6/5

Time's up. Iwai sends another text. Makes another call. Akira ignores. The man feels the world's weight upon his back, and in the fraction of the moment he considers throwing his phone and decides not to, the oppressive expanse of his years pricks his skin and clings to his organs in a new and awful way. His mind, always regimented if crude, alights.

What have I done?

Where is he?

Why won't he answer the goddamn phone?

Kaneshiro's getting impatient.

What if Kaoru finds out?

Each a loaded gun to his temple. Each an acidic sanitary wipe across the inside of his ribcage. No time left. Time's up. Same thing. Everything apexes at the same point, no matter the articulation - a desperate cognitive tactic to avoid action.

I need to find Akira.

#

Akira's phone vibrates as he enters the Cafe Assiette, a new joint on Central Street, Shibuya, he never frequents but smells of delightful cinnamon and the congealed aroma of a dozen varieties of pastries, all but masking the faint whiff of standardized coffee.

He ignores the call. Takemi, Ohya, Iwai, Sojiro, someone else; it doesn't matter. This is the handoff, and it is delicate.

Haru, sipping a coffee (standardized, Akira realizes with a grimace as he approaches) and dressed in a breezy but refined cerulean summer dress, launches herself from her seat when she spots him but regathers her poise halfway and unfolds herself upwards instead. Her grin mixes excitedness, playfulness, and a hint of slyness Akira chalks up to a misread on his part. "Good morning, Mona-chan!" Haru calls.

Akira hefts the purple carrier, and the black mass with white tufts within replies, "Yeah. Whatever."

"Here he is," Akira says, unnecessarily. He begins to set the bag on the table before placing it on the floor instead. Morgana glares up at him through the carrier's grate. "How's it going, Haru?"

A fuse flips, and Haru's expression for Akira radiates pure neutrality. "Well, thank you for asking. And you?"

"I'm g-"

"Glad to hear it," she says. "I received the email with your instructions. Rest assured, Mona-chan is in good hands." She lifts the carrier, holds it gingerly before her, peers into the cage and says, "We're going to have such fun, Mona-chan!"

"Right, well," Akira says, eyes drifting to his feet. Is this really a good idea?

"I hope you two do. Have fun, that is."

"I won't forget my end of the deal," Haru says, still not looking at Akira. "I will speak with Makoto."

"Thank you," Akira replies, and begins backing towards the door.

"I still say," Morgana calls as Akira retreats. "That this is a bad plan."

#

Each step on the concrete of Akira's race to Ryuji's house pumps another doubt into his head. Morgana always insisted on his independence even if he did rely on Akira's (really Sojiro's) goodwill for shelter, and the cat frequently placed himself in the care of the other Phantom Thieves. But this plan surrendered Morgana into the hands of an enemy.

Akira turned a corner, not slowing down, and realized he didn't truly consider Haru an enemy, but an outsider.

Morgana made his displeasure known, but Akira sanctioned the plan regardless. The explanation to Ann yielded its own difficulties, whereas Ryuji and Yusuke accepted without much resistance.

Ryuji's residence resides off Shibuya proper, in the small residential section upon which development encroaches. Ryuji's mother answers the door. "Akira-kun! Welcome!"

"Hi, Miss Sakamoto," Akira manages, trying to control his breathing. "May I come in?"

"Of course," she replies, and takes a step back. A smell wafts from behind her, swirling up Akira's nose and triggering his saliva. Hot and spicy, but very different from the typical aroma of LeBlanc. Ryuji's mother smiles at the look on Akira's face. "I'm making Ryu-kun's favorite. It'll be ready in a few hours. You should join us."

"Sounds great," Akira says, stepping inside. He removes his shoes and bows. "Thank you for having me."

"They're up in Ryu-kun's room."

Akira glides through the house, heading for the stairs. The house's quaintness clashes with Ryuji's robust walls. Eggshell white walls.Framed photos of child Ryuji - perfect blackmail material - and comfortable-looking furniture, if a bit threadbare.

Akira climbs to the second floor, finding Ryuji's room easily enough.

