Fandom Persona 5: The Meta War CLOSED

[Nellancholy]

The other two fired off their own attacks at Shiki-Ouji, battering him somewhat as the blades of wind and streams of flame cornered and wounded him despite his agility. It wasn't quite enough to incapacitate him, and in his desperation (which he tried to veil as boldness) he unleashed a storm of lightning on the Thieves. That seemed to give Carmen and Zorro pause, but the electricity streamed over Thrud's armor, dissipating with little effect.

"Was that your last trick?" Shiro growled. "Then it's time to put an end to this charade!" With that Thrud lunged at Shiki-Ouji, arms outstretched. She had to strike decisively, but even in that split second, her grasp was unsure.

"Gotcha!" And in that moment, a blast of ice flashed forth from the darkness, striking the shikigami's legs. Without delay, a bright red chain lashed out as well, binding his upper body in place.

"Wait! An ambush?! Cowards! You bitches!" Shiki-Ouji screamed and struggled, just in time for Thrud to grab him by the neck...and tear his head off like a sheet of paper.

Shiro took a breath as the ice and chains dissipated, along with the shredded remains of their adversary. "W-who's there?" Thrud turned to face the new arrivals, her fists set.

"Why, we are simply fellow delvers of the Metaverse, dear friends." The two figures stepped into view, revealing themselves to be a young woman with straight brown hair and a man who looked much like her. Both of them were dressed incredibly strangely, even compared to the thieves. Their clothes were loose-fitting linen tunics and trousers, almost looking like pyjamas. Covering their eyes were headgear that looked very much like virtual reality goggles, trailing wires down to a padded glove on their right hands. And of course, around their necks were each a pendant...bearing the emblem of the Order of Metatron.

"Mina..." The man seemed hesitant, even timid. "...should we be talking to them? What if they're..."

"Oh, don't be silly, Jiro." The woman, apparently named Mina, waved her hand dismissively. "Such doubt will not please Matriarch Suzuki. And besides, they have tulpas too, don't you see?"

"Tulpas? And just what might-" Shiro had heard of that word somewhere before, but as to what they were... "Oh! Of course!" Thrud floated back up into the air, moving close to Shiro. "Indeed, we bear the same...tulpas as you." Better to go along with it for now.

Right on cue, Mina and Jiro's "tulpas" appeared above them, resembling a witch with a long staff and black robes, and some kind of barbarian in furs. Clearly, these beings were something resembling Personas, but...too different to dismiss. For one, instead of appearing in vivid, living color, they seemed translucent and shimmering in solid red. Almost like holograms or the images from that old video game console. For another, both of them had long, thin threads attached to their limbs, responding to their every movement. Or perhaps...directing them? The threads led off into the darkness. Wherever they came from, the source probably wasn't far, but they might be hard to track. For their part, neither Mina nor Jiro seemed to notice that their "tulpas" were puppeteered by someone else.

"Our time here is not long, at least for now." Mina smiled and reached out her hand to the Thieves. "But won't you join us on this excursion?"

 

[TreasureSniper]

Upon slaying the strong shadow, the footsteps of a man can be heard approaching the area. They sounded distinct, almost like they were made of some sort of metal. Within the next few seconds, a golden humanoid came into view. "Alright, you damn cult folk, that's as far as you go." The figure spoke, his eyes glowing purple, indicating he was in fact threatening them. "You stick to you agreed teritory and there will be no trouble." while it's difficult to make out, but it looked like he was holding some sort of weapon in his cloak.

"Wait a second... You three.." He turn his attention towards the phantom thieves. "You don't look like the usual cultist... And I don't recognize any merc who looks like you.." His tone growing ever more suspicious. "So.. Who are you guys.." The golden figure crossed his arms, waiting for an answer. There was someone else in the background, but it was difficult to tell since they seemed busy dealing with the fodder shadows. Nonetheless, the phantom thieves need to choose their next moves carefully.

 

[That Weird girl]

"Meta merc?" Ann questioned and looked to Morgana for answers but it seemed the cat did not know what that was either. She looked at Mina and Jiro with a confused expression and saw that they were wearing a pendant resembling the order of Metatron, what was even happening anymore? She turned her attention to the man not sure if saying that they were here to kill Suzuki was a very good idea. The blonde was hoping that Morgana had a trick but he did not and just looked at them with suspicion.

"Names Panther," Ann said using her code name, "these are my friends Mona and Heartbreak and we are here to explore Momentos since Mona told us that we can find a person here." Morgana face palmed at her explanation, "We are the phantom thieves of heart and we steal treasure from palace users." Morgana loved stealing treasure and he wondered how big of a treasure Metatron had.

"We also fight against the injustice of the human world," Ann chipped in too, "now who are you? Why are you down here?"

Morgana had a feeling this would not go down very well and held his slingshot closely. He did not trust this man at all to be friendly and let them through and expected a fight. But he did not start one yet in case the man would let them through.

 

[Nellancholy]

Ann had gotten perhaps a bit too honest in spite of past events, or perhaps because of them. At least she didn't just straight up tell them their real names too. What was said was said, and it certainly wasn't like Shiro cared to clap her hand over Ann or Morgana's loose lips to keep them from spilling. Already she felt a little tired, but she certainly wasn't about to give ground to some swaggering thug. Perhaps honesty would prove to be the best policy, at least in this situation. She took a step to the side, interposing herself between her group and the armored man. "If this is your domain, I must say you've done poorly taking care of it. And if not, I hardly think it is within your right to set a border. We have...no wish to do battle with anyone other than the Shadows here. We shall respect your body, but this space is neither of ours." Firm but conciliatory, at least she hoped.

"Erk, Jiro...this guy looks tough." Mina grumbled, seemingly losing her confidence (or exercising reasonable caution) in the face of a foe that wasn't a simple-minded Shadow. Her "tulpa" faltered, and she backed off a bit.

"Don't say that, Mina." Jiro muttered, less easily dissuaded than his sister. His tulpa's muscular form stood alongside Thrud. "The Matriarch bid us to fear no evil, in spirit or in truth!" His voice rose slightly, but his tulpa was wavering as well, flickering like a flame about to go out. "I'll show you! Beowulf-"

But before Beowulf could take a swing at the armored man, the strings on both the tulpas went taut, straining and pulling them away. Their bodies jerked and soared backwards, like fish being reeled in by an expert angler. It seemed that whoever was pulling the strings didn't want the followers of the Order confronting the mercs just yet...or maybe at all.

"Ugh, now look what you've gone and done, Jiro!" Mina frowned, folding her arms. Whatever they were looking to get out of this exploration, it seemed Jiro's confidence had ruined it. And of course, it proved that the Matriarch was willing to forcefully block them from taking any risks that might reveal the truth of her scheme.

