|| 4/21 Thursday ||
|| Early Morning ||

"I wonder where Lady Mikono is," Morgana said as Akira walked up to the gate of Shujin Academy. "She wasn't on the train this morning."

"She may have left early this morning to plant the calling card," Akira replied.

"I wonder how it turned out."

The boy walked up the steps and entered the school. He searched for Mikono, but he was drawn to a crowd of students gathered by bulletin boards. He wandered over and wondered what had their attention. Pushing past a few students, he saw numerous of cards pinned to the bulletin boards. When he realized it was the calling card, he read what was written on the one of many.

******
Suguru Kamoshida, the embodiment of lust. Thou claims innocence yet are a guilty man, forcing upon thy corrupted desires unto the weak and fragile. Thou shall writhe at the hands of the truth, unable to find sanctuary. The truth shall be unveiled and thy sins will be brought into the light for all to see. On the morrow shall be the blessed day. Prepare thyself, Sinner, for judgement day is upon thee.
-Phantom Thieves of Hearts-
******

Akira smiled, pleased at the finished product. He wasn't a huge fan of the logo and wondered if Ryuji drew it. Morgana made sure the coast was clear before popping its head out of the boy's bag and read the calling card. Once it finished, it grinned with satisfaction. "A masterpiece, indeed!"

The obsidian-haired boy nodded in agreement and walked around the corner, spotting the person he'd been looking for. Mikono was leaning against the wall, her eyes closed. Ryuji stood next to her, waving a hand in front of her face.

Wondering what was wrong, Akira approaches his two friends and eyed the girl. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine," Ryuji answered. "She's just really tired. We stayed up late, but she stayed up until 3 checking over the calling card."

Leaning closer toward her, the messy-haired boy noticed the bags under her eyes. He was startled when she suddenly lost her balance and collapsed. A gasp of shock slipped from his lips as he tried to catch her, but he was amazed when her eyes flew open and she managed to grab on to a stray desk pushed against the wall beside her before collapsing to the floor. "Oh, geez..." She muttered, pushing herself off the desk. "I fell asleep while standing up! I had a mini heart attack when I was falling..."

"How much sleep did you get last night?" Akira wondered.

"Um, let's see..." She recalled the events of the previous night, pushing past the fog in her mind due to her lack of sleep. "Two and a half hours. I finished proofreading the calling card and headed to bed around 3. Then we woke up at 5:30 to head to school in order to beat the teachers. It was the only way we would've been able to post the calling cards without being spotted."

"Why're there so many?" Morgana asked.

"Ryuji insisted on creating multiple copies," Mikono sighed, leaning against the desk while tiredly blinking. "My hand's still cramping from writing and gluing all night..."

"I think it's perfects," the cat complimented. "It sounds very dignified and threatening. It'll definitely work."

"Glad you like it, Morgana."

"Hey," a voice greeted them. Turning their heads, they saw Ann approaching with a smile on her face. "I'm glad you were the one to write the calling card, Mikono. Who knows what Ryuji would've came up with. But...what's with the logo?"

"It's amazing, ain't it?" Ryuji grinned proudly.

"You drew it?" Ann groaned.

"H-Hey, what's with that reaction?" He grumbled.

"It's kinda lacking..." Morgana confesses.

"Okay, y'know what? Th-That ain't true!"

The group of students gathered around the bulletin boards began chattering loudly enough for the group to hear every word.

"Did Mr. Kamoshida do something wrong...?"

"Does this mean the rumors are true?!"

"Wait a sec... Is someone gonna take something from Mr. Kamoshida?"

"What's with this weird logo? And who're these Phantom Thieves of Hearts people?"

"All that matters is the card provokes Kamoshida," Mikono remarked.

Akira agreed with the girl. "Yeah. That's all we're trying to accomplish. The smaller details don't matter."

