"Shiina, stop!" Ken pleaded with her, trying to pry her hands away from her head. She was hurting herself, ramming her fists against her temple and yanking out her own hair as she screamed and wailed. He could see some blood under her fingernails from how deep she would sink her nails into her scalp and grew more worried. 

She was okay at first. When she walked back into the apartment, Ken had been shocked to see her and asked for an explanation. Akihiko told him about what Endeavor had done, and then all hell broke loose. 

That had happened around eight minutes ago and Shiina had yet to calm down. She was still as hysterical as before and both boys were worried because she was harming herself as she cried. Koromaru was barking wildly in the background, wanting to approach her but was wary of her thrashing legs. 

Akihiro bent down on the ground and quickly embraced her. "You're safe now, Shiina, I swear, you're okay. Endeavor's not here anymo—"

"—Don't say his name!" She screamed hoarsely, trying to kick him away, but he wouldn't budge. "I hate him, I hate him! Why can't he just die already?!" 

"Don't say that," Ken begged. "Please don't say that." 

She let out a miserable wail that made their hearts clench. "I can't—! I can't stand him! I don't want to do this anymore—I can't do it, I can't!" 

Neither of them liked the sound of that. Ken paled, his arms shaking with fear. "S-Shiina, how about I call Shouto and ask him to come here?" He almost facepalmed. Why didn't I think of him before? 

She stopped trying to push Akihiko away and her hands froze, still grabbing at her hair but no longer trying to rip it out. "I," she swallowed thickly, her breathing heavy. "I want Shouto. I-I want him to come here... P-please..." 

He nodded, relieved he finally got her to somewhat calm down. He fumbled for his phone and scrolled through his contact list for his name. He had acquired his phone number during the project the three of them worked together on. 

It took a while for Shouto to pick up, but he finally did after the second to last ring. While he hastily explained the situation, Akihiko turned his attention back to Shiina, who was still trembling. 

"Are you—" He paused. Of course she wasn't okay. "How are you feeling now?" He asked instead. 

"Be-better," she stammered, trying not to choke between breaths. 

Koromaru, sensing that she was calmer now, eagerly squeezed between the two of them and licked her tear-stained cheeks. She gave him a weak smile, but it was a smile nonetheless. 

"He's coming over right away," Ken said, eyes still on his phone. "Maybe I should call Kurusu-san too." 

Since Shiina was quietly occupying herself with Koromaru, Akihiko nodded towards Ken in approval. 

The first person to arrive was Shouto, who went straight for Shiina the second Ken opened the door for him. 

"Shouto...!" Shiina said with childlike relief. He spared her a small smile before joining her on the floor and hugging her tightly. He grunted a bit when Koromaru threw himself over his back and made it into a group hug. 

"Fuyumi and Amada told me what happened," Shouto said when the pulled away (and when Koromaru got off of him). "I'm sorry I wasn't there." 

"It wasn't your fault," she mumbled, looking down. "But Endeavor... He disowned me. It's not official, but it will be soon. I-I don't even know what's going to happen next..." She looked helplessly at them. "What's going to happen?" 

Akihiko swallowed nervously. "Well... to disown a child means he's cut all ties with you. You've been disinherited so you won't be receiving any monetary gains or positions in his hero agency. It's normally backed up with legal documents filed with the courts, but I'm pretty sure the whole country would freak out upon hearing Endeavor had a second daughter all along that he's planning to disown..." 

Shouto scowled. "Judging by the amount of power he has, he'll most likely do everything in secret." 

Shiina started to shake again. "No more money... Th-that means I'll ha-have to drop out of UA, doesn't it...? Si-since he won't be paying for my tuition anymore... No, that can't—! I was just beginning to try and—!" 

This couldn't be happening. Right after opening her eyes to the possibility of being a hero, it was going to be snatched away from her? 

"Shh, shh, shh," Shouto gently hushed her and brought her closer to him, running his fingers through her messy hair. "We'll think of something..." But what could he do? What could any of them do? Compared to him and the rest of his siblings, Endeavor barely gave Shiina enough money as is and it was all going to be taken away from her. She wouldn't have any money to take care of herself, to go to school, she'd be financially vulnerable... 

Akihiko watched the scene with troubled eyes. He knew that Endeavor was a terrible person, but he never realized just how terrible he truly was. The scene of him strangling and burning Shiina flashed in his mind and he had to close his eyes to get away from it. 

"Todoroki-kun, can I speak to you for a moment?" 

Shouto nodded and slowly pried himself away from Shiina. Ken knelt down to take over as Koromaru threw himself in her arms. Akihiko led him deep into the hallway and began speaking in a hushed voice. 

"She needs a place to stay." He said. 

Shouto nodded in agreement. "I know. I have an older brother who has his own apartment—"

Akihiko cut him off with a shake of his head. "I would agree with you there, but... Shiina needs someone who can understand her better." At Shouto's confused look, he elaborated. "I'm no psychiatrist, but anyone can tell that she's stressed and overwhelmed." 

Shouto slowly nodded. "I... know." 

"I don't think you do—and I'm not saying that to insult you. Shiina has an extremely busy and stressful life, I can tell that much. She's a Phantom Thief, and the Phantom Thieves are the most wanted group in Japan. Literally almost every day she's out in the Metaverse fighting Shadows and trying not to die—I know how that feels. And then she's forced to attend a hero school and is still trying to adjust with it. She's stuck in a place she doesn't want to be and then she goes home to be abused by Endeavor. Then there's the fact that she died and a few days later she's forced to participate in the Sports Festival. And then the next day this happens... And all of this is kept a secret. Nobody knows about all of this except you and the other Persona users." 

Shouto listened on quietly, his expression crumbling with every second. What was Akihiko trying to say? 

