(A/N: I really don't have anything to say besides to sit back, relax, and enjoy the chapter~)

*******

------Time Skip: The Next Day------

Today was finally the day for Ren to pawn the medal he and his friends got from Kamoshida's Palace. 30,000 yen and no less than that, so they can use the money to celebrate their successful mission. After waking up, Ren made his way down the stairs quickly with Morgana inside his bag only to see Sojiro first thing in the morning throwing him a stern look on his face.

Oh, no...

"Make sure to do the dishes."

"When I get back. I really can't right now..."

"Just do it. Don't get cocky with me."

With that, the door's bell jingled causing Ren and Sojiro to pause their little quarrel to see a woman walking in who had long gray hair parted on her right side and brown eyes. She wore a black business suit with a black turtleneck. Her blazer had cuffs and the lower part had clamshell-like designs. She also wore a necklace of a section sign (§), earnings, and a few dark hair clips above her right ear. She had violet fingernails and wore black high heels.

"Welcome." Sojiro greeted the woman.

"Am I interrupting something?" The woman in a business suit asked.

"Not at all."

"Huh... so this is your regular hangout, Sae-San? This place is more than I imagined it to be. The atmosphere is wonderful. No wonder why you recommended it so strongly to me."

Following the woman, a young boy entered the café who had shaggy, chin-length brown hair with bangs and reddish-brown eyes. He wore a tan peacoat with black buttons, a striped black and white tie, black pants, and black gloves.

His eyes darted left and right in both curiosity and excitement.

"I wouldn't call her a regular. So what brings you here?" Sojiro frowned.

"No special reason. I like your coffee." The woman referred to as 'Sae' replied.

"Huh? Have we met before?" The young detective looked at Ren.

"No, I don't think so."

"I'm Goro Akechi."

"Ren Amamiya."

"I like this place. It's got a good vibe."

"Akechi..." Morgana thought to himself hiding in Ren's bag.

"When you think about it, a detective is an ambiguous, uncertain thing. Don't you agree? Taken alone, there's no guarantee a detective will be valuable to society. A couple of things are needed to be a detective. A tough case which only he can solve, and the existence of a worthy rival to make such a case." Akechi told Ren who seemed quite deep with the topic.

"Sorry. Am I boring you?"

"Not at all."

"The cause of the runaway-train incident in the subway the other day still has not been found. Police are hurrying to solve the matter as it may relate to the rise in psychotic breakdown incidents." The newsman spoke on TV.

"Oh, is that the thing everyone's been talking about?" Sojiro asked.

"Doesn't it make you curious? People who were living normal lives suddenly went mad or deranged out of the blue... not to mention that it's happening one after another... could they really be coincidental?" Sae narrowed her eyes.

"Hmm... leaving that aside... what'll you have?"

"...I'll have the house blend please."

"And you, detective?"

"I'll have whatever you recommend." Akechi sat along with Sae at the counter.

"Are you a part-timer? I'm surprised that this place can afford one." Sae looked at Ren.

"Um, yeah..."

"Uh, that's exactly the case..." Sojiro blunted nervously.

"Are you a high school student? Where do you attend?"

"I go to Shujin Academy."

"Oh...? Someone I know goes there as well."

And with that sentence, Akechi averted his eyes away from the others so they won't see his facial expression. His shaggy brown bangs shadowed his face to the level of his nose as if he seemed to know who was that person Sae was referring to.

"I've heard that things are rough right now. A teacher named Kamoshida confessed his crimes like he was a completely different person, supposedly. And it happened 'all of a sudden' one day... can a person's mental state change so easily?"

"...Huh." Sojiro trailed.

"No one can know for sure." Ren added.

"Maybe..."

"No, I don't think that's the case, Sae-San. A person's mentality cannot just change so simply like that. I feel like there's a reason behind what happened with that teacher."

"........." Ren narrowed his eyes at that statement.

"Is my drink ready yet?" Sae asked Sojiro.

"...Coming right up." Sojiro smiled slyly before heading to the kitchen and Ren leaving the café.

"All right, today's the day we turn in that medal for cash. You know some place that'll buy it off you, right?" Morgana asked on the way out.

Ren didn't answer as he stole a glance at Akechi who was having a friendly conversation with Sae. Indeed it was obvious that Akechi had a quick and sharp mind due to his work as a detective, and he already suspected that something not normal happened to Kamoshida.

Ren knew that moment that he had to be very careful around him.

