|| 5/2 Monday ||
|| Early Morning ||

The moment Akira and Mikono arrived at Shujin Academy, they headed to the gym for a mandatory assembly. The girl found Ann amongst the crowded gymnasium and walked toward her. "Good morning, Ann."

"Oh, hey, Mikono," Ann greeted. "I wonder why they suddenly called for an assembly."

"I talked to Principal Kobayakawa last Saturday about the part-time positions available at the museum. He said I could share the information with the student body at today's assembly after an important message. Sadly, I wasn't able to figure what this "important message" is."

"Do you think it has to do with what happened to Shiho or the calling card?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if this assembly is for both."

As the two girls fell silent and waited for the assembly to begin, they listened to the gossiping students around them.

"What's with the sudden morning assembly?"

"I bet it's about that girl that jumped the other day."

"They don't have to tell us not to commit suicide."

"There was that weird calling card too, so I guess the teachers are freaking out?"

Both girls sighed sorrowfully after listening to their classmates. They exchanged glances just as Principal Kobayakawa emerged from behind the curtain and walked up to the podium. He checked the microphone before addressing the crowded gymnasium. "Let's begin this school-wide morning assembly. As you all know, a tragic event took place the other day. Thankfully, we have been informed that she has pulled through, but it will take time until she recovers. Everyone here has a bright future ahead. I implore you that you rethink the importance of life and seek help if you need any. Now then, let's discuss another matter. Tsutsui, could you please come up?"

Mikono nodded and excused herself as she weaves through the congregation of students to reach the stage. She walked up the stairs and received the microphone from Principal Kobayakawa once he detached it from the stand. Her palms were already sweaty, nervous to see the reactions of her fellow students. She already knew most of the school looked down upon her, but she was in desperate need of part-time help at the museum, especially since her parents would be leaving for Italy in three days. She prayed they'd look past who she was and just listen to what she had to say.

Inhaling deeply, Mikono began speaking into the microphone. "Good morning, everyone. I'd like to thank Principal Kobayakawa for giving me this chance to speak with everyone. The ancient history museum in Shibuya is in desperate need of part-timers. Pay starts at 1,050 yen an hour and—"

All of a sudden, the door to the gym flew open, startling the entire student body and staff. Everyone turned their attention to the door and saw the infamous coach hanging his head in shame.

Mikono's eyes were wide when seeing the man's expression. "Mr. Kamoshida...?"

"I...have been reborn. That is why I will confess everything to you all." He dragged his body to the stage. He stood beside the girl as he stared out across the sea of flabbergasted students. "I have repeatedly done things that were...unbecoming of a teacher. Verbally abusing students...physically abusing my team, and...sexually harassing female students. I am the reason why Shiho Suzui tried to kill herself!"

The students all gasped in horror except for the four who already knew the truth. They began to murmur to one another, expressing their shock to their friends and classmates.

Then, Kamoshida fell to his knees in a heap of despair. "I thought of this school as my own castle. There were even students that I sentenced to expulsion, simply because I didn't like them. I will, of course, rescind those. What's worse, I tried to...to push myself on to one of them as a way for her to save her and the other students from being expelled..." Kamoshida lowered his head, ashamed at his actions. "I am truly sorry for putting innocent youths through such horrible acts. I am an arrogant, shallow...and shameful person. No, I'm worse than that."

He lowered his body against the ground. What he said next caused Mikono to gasp. "I will take responsibility and kill myself for it!"

Principal Kobayakawa ran around the podium, staring wide-eyed at the coach. "Mr. Kamoshida! Please get off the stage for now!"

"Everyone, return to your classes!" A teacher shouted from the crowd of students. No one listened to the man.

Up on stage, Kamoshida ignored the principal and tried to continue. "I—"

"Don't run, you bastard!" Ann shouted over the uproar of students. Everyone fell silent as all eyes were focused on the blonde. "Shiho's still alive even after all the things that made her want to die! You have no right to run from this!"

