The next day was a Sunday and Endeavor was out of the house, meaning Shiina was free to wander around the place without pissing the old flaming fucktard off with her general presence. She was still a bit tense from the previous day when Akira got captured. She knew it was part of the plan, but how could she not worry? Who knew what was happening to him while he was under arrest...

Currently, she was trying to get her mind off of it with a fun game of soccer. Natsuo, who was the best soccer player in the family was unfortunately out of the house (which is no surprise since he was rarely here) so she had to make do with Shouto.

"You've never played soccer before?!" She squawked, her jaw threatening to drop as she stared at her older twin with astonishment. "Like, never? You've never even kicked a ball before?"

He shook his head. "I've seen other kids do it though... You have to kick the ball into that net thing, right?"

"Goal," she corrected. "And yeah, that's basically the gist of it." She looked around the courtyard. They had no goals and the courtyard wasn't the size of a field, but they'd make do. The grass looked freshly cut and it didn't seem slippery so at least it'd be safe to run. "Alright nii-chan, since we don't have a goal, let's use the bonsai trees."

"Okay." He nodded. "Can I use my Quirk?"

She blinked at him. For a second, she was about to tell him no, but... that actually didn't sound like a bad idea. Besides, she could handle it. "Sure. Do your worst."

He paused. "But I thought the purpose of the game was for one of us to win?"

She shook her head. "Do your best, I mean."

The game started out fairly simple. Shouto wasn't using his Quirk yet mainly because he was still trying to get the hang of kicking the ball around. Shiina admitted that she probably should've taught him the basics, but he was a fast learner. He'd be fine.

"Can't dribble the ball, Sho-nii?" She teased, easily stealing the ball from him and kicking it to his makeshift 'goal'.

"You're clearly a professional at this." He sighed, almost pouting at her.

She snorted. "Nah, you should see Natsu-nii." She kicked the ball back to him.

"I didn't know he was a soccer player..." He mumbled and Shiina remembered that Endeavor had made it his personal mission to separate Shouto from the rest of their siblings. It explained why he was so awkward and quiet when Natsuo was around. He still had yet to act casual around Fuyumi.

I'm the only one he's remotely close to, she realized with a saddened expression. I was the worst sibling to him, but he never stopped trying to make contact with me. He never gave up on me. She couldn't help but wonder what his relationship with Fuyumi and Natsuo would've been like if he had given up on her earlier. Would they be closer?

She was so deep in thought that she didn't notice Shouto carefully dribble the ball over to the goal. "Wha—No!" She cried out in despair. "Noooo, I was distracted! That didn't count!"

"Yes it does." He cracked a smile. "Now our scores are even."

She narrowed her eyes. "Not for long, bro."

Around an hour or two passed and neither siblings were no longer keeping score of whichever was winning. The twins were just enjoying the moment between them without having to worry about Endeavor interrupting or any other worries they had. The soccer game successfully managed to help Shiina forget about the Phantom Thieves.

That is, until Fuyumi stepped into the courtyard.

"Dad's gonna be back after a couple hours," she warned them, sighing.

"Where even is that shithead?" Shiina wondered aloud.

"Shiina!" Fuyumi scolded, rolling her eyes when all she received was an innocent smile. "Dad's out in this meeting with the other Pro Heroes. I think they're discussing the Phantom Thieves?"

Shiina tensed up, nearly flattening the soccer ball under her foot. "What about the Phantom Thieves?" She asked sharply.

Fuyumi shrugged. "Who knows. Dad's gotten so obsessed with them lately..."

"He only wants to capture them to get a higher ranking," Shouto scoffed while his younger sister nodded in agreement. "For once, he's no longer obsessed with All Might."

"For now." Shiina muttered.

"Well, I just came here to inform you guys about dad's arrival. How long have you two been playing soccer?" Fuyumi asked, a smile tugging on her lips. She still couldn't believe the twins were finally bonding. After so many years of Shiina's resentment... Fuyumi really believed that her hate for Shouto would fester and that she'd become as cruel as... their father.

Thankfully it didn't turn out that way. She thought, immensely relieved. I don't know what happened, but I really am glad it did.

"We've been playing for a couple hours so far." Shiina said, wiping the sweat off her face.

"I can see," Fuyumi said, amusingly taking in their sweaty forms. She then looked around the courtyard. Some patches of grass had been iced over, there was a three foot tall wall of ice on the right edge, and for some odd reason, Shiina's shoe was tossed to the side. "I suggest you guys clean up before dad comes back."

"Got it," Shiina gave her a thumbs up.

When Fuyumi left, the twins set out to fixing their mess. Well, Shouto fixed the mess by thawing out all the ice he created. Shiina just walked off to grab her shoe (she had thrown it in hopes of hitting Shouto's head because the little jerk created a wall of ice to block his goal).

She looked down at her clothes and pouted. There were grass stains everywhere due to her constantly slipping on ice. "If you weren't my brother, I would've sent you the dry cleaning bill." She huffed, motioning to her green clothes.

"You said I could use my ice," he pointed out. "Plus, you did a really good job dodging my attacks. Since when were you so agile?"

"Hey, you calling me slow?" She deadpanned.

"No," he denied. "It's just that... You're a lot more agile compared to some of my classmates."

Translation: How are you, a Quirkless girl, so much better than my classmates who are Pro Heroes in training?