"If she goes to live with her brother, she'll just have to lie again and again. Sure he knows about Endeavor and his abusive ways, but he doesn't know about her other life. The Phantom Thieves, Personas, the Shadows, everything. He doesn't know that. And I don't think Shiina's ready to tell him either which means she'd have to be secretive all over again. All of this is wearing her thin. She needs to stay with someone who she can be completely open with. Do you get me?" 

Heterochromatic eyes widened in realization. "You're saying..." 

"Yeah," Akihiko chuckled sheepishly. "I think Shiina should live with us." 

"..."

"Once we get the tuition problem solved somehow, Ken could help her be more accustom to the idea of being a hero in UA. The two of us are Persona Users so we could also understand if she needed to randomly leave in the middle of the night to go fight Shadows in Palaces and whatnot—she won't have to go sneaking around and I'm pretty sure she had to do that around you guys. We're also pretty damn well aware how much of a twisted jerk Endeavor is so she doesn't have to hide anything like that like she has to do in school and anywhere else. But uh..." He swallowed nervously. "It's your call though. If you want her to stay with us or not..." 

Shouto stood silently, thinking long and hard about it. As much as Shiina adored Natsuo, he knew she would have a hard time living with him. She'd have to go sneaking around and lie to his face whenever she had any Phantom Thief business to attend to. He probably couldn't help her when it came to her hero situation either since he was a simple college student... Natsuo would most likely have a lot of questions if she ever came home late from Palace adventures and Shiina would stress herself out with more lies and—

He's right, Shouto realized. I don't like it, but he's right. Shiina needs to live with people she can be completely open with. Plus, Shiina likes Koromaru...

And with that decision in mind, he nodded and watched as Akihiko's face fell to one full of relief. "You have my permission. But please... If she gets hurt or anything... I would like to know." 

Akihiko nodded in agreement. "Thank you. And trust me, we'll alert you the second something happens." 

With Shouto's permission granted, the two of them returned to the living room just in time for a knock to be heard. 

"That's probably Kurusu-kun," Akihiko said, answering the door. "Oh, Sakura-san?"

"Call me Futaba, where's Shiina?" Futaba said as she ducked under his arm and looked around the room. She beamed when she saw who she was looking for. "Hey!" 

"Hey?" Shiina blinked. "What are you doing here?" 

"She was there when I got the call and insisted on coming along." Akira shrugged as he joined the small group on the floor. He ran his hand through Koromaru's fur as greeting. "How are you holding up...?" He asked gently. 

"I'm better now," she muttered, mentally wincing at the breakdown she had in front of Akihiko and Ken. How embarrassing... She couldn't help but think. They probably think I'm unstable now or something... 

Akira smiled in relief. "That's good. I brought you some food by the way." 

She perked up. "Food?" 

He nodded and handed her a rather heavy paper bag. "Chocolate stuffed beignets. All yours." 

"Oh I love you," she whispered, eagerly opening the bag and popping a beignet in her mouth. "I really, really love you." 

"Well you're gonna love me more," Futaba said confidently. "Since you're disowned, you probably don't have any money on you, right?" 

"Yes," Shouto said through gritted teeth. He sent her a dark look that translated to 'how dare you bring that shit up'. But Futaba was—surprisingly—unfazed. 

"Well," a sly grin crawled over her face. "How about I show you how to change that?" 

Everyone gave her weird looks, even Koromaru. 

"Futaba, what do you mean by that...?" Akira asked carefully. 

Snickering deviously, she pulled out her laptop and set in on the floor. "Shiina, would you like me to teach you how to hack into a certain scumbag's bank account and transfer some of their money to you?" 

Shouto's jaw nearly dropped but he controlled himself in the last second. "You can—?"

"All without being caught either. I am the hacker of the Phantom Thieves after all." She flipped her hair back. 

"That... could fix the UA tuition problem..." Akihiko murmured. 

"That and more." Futaba promised. 

"You know what...?" Shiina said slowly. "I think the Phantom Thieves could use a nice, hefty donation from Endeavor."

"I like the way you think, Diablo." Futaba grinned evilly.

"This is so evil..." Akihiko muttered. "Count me in."

Ken gaped at him. "Sanada-san!"

"Lighten up, Kenny," he teased, wearing a devious expression that made Shiina proud. "Think of all the Featherman R action figures you can buy!"

"I'm in too," Akira said, smiling widely. "Imagine all the fish I could buy Morgana... He would finally stop complaining!" 

"Please teach me as well," Shouto said seriously. He was ready to learn. 

"Won't Endeavor notice that he's losing money?" Ken asked nervously. 

Futaba nodded. "Yeah, but I'm too good of a hacker to get caught." 

"Besides, he could easily earn the money back through his hero work," Shiina sneered. 

Ken looked at all the determined faces and finally nodded. "Okay. I want to learn too." 

Futaba chuckled maniacally. "Let the learning course for Robbing Endeavor 101 begin!" 

— ❤ —

Now a couple million yen richer, the group set out to go to the closest Quirk Training Center in order for everyone (mainly Shiina) to release their frustrations through sparring. Akira and Futaba were a bit apprehensive about it since they were technically still Quirkless, but Akihiko (who was also Quirkless) assured them that they would be alone during training. 

The training ground they were given was the largest one in the building. It took up the entirety of fifth floor, actually. Once everyone was good and ready, they paired up for sparring matches. It was Shiina vs Akihiko, Ken vs Koromaru, and Shouto vs Akira. Futaba wanted to stand by and watch (and video tape Koromaru fighting). 

Shouto couldn't blame her. He too wanted to see how the dog would fight. Would he shoot himself too? Shouto hoped not because that would be slightly traumatizing to watch. 