"You're right... You're absolutely right..." Kamoshida groveled. "I should be punished under the law and atone for my crimes. I did horrible things to Takamaki-san, as well. In return for giving Suzui-san a position on the team, I tried to force her into having relations. As for Tsutsui-san..."

Mikono took a step back from the man, lowering the microphone as he wrapped his hand around her ankle. "M-Mr. Kamoshida...!"

"I beg of you, Tsutsui-san. Please forgive me for all the times I hit you and pushed myself on to you," he pleaded. This only caused the students murmuring to crescendo. Ignoring them, the coach's gaze remained focused on Mikono. "As payment, I will resign from my position as an instructor and turn myself in. Please, call the police!"

Mikono gave the microphone back to Principal Kobayakawa once Kamoshida released her ankle. As she left the stage, the same teacher from earlier shouted over the murmuring students. "This morning's assembly is over! Return to your classes immediately!" No one listened as they continued to converse with one another. Once it quieted down, the teacher tried once again. "Return to your classrooms at once!"

The students listened, shuffling toward the exit. When most of the student body left the gymnasium, Akira, Ryuji, Ann, and Mikono gathered near the doors. The pigtailed girl looked toward the now vacant stage. "His heart really did change..."

"Seems like it," Ryuji replied. "But, was it really for the best?"

"I think so," Akira answered with a bit of uncertainty.

"Yeah...it's gotta be. But things're happenin' way too fast..."

"I can't believe he was begging me to forgive him AND call the cops on him," Mikono said.

"I'll say," the blonde boy said. "That was the weirdest part."

"It was my favorite part," the bespectacled boy confesses with a pleased smirk.

"Me too," the inky-haired girl snickered.

"You two are weird..." Ryuji mumbled.

Suddenly, the group was approached by Mishima and two girls. He and his companions came to a halt in front of Mikono and Ann, lowering their heads in regret. "Takamaki-san, Tsutsui-chan... I'm sorry!"

Both girls hummed in confusion at the sudden apology.

Slowly, Mishima raised his head. "We all knew...but we pretended we didn't."

The tall girl was the next to speak. "Takamaki-san, Tsutsui-san, I had you both all wrong... I'm sorry that I spread rumors about you two!"

The other nodded in agreement. "I didn't know at all... Kamoshida was forcefully pushing himself on to both of you... It must've been so hard for you guys!"

"I'm sure there's a ton of people who want to apologize to the two of you. We're so sorry!"

Ann looked away, frowning. "No, it's okay. The same goes for me too. Besides, that's all in the past now."

Before Mikono could say anything, they were interrupted by a teacher. "Hey, you there! Return to class at once!"

"W-Well, see you guys later then..." The taller girl mumbled before leaving with the other female student.

Mishima remained as the teacher walked away. Now, he was apologizing to Akira. "I can't apologize enough for what I did to you. I swear I'll make it up to you some day." The boy left the gym, leaving the four friends behind.

Ryuji was bewildered from hearing all the apologies directed toward his friends. "Looks like Kamoshida ain't the only one that had a change of heart." He then smiled at the two girls. "Man, I'm glad for you guys. Looks like those weird rumors are gonna go away."

"My thing doesn't really matter," Ann sighed. "We made Kamoshida apologize about Shiho. That's more than enough for me."

"Those horrible rumors will go away, but that won't stop the other ones," Mikono melancholically gazes at the floor. "The bribing, my birthplace... Those all will stay."

Ann smiled, wrapping her arm around Mikono's shoulders and poking her cheek. "Don't look so sad! You have us! And Morgana, of course."

The sable-haired girl looked up and felt a smile tug at the corners of her lips. "You're right. The four of you are more than I could've asked for. Who cares what the other students think."

"That's the spirit!"

"Did you not hear me?" The same teacher from earlier stalked over. "Get back to class!"

