Persona BLEACHED 3: Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Traitor's Requiem 
February 16, 2030 
The sun came down on another fine Saturday morning in Tokyo. 
In a comfortable home in a comfortable neighborhood in Naruki, a large bouquet of crimson roses adorned a dinner table. A gift from one loving spouse to another on Valentine's Day. 
The reciprocant of those flowers was already awake, getting dressed in front of the mirror. Her beloved stirred awake, and sat up in their bed. 
"Yaaaaawn...good morning, beloved. Up and ready to tackle life's challenges, are we?" Rose asked. 
"I'm impressed you could sleep at all. Today's the day." Rin replied. 
"Yes. So it is. Leaving fate in the hands of your protégé." Rose looked out the window. "It looks like such a lovely day outside. A shame that we can't enjoy it..." 
Once the couple were dressed, they ventured next door to drop off Shizuka. "Be a good girl for Aunt Tenko, OK? We'll be back as soon as we're done with work." Rin said. 
"OK." the girl responded. 
"Don't worry your pretty little head. She'll be safe and sound with me. Pinkie swear." Tenko winked. 
"We don't doubt it." Rose replied. 
Rin glanced over to the kitchen table, where Jin was seated. He looked back, and nodded. She nodded back. 
"Sure you're gonna be alright? I mean...you don't know how this is gonna turn out." Tenko asked. 
"We don't know how dangerous this situation could get. Who knows, we might even be able to resolve it peacefully. But however it goes, it's what needs to be done. No matter who it might be, the one that hurt Mom and so many others needs to face the music." Rin replied. 
"You can't predict how people will react to being confronted and cornered. So long as everyone is around and alert, there shouldn't be any complications. Emphasis on 'shouldn't'. But things involving our merry band rarely go according to plan." Rose added. 
"First time for everything. Give 'em hell, girlies." Tenko reassured. 
"Thanks for the vote of confidence. Let's go, Rose." Rin spoke. 
"Very well. We'll be back soon, Shizuka." Rose assured. 
"Buh-bye." Shizuka waved. 
The two women departed. Back at the table, Jin gulped down the last of his drink. He got up and exited the house. "I'll be back." 
"Huh? Where are you off to?" Tenko questioned. 
"I'm going for a jog." 
"A jog? You? Now I've seen everything." 
Jin left the porch, and headed in the direction of the Academy. 
--- 
In her dormroom, Carrie was brushing her hair in front of her mirror. There was a knock on her door. 
"Hey, did you get the text from KittyKat?" Natalia poked in. "She wants everyone to meet in the auditorium." 
"I know. It's an important meeting." Carrie replied. 
"Care? You know what this is about?" 
Carrie got up, gave her best friend a reassuring smile, and patted her shoulder. "Get yourself ready. We don't want to keep Kitten waiting." 
--- 
"What do you think this is about?" Kibō was laid out on the couch, throwing his ball in the air. 
"Where Katherine is concerned, it could be anything. Could be some insane nonsense. There's no telling with her." Kenneth replied. 
--- 
"Welp, so much for morning practice." Sahir balanced a soccer ball on his head. 
"Isn't the season over?" Max questioned. 
"What do you expect me to do, sit on my butt til next year and walk into practice with a gut? Thanks but no thanks. Whatever KittyKat has swimming in her noggin better be important." Sahir bounced the ball into the air. Max grabbed it on the way down. 
"Now you're just begging to break something." 
--- 
Sakuya fastened her ribbon. She got up, went to her bed, and patted one of the seal plushes she had sitting on it. "Guard my quarters well, oh brave pinnipeds." 
She exited her room. Her mother was in the living room, doing her morning stretches. "Ahhh...hm? Where you off to, Saku?" Lily asked. 
"I'm going to the Academy, Mama. Kat-chan wants to talk to everyone. I've no idea what about, though." Sakuya replied. 
"Know what time you'll be getting back? We're taking the Fireball clan furniture hunting today, remember?" 
"Of course. I don't know when we'll be done, but Hinotama-san should be there, too. We can head to the store once we're finished." 
"Well keep me posted. I don't need all my haggling practice to go to waste. They'll never pay less for a cupboard in their lives!" 
"I'm sure, I'm sure. I'll call you later." Sakuya left her apartment. 
--- 
"Okay, should be riiiight...here." Ibuki directed. The family car, with a fresh coat of paint, pulled up adjacent to the Academy. "Soon as I'm done with the peeps, we'll head to the shop. Ready to go bed hunting, bubblegum?" 
Kanae was in the middle of gleefully eating a cookie. "Do beds come with cookies?" 
"One track mind, this one." 
"Text me as soon as you're done, OK?" Kaede signed. 
"You got it. Time to go to school, I guess." 
Ibuki exited the car, waving goodbye to her sister and niece. 
"Okay..." She looked towards the imposing school building. "Jeez...they go to school here? Looks like the kinda place I'd go around in circles in..." 
"That's where your tour guide comes in~." Barbara appeared from behind the gate. 
"Barbie, how long were you waiting to come out from there?" 
"That doesn't matter. Come on, the auditorium's this way. Don't want to be late." 
It all began so innocuously. A group of friends meeting up on a Saturday. 
In their minds, this was nothing unusual. 
So it was that everyone made their own way to the school auditorium. 
"Hey, Barbie...I think we've got company." Ibuki pointed out. 
Next to the building's entrance, Ryōma was leaning against the wall, a degree of impatience about him. "Well, there's the rest of the litter. Get on inside. I'd like to return to my life sooner than later." 
"Good morning to you too, Coach Tsutsugo. See you inside." Barbara greeted, some sarcasm in her voice. 
Ibuki stared at Ryōma. "What are you gawking at, girlie?" 
"Ain't you a bit young to have your hair going white like that?" she asked. 
"It's called bleach, genius. I'm guessing you don't know about maintaining hair, considering you look like you just rolled out of bed." 
"Yeah, whatevs. I'd rather be my own self than be the embodiment of 'How do you do, fellow kids?' energy." 
"Okay, that's enough of the meet and greet, let's go." Barbara pulled Ibuki away. 
"Who's the dipstick?" Ibuki asked. 
"That's Coach Tsutsugo. He's the phys ed instructor and the Academy baseball coach." 
"He always that cheery? Why's he even here, anyway? Thought this was a secret meeting." 
"He can be...personable. He was a Death's Hand general, like Saku. So he knows everything already." 
"Is there anyone in this town that isn't involved with those Kool-aid drinkers somehow?" 
The girls entered the main auditorium. Rose and Rin were at the entrance. "Good morning. Please find your seats." Rose instructed. 
"Professor? Dr. Rose? You're here, too?" Barbara questioned. 
"Your seats will be in the first five rows. Whichever one has your name taped onto it." Rin responded. 
"Assigned seats, seriously? This better not be a test..." Ibuki grumbled. 
The group, true to what the women explained, were all seated throughout the first five rows, scattered so that none of them were seated near one another. Rin and Rose took their seats a few rows up. Ryōma entered and sat a row behind them. 
"Are we in trouble for something?" Sahir questioned. 
"Everyone's so serious. I don't have a good feeling about this..." Natalia uttered. 
Carrie entered and stood before the stage, holding her laptop. "Thank you all for coming. We'll be starting shortly." 
"Caroline, could you please explain what this is all about?" Kenneth asked. 
"Have we caused some kind of offense?" Sakuya questioned. 
"Everything will be made clear once Kitten is here. Please be patient." Carrie answered. She sat at the foot of the stage, and opened her laptop. 
"If this is some kind of Kat prank..." Kibō said. 
"It's not a joke, Keebie." Kat entered the stage from behind the curtains. She took to the podium, behind which was a giant screen. "I wish that I was here to talk about some funny monkey vid I found online, but I'm not. Today is strictly business." 
"Ain't like you to sound so grim." Max stated. 
"What's going on, KittyKat?" Barbara asked. 
Kat took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. "Red-crowned cranes...dancing on a lake in the moonlight...you can do this, So-yin." she thought. 
"Today, Care and I are going to talk to you about everything we've gathered over the last few months. We're gonna talk you through it all, carefully, so we can all be on the same page. And hopefully, we can all come to the same conclusion. Before we leave here today...we're gonna unmask the 'Captain'." she dictated. 
The rest of the group were surprised. "Are you saying...you know who the mastermind is?" Sakuya asked. 
"If you know who they are, spill it! I wanna give the bastard a piece of my mind, and maybe a hand or two!" Ibuki demanded. 
"Everyone chill. If I drop a name now without any proof, you'll all probably look at me like I just escaped from the nuthouse. We all need to understand what's happening before we reach a conclusion. I'm asking you all to be patient with me while we go over everything." Kat answered. 
"What exactly do you know?" Max asked. 
"Have you been gathering evidence all this time? Why not tell us sooner?" Kenneth questioned. 
"Don't you trust us, KittyKat?" Natalia asked. 
"You have to understand what kind of person we're dealing with. They have inside information on who we are, to the point that they've targeted people within our inner circles. We didn't want to tip them off that we were looking into them, so we kept it hush-hush." Kat replied. 
"Over the course of today, you'll come to understand why we had to keep things so secretive." Carrie added. 
"Right. So let's start with what we all know. Since the end of last year, a new set of Metaverse structures called 'Prisons' have been appearing around Tokyo. Unlike the Palaces we used to deal with, these Prisons aren't run by evil people, but by lost souls turned corrupt by the Prisons' influence. These realms are used to gather the Desires of the public, causing people to become fanatical and obsessed with the Prison's ruler, or Warden." 
"But as I pointed out, the Wardens aren't awful people in their own right. The Prisons are set up in such a way that the Wardens become trapped within their own trauma, motivating them to hold onto their power and indulge in their bad behavior. The other major difference we've noted about the Prisons compared to Palaces, is that they don't happen naturally. They've been artificially generated by someone." 
"As for when it started, we first noticed the activity at the end of October, but the behavior had apparently been going on for about a month prior to that. And the three people turned into Wardens were, in order..." 
Carrie typed away, and what was on her laptop was broadcasted onto the screen behind Kat. Images of individuals appeared. 
"Leon Hasha, 22, from Akihabara. Small-time Pokénerd who got bullied out of tournaments, then turned into a major pro and big-time streamer. Next, our very own Ibuki Hinotama, 19, from Shinjuku. Ex-prostitute victimized by one of our old enemies, turning into an up-and-coming wresting star." 
"You know it." Ibuki piped up. 
"The last major Warden was Kaido Minamoto, 25, in South Naruki. Mr. JoJo's right hand man, disgraced former yakuza, and for a time, the chef of chefs. The first question is: what do these three have in common?" 
"From the outside, not much. Really, all three couldn't be any more different." Kibō replied. 
"It has to do with their trauma." Barbara surmised. 
"Bingo. All three of them suffered through some kind of traumatic experiences. Leon was bullied and thrown out of the game he loved. Ibuki suffered through an awful life that culminated in severe abuse from Iruka Hirano. Kaido lived a life of violence and repeated missteps that ended with him accidentally shooting a young boy. All three needed help getting out of bad situations. But they weren't the only ones affected." Kat explained. 
The screen changed along with Kat's continuation. "The next person to be affected by the Prisons was Miu Hanazaki Kubo, 55, ikebana master and musician, and the mother of our own Professor Ringo Kubo. What was different about this situation was that three others were also affected: Ms. Hana's son Hyōtan, 33, market owner and alleged musician; nephew Ranmaru, 31, and niece Araragi, 29, both working at the flower shop. Ms. Hana had endured her own grave trauma, tied to the loss of her husband and younger son, along with a laundry list of family drama." 
Rin and Rose both listened on with somber focus. 
"And the last known victim of the Prisons is Layla de Roos, 17, a friend of Natalia's visiting from Belgium. In another difference from the other incidents, this happened all the way up in Sapporo, hundreds of miles from Tokyo. But like the others, Layla had also endured trauma, in her case being isolated and bullied after her own bullying of Nat, and the guilt resulting from it." 
Kat turned to the group. "Next question: what's different about the last two cases compared to the first three? And does anyone see a pattern or change in M.O. developing?" 
"Well...we caught the last two when they were first starting up. The others were around for a month before we caught onto something being wrong." Max replied. 
