Ann and Mikono sat in silence, watching as the boys and Morgana try to eat all the dishes on the table. They couldn't believe their eyes at how much the trio was eating. Akira and Morgana had brought so much food to the table, there was barely enough room for empty dishes.

"I'm getting a stomach ache from watching this..." Mikono confessed.

"Me too..." Ann said.

A few more minutes ticked by and there was no food left on the table. Morgana groaned after finishing the dish in front of it. "W-We did it..."

"Y-Yeah..." Ryuji muttered. "This is a victory...for all of us..."

"That was a breeze," Akira tried to play it off.

"Is your stomach...the size of a freakin' Palace?"

"Good job, you guys," Ann smirked. "How about one last dish to cleanse your palates? I recommend the seasonal tart! The grapefruit has both alluring sweetness and a tangy sourness!"

"The chocolate cake was amazing, too!" Mikono excitedly announced. "The chocolate buttercream icing is bitter but sweet and the cake is fluffy!"

Ryuji shook his head with a groan. "Stop... I don't wanna hear about sour or sweet stuff..." He covers his mouth as he belches. "This isn't good... I gotta go to the bathroom..."

"M-Me too... Please...carry me gently," Morgana pleaded with Akira.

"I'll try my best..." The boy replied.

Before Akira and Ryuji could stand up to leave, a wealthy couple walked by and paused to examine the group of teens.

"My, look at that table..." The woman murmured to her partner.

"They must not normally have the opportunity to eat such exquisite food," the man responded.

"I can only imagine what their parents must be like."

"But look who's with them." The man pointed to Mikono. "Isn't that the daughter of Dr. Blackwell and Dr. Tsutsui?"

"Oh, you're right, Dear!" The woman acknowledges the sable-haired girl's presence. "She must be the one paying for them. But why would she be among a group of ruffians in the first place?"

Mikono slammed her hands against the table, startling her friends, as she rose from her seat. She glared at the couple as she addressed them. "First of all, these are my friends and they're not even close to being ruffians. Second, don't you know it's rude to point at someone?" The man and woman stared at her in shock. They didn't move a muscle as the girl continued. "You two are the definition of rude. No wonder so many people believe wealthy people are stingy and ill-mannered around those who are of lower status. And if you must know, we're enjoying this buffet with the money all four of us earned from working hard. People like you need to learn the facts before opening their mouths."

The couple didn't know what to say and opted to leave. Once they were out of sight, Mikono sat back down with a sigh. She leaned back in her seat, crossing her legs. "What a rude couple..." Looking up, she noticed her friends staring at her with wide eyes. "What?"

"Dude, I can't believe you stood up to them like that," Ryuji grinned.

"I would've just ignored them, but I'm glad you said something," Ann added.

"I've seen you mad before, but not like that," Akira confessed.

"Of course I'm gonna get mad. You guys are my friends. Those two had no right to say any of those things. That's why I hate going to gatherings with my parents. The only thing people do is slander others who aren't as rich as them while they sip on expensive whine and bubbly champagne," Mikono said. "My parents aren't like that, though. They know what it's like growing up with little money. They had to push themselves to the brink of exhaustion to reach where they are now."

"I can't even imagine going to—" Ryuji suddenly placed a hand over his mouth. His complexion turned pale as he stood from his seat. "I won't be able to hold it down any longer... C'mon, Akira. Let's go to the bathroom."

"Right." Akira grabbed his bag carefully to avoid jostling Morgana around. "We'll be back."

"Okay," Mikono said.

<—————————<<<<<

Fifteen minutes ticked by, but Akira and Ryuji had yet to return. Mikono was trying to calm down a furious Ann after a rude woman bumped into her and blamed her for not paying attention.

"I can't believe she said that!" Ann bellowed angrily. "She's the one who bumped into me!"

"C-Calm down, Ann. Don't let it bother you too much," Mikono tried to extinguish her friend's rage.

Just then, Akira and Ryuji returned. Ann glared at the two, showcasing her anger. "What took you so long?!"

Ryuji's eyes widen in shock. "Why're you all pissy?"

"Ann, take a few deep breaths and try to calm down," Mikono advised.

The blonde did as she suggested. She inhaled deeply before exhaling, repeating the process a few times before answering Ryuji's question. "Sorry... I had a run-in with some woman a second ago. She bumped into me, but then said it was all my fault when she dropped her plate."

"Sounds like a real bitch," Ryuji growled.

"Yeah... Thanks though. But...the restaurant workers all looked at me with this disapproving expression. Mikono doesn't look out of place, but...I wonder if the rest of us are?"