The four scurried out of the gymnasium and headed to class to avoid getting in trouble.

|| 5/2 Monday ||
|| After School ||

On the rooftop, Mikono sat atop one of the desks with Morgana in her lap. She raked her nails gently across its head and down its back, earning purrs of pleasure from the feline. Beside her laid the medal they retrieved from the Metaverse.

Ryuji leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs as he looked over at Akira. "I totally freaked out... He really did have a change of heart." Then, a smile appeared on his face. "And we were lucky his mind didn't get messed up either! This was an A+ job!"

Morgana opened its eyes, still enjoying Mikono's gentle touch. "Does this mean that they won't have a mental shutdown even if their Palace disappears?" It flipped over in the girl's lap and allowed her to stroke its belly. "I see... So we need to persuade the Shadow without killing it, and then send it back to its real self. Our targets won't undergo a cognitive collapse if we do that."

"So, we can get 'em to confess with no bad stuff?" The blonde grinned. "Hey! That works for me!"

The door to the rooftop opened and Ann sauntered over with a sour expression. "Do you have to be so loud?"

"This is Ryuji we're talking about," Mikono smirked.

"That's true."

Ryuji's boisterous behavior remained stable even after hearing their comments. "Don't worry about it."

Mikono lifted her head and looked at her. "You went to see Shiho, right? How is she?"

A genuine smile blossomed on Ann's face. "She's regained consciousness!"

"For real?!" Ryuji gasped, eyes wide.

"It was only for a little bit, but I got to talk to her," Ann explained, squatting down and burying her face into her arms. "I was able to tell her that Kamoshida admitted to what he did. Shiho, she...she told me she was sorry." Ann returned to her full stature and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Looks like she found out that I was flirting with Kamoshida for her sake... And here I was, waiting to apologize to her. She also wanted to thank you, Mikono."

"I'm glad she's all right, but I still feel like I didn't do the best I could've to save her," said girl sighed. "Regardless of what I did or didn't do, it's in the past."

Ann's smile fell as she remembered what else she learned at the hospital. "Shiho's mom is thinking of transferring her to another school after she recovers. The whole sexual harassment and attempted suicide...people will label her after that. Sounded like Shiho had the same idea too."

"It's gonna get lonely..." Ryuji frowned.

"But, I think it's for the best. I'm sure it'll be hard if she stays here."

"She's alive. You can see her anytime."

Ann looked away with a sorrowful expression. "I need to change too."

"That aside," the fake blonde began. "I was surprised you could hold yourself back against Kamoshida's Shadow."

"It wasn't like that... I just wanted Kamoshida to apologize himself."

Morgana smiled up at the girl. "You're so kind, Lady Ann."

"No matter how much of a shit bag he was, finishing him off woulda left a bad aftertaste, huh?" Ryuji assumed.

Ann's brows furrowed. "Huh? That's not it. I think revenge is better served if I make him repent. Realizing what he's done, he'll grovel for forgiveness like he did on stage to Mikono for the rest of his life, you know? I just believe there are fates worse than death."

"Holy shit..." Ryuji's eyes widen before he clears his throat. "A-Anyway, that's all settled. But you know, there was one more thing I was wonderin' about that castle. Why was Kamoshida the only one who had that Metaverse thing?"

Morgana was more than glad to answer his question. "It isn't necessarily limited to him. It's something anyone could have if their heart became warped from their desires."

"How come you have more questions about the Metaverse than all the times we've studied together?" Mikono inquired.

"This is important information!" Ryuji wailed.

"Studying IS important!"

"I-I know that!"

"Wanna check it out?" Morgana offered.

"N-Not right now. We better lay low for a while. People are still gonna be talkin' about Kamoshida. Then again, it's totally impossible for someone to find out what we did at his Palace."

"Yeah, about that..." Ann glanced between Akira and Ryuji. "Weird rumors about you guys are already going around. Stuff like, you got together and threatened Kamoshida for Mikono's sake with something close to physical violence."