"Not to mention, they felt like more of a response to us than random happenstance...ah! There's the pattern." Sakuya surmised. "When you think of the Wardens going in order, we go from no connections to us, to tangential connections, to being directly related." 
"Leon was a complete stranger to us. We had dealt with Ibuki's abuser months before ever meeting her. Mr. Kaido was someone we knew and saw frequently at the restaurant. Ms. Hana is our Professor's mother, and Layla is a friend of Natalia's." Kenneth explained. 
"You go down the list, it's like this Captain guy is getting closer and closer to us." Sahir said. 
"I mean, Ms. Hana was affected after we talked about her trauma, and Layla was hurt within a day of coming to Japan. It's obvious the culprit's been following us around." Natalia added. 
"Asshole probably got peeved that their master plan was being messed with and decided to take it out on people close to us. Like the cowardly creep they are." Ibuki said. 
"I just don't get why. Why target people at their lowest point?" Kibō questioned. 
"The culprit believes that they're saving the Wardens they create." Carrie answered. 
"Layla mentioned them saying as much when she caught sight of them. In their mind, the Captain thinks that they're helping the Wardens in some way. Giving them strength and attention where they had none before." Kat added. 
"Their definition of salvation is quite unique, to say the least. Turning struggling people into aggressive villains, causing others to fall comatose...I would believe in their good intentions if Layla hadn't mentioned the fiend threatening her parents." Kenneth said. 
"What's the motivation here? What does this guy get from doing this?" Barbara questioned. 
"....." Kat was pensive. 
"Ooooh, I feel a bad answer to that coming along." Sahir muttered. 
Carrie changed the screen. Appearing was a sketch of a black knight with glowing eyes. "Layla was kind enough to sketch who she saw. Keep in mind that since it was so dark in the room, some details may have been missed. But she was most certain about them resembling a medieval knight." 
"I'd be terrified to wake up and see those eerie eyes staring back at me. What is their aim?" Sakuya questioned. 
Kat thought for a moment. "Okay. What I'm about to bring up here isn't easy. But every card needs to be played here. Have you all noticed how many stores selling Ashen Artisans merch have popped up lately?" 
"Now that you mention it, there's one in Akihabara that's pretty popular." Kibō replied. 
"There was one in Sendai, too. People are going nuts over us." Max added. 
"You can't visit a single district without seeing our logo on something." Ibuki stated. 
"What's this got to do with the Captain guy?" Sahir asked. 
"For anyone that's seen one of these stores, how have the customers been acting?" Kat posed. 
"Well...a lot of gushing over us, for starters. Calling us heroes of justice, praising us for stopping villains..." Natalia answered. 
"Quite the fanfare, really. Almost to a degree of..." Sakuya's eyes widened. "Obsession." 
It dawned on the rest of the group. "It's just like...the Wardens. Our popularity's skyrocketed and just gone up more with every Prison we've toppled." Barbara stated. 
"That can't be...it's just normal popularity, right? What would this guy even get from us being popular?" Max questioned. 
"What, indeed." Carrie said. 
"Kat-chan...what aren't you telling us?" Sakuya demanded. 
A look of resignation apparent, Kat directed Carrie to change the screen. It shifted to a map of Naruki. "I had Care analyze the phones of the Wardens. Every single one of them were being monitored by someone. The signal was traced back to a general area..." 
The map was zoomed into, now focusing on the area surrounding the Academy. "Within two blocks of the school. I never wanted this to be the case, but with everything we know now, I've come to one single conclusion. Our sudden surge in fame is a way for the Captain to gain more power. In other words..." 
"The Captain...is one of us." 
The words hung in the air for what seemed like an eternity. None of the youths knew how to respond. Confusion permeated. There was a heavy silence. 
"Well. There's a hefty surprise." Ryōma said. "Guess that's why I got called to this little powwow. Have to cover all of your bases, after all." 
Rin and Rose remained silent. 
"You're...you're joking, right? Right?!" Sahir questioned. 
"The mastermind is...one of us?" Kibō uttered. 
"This is some kind of joke, right?!" Natalia demanded. 
"This ain't real...we're waiting for the punchline, KittyKat..." Max stated. 
"The mastermind has been following our every move, and has enough knowledge of the Metaverse to be able to alter it as they see fit. These incidents began not long after we all returned to Japan.. The circumstances added together makes it all too much of a reality." Carrie replied. 
"So then...the reason why they were able to hear us talking about Ms. Hana was..." Barbara began. 
"They were in the room...!" Sakuya realized. 
"Insanity...so the puppet master has been in our company all along. No doubt enjoying watching us clean up the mess they created." Kenneth surmised. 
Ibuki rose up in anger, clutching onto the chair in front of her. "Who is it...?" she growled. "Tell me who you are right now...think you can fuck around with my brain and get away with it...turn me rotten and then lie to my face about it?! I'll beat you to a pulp, I swear...!" 
"Everyone please, stay calm--" Kat pleaded. 
"Stay calm?! You just told us someone here is the mastermind, and you want us to not flip out over it?!" Sahir protested. 
"I can't handle this...I don't want someone here to be the bad guy!" Natalia panicked. 
"Punchline, KittyKat...still waiting for the punchliiiiiine..." Max repeated. 
Kat whistled to silence everyone. 
"I love you guys. I wouldn't be who I am now if I didn't get to meet you all. The seven of you that know for a fact that you're innocent, I hope you don't think any less of me for this. I want us to keep being the insane family unit that we are, for as long as the world allows. I wouldn't be doing this if I wasn't 110% sure that I was right." 
"And to the one that's made the worst mistake of their lives...I need to know why. Why was this so necessary for you to do? How could you sit there and lie to everyone for months? I want to understand...and if we have to fight, then we'll fight. Until I can get it through your thick skull that you should know this is wrong." 
Kat took her glasses off, and cleared her eyes, before putting them back on. "Now that it's out there...let's get started."
Everyone nervously looked around the room. "What are we supposed to do...?" Sahir questioned. "Are we just supposed to start pointing fingers at everyone now?!" 
"Quit it with the freak out, it ain't helping. What, got something to hide?" Ibuki raised. 
"Me?! Why would it be me?!" 
"Skirt-chaser like you? A little extra fame probably wouldn't hurt your cause. A sea of girls worshipping the ground you walk on would be too tempting of a prize." 
"Yeah, no way this would be over something that dumb. How about we take this serious and look at someone who's actually suspicious?" Max proposed. 
"And who would you call suspicious?" Natalia questioned. 
"Well, let's see...if I was looking for a traitor, I'd start with someone with a proven track record in the craft." 
"Shut up, man." Sahir bit back. 
"No, no. In this environment, it's warranted." Sakuya spoke up. "So I'm a suspect simply due to my past misdeeds, yes? Suppose that's no surprise. Just one cross to bear of many." 
"That and we already know about your fondness for masks." Max stated. 
"Aren't you the hero nut, Maxie? This finger pointing act is pretty un-hero-like. Kinda like threatening a girl sleeping in her bed." Sahir retorted. 
"Exactly why I don't do that crap. I'd get nothing out of putting randos in a trance. You're better off looking somewhere else." 
"Hey, if we're looking at suspicious people with a fondness for masks, there's another one up there we should be looking at." Ibuki pointed. 
Ryōma waved sarcastically. "Hi. Still here. Thanks for remembering." 
"Got any defense, Mr. Knuckleball?" Kat asked. 
"Everyone wants to blame the coach. I've got literally no reason to pull of any shenanigans. Got my girl, got my kid, got a sweet gig and my name's been cleared. Why would I mess that up? For what? Justice? Being a 'hero'? Pffft. Keep that shit to yourselves." 
"Crude as his response is, I share the sentiment, to an extent. I've had my trauma. A long, despair-inducing history of suffering and poor judgement, from myself and from others. But now I have a clean slate. A comfortable lifestyle, with friends who understand my pain. And I have my mother. Now is not the time for me to embark on an ill-advised pursuit of justice--or whatever insane motive this Captain has. I may be an easy suspect. But I'm the wrong one." Sakuya asserted. 
"I believe you, Saku. You have too much to lose." Barbara assured. 
"How very generous of you, Barbara." Kenneth commented. 
"And what's that supposed to mean?" 
"It's a deadly game we're playing here. To believe someone's word so easily could be a fatal mistake. Our enemy is someone who up until now has deceived everyone else with no difficulty. You would have to be a very skilled liar to pull it off for so long. At the very least...a skilled actor." 
Barbara was taken aback. "You've got to be kidding. Why would I ever do something so horrible?" 
"People need little in the way of motivation. And you're not exactly short of trauma, either. Equally so for your brother. I'm sure a kind soul like you would find great purpose in 'rescuing' victims of abuse." 
"Don't...don't go there. I'd never hurt someone like that, especially when they've already been hurt in that way. I'd be no better than the old man." 
"If you could quit with the blame game, that'd be great. Especially given your own history." Kibō stated. 
"My history. Yes, of course. There's no question that my life up to this point has been unsavory, and my reaction to it even more so. But I'm not one for justice. I'd much rather be left in peace." Kenneth replied. 
"What was it you just said about not immediately taking people at their word? Especially with how much of a lone wolf you've been until recently." 
"And what about you, Keeb?" Natalia questioned. 
"What about me?" 
"Knight armor, you've got a knight Persona. Not to mention your own history. Or your family's. Your brother was a mastermind. The Professor can attest to that. How far does the apple fall from the tree?" 
"I'm nothing like Kyohei. I could care less about having some grand ambitions about changing the world. All I want is for my parents to have a normal, quiet life. Why would I draw attention to myself? Kyohei doing what he did destroyed our lives and broke my mom's heart. I would never, ever do something like that." 
"Well since we're doing this now, if we're going by bitter trauma, you've got plenty of that to spare, Natty." Ibuki pointed out. 
"So what?! I'd never want to make someone a bully! Not after everything I've gone through to get to where I am now! And I'd absolutely never do that to Layla!" Natalia asserted. 
"You sure? She did make your life a living hell at one point." 
"I did everything in my power to help Layla to believe in herself. I wouldn't dare betray her trust like that. Breaking into her room and threatening her..." Natalia began to shed tears, trying in vain to wipe her eyes. 
"Can we please stop? We're supposed to be friends! It took almost nothing for us to start pointing fingers at each other. We shouldn't be suspecting someone without a valid reason for it!" Barbara protested. 
"You know what I'm thinking? I'm thinking that this is what the Captain wants. They want us at each other's throats, to get attention away from them." Max gestured to the stage. "I don't see anyone second-guessing the ones feeding us the info." 
"Ho ho, pointing right back at me, huh, Sparky? Took you long enough. I'm not shocked. An ex-thief with a skill for breaking and entering and a taste for black clothing is a tempting choice. I shouldn't be above suspicion just because I'm the one at the podium. I mean, it's totally wrong, but I get it." Kat responded. 
"Then that just leaves you, Care. This Captain character obviously has tech. Your dad was billed as being 'the French Tony Stark'. You've got access to those kinds of toys. Not to mention, if anyone has an urge to correct trauma out of a sense of personal justice, it would be you." 
"Okay, Sparky, you don't have to go there--" 
Carrie raised a hand. "It's a fair question, Kitten. This is what you wanted. I have indeed had my own trauma. More than most people will endure in their entire lives. And I would love to see people rise up and fight their circumstances on their own power. But let me make one thing clear. My father was a brilliant man. He loved this planet and everything on it. He would never make something that he felt would be capable of inflicting harm on someone. And I would never desecrate his memory by misusing any invention of his for the sake of personal justice. Point your finger at me if you wish. But leave him out of the equation." 
"Ugh...this is getting us nowhere." Sahir groaned. 
"We can sit here blaming each other all day, but without solid proof, we'll never reach a conclusion." Kibō stated. 
"If the Captain wants us to just distrust each other, their plan is working." Barbara sighed. 
"There anything else you could fill us in on, KittyKat?" Ibuki asked. 
"Well, yes, actually. See, I was hoping this exercise would push everyone in one direction or another, or that the culprit would slip and let something out." Kat began. "And I'm happy to report...this was all a test. You all have nothing to worry about." 