"King Frost!" Akira called out, ripping off his mask. Shouto blinked as a gigantic... snowman thing landed on the floor with a loud thump. 

"I'm King Frost, hee-ho!" It said cheerily. 

Shouto frowned. "I am not a hoe." And then he immediately generated a jagged path of ice that headed straight for the smiling King, but as the piercing ice jabbed into the Persona, it's body only glowed. 

Akira smirked. "Bufudyne," he ordered.

"Thank you for the ice, ho!" King Frost exclaimed as ice started to form under Shouto's feet. He jumped out of the way and quickly blasted the rapidly growing ice tower with flames. He dashed towards the pair once he landed, shooting flames from his left hand. 

"Yoshitsune!" He heard Akira call out. 

A knife suddenly shot out from the flames and Shouto ducked down to avoid it. And then another, much larger figure appeared. Akira himself, and he looked untouched by the flames. The older boy swiped his knife at him, and Shouto raised his right hand to block the attack while freezing his arm at the same time as protection. While he distracted himself with Akira, he only then just sensed the second presence behind him. 

He whirled around and saw a different Persona than before. This one was clad in red samurai armor and had two katanas in hand. His blades were raised and Shouto quickly erected an ice wall to block his attacks, but all of the ice shattered instantly with a few swipes of his swords. Including the ones encasing Akira's arm. 

Shouto kicked himself free from the older boy and spewed flames at the both of them. 

"Ziodyne!" 

"Argh!" Shouto cried out as he was struck with lightning. He fell to the ground, limbs turning as stiff as stone. He was paralyzed. 

"Fight done! Akira is the winner!" Futaba announced as if she was the referee. "Lemme heal your paralysis, Todoroki!" Although Shouto had fallen down, his head was still angled in a way that he could see her on the sidelines. Like Shiina and Akira, a mask appeared over her face which she swiftly ripped out. 

A gigantic black sphere appeared just a few feet below the ceiling. The glowing colorful lines around it sort of reminded Shouto of a twisted smiley face. Even weirder were the long mechanical limbs that popped out from underneath and grabbed Futaba, raising her in the air and bringing her inside it. 

So far, it was the weirdest Persona Shouto had ever seen. Then again, he had only seen a handful of Personas in his life so far. 

"And cured!" Futaba exclaimed as Shouto felt something nice wash over him. Soon enough, he was able to have full control of his body. Slowly and with the help of Akira, he stood up to his feet. 

"Thanks," Shouto grunted, still a bit embarrassed from the quick loss, but he had to admit... He was strong. It was no wonder he was the leader of the Phantom Thieves. 

"It was no problem. That was a good fight," Akira smiled. 

"I..." Shouto hesitated to speak. 

Akira looked at him curiously. "What is it?" 

Shouto looked somewhat pained. "I... wanted to thank you," he mumbled in a voice low enough that nobody else could hear him. 

Akira couldn't believe his ears. "H-huh?" 

"I wanted to thank you," he said in a more clearer tone. 

"For... beating you up?" 

Cue the cold glare. "No. I wanted to thank you for taking care of my sister when I couldn't. I realize how much more dangerous her life is compared to the average person... and I'm grateful that she has someone like you to watch out for her. You're not only strong, but you're a good person as well. You protect her and you give her the emotional support she needs. You're a very good friend of hers... but that better be all you are to her." 

Akira sweatdropped at the threat. He opened his mouth to reply to him when suddenly the whole world fell dark and time stopped. 

"I am thou, thou art I...

Thou hast acquired a new vow.

It shall become the wings of rebellion

that breaketh thy chains of captivity.

With the birth of the King Persona,

I have obtained the winds of blessing that

shall lead to freedom and new power..."

The light returned and everything was moving again. 

Akira couldn't help but grin. "You should worry more about yourself, Shouto." 

Shouto glared at him. "Huh?" 

He only chuckled. "You're my Confidant now. Know what that means? We have a lot of bonding to do." He almost laughed at the dreadful look on his face. "As for now, you wanna watch the rest of them duke it out?" 

Shouto was still struggling to understand what he had been told, so he just mumbled a "Sure." They walked away from their 'ring' and joined Futaba at the side. The other two pairs were still fighting, but Shiina was looking tired from fighting against Akihiko. Even though he really wanted to watch the whole thing, Shouto couldn't help but sneak glances over at Ken and Koromaru's side of the room. 

"That's a three headed doberman," Shouto said, dumbfounded. 

"Yep," Futaba snickered at his funny expression. "That's Koro-chan's Persona. Cerberus. Not at all like the Cerberus we usually deal with, huh?" 

Akira numbly nodded, unable to pry his eyes away from the sight. "So how does he summon it...? He doesn't shoot himself, does he?" 

"He can't," Shouto mumbled unsurely. "His paws..." 

Futaba shook her head much to their relief. "Nah. I guess that collar he wears is some sort of evoker for dogs." 

"Ahhh," Akira said, and all three of them turned their attention back to Shiina. 

It was clear that Akihiko was stronger. In fact, they were pretty sure he could've ended his fight a lot sooner, but was drawing it out for Shiina's sake. Shouto winced as Shiina was struck down with the same electric attack as he was, but unlike him, she didn't end up paralyzed (he couldn't help but grumble a little about that). 

"Kurusu," Shouto suddenly spoke up. 

"Hmm?" 

"How come none of my attacks worked against you?" 

"Ah, well, the first Persona I called out—King Frost—absorbs ice, so when you attacked with ice, you actually ended up healing us instead. My second Persona—Yoshitsune—reflects electric and bless attacks, blocks physical attacks, and resists fire. If I have him out, then I'll have the same status too, which is why I didn't get burned with when you attacked me with fire." He explained. 