Dead giveaway: The door with the 'BIOHAZARD WARNING' poster unevenly taped across the wood.

Akira knocks.

"Akira?" Comes a voice.

"Yeah."

"C'mon in."

Posters of rock bands, racers dashing across finish lines, and sports apparel logos decorate the walls with no apparent logic to their placement. Rather, they all compete for space.

The room is otherwise sparse, save for a pile of clothes shoved into the far corner. Akira finds it all too easy to picture them scattered across the floor an hour ago.

Ann sits on Ryuji's bed, flipping through her phone. She glances at Akira when he walks in, then returns to her screen. "Did you hear the news?" She asks. Akira shakes his head. "Miura turned himself in. It didn't get much traction outside the fashion world, but when the police showed up at his office, they found our Calling Card."

Ryuji sits in a black and red gamer's chair, phone up to his face. "Looks like we're makin' headlines again."

"Mmmhmm," Ann replies, still not looking up. "Which makes me wonder why we're doing this whole thing."

"Which I've explained," Akira says, keeping the irritation from his voice. Honestly, why are you even here, then? If you didn't want to participate? "You know," Akira continues, turning to Ryuji. "It's pretty cool of your Mom to let you hang here with Ann. Door closed and everything."

Ann's cheeks redden as she glares up at him. Ryuji's eyes never leave his computer screen. "Nah. She knows Ann's more like a sister than anything."

A sports magazine sails through the brief span of air between Ann and Ryuji, and slams into the side of the latter's head. "Ow," he yells, rubbing the spot and turning to face her. "What the hell?"

"Jerk," Ann hisses, then her face resets. She regards Akira, an even more severe frown on her face.

Before she can pick up the thread, Akira asks, "How's Morgana doing?"

Ryuji casts one last glance at Ann, then returns to his computer screen. "I dunno. So far, so good, I guess? I've got no idea where Haru lives. Looks like she's heading through Aoyoma-Itchome, though."

"Akira, you-" Ann starts, then pauses. "Wait, Aoyoma-Itchome? Why would she be there?"

Ryuji shrugs. "Oh gee, I don't know. Maybe 'cause she lives there?"

Ann rolls her eyes and stands, leaning over Ryuji's shoulder. "Wouldn't an heiress like her live in a ritzy neighborhood?"

Akira and Ryuji both say, "Heiress?"

She steps away from Ryuji's computer and regards both boys. "Yeah. Haru Okumura."

Ryuji looks at Akira, who shrugs. "What about it?"

Ann's mouth drops open. "You're joking. You're seriously joking."

"About what?" Akira asks, annoyance infiltrating his tone.

"Yeah, spit it out, Ann," Ryuji grumbles.

Ann drops her head into her hands. "Oh my god, you guys are hopeless! Haru Okumura, as in Okumura Foods, as in the company that owns Big Bang Burger? As in her father's the CEO."

Akira smirks. "No way."

"Yes, way," Ann nearly shouts. "You've worked in the same flower shop all these weeks, and you didn't know that? Are you freaking kidding me?"

The hundred-thousand-plus gears turning in Akira's head halt their spin, jerk in random directions, and break off into the abyss of his gray matter. "Now that you mention it," Akira says, after clearing his throat. "She did seem a little put off when I started working at Rafflesia."

I'm Haru Okumura.

I'm Akira Kurusu.

Yes, I know. But I'm Haru Okumura.

Oh. You don't know.

He frowns. "I never did ask what she meant."

"Why not?" Ann demands.

"I was being polite," Akira snaps back. Plus, I forget about it. "It wasn't my business."

"Not your business?" Ann asks. "Was this before or after you decided to send an undercover operative to her house to spy on your wannabe girlfriend?"

"Before, obviously," Akira shouts, and regrets it.

Ann shakes her head. "Wow. All the careful planning. All the Operational Security, and you didn't even figure out one of the country's richest-"

"Yo," Ryuji says, standing. "Keep your voices down in my Mom's house, alright?" He steps between them, a scowl on his face. "Morgana's countin' on us, so stop this bullshit, yeah? Both of you."