She tried not to look so bitter at the underlying meaning and instead plastered on a cocky smirk. "Oooh, so I'm hero material huh? Maybe I should attend UA and the world's first Quirkless Hero!"

He frowned. "I don't think that could happen."

Um, ouch, Shouto...

"Yeah, you're right," she chuckled, reminding herself NOT to appear bitter and frustrated.

In today's society, Quirklessness was treated as a disability, an impairment. Quirkless equaled weak. Everyone thought that, and her siblings were no different. They were protective of her and at first, she thought it was because she was the youngest child but as she grew up, she realized it was because of her Quirklessness. Fuyumi and her strict curfew that never disappeared as she grew up, Natsuo and how much more furious he'd be if Endeavor harmed her (more furious compared to Shouto who was harmed a helluva lot more than her), and Shouto who didn't even trust her friends because of how shady they seemed! And they weren't even shady at all!

Then there was Touya. She could vaguely remembered how he treated her before he... went away. He always handled her so delicately, like she was about to break. Nevertheless, she still adored the attention because he was the only family member who would focus on her so attentively.

BAM!

Shiina froze. "W-what was that?"

"..." Shouto stayed silent and turned to the side, as if he could see through the walls.

A few seconds later, they heard Fuyumi's muffled voice. She was panicked, pleading and begging. "Wait, dad, please don't—"

"—WHERE IS SHE?!"

Shiina couldn't help but flinch when she heard Endeavor's tone. She was sure she had never heard him sound so angry. She hated to admit it, but she actually felt... frightened. There was only one other 'she' in the house and if it wasn't Fuyumi...

Then it's me. She swallowed thickly.

The doors to the courtyard were slammed open. There, Endeavor stood. Dressed in his usual hero garb. His face was scarlet, he was furious, and his cold teal eyes zeroed in on Shiina.

He stormed forward, melting the grass beneath his feet.

"DO YOU PERCEIVE ME AS A FOOL, SHIINA?!" He roared.

"W-what are you—?" She stepped back, stammering. She flinched when he cut her off.

"—THAT BOY YOU WERE WITH—KURUSU AKIRA—DID YOU ALL KNOW ALL ALONG THAT HE WAS THE LEADER OF THE PHANTOM THIEVES?!"

Her blood ran cold and she could feel her siblings stare between them in confusion and fear. Shouto momentarily froze. He knew that name. Shiina had introduced him to a Kurusu Akira a few weeks ago.

Shiina's throat went dry as Endeavor drew closer. How did he—Shit, that must have been what the meeting was about! They most likely showed a picture of Akira's face and he recognized him!

"Are you one of them?!" Endeavor barreled on, and she tried not to pale at his (truthful) accusation. At this point, he had finally reached her. He grabbed the front of her messy shirt and she shut her eyes when she felt the amount of heat he was emitting. She could hear Fuyumi screaming at him to stop. "It wouldn't surprise me, given that you are Quirkless just like he was! You probably thought he would make a difference in this world, didn't you?! You couldn't be anymore wrong! He was caught! He killed a guard and committed suicide! Did you hear me, you worthless, good for nothing, abomination?! He is DEAD!"

Shouto stepped forward and his expression couldn't be any more deathly. "Let her go—" He was cut off by the blue flames that suddenly surrounded Endeavor and Shiina. His heart dropped. Fuyumi's scream sounded like it was underwater to him.

Did... did their father just incinerate Shiina...?

The idea was dropped when he saw Endeavor stumble back, looking unharmed by the blue flames. The man also looked shocked. So did that mean the flames weren't from him—?!

As the flames slowly disappeared, two figures came into view. The first figure was Shiina who appeared to be untouched by the flames. The second figure made him take a wary step back. A horrific looking entity was hovering behind his sister. All he could focus on was how much blood covered it, then the bloody arm that raised, palm pointing at a speechless Endeavor—

And then came the destruction.

A circle of black and red energy surged from underneath Endeavor and before the man could even make a move, he was engulfed by darkness. It almost sounded like a loud explosion, but despite it's volume nobody could ignore the screams of the man trapped inside. The pillar disappeared and Endeavor's body fell to the ground, motionless.

There was a silence. Shouto couldn't draw his eyes away from the unmoving lump that was his father. Slowly, he turned towards Shiina whose expression was a combination of shock and nervousness.

"Oh god—!" Fuyumi choked out, dashing down the stairs and running across the courtyard to reach her fallen father. "Oh my god—! What just—how did—?!"

"Shit," Shiina whispered. Ooooh shit! She bit her lip so hard that she was nearly drawing blood. She had summoned Tullia. While Endeavor was shaking her around and showering her with his saliva, she had snapped and accidentally called forth Tullia to attack him.

Shit, shit, shit!

"He's okay," Fuyumi breathed out. She was the only one who bothered to check on him. She turned to face Shiina, who had yet to move from her spot. If it was possible, the woman's face turned even paler when she saw the terrifying entity behind her sister. "Sh-Shiina... What is that?" She whispered fearfully.

What the fuck do I say?! Shiina took deep breaths to calm herself down. The truth would be too bizarre, even in this world of Quirks.

Wait, Quirks. Her eyes widened. When the idea registered in her head, she opened her mouth and answered Fuyumi's question. "I think... I think this is my Quirk!" She exclaimed, feigning surprise.

"That... thing is your Quirk?" Shouto asked hesitantly.