"Kinda like Pokemon," Futaba said airily. 

Shouto vaguely heard the term 'Pokemon' but still had no clue what she was talking about. "I see... So Shiina...?" 

"Her Persona's strength lies in Curse attacks, which is a subtype for Dark Magic. So she'll be resistant to those as well." He said. 

"Marin Karin! And please don't miss!" They were drawn back to the fight when they heard Shiina's desperate voice. Akihiko was suddenly struck by something pink. His eyes turned pink and Shouto could see literal hearts in them. 

"What the hell..." He muttered. 

"Heal me!" Shiina ordered, and Caeser cast Diarahan on her. 

"That's her brainwashing skill," Futaba explained. "It basically makes the enemy fall in love with her. Once you're under it, you'll attack your own allies or end up healing her."  

Shiina, now fully healed of her injuries, grinned victoriously at the heart-eyed Akihiko. "Wonderful," she breathed out. "Now stay still while I attack you!" 

She lunged at him, claws out, but rather than slicing him up or anything too violent, she simply tackled him to the ground and placed her claws at his throat. The Marin Karin had faded away by then. 

Akihiko blinked a few times before realizing what was going on. He gave her a proud smirk and tapped the floor. "Congrats. You finally won." 

She huffed, crawling off of him. "Gimme a break," she groaned. "It took me, like fifteen minutes to beat you... And that was you taking it easy on me." 

"Ah, give yourself more credit. Your attacks were really good—the ones from your Persona and yourself. I got more experience, so of course you'd have some trouble, but you'll get better soon." Akihiko assured as he stood up and yanked Shiina up too. 

By the time, the pair joined the trio at the side, Ken and Koromaru finally finished their fight too with Ken being deemed the winner. 

"Well I'm pooped," Ken said as he plopped on the floor. 

"Same here," Shiina huffed. "I'm hungry too." 

Akira gaped at her. "I gave you a whole bag of a chocolate beignets—" 

"—I-I eat a lot when I'm upset!" She stammered. "Don't judge!" 

Akihiko chuckled at them. "It's around time for dinner anyways. Who's hungry?" 

"I want soba," Shouto said automatically. 

"Soba it is!" Futaba cheered. "Let's have Akira make us some soba at Leblanc!" 

"Why me?" Akira asked, but was ignored. 

"Should we invite the rest of the guys too?" Shiina asked him eagerly. 

"Sure," he shrugged. "Er... do you want Akechi to come...?" He really didn't want to invite that asshole, but he knew that he and Shiina were close and if she wanted him there... 

Shiina frowned sadly and shook her head. "No, he's still in hiding... I don't want to risk it." 

Akira tried to hide his relief. "Understandable."

"I wonder how he's doing though..." She mumbled worriedly. 

— ❤ —

After his collapse, Shido Masayoshi was forced to stay in his penthouse for the next several days where he was currently still resting. He didn't mind that he was stuck here, in fact, he needed the time to think to himself. So far, the only people who visited him were agents from the Conspiracy and other government officials on his side who wanted to check if he was still alive or whatever since he put all his maids on paid leave. 

Today, he received neither. 

Instead, it was Akechi Goro who stepped into his living room, wearing a cheery smile that he didn't even realize was false. 

Shido gasped and sat up in alarm upon seeing him. "G-Goro!"

It's Akechi for you, you slimy piece of shit, the teen thought darkly, but forced his smile to stay on. "Dad," he said, and he nearly vomited once the word passed his lips. 

Shido's ugly dark eyes widened. "So you know..." He trailed off. "I've known as well. You look so much like your mother." 

"I'm aware dad, I've seen the pictures." Akechi cut in before Shido could spew more bullshit about her. He barely had memories of his mother—all he could remember was the way she cried and how warm her hugs were before they suddenly turned cold—and he didn't want Shido tainting his memory of her. 

"Why... why are you here..." Shido hesitated before finally saying: "Son?" He figured that if Akechi was okay with calling him 'dad', then it should be okay to call him 'son' too. He didn't realize that Akechi was currently contemplating about bleaching his own ears. 

Akechi's smile tightened as he suppressed the urge to strangle him right then and there on his stupid leather couch. "The Phantom Thieves seemed to have been successful on their hit on you," he replied, not exactly answering his question. "Is it true? Have you really had a change of heart?"

Shido looked down and fisted his blanket. "Yes," he said with a soft tone that he had never before used. "Thanks to their efforts... I've realized the error of my ways... I corrupted this country, I abandoned you and your mother and I've done many more terrible things... I have a lot to atone for." 

"You do," Akechi agreed, stepping forward so he would be in front of him. "If you want... you can start with me. I do want to have a closer relationship with you, dad, that was why I decided to work alongside you. But I was too scared to tell you the truth." 

Bullshit, all bullshit. But he tricked an entire country with this false sweetness of his and he knew he could do the same to this bastard as well. It was too easy now that he was like this.

Much to his disgust, Shido's eyes shone with hope. "You actually want to have a normal father and son relationship with me?" 

"As normal as it could be, I guess," he chuckled sheepishly. "I know you want to confess your crimes, and I support your decision, but dad... I'm scared. I don't want to go to jail. I'm still so young and I really enjoy my job, and... there's this girl I've come to truly care for and I want to be able to have a good future with her... I don't want all of that to be taken away from me." 

"You want me to hide your involvement." Shido realized. 

Akechi nodded with false timidness. "I just want a chance to live my life, dad. There's still so much I want to do, and I know I'll get into a lot of trouble with the law once the world's discovered my crimes. I... I understand if you don't agree. I'm asking a lot from you after all and—" 

"—No," Shido interrupted. "No... You're not asking too much from me at all... You're right, Goro, you deserve to live your life after I had basically ruined it... I can't drag you down to prison with me. I can't let your name be sullied after everything you've done for me... I will help you, Goro. To the best of my ability, I will keep you safe." 

