Ann's predicament

Shin was bored. He could vaguely hear Mr Ushimaru in the background drone on and on about some meaningless subject. Which is why when he received a message from Ryuji he thought it must've been a god-sent.

Ryuji: So about witnesses...

Ryuji: I was wondering if we could get something out of Takamaki.

Shin: Since she's so close to Kamoshida?

Ryuji: No, that ain't why.

Ryuji: Just hear me out.

Ryuji: You know how we didn't get a thing outta the volleyball team?

Ryuji: I figured it'd be a good idea to talk to someone who knows them.

Ryuji: Takamaki's BFFs with a starter. A girl named Suzui.

Ryuji: I tried to talk to that girl during break, but I got nothing.

Ryuji: That's why we should have Takamaki talk to her.

Ryuji: Then again, I guess it'll be hard getting her to help us...

Ryuji: Sorry. Lemme see what else I can come up with.

-INTERMISSION-

On the way to the passageway to the Practice building, Shin found Shiho looking at her phone.

"Hey." he said, making the girl look up from her phone.

Now that Shin could take a good look at her face, he could see a big bruise near her left eye, among several other smaller bruises.

"What? Oh, it's you."

"I don't remember me introducing myself back then. So allow me to do it now. My name's Shin Yuuta and, if you listen to the rumours, I'm a knife-carrying, murder-happy drug dealer rapist who's probably part of some yakuza family. Nice to meet you." he said with a smile, stretching his arm for a handshake.

Shiho was speechless at his introduction. She quickly pulled herself together though.

"Oh... My name is Shiho Suzui." she said, shaking his hand.

"So... Those bruises..."

"Huh...? Um, well..."

"It's that bastard Kamoshida, isn't it?"

"...What do you plan to do with him?"

"I'll deal with him some way or another. Don't you worry your pretty little head with it."

"You shouldn't try to stand against Kamoshida..." she muttered.

"Shiho... You realize what would've happened to you had I not intervened?" asked Shin while frowning.

Shiho stood there, shocked.

"Well, never mind that. I have to meet with someone. Later."

Shin walked to the area in the courtyard where he and Ryuji usually meet up. He could see the blond practically seething from anger.

"Dammit! What the hell..." he said as he shifted on his feet, frustrated.

"I take it you didn't find anyone."

"All of them kept saying the same shit Mishima was talking about...! Kamoshida had to have told them something! At this rate... it looks like we'll have to go to him directly..."

"What if... we punish the king."

"Huh? You mean that other world's Kamoshida? It's true I haven't thought of that, but is there any meaning to do that?"

Just when Ryuji wanted to say more, a familiar voice could be heard.

"I finally found you..."

A black cat with blue eyes jumped on a table near the two teens. Its head is predominantly black with the exception of its white muzzle. It also had a black nose, white paws, and the end of its tail was white as well.

"Don't think you can get away with not paying me back for helping you."

"That voice... Is that you, Morgana?" asked Ryuji, shocked.

"How dare you, up and leaving me the other day!"

"The cat's talking!?"

"I am NOT a cat! This is just what happened when I came to this world! It was a lot of trouble finding you two."

"Wait, you came to our world? Does that mean you got a phone!?"

"You don't need one when you're at my level. I got pretty much lost making my escape though..."

"That aside, why can you talk!? You're a cat!"

"How should I know?" said Morgana, scratching behind his ear with his right leg.

"You hearing this too...?" asked Ryuji.

"Hear what? You've been shouting for no reason for some time now. You okay man?"

"W-What!?"

Shin had such a big smile on his face, it seemed to split his face in two.

"Relax, man. I'm just messing with you."

"This is no time to be joking around!" shouted Ryuji.

"You guys are having a hard time of this, hm? I heard you mention something about witnesses." said Morgana.

"Oh, shuddup."

"You know, I could tell you a thing or two about how to deal with Kamoshida. You were pretty close a few moments ago."

"God, that condescending attitude! This thing's gotta be Morgana!" said Ryuji.

"You were still doubting me?" deadpanned Morgana.

"Ack! Quiet down...!" said Ryuji, startled, for some reason.

Just then, two teachers passed by them.

"We really have the time to be looking for a cat in a busy time like this...?" said the older one.