"I'm...sorry, sis..." With their tulpas yanked away, Jiro seemed much less ready to throw hands.

"You can apologise to Our Matriarch instead. I'm sure she'll be happy to correct you." With that, Mina raised the strange goggles off her eyes, her own body vanishing rapidly.

Hesitantly, Jiro did the same.

"Well." Shiro glanced back at their disappearing forms, then to the armored man. "They're certainly not with us."

That little charade had probably made the situation worse, but Shiro got the feeling they wouldn't be that helpful if it came down to a fight anyway.

However, something useful had come out of it. The strings had pulled the tulpas away very forcefully, up along the "ceiling" of the tunnels. They had left deep indentations through the concrete surface, forming a continuous trail. If only the Thieves had a chance to follow the trail, they could be led right to the location in Mementos that corresponded to the headquarters of the Order of Metatron in the real world.

 

[TreasureSniper]

"Oh? Is that so?" The gold figure responded to Ann's statement. Find it amusing that she would say something like that. "I am a Meta Merc. Auruem Rex, the golden soldier." He revealed his title with a strong sense of pride and nobility. It was clearly something he was proud of, like the medal of a veteran soldier. "This territory is under our protection. Someone doesn't want people meddling in this area. At least for the time being. You'll be free to explore this area some other day." Strangely, the figure seemed diplomatic towards the phantom thieves, going as far as to explain to them their current situation. "You "phantom thieves" must be new around here, so I'll cut you all some slack." Rex spoke as he slowly lifted his cloak, revealing his sword it and pointed it towards the cultist duo. "You two on the other hand should know by now that we operate under mutual respect for each other's presence. Need I remind you just how disposable you people are?" The Meta Merc have had a rough history with the cultists. While some times the cult does hire them for jobs, more often than not, they would be hired to keep their clients safe from their influence. "I've removed five of you already... perhaps I should make it seven...." the golden clad human pondered as they readied their tulpas. He could wipe them put there then...but it he didn't like causing unnecessary conflict. It was after all bad for business.

"Hmph" Rex scoffed at the two weakling that had just left. He looked forward to hearing from the Matriach about this transgression. With that, he turned his attention back the gang. "Now then....we don't have a problem here do we?" A translucent silhouette of a crowned figure can be scene manifesting behind him. He didn't need to say anything else, he was dangerous, likely stronger than any of the three. But perhaps they could take him down together.

All that tension that had built up so far was immediately dispelled by a loud boom along with the sudden appearance of another figure, right behind Rex, likely the other presence from behind him.
"Jobs all done. Let's get something to eat. I am starving..." The figure spoke rather nonchalantly. "You took longer than expected, Roadkill." The Rex commented as he sheathed his weapon. "Was just having a bit of fun you know?" He laugh it off before his eyes met with Ann. "Well hello there, Sexy.." The lanky man approached the girl, clearly head over heels for her. "The name is Roadkill, you doing anything later? Maybe we can go grab a bite together somewhere? You like crepes? You seem likes crepes girl." The golden armored man sighed someone disappointed by his colleagues demeanor. "Roadkill, it's best we get going. We have a schedule to keep...I am sure these.."Phantom thieves" have better things to do as well." He tapped his fingers on shoulder, clearly waiting him to move on as well. "Phantom thieves?" Roadkill wonder outloud, it was such familiar name. "Wasn't that the people who sent a calling card to that yakuza pawn?" And just like that, the whole mood shifted once more.

"Is that so..." Rex toned has changed dramatically, as he slowly turned back towards the group. "Its your lucky day, Roadkill, looks like they'll be coming with us after all.." Unsheathing his blade once more, with lightning flowing through his body. "Aww man.. I don't want to fight on an empty stomach!" He complained as he stepped to the side. "Step aside then, I will handle these peons myself." The lightning crackled with great force, cracking the ground around him. "Show me what you got, Phantom thieves." Either as a sign of confidence, or arrogance, he seemed to be fully to let them have the first move.

 

[That Weird girl]

Ann brushed a strand of her blonde hair back and smiled at Roadkill seeing as he was head for heels over her. She was not sure who he was in the real world but she was open to a date much to Shiro's and Morgana's annoyance probably. It was not surprising for her to be asked out like that since she did model on the side and had a sexy figure to some, Kajiki would often show her off around the school in the past when she dated him but now he was gone. Ann was not some damsel in distress though and she was going to prove it to them.

Now that the cultists were gone somehow they were left with Rex and Roadkill who seemed to be hostile against them once they figured out they took care of Kajiki. "Very well," Ann said and held out her whip prepared to fight Rex but it seemed he was letting them have the first move to attack. Ann smirked and had Carmen shoot a fire blast at Rex, it would be his undoing for underestimating the phantom thieves after all.

"Hopefully you won't cause me to break a nail," Ann commented trying to have a bit of confidence in her voice. Morgana rolled his eyes at her and looked at Rex firing his slingshot at him several times in rapid succession. Hopefully Shiro could hit him with a heavy attack that would knock him off balance or cause his guard to be down so Morgana could use Zorro to use the harsh winds to cut though his armor. Morgana wasn't about to give up to some mercenary types who were paid to guard the treasures he wanted.

Ann was even feeling a bit confident now with her persona. She intended to fight Rex if he stood in the way of their goal of finding the cult of Metatron and not backing down. Thanks to Sougo they had a lot of healing supplies on deck if anything happened and Ann wondered if the masked man was here. Was he watching the thieves? Was he deciding if they were worthy?

TreasureSniper Nellancholy

 

[Nellancholy]

It was a small mercy that those airheaded cultists were out of the way. That only left the two mercs before them. Any hope of Ann's honesty (or flirtation) working in their favor was swiftly rendered moot as Roadkill seemed to recognise them. That was a particularly bad sign, even beyond the enemies before them. It meant that right from their first move, they were known to others. Eyes were on them, in the darkness that lay beneath this city. And for all their high tech armor and weapons, the "Meta mercs" were no better than the cops who dutifully swept the neighborhoods for runaways and mendicants, driving them away and making it far easier for the real criminals to prey on them.

No, they were far worse. They pursued this course of action not out of some sense of duty or justice, no matter how perverse. They were doing it for profit, swaggering around with their weapons and answering only to the highest bidder. Who had brought them here? Who had pit them against the thieves? Matriarch Suzuki? Or someone who knew even more than her...

To their credit, Morgana and Ann had gotten quite used to fighting, assailing the mercs with their weapons and elemental powers. As contemptible as these men were...they were still flesh and blood, like those cultists. A little different from the Shadow that ruled Kajiki's palace, or the Ronin that protected him.

