... In which Akechi and I set out to save Sumire, only to be rescued by my recently awakened friends. However, when asked to team up with Akechi against Dr. Maruki, I might have to remind them that when I last asked for their opinion, it aligned with mine.

******************************************

Like this, it takes an almost disappointingly short time to get to Odaiba. Akechi parks his motorbike directly in front of the stadium, and I stare up at the glowing outline of the palace all while he stashes the helmets away. Only now do I slowly begin feeling something like . . . dread.

"Let's figure out where Maruki is first," Akechi says immediately after we fade into the Metaverse, then walks up to the elevator. "I don't want to waste any time wandering about aimlessly."

I shove my mask up and make a face at him. Technically, he's right, and I want to find Sumire as quickly as possible. But . . .

"What's with that face?" he asks. "We encountered an information guide after going up that elevator. If Maruki intends to welcome us in so graciously, perhaps we'll come across another—"

Akechi cuts off when I step closer and gingerly lift my hand to his mask, slowly pushing it up with one finger, like a visor.

"What the hell are you doing?"

I give him a bright smile.

"I was wondering if your mask lifts like that."

> "I've been meaning to try this."

Akechi looks at me like he is moments away from either facepalming or breaking into laughter. Then he lifts his head and drops the mask again.

"Before I forget . . . I suspect the battles are going to get even tougher from here on out, due to our lack of manpower." He picks his train of thought back up as though nothing happened. "Focusing on our own abilities is fine and all, but depending on the situation, it'll be more efficient to team up. That combination move we pulled off before . . ."

> "I want to do that again!"

"Let's do it again!"

I cut in, and he gives me another bemused look. "That's what I was going to suggest. Of course—" Akechi throws me a side glance, and beneath his visor, I see the corner of his mouth twisting up. "That all depends on whether or not you can keep up with me."

Without further ado, he dashes ahead toward the elevator, and I hurry as quickly as I can to stay on his heel, all without losing my smile. Like this—alone with Akechi in the Metaverse, playing our little games—I could spend hours. An eternity. Suddenly, I can barely imagine a more exciting pastime.

It only takes a moment to get back to the information guide, which indeed points us to the auditorium without further ado. We encounter a few more Shadows and one more safe room along the way, but Akechi insists on moving forward without delay. At this point, I have no objections either. All I really want anymore is to find Sumire and figure out how to help her . . . What we'll do with Dr. Maruki, I don't know. What can we even do against someone as powerful as him?

When Akechi and I finally arrive in the grand auditorium and the lights flicker on, my heart sinks. Sumire sits on a tall chair, flanked by Dr. Maruki, who greets us as warmly as before. But I can't bring myself to care about niceties anymore; he's the one to blame for what I had to do to my friends. His absurd mission to force upon us all happiness is the reason I have felt so much pain.

Only when he addresses me directly do I listen up. "Amamiya-san—if I understand correctly, you went and checked in on your friends this past week. This reality is the one that they all wished for . . . You don't have to burden yourself with trying to change their minds, you know?"

I grit my teeth, staring at him defiantly.

"This reality is the "true" reality—all you have to do is recognize it as such," Dr. Maruki says, and my eyes widen. This . . . makes sense, given why Akechi was able to see through it so quickly and why my own bliss shattered the moment I saw the truth. But is it really that easy?

"It breaks my heart when you attempt to break yours like that," Dr. Maruki says, shaking his head. "You don't have to do that. All you have to do is accept, and you'll never cry or feel burdened again. You will be happy, as will they all. Your friends don't just want to live this life—they want you to choose it for yourselves and live happily too."

"You have no evidence for that," Akechi chimes in. "In fact, the only genuine opinion from someone who—" He cuts himself off. "Someone she's inclined to listen to is mine. Do I have to repeat it?"

"You've made your wish pretty clear," Dr. Maruki says. "But please, I want you to understand . . . For their sake, as well as yours . . ."

Not for their sake! I blow out a breath. They don't want to stay in this reality. Not really . . . They only think they do. I steal a glimpse at Akechi; I didn't really want to stay in my reality either, even if it felt like I did at first.

"Well, it's time," Dr. Maruki announces, but I don't have to think twice. I don't even have to look at Akechi to feel his burning eyes on me. I've made a promise . . . And I'll be caught dead before I go back on it.