Neither Akira nor Ann reply, but neither escalates.

Ryuji sighs and looks at Ann. "But if she's so rich, why's she working part-time in a flower shop?"

Ann shakes her head, and her shoulders sag. "I don't know, Ryuji. Why do rich people do anything? Why'd you not know this? Last year, when she transferred in, it was a huge deal."

Ryuji resumes his position at the computer. "In case you forgot, I kinda sorta had my hands full with the whole Kamoshida situation."

Ann crosses her arms and sits on the bed. "You two are damn lucky I'm part of this team."

"But like, what's the big deal?" Ryuji asks. "If Haru's some rich girl, doesn't that mean Mona will be lounging in a mansion instead of Akira's attic? Sounds like a sweet deal to me."

Akira thinks this through. "I guess that's true. But Ann's right. Why are they heading through Aoyoma-Itchome?"

"Maybe they're going to meet Makoto," Ann mutters. "That should make you happy, Akira."

Akira turns to her. "This is the best way to figure out what danger Makoto poses to us. They're not going to suspect a cat of retaining any information. We'll learn what we need and-"

"Oh, give it a rest," Ann says, rolling her eyes. "For someone who's always talking about how we need to 'move on from Shujin, ' you sure spend a lot of time chasing around after its Student Council President." Akira opens his mouth, but Ann continues. "What could Makoto even prove? Nothing. She's got nothing on us, Akira. She doesn't have the app. She doesn't have access to the Metaverse. All she's got are some connected dots, and that's not enough to do anything."

"And that might be all that someone does need," Akira interjects. "Need I remind you that I've been in a situation where testimony was enough to put me away?"

"You already implemented the 'give Makoto the cold shoulder' plan, Akira," Ann says. "But now you're breaking that plan by doing this. I mean, pick a fucking lane already."

"Cool the language in my Mom's house," Ryuji snaps. "And could you two like, shut up for a second? This is getting weird."

Akira shoves the roiling emotions in his chest away and joins Ryuji at his computer. "What's up?"

Ryuji adjusts the monitor so Akira can see. "I might be lookin' at this map wrong," Ryuji says. "But doesn't it look like Haru's heading for Shujin?"

#

Mere millimeters, that's the true measurement of the world. It's so very small. So very inconsequential. And the people within are worse. Fragments of fragments, all following the direction of their cognitive geometries.

Regardless of shape, a Palace is a Palace.

A Shadow is a Shadow, no matter the form.

The Metaverse is the Metaverse, whether that be a throat, meadow, cityscape, or desert.

Everyone a slave to themselves. Beholden to a higher power imprinted upon them since time immemorial.

All those forgotten ancestors with their junk DNA and dead tongues. All those neurons firing in a knee-jerk reaction to danger long extinct.

Only a few are free. And even then, among those outside Humanity’s Palace, their ids and egos ground them to a solitary function.

The Wild Cards, though. The liquid in the cracks of humanity, eroding, rushing, drowning. We are who we are—slaves of nothing, not even God. Adopt a face, change your voice, change your mind, change you. Flexible against the rigidity of our species.

First though, you must learn control.

#

Morgana readjusts himself, covering the false bottom of the carrier that contains Yusuke's phone. This thing is so cramped.

"Almost there, Mona-chan," Haru chants in her sing-song voice.

"Uh huh," Morgana mutters. Boredom settled in long ago. Spending the weekend like this? Taking photos and hoping that Makoto disgorged her plans? Akira would pay.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

His gaze, primarily unfocused as it stares out the carrier's grate, passes over some familiar landmarks. Familiar enough for Morgana's brain to task switch over to giving his surroundings some attention.

Wait a second.

At the end of a familiar road waits Shujin Academy. "What are we doing here?" He asks, aware Haru cannot understand but unable to help himself.

Relax. Think. Clubs operated on Sundays. Was Haru a member of any clubs? Morgana can't recall her mentioning any. To his knowledge, Makoto remained Haru's only confirmed friend and confidant.