"We're not," Akira claimed as he and Ryuji sat back down.

"He's right, Ann," Mikono said. "This place is open to everyone. It's just an epicenter for the rich and spoiled."

Ryuji looked at his best friend with a stoic expression before turning to Morgana, changing the subject. "Hey, Morgana."

The cat's head emerged from Akira's bag. "What is it?"

"Anyone could have a Palace, yeah?"

"Anyone with a strong, distorted desire."

"Same for them havin' a change of heart if their treasure gets stolen?" He asked.

The feline nodded. "That would be the case."

"What're you getting at, Ryuji?" Mikono inquired.

The boy leaned forward, resting his arms on his thighs. "We had trouble earlier too. These selfish shitheads who just looked down on everyone else. I was just wonderin' if we'd be able to change those kindsa people too."

"You mean...you want to continue as the Phantom Thieves?" Ann questioned, eyes wide in bewilderment.

He lowered his head. "I've been thinkin'. We put a lot of work into changin' Kamoshida's heart, but nobody believes in the Phantom Thieves. Plus...those guys who had no other choice but to just deal with it are thankin' us. Us, of all people."

"There are lots of victims," Akira said.

"Too many to count," Mikono muttered.

Ann casted her melancholic gaze downward. "I... I agree. If we ignore people who are in trouble, I'd go back to being the same as I was before."

"Well..." Morgana frowned. "That's true. You're under my tutelage. There's nothing we can't accomplish as phantom thieves!"

"Shouldn't we be able to help 'em out?" The chocolate-eyed boy asked.

"I didn't even think of such a possibility," Akira admits. "But it's true with our powers, we may be able to help people out."

"But that means we'll have to fight more Shadows again, doesn't it?" Ann sighed.

"Indeed," Morgana replied. "That can't be avoided."

Ryuji smirked. "Eh, I'm sure we'll manage. Besides, we've got Mikky on our side!"

Said girl rolled her eyes. "You make me sound like a secret weapon..."

"You are!" Ryuji realized they were getting off topic and questioned Akira. "So, what do you think? We should continue being phantom thieves, right?"

"Fine by me," the boy replied. "What about you, Mikono?"

"I don't see why not," she smiled. "If we can help people, I want to do it."

Morgana beamed at its companions. "Heh... Even if you guys are still just fledglings, this means we're an actual organization now."

"Fledglings?" Ann giggled. "That's actually pretty fitting for us."

"All right, it's settled!" Ryuji cheered. "We're gonna catch all these shitty adults by surprise, and make ourselves known to the world!"

"Are you okay being our leader?" The blonde girl questioned Akira.

"I'm not so sure about that..." The frizzy-haired teen answered with uncertainty.

"You were the one to guide us through Kamoshida's Palace. With your guidance, we were able to change his heart. I think you're our best option," Mikono remarked.

Akira looked eyes with her as he thought about what she said. After a few seconds, he nodded. "All right. I'll be the leader."

"No objections here! I can't handle all that responsibility stuff," Ryuji claimed.

"Where's my say in this?" Morgana whined. "But Lady Ann made the recommendation, so I'll allow it."

"Well," the blonde boy grinned. "Should we decide on a name for our group? Mikky and I just went with Phantom Thieves of Hearts last time, but don't you think a real name would be cooler?"

"Ooh, I got it!" Ann interjected eagerly. "I want it to be something both cute and luxurious sounding. Let me see... How about "The Diamonds"?"

Ryuji shot down the suggestion in a heartbeat. "I'm gettin' a real little league baseball feel from it."

"Well then, here's my suggestion," Morgana spoke up. "How about "Tilefish Poele"?

"Tile...what?"

"That's what I ate earlier," the cat smiled. "It's commemorative, no?"

"Hell no, you idiot!" Ryuji looked toward Mikono. "You've any ideas, Mikky?"

"Maybe our fearless leader should name the group," she smirked. "How about it, Akira?"

"Let me think..." The bespectacled boy delved into deep thought. A few seconds later, he sighed in defeat. "I can't really think of anything."

"Do you want to stick with what Ryuji and I came up with?"

"I actually do like the name you two came up with."

"Then it's settled!" Mikono chanted. "We're the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. It's actually fitting."

"I agree," Ann voiced her opinion. "Now that the name's set, who's our next target?"

"There are tons of rotten adults and all..." Ryuji mumbled. "Why not just stick to targeting big names?"

"Like a celebrity or a CEO?" Akira asked.

"Yeah, something along those lines. If we go after some bigwig, it's gotta get on the news, right?" Ryuji grinned. "Don't you think more people would believe in us if we did that?"

