|| 4/17 Sunday ||
|| Afternoon ||

Sauntering through the museum, Mikono hummed to herself. She took it upon herself to clean the exhibits as visitors walked by, enjoying their time. After she finished cleaning the exhibits that desperately needed a good cleansing, she wandered to the Egyptian exhibit and found herself admiring a slab of stone with hieroglyphics of Amun. Ever since being visited by Sekhmet yesterday, she wondered how the King of Gods fit into the image.

"Excuse me," a voice said, startling the girl.

She spun around, eyes widening when she recognized the person. "Akechi-kun? What're you doing here?"

The shaggy-haired boy smiled sweetly at her. "I came to visit and was hoping you'd be working. I'm glad I found you, Tsutsui-chan."

"I'm surprised to see you again so soon. You were here only a few days ago. Is there something I can help you with?" She offered.

"What you shared with me on Wednesday had me curious. I decided to visit a bookstore after I left and found a book about the Jōmon Period. I was hoping you'd be able to answer a few questions I have. Are you familiar with the ancient civilization?"

An exuberant grin formed on her face. "Yes! Ask away! Hopefully, I'll be able to answer your questions."

As the duo chatted away, they failed to notice the two boys spying on them. A few yards away hiding behind a glass case filled with precious artifacts were Akira and Ryuji. The two were watching their friend chat with the stranger while smiling from ear-to-ear. Both were clearly curious and frustrated by their facial expressions.

The blonde clicked his tongue as his eye twitched slightly. "Dude, look how happy she is. What the hell could they be talkin' about?" His eyes widen as his mouth hung open. "He better not be hittin' on her!"

Akira tried to read their lips, but he couldn't make out what they were talking about. He just hoped the stranger wasn't trying to flirt with her. "Maybe we should step in."

The boys watched Mikono and the stranger like hawks for a few more minutes in silence. They argued mentally with themselves if they should intervene or remain hidden. The moment they saw the shaggy-haired boy take her hands in his gloved ones, they both snapped.

"Oh hell no!" Ryuji bellowed, grabbing a few visitors' attention and startling many others.

Akira, on the other hand, kept his frustration in check and remained silent. Something inside him gnawed at his mind, telling him the unknown boy should be avoided. He glared at the stranger before deciding to step out of hiding and approach. His shoes clacked against the tiles as he strode toward his friend and the stranger.

Ryuji watched closely as the obsidian-eyed boy approached the duo. "Oh, shit..."

Akira was only a few steps away when Mikono noticed him. She peered past the shaggy-haired boy and blinked owlishly. "Akira?"

At hearing the unfamiliar name, Akechi turned around and offered the younger boy a smile. "Oh, my apologies. You must be one of Tsutsui-chan's friends."

The messy-haired teen was flabbergasted at Akechi's polite behavior. "Uh, yeah..."

"What're you doing here? I thought you and Ryuji were spending the day together," Mikono said.

"We're done shopping and came by to see you." He looked around in search of somewhere private. He wasn't familiar with the layout of the museum and sighed. "Could we...talk somewhere in private, Mikono?"

The girl spotted her best friend hiding behind the display case and nodded. "Okay. Meet me in the break room. Ryuji knows where it is. I'll join you both when I'm finished talking with Akechi-kun."

"Please, if it's important, don't let my presence distract you, Tsutsui-chan. You've answered all the questions I have. I hope to see you again soon," Akechi spoke up.

"Of course," she giggled. "Come by any time. If you'd like, I could give you my-ah! Hey!" She shrieked as Akira wrapped his arm around her shoulders and tugged her away from Akechi. She looked over her shoulder and tried to finish her sentence, but she was shocked to find he was gone. "Where did he...?"

Ryuji emerged from behind the display case and rushed over. He stood on the other side of Mikono as they walked up the stairs to the second floor.

Once they entered the break room, Mikono removes Akira's arm from around her shoulders and stepped away from the boys. She placed her hands on her hips, glaring at the messy-haired teen. "Was that really necessary?"

"No, but..." Akira's voice trailed off.

"But what?" She pried. "Akechi and I were having a nice conversation before you decided to intervene. Why did you interrupt?"

"He was hittin' on you!" Ryuji screeched, glaring back at her.

"No, he wasn't!" She rebuttals. "He was asking me questions about a history book he recently read. You wouldn't even let me give him my phone number so I could tell him my work schedule in case he had any more questions to ask."

"He doesn't need your number..." The blonde hissed.

"And why's that?" Mikono crosses her arms, scowling at him. She saw how he immediately looked away when their eyes locked. She scoffed when noticing what emotion showed in his eyes. "Oh, I see now... You're jealous."

"I-I'm not-!"

"You clearly are!" She then jabbed a finger toward the bespectacled boy. "I can also see the same emotion in your eyes, Akira. Why're you both jealous? Is it because you thought that if Akechi were to ask me on a date, I would say yes? Or am I wrong?"

Akira's shoulders slumped forward as he sighed. "You're not wrong..."