Haru doesn't pass the school, but turns toward the steps and takes them two at a time. Morgana peers up at her, and she sees her texting with one hand, smiling.

Did Haru have a boyfriend? Were they taking a detour so she could enjoy some quality time with a hunk on some sports team?

Haru enters Shujin and walks the length of the ground floor to the stairwell. The clubs meet in the other building. Why's she going upstairs?

Haru's third-year status meant her classroom sat on the ground floor. Morgana fathomed Haru stopping at the library, but why bring him along?

Haru ascends to the top floor and exits the stairwell.

She strides past the library.

Wait. Wait. Wait.

Haru knocks on the Student Council Room's door. Then, she knocks again.

A moment later, two knocks sound from the inside.

Waitwaitwaitwaitwait-

Haru pauses, knocks once more, and the door opens.

Makoto Niijima stands within, a smile on her face.

"Are we prepared?" Haru asks.

Makoto nods. "Let's get to the bottom of this." Haru lifts the carrier, and Makoto peers inside. "It's nice to meet you, Morgana."

#

"Okay," Ryuji says. "So, like, Haru doesn't live at the school, right?"

"Of course she doesn't," Ann replies.

"Then what's she doing there?" Ryuji growls.

Akira peers at the screen. The phone's location hovers more or less still somewhere in the Main Building. "We can't get any more details from Yusuke's phone? Like, what floor they're on or something?"

Ryuji rolls his eyes. "Bro, look around. This ain't the freakin' Pentagon. We set up the GPS track for Yusuke's phone, and that's it."

Akira frowns. Why would she head to Shujin? The school remained open on Sundays for clubs, and Haru could've accomplished whatever task needed doing before picking up Morgana.

Unless, his father whispers. She couldn’t complete her task until after she picked up Morgana.

Akira's eyes widen. "Shit."

#

Haru shuts the door behind them. Locks it.

Simple door lock, Morgana thinks. Grab the handle and pull. It'll unlock on its own.

His eyes drink in everything. He spies the words written across the marker board. 'Operation Destroy Akira Kurusu or Something Less Drastic.’

This...

Haru sets the carrier on the table.

Beneath the 'Operation's' title sits a collection of dozens of pictures. Blurry, distant shots of Akira and the other Phantom Thieves. A map of Tokyo, with pins marking locations like LeBlanc, Shibuya Station, 'Untouchable,' and others, resides beneath the photos, which stick to it with pins.

This was...

"Should we begin?" Haru asks.

Makoto nods. "I'd like to check his collar first. Perhaps there's evidence of a previously planted device."

Haru unlatches the carrier's grate.

"A setup," Morgana hisses. Haru's encroaching hand snaps back.

"It's okay, Mona-chan," Haru says, a nervous smile now on her face. "This is my friend, Makoto."

"Yeah, no shit," Morgana mutters. His gaze darts back to the board. Morgana knows his memory excels, but it's not perfect. Akira wanted details on Makoto's plan? Well, here was Makoto's plan. I need to get photos. He notices a phrase written near the bottom of the map. 'The Cat is the Key.'

How much had they figured out? Surely not the Metaverse component?

The name 'Yusuke Kitagawa' appeared on the board as well. Made sense, since Akira revealed him to Makoto some weeks back.

Akira, you moron, Morgana thinks. Focus!

Okay. Maps. Photos. They must've figured out I communicate with the team. Morgana thinks of all those - from Haru's perspective - one-way conversations at Rafflesia. What if she didn't think they were one way? Morgana feels sick.

Slowly, Morgana extracts himself from the carrier.

"There we go," Haru says gently, and moves to lift Morgana, to which he complies. The board contains information on Nakanohara and Daisuke. Madarame. Kamoshida. Nothing about their latest targets. Precious little about the PhanSite. A copy of Kamoshida's and Madarame's Calling Cards hang taped to the board.

Morgana feels someone gently tugging on his collar. "Easy there, kitty," Makoto says, sliding Morgana's collar off.

