"More questions plague your mind, Puppeteer," Igor commented the moment Mikono sat across from him.

"The real question is if you're able to answer any of them," she replied. Looking past the man, she noticed the statue of Anubis lied in shambles. The only statues that remained intact were Sobek, Bastet, and Horus. Her eyes widen a fraction when a bell triggered inside her head. "The statues... They're the five fragments."

"Indeed," Igor's grin never left his face. "You are quite perceptive."

The girl shook her head. "But that's not why I'm here. I know you can't help me find the other fragments, only the Eye can. I won't pester you any further with those questions. But I wanted to ask about what happened two days ago. I know you're aware of what happens outside the Velvet Room, too, so you probably already know what I'm going to ask."

"You wish to know what caused your ears and eyes to bleed," the man said. "As I have said before, your power is immense and unstable. With the collection of the second fragment, the Eye along with your abilities has somewhat stabilized. But, you must be wary of how much power you use. Everything comes with a price, but yours is much steeper. Blood is the only form of payment. Tread lightly, Puppeteer, for your journey has only begun. Use your power sparingly or you will pay with every drop of blood your body has to offer."

A chill crept down Mikono's spine. Goosebumps formed on her skin as she rubbed her arms. "I see... Should I even step foot in the Metaverse again?"

"I believe you already know the answer to that."

She hung her head with a sigh. "You're right. I don't have a choice. I want and need to help. Also, I can't bear letting my friends go somewhere so dangerous without me."

Igor outstretched a hand toward her, revealing numerous of cards in his grasp. He held them between his fingers and turned them to show what was on them to the girl. They were all tarot cards. "You walk a treacherous path, Puppeteer, but you are not alone. Your bond with the Trickster seems to be growing the strongest amongst all your newly acquired connections. I believe this bond will truly be your best hope of surviving."

Mikono stared at the cards for a few seconds before thanking Igor. She stood from the couch and walked behind toward the entrance. Before she could leave the Velvet Room, someone grabbed her hand and spun her around.

An arm wrapped around her waist as the person holding her dipped her body as if they were dancing together. They held her hand gently, supporting her weight with their arm and keeping her from falling.

She found herself gazing into a pair of golden eyes. Their faces were only a few inches apart. She blinked a few times before muttering the person's name. "Theo, what are you doing?"

"When you have the time, do return. There is something I wish to ask of you," Theodore answered.

"Um, sure." Mikono's cheeks were a light crimson. She couldn't believe how close their faces were.

Theodore twirled her body around before releasing her. "I eagerly await your return."

"Y-Yes. I'll see you soon, Theo."

Mikono left the Velvet Room, her clothes returning to normal. Her cheeks were still red and she breathed deeply to calm her racing heart before returning to Akira. She placed her hands on her cheeks, checking to see if they were still warm. When they weren't, she walked out of the alleyway. Looking around, she spotted Akira leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets. She walked over to him with a smile. "I hope I didn't make you wait too long."

Akira smiled back. "You didn't."

The inky-haired girl went to tell her friend what Igor told her, but she was interrupted by a loud grumbling. She placed a hand over her stomach, her crimson cheeks returning. She couldn't believe how obnoxious her stomach sounded. She smiled through her embarrassment. "I-I might've skipped breakfast this morning..."

"How about some lunch?" Akira offered. "I have been wanting to try this one place."

Morgana crawled out of the bag, perching his front paws on the boy's shoulder. "You're not trying THAT, are you?"

Mikono titled her head, puzzled. "What place are you two talking about?"

"Big Bang Burger," Akira stated.

"A burger does sound good," she said. "Then again, anything sounds good right now. I'm starving."

They headed to Big Bang Burger and waited in line to order. Mikono was first, ordering a simple burger with a side of fries and a small soda. When she stepped aside and let Akira order, she gasped after hearing what came out of his mouth. "Y-You're gonna try that?!"

The boy grinned, adjusting his glasses as he accepted the Big Bang Burger Challenge. "How big could it possibly be?"

Akira and Mikono claimed a table by the window. While the girl already had her meal, she eagerly waited for one of the employees to bring out her friend's. She was wondering how large the burger truly was. "I can't believe you're actually going to try this challenge..."

