|| 5/7 Saturday ||
|| After School ||

On the rooftop, Mikono laid across the desks with her eyes closed. He legs hung off the edge as her breathing became deep and even. Akira kneeled beside her and poked her cheek. She didn't react in any way to his action. "She's asleep."

"What did you do to her, Ryuji?" Ann demanded, scowling at the blonde boy.

"I-I didn't do anything to her! We were up late last night to study!" He protested. "That's it!"

"So you basically kept her up last night just because you're terrible at studying. No wonder why she's sleeping..."

Ryuji decided to ignore the pigtailed girl and pulled out his phone to check the Phantom Aficionado Website. He began scanning over the posts, growing as he kept scrolling further and further down the page. "None of these posts are any good. Everyone's just bitchin' about their parents or their boyfriends. There ain't even a hint of a hint about a new Palace..."

Ann's eye twitched, annoyed that he didn't think of Mikono's health last night. She decided not to linger on the subject and sighed. "We can't get everything online. Finding a post with a name and location is asking a lot."

"Guess we just gotta find one ourselves then."

Morgana, who was curled up on Mikono's stomach as she slept, lifted its head. "Are you seriously suggesting we look for a target that even the police have overlooked?"

The boy now realized how ridiculous his plan sounded. "Yeah, you're right. We should prolly just hold off 'til exams are done with, huh? We can wait and see for a little longer, then worry about comin' up empty-handed if it happens."

All of a sudden, everyone fell silent as the door to the rooftop opened. Morgana hightailed it to a hiding spot to avoid being seen. Ann gasped when realizing who it was and glared weakly at the person as they approached.

They glanced down at the slumbering Mikono with disapproval before saying, "This place is off limits, you know."

Ryuji clearly was irritated by the person's presence. "We'll get outta here once we're done chattin'. Anyways, what's Miss Council President want with us?"

Niijima glanced between the four teens. "The Troublemaker, the girl of rumor, the rich girl, and the infamous transfer student... Interesting combination."

Ann was taken aback at the girl's words. Her glare sharpened as she disapproved of Niijima's presence. "Great way to start a conversation..."

The crimson-eyed girl ignored the blonde's sassy remark and focused her gaze on Akira. "By the way... It seems as though you got to know Mr. Kamoshida pretty well."

"Not really," Akira honestly replied.

Ryuji came to his friend's defense. "Yeah, y'know he's only been here a month or so."

"Hmm..." Niijima hummed. "I heard Mr. Kamoshida used a volleyball team member to spread details of your past record. Don't you hate him? Mr. Kamoshida, I mean."

"What's all this about?" The blonde boy hissed. "My friend here's an upstanding guy."

"I don't mean to offend. Many students have been shaken up by what happened with Mr. Kamoshida. The rumors about that odd, calling card-esque posting aren't going away either."

Ann's eyes widen at hearing the girl mention the calling card. "I didn't expect someone like you would care about that tactless stuff, Niijima-senpai."

"I dunno that it was tactless..." Ryuji murmured under his breath. "Anyways, we done here? We can't leave if you keep talkin' to us."

Niijima's brows knitted together in frustration. "At least try to understand my position. Being forced to deal with this horseplay..."

"Horseplay?!" Ann screeched angrily.

"Ah, yes. By the way, it's been decided that this place will be closed off due to the incident. I heard some people are coming up here without permission, after all." She turned on her heels and headed toward the entrance to the rooftop. "I'm sorry to have interrupted you."

The moment Niijima was gone, Ann pushed herself off the ventilation shaft. "What was that about?"

Morgana hopped down from its hiding spot, landing on a desk right beside Mikono's head. "She's on to us. That girl seems rather sharp. We should be cautious of her."

"She really pisses me off!" Ryuji snarled.

"Like Morgana said, we should be cautious," Akira warned his friends.

"Talk about a pain in the ass..."