"Hey, give that back," Morgana snaps, then shuts himself up.

Makoto runs her finger around the inside. "I don't see any listening device. But, then again, there might be something so small I can't detect. Some militaries use small spying equipment, so you'd need a microscope to detect them."

Haru frowns. "So, the cat being magic is too ridiculous, but Akira having access to top-of-the-line military equipment isn't too far-fetched? This is the same Akira who hangs out at an airsoft store?"

"Yeah," Morgana grumbles. "You're giving us too much credit."

Makoto places the collar on the table. "Check his fur next." Haru does this by pretending to scratch Morgana's head and then slowly lets her hand drift down until she's more or less just poking him all over.

"Quit it," Morgana growls. He yanks his hind leg back as Haru inspects it, and in her shock, she drops him. Morgana lands on the floor (gracefully, he will later insist) and hops onto the table in the center of the room. The better to see the board.

"I don't think there's anything on him," Haru says. "Plus, he's a cat. I don't think he'd like carrying something like a camera around in his fur all the time."

"Damn straight," Morgana replies, absently.

"What's he keep staring at?" Makoto asks.

Morgana freezes, then says, "Meow."

"The board, I guess?" Haru asks.

"Yes, but why?"

"I don't know," Haru replies. "The shapes, maybe?"

"Well, let's check the carrier next. Maybe they smuggled something in there."

Morgana turns and darts back into the open carrier.

"Hey," Makoto says, jumping backward.

"Mona-chan," Haru cries, indignity in her voice. "What's gotten into you?"

Morgana lays himself on the carrier's false bottom, and begins to roll around, trying to find an angle to allow him to extract the phone without the girls noticing.

"What's he doing?" Makoto asks.

"Convulsing?" Haru asks. "Mona-chan, are you sick?"

"Oh my god," Morgana mutters. Hopeless. He cannot pull the phone from its hiding spot without these two noticing. Morgana shuts his eyes and pretends to nap.

"What? He's sleeping now?" Makoto asks. "What's this cat's deal?"

"Um," Haru replies. "He is a cat, Mako-chan."

"Alright, I'm dumping him out." Makoto moves to side of the carrier opposite the grate, places both hands on the sides, and begins to heft.

"Oh, come on," Morgana cries. Nothing for it now. As Morgana begins to slip forward, he slaps a paw down on the false bottom of the carrier. The thin plastic sheet pops up, and Yusuke's phone tumbles onto the table. As Makoto angles the carrier perpendicular to the table, Morgana falls alongside the device.

"Is that..." Haru starts.

"A phone?" Makoto finishes, setting the carrier down.

Morgana arches his back and hisses at the girls, and they both retreat a few steps. Then, Morgana's claws dart around on the phone's screen. "Come on, come on," Morgana grumbles. Insistent on prepping for every contingency, Morgana made Yusuke show him how to work his phone. Simple enough, but a phone made for people did not operate as smoothly for a cat.

A few misplaced scratches later, and Morgana queues up the camera app. He raises the camera toward the board and snaps a photo of the upper section.

"What th-" Makoto begins to blurt, then she darts in front of the board. "Haru, quick! Block him!"

"I don't..." Haru says. "What is going on?"

"He's taking pictures of the board," Makoto yells.

"But he's a cat," Haru replies.

"Move," Morgana says, trying to capture what little he can with another photo.

Makoto gasps. "Morgana, can you understand me?"

"Screw this," Morgana replies. He'll have to wing it when he recounts the rest of the board to the team. Morgana tosses the phone into the air and catches it in his tail. Haru, to everyone's surprise, claps delightedly.

"Sorry," she says, as Morgana beelines for the door.

Morgana leaps, wraps the handle in his paws, lets his body weight pull it down, and unlocks the door.

"Don't let him out," Makoto shouts, as the door clicks and swings open. Too late. Morgana drops to the floor and slides through the small space toward freedom.

#

"Check this out," Ryuji says, straightening.

"We're already right behind you," Ann replies.

"Whatever." Ryuji points at the screen. "Mona's goin' haywire."