"Wait...were you not being serious after all?" Natalia asked. 
"So is the mastermind not in the room?" Sakuya questioned. 
"Phew! There's a relief. You had me going for a second there--" Sahir exclaimed. 
"The Captain is Max." Kat plainly stated. 
One could hear a pin dropping inside the massive room, so dead quiet it became. As before, the youths had only stunned reactions. The words didn't seem to register at first. 
Max himself only cocked his head in response. 
"Wha...huh?" Barbara uttered disbelievingly. 
"You wanna...roll that back a bit?" Sahir questioned. 
"Maxie is...what now?" Ibuki asked. 
More silence and confused looks. Some blinking. Kat stared directly at Max. "Got any response, Sparky?" 
Max's face was still. Just as suddenly, he smirked. And he laughed. As though he'd just heard the greatest joke ever told in the history of mankind. After a solid minute, he composed himself. "Okay...that's a good one. C'mon, you guys don't think so? I think it's hilarious!" He looked back to Kat. "I know what this is. You're miffed that I suspected you, and this is you getting back at me for the breakup. I get it, totally." 
"Maxie...aren't you gonna deny anything?" Barbara questioned. 
"Deny it? Why should I? It goes without saying! It's absurd! Laughable! Me, the eeeeevil mastermind! Oh my God, KittyKat. You're serious, aren't you?" Max could hardly contain his laughter. 
"As a jellyfish sting on a nudist beach, Sparky." Kat answered. 
"Hoooooo, now this I've gotta hear. Please, enlighten your audience. What exactly tells you that it's me--me!--and no one else?" 
"You did." 
"I did?" 
"Not directly. But you've slipped. A few times, actually. Minor things that normally wouldn't raise suspicion on their own. But put it all in context and it makes up a veeery interesting puzzle. Let's turn back the page a few months. Hoodsie. Remember that lunch we had with Care? I had Shizuka with me that day." 
"Uh...oh, I remember! Yeah, we chatted for a bit and we went our separate ways. Nothing really out of the ordinary." Natalia replied. 
"Right. After I left, I took Shizuka to the arcade. I get there, and who do I run into but Sparky. And oh, the conversation we had. You remember, Sparky?" 
"....." Max looked away. 
"It was a pretty insightful convo. Let me enlighten y'all on some of the highlights." 
Kat began to imitate Max's voice. 
"There just has to be a way to deal with these people, right? Stop them before they ever hurt anyone. Make a world where no one has to suffer trauma." 
"There's the other thing that's been eating at me. He got away with it since no one could see it. If he wasn't one of the hand freaks, we might've never gotten to stopping him, and Ibuki would be in even worse shape. Once that door closes, you never know what happens. People can be doing the worst crap at home, then put on a fake smile and pretend everything's fine for the rest of the world. That's the stuff we can only stop by accident." 
"And oh, my personal favorite..." 
"Guess that's one way to look at it. If the world was perfect, we wouldn't be sneaking around like we do. Well, mostly sneaking, I just shoot bolts of lighting and hope for the best. I didn't get anything stealthy like teleporting, or walking through walls, or turning into a cat, or phasing into machinery..." 
Max said nothing. 
"Not fond of impressions when they're from someone else, huh? But anyway, that last one, mmmmph. It's like you were begging for me to suspect you." 
"And how do you figure that?" Max questioned. 
"The line about turning into a cat." 
"What about it? Everyone knows you can do that." 
"Back then they didn't. At that point, I'd only told Hoodsie and Care about it, along with Prof and Doc. And the funny thing is, I'd only told Care about it that day at lunch. Not even an hour before. Either that's the weirdest coinkydink in the universe, or somebody was eavesdropping. Would explain how you knew I'd be at that arcade, too. I didn't tell anyone about that one outside of lunch." 
"Tch...so that's it? A couple of random coincidences is your evidence that I'm the villain here?" 
"Ohohoho, noooo. I've got so much more to show on that front. You really messed up in thinking you could BS your way past me. So. Let's continue the presentation, shall we?" 
Kat took out a book that had been hidden behind the podium. "Here's a little diddy I checked out from the school library. The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of LA Mancha. The classic of classics." 
"What, now it's reading time? Are you bipolar or something?" Max questioned. 
"Let me finish, Sir Blockhead. See, you can learn so much about a person just from the media they consume. And consume, Maxie very much has. You checked this very book into the library after winter break. Now I know we're a gaggle of bookworms in this room, so let's talk about Don Quixote for a second." 
"The discount store?" Kibō questioned. 
"We gonna start singing 'Miracle Shopping' now?" Ibuki asked. 
"Not that Don Quixote, you goofs. The one from the book. The whimsical tale of a middle-aged man going around, causing fights and beating up on windmills while pretending to be a knight. It's written in such a way that you can't tell if it's a comedy or a tragedy. Everyone has their own interpretation. What's yours, Sparky?" Kat posed. 
"Tch. You're really pushing this. But fine. I'll tell you. I see it as a tragedy. An idealistic man espousing virtuous and knightly ideals, met only with hostility and violence at every turn. Things like chivalry and idealism can't stand against painful reality. He gets beaten up and tossed aside so many times over the course of the novel, his only crime being that his reality is a fairy tale. This was the early 1600s. Heroism was already perceived as an outdated and mad concept even back then. Four centuries later, nothing's changed. We're all supposed to accept the flaws of the world, with no real power to change a thing about it. And the ones who want to be the heroes? The ones that want to do the right thing? They're laughed off and ignored. 'What can you do?' You look online and you see a new disaster cropping up somewhere every single day. The ones with the power to make things better never do. The world needs a real hero to guide it. One that doesn't care about the consequences of a broken society." Max dictated. 
"A hero like you?" 
Max scoffed. "None of you are buying this crap, are you?" 
"....." The others didn't respond. 
"Oh, come on. What's she even got on me? A coincidence and a book. That's it. So I think the world is shit. Newsflash: everyone does. You gonna hunt down every person on the planet that hates how it is and reads 17th century literature?" 
"Maxie...? Were you always this grim?" Sahir questioned. 
"Where have I heard all this before...?" Ibuki pondered. She thought back to their New Years picnic, when she looked on as he fished. 
"I hate the system that made you have to do those things. I hate that you had to suffer behind closed doors and that the ones that hurt you the most were supposed to keep you safe. There's too much of that garbage nowadays. We can talk about how blatantly corrupt people in power are, but it's the ones that leave their evil in the shadows that are the worst of the worst. The ones that pretend everything is normal on the outside while destroying the lives of others where no one can see." 
"Scum like that...what I wouldn't give to snuff them all out." 
"Is that it...? Is all of this your way of defeating evil? By giving people power they wouldn't normally have, where no one would've noticed?" Ibuki wondered. 
"What are you going on about?" Max asked. 
"Of course...having people defeat their oppressors and wrestle back control. Giving them the power to be their own hero." Kenneth surmised. 
"Maxie...it is true, isn't it? You really..." Natalia uttered. 
"Oh, bull! BULL! If she told you that bears could spontaneously grow wings and sing Sinatra hits, you'd believe her without even questioning it! What does a common thief living off her daddy's Kpop money have on you all?! This is all a frame job, it's so obvious!" Max stood up and ranted. 
"What's with the anger? He's like a completely different person..." Kibō pondered. 
Max composed himself. "Barb. You're not like them, right? You don't buy a word of this, right? Barb...?" 
Barbara was staring at her phone. "Care...I just sent you something important." 
Carrie had an email notification. She pulled it up. "Ah...what is this?" 
"Maxie. It's Captain Thunder, isn't it?" Barbara asked. 
"Huh?" Max uttered. 
"I knew I saw it somewhere before. The sketch...when we were kids and we played pretend, you were the hero trying to save me. 'Captain Thunder, the Bolt of Justice'. You made so many drawings. So I sent Mama a photo of that sketch and asked if it looked familiar." 
"You what?!" 
The image appeared on the giant screen. A conversation between Barbara and her mother. The most recent one read, "Oh! That looks a bit like the character Starbolt made up when you were kids, doesn't it? I actually have one of the drawings in my drawer here...what a blast from the past, hm? Lol." 
Beneath that text was an image. A crayon drawing of a triumphant-looking figure with black armor and glowing white eyes, with an addition of a blue lightning bolt symbol on their chest. Written in black crayon was the name "Captain Thunder" with two tiny lightning bolts on either side of it. 
"Dude..." Sahir uttered. 
"That...looks like..." Natalia responded. 
Max's mouth was agape. Shadows covered his eyes. Disbelief was too kind of a word to describe it. 
"Checkmate." Kat stated. 
Another silence fell over the room. 
"Oh, boy...here it comes." Ryōma said. Rin and Rose looked on. 
"Any more counterpoints, capitano?" Kat asked. 
Max looked down. "Heh...hehe..." 
He snickered. Unlike his boisterous laughter from earlier, there was a somber resignation to it. He put a hand to his face, and took his glasses off. "Fair play to you, KittyKat. And I suppose, to my own mother. Unbelievable. Really, unbelievable." 
He pocketed his glasses. "Well. Guess there's nothing else for it. I'll spell it out. Our dear leader got it right. I'm the Captain." 
"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Ibuki sprang to her feet and drew out her bow, firing a light arrow at Max. 
"Wait a sec, Bookie--!" Kat pleaded. 
Max gave it a glance. He raised his arm and caught the arrow out of the air--his arm now covered by a distinctive black armor. 
"His arm...so he really is..." Carrie muttered. 
"I can't take this, man!" Sahir exclaimed. 
Max exerted his force, and the arrow shattered in his hand. "I think we can have a few more words before this turns into a bloodbath, don't you think?" 
"You...you...!" Ibuki growled. 
Max sighed. "If you all insist." 
He vanished into a blue portal. He reappeared next to Kat, and took a swipe at her. However, he was met with empty air. "Hm?" 
The world began to shift around. Everybody was now in the front of the room. Jin was seated off to the side, his eyes glowing yellow. 
"An illusion. You knew it was me from the very start, didn't you?" Max asked. 
"Damn straight. I had to see how everyone would react just to make sure. Soon as you took the lead in finger-pointing, I knew my gut was right." Kat replied. 
"You knew full well that I was the one pulling the strings, and you never showed your hand in the slightest. You really are interesting. Laid-back and crude on the outside, but possessing the most dangerous mind I've ever met. I was wrong to call you a common thief. You're more of a threat than I gave you credit for." 
"Maxie...why?!" Barbara demanded. 
"How could you do this? You've seen just how much hurt you've caused, and you kept going anyways? What are you doing?" Kibō questioned. 
"It's like you all deduced. I'm bringing out the best in people and giving them the strength to overcome their trauma on their own. But that's just the start. In truth, I've perfected the Ashen Artisans' methods." Max answered. 
"Perfected them?! How does creating bullies and enslaving people compare to what we're doing?!" Sahir demanded. 
"I'm not much different from the day I walked into these halls. I hate injustice and corruption just as much as you all. And for a while, I thought that our work was fruitful. But then I realized, it was too short-sighted. A crooked cop here, a morally bankrupt doctor there. We were taking out the symptoms without even scraping the surface of the greater disease underneath it all. My Prison system allows for those scarred by this world to take control for themselves. Empowering and driving change...how is that any different from what we've all done up to this point?" 
"We've been targeting those that were already monsters. You've taken innocent people and turned them into monsters." Sakuya rebuked. 
"You claim to be seeking a just world where anyone can be heroic, yet what problems are you solving? Stoking the flames of trauma and turning the abused into slave masters...how is that in any way comparable to what we're doing?" Kenneth retorted. 
"Let me answer that question with one of my own. Could you have stopped my father?" Max replied. 
"Maxie...?" Barbara uttered. 
"What about your father, Sakuya? Or your mother, Kenny? If Officer Hirano wasn't part of Death's Hand, would we have ever been able to put an end to the abuse he was inflicting onto Ibuki? Would the man who ruined your career ever been brought to justice, Coach Tsutsugo? Could we have ever saved your parents from their fate, Carrie? The thugs that tormented Leon, or the ghosts haunting Kaido? Could your father and brother have been saved, Professor?" 
"Get to the point, asshole!" Ibuki demanded. 
