Tokyo's Phantom Thief

Tomori… Takamatsu Tomori.

About half a year ago, she had been a victim that Rinto rescued—a poor girl who'd accidentally fallen into the Metaverse.

Back then, she'd been a middle schooler and even tinier than she was now.

Today, wearing the Shujin uniform, she looked slightly more mature, though Rinto still saw her as a child playing dress-up, making him smile fondly.

"...!"

Feeling Rinto's gaze, she startled, her timid eyes darting away in shy confusion.

Rinto quickly understood: this gentle, deer-like girl hadn't recognized him at all.

Seeing him tightly embraced by Togawa Sakiko, Tomori had misunderstood, believing this upperclassman was Sakiko's boyfriend.

Instantly, she lost all courage to speak and hurriedly turned away, fleeing from the scene.

…What exactly was I expecting, anyway?

With a self-deprecating shake of his head, Rinto gently tapped Sakiko, who still clung to him tightly.

"It's alright now. She left already."

"Are you okay, Sakiko? Did something happen?"

"Rinto-senpai…" Sakiko didn't answer his question. Instead, she asked hesitantly, "Do you know Tomori? You know… Takamatsu Tomori?"

She looked at him with a distant, wary gaze.

Then, as if jolted by electricity, she immediately stepped back from him, losing all of her earlier intimacy and reliance.

Admittedly, they'd only worked one short shift together before, sharing a modest lunch of Swiss rolls and watered-down coffee. But because Rinto had performed so flawlessly that day, he was confident he'd left the impression of a reliable senpai, and Sakiko had genuinely begun trusting him.

Now, that fragile trust shattered in an instant.

The look in Sakiko's eyes was nearly one of fear.

"You know Tomori… so that means you knew about CRYCHIC from the very start…"

Rinto tilted his head, puzzled. "CRYCHIC? Sakiko, what are you talking about?"

She nervously backed away another two steps.

Muttering something incomprehensible, she seemed anxious—and oddly insecure.

Then, without waiting for Rinto to respond, she bowed quickly with her hands clasped, turned around, and fled.

…What the hell just happened?

Rinto had absolutely no clue, but somehow it felt like two girls had just dumped him back-to-back.

He wasn't alone in thinking this—Ann gently patted his shoulder in sympathy, offering her heartfelt comfort:

"Cheer up, Leader. Getting dumped by two cute kouhais doesn't mean the end of the world… But still, two-timing isn't cool, okay?"

Narrowing her eyes teasingly, she warned:

"I know you can be pretty dense, but not dense enough to accidentally convince these girls you're dating them, right? Make sure you clear things up later."

"…Yeah, I'll do that."

Too exhausted to explain further, Rinto just let it go.

In the corner of his vision, he noticed yet another first-year girl, huddled alone in the corner of the courtyard, nervously nibbling her lunch. Having witnessed the whole "two-timing" fiasco, she was now trembling so hard she looked about ready to melt into a puddle of pink slime.

And speaking of strange fashion choices, why was this girl wearing gym clothes instead of the proper uniform?

And even stranger, if she was wearing gym clothes, why did she pair them with the uniform skirt? Was she that sensitive to the cold?

The jittery pink slime-girl quickly bolted out of sight, leaving Rinto oddly charmed.

In the end, Rinto quickly set aside his confusion.

He was used to victims he rescued forgetting him entirely; this wasn't the first time, nor would it be the last. By now, it hardly disturbed him anymore.

Besides, the fact that Takamatsu Tomori could forget everything—including her suicidal impulses—meant she could now live peacefully. That was ultimately a good thing.

He still didn't understand what Sakiko and Tomori's relationship was, but he was confident there'd be chances to learn about it in the future.

For now, Rinto's attention shifted entirely to Ann.

In fact, Ann occupied his thoughts so thoroughly that he spent the rest of class staring absently at her blonde twin-tails in the seat ahead of him.

After the first full day of classes ended, Rinto planned to escort the Yoshizawa twins home as usual before joining up with Ann.

But unexpectedly…

"We're going to the Metaverse with you too, Rinto-nii! Obviously!"

The gymnast twins confidently cornered Rinto, forcing him to lean back awkwardly to maintain some distance.

He grimaced slightly:

"Hold on. Why would you come along? Last time was just a quick demonstration of the Palace. This time, we're starting the real thing—it'll be dangerous if you tag along…"

"But Takamaki-senpai awakened her Persona, and she has that navigation app, right? That means there's a chance we can awaken ours too, doesn't it, Senpai?"

With that single line, Sumire Yoshizawa completely blocked any escape route Rinto had left.

Truthfully, he had considered that possibility himself, but hadn't mentioned it precisely because he knew the moment they realized this, the twins would never back down.

He wanted companions, certainly, but not at the risk of them getting hurt.

Ann had awakened her Persona through overwhelming rage and desperation under extreme circumstances—that wasn't something you could force. Attempting it deliberately was far too dangerous.

Rinto tried once more to reason with them:

"Kasumi, Sumire, listen to me. The Metaverse isn't some game—it's far more dangerous than you realize."

"Without awakened Personas, you'd be at risk, and I might not always be able to protect you… Ann, help me out here."

"Huh? Oh…"

The blonde twin-tailed gal blinked thoughtfully, as if seriously considering his request.

Then, her blue eyes sparkled, and she declared firmly:

"I think it's fine if they come along! Honestly, I'd love for Kasumi-chan and Sumire-chan to join us! Having such adorable kouhais as fellow Phantom Thieves will give me extra motivation!"

"Ann-senpai~!"

While Rinto stared dumbfounded, the twins immediately embraced Ann, holding hands and hopping in a cheerful circle.

Seriously, what was it with girls always bouncing around like this? Rinto found it completely incomprehensible.

To make matters worse, even Morgana had stealthily climbed onto his shoulder to whisper conspiratorially:

"You might as well agree, Boss. Though I don't fully understand the navigation app myself, now that these girls already know about the Metaverse, their curiosity will be unstoppable."

"With you watching over them, it's definitely safer than if they start sneaking around with the app behind your back, isn't it~?"

Rinto sighed wearily, "Morgana… you just want to increase our Phantom Thief numbers, don't you?"

Myaa~?

The shameless cat actually started acting cute, licking its paws and washing its face right in front of him.

Rinto grabbed the mischievous feline, playfully squishing and stretching its face until Morgana squawked in protest, but ultimately, he conceded.

With Ann and Morgana voting yes, that made it two against one.

He convinced himself to follow the majority—admitting privately that deep down, he really did want the twins to join too.

"Alright, fine. You two can come along."

Rinto finally gave in:

"But you have to promise you'll follow my orders. Never leave my side without permission, and when I say retreat, we retreat immediately. Understand?"

"Yes, sir, Leader~!"

Seeing his Phantom Thieves group suddenly bustling with life, Rinto actually felt surprisingly happy about it all.