Goro Akechi...

*******

------Untouchable------

"Huh? You again? What do you want?"

"I want you to buy this for me ."

"Huh? A golden medal? Why do you have this? We don't buy any fake or stolen goods here, kid."

"It's not stolen at all."

"...Hold on a sec. Lemme see it."

The surly manager took the medal from the boy and had a really close look at the medal examining it closely and thoroughly until his eyes widened in realization.

"I'm just... not gonna ask where you got this. How's 30,000 yen sound for it though?"

"Works for me perfectly."

"Hmph. 30,000 it is then." The surly manager handed Ren the money, then he looked at the clock "It's almost time..."

"I don't understand. Time for what?"

"Here, take this with you. It's a thanks for sellin' me that medal." The surly manager handed Ren a paper bag.

Ren tried to steal a quick sneak peek inside it only to be stopped by the surly manager saying, "But, uh... best not to open it. Just bring it with you next time you come back here."

"What's inside...? I'm so curious to know."

"It's all fine, trust me..." Then the surly manager's expression turned to a pissed one, "...They're here."

With that said, two men entered the shop dressed in black. Black suits, ties, shades, and so on. They seemed dead serious as they were folding their arms standing in front of the manager, so Ren knew that there was no room for joking.

"Munehisa Iwai, yes? There are some manners we'd like to discuss with you today." A stern man said.

"...Go, kid." Iwai whispered quietly.

"Understood." Ren went to leave the shop but decided to stop near the door first to listen to the conversation.

"Do you know why we're here?"

"I dunno, lookin' for evidence? You tell me, Detective-San."

"Watch your attitude!" A vulgar detective slapped the counter hard, making Ren flinch.

"Well, you guys gonna search me? Go on, do what you gotta do."

"...What was that?"

"An upstandin' citizen's supposed to cooperate with the cops, right?"

"Hey, you sure that lead was legitimate?" The stern man asked.

"I could've sworn it was..." The vulgar detective trailed.

"Can you two hurry it up? I got a business to run here."

"You bastard..." The vulgar detective groaned then looked at Ren, "...Hey, you! What's in the bag, huh? Show me!"

"Huh? Me?"

"Yes, you! Are you deaf or something?"

"...The kid's just a regular ol' customer. You can check the tapes if that'll convince you. They'll show everything that's gone done here today."

"I don't want to be here when the detectives see the footage of me with that gold medal... I should leave..." Ren thought.

"I won't let you get away that easy! Show us what's in the bag!"

"Well... uhh... I really should actually be going by now, Mr. Detective."

"........" Iwai sighed deeply.

"Hmph. All this is starting to feel a little too fishy..."

"Hey, you're talking to a kid, remember? Besides, he's not the one we're here to see." The stern man reminded.

"Urgh..."

"That's right, Detective-San. Maybe next time try not harassin' my customers, see how that goes."

"Grrr..."

"Safe trip home, kid."

"R-Right!" Ren flinched then left the shop hurriedly before the detective could change his mind.

With heart beating at a crazy pace, Ren was almost running out from the shop. Seeing him in the footage wouldn't be a good thing for his probation and might cause him a lot of trouble, so he was grateful the detectives changed their minds. First was Goro Akechi, and now those? When he was out, he took a deep breath and sighed a big sigh leaning his back on a nearby wall.

"Phew... that was a close call..."

"What were those detectives doing there...?" Morgana trailed worriedly.

"I have no clue."

"But more importantly, aren't you curious about what's in the bag?"

"I am... maybe a little..."

"Well?"

With a curious and hesitant look on his face, Ren finally decided to give up and open the paper bag. He really wanted to know what was inside, especially that Iwai sounded nervous when he gave it to him, but he unexpectedly found a gun inside much to his surprise and shock.

"What the...?! Is this a real gun?"

"Wait... I think it's just a model."

"It looks so real."

"It's incredible though! Miles ahead of the one Ryuji had. There's something weird about that place... hey Ren, I just had a great idea... we should totally buy this gun from him later! I mean, It's perfect. Something this real-looking would work wonders in the Metaverse... anyway, he told you to bring it back the next time you came, right? You should try striking a deal with him when you go to return it!"

"I see... all right, we'll do it next time we're here."

******

------Evening: Leblanc's Attic------

Today wasn't that great for Ren since it was filled with detectives here and there, but at least he was able to sell the medal and get the entire sum in cash. With the money issue aside, the party was waiting on the horizon which was tomorrow! The thought thrilled Ren and made him happy very much, but he was noticeably tired as he sighed deeply while placing his bag down on the table.