"Evil is everywhere. It lurks in every corner, behind every door, where nobody can see it. My father was able to get away with so many wrongs for years. Years! Before we were ever conceived! Nobody would have ever suspected him if you didn't rat him out, Barb. Every inferno was a spark in the beginning. By the time anyone notices that there's a fire, it's already caused too much damage. You can put it out with a grand effort, but the damage will be done. The scars will remain. What if it could all be prevented before the problem ever became a problem? That's where the Prisons come in. Whether as a Warden or as someone who surrendered their Desires, I've created a way for ill thoughts to be subdued before they ever come to pass. The spark is snuffed out before it can ever consume a thing. I've built an end to any and all evil!" 
"Will you get a load of this egomaniacal bullshit?" Ryōma sniped. 
"You've made a mess is what you've done." Jin responded. 
"You think this is an end to evil? Do you think my family was happy to be put under a trance? That my mother was glad to be rendered comatose and forced to relive the worst moments of her life? Or that the people who had their Desires taken were happy to be torn from their lives?" Rin retorted. 
"This is no end to the fire. This is rerouting the fire so that it causes more pain and misery somewhere else. The end result is the same no matter what you do." Rose added. 
"You went into the Prisons yourself. The Wardens and everyone else...they weren't happy! They were miserable! They would have been happier just being themselves!" Natalia responded. 
"This mess you've made...it won't make anyone happy. You aren't being a hero, Sparky. You should know this is wrong." Kat stated. 
"And who is to be the hero, then? You? The thief who withheld information from her friends? Who went behind their backs and allowed them to argue amongst themselves, just to see if I would incriminate myself in the process? I wasn't the only one wearing a mask, KittyKat." Max retorted. 
"....." 
"Bro, please...you have to know this isn't right. If you wanted to be a hero so badly, you should've just stuck with saving people with the rest of us. What do you even get from making us more popular?" Barbara questioned. "Maxie, I'm begging you. Stop this. It doesn't have to end in a fight." 
"You're right, Sis. It doesn't. Which is why I'm offering an easy solution to this debate." Max replied. 
"A solution?" 
"Join with me. Help to guide mankind in a just and fair way. The Ashen Artisans' popularity has never been higher. You all can shape this world in such a way that no one has to suffer like you've suffered any longer. You can be the heroes that this planet needs." 
"Get fucked! That's never gonna happen!" Ibuki refused. 
"Not surprising, given how high emotions currently are. We should have this conversation again after you've all cooled off." Max put one finger up. "One month. March 16. That'll give you plenty of time to assess the situation and make your own conclusions. I'll be waiting for you in the Prison. My Prison. Put yourself in my shoes, and ask again if my words are the ravings of a madman. 'Captain Thunder' is my key phrase." Blue energy surrounded him. "So long." He disappeared. 
"Get back here--dammit!" Kat griped. She took out her phone, and opened the Metaverse app. She typed in Max's name and the key phrase. 
"Access denied." 
"Shit! He's locked us out. We really do have to wait for him now." Kat said. "How we feeling, guys--guys?" 
The rest of the group looked morose. 
"I'm, uh...my head hurts. I need a bit to digest all that..." Sahir uttered. 
"Y'all can have fun with this. I'm out of here." Ibuki hurried out of the auditorium. 
"Ibuki, wait!" Barbara called out. 
"Up for a round of apologizing in your other half's absence? Don't even bother. I'm hearing none of it." Kenneth departed. 
"What...? Wait, I'm not..." 
"Read the room, Senpai. We can't go back to the way things were. Not now." Sakuya left. 
"Tch..." Sahir followed. 
"I, uh..." Natalia wiped a tear from her eye. "I'll see you guys around..." Natalia skulked away. 
"Come on, wait a second...I didn't...Keeb, you don't--Keeb?" Barbara responded. 
Kibō put his hood over his head, his hands in his pockets, and started walking. 
"Wait! Don't tell me you're going, too? We have to talk this over! You believe me, don't you?" 
Kibō stopped. "I don't know what to believe anymore. Just...give me some space. My parents needed help at the shop today, anyhow. Family's important, you know." He walked away. 
Barbara looked despondent. She didn't respond. 
"Barbie..." Kat reached out. Barbara moved out of the way. 
"....." She made for the entrance. A slow walk quickly turning into a sprint. 
"....." Kat decided against giving chase. 
"What a morning this turned out to be." Ryōma said. 
Jin slapped the back of his head. 
"Ow! The hell, man?" 
"Time and place, asshole." 
Carrie put a hand on Kat's shoulder. "Give them time. That was...a lot. They'll understand why you had to keep it a secret. But it's still plenty for them to digest." She kissed Kat on the cheek. "I'll be in my dorm if you need me. I'll call later to see how Barbara is doing. See you." She left. 
Kat somberly slumped into one of the seats. 
"There was no easy way for you to do that. Please don't kick yourself over this." Rin stated. 
"There's still plenty that remains unknown. How did he come to obtain this power? Could there be another force aiding him?" Rose pondered. 
"That can come later. Right now it needs to sink in for everybody. You're probably going to have to be on damage control for the next few days. I'll give you as much time as you need. If you have to take days off, I'll take the heat from my superiors. Focus on everyone else. And yourself. We're here for you. Alright?" 
Kat put up a half-smile. "Thanks, Prof." 
Rin patted her on the shoulder. "We're picking up Shizuka now if you need a distraction. Our door is always open. Good luck." 
The adults departed. Kat was left alone to her thoughts. 
It was an ordinary Saturday morning. Until it wasn't.
--- 
It was late night. The lights were off in the dorms. Kat was sitting in her bed in silence. Rin's voice echoed in her head. 
"The next few days are going to be critical. Not only for mending your group dynamic, but in healing everyone's hearts. To call it a shock to the system would be an understatement. You know how to get along with them in a way no one else can. Rose calls you the 'Wild Card'. No matter the person's temperament or personality, you can connect with them and talk them through their problems. That's why you can awaken so many different Personas. Max called your mind dangerous. Bringing everyone back together and stopping his plans will put that dangerous brain to the test. You have my utmost support and confidence." 
Kat glanced at her phone. On-screen was a photo of herself and Max in a store in Akihabara, her arm around his shoulders with a mischievous grin on her face. 
She buried her head in her knees. "Why couldn't I be wrong this time?" 
--- 
February 17, 2030 
Kat couldn't sleep. She left her room and, groggily, sat down to eat breakfast. She noticed that the door to Barbara's room was still shut. 
"Her door's never closed...and she's usually up before me. Sigh...I shouldn't be surprised." 
She set about making her usual Sunday breakfast--French toast with a glass of warm milk--and got dressed. She finished eating, grabbed her things, and prepared to leave. 
She stopped in front of Barbara's door. "....." 
She took a breath, and put a hand on the door. "Barbie?" 
No response. 
"I know you're awake in there. You don't sleep in. You probably didn't sleep at all last night. I know I didn't." 
"Look...I'm not gonna stand here and say that I understand what you're going through. My sister did some bad things, yeah, but she wasn't the brains behind it. I know how different it is for twins. So I'll never really know how awful this is to deal with." 
"Sparky broke my heart. More than once. And it meant a lot to me that you supported me after we broke up. I know we haven't had as much time together this year between me and Care, and everything going on with Hoodsie. Being honest, I haven't been a good friend to you lately. It sucks that it would take something like this for me to realize and admit that, but I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I love you like I love my own sister. I want to be your shoulder to cry on, but I totally get it if you don't want to see anyone right now." 
"I'm gonna head out to see how the rest of the gang's holding up. Probably not much better, to be honest. I dunno when I'll be back, so..." Kat paused. "Stay strong, beautiful. A frown doesn't suit you. Whenever you're ready, I'll drop everything and I'll listen. See you when I see you." 
Barbara could hear the front door opening and closing. The lights were off in her room, and she was sprawled on her bed. The look in her eyes was indicative of two things: she hadn't gotten a good night's sleep, and she had spent a substantial amount of time crying. 
Beside her pillow was a framed photograph of the twins when they were younger, Barbara emphatically hugging her brother. The frame bore the message, "Twins, a Built-in Best Friend!" 
Kat stood outside the apartment. She removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes. 
"Good morning, Kitten." Carrie approached. 
"Hey, Care." 
"You look like you've had better nights." 
"Well it wasn't fun, I'll tell you that for free." 
"I can't imagine that it was. I know you're still hurt by how it ended between you two--" 
"That doesn't matter." 
"Don't internalize it. Your pain matters as much as anyone's. Your heart is broken, I can see it." 
"I love you." 
"I know that you do. But you also loved him. That doesn't upset me." 
"We don't have time for this. Everyone else needs help way more than I do. Barbie still hasn't come out of her room. I'm not even sure if Bookie will ever talk to us again after that. I'm just the idiot that hid the truth from everyone and let them turn on each other just so Sparky would slip." 
Kat slumped against the door, sliding down until she was crouching. "I'm not Prof. I'm not. She keeps everyone happy and everyone loves being around her. I'm just a gremlin getting under everyone's skin and causing discord." Her head dropped. "It shouldn't be me. This just proves it. Maybe Sparky's right. You all could do so much better. You deserve to be heroes. I could never." 
Carrie grabbed her. "Don't you talk like that! What Maxwell is offering isn't what humanity needs. Taking away free will isn't heroic. You did nothing wrong by keeping your suspicions a secret. If you'd told anyone else, it would have made keeping the secret that much more difficult. We had to have more proof before we could confront him about it. You don't have to be the Professor. You just have to be you. And I think you're an amazing person in your own right." 
The two gently touched heads. "You can't heal everyone's pain if you haven't healed yours. And you shouldn't do it alone. Lean on me whenever you need to. I can handle it. Strength as diamonds." Carrie winked. 
The girls kissed. "...I needed that. Thanks, Care Bear." 
"Of course. Come, on your feet." 
Carrie helped Kat up. "Okay...so where do we even start?" Kat asked. 
"Natalia left earlier for Shibuya. She still seemed shaken from yesterday. We should definitely check up on her." 
"Yeah, good idea. Getting put on the spot looked like it bothered her more than anyone. Being real, I think some of the others might need more time to cool off. One fiery lass in particular." 
"Agreed. Let's do what we can today." Carrie took Kat's hand. "Come now." 
"Okay..." Kat blushed. 
--- 
"Ugh, feels like we've asked every fashion store around here. Still nada." Kat stated. The girls were in front of the crowded Hachikō statue. 
"If only it wasn't so busy around here...it's so easy to lose yourself in this place." Carrie responded. 
"No kidding. Hard to believe this is where Hoodsie came to decompress. The old her would've fainted at the sight of this many people." Kat sighed. "I'm so proud of her. I hate the thought that she's this upset over something I did wrong." 
"It was nothing that you did. All of this frustration stems from Maxwell's actions. But agreed, I don't want her feeling badly for long." 
"We've really taken personal responsibility for her, huh?" 
"Absolutely. Even now when she's found her confidence. Perhaps we've become overprotective." 
"Well, she deserves it. She's gonna do awesome things down the line. But right now we've gotta find her. Let's keep looking around." 
The girls asked around at a couple more stores, until they arrived at a vegan shop. "Excuse me, have you seen a cute blonde girl our age come through here? Heart glasses, red streaks in her hair, probably wearing a hoodie?" Kat asked the cashier. 
"Oh, yes, a girl like that did come through here a little while ago. She bought a salad kit and a couple other things." the cashier confirmed. 
"Did she say where she was going?" Carrie asked. 
"Only that she was going somewhere peaceful, away from the crowds. She seemed a little sad. Probably just needed some time alone. If I were to guess a place, the closest would be Shinjuku Gyo-en." 
"The park, we know exactly where that is. Thanks for the info." Kat replied. 
The girls left for the park, on the border of Shibuya and Shinjuku. "I remember this place...this is where we got to know Ibuki after freeing her." Carrie stated. 
"Yeah. Back when brighter days seemed only a hop away." Kat replied. 
"They still can be. Hope isn't lost, far from it. That's what we need to remind everyone." 
The girls searched through the park, eventually coming across a familiar sight in a grassy field. Natalia was seated in the grass, eating the meal she'd bought from the veggie shop. Even with her heart shades on, there was still loneliness evident in her expression. 