"She's not a thing!" Shiina said defensively, then willed Tullia to disappear. "And yes... this is my Quirk."

"How long have you had a Quirk?!" Fuyumi breathed out.

"Just found out." She lied.

"W-well..." Fuyumi raised a shaking hand to smooth her hair out. "We should—we should take dad to a hospital."

"Can't we just leave him here?" Shouto asked blankly.

"Of course not!"

— ❤ —

Endeavor had yet to wake up even the next day (Monday). The injuries he sustained were a little severe, but not enough to kill him (yay). Turns out the move Tullia did was brand new; Mudo, which had a small chance of killing one foe. Yesterday really was a great day. Sure Shiina accidentally exposed her 'Quirk' but she got Endeavor hospitalized and Tullia learned a new move!

Of course, her siblings were still trying to register the fact that their youngest sister suddenly had a Quirk—after fifteen years of not having one. She had the additional toe joints. The doctors even said it themselves: Shiina would never have a Quirk.

But apparently they were wrong because she had one. It just came late...

It was already rare for people's Quirks to develop late. But at fifteen? That was too late. Too rare. She was pretty sure it had never happened before and she couldn't exactly explain to them that her Persona wasn't actually a Quirk.

Nevertheless, she still had to go on with her lie so now she was Kiberi Shiina, part of the 80% of the world's population. She was no longer considered amongst the minority.

She really felt bad for her siblings though because not only they witness her 'Quirk' first manifesting, but they had to learn that she was also close friends with the deceased leader of the Phantom Thieves (who was also Quirkless). That was probably too overwhelming for them to handle.

Speaking of Akira, today was the day she'd finally get to reunite with him! She just had to figure out how to get passed Shouto and Fuyumi first.

"Can I go somewhere?" Shiina pleaded with her sister.

"What, why?" Fuyumi asked. "Can't this wait, Shiina? Dad's still hospitalized and—and now you have a Quirk..."

"It's not like dad's gonna be going anywhere." Shiina snorted. "The dude's clonked out. And I promise I won't stay out late so pleeeeeaaaase?"

She sighed in defeat. "Fine, where?"

"Um, I really wanna go to Leblanc and hang out with some of my friends." It was the closest thing to the truth she could get.

"Okay," she agreed. "Bring Shouto with you."

Her eyes widened. "What?! No! I can't! Shouto's, um, busy with homework!" She'll bring Shouto to Leblanc at a later time, not when Akira was returning.

Fuyumi rose a brow. "And don't you have homework to do too?"

"Psh, I finished that ages ago, sis!" She lied.

The older woman rolled her eyes. "Okay fine, I'll believe you. I guess you can go to Leblanc, just make sure to adhere to the curfew Shiina!"

Shiina's jaw dropped. "I still have a curfew?!" She spluttered indignantly. "But whyyyyyy?! I have a Quirk now! I can defend myself!"

"First of all," Fuyumi raised a finger. "Unlicensed Quirk usage is illegal. Second of all, you're the most danger-prone person I know. I mean, getting sucked into a shootout out of nowhere? That's just bad luck... Plus you were out late at the time so I have to put you under a curfew to make sure incidents like that don't happen again."

"Ugh," Shiina groaned. "Okay, okay, I understand."

"Good girl, now go enjoy your evening." Fuyumi smiled.

Luckily, Shiina was already dressed to go out so she headed out the living room with a waving hand. "See ya later!"

I finally get to see Akira again! She mentally cheered, dashing out the door. It was almost as if she hadn't seen him in years rather than just a few days, but Shiina really missed the guy. It didn't help that she had been fretted over his status ever since he got captured. She kept wondering things like did the plan fail? Did he die? Is he okay? She never got any confirmation until this morning when Sae told Makoto herself that Akira would be delivered back to Leblanc today.

When she got to Leblanc, the first person to greet her was Ryuji, who was giving her the widest grin she had ever seen.

"I can't believe you actually hospitalized Endeavor! Nice!" He exclaimed, his hand raised. It was the universal signal for a high five. She smacked that palm, an equally as happy grin on her face.

Sojiro, who had been standing behind the counter and brewing himself a cup of coffee, had to readjust his glasses when they slipped down. He stared at her. "You did what?"

She beamed proudly at him. "I attacked Endeavor! Well, I accidentally attacked him, actually. He was just so angry and he was screaming and I just snapped and summoned Tullia without knowing it. Then, she KO-ed the bastard." She shrugged uncaringly. "Kinda happened in front of my siblings but oh well."

His mouth formed into an 'o'. "Y-you actually knocked the Number Two Hero unconscious..." He trailed off, before he sent her a proud smirk. "You did good, kid."

"Who told you about Endeavor being a jerk-ass anyways?" Ryuji wondered aloud. "I mean, I know Shiina mentioned it but..."

"Futaba did after I found out her relation to the Phantom Thieves," he replied. "Went on about all her adventures and those Personas of yours."

Shiina perked up. "Oh, do you wanna see Tullia?"

He grimmaced. "Yeah, no thanks. She described what yours looked like and well... I think I'll pass."

She shrugged. Oh well. "Where's the rest of them?" She looked around. The whole place was empty aside from Sojiro and Ryuji.

"Upstairs." The blonde answered.

"You two go wait up there," Sojiro said. "Akira will be here soon."

The two teens nodded and joined up with the rest of their friends in the attic. They all let out cheers when they saw them—or Shiina, to be specific.