Mikono was happy to know he decided to speak the truth, but she couldn't hide her frustration. "I appreciate your honesty, but whoever I spend my time with is none of your business. You two aren't my brothers and I don't need you guys to protect me from every boy that decides to talk to me."

Akira knew she was right, but the words still stung. He nor Ryuji had any claim over her and she was free to do whatever she pleased. He rubbed the back of his neck, ashamed at his actions. "I'm sorry, Mikono. You're right-we aren't your brothers, but you're still our friend. We have a tenancy to worry more when it involves you."

Mikono's frustrated expression morphed into a gentle smile. "I forgive both of you. I really do appreciate you both looking out for me, but give me space. I'm a big girl and don't need someone to hold my hand every second of the day. I can handle guys. I deal with you both every day, don't I?"

"Heh..." Ryuji chuckled.

"Can we get back to the main reason why we're here?" Morgana groaned as it announced its presence and emerged from Akira's bag. It leapt onto the coffee table in front of the sofa, peering up at the three teens.

"Oh, yeah!" The blonde grinned, looking toward Akira. "Dude, show 'er what we got!"

Akira rummaged through his bag. Once his fingers locked around the item he was searching for, he pulled it out and showed it to Mikono. "We figured this would be the best option for you."

The girl's eyes widen in horror at what was in his hand. "Y-You brought a handgun inside the museum?!"

Ryuji lunges forward and placed a hand over her mouth. "D-Don't yell out the obvious! It's not real. We spent a lot of money on this and we ain't lettin' some security guard take it away from us!"

The second his hand fell from her mouth, Mikono huffed out a sigh. "I know it's not real! You could have just texted and sent me a picture of what you bought. You didn't have to show it to me in person."

Before Ryuji or Akira could respond, Morgana intervened. "That's what I tried to tell them, but they wouldn't listen. They both wanted to see you."

"Sh-Shut it, Cat!" Ryuji hissed, cheeks gradually turning bright red.

Mikono decided to ignore Ryuji's and Akira's red cheeks for their sake. She carefully took the model handgun out of Akira's hand and grimaced at it. "Even though it's not real, it's still a model and meant to appear like a real handgun. We could get into some serious trouble if someone sees us waving this thing around."

"Should I hold on to it for you, Mikono?" Akira offered.

She smiled at him, handing back the model handgun. "Yes, please do." She looked around the room and her eyes landed on the clock. "I need to get back to work. What will you three do?"

"I promised my mom I'd be home in an hour," Ryuji stated. "What will you do, Akira?"

Akira, like Mikono, checked the time. He saw he still had time to kill and didn't wish to return to Leblanc just yet. He wasn't a history buff like his female classmate, but he found himself entranced with the amount of information she knew and how he loved the gleam in her eyes when she would share her knowledge with him or someone else. Not to mention, it had been a while since he'd toured a museum. "I'm going to buy a ticket and explore the museum."

Hearing this, Mikono clasped her hands together with exuberance glistening in her eyes and smiled from ear-to-ear. "Really?! You want to walk around the museum?" She realized how idiotic her question was and shook her head. "Sorry, you already answered that question. Anyway, don't worry about purchasing a ticket. You'll be my guest for today."

Akira was surprised at her offer, but he couldn't accept it. "It's fine, Mikono. I can-"

Ryuji elbowed him in the side. "Dude, you're not gonna win this battle. I already tried."

"Um... All right."

"Great!" Mikono cheered. "All the exhibits are on the first floor. My mom and dad are still working on the exhibits in the annex and that area's off limits. You'll know when you come across it when our chief security guard, Amano-san, stares you down like a vulture ready to swoop in and eat you."

"Actually..." Akira smiles back at her. "Could you show me around?"

She immediately looped her arms around his and tugged him closer. "I'd love to!"

|| 4/ 17 Sunday ||
|| Evening ||

Mikono embarrassingly stood in front of the familiar tablet with the depiction of Amun. "I really talk a lot, don't I? Sorry 'bout that, Akira. You know, if I keep running my mouth, you can always tell me to shut up."

Akira sat on the bench located behind Mikono, smiling. He leaned forward, cupping his chin in his palm as he reclined his elbow upon his knee. "You don't need to apologize, Mikono. I actually enjoy listening to you."

Mikono turned around and faced her classmate while grinning. "You're weird, you know that?" She sat beside him, listening to him chuckle at her response.

Once his laughter died down, the two teens fell silent. They stared up at the slab of stone for a few minutes before Mikono decided to activate the Eye of Horus. She noticed the carving of Amun was outlined in gold and shimmered brilliantly. "How strange..." She muttered to herself. Then, she decided to scan the Egyptian exhibit. When her eyes came across a group of individuals admiring a sarcophagus, she noticed one among them had a strange and eerie black aura radiating from their body. From the aura sprouted roots, plunging below the surface. She followed the windy roots until noticing where they were connected to. It was a strange structure deep underground, but she couldn't make out the smaller details as it was too far down. "What is that?"