"D'oh..." Kat somberly uttered. 
The two walked over to her. "Heya, Hoods." 
"Oh...hey guys." Natalia quietly uttered. 
"You have room for a couple more?" Carrie asked. 
Natalia looked around at the grassy field. "I mean, yeah. Guess I do." 
Kat and Carrie sat down in the grass. 
"So...pretty nice day out, huh?" Kat asked unconvincingly. 
"You're really gonna try the 'nice day today' bit?" Natalia replied. 
"Sorry..." 
"No, no, don't be. I'm just..." Natalia paused. "Did yesterday...really happen?" 
"I'm afraid that it did." Carrie answered. 
"I was hoping I'd just dreamed all of it...it doesn't feel real. Maxie's the one behind all of it...the one that hurt Layla. How could he do all of that? He saw what was happening in the Prisons. How miserable everyone inside was. And how it seriously hurt the Professor's mom. Even after all of that, he kept going and tried it with Layla. Why...?" 
"I don't know, Natty. I wish more than anything that I did. The only one that can answer that is him." Kat replied. 
"And everyone...everyone was so angry. I was so happy to be in a group where everyone got along, but...we all turned on each other with the tiniest bit of suspicion. Even me...I said some pretty awful things to Keeb. Targeting him just because of what his brother did wasn't okay. After everything I've gone through...everything I've tried to tell Layla about the power to change...that wasn't the right thing to do. I feel so awful about it..." 
"I don't think anyone's gonna be happy about how yesterday went down. I hated seeing everyone arguing. It's made me second-guess if that was the right thing to do or not. But what's done is done. So now we have to start gluing everything back together, because..." 
Kat looked down. "Because it's all my fault and I can't face this by myself." 
"...d'aaaaaw, come here, KittyKat..." 
The girls all hugged. "Ooooh, my girls...I'd be so hopeless without you all..." 
"Let's go get everyone back. We have to face this together. 'A house divided cannot stand', as the saying goes. And we need you for that, Natalia." Carrie said. 
"No one can stay mad after a Hoodsie Hug, after all." Kat added. 
"I don't want everyone to stay angry...and there's no way I'm gonna quit now. I won't let Maxie get away with threatening Layla like that. But first...we all have to apologize. I was gonna go to Akihabara after this to say sorry to Keeb. It'll be a lot easier if I had you guys with me." Natalia stated. 
"Of course. And I do believe that Sakuya is working today, so we can stop by to talk with her on the way." Carrie replied. 
"Sounds like a plan to me. Let's boogie." Kat said. 
"Uh, before that..." Natalia reached into her bag and pulled out a box of pastries. "I didn't want to have to finish this by myself. Dessert's a lot better with friends." 
"Oh, yes please. Here's to improving the mood."
--- 
"Here it is. Otaku heaven." Kat stated. The girls were now in the middle of Akihabara. 
She sighed. "Just doesn't feel as magical now. I liked having someone to geek out with here. Someone that actually gets my references." 
"If it makes you feel better, I've been trying to catch up on that 'Metal Gear' series you talk about so much. It's good...I think? If I'm being honest, it's rather..." Carrie responded. 
"Say no more. It's probably not the best thing for newbies to try to figure out. It's the thought that counts. Why don't we stick with my anime playlist?" 
The girls walked to where the maid café was where Sakuya worked. Natalia rang the bell on the counter. "Um, excuse me?" 
A woman in a maid outfit appeared. "Oh, hello! You girls are Saku's friends, aren't you?" 
"Yeah, that's us. Is she in today?" Kat asked. 
"Yep, let me go grab her..." 
The maid went to a table where Sakuya was taking an order. "Hey, Saku. Some of your friends are here to see you." 
Sakuya glanced over, seeing that the girls were looking. The three of them waved. Sakuya looked away. "Tell them I'm busy." 
"Saku, you know it's not gonna look good if you're grouchy for the entire day. 'Service with a smile' is the law of the land. Go ahead and take a 30. You'll feel better after a chat." 
"I'm not entirely sure about that." 
Sakuya clocked out, and walked outside, past the girls. "Well, come on then. If it's an awkward conversation you're looking for, I'd prefer that it stay out of sight." She stopped. "And I'd like it if it's just Kat-chan. Alone. If you wouldn't mind." 
"Uh..." Kat looked to Carrie and Natalia. 
"I suppose we'll be getting ourselves a table." Carrie responded. 
"Have fun with the awkward convo! We'll just have to sit here and enjoy some cookies. Oh, the horror." Natalia added. 
"...you'd better save me some." Kat griped, and she followed Sakuya out. "Hey, could I have a couple glasses of water?" she asked one of the maids. 
"Oh, certainly." 
A minute later, Kat walked out carrying the two glasses. Sakuya was seated at a table, an aura of displeasure about her. "Thought we could use some refreshments, in case the temperature gets wonky." Kat said. 
"It's the middle of February and you're wearing a jacket and boots. Overheating is the least of your worries." Sakuya rebuked. 
"Ehehe, yeah...fair enough." Kat sat in awkward silence. 
"So to what do I owe this visit? Curious about why Max-kun betrayed us and so you've come to the group traitor to pick her brain?" 
"Not even close. I just wanted to see how you were doing. Yesterday was a lot. I wanna know where your head's at." 
"My head? Hm. Hard to say. I would like to tell you that I feel double-crossed and every other synonym for betrayal. But as others in the room yesterday can attest, I myself am synonymous with those words. Now I know how you all must have felt once my duplicity was revealed. It's just desserts, I suppose." 
"That's water under the bridge, Mags. None of that was your--" 
"Why you, of all people?" 
"Huh?" 
"How is it that you're the one always coming to my defense? I seem to recall you being absolutely livid at the idea of me being around. Screamed something to the effect of me ruining your family." 
"I...did do that, yeah." 
"Let me stop sugarcoating the issue. I don't think me being involved with the group is a good idea going forward. It's clear from yesterday's events that I'll never be able to shake the 'traitor' reputation easily. I think it's best for everyone if I'm as far removed from you all as possible in the future." 
"Bullshit! How can you say something like that?! The only one bringing up the traitor BS was the one trying to deflect away from himself! So what, you're gonna call it quits cuz you think we all think that way? This isn't just a team thing, Saku. You're our friend. I know one guy that stood up for you yesterday. The king of skirt chasers whose old man would probably strangle him if he knew about your secret. You can't just say that no one here cares about you when it couldn't be farther from reality." 
"I appreciate everything you all have done for me. Truly. If it weren't for Carrie-chan, I never would have found my mother. And Sahir-kun has been nothing short of wonderful. I don't say this easily. But in the long run, it would be better for everyone if stayed far away. Go back to our Spain trip. When my old classmates showed up and you all confronted them for how they treated me, it could have gotten you into serious trouble." 
"But it didn't. Prof reported them for what they said to you. And who was the one that tore into the main bitch saying those things?" 
"Kat-chan, please. You have enough things to worry about without having to come to my defense every time some ignorant fool says something bigoted." 
"What's it gonna take for me to get you to see that I'm here for you no matter what?" 
"....." 
"Y'know what? I'm not gonna get anywhere with you unless I was a..." 
Kat had an idea. She put her hood over her head. Then, she grabbed both of the water glasses. "What are you...?" Sakuya questioned. 
Kat proceeded to dump both of the glasses over her head. "Have you lost your mind?!" Sakuya demanded. 
"Tah-dah! Fuzzy and wet, just like a seal! Wanna gimme a glomp? My nose isn't as boop-able, but I'm close enough, right?" Kat exclaimed. 
Sakuya began to snicker. She tried to suppress any laughter, but failed. "You're insane, you know that? Completely out of your mind!" 
"Says you and every teacher I had in middle school." 
"They sound like incredibly wise people. Now take that jacket off this instant, before you catch a cold!" 
Kat did as ordered. "I'll be leaving this out to dry. I'll be by your dorm to drop it off after work. Why in the world would you do something so ridiculous?" Sakuya asked. 
"Got you to drop the prim and proper act, didn't it? Just letting you know that I'm totally serious about wanting you around." 
"Yes...so serious that you would dump water over yourself in an attempt to get a hug out of me. You realize that I can't afford to have my work uniform be soaking wet, don't you?" 
"Ah...shoot. Didn't really think of that. But I got the point across, right?" 
"Yes, you did. For better or for worse, you still want me around. Even with everything I've done. How can you seriously be so understanding?" 
"Cuz I've been there. We can't keep going if we let the bad things we've done hold us back. You're my friend, Saku. That's all that matters. And you aren't the same as Sparky. You were mistreated and lied to your whole life. You know better now." 
"Max-kun was mistreated by his own father, too." 
"Sparky...I can't begin to understand what he's thinking. So I'm gonna ask him. But I need everyone with me. We all deserve to know. And that includes you. You're not 'Sakuya, Death's Hand general' to me. You're 'Sakuya, my friend'." 
"Kat-chan...I'm sorry. I'm forever grateful to you for giving me a place to belong. I want to repay that kindness. I'm so...so tired of feeling like I deserve mistreatment. For who I am, for what I've done. And for Max-kun to try to use me as a scapegoat in such a manner is unacceptable. So I'll follow you for as long as you need. In confronting him and beyond. Not as the one that deceived you once...but as your grateful friend." 
A familiar feeling stirred in Kat's heart. Rose's voice echoed. 
"I am thou, thou art I. Thy vow has been reborn as a blood oath. It shall become as a dagger, to cut the path to thine own future. Thou has reached a true understanding of Temperance, granting thee new power..." 
Kat received a vision of her dagger sticking into the ground. It's eyes glowed, and energy poured out from them. This energy formed into an entity resembling a snow-white tiger, with tufts of white hair adorning its legs and face, resembling a beard on the latter. 
"I am Baekho, the king of all the beasts. Thou who possesses a heart of grand virtue...allow me to become thy dagger!" 
Kat returned to reality. 
"Now that it's settled, will you be staying around for a little longer?" Sakuya asked. 
"I'd love to, but we've got some more bridges to mend. Hoodsie needs to go apologize to Keebie for yesterday." Kat replied. 
"Understandable. You may need to remind them of that, however." Sakuya gestured towards the window. Natalia and Carrie could be seen enjoying cookies inside. Kat motioned for them to come out. 
The two exited. "Sorry, we...may have gotten carried away." Natalia apologized. 
"Kitten, what happened to your jacket?" Carrie asked. 
"It's a long, tragic story filled with intrigue. One we can get into later. We've gotta go, Maggie." Kat replied. 
"Message me when you're home. I'll stop by to give you your jacket. And to see how Senpai is doing. How has she been handling this?" Sakuya asked. 
"Not good. Not even close. If nothing else, we need everyone together for her sake. Her brother might be gone, but she still has us. I know that's no substitute, but we're her family. We've gotta make this right, together." 
"I wish you luck in that endeavor. I'll see you later tonight. Now to explain this jacket to my boss..." 
The girls departed from the café. After some walking, they arrived at the Master Plan Electronics store. "You ready for this, Hoodsie?" Kat asked. 
"Is he even gonna want to see us after yesterday?" Natalia questioned. 
"He was rather cold when he left. Even he wasn't sure if we could trust Barbara. I never would've believed it. Her response to that...oh, it was heartbreaking." Carrie answered. 
"Exactly why I'm gonna give him a long overdue talking-to. You don't do my girl like that, even if he's a really good masseuse that knows all the right spots. Let's go say hi." Kat opened the door. 
The girls entered. "Yo-ho. Anyone home?" Kat called out. She turned to the counter. 
Kabu had his back turned, and had earphones on. 
"Uhhh, hello? Old Man Keebie? You in there?" 
No response. 
"Great customer service. The hell's he even listening to?" 
"--BORN IN FLAMES, I HAVE BEEN BLESSED, MY FAMILY CREST IS A DEMON OF DEATH--!" The music blared in his ears. 
"Kabu!" Kyoko stomped over and removed the headphones. 
"Yow! What's the big idea?!" Kabu griped. 
"Who has music going where they can't even hear customers?! You want us to get review bombed online?" 
"You're asking me why I'm avoiding talking to people?" 
