A/n: I will now be referring to Morgana as a "He" since the discussion about his gender was in the previous chapter. Love you all!!!
~✨Celestial✨~
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|| 5/14 Saturday ||
|| Early Morning ||

At Shibuya Station, Mikono stood between Ryuji and Akira. A yawn escaped the blonde as they waited for Ann to arrive.

The short girl elbowed him lightly in the side. "Don't yawn. It's contagious."

"Can't help it." He wipes a tear from the corner of his eye. "I'm so sleepy..."

"Don't tell me..."

"Yup. I ended up pullin' an all-nighter once I realized today's the last day of exams."

"You?" Morgana scoffed. "Staying up to study?"

"Nah," Ryuji replied. "I gave up on the exam. I was playin' some games, then before I knew it, it was morning."

Mikono's eye twitched at the revelation. She reached up and grabbed his cheeks, pulling them in different directions. "Are you serious?! After all the time we spent studying, you're throwing it all away on the last day?!"

"Staph pullin'!" Ryuji grabbed her hands and pried her fingers from his cheeks.

"You're failing for sure," Akira huffed out.

"I'll say!" Mikono shrieked. "I swear, why do I even waste my time helping you study?!"

The blonde grinned. "Because we're best friends." She smacked his arm as hard as she could. "Ow, dammit! That hurt!"

"That's what you get for wasting my time!"

They heard another yawn and saw Ann had walked up. She greeted them with an exhausted expression. "Morning..."

"Yo, look who else is yawnin'," Ryuji retorts, grinning.

Mikono slapped the same arm she did a few seconds ago. "I doubt Ann stayed up all night playing video games.

The boy rubbed his sore arm with a grimace. "Damn, you're gonna leave a bruise..."

"Exams are almost over, so I thought I'd make one last effort across the finish line," Ann stated.

"You could learn a thing or two from Ann, Ryuji," Mikono muttered to her best friend.

"No way in hell am I gonna spend an entire night studyin'..." The blonde boy remarks.

"Impressive, Lady Ann. You're quite different from this stupid monkey I know," Morgana taunts, placing his front paws on Akira's shoulder.

The sable-haired girl quickly clamped a hand over her mouth to keep her laughter from being too loud. Ryuji scowled at her before directing it toward the feline. "Huh? Don't gimme that crap. Your brain's tiny compared to mine."

"Size is meaningless if there's nothing inside, you know," the animal snickered.

The boy stomped his foot against the floor as he took a step toward Akira and Morgana. "What was that?!"

"Ugh, will you please shut up?!" Ann hollered over the bickering. "You're going to make me forget everything I memo—" Ann suddenly spun on her heels, searching the crowded station.

Mikono knew exactly what caught her attention because she could feel the same gaze she had been for the past two weeks. While she received a few days of peace, it didn't last long.

"Am I imagining things?" Ann whispered.

The inky-haired girl was the only one to hear her. "No, you're not. I can feel eyes on us."

Akira noticed the two girls whispering to one another and wondered what had their attention. "Is there something wrong?"

Ryuji also witnessed how quiet Ann and Mikono got. "What, you two see a groper or something?"

"It's them," Mikono said.

Akira turned his head in the direction his friends were looking in and couldn't spot who was staring at them. Ryuji was the only one who was confused. "Who's "them"?"

"It's nothing," Ann interjected. Morgana glared in the same direction before they boarded the train to Aoyama-itchōme Station. The only one who was able to relax during the ride was Ryuji. Everyone else was looking around the sea of faces, wondering if the person stalking them was onboard. Akira had to force Morgana back into his bag when the cat tried to lean out too far.

When they arrived at their stop, they exited the train and proceeded up the escalator. Ann and Mikono felt eyes on them and looked back. The blonde girl was able to spot the person that had been following them a few yards away. "Oh my god, that guy got off!"

Akira turned around, wondering which person was following his two friends. He wasn't able to pick a face among the crowd as many people were passing through the station.

After two weeks of being stalked, she still wasn't able to see the guy who had been following her. Due to her short height, her sight was blocked by Ryuji. "This needs to end, now."

Ryuji yawned uncontrollably, stretching his arms upward before scratching the top of his head.

Ann glared at him, placing her hands on her hips. "Hey! At least act like you care!"

"Fine..." Ryuji groaned before walking up the escalator. "Come on."