"What's with the celebratory aura guys?" She chuckled, plopping down beside Futaba and Haru on the couch.

"You beat Endeavor's ass!" Futaba whooped.

"And with only one move too!" Ann added, looking ecstatic.

"He had it coming." Yusuke hummed pleasantly.

Haru's smile widened. "What's the new move Tullia learned?"

"It's called Mudo," Shiina answered. "It's hella powerful. I can't wait to practice with it some more."

Morgana hopped onto the table, also looking just as joyous as everyone else. "How did your siblings react when they saw your Persona?"

"Shocked of course. I did just knock dad out with my so called 'Quirk'. Plus, I think they were scared of Tullia." She chuckled sheepishly.

"So you told them that it was your Quirk," Makoto mused.

She shrugged. "Didn't really have much of a choice."

"What do you think your father will do after he recovers? He knows you have a 'Quirk' now." She pointed out.

Another shrug. "I have no clue... I'm pretty sure he'll still hate me either way."

"How long will he be in the hospital?" Ann asked.

"Dunno," a grin crawled over her face. "He still hasn't woken up."

"Man if only the public knew about this," Ryuji snickered. "Imagine the headlines: Number Two Hero gets his ass royally whooped by fifteen year old girl."

They all had a grand laugh about that and continued chatting on about random things until there was a knock on the door.

The door opened to show a smiling Sae. "Akira's here."

There were several gasps, followed by people eagerly shoving one another out of the way to squeeze through the doorway. With the power of Shiina's pointy elbows, she managed to get through and quickly sprinted down the stairs.

And there she saw him.

"Akira!" She squealed, running up and squeezing him in a deathly hug. "Oh, I'm so glad you're okay! Thank god, you're finally back!" She pulled back from the hug and gasped. Akira was not okay in the slightest. His face had noticeable bruises on them. She was sure there were more of them littered across his body, but they were covered up by his clothes.

"O-oh no..." She whimpered. "What did they do to you?"

"Interrogated the hell out of me," he sighed, before giving her a small smile. "I promise I'm okay now though."

"Damn," Ryuji cursed from behind her. "Fuck, they did a number on you!"

Akira rolled his blue eyes, chuckling. "Yeah, I know."

"How have you been?" Ann asked.

He scratched the back of his head. "I mean... I died."

She laughed, shaking her head. "You must be fine if you're joking around like that."

Makoto smiled gently. "It truly is a relief to see your face—however beat up it is."

"I bet that moron Akechi don't even know we tricked him yet!" Ryuji cackled.

"Still, how'd you pull this off?" Sojiro asked. "Isn't this guy considered dead?"

Makoto blinked at him. "You weren't told anything? I heard my sister brought him here though..."

He grunted. "Yeah. She came over in a taxi, dumped him off, and told me to keep him safe. It was right after they announced he had 'died' too. Almost gave me a heart attack."

"I didn't have time to explain..." Sae said apologetically.

"Hey, shouldn't we tell Boss what really happened?" Ryuji said.

Makoto began to explain. "We wanted to make our enemy believe the leader of the Phantom Thieves was dead."

"What?" Sojiro said automatically.

She continued. "What we did was make that enemy kill his fake in the Metaverse."

Sojiro's brows rose up to his forehead. "H-hold on a sec! Enemy? Fake...? What're you talking about...?" Poor guy was clearly overwhelmed.

"The true culprit behind all these incidents set us up. Our goal here was to determine their identity." Yusuke clarified.

Sojiro frowned. "True culprit...? I see... So you guys were going up against someone else."

"It was Akechi Goro." Sae stated solemnly. She turned to Akira. "You knew beforehand that he was the traitor, didn't you?"

He nodded shortly. "Yes."

"Akechi himself gave us the chance to strike back. He made one fatal mistake." Ann said.

Sae placed a hand under her chin thoughtfully. "Couldn't you have just said from the beginning that Akechi was the real culprit?"

Makoto shook her head. "That wasn't something we could simply bring up. We couldn't have you suspect Akechi. Besides, neither you nor the other investigators would have believed something like that, would you?"

"...True. Akechi was credited with the arrest of the Phantom Thieves. Not even I would think he was the culprit." Sae admitted. "In other words, you left him alone on purpose... That was a bold move."

Sojiro looked stressed. "God, I can't keep up with any of this stuff... Uhhh, so what was this mistake Akechi made? What did he do...?"

Shiina snorted. "Pancakes." It was still hilarious to her.

Ann chuckled and clarified: "He slipped up in regards to Morgana's voice."

Sojiro stared at her as if she had grown two heads. "...You mean our cat?"

She nodded. "Yes. Morgana can talk."

Sojiro was rendered speechless. "......Sorry, was that supposed to be a joke?"

"Oh! Our apologies. That's completely true." Haru chimed.

"You surprised?" Morgana piped, but it probably sounded like a mew to Sae and Sojiro.

The grey haired woman turned to the teens with wide eyes. "Does that mean... he said something just now as well?"

"But you don't understand him, do you? That's how it was for all of us at first too." Ann assured.

"When you're in the Metaverse, Mona talks like a normal person." Futaba said. "Once you hear that and your brain realizes he can actually talk, you start to understand him in reality. It's a change in cognition! Most likely!"