"Uggggh, you're impossible!" Kyoko looked to the girls. "Oh, hey there, ladies. Sorry that this rude doofus kept you waiting." She bore one finger down on his head and pushed. 
"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" 
"That really isn't necessary, Mrs. Ishimaru. We were only waiting for a few seconds." Carrie insisted. 
"...hm?" Kyoko noticed something. "Oh...I see Barbie's not with you." 
"No...she's not." Kat uttered. 
"Not surprising. Keebie told us what happened yesterday. So her bro was the one that's been messing with people, huh? And that includes Hana, right?" 
"Yes, ma'am." Natalia confirmed. 
"Damn. The hell's that boy's problem?!" She put pressure on her finger again. 
"Owowowowowow!" Kabu griped. 
"Easy there, Thunderbolt, you're gonna burrow a hole into your hubby's head." Kat cautioned. 
"Oh, whoops. That'd probably be a bad thing, wouldn't it?" Kyoko pulled her finger away. 
"Ugh...love you too, honey." Kabu rubbed his head. 
"I still can't believe this is the environment Keebie grew up in." Kat stated. "Oh, duh! The whole reason why we're here! Is your boy around?" 
"Hunh, I just saw him before you all walked in." Kabu replied. 
"Keebiiiiiiie! Where are ya, handsome? You've got a line of beautiful girls here to see ya!" Kyoko called out. 
Kat looked around. Behind one aisle of computers, a recognizable shape stuck out. An ahoge. 
"Keebie, you clown! We can see you, y'know!" 
Kibō rose up. "Curse this stupid haircut." 
"Why don't you just cut that stray hair off?" Carrie asked. 
"I have. It just comes back faster and bigger." 
"Just like my second dates. Wut." Kat stated. 
"Ummm..." Natalia fidgeted. 
Kibō sighed. "Why don't we take this to the break room?" He glanced at his parents, who were both watching closely, then quickly looked away, his mother whistling. "You know, where it's private." 
The group walked into the back room, Kibō glaring at his parents on the way in. He closed the door behind him. "Okay, so--" 
As soon as he turned, Kat slapped him across the face. "Ow!" 
"Sorry not sorry. Needed to get that out of my system. I'll deal with you as soon as Hoodsie gets her word in." Kat replied. 
"Here's hoping it's a long word..." 
Natalia began rubbing her arm. "Hey, so, um...about yesterday..." 
"Which part of yesterday? The part where we got backstabbed? Or the part where you accused me of being as bad as my brother?" 
Carrie put an arm around Kibō's shoulder. "Be polite, please." she said in a manner that could be described as both pleasant and unpleasant at once. 
"Er, ah...sorry. You were saying, Nat?" 
Natalia bowed her head. "I'm really sorry I said those things! I know you aren't a bad guy like that. I just got caught up in the moment. Everyone was just arguing and pointing fingers and I didn't even think about it until Ibuki started questioning me and I felt so sick and--" 
"Breathe, Hoods, breathe!" Kat rubbed her back. 
"Mweeeeeh...I hate this. I don't want everyone to be mad at each other! There's only one person we should be mad at, and he's probably sitting back and laughing at us for falling apart like this. I love all you guys and...we all just need to sit down and work it out! Because...we've all grown up and changed over the last year and a half, and we've done all that as a group. I don't want that to be undone because of one bad day. So...I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?" 
"Nat..." Kibō responded. 
"Care, take your hands off of him. He shouldn't feel threatened about an answer. That's against the whole point of us coming here." 
"Right you are. My apologies." Carrie backed away. 
Kibō slumped. "I'm not mad at you, Nat. Everyone said some things yesterday they'd love to take back. I'm madder at myself for...well, a lot. Not seeing through Max's tricks, for starters." 
"That's nobody's fault. If Kitten hadn't told me about those oddities in his behavior, I never would have picked up on anything being wrong. He clearly put his acting talents to use. Even when he'd speak in dark terms about the world, it didn't set off any alarms. It's as he said. Many people share those same feelings." Carrie replied. 
"But we were close to him. I was probably around him more than anyone besides Sahir. I never saw anything that would've clued me in. I never would've believed it if he didn't come out with it himself. ....." Kibō went silent. 
"...give us a minute." Kat requested. 
Carrie and Natalia obliged, and turned for the door. Natalia hugged Kibō on the way out. "I'm so sorry, again." she said. 
"Don't worry about it. I'm not mad." Kibō reassured. 
The two girls left the room. 
"...I already know what you're gonna say." Kibō said. 
"What am I gonna say?" Kat asked. 
"Your slap said enough. I...I messed it up. I should've been there for Barb instead of walking away like I did. I can give the excuse that everyone stormed out and I needed to clear my head, but I shouldn't have been so cold. She hasn't been taking it well, has she?" 
"Nope. Or, I don't know, actually. She's locked herself in her room and wouldn't answer me when I was talking to her--or at her, I guess. She could be having a right old giggle fest in there for all I know." 
Kibō crouched down and put his hood over his head. "I'm so clueless. I couldn't catch onto what Max was doing, I couldn't be there when Barb needed me. I'm lost when it comes to half the stuff you talk about. I'm such a fool." 
"I don't think that. Me and Bookie might tease you over it, but I think it's charming. And have you seen the class rankings lately? You're no dummy." 
"A lot of good that's done recently. Book smarts aren't the same as street smarts. Getting high scores on a test isn't going to help when it comes to interacting with people. But you? Look at where you are on that list. Third behind me and Care. Difference being that you know how to talk to people where I can't. That's why I could never stick as leader. You're as personable as anyone I've ever met. Rich, poor, artist or athlete, it doesn't matter. All it takes is a few minutes of talking and they'll open up to you." 
"Nothing good comes from comparing yourself to someone else, Keebie." 
"It's the truth. Everywhere I fall short, you succeed. You're more worldly, more open, you and Care are there for each other and so obviously in love. I'm still wondering what Barb sees in me. And given my response yesterday, I'm even more confused. And you know what you want to do after graduating. I'm still clueless on that front, too. Most importantly of all, you figured out what Max was doing before anyone else even got a hint of suspicion. If I was still calling the shots, we wouldn't be anywhere close to figuring it out. What do I even have to offer?" 
Kat crouched down next to him. "You can be naive. And your common sense can definitely use some work. But you're brainy, and you're a really sweet guy, and Barbie's always going on about how good you are to her. She loves that you're such a good listener. And I love that you keep such a low profile so your parents can have something resembling a normal life. My Nana had this saying, 'You can judge a man's character by how well they treat their parents.'" 
"Your grandmother sounds like a wise woman." 
"Well, she has her sage moments. Other times she'll come up with some winners like, 'Find you a guy or gal that you can shower with and not have to turn on hot.'" 
Kibō's serious demeanor briefly broke, and he snickered. "Okay, now she sounds like your grandmother. And was the 'guy or gal' part specifically for you, or...?" 
"I swear, half my family knew before I ever did. But I digress. I get that you were shaken over yesterday. But...no one's worse off than Barbie right now. That was her lifelong partner that's behind all this. There's no easy recovery from that. She needs everyone behind her right now. Especially you." She put her head on his shoulder. "I was so jealous of Barbie for so long. She had a big softy like you that really cared about her. The moment I told Sparky how I felt, he bolted. I was so bitter and heartbroken. And until me and Care got together, I thought I'd never have that kind of understanding love with someone. Barbie needs you, Keebie. And when the time comes and she isn't able to raise a hand to her brother, it's gonna be on the best friend and the boyfriend to do it for her. The princess needs her knight in shining armor." 
"....." Kibō thought for a moment. "You really do know all the right buttons to push. I don't know how it took me until we were in literal Hell for me to realize it, but you should've been the leader from the beginning. I could study for a thousand years, but nothing I'd ever learn could compensate for what you have. I'm glad Barb has you to be there for her when I'm being such a dolt." He stood back up. "I have to get it together. I'm going to drag Max back. For Barb's sake. And for his." 
Kat patted him on the chest. "That's the spirit, big guy." 
"Thanks for the talking-to, KittyKat. You're a lifesaver. If anyone had to be at the head of the Round Table, I'm glad it's you. Thanks for being so patient. I'll try to be more real from now on." 
That feeling sprouted up in Kat once more. Rose's voice echoed. 
"I am thou, thou art I. Thy vow has been reborn as a blood oath. It shall become as a dagger, to cut the path to thine own future. Thou has reached a true understanding of The Magician, granting thee new power..." 
The dagger fell. The eyes glowed, and a spirit formed from the energy. It was a figure riding atop a stygian horse, garbed in a dark purple hood and wearing black leather armor beneath it. 
"I'm Mordred. Fufufufu, is that beautiful betrayal I sense? How interesting...I suppose I can become your dagger..." 
Kat snapped back into reality. 
"Well, guess the first step is to go and check in with Barb. She's probably still in her room, right?" Kibō asked. 
"Probably. But just pump the brakes for now. I've got the rest of the team to work on, and I wanted to get everyone to go see her together. You know where Kenny and Kicks would be?" Kat questioned back. 
"Kenneth was in his room when I left. Knowing him, he's probably staying put. Sahir was gonna head to the practice field yesterday before you-know-what happened, so that'd be where I'd look. You have a plan for how to soothe Ibuki?" 
"From a safe distance, for starters." 
The door opened slightly, and Carrie poked her head in. "Ah, are you two finished?" 
"It's all good. What's with the look?" Kat asked. 
"Kibō, could you come talk with your parents, please? They're scaring Natalia." 
"Oh for--what now?" Kibō walked out. "Mom, will you stop poking Dad--Dad, don't poke back, that's just gonna make it worse--" 
"That's gonna be you in 30 years, Keebie!" Kat teased.
--- 
The girls opted to take the train over to Shinjuku rather than going to the Academy first, knowing it would be their final stop regardless. The caveat of that strategy, however, meant that they would soon be tasked with assuaging a likely-seething Ibuki. 
So it was that they found themselves in front of the apartment where the Hinotama clan lived. "You think we should've shelled out for the body armor?" Kat asked. 
"She can't be that enraged still, can she?" Carrie questioned. 
"I mean...she looked like she was ready to kill Max yesterday. You know she has to be taking this a lot more personally, between what she went through with the Prison and...you know." Natalia surmised. 
"Imagine thinking you might've found a decent guy after years of awful ones, only for him to hurt you and then lie about it for so long. I don't want to meet the lass who'd be okay after that. So...steady yourselves, ladies. This might be rough." Kat prepared to knock on the door, but halted herself. "Shoot...know what I just realized? We'll probably have to talk with her sis first." 
"Oh...OH. You're right...I didn't even think of that. How's this gonna work?" 
"Just type out your responses on your phone. No need to speed-learn sign." Carrie suggested. 
"The wonders of technology. Maaaaybe having her fam here will help? And she won't try to strangle us on sight? Please don't be wishful thinking..." Kat knocked on the door. 
Inside, Kanae was alerted. She tugged on her mother's shirt, and pointed at the door. Kaede went to open it. 
"Hi." Kat waved. She typed into her phone. "Is Ibuki home?" 
Kaede paused. She pulled out her own phone and began typing. She showed the screen to the girls. "You sure you want to be seeing her right now?" 
"That...isn't a good sign." Carrie uttered. 
Kat typed again. "How bad is it?" 
Kaede responded. "It's...you'll see." 
The girls came inside. Kaede went to go get Ibuki. 
"Hiya, cutie. Is your Auntie doing OK?" Kat asked Kanae. 
"Auntie's acting all funny. She was all mad yesterday, but now she's really happy." the girl replied. 
"Wait...happy?" Natalia questioned. 
The Ibuki who emerged from her room was not the enraged girl from the day before. Rather, she was more akin to the Ibuki that Barbara and Kibō had first encountered. Her hair had been tied into large pigtails, and she spoke with a 'valley girl' dialect. "Morning, girlies! Or, like, afternoon, I thiiiink? Who even cares what time it is, ahahahaha~!" 
"Ohhhh, boy." Kat mumbled. 
"I was just gonna be spending all day by my lonesome, but now my besties are here, so like, it all worked out~!" Ibuki gleefully chimed. "Friends, friends, friends~!" 