Ann, Mikono, and Akira followed him up the escalator. Once out of the station, Ryuji positioned the two girls side by side. He then grabbed Akira and ran to a hiding spot.

"W-Wait a second, is Ryuji using us as bait?" Mikono stuttered, feeling her heart racing inside her chest.

"This is the only way. Let's wait," Ann said.

A few minutes passed and the jingling of keys alerted the girls. Ann gripped the straps of her bag tightly while Mikono's shoulders scrunched up. When they felt a presence directly behind them, they turned just as a boy reached out toward them. Before he could touch either girl, Ryuji and Akira placed themselves in front of them. Both boys glare at the stranger, watching him closely. After observing him, the two boys looked back at their female friends with uncertainty.

"Hey, uh...are you two sure it's him? Or are you both just that self-conscious?" Ryuji inquired.

Ann glared at him with red cheeks. "We're not that—!"

"Is there something you want?" The boy asked, interrupting her.

Ann pushed past Akira and Ryuji, jabbing a finger in his face. "That's my line! You were the one stalking us!"

"Stalking?" The stranger glanced between the pigtailed girl and Mikono, combing back a loose strand of hair. "That's outrageous."

"I know you've been following us! Ever since the train!"

"That's because—"

Out of the blue, a car pulled up to the curb. The backseat window lowered, revealing an elderly man. "My goodness. I had wondered why you left the car. So this is where your passion led. All is well that ends well," he chuckled heartily.

The boy tore his gaze from the old man and looked past Ann at Mikono. "I saw you from the car and I couldn't help myself from chasing after you. I didn't even notice the calls from Sensei... But thank goodness, I caught up to you."

"Wait a second." Mikono walked past Akira after realizing where she'd seen the boy before. "You're the one who answered the door at Madarame's atelier. And by the sound of the keys attached to your hip... You were the one stalking me for the past two weeks! You followed me from the train station all the way to my neighborhood!"

The boy lowered his head. "Yes. I apologize for my actions, but I was simply nervous to approach you. Ever since the day you came to Sensei's studio, I could not get you off my mind."

"Hold on a damn second!" Ryuji bellowed, butting into the conversation. He pushed himself in between the two, glaring daggers at the stranger. "You've been stalkin' her for real?!"

"It was unintentional. Whenever I found the courage to talk to you, it would disappear within seconds."

"You weren't plannin' on doing somethin' pervy, were you?!" Ryuji demanded.

"I would never think of such heinous acts," the boy calmly replied.

Mikono pulled Ryuji away from him and met his gaze. "You were stalking Ann, too. Why?"

"It was difficult to choose between the two of you, but you are the one I desire." He took a step toward her, forcing her to take one step back and release Ryuji. "You're the woman I've been searching for all this time! Please, won't you—"

"H-Hold on a second...!"

"Be my model for my next art piece?!"

Mikono blinked owlishly. "A-A model? Me?"

He nodded. "All that I've drawn till now has been lacking, but feel a passion from you unlike anyone else. I felt it the moment I first laid eyes on you."

"This man's highly suspicious!" Morgana howled. "Akira, do something! Don't let him take your wo—agh!"

Akira jostled the cat around, silencing him. He wasn't fond of how this boy was eyeing his friend and the girl he has a crush on. He wanted to drag her far away from him, especially seeing how uncomfortable he was making her. He kept his cool, continuing to watch the scene in silence.

"Ain't this a recruit for some shady business?" Ryuji pondered with furrowed brows. However, he never received an answer.

The stranger lunges forward, encasing Mikono's hands in both of his. He stared deeply into her cerulean eyes. "Will you cooperate with me? What do you say?"

Seeing what the boy did, both Akira and Ryuji snapped. The blonde forcefully pried his hands off hers and pushed him back while the obsidian-haired boy took ahold of the girl and pushed her behind him.

"Hold your horses!" Ryuji yelled. "Who're you anyways?!"

The boy's expression remained neutral even having been shoved by the blonde. "Oh, where are my manners? I'm a second-year at Kosei High's fine-arts division. My name is Yusuke Kitagawa. I'm Madarame-sensei's pupil, and I am being allowed residence at his place. I'm striving to become an artist."

"Oh," Mikono hummed in realization, popping her head out from behind Akira. "That's why you were at Madarame's atelier. I thought you were his assistance, but you're his pupil. Why didn't you introduce yourself when we first met?"

"You ran off before I could," Yusuke stated.