"For the sake of Yoshizawa-san and the rest of your—"

> "I won't accept this reality!"

"I decline your offer!"

Dr. Maruki flinches when I yell the words out and even Akechi throws me a curious look. I involuntarily draw back a little. When was the last time I actually raised my voice like this?

For one moment, Dr. Maruki is silent. "Yet again, this is your doing, isn't it?" he asks Akechi. "Do you really think you can give her in the old reality everything that you could give her in mine?"

"You still haven't gotten it, have you?" Akechi scoffs. "This isn't about her or us. You cannot sway me with offers of things that are so trivial compared to what's at stake here."

Dr. Maruki's eyes widen. "But you might hurt her—"

"Then I will," says Akechi, and I freeze where I stand, mouth open. "Just how spineless do you take me for—to let one bullshit instance of tragedy affect such a decision?"

"But you—" Dr. Maruki turns to me. "You would—?"

—Let him hurt me for the sake of turning reality back to normal? I nod firmly. Akechi's right . . . What's at stake here is so much more important than my own pain. There's no changing my mind . . . I don't need Dr. Maruki to find happiness, and neither do my friends. It might not be perfect or effortless, but even in reality, so many things are still attainable. The only wishes I have . . .

For one brief moment, I allow myself to ponder: If I accepted Dr. Maruki's reality, what would he even give me? The chance to be fulfilled . . . Be normal. Live happily with my friends . . . Stay in Tokyo with Sojiro? And why couldn't I obtain that on my own if I really tried? To be with Akechi . . . I give him a quick look. That, I've already achieved.

I clench my fists; I may not be able to give my friends their dead parents back, and the road toward acceptance and atonement for Akechi may be more difficult. He might have to remain in custody for the time being and I might have to continue my role as Phantom Thief if I'm needed. I might have to make sacrifices in order to stay here. But . . . a difficult road is what makes an achievement all the more rewarding, isn't it? If it's all just freely given to me . . .

"I can achieve what you're offering on my own too!"

> "I'll make my own wishes come true!"

"I can become happy without your help!"

". . . Is that so?" Dr. Maruki looks back and forth between Akechi and me. "You—"

"Negotiations seem to have broken down," Akechi cuts him off. "Quit your speaking and hand over Yoshizawa-san."

Dr. Maruki averts his eyes. "It seems we still haven't reached an understanding . . ."

Before Akechi can cut in again, my blood freezes in my veins as Sumire stirs. But even as she stands from her seat and begs me to reconsider, I don't let myself yield.

I begged Akechi when he tried to show me the truth . . . And I'm grateful beyond belief that he didn't listen to me. All that Sumire's desperate pleas and the turmoil in her eyes do is fuel my determination. She cannot be truly happy if she doesn't accept the truth . . . only satiated—so much so that she'd feel almost sick.

And when we then face her, I think back to my friends and . . . allow myself to release all the guilt I still hold for breaking their dreams.

Nothing could make you as happy as a path of your own making.

Only then does it dawn on me what this claim actually means and how true it rings. Something self-made is deserved. Is not stolen or given freely. Is earned. I want to earn my own happiness . . . And I want my friends to earn theirs. Sumire too . . . So much that I will fight her for it. Hurt her. Is that what Akechi meant when he claimed he'd be willing to hurt me earlier?

"No matter what you say to her, I doubt she'll understand. I don't think we have a choice in the matter here," Akechi puts my thoughts into words. Then he surprises me, adding in an unexpectedly somber voice, "I'll leave her to you lest we cannot be certain of this battle's outcome."

I flinch around to him, meaning to question why he doesn't . . . trust himself. But I have no time. I exchange blows with Sumire, careful not to inflict too much damage yet still hurting every time I have to hurt her. Haven't I told myself I'm done fighting my teammates? I don't want to . . . But she has to be stopped.

And so I do what I must, urgently hoping that once all of this is over, it might pay off. Yet even when she kneels, defeated, she begs for me to stop.

All that watching her there does is make my eyes water and my knees weak. What can I do to make her see? I think desperately. What would it take for her to understand . . . that what she's done in the past doesn't define her future or preclude her from finding happiness?