The dot representing Yusuke's phone began shifting within Shujin, rapidly—a short burst in a straight line, then circles.

"Stairs," Akira says, and snaps his fingers. "They're going up or down stairs."

The dot halts, and a moment later, Akira's burner vibrates. Everyone jumps at the noise. Akira snatches it out of his pocket, and his eyes widen. "It's Yusuke's phone."

"His burner?" Ryuji asks.

"No, the actual phone."

"Crap," Ann says. "Do you think Haru found it?"

Akira shakes his head. "Even if she did, our burner numbers aren't saved. We've been deleting the records after every call."

"You gonna answer it?" Ryuji asks.

Akira nods, presses the receive button, and brings the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

A series of screeches beat into his ears, and he jerks away from the phone with a wince.

"What's wrong?" Ann asks.

Akira hits the speaker button. A high-pitched sequence of meows and yowls batter the walls of Ryuji's room. Ann curses and covers her ears.

"Is that Morgana?" Ryuji asks.

"Why does he sound like that?" Ann asks.

"Morgana?" Akira says, bringing the phone back to his ear. "Morgana, we can't understand you. Slow down."

The cat noises slow, but no coherent words arrive.

Ryuji's eyes widen. "Oh shit, dude. I don't think the phone can understand him."

"What?" Ann asks. "That's stupid. We can understand him. Why would it be different talking over the phone?"

"But we're not really hearing Morgana, you know?" Ryuji says. "We're hearing how the phone hears Morgana. You never really hear the person on the other end. You're hearing a scramble of code that kind of sounds like them, but it's not really their voice."

Ann's brows rise. "How do you know that?"

Ryuji shrugs. "I watch a lot of TV."

"Clearly."

"Guys," Akira snaps. Both shut up. Akira tries to think. Morgana sounded troubled, but felt safe enough to communicate. But if they couldn't understand him, how could they help him? "Okay. Morgana, listen up. For whatever reason, we can't understand you over the phone."

A series of screeches follow.

"I know, I know. It's bullshit," Akira calls back. "Just calm down. We don't know what's wrong, but we're still tracking you." He glances at Ryuji's computer screen. "You're still at Shujin, right? Hang up and text me. Tell us what's happening. We'll figure it out from there."

A short meow, and the call ends.

#

Morgana laments the 'Metaverse versus Reality' rules only as time permits. Outside Shujin, the now-familiar alley beckons. Morgana queues up Yusuke's Messenger app once he's within the pathway's shadows.

YUSUKE: AMBUSH! MAKOTO&HARU 2X TEAM! HELP!

Morgana sends the text. And waits. And waits.

Yusuke's phone vibrates after an unpleasant eternity.

AKIRA: Head to Shibuya Station. We'll meet you there.

Morgana fails to suppress a groan. I'm having so many words with these idiots when they find me!

A gasp, and Morgana lifts his eyes from the phone.

Makoto and Haru stand at the gaping mouth of the alley, and Morgana realizes the phone's blue light means he's no longer hidden.

"It's..." Makoto starts. "It's..."

"Texting?" Haru asks.

"Crap." Morgana wraps his tail around the phone and darts down the alley.

"After him," Makoto cries.

"So many words," Morgana shouts at the sky.

#

Akira and Ann try not to appear in a hurry as they reach Shibuya Station. Akira keeps his phone to his ear. "We're here."

"Alright, so he should be by the entrance," Ryuji says, from his burner. "I can't tell, though."

"By the entrance to the Ginza line?" Akira asks. "Or the statue of Hachiko?"

"Dude, I don't know." Ryuji wanted to come with them, but Akira instructed him to remain at home and give directions as Akira and Ann went.

Akira yanks out his burner, checking for another message.

YUSUKE: PURSUIT! BAD TIMES!

Ann puts her hands on her legs, breathing heavily. Akira hardly blames her, as he feels his own sheen of sweat sticking to his arms, shoulders, and upper chest, all from the mad dash from Ryuji's house. "You know..." Ann groans. "We should've taught Morgana how to text properly."