Goro smiled with pure relief. "Thank you, dad." Stiffly, he bent down and hugged him and tried not to cringe when he felt his arms around his back. They finally pulled away a second later—thank god—and Akechi bid him farewell. Once he made it out of the room, he allowed a victorious smirk to stretch across his face. 

— ❤ —

"The soba is satisfactory," Shouto said with a deadpanning tone. Akira deflated, but he expected that anyways. 

"Harsh," Akira mumbled. "But I know you'll be nicer to me soon once I max out your Confidant." 

Shiina whipped her head towards him. "You made a bond with Sho-chan?!" She asked eagerly. 

"What?" Sojiro looked between them oddly. 

"S'okay, dude, nothin' bad about it." Ryuji clapped the younger boy on the shoulder and didn't catch the glowering look he gave him. "Everyone in the room's got a bond with him." 

"Wait, us too?" Akihiko motioned to himself, Ken, and Koromaru.

"Er, no, sorry."

"It's fine," Ken shrugged. "We're already someone else's Social Links anyways. And I'm guessing that must be the same thing as Confidants." 

"I still don't know what you mean." Shouto said bluntly. Judging from their looks, neither did Sojiro and Sae. 

"Basically, you're all my Confidants," Akira began. "According to Igor and the two lollies—"

"—Excuse me?" Sojiro stared at him. 

"Caroline and Justine," Akira quickly corrected. "I have the power to create strong relationships with people and gain benefits from it." 

"The power of friendship, basically," Ann snorted. 

Akira nodded in confirmation. "Exactly. And for some reason, you're all represented by a major Arcana." 

"What am I?" Sae asked curiously. 

"The Judgement Arcana," Akira answered. "Morgana represents the Magician Arcana. Makoto, the Priestess. Haru's the Empress. Yusuke's the Emperor. Sojiro, you're my Hierophant—"

"—What? I'm an elephant?" 

"No, Hierophant," Akira corrected. "Ann's the Lovers, Ryuji's the Chariot, Goro—fuck him—he's the Justice Arcana—"

"—You're joking, right?" Ken blurted out. He was also the Justice Arcana. 

"I know right?" Akira said. "Anyways, Futaba's the Hermit Arcana—" 

"—Understandable," said girl shrugged. 

"Shiina's my Hunger Arcana—" 

"—Hah," Shiina snorted weakly, remembering the time where Endeavor had basically starved her when she was just a kid (though the Hunger Arcana had nothing to do with literal hunger). 

"And Shouto, you're my King Arcana." Akira finished. 

"He seems more like a Prince to me," Haru commented. 

"I agree," Yusuke nodded. "He still has a boyish charm that you would expect in a prince. Perhaps when he is older, he would seem more like a king. Oh my... drawing you wearing a crown..." 

Shouto turned away from him and faced Akira instead. "And you said you wanted to... 'max out' your Confidant.... What do you mean by that?" He was afraid to hear the answer. 

Akira smiled. "Well... You should expect to see a lot more of me." 

"Isn't that great, Sho-chan?" Shiina said with a bright grin.

"No." 

"Ooh, guys quiet down! Shido was just elected as Prime Minister!" Morgana exclaimed and everyone (the Persona Users at least) whipped their heads towards the television. 

"Just in time for his statement," Akihiko muttered. "I wonder what he's gonna say." 

"My election is the result of every citizen's aid. Your support warms my heart! That is why..." Shido's victorious expression suddenly fell. "That is exactly why... I cannot forgive myself!" The two men standing at his side snapped their heads towards him in shock. 

Ryuji slowly grinned. "Here it comes...!" 

"The reason President Okumura passed away is... I am the one who killed him," he finally confessed, and Shiina could practically hear all the shocked gasps from around the city. "I also manipulated the information that the Phantom Thieves were behind the series of incidents." 

"He's really spilling everything huh...?" Ken asked, watching the scene in pure amazement. 

"I wonder if he's going to speak out about Goro..." Shiina whispered, grimacing. 

Shido continued speaking as the two men panicked and motioned desperately for the cameras to turn off. "The one who controlled the hearts of others and gave rise to the countless victims... is myself. It was all for my own promotion for my own selfish gain. I've even used people's lives as stepping stones in order to claim this country as my own ship. I am a true criminal that can be tried for any crime, and it still wouldn't be enough!" 

"This is genuine regret..." Shouto murmured, secretly impressed with the Phantom Thieves' ability to enact a true change of heart. 

"I will confess everything!" Shido cried out. "Please, I beg everyone to pass judgement on me... If I could atone for all I've done with my life, I request that I be judged at once..." 

A few seconds later, the video was cut short. 

"Hell yeaaaaaaaah!" Ryuji cheered. 

"Everyone, raise your glass." Sojiro smiled as he raised his own cup of wine (the adults had wine, but the kids had apple juice). He cleared his throat. "Allow me to say a few words... Now then..." 

"He's started taking charge..." Futaba muttered from behind Shiina and Shouto. 

"Come now, don't be that way." Makoto said. 

"If you're gonna complain, say it to Shido," Sojiro said. "A legislator's pin's worth almost nothing. Well then, so, since the source of evil Shido Masayoshi, has been—"

He was interrupted by Futaba again. "I got to avenge... my mom. It's all... thanks to everyone." She said, clearly choking up. "Thank—" She began to sob. 

Haru looked down, silent tears streaming down her eyes. "I was able to settle a debt in regard to my father as well..." 