Out of the blue, the group was startled by a thunderous voice. "Who's responsible for this?!" Behind them, a furious Kamoshida pushed through the throng of students and analyzed the bullet boards covered in cards.

Morgana smirked at the man's booming voice. "Look at that. A predictable reaction from someone who knows what we mean by distorted desires."

"I think it's hittin' him pretty hard," Ryuji grinned in satisfaction.

"Did you do this?! Or was it you?!" Kamoshida screeched angrily, looking around at the gathering of students. The group of teens scatter, frightened by the man's rage. The hallway was cleared out as the coach lumbered toward the group of friends. "Was it you three?!" His heated gaze darted from Akira and Ryuji to Mikono.

"What're you talking about?" Akira aloofly questioned.

"So, you're playing dumb?" Kamoshida scoffed. "Eh, it's not my problem. You'll be expelled soon enough anyway. But first..." His eyes landed on Mikono. The girl tensed up, knowing what the man was planning. "You're coming with me, Tsutsui."

Everyone's eyes widen in horror.

"What?" She gasped. "I don't need to go with you!"

"Yeah!" Ryuji bellowed, stepping toward the coach. "She ain't goin' anywhere with you!"

"Oh, really?" Kamoshida sneered. "If she doesn't, I'll gladly break that other leg of yours."

"I'd like to see you-!"

"Stop!" Mikono stood in front of Ryuji. She placed a hand on his chest, pushing him away from Kamoshida. She lowered her head as she addressed the man. "...I'll go with you."

"Mikono, no!" Ann protested. "Don't go with him!"

"It's fine." She lowered her voice and whispered to her classmate. "It'll be the last time he can hurt someone."

Akira and Ryuji were stunned, completely silent. They couldn't believe on the day this would all end would also be a day their friend would face his wrath one last time. The two boys tried to stop her, but no words came from their mouths as Mikono walked away with Kamoshida.

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

Inside the PE faculty office, Mikono stood stiff as a statue as she watched Kamoshida slam his hands against his desk. He didn't say a word as he swiped his hands across his desk, knocking everything off. Papers scattered across the floor while pins and pencils clattered against the tile.

Mikono glanced at the door, wondering if she could make a break for it. Unfortunately, her escape attempt was nullified when Kamoshida stomped toward the door and locked it. He turned to her with a menacing smirk. Grabbing her newly healed wrist, he dragged her toward his desk and shoved her against it. "I know you, Sakamoto, and that transfer student are behind all this. Why don't you just confess and you can be on your way?"

"There's nothing to confess," she snarled, glowering at him. She tried to yank her wrist out of his grasp, but her struggle was futile. "How am I supposed to know who posted those cards?"

"Still playing dumb, huh?" He scoffed. "That's fine, because I know how to get the truth from you."

Mikono's eyes widen in fear as Kamoshida shoved her on top of his desk. Her back slammed against the hard surface, earning a wince from her. She tried to fight against him by kicking and scratching, but he used one of his hands to restrain both of hers and his own body to pin hers to the desk.

"G-Get off of me, you bastard!" She shrieked. It only resulted in his maniacal grin to fester. She stood no chance against his strength and tried to scream, but no one came when she cried at the top of her lungs.

Kamoshida's free hand wandered to the hem of Mikono's shirt. He grabbed it and slowly began to lift it up, revealing her porcelain skin. He rolled up the fabric just below her bra before releasing it. His hand trailed across her stomach before coming to rest just below her breasts. "You've no idea how long I've been wanting to do this," he grinned.

Tears threatened to fall from Mikono's eyes as she felt his grotesque touch against her skin. She continued to struggle against him, but his grip only tightened.

"Suzui lasted ten minutes against me. I wonder how long it'll take me to break you." His hands roamed up toward her chest, but they froze momentarily when a clicking noise caught his attention. Turning his head, he saw someone had unlocked the door to the room. "Who the hell...?"