"What a day..."

Pi

Pi

Pi

"Ann?" Ren looked at the caller's ID.

"Hello...?"

"Oh... hello. It's me. I saw the news. You know, about Kamoshida. It's getting a lot of coverage..."

"Serves him right."

"I'm still not sure about that... the reaction's been bigger than what I was expecting... I guess I'm just... surprised. I don't think we did anything wrong though. I wonder if we helped those people speak up about it..."

"I'm sure we did."

"That's pretty amazing, huh? I didn't think we'd actually be able to do it! And yet look at us now! This calls for a celebration! Let's meet in front of Shibuya Station at noon tomorrow. Don't be late!"

"Don't worry, I won't."

"Oh, and did you pawn off that medal? You didn't forget, right?"

"I'll tell you about it later."

"Huh? Why...? Oh, I get it! It's cause you sold it for a lot more than we were expecting, isn't it?!" Ann exclaimed happily.

"That's..." Ren sweatdropped.

"You should be really excited about the place I chose by the way. I'm sure everyone gonna love it! Well, see you guys tomorrow!"

"Bye." Ren hung up before sitting on the bed.

"Ah, a restaurant of Lady Ann's choosing. Finally, a decent meal! Hey, what do you think we're gonna be eating?"

"Maybe sushi?"

"O-Ooooooh! Tuna, sea urchin, and maybe even... salmon roe! In any case, I'm surely looking forward to it! Mwehehehe!"

*******

------Next Day: Wilton Hotel------

It was finally the day of the party after such a wait! The three teenagers were sitting in fancy seats having all kinds of food, desserts, and drinks placed on the table in front of them. Emiko was with them too who maintained a blank expression on her face on the total opposite of the others as if she never wanted to be here in the first place. Besides, there was no good reason behind her emotionlessness since she sat in a very fancy hotel, surrounded by luxurious food in an open buffet that normal people dream to eat. Her bored eyes blankly darted left and right watching people passing by there and there while speaking among themselves, but Ryuji brought her attention by slightly elbowing her.

"Are you ready? Three, two, one..." Ryuji counted down.

"Cheers!" The three teenagers exclaimed as they hit their glasses together.

"...Cheers." Emiko lifted her glass in boredom.

"So good...!" Ryuji exclaimed while his mouth was stuffed with food.

"Bliss!" Ann exclaimed while stuffing a mouthful bite of cake in her mouth.

The brown-haired stared skeptically at the piece of chocolate mousse cake that was on her fork as if examining it to see whether it was a poison that was going to kill her or not. With a shrug, she placed it in her mouth before widening her eyes almost instantly.

"Oh..."

"My..."

"God!"

"The taste of the chocolate...! It's so dark and rich! The perfect combination of bitterness and sweetness! Aaaah, it's melting in my mouth...!"

"What do you think, Hayashi-San?" Ren asked while feeding Morgana.

"Eh, it's all right."

"No wonder Lady Ann chose this place...!"

"Of course it's good. This is a famous hotel, after all even among part-timers."

"Part-timers?" Ren questioned.

"Huh? Didn't I tell you? I do modeling work for magazines. Only once in a while, though."

"That's our Lady Ann! No wonder this restaurant has a celebrity atmosphere."

"Knock it off. I'm not a celebrity. I just wanted to try coming here once."

"7,500 a piece, for a total of 30,000. Well, if they overlook the fact we've got a cat..." Ryuji was talking to himself.

"I'm NOT a cat!"

"I guess blowing it all at once will keep us out of trouble." Ryuji continued after pushing the cat's face away from him.

"To think Kamoshida's Treasure would be..." Ren trailed.

"To Kamoshida, that gold medal was worth as much as a crown. That could be why." Morgana explained.

"You mean his past glory? So he was desperately clinging to it. Well, there wasn't any sense in us keeping it. Since it was basically the embodiment of his desires, right?" Ryuji wondered.

"Yeah." Ann agreed while looking down, "It would've been weird to keep it."

"Getting rid of it like this was the only choice." Ryuji added.

"Yeah. Thanks to that, we're able to celebrate like this." Morgana agreed.

"........." Ren was quiet.

"Hey, what's wrong, Ren? Do you feel guilty?" Morgana asked the boy.

"Well, maybe a little."