I look over at Akechi, who has taken a stand beside me again, and only then do I fully process that I'm looking at almost two sides of the same coin—one who will fight me if I deny his truth and one who will fight me in order to be able to keep telling herself a lie.

> "Can't you help her?"

"Don't you have any words for her?"

Akechi gives me an oddly resigned look. "No one can force her to accept the truth if she is that far gone," he says and I make myself aware that he's likely speaking from experience. "Well, no one but the Phantom Thieves inflicting a change of heart," he adds with a tinge of sarcasm. "But I don't see any means for us to do so. And other than that . . . she'll either have to find the strength to accept the truth on her own or succumb to her lies."

I press my lips together, looking back at her shaking form.

"I know you wish to help her, but this is a battle that she has to win on her own," Akechi says.

"I can't . . ." Sumire interjects. "I can't go back to being Sumire . . . Please, I beg you!"

Yet when I do not answer her pleas—her wishes for her pain to end and to continue to live in her lie—someone else does . . . and actualizes it.

Whatever Dr. Maruki does to her Persona, I am quite certain that it is unprecedented. As she wails, "I don't want to go back to my life in cinders!" a shiver of dread slips down my spine.

"What the hell . . . This so-called "kindness" of his disgusts me," Akechi hisses, and I can only nod. "Let's do this quick."

"I refuse to go back! I'm happy here . . . This is where I belong!"

But you don't! I urge her in my heart. You belong . . . with us. In reality. Of course, she can't hear me . . . I'm certain that even if I said the words aloud, she wouldn't.

Yet no matter how much Akechi and I want to make this quick, it's not so easy this time. Dr. Maruki continues to spawn synthetic organisms that allow Cendrillon to heal herself, and so the battle drags on.

"Tch . . . We can't afford to waste time on this shit!" Akechi hisses after yet another round of futile blows. I am about to concur when Cendrillon howls, unleashing a wave of . . . It's a shockwave, I process—too late to dodge or block. And it's going to hit.

"Here it comes!"

I yank my hands up to shield my face and squint . . . for an impact that never lands.

"I don't think so!" calls a voice that I would've recognized among millions. And when I slowly lower my arms and focus on who stands in front of me, hands raised, grinning brightly, an unprecedented wave of pure joy hits me.

"Dammit, Skull, I told you not to rush in by yourself like that!"

"At least it seemed to work out in our favor . . ."

I whip around and nearly drop to my knees, brought down by the sheer happiness to stare in the faces of my friends—all there, standing in a half-circle behind Akechi and me. Well, except for Ryuji, who still stands in front, hands proudly on his hips.

> "You came . . ."

"I knew you'd come!"

"Our apologies for making you wait so long," Yusuke says with a smile.

Then Haru behind him exclaims, "Is that—?"

"Akechi-kun and Dr. Maruki!?" Ann finishes her sentence, staring wide-eyed at the two. Akechi hasn't even turned while Dr. Maruki stares at my friends, just as aghast.

"Yoshizawa's trapped by . . . Why is her Persona doing this!?" Morgana leaps in front of me, gawking at the still-enraged Cendrillon. "What in the world is going on here!?"

"So much of this shit makes no sense," hisses Ryuji. "But we'll cover it later! We've gotta stop her first—right, Joker?"

Barely managing to compose myself, I nod, and Morgana immediately takes the point, calling, "Alright—let's get in formation!"

"Okay guys, leave the navigation to me!" Futaba announces, and no matter how overjoyed I am to have her and the others back, I can't help but feel a pang as she takes over. It feels . . . familiar. Safe. Almost . . . like another wake-up call . . . from an impossible, not-even-so-ideal reality where Akechi and I could undertake this entire mission just by ourselves. Where we could be . . .

"Unbelievable . . ." Dr. Maruki shakes his head. "Why did they come here?"

I know why . . . Because they did not wish for it after all. I glance at them all and smile. "Let's push 'em back!" calls Futaba, and that is exactly what we do. With all of us here—all nine of us—this battle is suddenly so much more manageable.

I summon Ryuji and Morgana to complete our party, but I do not leave Akechi's side once. He stands to my right, barely regarding the rest of my friends, and suddenly that odd tightness in my chest is back . . . I have only felt it once before—in Sae's palace. The last time we fought . . .