"When we talked to Akechi at the school festival, he was actin' like he just realized Mona could talk." Ryuji frowned. "But we already saw him drop a mega hint about it waaaay earlier. Last year, Mona was telling us he wanted to go to some pancake place. Akechi overheard and even said it himself, he heard one of us mention 'delicious pancakes'. Mona was the only one was talkin' about a pancake. That meant Akechi'd already been in the Metaverse by then!"

"And since he was lying to us about that, we assumed he had a hidden motive behind contacting us." Ann added.

"It seemed odd upon further thought. His reaction to my pancake comment was an honest one, after all." Morgana mused.

"His story was too good." Akira said.

Morgana nodded in agreement. "He did approach us when we found ourselves in the worst trouble yet."

"That's why I had Futaba wiretap his phone." Akira explained.

Futaba chuckeld maniacally. "I pretended to be interested in checking the phone out, but I was actually planting my app. My heart was pounding while I was doing it though."

"Even that ace detective could never have imagined a program being installed so quickly." Yusuke smiled. "Futaba's quirky nature proved to be a great help."

"After a few days of listening, this confirmed his betrayal." Futaba brought out the tape recorder and Shiina began fidgeting nervously as she listened to his empty voice once more.

Sae sighed when the recording finished. "I knew he was acting strangely, but to think he was this far gone..."

"He's no ace detective... Akechi is the perpetrator behind the mental shutdown crimes." Haru said firmly.

"On top of that, there's someone else commanding Akechi..." Makoto trailed off. "Someone with great authority... so great that they can order an assassination in a police station. That's why we had to make a move before they did."

"I see..." Sojiro murmured, beginning to understand things.

"We baited Akechi into Sis's Palace, making him dispose of our leader's fake but think he killed him." Makoto said.

"Can you elaborate on that in more detail? What exactly happened in my cognitive world?" Sae asked.

"We're sorry for using you without your permission. Your Palace had all the conditions we needed..." Haru apologized.

"What conditions?"

Makoto began to explain. "First, we required a place in the cognitive world that was the same as in reality."

"That place's based on the real world, after all. Anywhere that's not warped looks just like normal." Ryuji said.

"That's why nobody but the person who uses the Nav even realizes they're in the Metaverse." Ann added.

Ryuji turned to Akira. "Back with Kamoshida, we came in from the station without even noticin'..."

Akira cracked a grin. "That brings back memories."

"You totally can't tell the difference if there ain't any distortions around."

"We had already investigated Niijima-san's Palace when Makoto brought this suggestion to us." Yusuke said.

"I was seriously impressed by that suggestion. To be honest, I didn't quite understand it, but I went along with it." Morgana admitted.

"It was a great idea." Akira commended.

"Makoto told us that you were going to do the interrogation," Shiina said to Sae. "So Yusuke, Makoto, and I sneaked over there to check it out ourselves. There were two things we were able to confirm: One, our clothes didn't change when we were down in the interrogation room. And two, the scenery and details outside of the Palace were the same as it's reality."

"There was also one more thing we absolutely needed to make this work..." Makoto trailed off. "A perfect cognitive replica of him in the Metaverse's interrogation room."

"Since he had yet to be caught though, there obviously wouldn't be anyone in that room." Yusuke said.

"Once we saw the casino guests and police officers, we were convinced this would work. They looked no different from actual living people." Makoto stated.

Ryuji crossed his arms. "After that, we just had to work our way into the Palace like usual while keepin' Akechi in the dark."

"Everything went as planned up until we defeated Sis's Shadow. However, it was then that we were met with a terrifying, unexpected police and Pro Hero ambush. As a result, even though we managed to grab the Treasure, we couldn't get it out of the Metaverse..." Makoto trailed off, before grinning. "...Except that was all an act. We had prepared an empty briefcase beforehand and merely acted like we were taking the Treasure. This was because we knew the police and Pros would be coming for us."

"We made sure before the operation that they would be waiting to ambush us. And just as expected, he totally took the bait."

"Akira getting captured was all part of the plan," Shiina stated. "Though him getting the shit beat outta him wasn't..." She muttered under her breath.

"And I had been interrogating him with no knowledge of this." Sae finished. "But how did you lure Akechi into this... cognitive world's interrogation room?"

"All I needed were the coordinates." Futaba beamed. "Hehehehehe..."

"Akechi disposed of the fake in the Palace and left thinking he had been victorious." Yusuke chuckled. "It must have been truly hilarious for our leader who sat idly in the real world's interrogation room. Surely he was acting quite cocky by himself in that quiet chamber."

Sae started to piece everything together. "So that's why you gave me your phone... I only took it because of what you told me."

"I'm just glad I didn't die..." Akira sighed in relief.

"All I could do was try to handle all the messages that started coming to me on his phone." Sae sighed. "Huh... So in other words, I've been to the Metaverse, albeit for a brief moment."

"In our experience, there is little danger when someone enters their own Palace for so short a time." Yusuke assured.

"That's the other reason we had him give it to you." Haru said. "We needed you to listen to Alibaba, deceive the guard, and ultimately aid in his escape. By having you head back to the interrogation room, we could return you to the real world as well."

Futaba snorted. "I mean, I had to think of some way to keep you from running into Akechi mid-assassination."

Sae smiled. "...Astounding. I hadn't the slightest idea that such a grand operation was taking place within me."

"I'm so glad Akira was able to persuade you during the interrogation," Shiina shook her head. "That part of the operation always freaked me out since we've never tried it before."

"True." Makoto agreed.