"That medal was a fake. It was created from Kamoshida's desires. Well, we changed his heart and set him on the right path, so we deserve a little bonus!"

"That makes sense."

"Oh yeah, I heard that police are coming to interview some people at school."

"I heard that too." Ren added, "That's really troublesome."

"Totally." Morgana agreed.

"Our names are gonna come up for sure. Anyways, people're spendin' all sorts of rumors about us and Kamoshida... but we got 'em pumped up! I kept hearin' stuff like, 'The Phantom Thieves really stole his heart!' I think most people don't believe it, but some of them actually seem grateful. Look at this." Ryuji said as pulling out his phone.

"The Phantom Aficionado Website...?" Ann read.

"What kind of names is this?" Emiko placed another bite in her mouth.

"'Well done, Phantom Thieves'... 'Now I can keep going too'... 'Thank you for giving us hope'..." Ann read the message.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Ryuji grinned.

"I was just desperate to deal with my own problems, but seeing people saying all this feels... strange."

"Yeah..." Ryuji trailed happily.

"Pathetic. All of you." Emiko thought in disgust to herself.

"You don't know anything."

"Nothing."

"Hey... what do we do now?" Ryuji asked.

"You planning on eating?" Ren asked.

"Well, of course, I'm gonna eat, but..." Ryuji got abruptly interrupted by Ann.

"This place has a time limit!" Ann gasped loudly while standing up.

"Oh crap, we only got an hour to eat!" Ryuji freaked out, standing up himself too.

"Just fifty minutes left!"

"I'm not gonna finish all the beef dishes at this pace!"

"I need to eat my way through the entire dessert menu...!" Ann walked away.

"Look after our stuff! We'll snag something for you guys too, don't worry." Ryuji said before leaving as well.

Ren tried moving his arm to tell Ryuji something, but he already was gone which caused him to sweatdrop. With a deep sigh, he adjusted his sitting position before shifting his gaze at Emiko who was looking at people passing by them and taking sips of her juice every now and then. She never even bothered herself to exchange eye contact with him or Morgana which caused a heavy and utter silence to grow in the atmosphere between them. Ren started feeling rather uncomfortable from such silence and knew that he had to start a conversation with her somehow, but the moment he opened his mouth to say something...

"Don't. Even. Think about it."

Now that was harsh.

It caused Ren to sweatdrop again heavily while having a shocked expression on his face. She never even looked at him, so how did she notice that he was going to talk to her? And even Morgana was no less shocked by her. That caused Ren to grunt in annoyance while readjusting himself again on the couch as Ann and Ryuji came back after a short while with a shit ton of food.

"Aw man, it's melting in my mouth!" Ryuji said as he was literally melting.

"Seriously? Only meat?" Morgana asked Ryuji.

"Now, where should I start?" Ann ate her cake.

"And she's all about the cake..."

"So happy..."

"Hey, Calories." Ryuji grinned jokingly at Ann.

"Shuddup! How much do you think one of these costs?! I'll never get the chance to do this again!"

"Sigh... seriously." Emiko sighed in annoyance.

"Mmm, the Wilton Hotel cake buffet... I'd heard rumors, but I never thought it'd be so amazing!" Ann smiled happily.

"And... where's our share?" Morgana asked.

"I didn't really know what you'd want.. so I just grabbed you some beans." Ryuji replied.

"B-Beans?"

"There were some pretty bizarre things there too, so we got you a variety of those. Fried bananas, preserved eggs, and... some kind of beans." Ann added.

"M-More beans...?"

"We put so much on the plate that it got all mixed up, but it should probably still taste good."

"This is just plain grotesque... let's go, Ren. These three just don't know what fine dining means! We'll show them!"

"All right."

"You guys watch our things while we're gone! Wait patiently for our return!"

"Ahhh, It's like a meaty explosion in my mouth....!" Ryuji was enjoying his food way too much.

"Ooh, that part's cream cheese!"

"They're not even listening..." Morgana sighed hopelessly.

Heading towards the buffet tables, Ren started selecting food according to Morgana's recommendations from rice and vegetables to fish and sweets. While choosing their food, they heard people's gossip about the Phantom Thieves, and of course, most of them were baseless accusations much to Ren's anticipation. When their job was done, they returned to the rest with a big plate filled with different kinds of food to its fullest that it almost dropped down from the plate.

"...Ooh, you brought a ton back. Whaddya think about comin' up against such ritzy food?"