Shiro and Thrud could just hurl themselves into the fray like always, but...she didn't want a fight to the death. Not against this type, and certainly not in a place like this. Either way, her being the main target had certainly been the core of their tactics so far.

"Roadkill, is it? A crude title for a man who is little better!" Instead of approaching within range of that glowing sword, Thrud took a much different course of action. She delivered a firm punch to the ground beneath her, causing the train tracks to warp and rupture. Grabbing hold of the metal rails, she flexed and whipped them hard, causing them to flail like ropes in a tornado. Hopefully, literally pulling out the ground from under Roadkill would throw him off balance, or even launch him into the air thanks to those ridiculous skates of his.

"If you value your head, you'd best turn tail, cur!" Shiro bellowed at Rex, hefting her machine gun and spraying bullets in his direction. Despite her taunts, Shiro took a few steps back as she fired. After all, their goal today was not to get into some brawl, but rather to investigate. Keeping at range, Shiro's aim was to get the mercs to take cover or back off, giving the Thieves an opportunity to make their escape and confirm where the trail of puppet strings led. That would in turn allow them to determine a corresponding location in the real world.

 

[TreasureSniper]

Rex had braced himself for the impact of the fire. It was stronger than he expected but far from a threat, at least not to him. "Was that suppose to hurt?" Rex spun his blade rapidly to block the incoming projectiles. With each projectile block, his generated more and more electricity like he was powering up an attack. "I summon thee, King Midas!" Ripping his mask off and revealing a handsome young man, likely no older than the phantom thieves themselves. Rex summons his persona, a golden skeleton adorned with a crown and all sorts of jewelry. The persona touches its master instantly covering him in a gleaming golden aura. Morgana's winds did little to damage the foe, likely because he was much to heavy to be blown away.

Right after that, the persona quickly slams its hand onto the ground, turning to a patch of gold. Said patch quickly spreads towards the phantom thieves until the entire floor below them was an eye-blinding gold. Without a second to spare, Rex slams his blade into the golden ground, sending waves of electricity through it, all of which flowed towards the phantom thieves.

On Roadkills side, he seemed much more reluctant to fight. "Wow easy there, girl! I don't want to fight you!" He spoke as he was flung into the air by her attack. The red armored male quickly regain his footing on the side of a wall and activated his thrusters, sending him speeding across the walls of mementos. He circled Shiro while she fired her LMG which understandably wasn't the most accurate weapon. As she fire her last shot, Roadkill would kick off the wall to deliver a powerful kick onto her gun, shattering it to pieces."Can't we talk this out? Just come with us and I'm sure we can get things sorted without busting any bones.." It was an odd thing to see someone capable of great violence trying to resolve things peacefully.

 

[That Weird girl]

It seemed like Ann was the one who underestimated the Meta merc guy, there was no way they were going to beat him. The waves of electricity hit her like a truck and she flew back into a wall. Morgana tried to deflect it but it was too powerful and he was sent back through a subway pillar and groaned as he was still feeling the jolt of electricity through himself. Ann felt a little dizzy but she still got up anyway and Carmen healed her and Morgana a little. Ann looked at Rex trying to decide on what to do next as he was far too much for them and they could not risk being taken.

"Was that your best shot?" Ann taunted and stumbled a little holding the wall for support as she glared at him, "cause mine was only a warm up!" Ann then pulled out her submachine gun and shot at him and then tried to charge at him hitting him with her whip as hard as she could not being not very good at combat yet. But she would do anything to protect her friends from being captured by those horrible people who had no morals.

Morgana got up and assessed the situation, they would likely have to make an escape. Morgana turned into his bus form quickly and hoped the girls would get on him or maybe he did have something to distract the mercs. Morgana then started to ram into the pillars hoping to collapse the ceiling on the meta mercs so it could buy them time to escape although he did not Shiro was trying to distract.

"Shiro keep Roadkill off me!" Morgana shouted as he damaged the support beams, "time to make a sweet escape..." Morgana backed up and damaged the support beam a little more so the ceiling was starting to get a little weak, "Ann keep him distracted!" Morgana also used winds to weaken the support beams so they could make the ceiling collapse on the two to get away. Hopefully this plan would work a list bit and if not then Zorro would bring down the ceiling on the two giving the thieves time to run.

 

[Nellancholy]

In all honesty, it was surprising that Rex managed to whip out a storm stronger than Shiki-Ouji could manage. Thrud barely flinched as her armor conducted the electricity, but she took a few steps back anyway, leaving the mangled train tracks in her wake. Roadkill hadn't quite slowed down, but even now he was trying to talk to them as though they weren't already engaged in battle. "Busting bones? Is that how you see it? Unfortunately for you, your base thirst for violence shan't be quenched today!"

Finally that insipid cat was able to catch on. As sure as they were in their abilities, trying to win this fight had a good chance of leaving them too beaten up to continue. With every second they spent brawling with these fools, the lower their chances were of finding the lead they wanted. It was time to put an end to the skirmish.

Thrud planted her legs again as the jets on her wings ignited, carrying her backwards. She stretched out, grabbing Shiro off her feet with a swift lash of her arm like a wrestler delivering a lariat. As they closed the distance to Morgana, Shiro kept up the rate of fire, the large-caliber bullets of her gun likely missing Roadkill for the most part but striking all around, dislodging ruined lights, severing cables, and chipping the ruined concrete.

"Pray to your gods that we will never meet again!"

 

[TreasureSniper]

"Rex, Roadkill, you're behind schedule, report back immediately." A voice spoke out through their coms, prompting them to stop their offensive. "As you wish, Maestro." Rex replied as he stood down. The meta merc seemed satisfied with phantom thieves retreat, almost as if they were told by someone to stop pursuing them. But Roadkill didn't seem to get the memo as he charged ahead. His speed was impressive, easily keeping up and overtaking Morgana. "Roadkill, wait!" Rex shouted as his ran off.

"Hey! Come on, wait up!" the speedster spoke while skillfully dodging the onslaught of debri and bullets. "Can I at least get your phone number?" It was an awkward request, but it seemed liked he was still very much interested in getting that date. "Roadkill, disengage at once. We've stayed in this area too long. The reaper will be upon all of you very shortly." His coms warned him about the impending threat, as he finally broke off from the pursuit. "Alright, I am gonna go now, you guys should do the same...the reaper is no joke...." And with that, the red speedster went off towards a separate direction.

Even if the others couldn't feel it, surely Morgana would catch on that there was an exceptionally powerful shadow nearby. The sound of chains were already audible. Certain death draws near for the heroes if they were careless.