In the end, I do not have the time to dwell on such sentiments. Only to fight . . . until Ryuji delivers the final strike upon Cendrillon, leaving her kneeling in the center. "Ah . . . I can hear them . . . The bells of midnight are tolling . . ." she whispers. "Now, my dream . . . won't be . . ."

Just then, the tentacles holding Sumire disintegrate, and she transforms back into her everyday attire, entirely worn out.

"Yoshizawa-san!" Makoto calls, and the two of us sprint forward, each catching her by one arm and stabilizing her between us.

"You've all . . ." Dr. Maruki stares at us incredulously. "I can't believe you've all thrown away your happiness just to come here and . . . And how? It's impossible . . ."

But it's not, I think, tightening my grip on Sumire's arm. Makoto does the same, and I feel Ryuji behind me, silently offering to help us carry her if needed.

"You're . . . Dr. Maruki, right?" asks Ann on my other side, and momentarily, I am distracted by how I can't sense Akechi anywhere near me anymore. I look around, spotting him further back, behind the rows of my friends, and my stomach tightens.

Before I can open my mouth to take Ryuji up on his offer to take over Sumire, Dr. Maruki replies. "That's right," he says dejectedly. "More importantly, why are—"

"Dude . . . What the hell is Doc doin' inside a Palace!?" Ryuji exclaims, taking one step forward and past me, shoving his mask up and scratching his head.

"He's ruling this Palace, is what he's doing," Akechi replies, immediately drawing all gazes. Something about the way my friends regard him at that moment . . . drives a thorn into my heart.

"Wha—!" Ryuji almost stumbles over his own feet, whipping around.

"Not only that, he's the one who generated this whole distorted reality—isn't that right, Maruki-san?" Akechi asks in a voice that does not betray an ounce of distress.

"All of this . . . was done for your own joy," Dr. Maruki urges.

"Our joy?" Yusuke asks.

"That's right." Dr. Maruki takes one step back, looking us over. "I only wanted to grant your wishes . . . Each and every one . . ."

"Wait, you what? Whaddaya mean!?" Ryuji exclaims. "We never wished for anything like—!"

"Is that really true?" Dr. Maruki asks, and the blood freezes in my veins. Did my friends . . . have similar thoughts as I did on Christmas? Did they express anything of the sort to Dr. Maruki? I stare at Ryuji, who seems entirely taken aback and can't help but wonder.

". . . No, never mind," Dr. Maruki concedes. "So, you all intend to deny the reality I've created for you . . . If you want to fight me, then so be it. If you plan on changing my heart, that's fine too. If that is what you truly wish for . . . I'm going to let you do your best. But before that, I think there's still room for discussion here. Also, I believe taking care of Yoshizawa-san is more important than settling this issue right now."

I tighten my grip on her arm, unable to deny the truth in his words.

"Planning to run again?" Akechi asks.

"We can get back to fighting if that's what you really wish for . . . but I think you're rather exhausted at the moment," Dr. Maruki replies and I cannot argue with this claim either. I am done in, mentally and physically. My friends must feel no better.

Just then, Sumire stirs, and Makoto steadies her with her second hand. The rest of my friends draw closer in a tight circle; only Akechi remains behind, staring at Dr. Maruki undauntedly. Makoto groans. "Yoshizawa-san, if we have to carry you, we—"

Akechi is the only one not flinching at the bright, white light that momentarily floods the room. I squint against it, and when it subsides, I find Dr. Maruki gone, just like last week when Akechi and I fought him by ourselves.

". . . There is still time," his disembodied voice says. "February 3rd. I'll hear your final decision on the 3rd. If your views cannot align with mine by then, we'll have no other choice but a physical altercation. As much as I would loathe that, I still can't give up what I've started . . . What I swore I'd do . . . on the day I lost everything that mattered to me!"

With that, his voice vanishes, leaving my thoughts reeling. Lost everything . . . "I've lost his reading," announces Futaba, unsurprisingly.

"I would suggest pursuing him, but I doubt that's even possible right now." Makoto still tries to steady Sumire; I, on the other hand, can barely keep myself standing. Then, Ryuji finally takes over from me, catching her under the arm. "Let's get outta here," he says. "Yoshizawa's gotta rest anyway." Together with Makoto, he carries her back, leaving me to kneel in the center of the auditorium.