"We're happy nonetheless." Ren replied.

"It's nice hearin' that from you two. Just don't get too excited, got it?"

"You're the last person I want to give advice about that, Ryuji." Morgana remarked.

"Don't you think you're eatin' too much, Mona?"

"There's no knowing when we'll get to come here again."

"Sure, but you guys brought back loads of food... it'd be a shame to let it all go to waste. Why don't you help out, Ryuji?" Ann suggested.

"We should both help."

"Oh me? I'm wayyyy too stuffed! I couldn't possibly help!"

"Yeah... stuffin' your face with cake..." Ryuji trailed "And you, Mikki?"

"If I were you, I wouldn't do that." Emiko closed her eyes while eating a bite of her cake.

"Whatever. Ren, Morgana! Let's deal with this ourselves!"

With bumped up spirits, the two boys along with Morgana started eating the massive amount of food that was placed on the table in front of them as they've never eaten anything in their lives before. But it seemed like no matter how much they ate, the quantity of the food stayed the same as they brought it to the table. It was such an awkward and embarrassing situation that caused the two teenagers, plus Morgana, to sweatdrop heavily.

"There's still more...?" Morgana groaned.

"I told you it's a bad idea." Emiko blunted monotonically.

"Don't give up! Let's keep at it!" Ryuji cheered his friends up.

"Easy for you to say..." Ren trailed.

This time with much less enthusiasm, the three continued eating whatever was left of food gagging several times and fighting the undying urge to vomit. When they finally finished everything, they were extremely full to beyond the limit, barely able to sit down straight and talk.

"W-We did it..." Morgana panted.

"Y-Yeah.... this is a victory... for all of us..." Ryuji was also no less tired.

"Is this some sort of a game to you?" Ren held his stomach.

"N-Not exactly..."

"Good job, you guys. How about one last dish to cleanse your palates? I recommend the seasonal tart! The grapefruit has both alluring sweetness and a tangy sourness!" Ann exclaimed.

"Stop... I don't wanna hear about sour stuff... this isn't good... I gotta go to the bathroom..."

"Urgh, my stomach...!" Ren whined.

"M-Me too... please carry me gently..." Morgana said.

At that moment, a wealthy married couple passed by the table where the thieves were sitting and gazed at them. The woman began whispering to her husband.

"My, look at that table..."

"They must not normally have the opportunity to eat such exquisite food."

"I can only imagine what their parents must be like."

"What was that...?" Ryuji shouted at the couple, which caused them to walk away.

"...Urp! We don't got time for that... c'mon, let's go..." Ryuji quickly ran away along with Ren carrying Morgana.

"Boys... they never listen." Emiko held the bridge of her nose causing Ann to sweatdrop at her sentence.

*******

The group ran as fast as they could towards the elevator and went on an upper floor while holding their ached stomach trying their best not to throw up on people or on the floor. Not wasting any more time, they dashed to the bathrooms and threw up everything they've ever eaten in the toilets. They stayed inside for a good while before walking out to the hallway again still feeling a slight pain piercing through their bodies.

"Ughh, I'm stuffed..." Morgana whined.

"My stomach still hurts me..." Ren winced in pain.

"I totally panicked when I saw the 'Closed for Cleaning' sign at the bathrooms..." Ryuji said.

"You were talking big about eating until you puked, but really did puke... are you some kind of moron?" Morgana scolded.

"Hey, same goes for you!"

"Takamaki-San and Hayashi are waiting. Let's get back."

"What floor was that restaurant on...?"

"We came up to get here, so it has to be on a lower floor, right?" Morgana questioned.

Ryuji then pressed the elevator's button calling it up to their floor and stood still waiting by tapping his foot on the floor. Suddenly, the people around them seemed to be surprised and stood back as other people pushed Ren and Ryuji out of the way.

"......! What the--" Ryuji widened his eyes.

"There's still no update on the case?" A distinguished man asked who was bald and had a small black goatee and wore a business suit and a pair of orange-tinted square glasses.

"N-Not yet... excuse me, but why are you so involved? It's not something you should be concerned with..." A haughty subordinate said.

"I don't care about your opinion, you incomplete buffoon! When I say pick up the pace, you do it!"

"Hey, you're cuttin' in line!"

"...What do you want?" The haughty subordinate asked angrily.

".........." Ren stayed quiet, not saying a thing.

"We're in a hurry." The haughty subordinate said.