 

[That Weird girl]

"Maybe next time if you don't try to capture us," Ann said to Roadkill and got inside of Morgana feeling a little bit weak after that fight. Morgana began to notice something and he suddenly beeped at Shiro to get inside of him because if not they would die. He was a little panicked about the situation since the reaper was no joke at all and it would kill them all if they would careless.

"Lady Shiro you better get in the bus," Morgana said, "or we won't even find the Order of Metatron...or anything for that matter." Morgana was alluding to the Reaper killing them and he knew for a fact that even Thrud would die from its hands. Once Shiro made her decision Morgana was driving as fast as he could away from that part of mementos and hoped the Reaper would not follow them.

"Roadkill is pretty nice," Ann smiled to herself, "think I should give him my number?" Morgana scoffed as he drove, "Panther now is not the time!" Ann nodded and sighed as she crossed her arms. Today was a big day...she will sure sleep like a baby after this. A part of her wondered who Roadkill and Rex were in the real world and if they would find out where her and Shiro went to school.

 

[Nellancholy]

"Lady? Save it." Shiro grumbled as she fell into Morgana while Thrud hovered above him to keep pace. Was Ann's attitude towards the situation stemming from gentleness or even...kindness? Or was she just being the wench she was again? Shiro swung her lance out, only for the unwieldy weapon to bump against Morgana's roof with a bink.

Roadkill showed some semblance of sense at least, as he withdrew alongside Rex, though not before delivering a surprisingly ominous warning. Shiro leveled her weapon at him as he left, but...thought better of it. Something was coming, indeed. It felt less like a monster or any other kind of being, and more like an encroaching void. Rising water and consuming fire. Shiro wouldn't back down from a fight, but she wasn't about to throw herself into danger either.

"Watch it!" Shiro's voice raised just a little. "Eyes up..." She didn't stop Morgana from leaving Mementos altogether, but she kept a close eye on the gashes on the ceiling and the shreds of strings hanging off them. If her memory was right...the direction those traces followed along the train lines would lead to...Ginza. Yes, that's right.

Trust someone like Matriarch Suzuki to embed herself among the rich and vapid, all the better for them to hand their wealth to her in return for her "teachings".

Shiro sank down into Morgana's seat, allowing herself a breath. They were almost out, and they had at least something resembling a solid lead.

 

[That Weird girl]

"Ok well that was unexpected," Morgana said while driving to the exit of mementos because he wasn't about to play with the reaper and knowing Shiro she would try to fight it and would probably lose. They needed to find persona users who weren't scumbags and who did not try to take them in and probably kill them. "Man those guys were jerks..." Morgana grumbled reaching the exit and waited for everyone to get off before he shapeshifter back, "if we gotta deal with those swines while hunting down Suzuki then we need to find new members for the Phantom Thieves."

Ann nodded, "Yeah but how? You think Roadkill and Rex would join us?"

Morgana rolled his eyes, "Want to ask them? I am sure a Meta merc would join the phantom thieves because they are so morally good and want to actually help people." Ann got out of the bus and began walking to the entrance of Mementos.

"Ann I swear to god if you actually try and convince Roadkill and Rex I will not help you," Morgana called out to the blonde, "find some other people!" Morgana sighed and changed back into his form and glanced at Shiro wondering if any of her sisters could join and have a Persona. The thieves would need at least two more members or something to fight the Meta Mercs off.

 

[Anthem]

Next School Day...
​

In the morning, the streets of Tokyo are always bustling with folks trying to make it to their destination whether it be to school, work or to a shop to purchase some food to start their day of with something usually sweet or savory. During the rush, most common folk kept to themselves making that their number one priority, and Imato was no different. Having purchased a bread roll from a local bakery, the teen ate the roll as he strolled down the sidewalk listening to music via his headphones. The only thing he had stopped for at that point was the passing traffic, and with that he arrived to the school with a good amount of time to spare before classes start for the day.

'I'll place most of my stuff in the classroom for now, need to keep the book and my phone though...' Imato thought to himself, going through his usual morning routine mentally so he wouldn't slip and forget anything of importance. He placed his bag by his chair along with his headphones before leaving with a book tucked in his arm, and his phone tucked in his pocket. As he started going back down the halls of the school, he hummed along to the song he had been listening to that was now stuck inside his head. He got a few stares shot at him as he hummed to himself, but it was nothing he hadn't been use to at that point.

By then, he had reached his destination which was near the entrance of the building. Imato sat himself against a wall where he could keep an eye out for any potential events that could occur, but where he would also be left generally unbothered so reading was possible. The teen his flipped open his book and began reading through the pages until- *Bzz! Bzz!* his phone had gotten a notification. With a sigh the book was closed and the phone was pulled out so he could find out what could be bothering him... A new app seemed to have download itself onto his device, some sort of navigational tool with waypoints and areas darkened like they were a mystery. Imato started to mess with the app for a few minutes.

"Damned thing... How do I delete this?!" He complained, losing his calm demeanor since he was unable to delete the app. The teen continued to mess with the app and his phone in annoyance.

 

[Maeve Valor]

Masami was dreading what was to come this week, which was the fruit of her labor. The prior week her parents found out that the child of a rich family was going to Shujin Academy as well so they have been off-handedly offering their "service" as an online rehabilitation class for troubled kids. The point was to have them get help and keep it away from the public eye in the process. It was a great idea, only problem was that her parents were not trained professionals and they were only trying get money from the wealthy family. In response, the parents only said that they knew their son was a good boy who wouldn't get involved in such matters. That was where Masami came in the picture. The week prior, she was tasked by her parents to sneak a used needle into the boy's backpack. Masami's mother always saw the boy's mother at the subway station the same time everyday and that's how they initially met so after Masami set up the frame job, her mother would then casually mention the service again and push her to at least check his things just to make sure. Well, sure enough, she got word from her parents that she signed him up for online rehab and they'll be getting money from that family soon.

Her first class of the morning was going to start soon and she still hadn't seen the boy so far this week and just when she thought that maybe his parents pulled him out of school, she turned a corner and of course just happened to bump into just the person who she was thinking about. He dropped the books in his arms and he immediately bent down to pick them back up with a dazed look as he mumbled, "sorry Ogawa-san." As he was reaching she noticed how he was wearing his Shujin jacket even though it was warm out and his left wrist was bandaged. At the very edge of the bandage a straight cut that seemed to go up the arm peeked out. He walked away before she could gather her thoughts and say anything back. Her face, shocked with concern. Once she was able to respond she hurriedly walked out to an uninhabited part of the courtyard so she could slump down and just cry as she ran her hands through her messy dyed green hair. She didn't want this, she wanted to so badly leave this life of thievery and conning because of her damn parents. That boy didn't deserve for his life to be ruined because of her.