Only when Futaba activates the Nav to kick us out of the Metaverse do I scramble to my feet. Yet before I can take a single step, we're already out of the Palace. Fresh, cool winter air greets me, whipping my face, and I tighten my arms around myself.

I'm surrounded by my concerned friends—Ryuji and Makoto, with an unconscious-seeming Sumire, stand in the center of our crowd—yet as much as I look around, there is one face I cannot spot. I spin in a circle, looking . . . My mouth opens.

"Rin? What's the matter?" Ann asks, catching me before I can trip.

But I hardly hear her . . . I look again, fighting a wave of numb panic. Wasn't he with us when the navigation kicked in?

"I'm still just as shocked as I was when we first came here," Yusuke says behind me. "The Navigator looks . . . so different. A Palace is visible in our own reality . . ."

"Rin, do you know anything more about this?" Ann asks, still steadying me. "Is . . . reality broken right now, or something? It's got something to do with Dr. Maruki, right?"

I stare at her, dazed, then nod slowly. But I don't feel in the headspace to explain right now. I . . .

"Rin, what's going on?" Morgana leaps into my arms, and I barely catch him. "Are you about to pass out on us too? How much do you already know about this stuff?"

I shake my head, but I'm still distracted. I'm still looking for . . .

"Rin! You—" Carefully, I set Morgana down, despite his protests.

"I'll explain later . . ."

> "I promise I will explain, but . . ."

I take one step forward, but honestly, I'm not even sure where to begin looking for Akechi. Did he not cross over into the real world with us? Worry tightens my chest; what if Dr. Maruki somehow prevented his exit—what if he kidnapped him now? Because he's been causing too many problems . . .

I swallow again and again. Akechi is the reason my conviction to resist is this strong. If Dr. Maruki somehow found a way to separate us, I—

"Rin, are you—?" Haru comes up beside me. "You look as white as a ghost."

I clench my hands inside my pockets.

"Where is Akechi?"

> "Have you seen Akechi?"

They all startle, and my chest tightens. If Dr. Maruki did something to him—

"That's right—he was here earlier!" calls Ryuji. "About that—"

"I haven't seen him since we exited the Metaverse," says Ann. "But Rin . . ."

"There's no need to be so concerned. I'm not that easily thwarted, you know?"

As soon as the voice speaks, I spin around. Only when I see his face do I finally feel a wave of relief.

Akechi comes to a halt a little outside of our circle, looking us over, then crossing his arms. "Apologies for the interruption—mind if I interject?"

"Uh—um . . . !" Ryuji whips around to him, wide-eyed. "About what?"

Before Akechi can reply, I brush past my friends and come to a halt in front of him, still struggling to catch my breath.

"You scared me half to death."

> "Please don't just disappear like that . . ."

Akechi gives me a long look, then shakes his head. "I wasn't planning to do anything of the sort. In fact, I came here because it might be beneficial that you've all come to your senses now."

"Beneficial . . . ?" Makoto asks cautiously.

"There's no reason to be defensive," Akechi replies to her bold stance in front of him, sounding awfully defensive himself—not that I can blame him. "Had I—" Suddenly, he cuts himself off, looking at me. "Did you explain to them what is happening yet?"

I shake my head.

In briefer words than I could have ever found, Akechi explains to my friends what Dr. Maruki has done and what is happening to reality.

"Is . . . that really true?" Yusuke asks me with wide eyes, and I nod.

"So, what you're saying is that Dr. Maruki . . ." Futaba shuffles on the spot, not finishing her sentence.

"He altered our reality . . . to make our dreams come true?" Haru adds, looking down.

"This is all too much for me to handle at once," Yusuke mumbles.

"There will be plenty of time to wrap your head around it later," Akechi says with a tinge of impatience.

"Hey, why do you know so much about all this? What are you even doin' here?" Ryuji asks and I take a step closer to Akechi, turning back to my friends with a scowl that might be a tinge more defensive than I planned.

"We started this mission together."

> "I wouldn't even be here without him."

"S-So you're not here to fight us?" Makoto asks, and I make an offended face on his behalf. Why would he even do that anymore?

"I've already put our feud behind me," Akechi says with a tinge of ice in his tone. "Not only that . . . Since I've been able to convince Amamiya to reject reality as Maruki sees fit to make it, we currently have the same goal."