Her cheeks turned bright red, embarrassed at how she ran off that day. "O-Oh, I'm sorry, Kitagawa-kun. To be honest, you freaked me out when you suddenly started touching me..."

"T-Touched you?!" Morgana screeched. "Th-This guy touched Lady Mikono?!"

Akira tried to hush the cat by shaking his bag inconspicuously. He heard multiple meows before he fell silent.

"Wait a minute!" Ann shrieked. "You said you're a pupil of Madarame's. Do you mean THAT Madarame? The one who was on "Good Morning, Japan" the other day?"

"The very same," the navy-haired boy responded.

Ryuji looked at her. "You know who that is?"

"He was introduced as a super-famous Japanese-style artist who's been recognized all over the world." Ann then muttered under her breath. "But we heard that name the other day in Mementos..."

"Yusuke!" Madarame shouts from the car.

Said boy turned his head and addressed him. "I'm sorry, Sensei. I'll be right there!"

Ryuji glances at the older gentleman in the vehicle. "That old guy's Madarame?"

Yusuke stepped around Akira and peered down at Mikono. "Madarame-sensei's exhibition will begin at Crescent Gallery near the station tomorrow. Since you are an employee and helped establish the layout of the exhibit, I expect you will be there. I will also be there to help out. I hope you will give me the chance to speak with you properly and to know your answer of becoming my model then." He then pulled three tickets out of his pocket and looked at Akira, Ryuji, and Ann. "I bet you have no interest in the fine arts, but I'll give you tickets."

"Uh..." Ann mumbled as she accepted the tickets from Yusuke.

The gray-eyed boy immediately redirected his attention to Mikono. "Well then, I hope to see you there tomorrow!" He headed toward the black car and climbed inside.

When the vehicle pulled away from the curb, Ryuji scuffed the sole of his shoe against the ground as he met Mikono's gaze. "I know your parents own the gallery and all, but you're not plannin' on goin', are you?"

"Dr. Ito and Dr. Yamamoto have been put in charge of the exhibit in my parents' stead. I don't think Kitagawa-kun realizes who my parents are or that I don't really work at the gallery. I was just in charge of helping plan the layout of the exhibition. I don't have to attend, but I think I will," Mikono answered. "I think I should talk to Kitagawa-kun."

"You're really gonna chat with your stalker?!"

"Okay, I admit the stalking part was creepy, but I still want to talk to him. The only thing he did wrong was follow me. He didn't try to hurt me, Ryuji."

"But still..."

"Crap!" Ann suddenly bellowed, alarming the others. "Look at the time! I'll see you later!"

The trio watched her storm off in the direction of Shujin Academy.

Mikono sighed, deciding to follow after her classmate. "We'll talk more about this later. Let's get to school before we're late."

Ryuji and Akira remained glued to where they stood. Morgana glared in the direction Madarame's car vanished. "How dare he go after Lady Mikono... I've memorized that face of yours, Yusuke!" He then pawed at Akira's blazer. "Why didn't you say anything?!"

"What could I have said?" He shrugged his shoulders. "This is Mikono's decision. I'm not going to control what she does."

"You're going to let that Yusuke character steal her away from you?!"

Ryuji's eyes narrowed. "The hell're you talkin' about, cat?"

"Akira's got a crush on Lady Mikono!"

The frizzy-haired boy's eyes widen when Morgana told Ryuji about his crush. He was aware of the blonde's feelings toward the girl just by simply watching the way he looks and talks about her. Thanks to Morgana, Ryuji now knew about his infatuation with Mikono and wondered how this would affect their friendship. When he locked eyes with the chocolate-eyed boy, he was shocked to see his expression. Ryuji was smirking.

"I kinda already figured that out," he said.

"When?" Akira questioned.

"A while ago."

"Really?"

Ryuji shoved his hands into his pockets. "Dude, do you even realize how much you stare at her? You make it pretty damn obvious."

"You're not mad?" Akira asked.

"The hell I gotta be mad for? Mikky ain't mine. She sees me as a big brother..."

"Wow, Ryuji. You've got it hard," Morgana commented.

"Shuddup!" He looked away from the cat and back at his friend. "Mikky's kinda slow when it comes to romance. She told me I was her first friend. For fourteen years, she grew up only knowin' her parents. Not once has she dated anyone, but I think it's gotta do with those shitty rumors. She's gonna need a lot more than gestures to know your true feelings."

Morgana's eyes widen. "Ryuji, are you...giving Akira permission to ask Lady Mikono out?"