 

[Nellancholy]

"...you don't have to live like this, young lady. The Order can help!"

The voice carrying over from the other end of the overhead bridge shook Shiro awake as she rolled off her mat, otherwise unmoved from where the gang had pitched up for the night. It took a few seconds of her rubbing her dry eyes and blinking to confirm the sight before her. One of the cultists was here. As cleanly as he was dressed, that medallion was a dead giveaway. Over the past few days, more and more of them could be seen around people's necks in the city. Perhaps there wasn't enough of them to be a real concern, but the fact that the number was increasing at all was a problem.

And now one of them was trying to "recruit" from the people who looked most vulnerable. Shiro's fist closed around the first object that came to hand.

The brick whizzed by the middle-aged man's head, barely grazing him. "Wah! B-by Metatron! Young man, you shouldn't-"

Before he could continue, Shiro's forearm pressed against the cultist's collarbone, backing him up to the railing. Her mouth curled into a snarl, her usual propriety shaken as she menaced him. "Back. Off. We don't need handouts, and we don't need YOU."

"Oh, uh, s-sir, ma'am, there must be some kind of misunderstanding-" He raised his hands defensively. For all the supposed improvements the Order brought to its members' lives, this old coot seemed quite easy to shake. "-the Order looks out for the people no one else does! To share Metatron's mercy and justice-"

"Justice?" Shiro spat. "I've seen enough of you to know there's no justice in what you do? And mercy? Why don't you ask your damn Matriarch, if she'll even give you a straight answer." She heaved to the side, making as if to throw the cultist down the stairs before stopping short and releasing him safely. "Go crawl back to her. If I see you again, no 'tulpa' is going to protect you."

As he obliged, Shiro turned to her subordinate, her arms folded as she waited silently.

"B-banchou! You didn't need to do that." The short-haired girl frowned. "You said you were investigating the Order of Metatron, so I decided to talk to them and find out their deal!"

"Don't talk to them." Shiro sighed. "That's how they get you." Even if she wasn't quite following her own advice... "I've already got a few of our sisters scouting out Ginza." She reached out, squeezing the girl's shoulder. "Embark not on such foolish courses...unless I order you to."

"U-understood." She gave a little nod to Shiro.

As the two parted ways for the day, Shiro stretched, looking out over the busy road. Hopefully, they could conclude this troublesome investigation soon enough. It was time to meet up with Ann. Despite the odds, perhaps that airhead could have found something useful. Or someone.

---

As Shiro sat on Shujin Academy's wall, she noticed a green-haired girl who seemed rather distraught at something. She hadn't seen her in a while...but she had seen her before. One of the bunch of swindlers who'd sometimes ply their schemes in the seedier parts of town...the kind of people Shiro's gang generally gave space to.

"Halt." Shiro dropped down off the wall, landing on her feet in front of her. "Turning up here again? Tears ill suit someone who brings so many to others."

Maeve Valor

 

[That Weird girl]

Next School Day...
​

In the morning, the streets of Tokyo are always bustling with folks trying to make it to their destination whether it be to school, work or to a shop to purchase some food to start their day of with something usually sweet or savory. During the rush, most common folk kept to themselves making that their number one priority, and Imato was no different. Having purchased a bread roll from a local bakery, the teen ate the roll as he strolled down the sidewalk listening to music via his headphones. The only thing he had stopped for at that point was the passing traffic, and with that he arrived to the school with a good amount of time to spare before classes start for the day.

'I'll place most of my stuff in the classroom for now, need to keep the book and my phone though...' Imato thought to himself, going through his usual morning routine mentally so he wouldn't slip and forget anything of importance. He placed his bag by his chair along with his headphones before leaving with a book tucked in his arm, and his phone tucked in his pocket. As he started going back down the halls of the school, he hummed along to the song he had been listening to that was now stuck inside his head. He got a few stares shot at him as he hummed to himself, but it was nothing he hadn't been use to at that point.

By then, he had reached his destination which was near the entrance of the building. Imato sat himself against a wall where he could keep an eye out for any potential events that could occur, but where he would also be left generally unbothered so reading was possible. The teen his flipped open his book and began reading through the pages until- *Bzz! Bzz!* his phone had gotten a notification. With a sigh the book was closed and the phone was pulled out so he could find out what could be bothering him... A new app seemed to have download itself onto his device, some sort of navigational tool with waypoints and areas darkened like they were a mystery. Imato started to mess with the app for a few minutes.

"Damned thing... How do I delete this?!" He complained, losing his calm demeanor since he was unable to delete the app. The teen continued to mess with the app and his phone in annoyance.

Sumire Yoshikawa bought into the fake reality that Maruki had made up for her that she was Kasumi. She truly felt like she was a waste of space without being like her sister that she was jealous of but loved. Honestly she was falling behind in school because of her severe depression but at least she was cheerful and energetic around the students. She walked out of the school holding her duffel bag with her head down and unknowingly she managed to lightly hit Imato's face with her duffle bag.

"Oh my god I am so sorry Makage-san," Kasumi blurted out and felt a surge of negative thoughts go through her mind that she was useless and a waste of space that should just go away forever. She did not know much about him but she had seen him once or twice in the halls and also from gossipers. Kasumi didn't really know what to think about him since people often called him odd but then again the same people that hated her.

The only person who seemed to be nice to her was Sough but that probably because he liked her sister Sumire at some point. At least Kamoshida was a little more off her back because of him but he still was on her. He knew that he could get away with anything with her since she would not tell anyone.

 

[accursedjobber]

Left the train, 2 minute interval difference, minimal time offset day starting now, turn page to 13, investigation start.
Isao's day was started in a normal train subsided on a typical breakfast of water and dry biscuits, with a vivid intention to investigate cryptid number 24-26 this is a vital case that may detain the future of this somber and humble academy and its inhabitants as once again Isao checked his small notepad that detailed the tasks he needed to complete in between classes before pocketing it.

Setting off to complete his first task for today he rushed inside the building doors as soon as they opened , turning once inside nesting himself beside the inside entrance then beginning the short stakeout staring at the hairs of the students for any signs of movement or unsettling perhaps ghostly activity, it made logical sense in the morning students are hungry and desperate leaving them unguarded while being a controllable factor for him to rely on, meaning that the chances of finding cryptid number 24 were if it lurk these halls, high though even with the threat posed by such a vicious cryptid it still felt bad to hide his father's taser in his bag as he scanned the heads of those early risers eyeing the backs of their heads as they passed looking for signs of suspicious activity.