"I just heard a meow somewhere near here. Didn't you hear it?" said the younger one.

"Make sure you check every nook and cranny around."

The teachers went on their ways afterwards.

"Meow...? Does that mean that only we can understand what you're saying?"

"Looks like it."

"Anyways, what you were talking about earlier... Is it for real?"

"You're quite the sceptic for an idiot."

"Hey, tell us more. Then again, this isn't the best place to talk about it."

Ryuji gripped Morgana by the scruff of his neck and gave him to Shin.

"Here, stick it in your bag for now! It should be just small enough to fit!"

"Hey! How dare you treat me like-"

But the rest of his words were muffled, as Shin already stuffed him in his bag. The two teens went up to the roof, while Morgana tried to escape all the way there.

"Don't be so rough with me!" shouted the cat when he was finally free from his temporary prison.

"Enough of that! You said you know how we can do something about Kamoshida, right?"

"It has to do with what this guy said earlier. You'll need to attack his castle."

"What do you mean...?" wondered Ryuji.

"That castle is how Kamoshida views this school. He doesn't realize what happens in there, but it's deeply connected to the depths of his heart. Thus, if the castle disappears, it would naturally impact the real Kamoshida."

"What'd happen?"

"A palace is a manifestation of a person's distorted desires. So, if that castle were no more..."

"His desires would go away too." said Shin.

"Precisely! You sure pick up things fast!"

"For real!? He's gonna turn good!? But... is that really getting back at him?" asked Ryuji.

"Erasing a palace means forcing the owner to have a change of heart. However, even though their warped wants disappear, their crimes remain. Kamoshida'll become unable to bear the weight of those crimes, and he'll confess them himself!"

"You for real!? That's possible!?"

"And since the Palace will no longer exist, he'll forget what we did there as well. Not only will we be able to bring Kamoshida down, there'll be no trace of our involvement!"

"That's amazing! You're one awesome cat!" said Ryuji.

"True, except for the cat part!"

"So, how do we get rid of the Palace?"

"By stealing the treasure held within."

"Stealing...?"

"I'll tell you more once you agree to go ahead with this. It's my most valuable, secret plan, after all. If you want to help me out, I'll gladly teach you. What's your call?"

"Our luck's running dry looking for witnesses. Guess we have no choice but to go along..."

"Yeah."

Morgana did the closest thing to a grin he could as a cat.

"Good. There's one more thing I should tell you. If we erase a Palace, there's no doubt that the person's distorted desires will be erased as well. But desires are what we all need in order to survive. The will to sleep, eat, fall in love. Stuff like that."

"What are you getting at?" asked Ryuji.

"If all those yearnings were to vanish, they'd be no different than someone who has shut down entirely. They may even die if they're not given proper care. So..."

"They might die...!?"

"Will you listen to everything I have to say first?"

"Would their deaths be our fault...?" wondered Ryuji.

"Aren't you determined enough to face those kinds of risks?"

"Hey... what do you think?"

"I don't mind."

"Huh!?" collectively asked Ryuji and Morgana.

"I don't mind if he happens to die. I've been at this school for three days and I already saw enough to classify him as scum."

"Damn..."

"It's not like anyone will ever find out what you did." said Morgana.

"That's not the point! If we just go around secretly doing whatever we want, we'd be no better than that fucking Kamoshida..."

"Isn't this your only option?"

"..."

"I'll come back later. Make sure you've made your decision by then."

Morgana left after saying those words. Ryuji shook his head and said.

"C'mon, let's get out of here."

-INTERMISSION-

While he was changing lines, Shin heard a familiar voice.

"Will you please give it a rest!? I told you, I'm not feeling up to it..."

The familiar voice happened to be Ann, who seemed to have a tense discussion over the phone.

"Wait, what...!? That's not what you promised! And you call yourself a teacher!? This has nothing to do with Shiho!"

The person on the other end closed the call after saying something to Ann. The girl crouched down and muttered.

"Shiho's... starting position..."

Shin approached her, which made the blonde stand up quickly, surprised.

"Wait... Were you listening?" she asked, grimacing at the thought.

"Not on purpose." replied Shin.

"Haven't you heard of privacy!?"