"That's not a bad idea...for you, Ryuji," Morgana stated.

"True. If we become better known, we might be able to give courage to a lot more people," Ann claimed. "I don't really like the idea of just picking someone out of the blue though."

"Let's narrow it down to someone we can all agree on then," Ryuji said, coming to an understanding.

"Hmm," the animal hummed. "So we need a bigwig we decide on unanimously."

Ann smiled at the idea. "I like that unanimous decision part! It's like we're making some kind of pact!"

Morgana glances around at the group with a determined expression. "Now then, this is the official formation of the Phantom Thieves organization!"

All of a sudden, Ann gasped. "Oh no! Our time for the buffet ran out!"

Ryuji shrugged his shoulders. "I guess we'll just have to talk more tomorrow."

Mikono stood up, smiling at her friends. "I'm going to head home. I promised my parents I would plan the layout of the upcoming art exhibit."

"Have you even been to the art gallery yet?" The blonde boy asked.

"Only once. I'm still shocked my parents bought an art gallery. What's even more surprising is how they got a famous artist to show his new collection at the grand opening." She adjusted her french beret after scooting the chair back in. "Akira, will you...?"

Said boy smiled as he grabbed his bag and rose from the sofa. "I wouldn't have let you leave without me anyway."

"We'll see you both tomorrow," Mikono stated, glancing between Ann and Ryuji. "Bye!"

|| 5/6 Friday ||
|| Lunchtime ||

"So, how was it?" Mikono asked as she and Akira headed back to class after eating lunch together. She had made a bento for him after he requested one when he walked her home yesterday.

"It tasted even better than yesterday's lunch," Akira smiled.

She playfully nudged him with her elbow. "I doubt it. The food yesterday was made by professional chefs. There's no way my cooking even comes close to theirs."

"Still, I think it tasted better. Home cooking's always the best."

"I'm glad you liked it. It's the least I could do, especially since you've been walking me home and to the museum for the past week. You even escorted me to the art gallery on Tuesday."

"Maybe you could make me another bento?"

The girl giggled. "I will."

"And make me some more fatty tuna and rice!" Morgana chimed in as it placed its front paws on the boy's left shoulder.

"Don't worry, Morgana. I won't forget about you."

Reaching the second floor, Akira and Mikono saw Ann and Ryuji standing by the stairwell. They were looking at the Phantom Aficionado Website on the boy's phone.

"Hey, Ryuji, Ann. What're you two doing?" Mikono asked.

"We're checking out the website in hopes of finding at least one name," Ann sighed. "Unfortunately, we haven't found anything..."

"Look on the bright side; we've been gettin' more postings on the Phantom Aficionado Website," Ryuji grinned before reading through a few of the comments. ""I want to make my friend apologize for not returning the stuff I lent him." Ugh, deal with that yourself!"

Ann looked up when she heard a nearby door open. Two girls walked out of classroom 2-D, standing a few feet away from the group. "Hey, those girls..."

"You know that phantom thieves rumor about stealing Kamoshida's heart? I wonder if it's true," the long-haired girl muttered.

"It's got to be made up," the other girl scoffed. "Do you seriously believe they exist?"

"But look at what happened to Kamoshida."

"He probably just couldn't keep hiding it after that girl tried to kill herself."

"Yeah, you might be right. I guess there's no way they really exist."

"Most importantly, it seriously sucks that our school is gonna be known for stuff like this!" The short-haired girl complained.

The long-haired student sighed. "I wonder if it'll affect our college entrance."

Mikono glared at the two girls as they walked away. "Is that really all they care about?"

"Don't worry about it, Mikky. That's prolly a normal reaction for now, but...they'll see soon enough," Ryuji answered. A grin tugged at the corners of his lips. "If we can take care of two or three famous guys, people'll have to believe we exist."

"So about those big shots... We don't have any leads yet, right?" The pigtailed girl asked. "Plus there's that rumor about you two threatening Kamoshida for Mikono's sake too..."

"Looks like you'll just have to live a normal, honest school life for the time being," Morgana commented. "Still, make sure you stay prepared just in case anything comes up, all right?"

Ryuji placed his phone in his pocket, a grin still present on his face. "I'll keep an eye out for info on any big shots that might be comin' around."

Ann beamed at her friends. "And I'll try to dig up some dirt online."

"As for me, well..." Mikono began. "I guess I could check a few websites I know for some gossip about celebrities to see if I can find any rumors that are worth checking out."

The chocolate-eyed boy hung his head with a heavy sigh. "We went and formed the Phantom Thieves group, but we can't even find a target..."

"There, there," Ann tried to console him.