"So, what you're saying is that you're using her?" Morgana asks, and I make a face that I hope conveys my distaste for his way of putting it. Morgana just glares right back at me, though. "Rin, you're not being careless around him again, are you? I mean, I know what you said about—"

"I'm not careless!" Everyone flinches when I call the words out a little louder than I intended. But if I don't speak now, all of the emotions I've kept pent up will boil over even more destructively. I take a stance before Morgana, glaring down at him. "And he's not using me either. He's helping."

"Uh . . . are you certain that is the case?" Makoto asks with a raised eyebrow. "Considering that the last time he said he would—"

"The last time he helped us he almost died."

This shuts her up. Makoto slowly closes her open mouth, averting her gaze uncomfortably.

"But back then things were different," Haru chimes in. "Shido . . ."

"Rin." Morgana stands in front of me, tail raised. "The last time you trusted so easily, you—"

"The last time we had a conversation about this, you told me that I was right!" I exclaim and his tail falls. "You said that. And you told me I could tell you, "I told you so" if it made me feel better. Well—I told you so!"

Morgana can only sit rooted in place, gawking at me.

"Amamiya." Only when Akechi grips my shoulder do I turn to him. "Leave it be," he hisses. "No matter what your opinion is, it's not the only one that matters."

"That's not true," I say, looking back at my friends. "Because the last time I asked their opinions they were the same as mine."

"You—"

But I cut Akechi off, looking over at Ryuji. "When I asked you, you said that if he turned up again, willing to atone, you would give him a chance."

Ryuji's open mouth snaps shut, yet I am already looking over at Makoto and Haru. "You said that you understood. That you appreciated what he did for us in the end."

The two of them avert their eyes to the ground.

"You said that it wouldn't have been too late for him to start over," I say to Futaba, who clenches her hands behind her back and averts her gaze too.

"You said that you believed in him to have changed." I turn to Yusuke. "And you . . . were sad that it ended the way it did," I say to Ann. "That you regretted it." Neither of them can hold my gaze for more than a moment. "You all said those things to my face. To mine, but not to his now? You invited him to come along after our fight!" I exclaim in Ann's direction. "You all . . ." My voice breaks and I have to swallow rising tears. "Did you forget what he did on Christmas? That he—"

I have to cut myself off, or I would begin to sob. I pivot away from my friends, trying to endure my seething disappointment about how suspicious and offish they still are—despite everything. Is that what this is? I am shaking so hard that I can barely contain it. Part of me is already regretting everything I said. That I raised my voice like this. But . . . "Why are you still doubting him?" I exclaim, whipping around again. "After all that? What else does he have to do? You—you . . ."

I blow out a breath, then another, squeezing my eyes shut. Hadn't I felt Akechi's hands on my shoulders, steadying me, I might have legged it out of here on foot. Or collapsed where I'm standing.

"Can you shut your mouth?" he says in an unbearably tender voice. "None of that is the point right now. Just to make this absolutely clear," he addresses my friends, "I'm not here asking for trust or forgiveness . . . keep that shit to yourselves, where it's safer. But I'm up against someone with the power to distort reality as we know it. The more allies on my side, the better."

> "I'm with you."

"I'll keep our deal."

I turn to him without hesitation. And after only a brief moment, I decide to screw everything and step closer, reaching for his hand and enclosing it between mine. None of my friends' audible gasps faze me in that moment; all I can do is look up into his unreadable eyes and . . . smile.

"Have you lost your mind?" Akechi asks in that same tender voice as before.

"I-I was about to ask the same thing!" Ryuji exclaims, aghast.

"You . . ." Morgana looks back and forth between the two of us.

"I appreciate the confirmation," Akechi says, then steps back and draws his hand out of mine. He crosses his arms and turns back to my friends. "But considering that you others were all living in that other reality until you decided to come here . . . Maruki seems to be telling the truth about taking your happiness into consideration. While his heart is distorted, he is quite different from the adults whose hearts you've changed so far. Now that you know his intentions, I'm most interested in learning whether you still plan on fighting him or not."