"I've got guts of steel," Akira bragged.

"We'll see how high and mighty you'll be acting once this is over..." She picked up a fry and gave it to Morgana. The cat happily munched down on it, immediately demanding another one.

A couple minutes later, an employee exited the kitchen with a burger five times bigger than a regular-sized one. She placed it in front of Akira, who looked like he'd seen a ghost. "Good luck!" The woman cheered. It almost sounded more like a taunt than vote of confidence.

"Is that an entire cow...?" Morgana exaggerated.

"I'm getting heartburn just looking at it..." Mikono muttered. She munched on a fry before tossing another one toward the feline, smirking at Akira. "All right, Mr. Guts-Of-Steel, let's see you conquer this challenge. After all, you'll get your meal for free if you do manage to eat the entire thing."

Akira tried to keep up a façade of confidence, but his voice shook with nerves as he spoke. "Y-Yeah."

Mikono watched in amusement as Akira analyzed the burger and formulated a plan to pick it up. To her surprise, the boy was able to haul the burger up to his mouth with his hands underneath the bottom bun. She decided to enjoy her normal-sized burger while giving a few minuscule pieces to Morgana here and there. By the time she was finished with her lunch, Akira had only managed to eat a small portion of the immense burger. Painfully, she watched him force himself to eat more. "Akira, you don't have to force yourself. At this rate, you'll make yourself sick."

"I can...keep going," Akira muttered, taking another bite of the burger.

"Just because you can doesn't mean you should," Mikono sighed. "You're also starting to look a little pale..."

After taking a few more bites, Akira couldn't go any further. He dropped the remainder of the enormous burger, pushed the tray aside, and placed his head on the table with a groan. "I don't feel so good..."

She reached across the table and patted the top of his head. "There. There. I'll pay for the burger. We'll head to my house since it's the closest once I get back, okay?" Mikono left the table, headed to the counter, and paid for Akira's meal. She quickly rushed back to him and helped him out of the eatery. With an arm around his waist and his own hooked around her neck, she escorted him across Shibuya to her house.

It was difficult for Mikono to get her key out of her bag in their current position. Morgana helped her by grabbing the key from her purse and placing it in the lock. The girl thanked him and unclasped her hand from Akira's wrist to turn the key. She unlocked the door and escorted her friend to the couch. Gently, she laid him down on the couch. "Akira?" She called out to him but received no response. "A food coma, huh?"

"I can't believe he forced himself to eat so much," Morgana commented. "And he still didn't even make a dent in the burger! What was he thinking?!"

Mikono giggled. "Mr. Guts-Of-Steel has been defeated by a burger." She placed her purse on the coffee table beside Akira's. Her eyes traveled over to the clock above the fireplace mantle. "It's gotten pretty late. I'm not sure how long he'll be asleep."

Morgana watched the girl search through Akira's bag. "What're you doing, Lady Mikono?"

"Looking for Akira's phone. I was going to use it to call Sakura-san and tell him about the current situation. And since we've no idea when Akira is going to wake up, I'm gonna tell him you two will be spending the night here." She found the phone and found Sojiro's number. Before she dialed, she looked toward Morgana. "Is that okay?"

The cat grinned. "I don't mind and I doubt Akira does, either."

"Good," she smiled. "Let me call Sakura-san, then."

As Mikono explained what happened to the older man, Morgana hopped on to the couch and tapped his paw against Akira's cheek. He called out to the boy a few times, only receiving a groan in reply. A sigh slipped from the feline's mouth.

After Mikono finished talking to Sojiro and receiving his permission for Akira to stay over, she placed the phone back in the boy's bag. "I'm going to make some ginger tea for when Akira wakes up. It'll help him with his stomach ache. Do you want anything, Morgana?"

"Oh!" The cat jumped off the couch and placed his front paws on the girl's leg. "Can I please have some fatty tuna? Or salmon? A-And rice, too!"

She picked up Morgana, carrying him in her arms. She poked his nose with her finger. "Didn't I feed you enough earlier?"

"I have a second stomach for fish!"