Akira nods. "Teaching the cat how to use Messenger wasn't at the top of my priorities list."

"Just... saying," Ann mutters.

They cross the street and enter the pulsing crowd. Akira calls his position into the phone, but Ryuji's directions never change beyond, "He's around there somewhere."

Ann curses and seizes Akira's arm surprisingly firmly, given how winded she appeared moments ago. Their direction abruptly changed, Akira juggles his phone as the surrounding pedestrians jostle them. He manages to regain control as the two reach a series of smoking booths. "What the hell?" Akira asks, shaking his arm loose from Ann's grip.

"Look," she replies, and points. Akira turns and follows her finger's direction. His eyes widen when he sees the familiar forms of Makoto and Haru cross the street, their eyes darting every which way.

"They're looking for him," Akira says.

"Who?" Ryuji asks, over the phone.

"Makoto and Haru just showed up."

"For real?"

Ann frowns, thin bullets of sweat running down her forehead. "Guess we know what, 'Pursuit, bad times,' means now."

They chased him from Shujin? Just how dedicated are these two? A moment of reflection on all Akira knows of Makoto, and Haru is enough to realize the question is stupid.

"Do you guys see Morgana yet?" Ryuji asks.

Akira's burner vibrates.

YUSUKE: AT ENTRANCE? WHERE AT U?

"Is he saying he's at the entrance?" Ann asks, when Akira shows her the text. "Or is he asking if we're at the entrance?"

"I don't know," Akira says, and starts texting.

AKIRA: We're by the smoking booths on the surface. Where are you?

YUSUKE: AT ENTRANCE DUH

"Oh my god," Akira says, and draws a hand over his face. "He never gets a phone again.

The many entrances - cluttered with bodies - of Shibuya Station reveal little when Akira looks, until a coincidental thinning out of people by the Toyoko line reveals the small black shape of Morgana, paws holding Yusuke's phone. A few people bend to pet his head, but he hisses at them before they get too close.

Akira prepares to approach when he spots Makoto and Haru. The latter tugs at Makoto's sleeve and points at Morgana. She mouths something that looks like, "There," and the two start running.

Morgana stiffens when he spots them and darts into Shibuya Station.

Akira curses, and a few pedestrians turn sullen glances his way.

"Now what?" Ann asks.

Akira starts toward the entrance. "We need to find him before they do, and we need them not to see us." Akira runs it all through his head. "Okay, you take the mall. It won't look out of place if you're shopping. I'll go down by the commuter lines and see if he's there. Ryuji," he says, into the phone. "I don't suppose you can give us a hint to his location."

"Hard to say. But his little dot thing made a circle just now. Looks like he went down some steps."

Akira turns back to Ann. "Text if you see him. Something simple."

Ann frowns. "Okay. Uh, I guess I'll say I found something in a department store. Something cute."

Akira almost asks why she would tell him that but foregoes the question to nod and run down the steps.

#

Ann's heart threatens to punch its way out of her chest, but still she searches. No sign of Mona in the mall, and checking her cell every few seconds yields nothing. If Morgana saw her, Ann felt sure he'd bound out of his hiding spot and leap into her arms.

The flower shop, Ann recalls. Morgana knew the place well. Hiding there made sense. She starts to cut through the crowds, hoping her hunch correct. Hold up. Haru works there too. What if she thinks the same thing?

Too late. Ann turns down the path that leads to Rafflesia, and finds the shop shuttered. A sign posting the hours hangs from the metal links, and she steps up, looking for any spot allowing Morgana the room to sneak inside.

"Mona?" She whispers into the dark of the shop. "You in there?"

No response.

"Damn." Ann steps back and rechecks her phone—no message from Akira. A service tunnel breaks off a short way to her left. Perhaps he'd gone there?

Makoto Niijima comes around the corner.

The girl stops.

Ann feels her eyes widen.

Makoto's narrow.

"Hello, Takamaki."

#

Akira climbs to the level above the commuter terminal. Ryuji's feedback provided no assistance, and the sprawling underground mass of Shibuya remained difficult to navigate, even with his two months of experience.