"The hell?!" Ryuji shrieked, eyes wide as saucers.

"Why did they have to drag me into it...?" Mikono grumbled.

"People aren't going to easily believe that phantom thieves really exist," Ann exclaimed. "The calling card's being treated like it was a prank by someone who knew what Kamoshida was doing."

"Makes sense..." The chocolate-eyed boy hung his head with a sigh. "We're the ones who did it and I still don't completely believe it myself, especially the part where the cognition of Mikky went against Kamoshida."

"I don't think it's worth worrying about," Mikono stated. "All we need to do is focus on school and act like normal high schoolers."

Ann nodded in agreement. "She's right. Let's wait for things to settle down for the time being."

Ryuji pulled out his phone and searched the web, grinning from ear to ear. "Anyways, let's check how much this medal can be sold for. It'd be better if we pawned it off ASAP." After checking a few sites, he found one with an exact amount. "Ooh, got a hit!"

"How much does it say?" Mikono leaned forward slightly, peering at the boy's phone. "That's...pretty low for a gold medal."

"How much is it worth?" Akira asked after a long silence.

"Only 30,000 yen," she replied.

"That's all a gold medal's worth?!" Ryuji bellowed.

A grin appeared on Ann's face as she eyed him. "Remember that time in middle school? I lent you some money."

"There's no way I borrowed 30,000 yen from you!" He glared at her.

The girl's smirk was unaffected by his scowl. "Wouldn't it be around that much with compounded interest?"

"Interest my ass!"

"I'm not saying that I'm taking all of it. I mean, it's your fault for not paying me back all these years! It's just common sense!"

"Dammit..."

Morgana lifted its body from Mikono's lap and sat on her thigh. "I agree on laying low and keeping an eye on the situation. However, you dragged me into this. It would be nonsense not to celebrate a successful mission."

Ryuji stood from his seat with an exuberant grin. "I guess we could blow this dirty money on something fun."

"Discussions among phantom thieves are to take place over luxurious food. How about it?"

"Hey, wait—" Ann was about to protest, but she decided not to after thinking things over for a few seconds. "Nah, I guess it's fine. There's somewhere I want to go then."

"Where is that, Ann?" Mikono pondered.

"It's a place Shiho and I have been wanting to go for a while."

"I don't see why not," the inky-haired girl smiled.

Ryuji shoved his hands into his pockets, scuffing the tip of his shoe against the ground. "I owe money, so I can't complain..." He looked over at Akira, who'd been spectating for most of the conversation. "You good with that?"

"Fine by me," the bespectacled boy responded.

"I'll leave it to your discretion as well, Lady Ann," Morgana said.

She nodded. "I'll call and check the prices later then."

"When should we go?" Ryuji wondered. "Wanna do it soon, like tomorrow?"

"If that's the case, I won't be able to join you. I've got to work tomorrow," Mikono said.

"Do you have to work on Thursday?" Ann asked.

"I'm free that day. Should we go then?"

"Yeah! We'll go on the last day of the holidays. That'll also help energize us when school life starts up again the day after."

Ryuji crosses his arms as he figured out what day that'd be. "Then...the 5th, on Children's Day."

"So," Ann glanced down at the medal. "Who's going to sell this?"

"Leave that to us!" Morgana leapt from Mikono's lap to Akira's. "We know a store that'll buy anything. Don't we, Akira?"

"Uh, right," the boy responded.

The pigtailed girl smiled. "Okay, I'll leave that to you guys."

Mikono grabbed her bag. "Now that it's settled, I've gotta head to the museum."

"I'll go with you," Akira jumped to his feet with his own bag. Morgana was forced to jump down at the boy's sudden movements. It grabbed the medal from the desk with its mouth and hopped into Akira's bag.

Ryuji and Ann exchanged perplexed glances as they watched their two friends leave the rooftop.

The azure-eyed girl stared at the door. "What was that all about?"