"We're in Tokyo, in a subway station. Privacy is nonexistent here."

"..."

"Sorry. I shouldn't have shouted." she said, wiping a tear off her face.

"Do you want a tissue?" offered Shin.

"No. I'm fine. So, how much did you hear...?" she asked.

"Something about Shiho and a teacher."

"It's... Nothing. Nothing at all." she said, wiping her face and running away.

Shin followed her through the underground walkway and found her leaning against a pillar.

"Stop following me... Just leave me alone!"

Shin just shook his head.

"As if I'd let someone run away in tears like that."

"Why...? Why do you keep worrying about me?"

She suppressed a sob as she kept looking at Shin.

"I want to talk."

"What the heck...? I really don't get you..."

The two teens walked into a nearby restaurant and sat at a table next to the windows. Their walk there was very quiet, since neither of them started any conversation. Once they were seated, Ann opened her mouth to speak.

"I don't have anything to talk about with you. It was just an argument..."

"With Kamoshida?"

"..."

"You've heard the rumours... haven't you? About Mr Kamoshida. Everybody says we're getting it on."

"But that's not true, is it?"

She nodded.

"That was him on the other line. I avoided giving him my number... for the longest time..." she said as she was furiously pushing a tissue with her finger.

"He told me to go to his place after this..." she said, suddenly gripping the poor abused tissue.

"You know what that means. If I turn him down, he said he'd take off my friend off as a regular on the team... I've been telling myself this is all for Shiho's sake... I can't take it anymore... I've had enough of this... I hate him!" she said, breaking down into tears.

"But still... Shiho's my best friend. She's all I have left at that sorry excuse of a school! Tell me... What should I do...?"

Shin stood still for a few seconds, before taking his glasses off and pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"Listen, you should put more trust in your friend, alright? I saw her play, and she's good at it. Kamoshida'll need her. After all, he can't go to the nationals with a bunch of abused and unprepared players, can he?"

Ann seemed to be thinking about Shin's words for some time, before she looked back at him and said.

"Yeah. You're right."

Shin put his glasses, which he had cleaned in the meantime, back on.

"You're so weird, you know. Everyone usually just ignores me. Are you really a bad person as the rumour says...? You just don't seem like it..."

"Of course, I'm merely lulling you into a false sense of security, subtly manipulating everyone around me as I like. I daresay I'm the main antagonist of this universe. The kind of villain that is hyped up for a very long time, only to charm the readers with his incredible charisma and overzealous ideals." he said, pushing his glasses slightly, light reflecting off the lens, masking his eyes.

"Pfft! What was with that monologue!?" she said, holding her stomach with her hands.

Shin grinned.

"Well, at least you're not crying anymore." he said.

"Yeah. Thank you. Even though I barely talked to you before."

Soon enough, the two parted ways, and Shin hurried to LeBlanc so that Sojiro wouldn't get too mad at him. Sojiro asked Shin a few seconds before leaving. Shin went to sleep after doing his usual routine.

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This chapter's additional info is on... Shujin Academy!

Shujin Academy is the school which the protagonist and most other members of the Phantom Thieves attend. It is a prestigious upper to middle-class school, with higher-ups that only care for its public image instead of its students well-being, and the number of employees who actually care about the student's welfare is a handful few. The students attending Shujin can arrange from young people from middle-class families to siblings of media and corporation moguls. It's also the only school which accepted Shin due to his criminal record.

The three-floored building is split between the main campus and the practical building. A large gymnasium also serves as an assembly hall. The first floor has a co-op selling bread and three vending machines: one near the co-op and two at the practical building. The second floor houses the faculty room, the principal's office and meeting room. The third floor is where the student council room, the library and the stairway to the rooftop are located.

The school's name is a homophone of the Japanese word for prisoner, shūjin. However, the school's name is written with completely different characters, making it merely an oral pun. The logo also ties into the prison themes. It resembles a police badge, as if the students are forced to submit and abide by the law. It contains a section sign (§) which references legal code and judicial system. The same symbol is the necklace of Sae Niijima.

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At the request of a reader, I shall note the Confidant ranks here.

Igor (The Fool) - Rank 1

Ryuji Sakamoto (The Chariot) - Rank 1