 

[That Weird girl]

Left the train, 2 minute interval difference, minimal time offset day starting now, turn page to 13, investigation start.
Isao's day was started in a normal train subsided on a normal breakfast of water and dry biscuits, with a vivid intention to investigate cryptid number 24-26 this is a vital case that may detain the future of this somber and humble academy and its inhabitants as once again Isao checked his small notepad that detailed the tasks he needed to complete in between classes before pocketing it.

Setting off to complete his first task for today he rushed inside the building doors as soon as they opened , turning once inside nesting himself beside the inside entrance then beginning the short stakeout staring at the hairs of the students for any signs of movement or unsettling perhaps ghostly activity, it made logical sense in the morning students are hungry and desperate leaving them unguarded while being a controllable factor for him to rely on, meaning that the chances of finding cryptid number 24 were if it lurk these halls, high though even with the threat posed by such a vicious cryptid it still felt bad to hide his father's taser in his bag as he scanned the heads of those early risers eyeing the backs of their heads as they passed looking for signs of suspicious activity.

Ann was looking for anyone who could help the thieves out and hopefully Shiro could find someone too. She walked around the building holding Morgana who was approved by Sougo to the school's pet. Those pigtails were not doing a favor for her as the blonde hair was visible to anyone watching. She checked her phone for any messages from Shiro, nothing yet. But she assumed that they should meet up soon to finish off the cult for good.

She soon noticed a guy who seemed to be nested at the entrance spying on students it seemed. Why? Ann decided to humor herself and began to walk towards the guy as if she knew what he was doing. "Hey, are you ok?" Ann asked and raised a brow at him, "are you waiting for something?"

The blonde airhead couldn't tell that he had a taser on his person and if she did then she would probably not be fazed like she once would be. All the shit she seen made her almost not scared of anything these days.

 

[Anthem]

Sumire Yoshikawa bought into the fake reality that Maruki had made up for her that she was Kasumi. She truly felt like she was a waste of space without being like her sister that she was jealous of but loved. Honestly she was falling behind in school because of her severe depression but at least she was cheerful and energetic around the students. She walked out of the school holding her duffel bag with her head down and unknowingly she managed to lightly hit Imato's face with her duffle bag.

"Oh my god I am so sorry Makage-san," Kasumi blurted out and felt a surge of negative thoughts go through her mind that she was useless and a waste of space that should just go away forever. She did not know much about him but she had seen him once or twice in the halls and also from gossipers. Kasumi didn't really know what to think about him since people often called him odd but then again the same people that hated her.

The only person who seemed to be nice to her was Sough but that probably because he liked her sister Sumire at some point. At least Kamoshida was a little more off her back because of him but he still was on her. He knew that he could get away with anything with her since she would not tell anyone.

Imato had been still messing with his phone until- *Pmf* the dufflebag belonging to Kasumi bumped into his face. As he looked up from his device to see who it was, his anger calmed and he returned to his more calm, almost serious demeanor.

"Ah, it's fine Yoshikawa-san. I needed a break from my darned phone anyways..." Imato replied as he stood up from his usual resting point. He had never spoken to the girl before, he only heard things from gossip that he picked up on while in one of his many resting points throughout the school. Imato didn't believe the things he heard though, as the statements never seemed to have hard evidence behind them.

"Don't worry about the bump, barely felt it." He added reassuringly before suddenly switching over to a more, jokingly sarcastic tone of voice. "I'll get outta your way, I doubt you wanna be seen with one of Shunjin's crazy teens." Imato joked, making fun of the things he had heard about himself in the past. With a small sigh he stood against the wall, thinking she would most likely end the conversation by just walking away without another word. That's how most people ended their 'conversations' with him.

 

[That Weird girl]

"You're not crazy," Kasumi smiled at him since she did not believe any of the stuff that people said. Kasumi was almost hated by everyone anyway except some people and Imato might be added to that list. She felt really good right now but that was mostly because of Maruki's manipulations which was a temporary fix. Soon she was going to have to face the facts and realize that she is not Kasumi and get over her trauma. She wasn't going to leave him without saying another word since it was rude to be tossed aside like that.

"People say such mean things about you,:" Kasumi said, "I don't think its true though..." She awkwardly looked down at the floor not knowing what to say to him. She knew that she had to clean the gym floor for Kamoshida or else he would hurt others or prevent her from going to gymnastic tournaments and competing by breaking her arm or something. Kasumi hated Kamoshida with a passion for making her do things for him, perhaps Sumire hated him. If only there was a way to stop him for good...

"Well I got nothing to do for a bit," Kasumi said and was quickly interrupted by Kamoshida walking behind the two. "Actually Kasumi I would like to see you in my office." He looked at Imato and nodded, "shouldn't you be in class?" With them the gym teacher and Kasumi walked away and up the stairs to his office where Kamoshida closed the door and looked a little stressed about something.

"I told you to keep Sougo off me," Kamoshida said with a stern voice standing in front of the door, "the school will soon take his investigation on me seriously." He didn't want the school to find about his doings and how he abused the track team.

"I am trying," Kasumi said and looked at him trembling a little, "please let me still see Maruki..." She was begging at this point and that was the only thing she cared about at the moment.

"Since you like him so much," Kamoshida snickered, "how about you clean my trophy case for a week and I want them spotless! and if I see one speck of dirt then you can say bye to Maruki." Kasumi nodded even though it was very unfair.

 

[Maeve Valor]

Masami wiped her eyes and looked to who was speaking to her and thought, "Just great, one of the worst people to see me vulnerable like this. This is exactly what I was trying to avoid." She sniffled as she began gaining her composure seeing Shiro. She knew enough of her to know that she was not someone to mess with... then again Masami was not in the best mind to be making good calls on judgement. "Not in the mood Akiyama-san, and besides, is there a crime for showing up again?" she said before continuing. "As far as making others shed tears as well... you should know better than most that low-lifes like us sometimes gotta do some... unsavory things to survive," Masami spoke as she put her hands in her pockets.

Nellancholy

 

[Anthem]

Imato was... shocked to say the least. Barely anyone had denied claims about him, most people he was forced to interact with immediately assumed the worst of him. The teen felt quite happy and wanted to give his thanks until Kamoshida had interrupted. Imato always had a seething hate towards the gym teacher, knowing that the man hid behind a petty mask so he could break rules, ruin lives and harm others without being caught. As Kamoshida and Kasumi walked away, Imato glared at the teacher hoping to one day see him suffer through what he inflicted upon others.

"Kamo-shithead..." Imato said while rolling his eyes before looking at the time, he still had a few minutes before class officially started so he sat back down where he was. At this point, he didn't mind if he was late just to spite Kamoshida, so Imato pulled his phone back out and started to play on the device. This was all he could do to get back at Kamoshida for now: Disrespect him and his orders.