"Oh, I'm sorry. So you can butt in front of other people if you're in a hurry?"

"It seems the customer base has changed since I was here last. Have they started a day care?" The distinguished man asked.

"What?"

"Sir, we don't have time for this." The haughty subordinate said.

"I know."

The elevator's door opened and Ryuji tried to force himself in, only to be pushed aside by the haughty man. Ryuji was caught off guard tripping and almost fell backward on his back had Ren not quickly acted and supported him to prevent him from falling while glaring at the two men angrily.

"Don't bother with them!" The distinguished man ordered.

"That voice...!" Ren thought as looking extremely shocked.

"The hell was with that bossy guy?"

"Shouldn't we head back down?" Morgana asked.

"Yeah, but..." Ryuji growled while pressing the button again, "That dick really pissed me off. He wasn't even hidin' the fact that he looks down on everyone!"

"Don't lose your temper over this."

"I just can't forgive shitty adults like that...!"

"That man's voice..."

The image of that drunk man who he tried saving the woman from appearing in his head.

"It sounded almost like the one from back then..."

"...What's wrong, Renren?"

"Just a bit lightheaded... don't worry."

"You not feelin' good?"

"He almost never eats well, after all... plus I'm always stuck eating canned cat food..." Morgana complained.

"Ugh, that 'sir' bullshit makes me sick...! ...Dammit!"

That was when the elevator's door opened as the two teenagers walked inside with Ren behind since his mind was preoccupied with the flashback rewinding in his mind over and over. He held his aching head as a cold sweat rolled down making its way down his face. His voice, tone, it all triggered his memories somehow.

Just what it could possibly mean?

*******

Back to the girls in the buffet, Ann excused Emiko to go away and bring to herself and possibly to the brown-haired one final piece of cake. Reaching the desserts section, Ann was completely unable to make a decision since there were uncountable choices to choose from, a really hard pick-and-choose. She stood in her places examining all the possible options before finally making her decision.

"All right! Now I've got everything--" Ann was grabbing a piece of puffing.

"I was furious and told my husband--" A woman was walking when she hit Ann and dropped her plate over her fancy dress, thus staining it.

"Hey! This was expensive!"

"You need to be more careful" Her friend scolded Ann.

"Are you all right?" A waiter rushed over to the woman.

"This girl just pushed me!" The woman shouted.

"Who raised her to be like this?" Her friend asked.

"Liar! You bumped into me!" Ann protested.

"Why's she here? A girl like that doesn't belong." People started gossiping.

"Doesn't she have a chaperone? The child came alone?"

"I'm sure she's been spoiled rotten by her parents."

"Children today..."

At that moment, everything seemed to grow dark around Ann seeing herself standing in an empty void with eyes staring at her from every direction. With bangs shadowing her eyes, Ann quickly left the place returning to where Emiko was and sat down with a pissed expression on her face as she was gritting her teeth in pure frustration.

"Takamaki... what happened?" Emiko hesitated to ask.

As if on cue with her question, the boys returned to the buffet feeling more comfortable than before. Well yeah, since they literally threw up everything they've eaten.

"What took you so long?!" Ann complained.

"Why're you all pissy...?"

"Sorry... I had a run-in with some woman a second ago. She bumped into me, but then said it was all my fault when she dropped her plate..."

"Sound like a real bitch..."

"Yeah... thanks though. But... the restaurant workers all looked at me with this disapproving expression..."

"Bastards... they're all the same" Emiko mumbled quietly to herself as the boys sat down.

"I wonder if we're out of place here..." Ann trailed.

"It always feels like this..." Ren lowered his head.

"........." Ryuji grunted.

"As much as I hate to say this, but you're right, Amamiya..."

"Hey, Morgana?" Ryuji spoke.

"What is it?"

"...Anyone can have a Palace, yeah?"

"Anyone with a strong, distorted desire."

"Same for them havin' a change of heart if their Treasure gets stolen?"

"That would be the case."

"Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?" Ann questioned.

"We had a trouble earlier too. These selfish shitheads who just looked down on everyone else..." Ryuji replied, "...I was just wonderin' if we'd be able to change those kindsa people too."

"You mean... you want to continue as the Phantom Thieves?"

"...I've been thinkin'. We put a lot of work in changin' Kamoshida's heart, but nobody believes in the Phantom Thieves. Plus... those guys who had no other choice but to just deal with it are thankin' us. Us, of all people."

"That was pretty unexpected." Ren nodded.