"Why's that?" Sojiro asked.

"Without Sis on our side, Futaba's plan and subsequent breakout would have never been possible. That persuasion was easily our greatest gamble. We couldn't consult Sis beforehand. It was absolutely the make-or-break moment of the entire plan."

"Still, I'm surprised you could convince me in such a short time. Were you confident you could do it?" Sae wondered.

"Don't remember. Drugs." Akira shrugged.

Shiina sent him a bewildered look. "You mean you were snorting up cocaine during your interrogation?"

"...Other drugs, Shiina."

"Ohhhhhhhh."

Sae chuckled at the exchange. "Either way, I can't believe you went for such a risky idea..."

"If we could just tell you the true culprit's plan, I knew you'd realize the bigger picture..." Makoto trailed off. "Realize that Akira-kun was telling the truth, and that there was a greater evil to pursue."

"As a result, we emerged victorious." Yusuke said proudly.

"Then the reason you kept this a secret from me was so you could catch the true culprit, correct?" Sae asked.

The younger Niijima nodded. "Yes. Plus, you had lost control of yourself at the time..."

"This is stunning... All I can really do is laugh." She admitted.

Sojiro frowned, purely lost. "I've kinda figured out that you guys made Akechi kill a fake... But what did you do about the body?"

Oh yeah. Good question. They all turned to Sae expectantly.

"The police never even checked it."

"Huh...?"

"They had a coroner working to ensure Akira-kun's death was reported as a suicide. That coroner didn't take one at the scene, and just passed along a falsified death certificate."

"...The bad guys have that much influence?" Sojiro frowned.

"Hey, are the Pros aware of this?" Shiina suddenly asked. "I mean, I know those Pros were named and credited for the capture of the Phantom Thieves Leader, but are they aware of what Akechi's real plan was?"

"No," Sae answered. "The Pros only worked with us in capturing him. They had no further involvement."

She sighed in relief. "Phew, that's somewhat good, at least. It's easy for me to believe that the police would be corrupt, but the Pros too?" Other than Endeavor of course. "I would've really lost hope for the world."

"I get what you mean," Sae nodded in understanding. "The heroes weren't the only ones out of the loop though. The higher-ups at the police station knew nothing of this and because of that, they were thrown into disarray. As a result, Akira-kun's suicide during imprisonment was reported on the news, just as Akechi planned."

"And with that confusion, he was able to escape with Niijima-san's help." Ann concluded.

"I made sure nobody would check the morgue for his body, and thanks to that, nobody knows he survived." Sae said.

"Thinking back to the interrogation though... I can't believe what they did to you." Makoto glared, turning towards Akira's bruised face. "The callous use of violence and even drugs is utterly abnormal. If he had lost consciousness and hadn't been able to tell Sis about the phone, he would've died... I'm truly glad you made it back safe, Akira-kun."

Sae smiled in amusement. "How tough are you...?"

"It still freaked me out when I saw the suicide on the news though." Ann frowned.

"I had to hear about it from daddy dearest," Shiina rubbed her forehead. "Came screaming at me after coming back from a meeting. I guess he saw your face and recognized you from the previous night..."

Akira winced. "That can't be good... What did he say?"

"Accused me of knowing about it, but it's okay. I knocked him out."

He blinked. "You... what?"

She waved a hand. "I'll explain it later."

Haru decided to return to the prior topic. "We made sure to live normal lives while he was being interrogated to avoid drawing any suspicion. Even with that, I couldn't help but worry for him in my heart..."

Ryuji grinned. "Well, I knew right away that our plan worked out."

"We knew he was alive, but... it was difficult to not worry until we could confirm it in person." Yusuke explained.

Sae looked down. "Now that I think about it, my interrogation was just a formality for the head commander. What a joke, letting me interrogate someone who was meant to die. They just wanted to avoid backlash... Very well. From here forward, I will do my utmost to assist you. You saved me after all."

Ann smiled. "That's reassuring to hear."

"I'll do whatever I can to help too. Just let me know." Sojiro offered. "Let's take a break for now though. This old brain is pooped. I'll brew us up some coffee or tea. Any orders? It's on the house."

One by one the teenagers along with Sae called out their orders and Sojiro busied himself with making them.

Akira turned to Shiina. "So what's this about you knocking Endeavor out?"

"I'm curious as well." Sae said.

Shiina chuckled evilly. "Well, yesterday the bastard came back after a meeting with other Pros regarding you. When he came home, he was screaming bloody murder at me, saying things like 'you knew it was him, didn't you?!' or 'you're just as worthless as him!'. He was shaking me around and the heat he was emitting was making me burn up and I guess I just summoned Tullia without knowing. Next thing I know, dad's unconscious on the ground and my siblings are shocked."

Sae's face twisted into discomfort. "He... said all those things to you?"

"Endeavor's a crazy old fuck," Ryuji informed. "Obsessed with power and his own selfish desires."

"Power..." She murmured. Her eyes widened in realization. "You're Quirkless..."

"He's good at covering things up." Shiina said darkly.

"I think I get it now." Sae said quietly.

Their teas and coffees were ready in under ten minutes. Another twenty minutes passed and the television screen lit up with news about the election.

"And on to our next story, the snap election for the House of Representatives." The newscaster began. "Discussion is swirling around potential nominees as the deadline for candidacy announcement nears."