"We need to be more than cautious." Mikono's eyes flew open and she pushed herself up into a sitting position. "Niijima's sister works as a public prosecutor. If she learns who we really are, she'll definitely go to her sister."

"Did you just wake up?" Ryuji pondered.

"No. I was pretending to sleep while you three chatted with Niijima. But for now, we should focus on acting like normal students. We do have exams coming up."

Morgana nodded its head. "Exactly. Study hard. Especially you, Ryuji. There are bound to be traps that will need to be solved with brains. Keep in mind that everything you do in your daily lives has an impact on your abilities."

"True," Ann said. "Studying won't be so bad if we just think of it as helping us prepare to be phantom thieves."

"I guess you got a point..." Ryuji muttered. "But man, it's just so lame. I was all fired up about helpin' people, not about studyin'... Hey, Mikky, wanna—"

"No," she swiftly answered, cutting him off. "You kept me up for two extra hours because of a math problem!"

"Really, Ryuji?" Ann sighed in disbelief at the revelation. "A math problem?"

"H-Hey, it was a hard one!" The blonde boy retorts.

"But two hours?" Akira asked.

"I suck at math, okay?!"

"There's no way I'm studying tonight after yesterday..." Mikono said. "Is there something we can do together?"

"Well, I do have somewhere interesting to show you beforehand," Morgana revealed. "You guys did originally promise to help me out with my mission, after all."

"Huh?" Ryuji hummed in bewilderment. "Mission?"

"Follow me."

<——————————<<<<<

"What're you bringing us here for?" Ryuji asked after they arrived at Shibuya Station. He sat on the ground, peering up at the cat as it laid perched on a ledge.

"Just do as I told you," it demanded.

Ryuji unlocked his phone and accessed the website. "All right, I've got the Phantom Aficionado Website up. Now what?"

"Look for a post with a full name in it."

"I already said there's no info on any big shots. Don't you remember? But man, people actually go put someone's real name on here. That's some scary shit..."

Ann joined the search and scrolled through the posts on her own phone. ""He won't listen to what I say"... No wait, there's no name on this one."

The chocolate-eyed boy read one of the posts he found. ""Someone's bad-mouthin' me in online chat rooms"... This one's got a name."

"I think we need to find one that's more serious than chat rooms and personal issues that can be solved by common sense," Mikono commented.

"Lady Mikono's right," Morgana stated. "Aren't there any posts about more serious trouble?"

After searching a little longer, Ann discovered exactly what they were looking for. ""I don't know what to do about my ex who's stalking me. His name is Natsuhiko Nakanohara." It says he's a teller at City Hall."

"A government worker's stalkin' someone...?" Ryuji was baffled by the post.

"Regardless of social status, anyone could be a stalker. Even a politician could be one," Mikono shrugged her shoulders. "I just wonder who my stalker is..."

"What was that last part?"

"O-Oh, nothing!"

He eyed her suspiciously before his attention was drawn back to Morgana as the cat spoke. "That should be a suitable target. All right, now get the Meta-Nav ready."

"We're just gonna jump right into another Palace? Fine by me!" The fake blonde grinned.

"Hey, what happened to all that talk of "unanimous decision"?" Ann barged into the conversation. She looked away from Ryuji and over at Akira and Mikono. "What do you think we should do, Akira, Mikono?"

"I think we should go," Akira answered.

"I agree. It's a small target, but a target nonetheless," the cerulean-eyed girl said. "We'll be helping somebody."

"That's what I'm talkin' about!" Ryuji cheered.

"Okay then," Ann acknowledged her friends' decisions. "Let's go."

"We need a name and a place, right? So the name is..."

Morgana interrupted him. "Actually, we don't need a location this time. Just enter exactly what I say. The keyword is "Mementos"."

"Huh? What're you tryin' to pull?" The brown-eyed boy inquired.

"Just listen to me. It should work... I think."

"Geez, that again?" He opened the navigation app and did as the feline commanded. "Uh... "M-e-m-e-n-t-o-s", was it?"