 

[TreasureSniper]

Spoiler: Unravelling the Green Thread

After finally having some free time, Sougo had decided to look through some of the weekly reports of current events for anything worth investigating. The school was a good source for leads for his metaverse exploration as well as info for his info broker side hustle. While the Kajiki bust was good, it didn't lead to anything too significant.

While scrolling through the reports, an odd case file caught his eye. A rich student by the name of Jun Shibaura, recently stopped coming to school to join some sort of rehabilitation course. Rehabilitation was usually done for severe cases and yet the student in question has had a clean record up until recently.

And so, Sougo decided to turn to the metaverse to find some answers. A few names popped up during his investigation, including the “Ogawa foundation.”. The shadows of the people there had a lot of mix opinions about the place, but nothing too incriminating at least not yet. According to the reports, a used needle was found in his bag. A useful tidbit of information.

He did more digging and found out these people didn't have the qualifications needed to run such a thing. The potential for blackmail was ripe. Now all he needed to do was find a way in. He’d usually deliver an anonymous calling card but that was too impersonal. And then, with a little more prodding, he found out the daughter was at Shujin. It was all coming together.

Shortly before the school day ended, Masami was asked to come to the student council room for a short “discussion”. And so, Sougo waited for the girl to come, mildly interested to see how things will unfold.

In the meantime, Masami’s conscience was eating at her from the inside. Jun was a relatively popular kid with the clubs he loved being involved in. Altogether, he is a generally likeable person, which made things even worse when over the course of the next few days she heard rumours start to spread about his disappearance. Some said he got arrested for assaulting an officer, others said that he ran away to be with a woman who was much older than him. None of them knew what really happened. Only she knew at the school. At least, that’s what she thought.

The more the voices of moral standards in her head kept on nagging, the more paranoid she became. Which made her call in to the student council room all the more nerve-wracking. She gingerly placed a hand on the door knob and took a deep breath before opening the door. Upon walking in and closing the door behind her, she saw vice president Sougo sitting at the table waiting. She had been in enough interrogations by the authorities to know how best to act and what to deny when it came to being in a tough spot. She did not move from her place at the entrance of the room hoping that this meeting would be a quick encounter where he only wanted to ask one, maybe two questions. She spoke up in a casual, almost defiant tone, “You wanted to see me Agata-san?”

“Ah Ogawa-san. Nice of you to drop by. Place take a seat” He greeted her with his usual smile while putting away a few files and pulling out some. “I just wanted to check on you about Jun Shibaura. I believe your parents are currently conducting some sort of rehabilitation course due to some sort of an incident…” Sougo paused for a moment before taking out some pictures from a file. “I believe he was accused of drug-abuse….but as you can see here…” He pointed towards the pictures taken of him while playing basketball. “He doesn’t have any needle marks on his arms, a common trait for drug abusers…so more than likely…I think he was falsely accused…or perhaps more likely..framed…” He narrowed his eyes narrowed for a moment. As if he was trying to hint something. This would be a scary situation for her, considering most of this information was not publicly available.

She took a seat first like he had offered to seem as though she was keeping cool though she was still wary of the whole situation she had been put in. As the words he was saying sunk in, she realised her worst fear was answered with this meeting being exactly what she thought it would be. With Sougo Agata no less. She didn’t know a lot about him, but she knew enough to know that he was clever enough to be feared. With him knowing that Jun was in rehab meant that he probably called his parents asking about his whereabouts and from there, he has most likely been looking into things regarding her and her family.

As a common occurrence for many of the cons her parents manage to rope her into, she wanted so badly to come clean; But she knew all too well the dangers of what would happen if she were ever to. Instead, she did what she has always done, lie through her teeth. She furrowed her brows as she looked down at the pictures he set before her and then said, “Yes, my parents have been helping him through this trying time. Your theory is very surprising to me, because I’m not sure who would ever want to frame Shibaura-san. Though I’d like to help however I can due to my parent’s involvement. They just want what’s best for him.”

"Who indeed, Ogawa-San.. "His tone changed dramatically to a much more sly demeanor. Taking another file, he pulled out the profiles of her parents. "As a member of the student council, I am always concerned about the well-being of my fellow students. So I always want them to get the best help possible. I did bit of research on your parents' services.. They've got quite an impressive catalog…though they seem to be lacking in their…credentials." Sougo was essentially accusing her parents of being not qualified for these types of jobs. "Anything you would like to add to ease my worries, Ogawa-san?"

Masami gritted her teeth momentarily and resolved into thinking that all that mattered now was to try and save herself. “I’m sorry but I don’t have anything to add. I had no idea that they don’t have the right credentials to conduct such a business… But I absolutely understand if you want to report them. What they are doing is unlawful and I would hate for them to cause more trouble to Shibaura-san and his parents,” she said, evenly holding her gaze. “At the very least, he shouldn’t have any proof of my planting the needle. So long as that is true, then I shouldn’t have anything to worry about on my end… At least for now. Who knows what the authorities might find out once they look into my parents if they really do get reported,” she thought, swearing she felt a bead of sweat down the back of her neck.

"I see….so you knew about all that…” Sougo spoke, stroking his chin in amusement.

“I can assure you, I didn’t. My parents’ business is their own. They don’t talk about their business to me very much,” she said, trying to choose her words carefully.

“Of course.” He replied rather sarcastically before continuing. “I would believe you, if I didn’t know who planted that dirty needle….” Her own shadow in the metaverse had confirmed this as a fact. Of course he had no way of proving it in the normal world, but she didn't need to know that. “The way I see it, you’re likely an accomplice to all this. Aren’t you?” his finger tapped lightly onto the table, waiting for whatever pitiful answer she was willing to give.

The innocent student facade faded away leaving her true snarky composure. In her experience, she knew how to lie, but she also knew when to call it quits. If he ended up reporting them, they would most likely believe him due to his clean reputation. She gave him a look of contempt as she said, “And if I was? What would you do?”

“Probably report you to the relevant authorities and be done with all this. Cases like these are way above my non-existent paygrade. That being said… I don’t believe you’re that bad of a person. And…if you play your cards right, you might even come out of this unscathed…” He was implying there was a deal to be made here.

Masami took a beat to think on what to do. She knew she was at the end of her rope here and if Souga was giving her a break by doing some task then she should take it. In the end, she could care less what happens to her parents. Just as long as she would be okay at the end of this. She finally spoke, saying determinedly with her arms crossed leaning back in the chair, “What do you need me to do?”