He lifted his head. "I guess sometimes things just don't go the way we want 'em to..."

"If they did, we'd have too much to deal with at once," Mikono commented.

The lunch bell rang, signaling the end of the period. Ryuji split from the group, heading back to class. Ann, Mikono, and Akira headed back to their class to avoid getting in trouble.

|| 5/6 Friday ||
|| After School ||

Once school ended, Akira asked if Mikono had to work today. Before she could respond, Mishima walked up to them and waved. "Hey."

"Hi, Mishima-kun. Did you need something?" Mikono asked sweetly.

"Have you guys seen that Phantom Aficionado Website?" He asked.

Akira glances down at the girl in front of him before answering. "We've heard of it. What's this about?"

A smile appeared on the cobalt-haired boy's face. "I'm the one who started it." He suddenly stepped forward, invading Akira's and Mikono's personal bubbles. "You guys are the Phantom Thieves, aren't you?"

The frizzy-haired boy held up a hand. "Give us some space."

"Sorry," Mishima promptly apologized to the duo. "Although...if things really are as I think, I should keep it a secret. Kamoshida used me and I did some horrible things to you guys."

"None of that was your fault," Mikono said, offering the boy a gentle smile. "And have you already forgotten you saved me? I'm really grateful you were there, Mishima-kun."

A faint blush formed on his cheeks. "B-But still... I want to make things right. This isn't much of a way for me to apologize for it, but if there's anything I can do to help, just let me know!"

Akira was hesitant to accept Mishima's help. "That's great, but..."

"I'm glad to hear that," he said. "There are many more evil adults outside of Kamoshida. But I'm sure the Phantom Thieves will do something... They can't let this end after just one target. That's why I wanted to make a forum where people could post their problems. There are probably a lot of people who have high hopes for the Phantom Thieves' next move. So I've also implemented an anonymous poll on the site."

"A poll?" Mikono questioned out of curiosity.

Mishima pulled out his phone and showed them. ""Do you believe in the Phantom Thieves or not?" I hope someday my forum is filled with supportive posts. I'd really like to help out in the Phantom Thieves' acts of justice! Can I, please?"

Akira looked toward his friend. "What do you think, Mikono?"

"I don't see any harm in it," she confesses. "What about you, Akira?"

"I think it sounds like fun," he confesses.

A rare smile appeared on Mishima's face as he placed his phone back in his pocket. "I'll live up to your expectations. I promise. I'll see you guys around."

"Bye, Mishima-kun," Mikono waves to the boy as he left the classroom.

Once the door closed, Ryuji and Ann walked over.

"We heard all that," the blonde boy informed the two. "Geez... It was a little awkward tryin' to figure out when to walk over here."

"So that forum in Mishima-kun's," Ann stated.

Morgana, who had been hiding in Akira's bag since now, stared with wide eyes. "Has he figured out our identities?"

"Even so, I think it'll be fine. He seemed to be playing it cool."

"I agree. I think having Mishima on our side will give us an advantage," Mikono said.

"Still, we should have a little chat about this later," Ryuji claimed.

"I will say though...a forum where people can post problems may prove unexpectedly useful," the feline stated.

"Anyways, we gotta get lookin' for a new target."

"And we need to stay sharp until we manage to find one," Ann added. "Once we do, we'll have to head into another Palace, so we should prep our equipment and—"

Ryuji's eyes widen in realization. "Wait, oh CRAP!"

The pigtailed girl was alarmed by his sudden outburst. "What's with you?!"

"D-D-Don't we have an exam comin' up?!"

Mikono tapped the tip of her nose with her finger. "Bingo."

He grabbed the sides of his head and yanked at his hair. "Oh, SHIT!"

Ann sighed in disbelief. "Judging by that reaction, I'd assume you're going to struggle this time too?"

"I-It's not like you're any better! All you're good at is English!"

She scowled at him. "I'd rather that than be bad at every subject!"

"Even your Japanese is questionable at best, Ryuji," Morgana snickered.

"What's questionable is whether you're really even a human," Ryuji snapped back. He was pleased by his own retort and grinned. "Good comeback, huh?"

Mikono groaned while the cat bared its teeth at the boy. "Let's discuss this with our fists!"

"Bring it!"

"Are you seriously picking a fight with a cat?" Mikono exhaled with a disapproving frown.

"It started it!"

"I don't care who started it!" She hissed. "I'm ending it!"

"Whatever..." Ryuji stepped forward and grabbed her hand. "You're comin' with me to help me study!"

"W-Wait, Ryuji!" The girl protested a she was dragged out of the classroom against her will.