The group, minus Morgana, was surprised when they heard a familiar blip. Mikono leaned forward and couldn't believe it. "It actually worked?"

The boy flew to his feet. "We got a hit?!"

The animal smiled triumphantly. "Just as I thought!"

Their surroundings warped, taking them to a darker version of Shibuya Station. The cacophony of noises vanished alongside the bustling crowd of people passing from platform to platform.

"I'll admit, I wish the train station was like this all the time," Mikono said. "It'd be so much easier getting around and I could get a seat whenever I wanted on a train."

"It kind of feels like I'm walking on air," Ann claimed.

Ryuji looked around at the lifeless train station. "Is this that Nakanohara guy's Palace?"

"That's half right, but half wrong," Morgana stated. "This is a type of Palace, but it's different from the normal ones. Come on, let's head down. The Shadows here lurk underground. I don't quite understand why. It may be because they're drawn to something."

"That's...a little disturbing to know," Mikono said. She shook her head and crossed her arms. "Anyway, how're we gonna get underground? Wait, is it the subway?"

"Precisely, Lady Mikono. You use it every day on your way to school. Follow me!" The feline jumped down from its perch and dashed down the stairwell.

"Wait up, cat!" Ryuji bellowed before taking chase. Akira, Mikono, and Ann proceeded down the stairwell after the boy and feline. As they descended underground, their clothes changed without them noticing due to their attention glued to their eerie surroundings. When they did realize their appearances had changed, that's when they knew the Shadows were aware of their presence.

Mikono suddenly felt a surge of pain in her left eye and pressed the heel of her palm against it to fight against it. She gritted her teeth in pain as she stumbled back. Her heels came in contact with the bottom step, causing her to lose her balance. Before she could fall, a hand wrapped around her right wrist and halted her descent. Akira was her savior. He pulled her toward him and steadied her. Even after she regained her balance, the boy didn't let go of her wrist. He noticed the way she was covering her left eye and he was reminded of the day the Eye of Horus awakened. "Your eye... Is it happening again?"

"No, but the pain has returned. I-I don't know why," she whimpered. "But it doesn't compare to the pain I felt the day I first received the Eye. I'll be fine."

"You don't look fine," he retorts.

Morgana interjected, who was now in its anthropomorphic form. "Remember that day at the museum when you used the Eye and saw someone surrounded by a black aura?"

"Y-Yeah. There were also black roots connecting to something underground. That...was also the time you first mentioned Mementos," Mikono remembered the day clearly. "What is this place, Morgana?"

"Mementos is everyone's Palace," the cat explained.

"Everyone's?"

"A Palace as grand as the previous castle only forms when a person's wishes are extremely distorted. So, instead of many individual Palaces, the general public has one gigantic shared Palace. That's where we are now. Mementos. Using the Eye, you were able to detect someone who has twisted desires. While they aren't distorted enough for their own individual Palace, I bet we'll find a Shadow down here of that person."

Mikono lowered her hand, revealing her eyes were wide open. She remembered what Igor told her about the Eye of Horus and now it made complete sense. "So it's true, then. The Eye is able to detect human desires."

"We might be able to use your ability to search for a bigger target," Morgana said. "Is there a way you can tell a difference between good and bad auras?"

"All I know is whenever we enter the Metaverse, you four have this blue aura with a strange golden speck near your hearts. That's all."

"I'm sure you'll learn more soon enough, Lady Mikono. We would never force you to work out all the Eye's abilities right away."

"Wait," Ann chimed in. "Does this mean we can change the hearts of people who don't have a Palace?"

"Correct! The steps to do so are slightly different though."

"But this place looks pretty huge. Are we gonna be able to get around just by walkin'?" Ryuji inquired.

The feline jumped down and hopped a few feet away from the group. "It seems the time has finally come." It got into a pose before waving its paws around. "Morganaaa...transfooorm!"

