Another day, another tense meeting between the Phantom Thieves...

"Makoto, has Niijima-san told you anything about the investigation?" Yusuke asked, standing stiffly beside Ryuji, who was sitting on a wooden chair and trying as hard as possible to seem relaxed.

Everyone was struggling to stay calm. Ann was sitting at the edge of Akira's bed, close to biting her own lip off from how anxiously she was gnawing at it. Makoto stood at the end of the bed, a rigid expression on her face. Akira stood across from her, hands shoved into his pockets to hide his sweaty palms. Futaba was on the couch, tapping an off-tempo beat on her knees. Haru was sitting up painfully straight, and between them was Shiina, who was clenching her phone tightly.

"Well... sis actually stopped mentioning anything about work in front of me... It's possible I made some sort of mistake..." Makoto replied. It made Shiina's heart sink. What would she do if her siblings suddenly stopped trusting her?

She continued, "Regardless, I thought over the matter of who we're going to invite for our school festival... I'm considering asking Akechi-kun."

Literally everyone stopped what they were doing to gape at her.

"Seriously?!" Ryuji spluttered, eyes wide. "Weren't you talkin' about how you didn't wanna draw danger to us or whatever?"

"I understand this is dangerous, but without a powerful source of intel, we won't be able to win against the police network. And I can no longer rely on my sister for information..." She explained.

"Wait, is this because of Akechi-kun's police connections?" Haru asked. "You're going to use him as your 'powerful source of intel'...?"

Shiina had to hand it to her, it was a smart plan, but a risky one too.

"Bold move. I'm surprised to hear that suggestion coming from you, Makoto." Morgana commended.

"Shiina mentioned his press conference from yesterday. One of his comments defending the Phantom Thieves stood out to me. 'There is more to this.'. I think he said that knowing for certain that the Phantom Thieves would be watching." She explained.

And he was right. The Phantom Thieves were watching at the time. Well, two of them to be specific. Shiina and Akira shared a look before turning back to conversation.

"Still, there will be so many other students at the school festival... What are the odds of success?" Yusuke pondered.

"It's a gamble." She stated. "And the odds are less than favorable..."

Shiina sighed, "That's what I was worried about... Do you think the risks will be worth it?"

"We truly don't have any other options," Makoto answered solemnly. "We can no longer afford to hesitate." She turned to their leader. "What are your thoughts? Should we invite Akechi-kun?"

He nodded once. "I'll leave it to you."

Makoto sucked in a breath, looking even more tense than before. "In that case... I'll do it. Is everyone else okay with that?"

"I'm good..." Anna trailed off. "Whatever he says has gotta be more reliable than what I've been able to come up with."

"It would be reassuring to gain him as an ally, rather than simply a source of information." Yusuke pointed out.

Ryuji narrowed his eyes, "Hold on, how're we even gonna get in touch with him? It's not like we got his contact info..."

At that, Futaba grinned and adjusted her glasses. "We have all the data from the PC of a public prosecutor! Finding his phone number was a no brainer!"

Ryuji stared at her in a mix of awe and fear. "Damn, you're real impressive..."

"But then wouldn't he wonder how we acquired his number?" Haru asked.

Makoto answered, "I'll just say my sister had it. That isn't even technically a lie. Can you send me the number, Futaba?"

With a few taps on Futaba's phone, Makoto's chimed with a message. "I'll contact him right away." She said.

"I gotta say, I'm really not big on this Akechi deal." Ryuji admitted, looking tired.

"Neither am I," Shiina agreed. "He seems too smart for us. I feel like he already knows we're the Phantom Thieves..." She frowned. She didn't exactly think he knew, she just felt a horrible sensation when she watched his interview yesterday. Something was just terribly amiss with this whole situation.

"There's no possible way he could know," Morgana assured. "And we won't let him find out either. He'll just be a source of intel, nothing more. We don't have to get too close to him."

Makoto had already sent the message to Akechi and now they were all waiting for a reply. If the atmosphere wasn't tense before, it certainly was now. Shiina's body felt so painfully stiff and it wasn't even cold in the room. Her jaw was clenched and she was nearly crushing her phone under her grip.

God, I wonder if Pro Heroes go through this all the time, she found herself wondering, before letting out a snort. She never thought she could actually relate to the Pros since she never strived to be one. She had always to be a fashion designer, for Chanel specifically. She was good at making clothes and matching them up with shoes and accessories to make cute outfits.

Wow, she almost snickered. How did I go from wanting to be a fashion designer to being a wanted criminal?

But she never regretted her choice of becoming a Phantom Thief. They were honestly one of the best things to happen to her. If it weren't for them... who knew how far her horrible treatment towards Shouto would go.

