retorts, unfazed by the group's glares. "I just saw you all together here."

"That so?" Ryuji grumbled, doubting her words.

"You seem to be having quite a bit of trouble," she remarks.

Mikono crosses her arms, looking away from Niijima. "And you're not helping at all..." She murmured under her breath.

Unlike the inky-haired girl, Ann wasn't afraid to express her disdain out loud. "So you're here to check up on us? You may be the student council president, but when it comes to what we do, you're useless."

Mikono tunes out the rest of the conversation when she felt a familiar sensation. Her eyes widen before returning to normal as she activated the Eye of Horus. Discreetly analyzing her surroundings, she spotted an inky feather on Niijima's shoulder. Her brows furrowed together in confusion, but they shoot up when the girl dashed off. Having not paid attention to the conversation, she failed to realize where Niijima was going and chased after her without a second thought. She heard her friends shout her name but ignored them.

Before Mikono realized it, she followed Niijima all the way to Central Street. She deactivated the Eye the moment the student council president turned around the face her. "What are you doing, Tsutsui-san?"

"I could ask you the same question," Mikono rebuttals.

"I'm going to be useful for once in my life," she whispered under her breath.

"By doing what?"

"Meeting the real Kaneshiro."

Her eyes widened in bewilderment. "Don't you realize how dangerous that is?"

"Of course I do," Niijima replied. "That's why you shouldn't be here, Tsutsui-san."

"There's no way I'm leaving after hearing that!" She shrieked. "Listen, you may not be my favorite person in the world because of the whole fiasco with Kamoshida, but there's no way I'm letting you face off against a mafia boss by yourself."

"But...!"

She promptly cut off the girl. "No buts! I'm not backing down. Now, tell me what your plan is."

Niijima was hesitant at first, but caved. She then pointed to the two men cladded in suits. "Those two are going to take us directly to Kaneshiro."

Mikono followed her finger and eyed the two men. "Are you sure they work for Kaneshiro?"

"Positive," she responded without skipping a beat. "Just follow my lead."

She nodded. "All right."