"That depends..Ogawa-san. What are you willing to do? What skills do you have?" Sougo took a deep breath, before speaking again. "I want you to convince me that you are more beneficial to me as an ally. Rather than an accomplice of your parents." In many ways, Sougo was somewhat sympathetic towards her plight. Given the right circumstances, it's hard to he wouldn't do the same as her. "I don't like seeing the potential of my fellow students wasted. Granted if they have potential in first place. So please tell me…what is yours?" The mood of the room suddenly shifted. It was almost as if she was in a job interview.

She scoffed, “Tch, since you’ve looked into me, you should already know what my skills are. I have contacts in Shinjuku that have in the past given my family good info on who would be good targets for their… endeavours. Shinjuku isn’t the only place I have contacts with. Aside from that, I’m sure you’ve seen my scores here at Shujin. I’m not your ordinary con artist slash thief. I know how to handle myself.” She then unfurled her arms to lean forward,“So I could be your ears in the places you’d rather not be seen at. Heck I could also plant and steal stuff for you as well. As you already know, I’m good at that.” As much as she hated being at the mercy of someone, she hated the thought of being behind bars even more.

“Hmmm I see…” Sougo gave her a small smile, seemingly satisfied with her little explanation and showcase of her own skills. “Surprised you didn't add having a pretty face to the list…but I digress.” Sougo chuckled a bit, returning to his signature easy-going tone. “Alright, the job is yours then. You will be my personal informant. Your job is as you say, to go places I’d rather not go myself, and do a bit of a recon. I’d avoid using you as a thief or planter. Stuff like that tends to come back to bite people back when they get found out.” He explained rather nonchalantly. Almost if he himself had experience with such things. “That being said, I would still likely need to report you parents for their fraudulent practices.Though I would do it in a way that would preserve your own reputation.” He explained as he started collecting the evidence files. “Make no mistake, Ogawa-san. You’re not off the hook just yet. Jun is likely not your first “victim”. But the least you could do for him, and everyone else you wronged is put your talents to better use. Any objections?” He just laid out the terms of their agreement. Sougo was reasonable, but he wasn’t about to let this girl off so easily. But only time will tell if this decision will pay off.

Masami felt her face heat up slightly at the pretty face bit, but that quickly subsided given the circumstances. Inwardly, Masami was ecstatic. She had wanted to pay for everything she had done for a while now, and she thought she would never be able to do so. To her, this was her chance. Not only that, but her parents were reaping what they had sewed as well. She wasn’t sure what the future would hold as far as if she was going to be brought down with them, but in the moment she was relieved. She dared not tell Sougo though how she really felt about how this was all panning out; she had an image to uphold. She shrugged and said in response with a sigh, “Seems fair to me.”

“Good…here’s your first assignment. Get me some dirt on Kamoshida.” Sougo immediately continued, almost as if this was his plan all along. “I am sure you've heard all the rumours about him and how treats the sports students. And yet strangely enough everyone is too afraid to speak up. As it stands, without any witness who is willing to testify his behaviour, whatever evidence I have would be circumstantial and ineffective. So I need you to join the volleyball club. Do what you need to gain his approval and trust…but know your limits…” He would hope any self-respecting woman would know what he was referring to. “The last thing I want is for another student to be added onto his list of victims. That being, I’d prefer our little arrangement and mission here remain a secret. Do we have an understanding? Ogawa-san?” He asked her with a stare that could pierce the thickest skin. He seemed different from before. It was almost as if this was personal to him.

She didn’t allow herself to think before giving him an answer to this request because she knew she didn’t really have a choice in the matter; that and his gaze gave her a chill that ran to her core. “I understand, of course it’ll stay a secret. I’ll get you the proof you need,” she mumbled the last part as she thought over all the said rumours that had been going around. She wasn’t too pleased about needing to join the Volleyball team. It wasn’t because of the physical work it would take because she was actually fit, but with those… short shorts. It was all a bit much for her. Not to mention what Sougo meant by doing what she could to gain his approval, she was worried about that as well. “Anything else I need to know, boss before heading into the lion’s den?” She asked sarcastically as she stood up hearing the chair scrape against the floor as she did so.

“I am not your boss. We are partners in this. And should you find yourself in trouble, I will more than likely bail you out, if it isn't something too unreasonable that is…” He seemed nice enough to give a hand should she need it, within reason of course. “Avoid doing anything unnecessary. Keep your head low. He can and will get under your skin with his behaviour. Just make sure he doesnt get into your head. I don’t want an informant that can barely get through her first mission.” And with that got up and backed his bags while taking out his phone. “We might as well exchange contacts. Is there anything else you would like to know?” Sougo was a reasonable businessman at heart. And he wouldn’t ask people to do something he wouldn’t do.

Masami was surprised with his poignant correction on him not being her boss and as he continued on she thought, “Tch, he talks like I’m an amateur when it comes to dangerous tasks.” To make sure she didn’t say anything rude she closed things out by taking out her phone as she said, “No, if I think of any questions I’ll just text you. I’ll keep things discreet when messaging.” She knew that you can never be too careful, even when it comes to your own phone. There are people out there who digest other people’s personal business in order to exploit them… people like her.

She gave him her number before swinging her own bag over her shoulder. “Whenever I get an update on this mission I’ll let you know.”

“Excellent…”Right after exchanging contacts with her, Sougo walked past her and placed his hand on her shoulder. He leaned in close to her and whispered something. “I’ll be counting on you, Ogawa-san.” He finished that line with his signature sly smile. What was the purpose of this? No one will likely know, as Sougo works in mysterious ways.

She nodded uncomfortably fighting the urge to slap his hand away and then walked away. Before opening the door, she looked back over her shoulder to glare at him and his damn grin he still wore on his face. Even though he assured her that this was a partnership, she still couldn't help but feel that he had a firm hold on her fate.

After school had ended, Sougo went over to the trophy case to check on "Kasumi". They live close by each other, so he always made it a habit to walk home with her after school. Seeing being forced to listen to Kamoshida's beck and call was enraging, to say the least, but Sougo had already put in place a plan to put him in his place. Sougo swung by the trophy room and he wasn't so surprised to her still cleaning the place. "You know you can't keep letting him do this to you." The spoke to her while leaning against the wall behind her. He knew just about everything Kamoshida does to his students, all he needs is someone to speak up.

"I don't care how many medals he got for the school. The students here deserve a better teacher. You deserve a better teacher." He continued speaking, his voice just barely hiding a tranquil fury. He could just go into the metaverse and tear this bastard a new one, but that wouldn't solve anything and would likely cause even more trouble. "Come on then....let's just go home.." He suggested to her to just leave the trophies and go home. He shouldn't have any power over her or anyone for that matter.

That Weird girl