Ann wiped her own eyes, which were beginning to water as well. "We all worked so hard for this..." 

Shouto sat awkwardly as Haru and Futaba cried. He was glad Shiina wasn't crying anymore either because he already felt out of place. All of the hardships this group went through... He would never begin to understand it, and a part of him felt bad about it because they had clearly been through a lot. 

Makoto turned to Sae. "Shido's guilty, right, Sis?" 

"...It'll be difficult to prosecute him immediately," she admitted. "But I'll do this thoroughly until the causality between his other crimes can be proven. I believe Wakaba-san's research results will save Japan." 

"We could testify too, ya know." Ryuji eagerly offered. 

"No," Shouto rejected the idea immediately. He didn't think more attention was what Shiina needed, and he knew she would be happy to help. 

Sae smiled. "Thank you, but I'll be fine. I don't want to add any more unwanted suspicions on any of you. It's about time you let us adults prove that we can get our act together." 

"Hey, so what about this guy's education?" Sojiro pointed to Akira. 

"I believe it'll be fine for him to return to school," Sae answered, making Akira groan aloud. "It's true that your face will be recognized among those involved...But I doubt they'll take a firm action like suddenly coming to arrest him. At least, they won't do it until the uproar with your 'suicide' and Shido's confession have died down." 

Shouto tried not to sigh. He still didn't understand how his sister and her friends managed to trick an entire police department into thinking Akira was dead. 

"Eventually though, the situation where you and I will be used as scapegoats can't be avoided..." 

"...You mean in regard to faking his death." Sojiro frowned. "That wouldn't have happened to begin with had the police done their job properly." 

"Of course, I plan on doing everything I can," Sae vowed. "I will protect you all this time. Prosecuting Shido is that first step." 

Yusuke suddenly spoke up, looking troubled. "Hey... When are we going to make the toast?" 

Sojiro simply chuckled. "Right. Let's get to it! Uh, today is truly—" 

"CHEEEEERS!" Ryuji shouted gleefully. 

"Cheers!" Everyone shouted back (Koromaru barked and Shouto mumbled it). 

"No, wai—Hey!" Sojiro watched hopelessly as everyone began drinking. 

"Cheers," Sae smiled, but blinked as her phone pinged. She checked it and frowned. "I need to go. It seems Shido's been transferred to a hospital." She turned around to leave, but paused at the doorway. "Oh, one more thing. It's fine to celebrate, but keep it in moderation, okay? Considering that he's finally back, all of you need to take your education seriously again." 

Shouto discreetly nudged Shiina, who rolled her eyes. 

"Aw come on, Sho-chan, you know I take my education seriously!" 

"Shiina, everyone in this room knows you're lying." 

"Sh-Sho-chan, how could you?!" 

— ❤ —

Pretend like everything's great! She told herself cheerfully as she stepped out of the door of the apartment. 

But she couldn't. And this time, it had nothing to do with... him. 

There was something terribly amiss the next day when she left for the mall where the other Phantom Thieves would meet up. Everyone in the streets was buzzing about Shido, but nobody seemed to care about the crimes he just confessed to and there wasn't even a single mention of the Phantom Thieves! Shiina thought it was suspicious and it seemed like her friends agreed too.

They were eating lunch together at some outdoor balcony bar and grill place located at the highest floor of the mall when a news report about Shido caught their attention. Everyone outside seemed to turn towards the digital screens on the nearby buildings as well. 

"In other words, the United Future Party, the election winner, has announced that their leader, Shido Masayoshi, has been rushed to the hospital. As such, the special Diet session was postponed along with Shido's inauguration as prime minister." The reporter stated. 

"He's not going to step down now, is he?" Someone at a nearby table murmured. "Will this country be fine without Shido?" 

"I know right? Frankly speaking, this age would be too chaotic without him." 

Yusuke's features turned into a glare. "Idiots," he hissed. "After everything, how can they still believe in him?" 

Morgana frowned. "Exactly. It's as if the people in reality have become distorted." 

"What the heck?!" Ann gasped, staring down at her phone. 

"Lady Ann?" 

Haru quickly joined her side. "What is it?" 

"The Phantom Thieves are being treated like... like they never existed!" 

"Are you serious?!" Ryuji snatched her phone away. He ignored her angry cries and read aloud the article. "'No link among the 'change of heart' incidents, only coincidental psychiatric disorders'?! What is this bullshit?!" 

"Ryuji, lower your voice!" Shiina shushed. 

Makoto continued reading. "'The Phantom Thieves are an unsubstantial urban legend, nothing more than an unpopular rumor'?!" 

"This is preposterous!" Yusuke snapped. 

"How can that be?" Shiina wondered aloud. "An urban legend? Have people completely forgotten that we're the most wanted group in Japan?" 

"That quote's from a famous scholar, and the ministry agrees with him," Futaba rubbed her forehead. 

"Okay... so they're probably just manipulating the public through social media," Shiina theorized. "People still have to know we exist, right...? Akira, what do you think?" 

Everyone turned to their leader, who had been staring out at the electronic screen blankly. He finally turned to look at them, seemingly trouble. "Last night, Mishima contacted me after Shido's conference. He said there wasn't any movement on the forum, which is weird..." 

"You're right," Makoto murmured in agreement. "We should've at least gained some supporters after that... Or haters, or anything, but there really was no movement?" 

He shook his head. "None at all. None of the television shows mentioned us either." 

Shiina's heart sank. "On the way here, all I heard were people worrying about Shido... No mentions of us or his crimes..." 

"This is troubling," Yusuke frowned. "Can it really be possible for us to have been... forgotten?" 

Nobody answered. 

"We'll discuss this later. For now, we wait." Akira stated. 

