#and you want an iiida figure

[black-and-yellow]

JDNT

[mysterylover123]

Iichako vs Kacchako vs Tsuchako: aka: Who should Ochako be with (besides Deku)

 mysterylover123

Uraraka is certainly one of the show’s more shippable characters. Though the series has set her up to be the ‘obvious’ straight endgame pairing for Midoriya, the fandom has found lots of potential relationships for her with other people along the way, and 3 stand out as the most popular and probable: Tenya Iida (her best male friend besides Deku), Katsuki Bakugou (her respectful rival) and Tsuyu Asui (her best female friend). In the interests of truly determining which of these three has the strongest relationship with Uraraka, I’ve composed this long-ass meta, where I basically catalogue every moment involving each dynamic together to figure out which one should really be Uraraka’s endgame relationship (aside from Izuocha). 

So here goes.

(TRANSLATIONS ARE ALL OVER THE PLACE, APOLOGIES)

Also only Manga Canon moments allowed. No Omakes spinoffs or anime filler

PART 1: OCHAKO ON THE OTHER THREE

A. FOCUS

(aka any scene where Ochako especially notices or brings up the other person, even if there’s no clear reason to)

  Katsuki:

1. Chapter 7 That Bakugou guy said

2. Chapter 8 he’s always making fun of you 

3. Chapter 12 Better not let Bakugou know it was me

4. Chapter 23 waiting for the explosion

5. Chapter 32 Eek!

6. Chapter 46 Ever since I fought Bakugou 

7. Chapter 58 Those moves just like

8. Chapter 73 You’re like a pro with that knife

9. Chapter 100 “Bakugou’s in a good mood”

10. Chapter 208 Jiro and the boys have faith in him

  Iida

1. Chapter 7 “You’re Tenya Iida!”

2. Chapter 12 Didn’t you wanna be rep too? the way you talk

3.   “I’ve never seen you smile before” 

4. “Iida!”

5. Chapter 20 “Iida!”

6. Chapter 27 “Iiida…”

7. Chapter 30 no fair hiding that move

8. Chapter 35 “Seeing you out there” 

9. when Iida said he’d challenge you

10. Chapter 41 Its his standing long jump

11. Chapter 46 Deku and Ochako go to worry about Iida

12. Chapter 81 If only we had iidc

13. Chapter 98 “He has so many glasses!”

14. Chapter 100 “How about you, Iida?”

15. Chapter 206 “Iida…”

Tsuyu:

1. Chapter 99 “She wasn’t feeling well”

B. CONFIDENCE

(aka any scene where Uraraka confides something important in one of them)

  Kacchan

1. Chapter 36 Giving up isn’t an option for me

Tenya

1. Chapter 22 - Uraraka tells Iida her backstory & motivation

2. Chapter 35 “I’m really scared” But seeing you out there

3. Chapter 100 “I’m hoping to make myself float”

Tsuyu

1. Chapter 58 it was very instructive

2. Chapter 73 I’m scared, Tsu 

3. Chapter 99 explains her state of mind

4. Chapter 163 I was holding him

C. CONCERN

(aka any scene where Uraraka worries about the other one’s wellbeing, physical, mmental or otherwise)

Katsuki:

1. Chapter 78 “Bakugou?”

2. Chapter 241

Iida: 

1. Chapter 10 “Sorry, Iida!” 

2. Chapter 17 “Go, iida!”

3. Chapter 35: Worrying about his match and his brother

4. Chapter 57: I was really worried about you guys

5. Chapter 46: “We’re your friends”

6. Chapter 101 Concern panel

7. Chapter 206 Concern panel

Tsuyu:

1. Chapter 80: Calls out her name, 

2. “Slams Toga into the ground “get away from her” 

3. “You hurt?”

4. Chapter 99 look-back panel,

5.  Tsuyu…

6. Chapter 218 “Tsuyu is freezing!”

D. SUPPORT

(Any moment where Ochako is supportive of one of them)

Iida:

1. Chapter 12 You’ve got the glasses and everything!

2. Chapter 15 “Just like the cafeteria” 

3. Chapter 22 “Let’s do our best!”

4. Chapter 35 “Good work out there” (The viz translation, I’m using scanlations for the images)

Tsuyu 

1. Chapter 99 Uraraka gets Tsu to talk about what’s bothering her

E. RESPECT

(Aka any moment where Ochako shows respect and admiration for one of them)

Katsuki:

1. Chapter 36 “Saw it coming and I still couldn’t react”

2. Chapter 37 He’s too strong

3. Chapter 73 You’re like a pro with that knife

Iida

1. Chapter 22 “Considering Iida’s noble motivation”

2. Chapter 35 good work out there

3. Chapter 58: I think Iida’s got this

4. Chapter 81 If only we had Iida!

5. Chapter 204 Super speedy

F. TEAMWORK

(aka any scene where Uraraka works together with one of them)

Iida

1. Chapter 12 Working together to save the stampede

Tsuyu

1. Chapter 80: Vs Toga you too get her hands

2. Chapter 81: Teaming up to help Midoriya “we’re good tsu”

3. Chapter 131 “Meteor Fafrotskies”

4. Chapter 156 “plus ultra”

5. Chapter 182 floating for fun

G. GOOD TIMES

(aka any scene where Uraraka has fun with or around one of them)

Katsuki 

1. Chapter 13 They make me laugh, your mouth is so foul

Iida:

1. Chapter 9 Laughing

2. Chapter 12 Eating lunch together

3. Chapter 22 eating lunch together 

4. Chapter 31 eating lunch together

5. Chapter 59: After school hangout

6. Chapter 60 eating together

7. Chapter 68 shopping smile

8. Chapter 71 eating together

9. Chapter 98 wearing his glasses

10. Chapter 167 join us for lunch  

Tsu

1. Chapter 23 smiling

2. Chapter 31: Eating together

3. Chapter 60: Eat lunch together

4. Chapter 183 fun at the school festival

5. Chapter 217 hanging out

I. UNDERSTANDING

(aka any scene where Uraraka shows insight into one of them or knowledge of their personalities, or speaks with them in unison)

Katsuki:

1. Chapter 36 Thanks for keeping your eyes focused

2. Chapter 60 He means during the training

3. Chapter 85 He’l consider it a disgrace to be rescued

Iida

1. Chapter 12 are you a rich kid?

2. Chapter 101 We know

Tsu

1.  Chapter 99 “It’s not just you, Tsu”

2.  Chapter 131 “Thank you for having us”

3. Chapter 134 “That big case!”

4. Chapter 135 “So round and cute”

J. BODY LANGUAGE

(AKA any scene where Ochako and one of them share a physical moment)

Iida

1. Chapter 12 hand hold

2. Chapter 14: Carries her

3. Chapter 45: Uraraka grabs iida’s shoulders 

Tsu

1. Chapter 73: Holding hands in fear

2. Chapter 99 Hand on her shoulder

3. Chapter 102 arm tap

4. Chapter 163 shoulder hand

K. CONFLICT/CRITICISM

(aka any moment where Ochako argues with or criticizes the other)

Katsuki

1. Chapter 273 Be nice to her

Iida:

1. Chapter 30 No fair Iida, hiding that from us

2. Chapter 68 Way to be a wet blanket, Iida 

Overall

Bakugou: 21

Iida: 52

Tsuyu: 30

PART 2: THE OTHERS ON OCHAKO

This is an analysis of how the others interact with Ochako

A. FOCUS

(aka any moment where one of the others notices Ochako or brings her up)

Katsuki

1. Chapter 36 “You’re the floaty one, right? If you’re gonna back out, do it now” 

2. She’s not down yet

3. Chapter 273 “You just want the excuse to find out”

Iida

1. Chapter 3 “That girl appears to be doing some kind of training exercise”

2. Chapter 4 “He jumped in to save that girl”

3. Chapter 7 “Ah, infinity girl!”

4. Chapter 9-10 He outwits her in the battle training; struggle

5. Chapter 12 “Uraraka!”

6. Chapter 35 You’re up against Bakugou 

7. Chapter 36 You thought of a counter strategy for her

8. Chapter 55 Iida remembers her worry

9. Chapter 98 “Uraraka!”

10. Chapter 100 You’re focusing on making yourself float?

11. Chapter 130 “where are uraraka and tsu ”

Tsuyu

1. Chapter 11 “shouldn’t it be Ochako or Midoriya?” 

2. Chapter 37 You play a good bad guy

3. Chapter 58: “How was your week?”

4. Chapter 102 “How about you, Ochako?”

5. Chapter 163 you ok?

B. CONFIDENCE

(aka any moment where one of the others confides in Ochako)

Iida

1. Chapter 12 Tells her and deck his backstory (i’m the second son, he’s my brother, I try to be just like him.)

2. Chapter 30 I was just trying to compete with Midoriya 

3. Chapter 44 saying he has to go

4. Chapter 98 Is that so unusual?

5. Chapter 100 “My radiators”…

Tsuyu

1. Chapter 99 “Tsuyu has something she wants to tell you all”’

C. CONCERN

(aka any moment where one of the others shows concern for Ochako)

Katsuki:

1. Chapter 36 worried look

2. Chapter 37 You suggested it

Iida

1. Chapter 9I don’t wanna get rough with her 

2. Chapter 11: Hand on her back

3. Chapter 14: Saves her at USJ.

4. Chapter 35 Is that you? why the furrowed brows? 

5. “You’re up against Bakugou”

6. Chapter 36 Worried face

7. Chapter 38 “ I have to see this”

8. Chapter 98 “Uraraka!”

9. Chapter 100 “Please don’t run in the hall”

10. Chapter 163 “We’re worried”

Tsuyu

1. Chapter 22 - smacks Mineta for her

2. Chapter 35 I’m worried about this one

3. Chapter 36 “Ochako!”

4. Chapter 73: Take my hand

5. Chapter 80: Throws her to safety, 

6. calls out her name is your arm ok?, 

7. Ochako!

8. Chapter 102 “you seem tense” 

9. “ no sense prying if she’s not ready

10. Chapter 163 “You OK Ochako?” “mm”

D. SUPPORT

(aka any moment where one of the others is supportive of Ochako)

Iida:

1. Chapter 22 There’s nothing wrong with seeking a more comfortable lifestyle 

2. “Brava!”

3. chapter 35 “Bakugou won’t go all out against a girl” 

4. how fortunate for you

5. Chapter 134 “Nice job”

6. Chapter 163 let them breathe

E. RESPECT

(aka any moment where one of the others shows respect for Ochako)

Katsuki

1. Chapter 36 “Time to get serious Uraraka!”

2. Chapter 37 What part of her was frail

Iida

1. Chapter 22 “That’s beautiful”

2. Chapter 136 Well done

Tsuyu

1.  Chapter 80: That was awesome!

F. UNDERSTANDING

(aka any time one of the others shows understanding of her mind)

Katsuki

1. Chapter 36 “I knew you had some kinda plan”

2. Chapter 273 “You just wanna sample”

Iida

1. Chapter 9 “I calculated as much”

Tsuyu

1. Chapter 58 She’s had some kinda awakening

G. CONFLICT

(aka any time one of the others criticizes her)

Katsuki

1. Chapter 36 too slow

2. Chapter 73 how the hell can you be bad with a knife

Iida

1. