5/8

Daisuke Takanashi opens his eyes to sunlight trickling in through his shades. He lets out a yawn. Remembering it is Sunday, Daisuke rolls over and throws his blanket back over his head. He's got a lazy day ahead of him and intends to make the most of it.

Daisuke's phone vibrates from its place on the nightstand. He snatches it up and curses when he sees who it is.

Sakoda. Damn it .

The whole gang is meeting up at the usual arcade, expecting Daisuke to bring enough money for everyone.

They'd want all the yen he'd taken from Maehara the day before. "Man, what a drag." As far as Daisuke was concerned, that money belonged to him. Maehara had screwed him by giving him the wrong answers to that test, and he'd also had the nerve to namedrop him on that stupid PhanSite, or whatever. The cash I got should be sacrosanct, Daisuke thinks. He's pretty sure that's the proper use of the word.

Daisuke peels himself from his bed and shambles his way downstairs, a scowl on his face.

His mother hunches at the stove, eyes focused on whatever she's cooking. It smells like eggs, but Daisuke can never tell until it's in front of him. "Morning," he grumbles.

She grunts in response, which is about as warm as it gets in the Takanashi household. Then, she straightens as if she's just remembered something. "You've got a letter."

"Huh?" Daisuke asks, as he pulls up a chair at the table. "A what?"

"A letter," his mother says, slowly, as if he were a moron. The worse part was, he was convinced she was convinced he was one. "A paper and envelope one. I found it in the hallway this morning. Someone slipped it through the mail slot." She turns from the stove long enough to nod towards the table. Daisuke follows along and finds a small, white envelope with his name scrawled across its front.

Daisuke leans over and picks it up. "Maybe it's a love letter," he says, smirking.

"I doubt it," his mother mumbles, returning to her cooking.

Daisuke frowns, stands, and makes to move towards the toaster but stops. He rubs his fingers across the smooth paper of the envelope and, for some reason, feels a creeping sense of dread bubble up in his stomach. Daisuke shakes this off and snatches a piece of crisp bread from the toaster. "I'll eat in my room," he says, turning back towards the stairs.

"If you want to be rude," his mother snaps without turning around. "Go ahead."

Daisuke tromps back upstairs, enters his room, shuts the door, and plops down in his chair. He takes a small bite of bread and studies the envelope. It looks simple, unlike those overly-decorated love letters he's seen in anime and manga. So why does it distress him so?

Maybe I've won a million yen , he thinks as he says, "Screw it," and slides one finger into the groove and rips it open.

Daisuke has not won a million yen.

A red and black card greets him. "What the-?" He starts to say, then he sees what it says.

Dear Daisuke Takanashi, the Scourge of Shujin:

We've been watching. We know how you bully your fellow students. How you cheat and lie and steal from them. Your actions have harmed your schoolmates and led you down the road to ruin. That is why we have decided to steal your heart. We will steal the corruption out of you, and you will see the error of your ways. This will happen tomorrow. Prepare yourself.

Sincerely,

The Phantom Thieves of Hearts

Daisuke reads it once more.

"No way," he says. "No freaking way."

This was bullshit. It had to be. The Phantom Thieves had taken down Kamoshida, who'd been an Olympic athlete or something. Why would they come after someone like him? Why would they take Maehara's complaint seriously? Didn't they have more important shit to do?

Maybe it was a trick—a scam. Maybe Maehara sent the Card. Maybe Maehara wanted Daisuke to back off, so he sent the Card so Daisuke would think the Phantom Thieves were after him.

What if it wasn't a trick, though?

Daisuke's breath comes in shorter and shorter gasps. Calm down, he tells himself. Calm down. The Phantom Thieves weren't real anyway. They couldn't be.

"Yeah," he says, to no one. "Nothing to worry about. Nothing."

But, of course, he doesn't believe it.

With great trepidation, he queues up the RINE boards, sets up a throwaway account, and logs into one of the many conversations revolving around the Phantom Thieves.

Hey so, say someone got a Calling Card? Does anyone know of a way to prevent it?

(Like a fucking chant or something?)

Yooooooo is this Takanashi

LOLOLOLOLOL Holy shit this is totally Takanashi

(Did you get a Calling Card?)

RIP TO DAISUKE TAKANASHI

(Lol you suck anyway Takanashi)

Daisuke throws his phone across the room, where it smacks against the wall.

What had he expected, really?

#

Joker stands, arms folded, before the gaping maw of Mementos. Mona crouches on the ground alongside him, one of his hind paws on the diseased concrete, eyes narrowed and focused.

Skull leans against a pillar behind them, tapping his foot against the ground. "How much longer is this gonna take?" He asks.

"As long as it's supposed to, Bonehead," Mona hisses through his teeth. "This isn't an exact science."

"Yeah, well, we're kinda on a schedule here."

Joker turns to Skull and holds up a hand. "Just let Mona do his thing. He's got this."

"Thank you," Mona replies, as Skull rolls his eyes. The latter's foot-tapping increased in tempo.

Joker turns his attention back to the shaft leading down into the depths, is silent for a moment, then asks, "How is it going, Mona?"

"It would be easier if you didn't keep distracting me!"

"Okay," Joker says, taking a few steps away from the cat and turning to join Skull at the pillar. "Sorry."

"What if Mona can't sense Takanashi's Shadow?" Skull whispers, once Akira is within earshot. "We've already sent the Calling Card.”

Joker had to admit, he was equally nervous about the aspects of the plan that involved the many moving parts and about Mona's ability to actually detect Shadows. So far as Joker, or anyone in the Phantom Thieves knew, it had only worked once. Still, Joker's position as leader required him to project an air of confidence, so all he can say is, "Mona will find-"

"Got it," Mona shouts, standing straight. "Takanashi's Shadow just appeared."

Joker lets some of the tension drain from his jaw, as Skull pushes himself off the pillar and asks, "How far down is he?"

Mona turns to the two with a cocky smile. "Two floors. Piece of cake."

Skull slumps forward with a sigh. "That's good. Any deeper, and we might've been screwed." He straightens and pulls his phone from his pocket. "I gotta meet up with Mishima soon. You guys good?"

Joker nods. "Remember," he says, as Mona hops onto his shoulder. "Don't go into too much detail. We don't want to overwhelm him. Just show him the ropes, tell him where to go, and give him the script."

"I got it, I got it," Skull says, grinning. "Don't worry. I won't screw it up." Joker opens his mouth, but Skull cuts him off. "Mishima won't, either." Their friend turns, heads off towards the front of the train station, and pushes a button on his phone. A moment passes, and Joker and Mona are alone in the Metaverse.

"Should we head out?" Mona asks.

Joker turns to glance, once more, back at the pit of Mementos. "What's it like, Mona? Sensing a Shadow?"

Mona blinks. "Like, how does it feel?" Joker nods. "I don't know how to describe it. It's as if I'm listening to a bunch of static, and then, out of nowhere, I can understand something in the background. The static is still there but tuned down for a moment. Long enough for me to know the Shadow's there."

"And you can somehow tell it belongs to Daisuke Takanashi?" Joker asks. "How?"

Mona sighs. "I know you're tired of hearing this, but I don't know. I just do. Maybe it's like the app."

"The app?"

"Yeah. The app knows who you mean, right? When Ryuji accidentally unlocked Kamoshida's Palace, he didn't say 'Suguru Kamoshida, the gym teacher at Shujin Academy.' He just said, 'Kamoshida,' not even 'Suguru Kamoshida.' I mean, how many 'Kamoshida's' are there in the world? How did the app know the specific one? Just now, I'm sure it's Daisuke Takanashi's Shadow that's down there. Not some other Daisuke Takanashi, or some other Daisuke, or other Takanashi. Our Daisuke Takanashi."

Joker doesn't say anything. That's a good point. After meeting with Nakanohara, Akira and Ryuji checked the app to see if Madarame had a Palace. True, they'd said 'Ichiryusai Madarame,' but while not a common name, it certainly wasn't unique to one man. So how had the app known?

What if I'm thinking about this the wrong way? What if the app is based on Morgana's ability to detect specific Shadows?

But if Igor had designed the app, and provided it to the Thieves, and had done so based on Morgana's ability, that would mean he did know about Morgana.

"Add that to the list," Joker says.

"Which one?" Mona asks.

"The 'Things I need to ask Igor' list. How does the app know who we're talking about?"

"Does it matter?" Mona asks. "I mean, seriously. Are you complaining that the app isn't making you provide a million specific details to help narrow down the search for Palaces?"

Joker smiles. "It's unsettling, but I suppose you're right. For the time being, it doesn't matter. Still, it's something I'd like to know." Joker removes his phone and checks the time. "Alright, let's get going."

5/9

"And then," Makoto says, placing her finger next to the appropriate equation, "You would use this to..." She trails off.

Akira sits next to her, but his eyes are on his phone. His smile is cheerful, and he types away with his thumbs.

Unacceptable , Makoto thinks, a grin of her own creeping onto her face.

"Is there a problem, Akira?" She asks, putting as much steel into her voice as she can.

Akira pales by a fraction and glances over at her. "Sorry. I'm sorry. It's Ryuji. He needs advice. Badly."

"Oh? And that takes precedent over studying?"

Makoto cannot decide which of Akira's smiles she likes better, but the nervous grin he flashes her is a top contender. "Well, it's kind of important." He leans in, which kicks up Makoto's pulse a bit, and whispers, "Don't tell anyone, but he's going to ask Ann out pretty soon."

Makoto's eyes widen, and all thoughts of math equations vanish. "Seriously?" Sakamoto is going to ask Takamaki out? Does that mean Akira isn't interested in her? Does that mean Takamaki is interested in Sakamoto and not Akira? Perhaps their trip to the hospital to see Suzui had been purely platonic. Makoto feigns disinterest in her voice when she asks, "And you support him in this?"

"Of course I do," Akira says, with a confused look. Then, his lips slowly curve back into another kind of smile. "Wait. Did you think I liked Ann?"

Makoto opens her mouth, but her words turn to dust, and nothing comes out. When she manages to wrestle her composure back, she replies, "No, I didn't think that. I was just wondering."

"It's just that you seem awfully interested," Akira says, his voice doing that teasing, annoying thing it does that makes Makoto's heart flutter.

"D-don't you think he should focus on studying?"

Akira spits out a laugh, then quickly quiets himself when he sees the looks the other library patrons give him. "Ryuji?" He asks. "Study? Yeah, right. He's wandering around Shibuya Underground right now, looking for a gift for Ann." Akira sets his phone down in front of her. "Check it out. It's hilarious."

Makoto's eyes fall to the screen.

RYUJI : All hands on deck bro!

AKIRA : What's wrong?

RYUJI : Remember how I told you I wanted to get something for Ann? Well I'm kinda stuck! HELP!

AKIRA : Physically stuck? Or figuratively?

RYUJI : Stop jokin' dude, this is an emergency!

RYUJI : What do I get Ann? She likes fashion and all that shit, but I don't know anything about it! Hold on, let me take a pic of some stuff. Let me know what you think.

The following series of texts includes numerous images of clothing items, jewelry pieces, and chocolates, all collected and photographed from haphazard angles.

"When Ryuji gets an idea in his head, he goes all out," Akira replies. He texts his friend back, and a moment later, the phone vibrates in response. Akira chuckles and shows Makoto the screen once more.

AKIRA : You should buy everything. Ann's got expensive tastes.

RYUJI : Are you serious?! You know I can't afford all this shit! Dude HELP!

Makoto says nothing.

Akira shakes his head, and pulls his phone back. "He knows I'm just messing with him. Besides, I can't just tell him what to get her, right? She'll appreciate it more if he figures it out independently."

"That's..." Makoto starts, then frowns. "That's, uh..."

Akira sits up a bit straighter. "You okay?"

Makoto looks at him. Looks at the small smile on his face, another top choice, and the way he's looking at her. Makoto thinks of the conversation she's just read.

And for some reason she cannot put her finger on, a single thought races through her mind like an alarm.

Something's not right .

Makoto pushes the thought away. "I, sorry. I was just going to say, that's a rather romantic way of looking at things."

That smile snaps back into place on Akira's face. "I'm a romantic guy."

Makoto tries to smile and succeeds but feels like she's faking it. "I'm sure Takamaki will appreciate whatever Sakamoto gets her."

"Hope so," Akira says, hesitating as if expecting Makoto to say something else. When she doesn't, he quickly adds, "She's visiting Shiho today. At the hospital."

"Oh," Makoto replies, and nods. "That's good. How is she? Suzui, I mean."

Akira seems to relax visibly, which Makoto finds odds, then says, "I'll ask." He types out another message on his phone and sends it. A few moments later, his phone vibrates. Akira turns the phone towards Makoto.

The attached picture is a selfie. Ann, in what indeed looks like a hospital room, dressed in a black sleeveless t-shirt, with her arm thrown around Suzui, who smiles from the room's bed. The black-haired girl looks exhausted but happy, if a bit nervous.

"I'm glad to see she's recovering," Makoto says, unsure of what else to say. That feeling - the sensation that all of this is wrong somehow - will not go away.

Akira nods, sets his phone down, and sighs. "Sorry," he says. "I know I've been a bit distracted today. You've got your own exams to study for, and here I am, texting my friends while you're helping me."

Makoto looks away from him. "It's fine," she says. Her mind is elsewhere, so she doesn't register that she also says, "I like helping you," until after the words have left her mouth, which sets off a new brand of panic in the executive function section of her brain. "I mean, uh-" She looks at Akira and finds his face turned away. His eyes have a distant look and a slight downward hitch at his mouth.

"Sorry," he mutters.

"For what?"

Akira blinks and turns back to her. "Uh, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. Should we get back to it?"

"Yes," Makoto says, grateful to return to something she can understand, like mathematics. "Let's."

The next forty minutes pass in relative normalcy, but Makoto can not shake the feeling that now pervades.

As they wrap up the session, Akira - smiling once more - stands up and says, "Hold on. I need to grab something."

He heads back into the stack of library shelves. One student sees him coming and takes a few steps back, but if this bothers Akira he doesn't show it. Instead, he grabs a book off a shelf and heads for the circulation desk. As he passes Makoto, he shows her the cover.

The Lies of Locke Lamora .

"I heard it's pretty good," he says.

Makoto twists in her seat, suddenly uncomfortable all over again. She continues packing her bag, then waits for Akira to finish checking out the book before returning to their table to put away his work.

Soon, they step out into the nearly deserted halls of Shujin.

"Right," Makoto says. "Well, I hope you enjoy the book. And good luck on your exams!" She adds that last part quickly. She nods her head towards the student council room. "I need to catch up on a few things," she lies. "I'll see you soon?"

"Y-yeah," Akira says, studying her face.

What is it? Makoto wonders. Did I not make a big enough deal of him picking up the book? It really is terrific. Why do I feel so-

But the following thoughts disintegrate when Akira says, "Makoto?" His mouth is contorting into different shapes, but he makes no other sound. His gaze is entirely different now, almost naked and exceedingly nervous. Even Makoto can see that.

"Yes?" She asks, her voice rising.

"Do you think you'd want..." Akira says, then trails off.

Part of Makoto thinks, This cannot possibly be what I think it is. Another part thinks, Oh my god, oh my god, this is it.

"Yes?" Makoto asks, her voice somehow going even higher.

Akira stares into her eyes, and finds herself back on that rooftop, pressed together alongside the A/C unit, hiding. "Do you..."

Akira looks down, and the spell breaks. Makoto opens her mouth, but Akira looks back at her with a small smile. "You know what? Don't worry about it. We can talk after exams. We've both got enough going on, I'm sure."

"O-oh," Makoto says. "Are you sure? I'm quite capable of multitasking." All of her brain groans at that one.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Akira says, and his shoulders seem to settle. "I'm sure."

Makoto nods, trying not to let the disappointment show on her face. "Alright then. After exams."

#

Daisuke is on the subway when it happens.

The anxiety, rage, and hate slough off him like a second skin. Daisuke shoots out of his seat, startling the other commuters, and presses his head into his hands. A single, cracked sob breaks from his lips.

"Maehara," he groans. "I'm so sorry, Maehara."

I need to call him. I need to CALL HIM . Daisuke runs to the door, but the train is still moving, so he stands there and hops from one foot to the other. At one point, his hands move towards the doors as if he's about to try and pry them open. Daisuke shakes his head as he sees the next station further down the track through the window. It's not his destination, but when the train stops and the doors open, he bolts out and squirms his way through the congestion of people.

Daisuke rips his phone from his pocket, tearing the fabric of his uniform pants a bit, dials Maehara, and waits.

Maehara answers on the second ring. "H-hello?"

"Maehara?" Daisuke moans. "It's me."

"Takanashi? Maehara asks, then clears his throat. "I mean, Daisuke? Seriously? It's you?"

"I'm sorry, man," Daisuke says, and finds that he needs to lean against a railing overlooking the local neighborhood to keep from collapsing. "All that horrible shit I did to you, I'm so sorry. I just... I was scared, man. There are these guys, and they kept picking on me and told me they'd only stop if I passed it along. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

Daisuke notices a few people starting to turn their attention his way. He glances at them, and most return to whatever they were doing.

"Wow," Maehara mumbles into the phone. "It worked."

"Huh?"

"Oh," Maehara says, as if remembering he was still on the phone. "It's fine. Really. I forgive you. We're friends, after all. But listen, I gotta go. I promised them I'd let them know the second you called."

"What?" Daisuke asks. "Who?"

"Duh! The Phantom Thieves, of course!"

The phone disconnects, and Daisuke finds himself alone in the station, despite the multitudes that swarm around him.

#

Skull, Panther, and Mona lay panting at the entrance of Mementos.

"Never again," Skull groans between gasps. He rolls onto his side and glares at Panther, who has her forearm flung over her face. "You're never driving again!"

#

"Not that I'm complaining," Akira complains, stopping for a moment to ensure he's got a good grip on the box. "But couldn't you have had this delivered directly to your house?"

Sojiro turns, languidly, back to Akira and regards him with a cool gaze. "I like to take actual delivery, kid. You think I want a box with a bunch of expensive stuff in it sitting outside my house all day?"

"Right," Akira says, trying to angle his arms to lighten the strain. "But why do you need me to carry it?"

Sojiro shakes his head, frowning. "I'm an old man. You should want to help your elders. Besides, you could use the exercise."

"Thanks," Akira mumbles, resuming his march. They manage another block before Akira asks, "So, what's in here anyway?"

"Computer stuff," Sojiro replies, hands in his pockets. "I think."

"You think?" Akira asks. "Didn't you order it?"

"You grilling me now?" Sojiro demands. "I don't know all the specifics. It's stuff that goes in a computer, or it's a computer, I don't know. It's none of your business."

"Right now," Akira points out, leaning back a bit. "It very much is my business."

"Maybe you should save your strength," Sojiro replies. "We're almost there."

Akira can only speculate on Sojiro's explanation, but another thought occurs to him and quickly develops into an idea. "Do you have a lot of these things? These computer things?"

"Eh?" Sojiro asks. "I dunno. I suppose. Why?"

"Well, if you ever want to get rid of any and need someone to lug them out of your house, I could take them off your hands." Akira tries to smile. "I could use a computer for school."

Sojiro frowns. "So instead of sitting in my house, they'd be sitting in the attic of my cafe? You know when you move out, I'm still gonna have to get rid of them, right?"

"True," Akira says. "But if you're not using them, someone might as well put them to use."