In the blink of an eye, Morgana's body shifted into a bus. The four teens were flabbergasted and had no idea what to say.

Seeing this, Morgana broke the silence. "Come now, Panther, Sphinx. Ladies first."

"A car?!" Ann shrieked.

"No way!" Ryuji hollered.

The cat gladly provided an explanation for the shocked boys and girls. "This comes from the way cognition materializes in the Metaverse, plus a bit of extra training. It's not dissimilar to how you guys transform."

"You turnin' into a car is totally different than our clothes changin'!"

"For some reason, cats turning into buses is an extremely widespread cognition among the general public."

"Why a bus tough?" Ann questioned.

"No idea."

"Oh, I've got a pretty good idea," Mikono snickered.

"And what's that, Miss Encyclopedia?" Ryuji teased.

"You seriously don't know? What kind of childhood did you have?" She retorts.

"J-Just tell us!"

"In this movie called "My Neighbor Totoro", there's a Catbus with twelve legs. That's why it's a widespread cognition among the general public."

"That...actually makes sense." Ryuji shook his head a few times before turning his gaze back to the bus, approaching it. "Hold on a sec! Why didn't you do this at the castle?!"

"I would have if I could!" Morgana rebuttals. "But that castle was cramped, there were tons of stairs, and no way this fits on top of a chandelier!"

Ann chases after Ryuji once seeing he was trying to climb inside the vehicle. "Hey, Skull! Ladies first!"

She yanked on his arm, startling him. "Stop pullin' me! That's dangerous!"

"Panther! Please be gentle!" Morgana begged.

Mikono was about to hop inside the bus, but she realized Akira still had her wrist in his grasp. "Um, Joker?"

"Yeah?" The boy asked, not realizing he was still holding on to the girl.

"Could you...let me go?"

Akira glances down at his hand, blinking owlishly before retracting it quickly. "S-Sorry..."

"It's fine," she smiled at him. "Let's go!"

Akira, Ryuji, and Ann sat in the back while Mikono sat in the passenger's seat.

"All aboard! Let's go!" Ryuji chanted, throwing his arm behind the seat as he relaxed.

There was an awkward silence as the bus didn't move forward an inch. Morgana shattered the suffocating silence when noticing no one was moving. "Why are you all just sitting around? I'm a car, remember?"

"You can't drive yourself?!"

Ann looked over at Akira with a hopeful gleam in her eyes. "Do you know how to drive?"

Their leader grinned. "It's time to bust my moves."

"...Um, safety first, okay?"

"You'd better not smash up my beautiful face, you hear me?!" Morgana shrieked.

"All right then. We'll leave the driving to you!" Ann beamed.

"I'll do my best," Akira said as he exited the bus and walked around to the driver's seat.

"Now start the engine! You can't drive if it's not running!" The cat informed the boy as he opened the door and sat down in the driver's seat.

"Geez, what a pain..." Ryuji grumbled. "Hey, Sphinx, you see a key up there to this thing?"

"I don't think we need a key. Right, Mona?" She asked.

"Precisely! There's a switch just down next to the steering wheel," it said.

"Here?" Akira pokes at the dashboard.

"That tickles! Lower, lower!"

"This one?" The boy tried another switch and the engine came to life.

"Oh, there... That feels sooo goood..."

"Ugh, is that purrin' I hear?" Ryuji groaned. "What a creepy-ass car!"

"Don't underestimate my meowtary engine," Morgana hissed.

Mikono remembered its reaction when Akira touched the wrong button. She wondered if touching another part of the car would elicit the same reaction. Reaching out in front of her, she poked her finger against the dashboard.

"P-Please don't poke me, Sphinx. I-I'm ticklish!" It announced.

"Sorry," she smiled innocently. "I was just curious."

"A-Anyway, we're going full throttle! It's time to fly!"

Akira took ahold of the steering wheel and drove deeper into Mementos, leaving their safe haven behind.