The door opened, revealing Mishima. The boy's eyes widen in horror when he saw the scene before him. "Wh-What is going on here?"

"This doesn't concern you, Mishima," Kamoshida growled. "Leave."

The cobalt-haired boy stood his ground, fighting against his fear. "N-No! I-I'm not leaving until you let Tsutsui-chan go!"

"Don't you think it's a little too late to grow a spine?"

Mikono felt the man's grip loosened and took advantage of the situation. She ripped her wrists out of Kamoshida's grasp and used all her strength to push him off of her. He stumbled backwards, creating enough space for her to escape. She yanked down her shirt and ran toward Mishima.

The young boy grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the room. They heard Kamoshida's shout for them, but they ignored him and ran down the hall. Fortunately, class had started and the hallways were empty.

Mishima dragged Mikono all the way to the courtyard. He hid her between the vending machine and the wall. "Stay here. I'm going to get Kurusu and Sakamoto."

She nodded and sank to the ground when Mishima let go of her, storming off to hunt down Akira and Ryuji. She hugged her knees close to her chest and she could no longer suppress the tears. Burying her head into her knees, tears cascaded down her cheeks as her body shook with sobs. Due to her current state, she didn't even notice when her savior returned with her friends.

"What happened?" Akira demanded, looking toward Mishima.

"I-I don't know all the details, but..." Mishima was hesitant to spill the truth because he feared the two boys would react in the worst way possible.

"Spit it out, Mishima!" Ryuji commanded.

"I heard a scream from the PE faculty office and went to help. The door was locked, but I managed to get a key from another teacher. When I entered, I-I saw Kamoshida pinning Tsutsui-chan to his desk. H-He was about to..."

Akira and Ryuji were able to understand. The blonde turned to his best friend, forced his body to move forward, and fell to his knees in front of her. Tears of frustration trailed down his cheeks.

Lifting her head, Mikono stared at Ryuji with her own tear-stricken gaze. "R-Ryuji..."

The blonde lunged forward, wrapping his arms around her shaking frame. He hugged her tightly and buried his face into her neck. "I should've stopped him, but I froze...! I'm so sorry, Mikky."

"I-It's not your fault," she managed to say between sobs. "If Mishima hadn't shown up..."

Akira smiled gratefully at said boy. "Thank you, Mishima."

"Don't thank me..." He murmured. "I'm hoping this makes up for what I didn't do for Suzui. I wasn't going to let him get away with it again."

"Hey," Ryuji grabbed the boy's attention. "Give yourself more credit."

Mishima was silent for a few seconds before saying, "Just make sure you return to class before the teachers get suspicious. Once they find out I was lying, the three of us will be in trouble." The boy left, heading back to class.

Once he was out of sight, Ryuji released Mikono and stood up. "I'm gonna get some bandages from the nurse's office. Think you can watch over her for a few minutes while I'm gone, buddy?"

Akira nodded. "Yeah."

"I'll be back in a few." Ryuji took off, leaving Mikono in Akira's care.

The bespectacled boy kneeled down in front of her. He cupped her cheeks in his hands and lifted her face up to meet her tear-filled eyes. A sorrowful expression morphed on his face when he saw how puffy her eyes were. No words came to mind as he stared into her azure eyes.

Mikono swallowed the lump in her throat and shattered the silence. "I-I'm sorry I broke our promise, Akira. I said I wouldn't give in to him any longer, but I did. We're too close to revealing who he truly is and I didn't want to risk anything. I guess I'm not as strong as I thought I'd be..."

The boy shook his head. "None of this is your fault. I'm just glad Mishima was able to stop him before he could go too far." He moved his hands from her cheeks and wound his arms around her, pulling her flush against his body in a warm embrace. "We should've went after you, but we didn't. We knew something was wrong, but we did nothing. I'm sorry, Mikono."

"Like you told me-none of this is your fault, Akira. You didn't know what Kamoshida was going to do to me." She leaned into him, basking in his warmth. Her body was still shaking as tears continued to trail down her cheeks.