She chuckled. "All right, all right. I'll make you some tuna and rice." She headed to the kitchen and began preparing everything.

twenty minutes later, Mikono finished preparing the tea and Morgana's dinner. She poured herself a cup of tea, leaving the pot on the stove to keep it warm for Akira. She carried the cup to the living room, giving the cat time to eat his dinner. When she checked on her friend, she saw he was still asleep. She sat down in the chair adjacent to the couch, waiting patiently for him to wake up.

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

By the time the sun had set and moon now loomed above in the night sky, Akira finally woke up. Mikono noticed and stood up. A small 'clack' was heard as she placed the cup on a coaster atop the coffee table. "Look who's up!" She squatted down beside the sofa. "How're you feeling?"

"Terrible..." Akira muttered, covering his face with his arm. "My stomach is killing me..."

"I've made some ginger tea. It'll help with your stomach ache. I'll go get you a cup." Mikono raced back to the kitchen and promptly poured a second cup of tea. She headed back to Akira and handed him the cup.

"Thanks," he said, taking the cup from her after pushing himself up and into a sitting position.

Grabbing her own cup, Mikono sat beside the frizzy-haired boy. As she lifted the cup to take a sip, she said, "Oh, you'll also be spending the night here."

Akira, who had just taken a small slurp of tea, nearly spat it out across the living room. He quickly swallowed it before lowering the cup and staring wide-eyed at her. "Wh-What?"

"While you were sleeping, I called Sakura-san on your phone and told him what happened. I asked him if it was okay for you to spend the night and he said it was." She noticed his troubled expression and met his gaze. "Did...I do something wrong?"

"N-No." Akira cleared his throat. "I was just...surprised."

"I know we have school tomorrow and you don't have your uniform, but we can leave a little early in the morning and head to Leblanc so you can change." She placed her cup back on the coaster. "I know I should've asked for your permission first, but-"

All of a sudden, a loud 'crash' was heard from the garden. Akira's and Mikono's heads snapped toward the sliding glass door leading to the backyard. The boy placed his cup down, getting to his feet and walking toward the door. Not too far behind, the cerulean-eyed girl followed him.

Cautiously, Akira unlocked the sliding glass door and opened it. He stepped outside on to the patio, triggering the motion sensor lights. He looked around and just out of range of the sensors, he saw a shattered pot. Shards of the pot were mixed together with dirt and the flowers were trampled, pink petals scattered all around.

Mikono stepped outside and looked down at the broken pot. Her brows furrowed in bewilderment at the discovery. There was no explanation as to why it broke. It didn't fall due to it already sitting on the ground and there were no objects around that could've possibly smashed it. She kneeled beside the pot to get a better look. "How did...?"

Akira kneeled beside her, picking up one of the pieces of the pot carefully to prevent cutting himself. "I don't know." What caught his attention the most were the trampled flowers. His eyes narrowed when spotting the faint outline of a shoe print. Before Mikono could see it, he grabbed her wrist and dragged her back inside the house. He closed and locked the sliding glass door before tugging on the curtains. He escorted the girl back to the couch where they sat down beside one another. He stared into her eyes, releasing her wrist. "Have you heard from Chief Goto today?"

"No." Mikono's eyes trail over to the sliding glass door before reconnecting them with his. "Why? Did you find something?"

Akira pondered for a few minutes whether to tell her about the shoe print or not. He didn't want to lie, but he also didn't wish to strike fear into her. What he tried to think of was an excuse as to how the pot broke without mentioning the possibility of an intruder. Unfortunately, his train of thought derailed when two hands were placed on his cheeks and his face was pulled closer to Mikono's.

The girl gazed deeply into his eyes, trying to tell what he was thinking about. "What are you hiding, Akira? And don't try to lie to me. I'll know if you do. I'm a big girl. I can handle what you're trying to hide. Or do I have to go outside and find what you're hiding myself?"

She had a point. Even if he lied, she could walk outside and find the shoe print herself. "I think someone broke the pot. There's a shoe print in the dirt and the flowers are trampled."

Akira expected Mikono to become frightened, but she was the complete opposite. She remained calm and level-headed. Lowering her hands, she placed them in her lap. "This is the second time..."

The boy was the one who was flabbergasted. "Second time?"

"Last night, Ryuji and I heard something from the garden while we were watching a movie. We went to investigate and found one of the lawn ornaments had been decapitated. We found a shoe print and thought it was just some weirdo trying to freak us out. But now, I'm not so sure. First a lawn ornament and now, a pot. That's not coincidental."