"I... I agree. If we ignore people who are in trouble, I'd go back to being the same as I was before...!" Ann looked away.

"Well... that's true. You're under my tutelage. There's nothing we can't accomplish as phantom thieves!" Morgana stated proudly.

"Shouldn't we be able to help 'em out?" Ryuji asked.

"I didn't even think of such possibility... but it's true with that power, we may be able to help people out..." Ren thought.

"But... this means we'll have to fight Shadows again, doesn't it...?" Ann asked.

"Indeed. That can't be avoided." Morgana nodded.

"Eh, I'm sure we'll manage. Right?" Ryuji grinned.

"If we're together, it can work." Ren smiled.

"Renren!" Ryuji exclaimed loudly and happily.

"Heh... even if you are still just fledglings, this means we're an actual organization now." Morgana spoke for the-matter-of-factly.

"Fledgling...? Haha, that's actually pretty fitting for us." Ann giggled

"All right, it's settled! We're gonna catch all these shitty adults by surprise, and make ourselves known to the world!"

"Hey, Hayashi how about you join us?" Ann suggested happily.

"Yes, you were amazing against Kamoshida, so I'm sure you'll be a perfect addition to the team." Morgana followed.

"Excuse me?" Emiko scoffed angrily.

"What's wrong, Mikki?"

"Me joining you? No, thank you I'd rather not."

"Why's that?"

"Good and evil exist in this world and we don't have the right to mess with this balance. Not me, not you... and definitely not you." Emiko glared at Ren while saying the last word.

"........" Ren narrowed his eyes.

"You honestly think that you can change the world and shape it in the way you all want with no evil or injustice? Wake up from your childish dreams and face reality. Your actions won't help anyone because people must face their own problems themselves."

"Mikki, what's gotten into you? This isn't you, this isn't the Mikki I knew! I don't want this version of you, give me the old Mikki back!"

"Will you shut up, Sakamoto?! We're not in elementary anymore! The Mikki you know is... is dead."

".........!"

"Just forget about me. Sometimes, you just need to let go of the past... that'll be much easier for you."

"Oh hell no! I'll never give up on you!"

"What...?"

"When I acted like a total dick to Ann last year and we stopped talking, did I ever forget about her? No!"

"Ryuji..."

"You're my childhood friend, Mikki... and I will NEVER do that!"

"...Do whatever you want. And don't worry, I won't say anything about you. It's not to my benefit if you all get exposed since I'll get in trouble too because I'm already acquaintanced with you. Now if you'll excuse me... I must leave." Emiko stood up from the couch preparing herself to leave.

"You don't have to give us your answer right away, Hayashi-San. Think about it."

"........." The brown-haired stole a quick glance at Ren before walking away from them.

"Mikki..."

"Wow, when you said that your friendship was damaged, I didn't expect it'll be that much." Morgana commented.

"I know she'll be back, I just know."

"I know, Ryuji. I believe in that too." Ann smiled sadly "The Hayashi we knew will be back. We just have to believe in it."

"A-Ann..."

".........." Ren adjusted the position of his glasses.

"...Are you okay being our leader, Ren?" Ann asked.

"Eh?"

"No objections here! I can't handle all that responsibility stuff." Ryuji said.

"Where's my say in this? But Lady Ann made the recommendation, so I'll allow it." Morgana said.

"Um, Takamaki-San..." Ren trailed.

"Just go with Ann. We're friends by now, aren't we?"

"Okay... Ann."

"Good to be working with you, Ren."

"Asshole! You blew me off when I said it!" Ryuji shouted.

"Good to be working with you, Ryuji." Ren chuckled.

"O-Okay, now you've got it."

"Then again..." Ren looked at the door where Emiko left a while ago.

"Well, should we decide on a name for our group? I just went with Phantom Thieves of Hearts last time, but don't you think a real name would be cooler?" Ryuji asked with an excited grin.

"Ooh, I've got it! I want it to be something both cute and luxurious sounding... let me see... how about 'The Diamonds'?" Ann suggested.

"...I'm gettin' a real little league baseball feel from it."

"Well then, here's my suggestion. How about 'Tilefish Poele'?" Morgana spoke up.

"Tile... what?"

"That's what I ate earlier. It's commemorative, no?"

"Hell no, you idiot!"

"What do you think, Ren? Any ideas?" Ann asked.

"'The Phantoms.'"

"Huh, that's not bad at all."