"Oh, God...I think she's actually snapped." Natalia uttered. 
Kaede poked Ibuki on the shoulder. "I'm going to take Kanae-chan to the department store. You'll be okay here with your friends, won't you?" she signed. 
"Absolutely! Why would there be anything wrong? It's just a friendly get-together! You and bubblegum go and have some Mommy and Baby time! I'll be fine!" Ibuki reassured, and gave her sister a big hug. 
Even without speaking, Kaede didn't appear to be entirely convinced. Regardless, she picked up Kanae, and bid Ibuki farewell. She typed on her phone and showed it to Kat. "She won't tell me what's wrong. Maybe you can help her more than me. This isn't normal. I'm sorry." She gave a reassuring glance, and left. 
The girls stood in place, trying to gauge what was going on in Ibuki's head. "Heehee, what's wrong? Why the spooked looks? Oh! I know. I was feeling a little cute today, so I gave the old twin-tail look a go. Adorbs, right?" Ibuki chimed. 
"Uh, yeah...totes." Kat replied. 
"Ibuki, are you...feeling alright?" Carrie asked. 
"Me? I'm just peachy! Never been better! Why do you ask?" Ibuki responded. 
"We were just worried, after what happened yesterday. You were really upset, and we wanted to see how you were doing." Natalia explained. 
"Was I upset?" Ibuki pondered. "Ohhhhh, yeah, guess I was a little miffed." 
"A little? You were five seconds from blowing Maxie's head off--" Kat retorted. 
Ibuki put her hand on Kat's chest, silencing her. Her voice grew tense, even as she kept up her smile. "Don't...don't say that name. Positive vibes only, okay? Yesterday was just a bad dream. We don't have to bring it up ever again. Never, ever, ever." She composed herself. "Ahhh, whoops! Got kinda serious for a sec there. Why don't you gals take the load off? My couch is free to use, hehe! Let me throw on something that's not my jammies..." 
Ibuki went back to her room. The stunned girls huddled together. "What are we supposed to do? Did she just snap?" Kat asked. 
"I feel like she's just acting. You saw that brief moment where she dropped the facade. The question is, why?" Carrie questioned. 
"I know she's acting. Her eyes don't look right. They aren't happy, but they're not angry, either. They look...sad. Kanae-chan said that she was angry when she came home yesterday. Something happened between then and now." Natalia replied. 
"We should handle this delicately. Yesterday clearly cut her deep. We can't avoid the subject entirely, but we can't bombard her with questions, either. We'll take the conversation where she wants to take it for now." 
"Good call. Coming on too strong might make her hurt more than she already does. We're here to help her, not make her feel worse." Kat added. 
Ibuki emerged from her room a couple minutes later. The girls had all sat down on the couch. "Sorry to keep you waiting, ladies. Not gonna make a good impression with anyone while looking like a slob, amirite? Oh, look who I'm talking to, you all wouldn't be caught dead looking anything but fabulous!" 
"You're too kind, Ibuki. You're looking super cute, too~." Natalia chimed. 
"Aww, you're such a sweetheart, Natty. Have to give the piggies what they want if I'm ever gonna get that happy ending, right?" 
"Wait, what's that mean?" Kat questioned. 
"A-anyway, you guys feel like heading out anywhere? Too nice of a day to just be cramped inside--" 
"Bookie, Bookie. Stop. What is all this for? Why are you acting like this?" 
Ibuki looked away, her smile dropping. 
"Ibuki...please be honest with us. What is the act for?" Carrie asked. 
The facade fell. Ibuki buried her face in her lap. "What's wrong with me...? What did I do to deserve all this? My entire life has just been one disaster after another. Every time I think things are looking up, something happens and it all falls apart." 
"I was so pissed when I got home. I thought...I thought Maxie was different. Every man that came into my life at some point only ever saw me as trash, or something to take advantage of. I really wanted to believe that if I could just get him to open up, that I wouldn't be hurt that way again. He was smart, with good morals, and if I could just get him out of his shell, then I might...I might finally get that happy ending." 
Kat got up. She walked over to Ibuki and put her hands on her back in a comforting manner. "You really did like Sparky, didn't you?" 
"...he had me so fooled. He had to look me in the eye, knowing what he'd done. Did he even feel bad about it? Or when we went into the Prisons and saw how much the people in them were suffering, did he regret it then? Sure didn't seem like it. I thought I knew what kinda guy he was, but...I didn't know a damn thing. So I came home, I buried myself in my bed and I thought...what if it's just me? What if I'm just a magnet for the wrong kind of guys and a decent one's never gonna come around cuz that's just how it's supposed to be?" 
"Don't say that, it has nothing to do with who you are." Carrie replied. 
"Doesn't it?!" Ibuki retorted. "People loved me when I was being all cutesy and ditzy, so if that's what I've gotta do to make sure I don't die alone, then I'll do it. The real 'me' just isn't good enough to be loved by anyone. So I might as well--" 
"STOP IT!" Kat yelled. 
The outburst quieted the room. 
"So you're just giving up like that, huh? Devaluing yourself cuz some jackasses can't see how awesome you are? Don't think about yourself like that! If someone doesn't love you for you, they're not worth keeping around. You're a queen, you know that? You did something no one else ever did and you beat Keebie's mom in a fight, and you did it for the family you love. Think you're unloved? I know that they do. And so do we. Because beyond the fact that you're a 12/10 smoking hot babe with a no-shit-taken attitude that I worship, everything that you do is so your family can live something resembling a normal life. You don't need anyone else to validate you because you are already awesome." 
"KittyKat..." Ibuki uttered. 
"I know that you're feeling lonely. That you want someone else to feel about you the way that you feel about them. I know because I've been there. I've had my heart broken before, by the same guy that's driving you off the wall right now. And I thought back then that it was because there was something wrong with me. I did something bad, so I don't deserve to be happy. That's what I was thinking. But now? Now I've got the most beautiful, intelligent girl on the planet on my shoulder, and I couldn't be happier." Kat glanced over at Carrie. 
"I love you." Carrie mouthed. 
Kat embraced Ibuki. "Mr. Right is out there. I know it. And until he comes around, you've got us. I know you're angry. But it's not you that you should be mad at. You already beat one Thunderbolt. Don't let another one get into your head. Don't let this beat you. You have too much to fight for." 
Ibuki clenched her fists. She returned the hug. "I've got...too much to fight for. I've got Kaede and Kanae-chan, and you jokers. We've got a house coming and income that doesn't involve us selling ourselves to some greasy sickos. I got in the ring and took down the woman I idolized since I was little, and I did it as myself. I...I swore I'd never let another man walk all over me ever again! I'm nobody's guinea pig!" She tightened her grip. "I owe you guys everything...I'll follow you as far as you'll go. I'll keep fighting for my happy ending. Thanks, KittyKat. Let's show Sparkplug that he screwed with the wrong queens." 
Kat's heart stirred once more. So, too, did Rose's voice. 
"I am thou, thou art I. Thy vow has been reborn as a blood oath. It shall become as a dagger, to cut the path to thine own future. Thou has reached a true understanding of The Faith, granting thee new power..." 
The dagger fell. The light emerged. It formed into a woman, garbed in silver armor, wielding a sword and wearing the blue, white and red flag of France as a cape. 
"I am Jeanne d'Arc. Can you hear it? The voice of God...instructing me to become thy dagger..." 
Kat returned to reality...to find that Carrie and Natalia had joined in on the hug. "...y'all. I'm all for a group moment, but I'm feeling a little claustrophobic." 
"Ahehe, sorry." Natalia said, and everyone separated. 
"So, uh, Natty..." Ibuki scratched her head. "About what I said yesterday...that wasn't cool. I felt awful for making you cry. Sorry." 
"Apology accepted. I said some bad things, too. I'm just glad you're alright now." 
"Not sure if 'alright' is the word for it, but I'm a thousand times better than I was a minute ago. So...you ladies got any other plans? I'm guessing I'm not the first one you chatted with." 
"We've had a busy day. Still got a couple loose ends to tie up. We can explain on the way back, if you feel like coming with?" Kat responded. 
"Beats sitting in my room being all pissy. Count me in." 
--- 
"So is Kenny even gonna open the door?" Ibuki asked. 
"He was fairly upset when he left." Carrie stated. 
"When you can tell that dude is upset, that's saying a lot." Kat said. 
"Is there a manual for easing the temper of an otherwise mellow, sculpture-loving, possibly bisexual British teenager?" Ibuki questioned. 
"Asexual." Natalia corrected. 
"A sexual what? Feeling?" 
"Kenny's asexual. It means he's not attracted by anything involving...y'know, the business." Kat explained. 
"I know what that is, I'm just being dumb. So...would that mean the Keebster's in that category?" 
"Kibō is just...more innocent than most boys his age." Carrie replied. 
"We're getting distracted here. Wanna do the honors, Hoods? If he's gonna open the door for anyone..." Kat suggested. 
"OK. Nothing Natty can't solve." Natalia knocked on the door. "Kenny? Are you in there? It's Nat. Can I come in? I wanted to see if you were doing OK." 
A few moments passed with no response, as if Kenneth was pondering his options. The door creaked open, and he peered out. 
"Hiya." Natalia sheepishly waved. The other girls were visible behind her. 
"You didn't mention having company." Kenneth sighed. "Well, far be it from me to turn away company. Come in." 
The girls entered the dormroom. "I hope we aren't being intrusive." Carrie said. 
"All that you've interrupted is my seventh tea of the day and this rather absurd 'documentary' on how fish at the bottom of the sea are actually exports from alien planets. So, no, you aren't being intrusive." Kenneth replied. "I've been attempting to construct ideas for future works, but the creative juices have dried up at the moment. Understandable given the circumstances." 
"Guess that answers the 'how ya doing' question." Kat stated. 
"Well if you want a more specific one-word answer, I suppose I would go with 'dreadful'. Yesterday's events are not easy to sit on. Nor are the words that came out of my mouth. I was unduly harsh towards Barbara, needlessly so. My suspicions were directed at the wrong twin, as it turned out. And my attempts at apologizing fell upon deaf ears." 
"Hold up. You already went to apologize to Barbie?" 
"A few hours ago, yes. I knocked on the door and announced my intentions, but there wasn't a response. I heard footsteps on the other side, so I know that she was there. I can have no complaints about her not wanting to talk to me, or anyone for that matter." 
"Well hey, she's out of her room, at least. She wouldn't come out of there when I left. Progress...?" 
"I'm such a damn fool. I've learned so much over the past year, and yet I've somehow also learned nothing. I was almost eager to lob my suspicions onto someone at the first opportunity. My old distrust of people reared itself at the worst time, and I responded with the same sneering resentment that I held at the beginning. All of that progress was an illusion. I'm as much of a spiteful fool as I was back then." 
"That's not true, Kenny. You're not how you used to be. Everyone was doing the same thing. We were all acting out of shock and confusion. That doesn't make us bad people." Natalia retorted. 
"We've all got things we regret about yesterday. I've been wracking my brain about how I could've tackled it different and prevented this mess. But what happened, happened. All that's left is to pick up the pieces and try to get our minds in order for next month." Kat dictated. 
"Next month. Of course. Tell me something, Katherine. When the time comes, and we're face-to-face with Maxwell, what will you do? It stands to reason that we're refusing his misguided offer, so what will your ultimate course of action be? Try to reason with him? Or do you draw your dagger at first sight?" Kenneth posed. 
"I...don't know. I probably won't know until we see him." 
"Understandable. But my most important question is this: if you're given no choice but to fight him, will you be able to with no hesitation?" 
"Tch...tough question." 
"He is a friend. For a time, he was the one you loved. Perhaps some of those feelings still remain." 
"Really gonna say that in front of my girlfriend, huh?" 
"Don't fret over it. I know where your heart lies." Carrie shook it off. 
"My point is, he is many things to us. Our friend. Our classmate. Your ex. Barbara's lifetime partner. And now, he is our enemy. The one responsible for change of heart incidents of the past several months. He must be stopped. When the moment arrives, will you do what must be done to end this nightmare?" Kenneth asked. 
Kat thought for a moment. 