"I ain't givin' permission to anyone! Like I said, she ain't mine to give away. I couldn't care less what you do. If you seriously think I'm gonna fight with my friend over a girl who also happens to be my best friend, you're wrong!"

Akira couldn't help but grin. "Guess I'll have to step up my game."

"Just don't go breakin' her heart. That's somethin' I definitely won't forgive you for," Ryuji said.

The cat snickered. "That's exactly what a big brother would say."

"Didn't I tell you to shut up?!"

|| 5/14 Saturday ||
|| After School ||

Ann smiled widely as she stretched out her arms. "Mmm, it's over!"

"It's over..." Ryuji groveled in defeat. "How 'bout you?" He looked at Akira.

The bespectacled boy grinned. "I'm feeling confident." He glances over at Mikono, who was twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "I think it's because of all the studying we did."

"At least I know studying with you wasn't a waste, Akira. Unlike a certain someone..." Her eye twitched a couple times as she glanced at Ryuji with a frown.

"You gonna whack me again?" The blonde boy intimidated her.

"Why don't you come over here and find out?"

"I'm good. I already have a bruise from where you beat me up this mornin'."

"I can make it even bigger..."

Ryuji covered the bruise and desperately changed the subject for the sake of his arm. "A-Anyways, can we stop talkin' about the exams? Like it or not, they're gonna come back graded next week. Rather than focus on stuff that's over with..." He pulled out his phone and unlocked it.

"What're you looking at?" Ann inquired.

"The usual site." He scrolled through the posts before sighing. "It's not use. There ain't any useful info. The number of posts are gettin' less and less too..."

Morgana pushes open the zipper on Akira's bag and peers over the boy's shoulder at the blonde. "I am not letting this end as a one-hit wonder, okay?"

"There's no point in getting antsy though," Ann said.

"A watched clock never ticks," Mikono commented. "We need to be patient."

"I know! Why don't we go eat lunch somewhere? We still have some money left over from the other day."

Ryuji's mood perked up at the mention of food. "I want sushi then! Or domestic-raised eel!"

Ann scowled at him in disapproval. "We don't have THAT much left." That's when she remembered the events that transpired earlier. "Oh, right. There are those tickets to Madarame's exhibit!"

"But that's tomorrow. I'm actually excited to go," Mikono smiled.

Morgana's eyes widen in horror. "Don't tell me. Was it love at first sight with that Yusuke guy?"

"What—no! I remember reading the documents for every piece that'll be on display while I was planning the layout. There's one piece I'm excited to see in person."

"R-Right! Of course!"

"I'm excited too!" Ann announced. "When I was watching that special on TV, his artwork was pretty nice. Plus, we've got free tickets. Besides, this could also be related to what we heard in Mementos."

"Madarame, was it?" Ryuji asked.

"I'm curious too. Did you manage to learn anything, Mikono?" Akira questioned.

She hung her head with a heavy sigh. "No... Everything I found was all positive. There were no negatives, which I find odd. Even the most liked people have some negative aspects and the web is the perfect place to post such negativity. But I did notice a lot of deleted posts and comments on the websites I checked."

"That aside, what should I do about the other two tickets?" Ann smiled at Ryuji and Akira. "Want to go appreciate some fine arts for once with us?"

The blonde boy folded his arms across his chest. "Fine arts, huh..."

Morgana's tail flicked back and forth as he expressed his own opinion. "I suggest we should all go together! Appreciating the fine arts builds character. A phantom thief who can't identify an original is lame."

"I think Mikky already knows how to do that..."

Akira blinked a few times, glancing to the girl standing to his right. "Really?"

"Yep. Remember when I mentioned Dr. Ito and Dr. Yamamoto? Well, they're the ones who taught me how to differentiate between an original painting and a copy. The reason my parents have them maintaining the art gallery is because they specialize in identifying famous artworks and art restoration."

"Think you can teach me?" Akira asked.

"Definitely!"

Ryuji glances around at his friends. "Well, if everyone's going..."

"It's settled then!" Ann cheered, smiling.

"I'm looking forward to it," Akira said with his own smile.

The blonde girl swung her body around with a giddy expression. "Just the phrase "going to an art exhibit" sounds kinda mature. Let's meet at the exhibit entrance tomorrow."

"And if anyone gets lost, just text me. I can give you directions to the gallery," Mikono stated. She then grinned. "So, who's hungry?"