"You should contact Chief Goto and tell him," Akira advised. "Have you told your parents yet?"

Mikono's eyes widen. "That's what I forgot to do today! I'll make sure to call them after school tomorrow, I promise. I know we're sending the calling card tomorrow, but I'll call them before we head to Madarame's Palace. That'll also give me a chance to contact Chief Goto."

"I think you shouldn't stay here by yourself until your parents come home," Akira stated. "I'll be here tonight, of course, but we'll need to make a schedule of who is gonna stay and what day. That way, you won't be home alone."

"I don't think we'll have to. Once I tell the chief about these incidences, he'll most likely assign an officer to watch my house." Mikono stood up, taking her cup off the coffee table. "Anyway, how're you feeling now? You've regained some of your color."

"My stomach still hurts a little, but the tea really helped," he said.

"Do you want another cup?" She offered.

"Please."

Mikono took both cups to the kitchen. As she boiled another pot of tea, she glanced down at Morgana, who had slipped into his own food coma after eating his dinner. The cat laid on his back, snoring gently with his front paws on his stomach and his hind legs sprawled outward. His paws twitched every few seconds, insinuating he was dreaming. She smiled down at him before pouring two more cups of ginger tea and leaving the kitchen.

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

After another hour of sipping on tea and talking passed, Akira and Mikono were starting to yawn. Once returning the empty cups to the kitchen, the two went around the house and double-checked the windows and doors to make sure they were locked. They closed any curtains that were left open before heading back to the living room. When Mikono saw Akira try to lay down on the sofa, she promptly stopped him. "Oh, no, no, no. There's no way I'm making you sleep on the couch."

Akira was puzzled. He wondered where he was going to sleep. "Then..."

She giggled. "We've a guest room. Follow me."

They headed to the second floor. Walking down the hallway, they passed the girl's room and a bathroom before arriving at the guest room. She opened the door, revealing the nicely decorated room. The walls were painted a light gray while the furniture was white. The ornaments scattered throughout the room added a few bright colors, enhancing the room's charm.

Mikono walked toward a door and turned the handle. "This is the bathroom. There's soap under the sink and I believe you'll also find shampoo and conditioner under there, too."

Akira looked around the room in astonishment. This would be the first time he'd get to spend the night at a friend's house and have his own bathroom to shower in. He was glad he wouldn't have to visit a bathhouse tonight. "This is...really fancy."

She snorted with laughter. "Ryuji said the exact same thing when he first spent the night. I know this isn't what you're used to, but I hope it isn't too foreign. Let me grab a towel for you."

The frizzy-haired boy sat on the edge of the bed, immediately noticing how comfortable the mattress was. As he waited for his friend to return, Morgana trotted into the room and gaped at the sight. "This is definitely an upgrade from the attic." He saw the bathroom and grinned. "Oh, a bathroom! No bathhouse for us tonight! You can even give me a proper bath, too."

"You don't need a bath. You groom yourself nonstop," Akira commented.

"Hey, I DO need a proper bath! Do you want my fur to get matted and stink?" He turned around and began sauntering toward the door. "If you won't, I'll ask Lady Mikono to bathe me."

The boy flew to his feet, snatching the cat up and earning a loud 'meow' in response before he could leave the room. "Not happening." He looked down at the animal and saw him smirking. He sighed, hanging his head in disbelief. "I can't believe I fell for that..."

"That just shows you how much you care about her," Morgana said. "You better ask her out soon or I'm going to spill the beans and do it for you!"

"You better not."

Mikono returned a few seconds later with a towel. "Here's your towel." She placed it on a small chair by the bathroom door. "I know you're tired and still not feeling a hundred percent, so I'm gonna stop bothering you and let you get comfortable. If you need anything, my room is the door closest to the stairs, okay?"

Akira nodded. "Yeah. Thank you for everything, Mikono."

She smiled brightly at him. "You're welcome. Goodnight, Akira, Morgana." She left the guest room, closing the door behind her.

When her footsteps disappeared down the hallway, Morgana snickered. "She's way too good for you, but good luck!"

The boy groaned. "I know..."

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