"Okay," Shiina stood up from her seat. "I need to get going anyways." 

"Why?" Ryuji asked suspiciously. 

"You remember Shinsou from the Sports Festival? Purple haired kid with the brainwashing Quirk? Well, I convinced him to let me take him shopping." She needed that distraction after all. Shinsou knew nothing of her being Endeavor's daughter—well, ex daughter really—so in a desperate crave for normalcy, she contacted him and he agreed to hang out. 

"What?" Ryuji's jaw dropped. 

"He needs something for his eye bags," Shiina insisted. "Plus, I'm a couple million yen richer." 

"We all are," Yusuke smiled, though he didn't know the real reason for the sudden increase in cash. "Thank you for reminding me of Endeavor's generous donation. I think I'll go buy some lobster." 

"I'm gonna go buy some mochi," Ann squealed. 

"Where's your brother at, by the way?" Akira asked before Shiina could leave. 

"Uh, I think he's at the first floor. You know that one shop that sells hero merch? Yeah, I think he's still there looking for Endeavor merchandise to use for target practice." 

Akira grinned and stood up. "I think I'll join him. It'll be a good bonding experience." 

"Good luck," Shiina said before bidding everyone goodbye and leaving. 

Morgana's tail swished excitedly. "I wanna go after her. I kinda miss Shinsou." 

Akira placed a hand over his heart. "You're picking him over me?" 

"Yep." Morgana said as he hopped out of the bag. 

"Wait," Akira called out to him. 

"What?" 

Akira bent low and whispered, "Cockblock them." 

Morgana rolled his eyes. "Oh fine... You better be grateful that I'm rooting for you." 

It didn't take Shiina that long to find Shinsou. He was standing in front of the fountain as promised, like the good boy he was. 

"Kiberi, I do not need skincare," he said. 

"You do," she insisted. "You have puffy dark bags under your eyes and I can see some dry patches on your skin if I look closely. 

"So I'm ugly." He deadpanned. 

"Somehow, you make the whole 'sleep deprived' look work." She admitted, causing him to blush like a school girl. "I think it's the gravity defying hair. Or maybe your lack of eyelashes. Why do you still look somewhat pretty without eyelashes...? Maybe I should get you falsies." 

"What?" 

"You know, those false eyelashes girls wear." 

"Girls wear fake eyelashes?" He gave her an incredulous look. "Are... are your eyelashes real or...?" 

"They're real, I only wear falsies when I'm out clubbing or something." She replied nonchalantly. 

He stared at her warily. "You're joking right...?" 

She snickered under her breath. "Who knows? Anyways, here's Etude House! Let's go in!" 

His eyes bugged out and he tried to yank himself free. "There? No way, look how girly it is!" 

"There are guys in there too! Come on, Shinsou, don't be a pussy!" She chided. 

Shinsou opened his mouth to retort, but stopped when he heard a little girl's excited whisper: "Look mommy, it's the pretty girl and the purple boy!" 

Shiina smirked. "She's talking about us. She most likely recognized us from the Sports Festival."

He gave her a pointed look. "How do you know she's talking about us?" 

"She said 'pretty girl', who else could it be but me?" She said in a 'duh' tone. "Plus you're the only 'purple boy' I see in here so far. But anyways, I don't know if I should be flattered or embarrassed that she recognized me... I mean, I didn't do so great in the festival..." 

I did so bad that Endeavor finally disowned me... Then again, it probably would've happened anyways no matter the results. 

"I feel you," he mumbled sympathetically. "I think I just lost my chance at transferring to the hero course." 

"What makes you think that?" 

His face fell a little. "My performance in the Sports Festival was shit. I lost in such a lame way... The guy didn't even use his Quirk—which I'm kinda grateful for 'cause his Quirk is... well, pretty destructive." 

She snorted. "More like self-destructive, he had to break his own damn fingers to make those attacks. But broccoli child aside, didn't you hear what all those pros were saying about you after your fight? I know you did because you were blushing like a virgin and you were ten seconds away from crying tears of joy." 

Shinsou flushed a deep scarlet. "I was not going to cry," he said firmly. 

"You were." She said knowingly. 

"I was having a little moment, Kiberi, can you blame me?" He muttered. "And besides, the school's gotta decide if I'm good enough for the hero course, not the pros in the audience." 

"I think Aizawa sensei was impressed with you," she shrugged. "I'm pretty sure he gets where you're coming from." 

He rose a brow. "What do you mean?" 

"Well, he doesn't have a super flashy Quirk that can take down villains either, you know. His Quirk erases other people's Quirks and according to nii-chan, it doesn't even work on those with Mutant type Quirks. I think he might see himself in you since you have a similar problem." She explained. 

He tried not to feel too hopeful about that. "I guess we'll find out tomorrow." 

"Huh, what's tomorrow?" 

He gave her a flat look. "We're going back to school, remember?" 

She deflated. "Oh yeeaaah... Dammit, I forgot about that. I don't wanna go. In fact, enough about school, let's get into the store already!" 

Shinsou begged not to make him go in, but she wasn't listening. With a final push, they were both inside Etude House and were currently looking through aisles for the perfect products for him. 

"Your face doesn't look oily, so I think your skin type's just dry... Ooh, you need Vitamin C too!" She muttered to herself. 

"Why are you buying beauty products for me anyways?" He wondered, staring in amazement at all the many different bottles he was seeing. 

"One, you need them. Like, desperately need them. Two, you're my friend. And three, I just have a lot of money I can freely spend at the moment." She giggled at the last part. 

"What are you, a millionaire?" He joked.

Yeah, basically. "Who knows~?" 

"By the way, about your brother," she tensed up, mentally screaming OH NOOOO! "You never really answered my question: is it Kirishima? I can kinda see it because of the hair and all and you both got that bright personality, but how come you don't have his shark teeth?" 