Commuters didn't frequent several corridors on the upper level. Maintenance professionals primarily used them when the station shut down for the night. The occasional homeless cluttered them, but never more than a handful. Akira figures Morgana might've hid within one.

Akira turns into one of them and is rewarded with, "Finally!"

Morgana scurries across the dirt-streaked linoleum floor and hops into Akira's arms. "Are you okay?" Akira asks, scratching his head.

"I told you this was a bad idea," Morgana replies, with a scowl, as he climbs onto Akira's shoulder. "But you were right. They've got a whole operation going." He twitches Yusuke's phone, still held in his tail. "I got some evidence."

Akira nods, and puts his phone back to his ear. "Ryuji. I got him. I'm hanging up. We'll get Ann and get out of here."

"Roger," Ryuji replies.

"Did you track me?" Morgana asks.

"Yes, but when you went downstairs into the station, it got harder to locate you. Ann's in the mall, searching there."

"It's not my fault," Morgana replies. "Makoto and Haru followed me here."

"Don't worry about it," Akira says. "Let's just smuggle you out of here while we can. I'll text Ann and tell her to meet up on Central."

Morgana trots down the hall.

AKIRA: Found a cool hat. Want your opinion. Meet up at Central?

"Crap," Morgana hisses, and retreats back up the hall.

Akira looks up. "What?"

"Haru," Morgana says. "She's coming this way. I think she spotted me."

Akira moves to the only service entrance door and tries the handle. It doesn't move. "Shit."

"This is bad," Morgana says.

Akira thinks, and his eyes widen. He stares at the ceiling. At the ground around them. "I've got it," he says, and queues up the Nav app on his phone.

"What're you doing?" Morgana asks.

"Mementos," Akira replies. "We'll wait until she passes, then come back out."

Morgana dashes for the phone. "Wait-"

Too late.

The world shifts.

#

Joker replaces his phone in his pocket. "That's weird."

Despite their physical location being at least one level down in Shibuya Station, the actual transportation of Mementos has taken them only a few steps down from the entrance.

He smiles. "Guess it's better than being trapped six levels down." He turns to Mona.

The cat crouches with his paws over his head, a wince frozen on his face. As Akira watches, the cat opens one eye, glances around, and breathes in relief.

"You moron," Mona says, a moment later. "The layout of Mementos doesn't match the actual layout of Shibuya Station. We could've gotten trapped super deep. Or in a wall. Or in the floor or something."

Joker shrugs. "Alright, well, my bad. What's the big deal? Aren't your memories buried deeper in Mementos?"

Mona shakes his head. "That's not the point. You can't just pop into Mementos or Palaces willy-nilly from wherever you feel. The inside of the Palace doesn't match the inside of the physical location. You could've buried us alive! Or we could've popped up in the middle of some really strong Shadows."

Joker feels some blood leave his face. "And you didn't think that was important to mention?"

"I didn't think it'd be relevant. I didn't think you'd try to enter Mementos from a location already inside Mementos."

Joker blinks. "What happens if we leave? Are we going to pop out at the entrance?"

Mona lets out a sigh and glances around. "I think we should be okay. We're right by the entrance, so maybe we'll exit into reality where we always do, or maybe we'll exit to where we entered. If we tried to exit Mementos from a few floors down, though? There's a reason we retreat to the entrance every time we're about to leave."

"Okay, yes. I see your point."

"Don't do something like that again."

Joker crouches until he's more or less at eye level with Mona. "Alright. I'm sorry. But take it easy. No need to panic. It got us away from Haru and-"

Mona's eyes widen. Joker feels his own do the same. Together, they creep up the steps until they're just shy of the landing outside.

Haru Okumura stands by herself. Trembling hands clutch her phone to her ear. Her eyes are white saucers. "Mako-chan? Are you there?" When no answer comes, she lowers the phone and calls, "Hello? Is anyone there? Is this, um, a dream?"

Joker looks down at Mona. "Oh, shit."