"I don't want to kill him, if that's what you're asking. I don't think anyone here wants that to be how it ends. If there's any way to stop this without a fight, I want to take that chance. But if it becomes a brawl--which I'm 99.99% sure it will--then I have to put it out of my mind. He's not the guy I had fun geeking out with before. So, if I have to, I'll tear him a new one and bring him crashing back to Earth. Because of what we had...because I'm not putting that on Barbie...it's my responsibility to do it. I'll do what needs to be done to keep everyone safe." 
Kenneth snickered. "You are very much not who you once were, Kit So-yin." 
"Neither are you, Kenneth Gerrard Southgate. Dunno why we're going with full names all of a sudden." 
"You really do care little for past selves when the ones you hold dear are endangered. That ruthless mindset...I suspect that is part of why Maxwell finds you to be so dangerous. I'm in no place to follow someone filled with doubt who'd let old relationships hold her back from doing what was necessary. So if your intent is to bring the wayward traitor to his knees, I'm more than happy to follow along." 
"Thanks, Kenny...I think." 
The feeling returned, and Rose's voice came through. 
"I am thou, thou art I. Thy vow has been reborn as a blood oath. It shall become as a dagger, to cut the path to thine own future. Thou has reached a true understanding of The Chariot, granting thee new power..." 
The energy from the fallen dagger formed into a gray-skinned male in torn red robes, his feet engulfed in flames, carrying a broadsword. 
"I'm Zagreus. Up for a spot of rebellion, are we? Suppose I can become your dagger...for now, at least." 
Kat snapped out of it. "Well since you're all on-board now...any idea where Kicks might be? Keebie thought he'd be at the practice field." 
"That would be my first guess. I'd suggest giving him extra attention. Living with Maxwell all this time, there must be a great deal of second-guessing going through his mind right now." Kenneth replied. 
"I hear that. Any of y'all mind staying put while I go find him?" 
Natalia had already sat down close to Kenneth. "Fine by me, heehee." 
"I know you must be aching inside, Hugs." Ibuki sarcastically responded. 
"Let us know when you're ready to get everyone together." Carrie pecked her on the cheek. "Good luck." 
"I don't need luck. I'm dangerous, y'know." Kat replied. 
"Oh, of course. I'm very much terrified." Carrie teased. 
"Right. I'll be back in a few. Don't get too cozy." Kat departed. 
"Too late for that." Ibuki noted, as Natalia got in close to Kenneth.
--- 
Kick. 
"*ping*" 
"Dammit." 
Kick. 
"*swoosh*" 
"Dammit." 
Kick. 
"*thud*" 
"DAMMIT!" 
Sahir's penalty routine was not what it used to be. Try as he might, the ball was proving to be allergic to the back of the net, either pinging off the crossbar, sailing over it, or bouncing off of the cardboard cutout of a bear mascot serving as the 'goalkeeper'. 
He rubbed his knee. "What's wrong with this thing? I'm making a cardboard bear look like GiGi Buffon...have I seriously lost my edge?" 
He kicked another ball, this one sailing over the bear, looking as though it was about to go in, only to bounce off the top of the net and away. He fell back in disbelief. "Ugggggh..." 
The sound of footsteps on grass could be heard. "That just frustration at work, or is the big piece of cardboard just that good?" Kat loomed over him. 
"GAH! Where'd you come from?!" Sahir sprang up. 
"My parents." 
"Ugh, really?" 
"Yes. Really. So. Got an explanation for Winnie the Weebie over there?" 
"Oh, uh...this one manga store near Saku's café was about to throw it out, so I asked if I could have it for practice. He's kept a clean sheet on me so far. Hehe..." he laughed unconvincingly. 
"Hm. Your leg doing OK?" 
"Pfft, why wouldn't it be? It's never felt be--nk!--never felt better!" He winced. 
"Mmhmm, sure. And I've just been named the patron saint of the Church of Baloney. Be honest. Is the old injury opening back up?" 
"What, nooooo. With how much that surgery cost, it better not be. Nah, it's just a little sore. Nothing to worry about, really!" 
"Kicks. It's been 'just a little sore' for as long as I've known you. You can't get anything past me. Especially when you can't even get anything past a piece of cardboard. What's the matter with you?" 
Knowing that he was cornered, Sahir sighed. "Physically? Nothing at all. I've had five x-rays done on my leg. I had one done just last weekend. They can't find anything wrong with it. It's as good as it's ever been. So of course now I have the questions. Why does it still act up every now and again? Why has my game been slipping? How am I making this bear look like an iron wall in front of goal?" 
"My guess? It's sounding like it might be mental." 
"That's exactly what it is. I've basically created my own monster. I'm so terrified of re-injuring it that I've started holding myself back. During matches and outside of 'em. Can you think of a player that's a bigger liability on the pitch than a striker whose confidence is shot? My purpose...my entire reason for existing...is putting the ball in the back of the net. If I can't do that, then why am I even here?" 
"Kicks, come on. I think that's a little overboard." 
"It's the truth. I certainly didn't get here on my brain power. Heck, I lived next to the mastermind for the past year and never caught onto it. I was around Saku more than anyone and I was the last to learn her secret. I'm duller than a sack of potatoes." 
Sahir plopped back onto the ground. "Y'know...when my dad kicked my oldest brother out of the house, he got me and my other brothers together and told us point blank, 'Men like us can't afford to be flawed. We can't afford to be seen by the world as being anything but perfect specimens, far away from any sort of controversy. If you're seen as broken or 'not normal', this world will toss you into a crevice and forget you even exist.' It's such a narrow-minded way of thinking, but in a way he was right. All I have going for me is football. You take that away, and what do I got? I had the world in the palm of my hand. If I wasn't so brainless and didn't throw a rock at the irritable river monster, I'd probably be playing for a big club right now. Instead..." 
"Instead you're here with our merry band of misfits. And what's so bad about that?" Kat asked. 
"Not much, really. Getting backstabbed by my roommate aside." 
"C'mon, I'm not used to seeing you with a frown. I think you've got plenty going for you. Everything I need to know, I get from watching how you are with Maggie. Standing up for her and trying everything to make her happy. And that flirtatious persona hasn't turned into a wandering eye. I mean, you're the one that stopped me from decking her last year." 
"How could I ever forget..." Sahir rubbed his cheek. 
"Point is, you're a super stand-up guy, and I haven't had the urge to knee you in the gut in a hot minute. And I know a guy like you won't let Sparky get away with what he's been doing." 
"Yeah, but...my confidence is shot." 
"So we've just gotta work on fixing it." 
"How do you figure we're gonna do that?" 
"The way you've been trying." Kat got up next to the net. "Give it another go." 
"Seriously? But I--" 
"It's all in your head. You're afraid of failure, so you can't focus on what's in front of you. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy. Clear your mind. Think of the ball hitting the back of the net. All it takes is one. Take a deep breath. And let me grab this fool." 
Kat picked up the cardboard bear and began moving back and forth in front of the goal. "Oh, come on, for real?!" Sahir griped. 
"The real thing wouldn't just be sitting on their rump waiting for you to kick, would they? Take it as more motivation. You wouldn't wanna bean me in the face by accident, hmmmm?" 
Pondering whether this was a good idea, Sahir nonetheless closed his eyes, and took a breath. He reopened them, a fire in his gaze, trotted towards the ball, pulled his leg back, and struck. It curled in the air, and it flew...right past Kat's head and into the back of the net. She dropped the bear and raised her arms. "BRO. Did I call it or did I call it?" 
Sahir celebrated as though he'd just scored the winning penalty in the final of the World Cup. "I still got it! Mother of all that's good, I've still got it!" 
"Hold on a sec, Beckham, it was the one shot, and you were a few inches away from shaving off the right side of my head. But it's a start. It's less about what's happening here..." She tapped her leg. "And more about what's going on up here." She poked her head. 
"I was starting to think there was an invisible wall in front of that net. But it really was just all in my head! I can't keep holding myself back like that, especially when it comes to giving Maxie a piece of my mind!" He got in close to Kat. "Appreciate the pick-me-up, KittyKat. As I've come to expect from that beautifully dangerous mind of yours." 
Kat pushed him away. "I'm happy you're back to your old self, but don't push it." 
As it had several times before, Rose's voice echoed through Kat's mind. 
"I am thou, thou art I. Thy vow has been reborn as a blood oath. It shall become as a dagger, to cut the path to thine own future. Thou has reached a true understanding of The Sun, granting thee new power..." 
Appearing from the dagger's eyes, there was a sarcophagus. It opened, and out from it appeared a green-skinned figure, adorned with a feathered cap and wrappings around his body. 
"I am Amon-Ra. Thy dagger has now been imbued with the sun's guarding light. Do not misuse it..." 
Kat returned to reality. "So you wanna go another few rounds, KittyKat? I'm really feeling it now..." Sahir asked. 
"Sorry, Kicks, but we've got more pressing business. We're all gonna go see Barbie." 
"Oh, dang, that's right. She's gotta be a wreck right now. Wait...all?" 
"I've been busy today. Very busy. Everyone's back on the same page. So all that's left is to go help the one person who needs to hear that we're all still together in this. Gonna help out?" 
"What kinda gentleman would I be if I didn't? Consider me there already!" Sahir sprinted away. 
"Kicks, hold on--aaaaand he's gone. This guy..." Kat groaned and followed after. 
--- 
Within the span of an hour, most of the group had assembled in front of Kat and Barbara's dormroom. "What a happy little reunion. Barely a day ago I was ready to strangle someone." Ibuki said. 
"No strangling today, please. Only the nicest hugs~." Natalia chimed. 
Sakuya arrived, carrying Kat's jacket. "Here you are, Kat-chan. Dry as you would like." 
"Appreciate it, gorgeous." Kat took it. 
"Er...why do you have...?" Kenneth questioned. 
"Kenny, just...don't." Natalia waved her hands. 
"So is everyone ready? Remember, we have to be delicate with her. No accusatory fingers. Only understanding hands." Carrie instructed. 
"Don't need to tell me twice." Kibō replied. 
Kat opened the door. "Barbie? I'm home. You've got some visitors. You in here?" 
The lights were off, so Kat flipped them on. The door to Barbara's room was now slightly opened, but the lights were off in there, too. "Barbie?" Kat poked her head inside, and no one was there. 
"Is she not in her room?" Sakuya asked. 
"No...I'm not seeing her anywhere." 
The gang looked around the apartment, and there was no sign of Barbara. "Where could she have gone?" Carrie questioned. 
"I heard footsteps behind the door hours ago. Perhaps she was preparing to leave then." Kenneth said. 
"You don't think...she went after Maxie, did she?" Sahir questioned. 
"That'd be impossible without the Metaverse app. Even if she had it, Max blocked us from entering his Prison until next month." Kibō replied. 
"So that's out of the question. Maybe she headed home?" Ibuki raised. 
"All of her stuff is still in her room. It looks like she at least plans on coming back." Natalia replied. 
Kat walked out of the room holding something. "What do you have there, Kitten?" Carrie asked. 
"This was sitting on her bed." Kat held the framed photograph of Barbara and Max, with the message of friendship between twins. 
"My little sisters are twins. I can tell ya from experience just how inseparable they are. I've seen them finishing each other's sentences! There isn't a bond like it." Sahir said. 
"My sister's a few years older than me, but I get that completely. I couldn't imagine going through life without her." Ibuki added. 
"Ditto for me." Kat glanced at the photo. "I think...her mindset is in a worse spot than we realized. Oh, Barbie..." 
--- 
As the sun was setting above Mt. Shirayuki, its orange light reflected off of the Lovers' Lake. This was a place of harmony and happiness for the residents of Naruki. 
For the 17-year old girl arriving here, however, harmony and happiness could not be farther from her mind. For Barbara, her mind was instead populated by despair and confusion. She couldn't bear to look at the people around her. She thought they would be blaming her for everything happening. So instead, she opted to sit by the lake, alone. 
Alone. 
The word itself only served to fuel her sadness. It was rare for such a social girl to feel truly alone, but this was a natural feeling now. The one person she trusted to be there for her had done something terrible, and now he had gone into hiding. She wanted to know why. But she couldn't. 
And so, as the day began to wind down, she sat alone. 
And the curse of memory began to show itself.