Ping! Ping!

The sound made everyone jump in surprise and whip their heads towards Makoto who also looked startled. She pulled out her phone and announced, "I got a response."

Shiina leaned forward, "What does it say?" She asked eagerly.

"He says, 'Let me think about it.'."

Shiina head fell in disappointment. "Ugh..."

"It's good enough," Akira said. "I mean, it's better than a straight-out 'no' right?"

"Wait a sec." Ryuji piped. "Didn't he say he wasn't gonna do any more stuff for the media?"

"That's likely why he's so hesitant." Yusuke theorized.

"What're we gonna do if he turns us down?" Ann asked worryingly.

"I'll keep trying." Makoto said sternly. "It may be frustrating, but he's all we have at the moment. We need him to do it no matter what."

"We're counting on you, Makoto..." Morgana smiled.

— ❤ —

When Shiina arrived at the gates of her house, she was just about to step through until a familiar deep voice called out to her.

"Todo—I mean, Kiberi-san!"

She turned around, blinking when she saw it was Yusuke.

"K-Kitagawa-senpai?" She furrowed her brows in confusion. "What are you doing here?" Wasn't he supposed to return to his school's dorms?

"I hope you don't mind but I followed you home," he said shamelessly.

Uh w h a t ?

"I just can't get your brother out of my mind." He admitted, sighing longingly. "He truly is such an exquisite specimen. I would really love to draw him. I just know it would be a masterpiece."

Her jaw dropped. "You... you came here to draw Shouto?" And not me? She almost wanted to ask.

"Yes, may I?" He asked her pleadingly.

Well, Endeavor's not home... so why not? Maybe they can be friends this way! Shiina was beginning to see the bright side to this.

"Sure! Come on in, my dad's not here so you don't have to worry." She said, opening the gate wider for him to enter.

"Thank you, I appreciate this very much." He said earnestly.

"Fuyumi-nee?" She called out as they stepped into the seemingly empty home.

"Coming! Sorry, I'm on the phone with Natsu—oh?" Fuyumi blinked as she entered the foyer. She stared at the tall and pretty stranger that stood beside Shiina. "W-who's this?"

Yusuke responded by bowing deeply. "I'm Kitagawa Yusuke, a friend of Shiina's. It's nice to meet you, you must be her sister?"

Fuyumi nearly dropped the phone. "Yeah... I-it's nice to meet you too..."

"Nee-chan, where's Shouto?" Shiina asked.

"In his room..." She replied, still gawking.

"Kay, tell Natsu-nii I said 'hi'! Come on, Yusuke!" Shiina dragged the taller boy further into the room.

Fuyumi watched them with hawk eyes until they finally disappeared.

"Natsuo, you'll never believe what just happened," she whispered into the phone. "Shiina brought a boy home!"

"WHAT?!"

Meanwhile, Yusuke was trying to admire the Todoroki house. 'Trying' because as much as he appreciated the beauty of the traditional Japanese style, he couldn't help but feel perturbed at the lack of 'homey' aura. In Shiina's Palace, the walls were full of picture frames depicting a happy family.

The real house, however, did not.

The walls were void of any picture frames, not even a painting. The closest thing he could find to a wall decoration was a clock.

"Something wrong, Kitagawa-senpai?" Shiina asked, noticing his sudden quietness.

"I apologize. The house just feels... empty to me." He murmured, staring at the bare walls.

"Oh," she smiled bitterly. "You've noticed the lack of photos huh. Yeah, daddy didn't really care for those things. I remember when my siblings and I were little, we'd take photos of ourselves whenever he was gone. I think mom made a scrapbook but... I don't know where it is."

He frowned. "I'm sorry..."

"It's fine." She shrugged. "I'm sure Fuyumi knows where it is."

They finally made it to Shouto's room. "Here we are!" She exclaimed, knocking on the wood.

It opened to reveal Shouto, already donning his pajamas though thankfully he didn't look like he had just woken up.

"...Shiina? Who... is this." The sentence was less like a question and more like a displeased statement.

Yusuke's face fell. "Oh... Do you not remember me from the subway?"

"Hn. I remember you." He replied, his face never changing.

"He wants to draw you like one of his French girls!" Shiina giggled.

He furrowed his brows. "But I'm a Japanese boy."

"...It's an expression, Shouto-nii."

"Ah."

"If it doesn't trouble you," Yusuke began smoothly. "I would like to draw a portrait of you."

Shouto looked ready to shoot him down, but saw Shiina's pleading face and inwardly sighed in defeat. "Fine."

Shiina hissed a 'yesss!' under her breath and fist-pumped as she and Yusuke entered his room. It had been a long time since she had seen Shouto's room, and it was extremely different than hers. His bedroom actually matched the whole 'traditional Japanese' style unlike hers which had some modern furniture. His even had the tatami flooring down to the Japanese platform bed...

Damn, bro...

"Your room is lovely." Yusuke complimented, admiring every piece of furniture and decoration.

Am I seriously the only one who likes modern style in here? She wondered.

"...What do you need me to do?" Shouto said, looking awkward and out of place. She stifled a laugh and he sent her an irritated glare.

"I just need you to sit down and stay still while I draw you." Yusuke instructed.

Shouto nodded stiffly and sat down on his desk chair.

Yusuke unzipped his bag and took out a drawing pad and some pencils and an eraser. Quickly, he went to work and Shiina watched in awe as he swiftly sketched the outline of her brother's head.

"Todoroki-san," Yusuke said, and Shiina had a feeling she was talking about the male Todoroki. "Is your two-colored hair natural?"

Shouto just made a sort of grunt sound that basically translated to 'yes'.

"I see, and your heterochromia as well?"

Another grunt.

"Amazing," Yusuke marveled. "Are you the only one in your family with such features? I know that you and Shiina are twins, and I'm baffled that she didn't inherit the same features as you. Well, not completely."

Shiina pouted, thought not at all insulted. "You dissin' me, senpai?"

"Of course not," he chuckled. "You are beautiful in your own way. I'm simply admiring your brother's uniqueness."

"Sho-nii is special, huh?" She couldn't help but gush, but her cheeks turned pink when he called her 'beautiful'. Shiina knew she was a goddamn knock out and she was used to people's comments on her good looks. But they were mostly from guys calling her 'hot' and 'bangable', and other not-so-romantic words like that. She was pretty sure no other guy had ever called her 'beautiful' before...

"Finished!" Yusuke proudly proclaimed. He set his pencil down and stared at his artwork adoringly. "It's perfect."

"Let's take a look!" Shiina bounded over to him eagerly, while Shouto stretched out his limbs. Shiina was amazed by the precision of Yusuke's drawing. If it was colored, she was sure she would've mistaken it as a photograph. When Shouto joined her side, even he was rendered speechless.

"You drew me with a smile," Shouto noticed.

Yusuke nodded. "Yes, you had a smile on your face while you were talking to Kiberi-san, so I decided to draw it in. You look much better with a smile on your face after all."

"O-oh," Shouto actually stuttered.

Shiina nearly gasped. Damn, Yusuke! You smooth-talker you!

The moment was ruined when the blue haired boy asked: "Would you like to be my nude model as well?"

"Get out of my house."

"Hahahaha!" Shiina laughed loudly, jumping in front of Shouto to block his glare. She grinned at Yusuke and exclaimed, "He's just kidding! But seriously... no nude paintings of my brother..."

"Would you like to be my nude model then?" He offered her.

Before she could give him an enthusiastic 'hell yeah!', Shouto yanked her behind him and answered for her: "No."

Yusuke let out an amused chuckle, expecting the reaction. "As you wish. I should be going now. Thank you for letting me in, Kiberi-san, and thank you for letting me draw you, Todoroki-san. You're quite the inspiration for me."

"I'll walk you to the door," Shiina said cheerfully, still feeling Shouto's murderous intent from behind her.

"I really enjoyed my time here," Yusuke said truthfully. "My inspirational juices are running thanks to your brother. Not even Ann's beauty could compare to his."

"I'll be sure to tell him that, Kitagawa-senpai." She said, inwardly snickering. Shouto would certainly be happy to hear that he made Yusuke 'inspiration juices' run.

"You don't need to address me so formally," he told her, smiling softly. "You can call me by my first name if you want."

"Then you can call me Shiina," she returned, before grinning. "By the way, if you want, you can always come over to draw or paint Shouto again. Just make sure to tell me beforehand so we can schedule up a time when my shitty dad's not here."

His face brightened up. "I may?"

"Mmhmm~" She sang. "I'm sure Shouto-nii would be happy as well!"

His face lit up with joy. "Oh my...! I'll be sure to take advantage of your invitation then, Shiina."

"Great!" She beamed. "I'll see you tomorrow then, Yusuke!"

They waved their byes at each other and when Shiina returned to her brother's room, he was still silently fuming.

"He wanted to draw us naked." He muttered darkly.

"Mmhmm."

"Naked, Shiina."

"Yup."

He sent her a pointed look. "I don't like you being friends with him."

"You should get used to it, nii-chan," she grinned mischievously, throwing an arm over his shoulders and snuggling her head against his. "'Cause he'll be coming over to draw you more and more~"

His eyes widened in horror.