I throw an apprehensive look back at my friends, realizing that Akechi is right. I can't . . . and I won't expect them to undertake this mission with me since it's so different from our previous ones. I hope with all of my heart that they will—that I won't have to go against their will here—but if they won't . . . I glance back at Akechi. My own mind is made up.

And if push came to shove . . . I've already crushed my friends' dreams. Might as well finish what I started with the rest of humanity. It's not like it won't pay off . . .

"If you do wish to fight him, we all share the same goal," Akechi says. "In that case, shouldn't we join forces and improve our odds? That was my point," he says sharply. "You do not have to be concerned with anything more."

I glare at him, almost yelling again. Of course, he isn't going to ask for what he's long earned. For what they told him themselves when he almost died for our sake. Yet when I turn to my friends, I'm met with silence. They are all exchanging looks—some guilt-ridden, some apprehensive, and all of them unbearably uncertain.

Before I can speak again, everyone flinches when Sumire—still between Ryuji and Makoto—groans.

"I'll be going now." Just like that, Akechi revives my panic from earlier as he turns. "Be sure to consider my—"

He cuts himself off when I leap after him, catching him by the sleeve.

> "Please don't go."

"Can we just talk about this?"

"And what else do you expect me to do?" he asks, staring down at me relentlessly. "There is nothing more I can say. Or you, for that."

"Hey, dude!" Ryuji calls. "You don't have to run off like that. I mean . . ." He scratches his head awkwardly. "Just hold on a sec, 'kay?"

"Yoshizawa! Are you alright?" Morgana asks and we all draw closer to her, although I never once release Akechi's sleeve. He is not running away from me anymore. He can't . . . Only then does it hit me how strong the fear I have developed of losing him again actually is, and I swallow. Not that it makes me feel any easier.

"I . . ." Sumire mumbles, looking around.

> "Are you okay?"

"Can you stand?"

"Oh, yes . . ." She gives me an uncertain look, then a grateful one to Makoto and Ryuji, who slowly but surely put her back on her own feet. "I'm sorry that I . . . caused you all so much trouble." She lowers her eyes, clasping her hands behind her back.

"No, no, you don't need to apologize!" Ann assures.

"In that case, we should probably go our separate ways for now and discuss all of this at a better time," Makoto interjects, looking at Sumire, then at Akechi, and I clench my jaw. She's likely right . . . My friends need time to properly process all of this, and I . . .

I stuff my free hand deeper into my pocket, suddenly racked by guilt for how sternly I spoke to them earlier, even at those among them who didn't even say anything suspicious now. I don't . . . I have never raised my voice like that. Ever. Not even when they celebrated our unearned victory. The last thing I want to do is antagonize my friends, whom I love so dearly. But didn't I regret not speaking up back then? And now . . .

Glancing at them from the corner of my eye, I try to fight back the searing guilt. I will forgive myself eventually for talking back, but I know in my heart that I would have never forgiven myself if I hadn't.

"Yeah," concurs Ryuji. "Tomorrow we can . . . Oh, wait, third semester's startin' up tomorrow, right?"

I stare at him, realizing that I had almost forgotten that myself. At least I've done all my homework long ago . . .

"I guess we're going back to school, huh?" Ann says dejectedly. "We still don't have any idea what we want to do from here on out, though." She throws me a look that I cannot hold, signalizing that she's understood that I have already made up my mind.

As I avert my eyes to the floor, I can't help but be relieved that my friends don't seem angry with me . . . or feel pressured to join this mission just because I am so determined to see it through. I would never expect them to go against their values just for me.

"We've got time," says Morgana. "Maruki said he'll wait until February 3rd before . . ."

> "Please don't feel pressured to do this . . ."

"Please take your time deciding . . ."

I still cannot look at any of them, but I also cannot stand my overwhelming concern.

"Don't worry, I think we've understood that you weren't speaking for all of us earlier," Morgana replies. "You guys, let's really think it over before making our decision," he says to the others.

"Yep. Well, see ya' later!" Ryuji heads off first—not without ensuring that Sumire is really good to go on her own. Makoto and Haru accompany her to the subway station, easing my own worries, immediately followed by Yusuke, who heads off in the opposite direction.

Ann shifts her gaze between Akechi and me. "Are you guys, uh . . . good?" she asks, and only then do I finally look up at her again before nodding. She clenches her hands together and I open my mouth to apologize.