"Um, uh..." She wildly looked around for help. "Er, well, you see..." And then she finally spotted it. The eye cream. With a loud gasp, she lunged for it and thrust it at Shinsou's chest. "Eye cream! It's perfect for you! Next up, we should look for some face masks...!" 

The conversation about her brother was narrowly avoided and Shinsou never mentioned it again, mainly because he was too busy commenting about all the different types of products for skin care. 

"Why do people need to take Vitamin serums? Can't they just eat the gummies?" 

"This is acidic?"

"Kiberi, I am not putting snail slime on my skin. That's nasty." 

"What's this flowery smelly stuff? I want one." 

As they fell in line for purchase, she overheard a pair of women talking about Shido and frowned. 

Still no mention of the Phantom Thieves... 

"Hey, Shinsou," she began.

"Hmm?" He said, still sniffing the 'flowery smelly stuff'. He was obsessed with the stuff. 

"What's your opinion of the Phantom Thieves?" She asked. 

He gave her a mildly lost look. "Who are they? A new hero group?" 

Her frown deepened. "No, Shinsou, they're a... uh, well they're labelled as a criminal group that changed the hearts of their targets in order to make them repent and confess their crimes. You know, Kamoshido, Madarame, and all that...?" 

He blinked, his brows furrowing more. "Really...? I thought they just had some sort of disorder or something..." 

Oh fuck, she thought dreadfully. She gave him a fake smile. "You're right. Silly me, I forgot." 

After Etude House, they went around the mall to check out the other stores too. Shiina had the devious idea of making a remark about needing to get some lingerie from Victoria Secrets and was rewarded by Shinsou's steaming face. They passed by the store that sold hero merchandise (Akira and Shouto were long gone by then), and Shinsou commented about the poster on the window. 

"You kinda look like Endeavor."

Shiina couldn't help but scowl. "I hate it when people say that." 

Shinsou opened his mouth but stole a glance at her and saw that she genuinely meant it. "Sorry," he said earnestly. "Have you met him or something?" 

"Yeah, something like that," she replied tensely. "Let's just say, I feel bad for anyone who's close to him." 

Her thoughts went straight to Shouto and Fuyumi. How were they doing now that they were completely alone with him? His number one punching bag was gone, so did that mean he was going to go harder on Shouto during training? Hell, would he turn to Fuyumi and beat her too? 

Or maybe it's a good thing that I'm gone. She tried to convince herself. The only reason he was always so angry was because of me... Now that I'm gone, he probably won't be so harsh anymore... 

"Ah, well... You don't look that much alike." Shinsou mumbled. "I mean, you're better looking." 

Shiina whipped her head around to face him, a brow quirked in surprise. Did he just—?!

Shinsou's face suddenly fell into one full of confusion. "Hey, is that your cat?" 

"Huh?" 

He pointed at something behind her. "Your cat. Over there." 

She whirled around and he was right. For some odd reason Morgana was running all over the damn place as if looking for something. Or maybe someone. "Morgana?" 

Morgana snapped his neck towards her and let out a cry of relief. "Shiina! Thank god! I've been looking everywhere—! Come on, I gotta show you something!" 

"Wait—" She quickly stopped herself from speaking, not wanting to look like an idiot in front of Shinsou (again). Morgana realized this and sprinted forward, pushing his head against the back of her leg as if to make her move. 

"You gotta see this! It's important!" He cried out before running away. 

"Morgana, wait!" She chased after him, with Shinsou following suit (purely lost). 

Morgana didn't stop running until he was outside of the mall. Shoving through the glass doors, Shiina and Shinsou joined him outside. 

"What the heck did you—"

"—Look!" Morgana pointed a paw up. 

Shiina followed his paws until she reached an electronic screen attached to a building. Her eyes widened in shock. 

"—I'm glad you've decided to give yourself some time to recuperate from all the stress of being a young detective. It really is wonderful to hear that you're back." The interview said, positively beaming at the young man beside her. 

"Oh, it's good to be back." Akechi Goro replied, smiling innocently. 

— BONUS! —

"WHAT?!"

Fuyumi flinched at the roaring volume of her father's voice. Meanwhile, Shouto continued to slurp his noodles, unbothered. 

"D-dad, what's wrong...?" Fuyumi asked timidly as he returned to the dining room, fuming like a volcano that was about to erupt. 

"The bank just called me!" He barked. "And I lost 100 million yen and apparently, they can't figure out how to fucking fix it!" 

Her eyes went as wide as saucers. "A-a-a-a hu-hundred million yen?!" 

Shouto tried his hardest not to smirk. 

"It's that damn abomination," he growled, pacing around like a madman. "She took the money!" 

Her brows furrowed in disbelief. "Shiina...? Dad, Shiina wouldn't know how to do that—"

"—IT'S HER!" Endeavor bellowed. "I KNOW IT'S HER! SHE TOOK MY MONEY! I KNOW IT!" 

Fuyumi slowly nodded. "Riiight..." She trailed off, shaking her head when he wasn't looking. "I think he's finally snapped..." She whispered to Shouto. 

Shouto finished slurping. "It's probably from old age. He should retire." 

In the background, Endeavor could be heard screaming to the high heavens. 

"SHIIIIIIIIINAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

— author's note —

Shiina's doing just great even after being disowned! Or is she...??? Lol, no of course she's not, but she's really good at lying to herself (*cough cough* remember her pre-awakening?? *cough cough*). 

For those curious about Shouto's Arcana (King), it's not from the original major Arcana deck. It's from the Mantegna Tarot deck which was recommended to me by CuteTrash. Here's the description about it: