The moment the phantom thieves left Mementos and left the train station, Mikono heaved out a heavy sigh. She dragged her body over to a nearby bench and threw herself on to it with a groan. "What a weird day..."

"Hey, uh, Mikky?" Ryuji called out to his best friend. When she hummed, he pointed to his cheek. "You got some black stuff on your face."

"You also have some stuff on your legs," Ann noticed. "Hold on. I'll get you something to wipe it off." She disappeared for a few minutes before returning with a couple of wipes. She handed them to Mikono, who thanked her.

The sable-haired girl used the wet wipes to clean her face and legs. "Did I get it all?"

"You're good," Ann said.

Mikono tossed the dirty wipes into a trash can beside the bench before reclining back. She stared up, admiring the colors the setting sun casted across the sky. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm exhausted."

"Well, not all of us were grabbed by a weird tentacle and dragged deeper underground," Ryuji retorts. "I still can't wrap my head around what happened to you. Are you sure that thing didn't do anythin' to you? I'm just curious because you were talkin' crazy back there."

Mikono glowered at him. "I wasn't talking crazy!"

The boy crossed his arms. "You were sayin' crap like it wasn't gonna hurt you. But when we found you, that thing looked like it was ready to eat you!"

"It wasn't going to eat me!" She protested. "It was a fragment of my heart desperately crying out for help. Why would MY own heart wanna eat me? That makes no sense!"

"This fragment..." Mona pondered. "Do you know where it is?"

"Unfortunately, no. The creature was so weak, it could barely speak. And whatever I got out of it wasn't enough for a lead. It just kept saying "Find me"and "Use the Eye." I've no idea what the real fragment looks like."

"I'm sure we'll find it soon, Mikono," Akira claimed.

She held on to the hope he gave her. "You're right. I wonder if this fragment is trapped in a deeper level of Mementos..."

Ryuji scratched the back of his head with a frustration expression. "I still don't really get that place. Oh, and what was that wall thing we saw at the end?"

Morgana slid between Akira's legs and hopped up onto the bench beside the inky-haired girl. "I'm not entirely sure, but it blocked us from going in past a certain depth. I hadn't planned for us to explore any deeper, but we had no choice."

Mikono's shoulders tensed up. "Sorry..."

The cat offered her a gentle, reassuring smile. "There's no need to apologize. You didn't ask to be dragged away by that creature. Besides, we were able to explore a little of the next area. But if I'm right, Mementos might be affected by the general public's belief in us."

"Why do you know so much about it, Morgana?" Ann questioned.

It frowned, lowering its head. "My memories are a little foggy in that regard. However, I need to know what lies in the depths of Mementos, no matter what."

"No matter what...?" Ann parroted.

"Mementos is not just everyone's Palace. It's the source of all Palaces. It used to be that Palaces like Kamoshida's with one ruler simply didn't exist. So, if we can do something about the greatest cause of distortions, I'm certain my appearance will...!" Morgana's voice trailed off.

"You wanted someone to save you too..." Ann murmured sorrowfully.

"I-I just needed pawns!"

Mikono grinned as she picked up the cat and held it a few inches away from her face. "There's no need to be embarrassed. There's no shame in asking for help."

"I'll help you," the pigtailed girl declared. "I hope you can regain what you've lost."

"Me too, Morgana. You can count on us," the inky-haired girl smiled warmly, lowering the cat and placing it in her lap.

"I'll...be relying on you guys," the animal said.

"By the way, Morgana, are you a boy? Or might you be a girl?" Ann questioned curiously.

Akira smirked, deciding to tease the cat. "I'm gonna say girl."

Mikono snorted with laughter while Ann approached the boy's response with no intent of teasing. "Well, Morgana can be surprisingly clingy..."

Even Ryuji took Akira's response seriously. "If that's the case, I don't wanna be anything more than just friends."

"The feeling's mutual..." Morgana groaned. "In any case, of course I'm male! I mean, I..."

Ann titled her head when the feline fell silent. "What is it?"

"No... It's nothing. We're done talking about that!" Morgana articulated before changing the subject. "Anyway, we now know that we can perform minor changes of heart in Mementos. If we come across any eye-catching leads, it may be worth dealing with them for a bit of combat practice."

"There weren't any other outstanding ones though," the blonde girl exhaled.

Ryuji grinned, looking at the positives. "I bet we'll get tons of 'em if we can change someone famous and make the Phantom Thieves well-known. The big fish are our main targets after all."

"Hold it," Mikono intervened, deciding to wipe the smirk off her best friend's face with a simple five-letter word. "We still have exams to worry about, remember?"

The boy hung his head with a dramatic sigh. "I gotta study..." Suddenly, his head shot up and he pointed at her. "You're gonna help me, yeah?"

"After what you did to me last night, I'm not so sure..."

"I'll buy you all the taiyaki and dangos you want!"

She smirked, unable to deny such a tantalizing offer. "Deal."

|| 5/7 Saturday ||
|| Evening ||

After talking to her parents for nearly an hour, Mikono headed to her room to study for the upcoming exams. She decided to listen to music since it helped her concentrate. Before she realized it, the time was a few minutes past nine o'clock. She closed her books and was about to take a shower when her phone went off. She checked the device, seeing the group chat was being messaged by Ryuji.

Ryuji: Man, that Nakonahara guy was a piece of cake!

Ryuji: If we can take down some kinda big target next, we're totally gonna get famous.

Mikono: Really, Ryuji? Is that all you can think about? We're trying to help people, not get famous.

Ann: She's right, Ryuji.

Ryuji: But If people don't know who we are, how're we gonna give them any courage?

Akira: Are you sure, Ryuji?

Ryuji: Am I wrong?

Ann: We don't think that you're necessarily wrong...

Ann: But should we really be doing this at all if we don't have a reason like with Kamoshida?

Ryuji: You mean we shouldn't be sticking our noses into other people's business?

Ryuji: I dunno, man. If someone's in trouble, it's only natural to wanna help 'em out!

Ann: I mean, I agree with that.

Ann: And I guess I was glad we were able to solve the stalker case.

Ryuji: Plus, what good are our Personas if we don't use 'em for good?

Mikono: That's...true.

Akira: Definitely.

Ann: Yeah... You're right.

Ryuji: We don't got much time to be arguing over this either. That Madarame(?) guy bothers me.

Ryuji: Hey, Mikky, can you tell us anythin' about him?

Mikono: There's really nothing to tell. I've only talked to the man over the phone.

Mikono: But if I learn anything, I'll inform you guys. I'll also try to search online for any information.

Akira: Hopefully you'll be able to find something.

Mikono: Me too.

Ann: Be careful, Mikono.

Ann: And Ryuji, don't do anything to stand out like fail all your exams.

Ryuji: Oh crap! Speaking of that, I haven't studied today...

Mikono: You promised me you would!

Ryuji: Don't worry! I can study tomorrow! Besides, we studied for a pretty long time last night.

Mikono: You better not fail these exams...

Ryuji: As long as you help me study, those exams will be a walk in the park!

Mikono: We'll see about that...

|| 5/9 Monday ||
|| After School ||

After spending most of her Sunday studying with Ryuji and Akira, Mikono was relieved to have a little time to herself today after discussing another target in Mementos with her friends. Akira decided against going to the depths today after all that happened on Saturday. She wondered if he was placing the mission on hold for her sake after her frightful experience. In truth, she was grateful they wouldn't be going to Mementos today. Instead, she left school and headed to Central Street. Fortunately, her stalker had given her a break and she didn't require Akira's presence. The boy had insisted on going with her today, but she told him how her stalker had seemed to vanish overnight. With her shift at the museum being rescheduled, the rest of her day was free and she decided to treat herself to a new book.

After leaving the bookstore with the novel of her choosing, Mikono decided to head to the underground mall. Her curiosity carried her to the flower store, Rafflesia. She knew Akira worked there and wondered if he had a shift today. She wasn't sure why she wanted to see him after they saw each other a couple hours ago.

Arriving at the flower shop, Mikono spotted Akira tending to a customer. She also saw Morgana watching the boy's every move from his bag as he assembled a bouquet. From a distance, the girl watched her friend assemble a beautiful bouquet of flowers before placing them gently in a box and wrapping a ribbon around it. The woman working alongside him took the box and handed it to a customer. The man who ordered the bouquet walked away with a smile etched across his face.

Mikono decided to approach Akira once seeing there were no other customers to deal with. She stared at his back as he organized the flowers. "Wow, I had no idea you knew how to make beautiful bouquets, Akira."

The boy spun around at the sound of her voice and blinked in confusion. "Mikono, what're you doing here?"

"Since my stalker has decided to give me a break, I thought I'd stop by the bookstore on Central Street. I was going to head home, but I wanted to see if you were working today."

"So you came here to check on Akira?" Morgana questioned with a minuscule smirk on its face.

"Yeah," she answered, smiling. "I hope I'm not interrupting or distracting you from your job."

"You're not," the boy lied. His infatuation with her was becoming overwhelming and he found himself easily distracted by her presence. He didn't want to say that out loud in fear of her denying his feelings and running away. He also refused to tell her the truth because he was afraid she'd take it the wrong way and end up hurting her. He prayed she couldn't see through his lie to avoid spilling his true feelings.

Thankfully, Mikono bought Akira's lie. She noticed the woman who was working alongside her friend was glancing in her direction, watching the scene carefully. The cerulean-eyed girl decided to act like a customer to avoid getting Akira in trouble. "Do you think you could make me a bouquet?"

"M-Me?" Akira stuttered. He mentally slapped himself for his shaky, nervous voice. "What would you like?"

"I want you to choose. I'll be happy with anything you make," she smiled kindly at him.

Akira was flabbergasted at her words before nodding and creating a bouquet for her. He could hear Morgana trying to give him pointers, but he ignored the animal and decided to do the task by himself.

Mikono waited patiently to see what the boy would come up with. While she appeared to be patient, she was more than eager and couldn't wait to see the final results. Her mind was racing through all the combinations he could make and became distracted. When she was pulled out of her thoughts by Akira, she turned around and her eyes widen in astonishment.

The bouquet he made was simple—blue hydrangeas accompanied with white roses. While it was simple, it was beautiful. The stems were wrapped neatly with a blue ribbon that matched the color of the hydrangeas. Slowly, she took the dazzling bundle of flowers from him. What shocked her the most was the colors he picked. "How did you know my favorite color? I-I don't think I ever told you."

"I didn't," Akira confesses. It only took a few seconds for the boy's cheeks to ignite a light crimson as he divulged the reason behind why he chose blue to accompany the white roses. "I chose blue because..."

Mikono stepped forward, anxious as to what he was going to tell her. What she didn't realize was how close they were when she did step toward him. "Don't leaving me hanging! I wanna know!"

Akira took a step back after registering their close proximity. "Y-Your eyes," he managed to keep his composure as he spoke.

She glanced down at the bouquet in her hands. "I can't believe I didn't even think about that..." She looked back up at him. "I-I thought Ryuji might've told you my favorite color. Anyway, this is a really beautiful bouquet, Akira. Thank you so much." She smiled sweetly at him, causing his red cheeks to darken. "How much do I owe you?"

He shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I'll ask the manager to take the amount from my paycheck. It's a gift—from me to you."

"For...me?" She questioned in disbelief. "A-Are you sure? I'm the one who asked you to make it. Maybe I should—"

Akira placed his hands on her shoulders. "It's fine, Mikono."

She stared into his obsidian eyes. "O-Okay. I know I've said this already, but thank you so much, Akira. I really do love this bouquet. I'll have to find a place for it when I get home. I'll do everything I can to keep them from wilting."

Akira smiled as he released Mikono. "I really thought I was going to screw this up."

"You did an amazing job!" She announced jubilantly. "By the way, we're still going to study together in the library tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah. We'll head there together after school."

"Great!" She then looked around and saw a customer waiting. "Well then, I'll get out of your hair. I'll see you at the train station tomorrow morning. Bye!"

Akira waved to the girl as she left Rafflesia. He watched her until she turned the corner and vanished from his line of sight.

|| 5/10 Tuesday ||
|| After School ||

Two hours of studying passed in the blink of an eye. They were forced to the leave the library by a teacher and now the teens had no idea where to go.

By the front gate of Shujin Academy, Mikono and Akira pondered where to go next. Since neither of them had eaten since lunch, Morgana suggested going to Leblanc and resume studying after eating some curry. The two teens agreed and headed to Yongen-Jaya.

When they entered the backstreets, they stopped when they heard someone shouting Mikono's name. The two turned around and saw a boy from their school heading straight for them.

"Do you know him?" Akira asked.

"Oh, yeah. I hired him to work part-time at the museum last week. His name's Hikaru Tachibana. He helps me at the front desk," she explained.

Hikaru caught up with them and focused his gaze solely on the girl. "I was hoping to talk to you at the museum, but then I realized you weren't working today."

"What did you need to talk about?"

The shorter boy looked toward Akira, scowling at him before his gaze softened and reverted back to Mikono. "Could I...talk to you, alone?"

Akira's eyes narrowed at the boy's question. He shoved his hands into his pocket, not budging an inch from the girl's side. He kept his suspicious gaze focused on Hikaru.

"Um, sure." Mikono looked over at her friend. "Could you go on ahead, Akira? This won't take long."

The bespectacled boy refused to wear his emotions on his sleeves and respected her decision. "All right. I'll see you at Leblanc." Akira headed around the corner and Morgana emerged from his bag.

"What're you doing?!" It demanded.

"Eavesdropping," he simply replied. He came to a stop, his form being hidden behind a building. He was only a few yards away from Leblanc and he could hear Hikaru's and Mikono's conversation clearly. His eyes widen when he heard what came out of the boy's mouth.

"I-I know we haven't known each other for long, but I've liked you for a while now. I was never able to approach you at school because of the rumors, but now that everyone knows the truth, I can finally confess my feelings! I've liked you since the moment I first saw you and I was so happy when I started working alongside you at your parents' museum. W-Would you please go out with me?!"

"A-A love confession?!" Morgana shrieked. "Akira, do something!"

Akira ignored the screeching feline and continued to listen to the conversation. What he couldn't see was the hurt on his friend's face.

"I'm sorry, Hikaru, but...I can't," Mikono replied.

"Wh-Why?" Hikaru stuttered. "Is it because you're dating Kurusu?"

"We're not dating, we're friends," she sighed. "I'm glad you told me the truth, but the truth is exactly why I can't. If you really cared for me, you wouldn't have let rumors stand in your way. You were embarrassed that the girl you liked was the one from the rumors. And now that the truth has been revealed, you would no longer be ashamed to ask me out. I could never love someone who was ashamed and embarrassed to ask me out because of those ridiculous rumors."

Hikaru hung his head in shame. "I-I'm so sorry, Mikono. Y-You're completely right... I hope you'll be able to forgive me."

"You haven't done anything wrong, Hikaru. You're not the only one who believed those rumors."

"But I'm still an idiot!" He shouted. When the brunette managed to calm himself, he exhaled. "I know I'm interrupting so I'm gonna leave. I'll see you around, Mikono."

"Uh, yeah. See you soon, Hikaru."

Hearing Mikono's footsteps approaching, Akira dashed down the street and into Leblanc. He sat at one of the booths and tried to calm his racing heart before the girl arrived. He hoped there were no inklings leading to the fact he was eavesdropping on her conversation. When the door opened, he looked up and saw Mikono heading toward him.

She sat down across from him with a heavy sigh. "Sorry about that. Now then, let's get back to studying. Exams start tomorrow and I'd rather help you pass than fail."

Akira wanted her to mention the confession, but he respected her silence on the matter. "Should I make us some curry?"

"That'd be great." She placed a hand over her abdomen. "My stomach's been growling ever since the train..."

The boy smiled and left the booth.

<——————————<<<<<

It was late into the evening when Mikono and Akira finished studying. They both were exhausted and were now on their third cup of coffee. The girl finished her cup before inhaling and exhaling through her nose. "I think we went over a lot today. How're you feeling about the exams?"

"More confident," Akira said. "What subject are you not good at?"

"Math is my worst subject. I'm passing, but it's not the grade I want."

"For it being your worst subject, you're still good at it," he chuckled.

"You're easier to study with than Ryuji. I'm not sure what goes on inside his head while we're studying, but he always gets distracted and loses focus. That's why it took me two hours to explain one math question to him!" Mikono huffed out a sigh. "I've never seen someone lose focus so easily."

Akira noticed the girl's cup was empty. "Do you want some more coffee?"

"If I have another cup, I'm gonna be up all night," she giggled. "I should call a taxi and head home." She grabbed her bag and scooted out of the booth.

"At least that stalker can't follow you while you're in a taxi," Morgana commented.

"The last time I heard them was last week, on Friday. Ever since then, I've been able to walk home without being followed."

"Maybe they gave up."

"I hope so." Mikono casts a smile at Akira. "I'll text you when I get home, so stop worrying."

The boy blinked owlishly. "I'm not worried."

"Tell that to your face," she chortled before heading to the door. "Make sure to get enough sleep tonight. You wouldn't want to fall asleep during the exam."

"I will."

"Bye, Akira." With that, she left.