The two turn the corner and approach Sojiro's home. "I'll... think about it," the older man replies. He then unlocks the gate and proceeds towards the front door, motioning Akira to follow. When they reach the entrance, Sojiro nods to Akira. "Alright, that's far enough. Thanks, kid."

"I can bring it inside," Akira replies.

"No, just set it down. Gently." Akira does so. "Right. Thanks. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Akira replies and turns to go.

"I'll take stock of that computer stuff," Sojiro says, and Akira turns back to regard the older man. Sojiro stoops down and hefts up the box - with what looks to Akira like relative ease - and turns the key to unlock his front door. "I'll let you know."

"Okay, thanks," Akira says as Sojiro disappears inside and closes the door. Then, Akira returns to the streets of Yongen-jaya, making sure to close the gate behind him.

A moving van rumbles past him as he starts to return to LeBlanc, stopping another block away at a previously shuttered business. Akira does not stay to watch as his thoughts turn to the day's activities. His phone vibrates.

RYUJI : Hey dude, thanks for the help today. I decided to get her a necklace. It's not expensive but don't tell her that, okay?

Akira types out a response.

AKIRA : Your secret is safe with me.

And there's the code phrase. Ryuji's phone was back in his possession.

Akira passes by an alley, and a voice comes from the shadows. "Hey." Akira stops as Morgana emerges from the dark and starts trotting alongside him.

"Couldn't wait for me?" Akira asks.

"I forgot to mention this to you," Morgana continues, falling into line as Akira continues his march down the sidewalk. "Lady Ann wanted me to impress upon you that we should never split up before a fight ever again."

"Ryuji said it wasn't too bad," Akira replies.

"Ryuji was lying. Or maybe not lying, but it certainly wasn't an easy fight. We need our Ace when we go up against powerful Shadows."

"Noted," Akira says. "Going forward, we'll stick together."

"That would be for the best."

After Morgana had sensed Takanashi's Shadow within Mementos, Ryuji had met with Mishima in Harajuku. Together, they had purchased a blonde wig that - more or less - matched Ryuji's signature hairstyle. Then, Ryuji had coached Mishima on how to walk just like him.

Monday morning, the three human Phantom Thieves and Mishima had met before school and exchanged phones. Akira took Mishima's cell, Ryuji took Akira's, and Mishima took Ryuji's and Ann's.

It had been Mishima texting Akira from Ryuji's phone, during his study session with Makoto. They'd had him follow a script Ryuji and Akira had put together.

If anyone checked the security cameras in the Shibuya Underground, they'd see a blonde boy in a Shujin uniform stalking from shop to shop, looking for a gift, and texting his friend, asking for advice.

When prompted by Akira's text, Mishima sent a selfie of Ann and Shiho, which Ann had taken when she last visited Shiho.

Not only had Mishima been texting his own phone - in Akira's possession - but he'd also been texting Akira's. Given that the Phantom Thieves only needed one phone to access and exit the Metaverse, Ryuji and Ann had used Akira's. After defeating Daisuke Takanashi's Shadow and leaving Mementos, Mishima's texts flooded into Akira's phone in one big download. The timestamps were off, but Akira could always cite a bug.

Meanwhile, after getting his phone back from Akira at Shibuya Station, Mishima deleted all the texts from his phone. He swore there'd be no trace of them left on his phone.

In the end, the Phantom Thieves all had alibis during Daisuke Takanashi's change of heart.

Ryuji Sakamoto was in Shibuya Underground, searching for a potential gift for the girl he liked.

Ann Takamaki was visiting her best friend in the hospital.

Akira Kurusu was spending the afternoon studying for his exams with Makoto Niijima.

And Morgana was... well, Morgana was a cat, so didn't need an alibi.

While all three human-bodied Phantom Thieves were otherwise occupied, Daisuke Takanashi's heart changed, as confirmed by Maehara's post on the PhanSite.

Akira and Morgana reach LeBlanc, and Akira unlocks the front door, letting them both inside.

"You know," Akira says. "If anyone bothers to check the security cameras at the hospital, they'll see Ann wasn't anywhere near Shiho today. And if Mishima isn't as good as he says he is, someone might be able to see that we screwed with the messages."

Morgana stretches his legs out and yawns. "I think you're worrying too much."

"Isn't that my job?"

"Sure," Morgana replies. "But who's going to dig that deep? I know we're supposed to err on the side of caution and all that jazz, but even if someone were that suspicious of us, they'd have to have some idea of how we change hearts to know how we pulled it all off. Who'd doubt Shiho if she told them Ann came to visit? Who'd doubt the shop owners if they said some blonde kid was walking around, looking for gifts? And you actually were with Makoto, so there's that."

"Yeah," Akira says and starts to head up the stairs to his room. "I was with Makoto."

"How was that, anyway?" Morgana asks, bounding up the steps behind him. "Did she buy it?"

ALL SACRILEGIOUS ACTS

The words hit Akira as he reaches the top of the stairs, and he has to reach out and balance himself against the banister.

"You okay?" Morgana asks, resting a paw on his pants leg.

"Yeah," Akira replies, shaking his head. "I just, uh, I don't like lying to her." Akira makes his way over to the couch and sits down. Morgana hops up alongside him, and Akira reaches out a hand to stroke his head. "I don't know. I did everything I knew I should do, but it felt... different. It wasn't the same."

Morgana says something, but Akira isn't listening.

He knows precisely why it all felt so different. Because he had been lying to Makoto, he was lying to the girl he liked. Taking out the book hadn't been part of his plan. But he'd done it to try and salvage the situation and recapture some of the chemistry they'd always seemed to share.

Only, that hadn't done the trick. And then, Akira made the out-of-the-blue decision to ask her out. What had resulted was stumbling, awkward, and didn't make him feel any better.

I was willing to kill Kamoshida, but I'm not ready to lie to Makoto?

Of course not, a voice in his head says. You really, really like Makoto. You really, really didn't like Kamoshida.

"The Takanashi operation is complete," Akira says, interrupting whatever Morgana is going on about. "The PhanSite will have the new posting rules up soon, so for now, we can focus on Madarame."

#

Her father had always told her to trust her hunches.

Makoto lays on her bed and stares at the ceiling. Stray thoughts and half-formed lines of reasoning tumble through her skull.

I want to trust Akira .

The Phantom Thieves had stopped Kamoshida.

Now, the Phantom Thieves had changed the heart of Daisuke Takanashi. A random Shujin student.

Makoto props herself onto her elbows, and her eyes drift to her desk. The Buchimaru pencil case stares back at her.

Ann Takamaki.

Ryuji Sakamoto.

Akira Kurusu.

Three students Kamoshida had terrorized.

Three students Makoto suspected were the Phantom Thieves.

Three students Makoto knew the exact whereabouts of during Daisuke Takanashi's change of heart.

I want to trust Akira .

Makoto has only known Akira for a month, but it's felt much longer. She has - she believes - known where she stood with him.

'I know I've been a bit distracted today,' he'd said. Very distracted. What with all those texts and conversations.

Something he's never done before. Not during our study sessions .

Makoto shakes her head. It's a feeling she cannot lose from herself. When she imagines Akira Kurusu as a Phantom Thief, the conceptualizations snaps into place like a puzzle piece with a perfect fit.

Her father had always told her to trust her hunches, and he'd also spoken of the blind spots you couldn't see into but knew were there, swimming with the insight you needed to crack open a case. Canals and highways crisscross in her mind, twist and reconstruct themselves into the idea itself.

I want to trust Akira .

Everything had felt so wrong, so strange and unsettling. Makoto had gone into the Student Council room, but not to do any work. She had just wanted some space. She had wanted to explore the feeling that had settled over her skin during his time with Akira.

She poked at that feeling until it revealed itself.

Makoto felt used.

I want to trust Akira .

But her father had always told her to trust her hunches.

I want to trust Akira .

But I don't .