Akira adjusted their position so he could sit down and lean against the wall with Mikono in his arms. He cradled her head against his chest while his other arm remained secured around her waist. He placed his chin atop her head as he listened to her sobs. Each one only caused the cracks in his heart to multiply.

Eventually, Mikono's body ceased shaking and her sobs vanished. This grabbed Akira's attention and he peered into her face. She was sleeping. With the combination of lack of sleep and crying, he wasn't surprised to see she had fallen asleep.

Just then, Ryuji returned with bandages. He felt a tinge of jealousy when he saw the position his friends were in, but he pushed aside the feeling. It was not the time to feel jealous. He kneeled down, staring at the slumbering girl. "Should we wake her?"

Mikono's eyes opened before Akira could respond. "There's no time to sleep. We have to steal the treasure today."

"Maybe you should stay behind, Mikky," Ryuji said, wrapping the bandages around her red wrists.

"After what he did to me today, there's no way I'm staying behind," she remarked with her slightly raspy voice. She glanced at her wrists, watching her best friend conceal them with bandages. "You don't have to bandage my wrists, Ryuji. I'll be able to heal them once we return to Kamoshida's Palace."

"I don't care," he retorts.

"You should head to the nurse's office. You'll be able to get some rest before we return to the Palace," Akira said.

Mikono nodded. "Yeah, I'll go." She removed herself from his embrace and stood up. She smiled weakly at the two boys. "I'll see you both later."

"W-Wait, Mikono...!" Akira called out to her as she left the courtyard. He wondered if she didn't hear or chose to ignore him when she dashed off without stopping.

"And she's gone..." Ryuji muttered, scratching the back of his head. He sighed, throwing himself on to the bench. "How does she do it...?"

"Do what?" Akira asked as he got to his feet.

"Bounce back so easily. After all the things Kamoshida's done to her, she still finds a way to smile and laugh like nothing's happened."

"I'm not sure, either," the frizzy-haired boy confesses. "She's the reason why I haven't gone insane with these rumors yet," he chuckled.

A chortle escaped the blonde's lips. "Yeah, same for me." His smile morphed into a frown. "But it's my fault she's been targeted by that bastard. I can't wait to beat the shit outta him!"

"It's finally time to make him pay for all that he's done." Akira looked around at the empty courtyard. "But for now, let's head back to class."

"Yeah..." He sighed. "Wouldn't wanna get in trouble and risk losin' our chance at stealin' the treasure."

The boys left the courtyard and headed back to class.

|| 4/21 Thursday ||
|| After School ||

On the rooftop, Mikono waited for her friends. She sat on top of one of the desks, swinging her legs back and forth as she hummed a random tune. When the door opened, she smiled and hopped off the desk. Akira, Ann, and Ryuji walked through the threshold and smiled back.

Ann sprinted toward Mikono and enveloped her in her arms. "Akira told me what happened. I'm glad you're okay. I was so worried when you left with Kamoshida."

"This isn't the first time Kamoshida pushed himself on to me, but he...he..." Mikono was unable to finish her sentence. A chill crept down her spine when she was reminded of Kamoshida's grotesque touch.

"It's okay, Mikono," Ann reassured. "After today, he won't be a problem for anyone."

Morgana leapt out of Akira's bag and came bounding over. It jumped into Mikono's arms the second Ann released her. The sable-haired girl giggled as the cat rubbed its head against her cheek affectionately. "Hey, Morgana."

"I really wanted to see you, but I couldn't leave the classroom without being spotted. How're you feeling?" It asked.

"Much better. The nurse let me sleep after seeing the state I was in." Mikono scratched the top of the feline's head as it continued to show her affection.

Akira approaches her, wondering if she was ready to go. "Are you ready, Mikono?"

"Oh, I've been ready for a long time," she responded. "Let's go."