"Elections, huh? Don't matter to us. It's not like we can vote in 'em yet anyways." Ryuji huffed.

"Why don't we resume our conversation?" Makoto suggested.

"Well, the Phantom Thieves're back together! We can finally take it to Akechi and the bastard backin' him!" Ryuji exclaimed excitedly.

"Have you figured out who's behind all this?" Sojiro inquired.

"Akechi accidentally let that slip after the murder. He said, 'Shido-san'." Futaba replied.

"Shido?" Shiina blurted out. "Hold on, the politician dude my dad's voting for?!"

"Shido Masayoshi, right?" Sojiro asked her.

She nodded furiously. "That sounds familiar...!"

"That's right..." Makoto murmured. "Ryuji, do you remember him? You were complaining about him being too loud."

His eyes bugged out. "For real?!"

"It's certainly possible that Shido is the mastermind..." Sae said.

"Do you have some kind of evidence?" Haru asked.

She shook her head. "Nothing material. However, there are various conditions which align with that possibility. First, he would profit from damage done to the current administration by the psychotic breakdowns. He's maintained a negative stance toward the Phantom Thieves and has gained tremendous popularity. On top of that, he'll most likely become the next prime minister if he wins this upcoming election."

"Did he set us up with that election in mind?" Yusuke wondered.

"If he is behind all this, that would be in stark opposition to his honest public image." Sae stated.

"So his current position and popularity is just benefitting from the mental collapses..." Makoto muttered.

"Figures Endeavor would vote for the corrupted guy." Shiina rolled her eyes.

"We'll make him have a change of heart, no matter what it takes." Haru insisted.

Sojiro shook his head. "Shido, huh...?"

"What is the matter?" Yusuke asked.

"I had a feeling he was wrapped up in all this." He admitted. "Just based on the connections I had from my previous job... I think the one who crushed Wakaba's research and confiscated her materials was probably Shido. From the moment Wakaba died... I had a hunch he was involved. But there wasn't anything I could do, so I chose to protect Futaba and went into hiding."

"Why didn't you say that sooner?!" Futaba demanded.

"You guys would've definitely gone after him if I had." He said firmly. "He would've just killed all of you, no doubt. That's what he usually does to people who get in his way."

"Originally, I was looking into the mental shutdown cases. It was then that I accidentally stumbled upon government research regarding the psychotic breakdowns." Sae began. "So, I tracked down the whereabouts of that research data and met with the associated parties. Boss was one of those parties. I would never have imagined all of this was connected... The mental shutdowns, psychotic breakdowns, Shido, and even the Phantom Thieves' actions..."

"Way back when, Shido kept saying he was going to be prime minister one day. Nobody believed him though..." Sojiro shook his head.

"What's going to happen to this country if Shido becomes prime minister? What about the world...?" Ann bit her lip.

"We'll be more fucked than America." Shiina muttered.

"We gotta expose the rotten bastard!" Ryuji shouted.

"Yeah, we'll do it like always!" Morgana exclaimed.

"Then let's check the Nav!" Haru said.

Ryuji whipped his phone out. "Masayoshi Shido, the guy runnin' for prime minister..." He suddenly jumped to his feet. "Got a hit! Well... duh. It ain't a surprise he has one."

"Where would the location be?" Yusuke asked.

"Dunno." The blonde shrugged hopelessly. "We don't got a clue about this guy's life."

"His Palace must be somewhere that politicians frequent. Any ideas, Akira-kun?" Makoto turned to him.

"The Diet Building." He said immediately.

"We got a hit!" Ryuji nodded.

"How arrogant must he be to see himself as the ruler of the Diet Building?" Yusuke scoffed.

Ryuji finally sat back down. "Our next target's the big-shot politician Masayoshi Shido. We're gonna do this, right?"

Akira nodded. "We have to."

"All we gotta do now is figure out what he thinks that Diet Building place is." Ryuji said.

"So, that's the app that allowed me to enter the Metaverse." Sae murmured.

Sojiro just sighed. "An old fart like me can't wrap his head around all this stuff..."

"We'll have to deal with this before election day, May 6th. That means we need it done by the 5th." Makoto stated.

"It's best we hurry before they discover there's no body in the morgue." Yusuke suggested.

"Should we start tomorrow then? We can meet at the Diet Building after school." Ann suggested.

Shiina turned to Akira. "Speaking of school, what're you going to do? You're technically dead, so you can't exactly show up..."

"Kawakami sensei said he went back home for 'family reasons'." Ann answered.

"That's what I told the school." Sojiro supplied.

"Don't let 'em find out you're alive then, alright? This whole thing'd be for nothing!" Ryuji warned.

"What do you mean?" Sojiro questioned.

"This operation had another purpose outside of escaping Akechi's clutches." Makoto said. "Shido tried to place all the blame on the Phantom Thieves and deceive the public at the same time. He has ruined countless lives, and even made Akechi Goro, a teenager, assist him with assassinations. A mere change of heart is too lenient a sentence for such an abominable criminal."

"We'll be making use of the police statements that the leader of the Phantom Thieves committed suicide." Haru said with a determined glare. "Our leader who is presumed dead will come out of hiding to deliver a grand statement. He'll say he has escaped prison, not committed suicide, and was in fact almost killed by a criminal."

"Everyone's gonna flip." Futaba said deviously.

"You guys thought through all this stuff too?" Sojiro said in pure amazement.

"We're intellectuals, y'know!" Ryuji bragged.