"So, look, I just wanted to say that I really didn't mean to come off as dismissive earlier. You had every right to say that, Rin," she beats me to it.

Unable to close my mouth, I can only stare at her.

"After all, it was what we said after we fought against you," she says to Akechi, with her eyes lowered. "I'm not meaning to go back on that! Really!"

"Oh, no, your caution is more than warranted," Akechi replies sourly, and I can't help but shove him in the side.

Yet before I can speak, Ann continues. "I don't think so," she says earnestly, making me feel even worse. "I can't speak for the others—" She throws Futaba and Morgana a side glance. "But I, for one, am really glad that you pulled through and that you're doing the right thing now. I don't know about Dr. Maruki yet," she says uncertainly. "But if we end up fighting him, I'm all up for teaming up. There's really no reason not to."

I stare at her, trying not to be too overwhelmed by the wave of both joy and even more guilt that washes over me. Maybe I should treat her to something nice soon . . . If only to thank her for being one of the kindest, warmest friends I could ever even imagine having.

> "Thank you . . ."

"That's so kind of you."

"I didn't mean to be so harsh . . ."

"Of course!" Ann gives me a bright smile. "Uh . . . so, well, see you soon!" With one final wave, she leaves us to head for the station herself, and before long, I find myself alone with Morgana, Akechi, and . . . Futaba.

The latter looks back and forth between Akechi and me. After a moment's pause, she raises a finger and says, "You know, I do agree with Ann," surprising even me. "But also . . ." She looks at us with narrowed eyes, as if trying to solve an exceptionally difficult math problem. "You, and you." She points at Akechi, then at me. "We meet up in Leblanc this evening. I assume you're coming over anyway." She gives Akechi a look that reminds me that she is fully aware of my feelings for him. "But tonight you're not coming over for her," Futaba says to Akechi. "I have something that I want to ask you. We shall meet there!" With that, she pivots on her heel and runs off toward the subway, leaving Akechi, Morgana, and me to stare after her.

"Uh, so . . ." Morgana regards the two of us critically before his gaze fixes on me. "You're really certain about this, aren't you?"

I nod. Eventually, I'll have to catch at least Morgana up on everything that's happened, although I don't know if I can ever find the words to describe the ideal reality I've experienced in many details. At least I have to tell him why I'm no longer in it and what I've been up to this week.

"Will you finally let me go, then?" Akechi asks with an eyebrow raised in amusement, indicating where I still hold him by the sleeve. "I have no intentions of missing that . . . invitation tonight, but you have to prepare for school tomorrow, no?"

My mouth opens to ask him to stay past that meeting, to finally stay and hold me the way he did a week ago. Then my eyes meet Morgana, and my mouth closes again. Maybe I can ask him later . . .

With a heavy heart, I release his sleeve.

"Don't worry about my friends."

> "My friends will come around, I just know."

I give him the brightest smile I have in me after all that, and he raises one corner of his mouth for me. "Let's hope so. If they do not help us, that is one thing, but I do not wish to have to face their opposition as well."

I vehemently shake my head. They couldn't possibly . . . ? No, I think, stuffing my hands into my pockets. I won't let that happen. I can't . . . My first instinct is that I have to apologize whenever I can. No matter what Ann said, I . . . But then I make myself stop right there. I take a deep breath, forcing myself to think it: No matter how harsh I sounded, all I did was remind them of their own words. Why would I need to . . . apologize for speaking the truth?

"See you tonight," Akechi says into my thoughts, and the smile I give him then comes to me easier. I continue to wave until he's put on his helmet and driven out of sight, and then a little while longer.

"So, uh . . ." When we're alone at last, Morgana gives me a side-eye. "You and him." He gets straight to the point. "What's going on there, huh? And . . . I mean, I don't think you were wrong or anything, but . . . since when do you speak up like that? Rin . . . What really happened while we were all out of commission? Are you okay?"

I make a face and sigh. "I have spent the last week breaking my own heart and then breaking all of yours," I say quietly. "I suppose I care more than I normally would that it at least pays off."

Upon Morgana's inquisitive look, I sigh again. As we make our way to the subway station, I resolve to get this explanation over with as quickly as possible. Yet, despite my best efforts, it takes the entire trip to Leblanc anyway before I can bring it to a close.