"A good name, for a rookie." Morgana commented.

"Well, now's the name set, who's our next target?" Ann asked.

"There are tons of rotten adults and all... why not just stick to targeting big names?"

"To gain more fame? And like a CEO for an example?" Ren questioned.

"Yeah, something along those lines. If we go after some bigwig, It's gotta get on the news, right? Don't you think more people would believe in us if we did that?"

"That's not a bad idea... for you, Ryuji." Morgana rolled his eyes.

"True. If we become better known... we might be able to give courage to a lot of people. I don't really like the idea of just picking someone out of the blue though." Ann adjusted herself.

"Let's narrow it down to someone we can all agree on then." Ryuji suggested.

"Hm, so we need a bigwig we decide on unanimously." Morgana hummed.

"I like that unanimous decision part! It's like we're making some kind of pact!" Ann exclaimed.

"Now then, this is the official formation of the Phantom Thieves organization!" Morgana announced.

"Oh no! Our time for the buffet ran out..." Ann trailed in disappointment.

"I guess we'll just have to talk more tomorrow." Ryuji shrugged his shoulders.

*******

------Evening: Leblanc's Attic------

That night, Ren returned home with a big and sheepish grin on his face. He hadn't felt that much fun in such a long time. The food was very delicious despite the fact that it only remained in his stomach for a little time before throwing it all up. There were several other reasons why he was so happy that day: The official establishment of the Phantom Thieves, calling his new friends by their firsts names, and becoming the leader of The Phantoms group. The dark-haired still had that big smile on his face after he changed his clothes and laid down on his bed. He closed his eyes dreamily dazzling himself in the quietness and peace of the night knowing that everything is working out just fine. Morgana was no less happy than the boy and seeing him in such an amazing state made him happy himself as he jumped up on the bed.

"Well, we spent all our money on the buffet, but... we officially established the Phantom Thieves, so it was totally worth it!" Morgana exclaimed.

"Yeah." Ren smiled serenely.

It was then when the soft voice of vibration came from Ren's phone knowing that his new friends were messaging him; a habit that existed since the time it was only him and Ryuji, but the more the merrier.

Ryuji: The Phantom Thieves, huh... I'm liking the sound of that!

Ann: I hope we can really help people.

Ann: I'm curious about the Phantom Aficionado Website too.

Ann: I wonder who made it...

Ryuji: No clue.

Ryuji: More importantly, you see the survey on there?

Ren: I did.

Ryuji: I dunno how I feel about it.

Ann: Yeah, there was this approval rating thing, but it was only at like 6%...

Ren: Only? That's way too low...

Ryuji: But don't you just wanna get it higher than that?

Ryuji: I bet it'll go up tons if we keep taking down big targets.

Ryuji: But that's pretty damn exciting if you try and think about it like that.

Ann: You know, you're actually right.

Ann: Well then, let's keep working hard from this point on!

Ryuji: But, y'know... I keep thinking about somethin'.

Ann: What is it?

Ryuji: Mikki I mean. About the reasons that made her become like this.

Ryuji: I really don't understand.

Ann: Yeah, I understand how you feel...

Ryuji: Do you think she might join us?

Ren: That's her decision. We should leave this to her.

Ryuji: Yeah, you're right...

Ryuji: Sorry for bringin' that up.

Ann: Ryuji...

"I actually feel really sorry for Ryuji. It must be really painful to lose a friend like that... I can't even imagine how he feels now." Morgana admitted.

".........."

"And about that detective Akechi, you need to be very careful around him. He has a quick and sharp mind."

"I know."

Placing his phone down, Ren took off his glasses before staring up at the old wooden ceiling above him. The joy he felt was gone since his mind went back to think about Emiko, her harsh words, and unjustified actions towards all of them. But still... she has a kind heart of her own. It was obvious when Ren saw how Emiko cried while hugging Mayu on the day Kamoshida confessed his crimes.

Could someone so cruel be so kind at the same time...?

*******

Word count: 6608 words

A/N: OOF, I FINALLY FINISHED THIS CHAPTER!!!

I know that many of you are probably complaining about the lack of RenEmi, but rest assured. Good things come in their times.

So be patient to witness how their relationship will grow and blossom~

And I know that this chapter's pretty much a copy from Infinity, but my hands were tied. I couldn't fit or add anything new... sowwy. ;-;

Good things come in their due time! I promise!

Rand Talih💞

Published on: Thu/Dec 31/2020