Shiina snorted in disbelief, earning herself a smack across the shoulder.

"That's why you needed such a daring trick as getting captured and appearing to be killed." Sae realized. She smiled, thoroughly impressed. "What frightening teenagers..."

"But the true battle has only just begun." Makoto said. "We won the first round, but we must stay on our toes."

Ryuji nodded in agreement "Yeah, this ain't the time to be celebratin'."

"These people tried to trap and kill us. There is no end to their inhuman, conniving nature." Yusuke said. "We will need to be prepared for whatever may come our way."

— ❤ —

When Shiina got home (before her curfew ended), she was delightfully surprised to see Natsuo in the living room with Shouto.

His eyes lit up when he saw her. "Shiina! Congrats for sending that asshole to the hospital!"

"Thanks, Natsu-nii!" She squealed, bringing him for a hug.

"And congrats on finally getting your Quirk!" He added, twirling her around. "Fuyumi told me about it and it sounds so cool!"

"Thanks," she giggled, stepping back when she released him. "So what'd I miss?"

"Yumi's makin' dinner right now." He answered. "I was just trying to get Shouto to tell me some stuff about UA."

"Is Shiina home?" Fuyumi said, stepping into the room. She sighed in relief when she saw the familiar red head. "Oh good, you're here."

"Hey," Shiina chirped, plopping down beside her older twin. "Any news on Endeavor?"

"Still not awake." Natsuo grinned.

"Haha!"

"You two are just so..." Fuyumi shook her head in defeat. "I'm just so glad Shouto's not behaving like you."

"I hope dad stays there longer." Shouto said bluntly.

"Shouto, not you too!"

"Anyways," Natsuo interrupted. "About the Phantom Thief who got caught... He was your friend, huh... Wow... So, did you know he was the leader of the Phantom Thieves or—"

"—Natsuo!" Fuyumi scolded.

"Sorry, sis!"

"Idiot," Fuyumi sighed heavily. "He's... you know...!" 'Dead', she mouthed.

"It's okay guys," Shiina said. "I'm... okay now." She said.

"Are you sure?" Fuyumi fretted. "You found out in the worst way possible..."

"I'm fine." She insisted.

"Can we see your Quirk?" Natsuo asked eagerly, and Fuyumi looked about ready to faint.

"Sure!" Shiina said excitedly. She could feel her mask appearing over her face and effortlessly ripped it off. In a burst of blue, Tullia emerged a few feet away from the siblings.

The color rapidly drained from Natsuo's face. "...Oh." He said in a tiny voice.

"This is Tullia." Shiina introduced.

"You named it?" Fuyumi asked incredulously.

"No. She told me her name."

"She can talk?" Natsuo squeaked.

"It's nice to meet you, puny humans." Tullia said in her alto voice.

"Oh my god." Fuyumi stepped back.

Shiina snickered under her voice. "Relaaaaax, Tullia's not gonna hurt you, right?"

"Maybe." The Persona teased, making both redheads cackle.

"Shiina," Shouto spoke up.

"Hmm?"

"Your Quirk reminds me of my classmate's." He said and Shiina froze.

"O-oh...?" Shit.

"The blue fire... the weird entity you both summon..." He murmured to himself but before he could get any further, the telephone rang. Shiina quickly dispersed Tullia and waited patiently as Fuyumi spoke to whoever was on the other line.

"It's... dad's doctor..." Fuyumi swallowed. For a second, Shiina thought that the bastard had passed away, but the expression on her sister's face showed confusion rather than sadness. "He says that dad's awake."

Cue the collective groans.

"And that he wants to speak to his 'youngest daughter'..." Fuyumi trailed off, turning to Shiina. "That's... that's you, Shiina."

Said girl rose a brow. "Me?"

"He wants you to visit him, right now."

"Great," she muttered. What the hell could he possibly want?

"I can't take you to the hospital because I'm still cooking dinner. Shouto can't drive yet so, Natsu? Do you mind?" Fuyumi asked.

"Eh, whatever." Natsuo shrugged, grabbing his keys from the table. "Let's go, imouto-chan."

The two of them drove off to the hospital where Natsuo decided to wait outside in the hallway but promised to come to her rescue if she screamed. Shiina nodded in thanks and stepped into the room, relishing on the bandages wrapped around the Number Two Hero.

"You couldn't have slept for longer?" She mocked.

"Quiet, you." He demanded.

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. What do you want from me?"

"You have a Quirk." He stated.

"Yeah obviously." She drawled.

"How long have you been keeping it a secret?"

"Never. I just manifested it when I attacked you." She smirked. "Definitely came in handy, huh?"

His next words left her momentarily speechless.

"I want you to attend UA with Shouto." He said.

She scowled. She knew it wasn't a request. "Did I hit you too hard on the head, daddy?" She asked with false sweetness. "I was never interested in heroics."

He sent her a deathly glare. "Did I sound like I was asking you for your permission? You will attend UA whether you like it or not. I'd rather have you there than the current school you're going to, what with all their rumors."

"Oh," she chuckled mirthlessly. "Are you concerned about me for once? ...Fine then. I'll go to UA. But it'll be under the name Kiberi, got it?"

He grunted in agreement and the deal was sealed. She walked out without saying a goodbye and met up with Natsuo in the hallway.

"So what'd that loser say to you?"

"I'll be attending UA."

"Wait, what?!"