Akira overheard her question and turned his head. When seeing her left iris was a shimmering gold instead of a calm cobalt, he knew she had activated the Eye. He followed her line of sight and saw she was staring at the floor. Unlike her, he saw nothing. "What is it, Mikono?"

She tore her gaze from the strange underground structure and deactivated the Eye. "We left Morgana in the break room, right?" She stood up and stared at the steps leading to the second floor. "I think you both need to hear this."

Eager and curious, Akira followed Mikono to the break room. They rendezvoused with their feline companion, who was lounging on the couch. When the girl explained what she saw with the Eye of Horus, the cat hummed with curiosity. "It's possible the Eye is able to detect the hearts of others. And the place you're seeing where these roots lead to might possibly be Mementos."

"Uh... "Mementos"? What's that?" Mikono inquired.

"I'll tell you in due time," Morgana replied. "For now, we just need to focus on Kamoshida's Palace."

She sighed. "Yeah, you're right." Just then, someone knocked on the door. Morgana scurried off the couch and hid under it while she opened the door. "Hey, Dad. You need me for something?"

Isaac glances toward Akira before looking back at his daughter and clearing his throat. "Your mother and I would like your help organizing one of the exhibits in the annex."

"I'll be there in a few minutes." She turned to her classmate and offered him a smile once her father was gone. "I had fun today, and I hope you did too. Do you want me to escort you to the entrance?"

"I'll be fine," he replied. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mikono."

"All right. I'll see you tomorrow morning, Akira."

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

At home, Mikono sat at her desk as she listened to some music in hopes it would ease her and lull her to sleep. It was a little past ten and her parents had already called it a night. Her mind was brimming with information from the new exhibits as she rubbed her sleepy eyes. Her eyes began to droop and she decided it was time to call it a night.

Mikono turned off the music, turned off the light, and crawled under the covers. She stared up at the ceiling, blinking tiredly as she remembered what Morgana said in the break room. "Mementos, huh? I wonder what it could be?"

|| 4/18 Monday ||
|| Early Morning ||

On the morning commute, Akira and Mikono managed to snag two seats. Their bodies swayed slightly as the train carried them to Aoyama-itchōme Station. Halfway there, the young girl had accidentally fallen asleep with her head resting against the boy's shoulder. He was startled when he felt her head come in contact with his shoulder, but he soon relaxed and allowed her to sleep.

Once they arrived at their destination, Akira reluctantly woke her up. He gently took ahold of her arm and shook. "Mikono, we're here."

The girl's eyes fluttered open. "Already?" She groaned. "I wanna sleep more... You should join me. We can ride the entire route and sleep the whole time."

Akira grinned in amusement as he tugged her onto her feet. "As tempting as that offer is, neither of us can afford to skip school."

"Ugh..." She lazily stumbled off the train. "You're no fun..."

They walked up the stairs and down the street toward Shujin Academy. When they arrived at the front gate, they both froze at who was standing and greeting students as they entered the school.

"Good morning. C'mon, hurry up and get to class!" Kamoshida smiled innocently as students passed by him. When the man spotted the duo, he turned to them and placed his hands on his hips. "Good morning, you two."

Akira plastered a fake smile on his face as he and Mikono walked past the coach. "Good morning."

"That admirable behavior won't do you any good once you're expelled," he said with a twisted grin. "Or who knows. Maybe Tsutsui will save you."

Akira became petrified for a few seconds before grabbing ahold of Mikono's arm and yanking her up the steps. She nearly tripped over her own feet at the rate he was pulling her along. "A-Akira...!"

He ignored the bell and his classmate as he dragged her to the nearest empty classroom on the first floor. When he managed to find one, he opened the door and slammed it behind them once they were inside. He shoved the all-too-confused Mikono against the wall beside the door.

"H-Hey, what're you-?!" She fell silent, eyes widening as Akira's hands moved upward and cupped her cheeks in his palms. She swallowed the lump forming in her throat as she stared into his obsidian eyes. She couldn't read the emotion in his eyes, which made her tense up.

A few minutes ticked by before Akira took a step forward, forcing Mikono's back against the wall. When he finally broke the silence, his voice was lower than usual and slightly shaky. "Promise me..." He leaned closer, their faces mere inches from one another. "Promise me you won't go to him."

"Huh?" She gaped. "Why would I?"

"I know you were considering it," he responded.

"I was, but...not anymore," she confesses. "Now that I've awakened my Persona, I can actually help you inside the Palace. The only reason I considered Kamoshida's offer was because it was the only way I knew how to ensure you wouldn't be expelled and forced to leave Shujin. That bastard's already done enough to me and Ryuji. I wasn't gonna let him separate us. You're my friend, too, Akira."

"Mikono..." Akira mumbled.

"But now we know how to stop Kamoshida. There's no way I'm taking his offer now that I can fight beside you and the others. I won't give in to him any longer. So, you don't need to worry. I promise I won't go to him."

Akira's muscles relaxed, his body slumping forward as he rested his forehead against Mikono's shoulder. "Thank you."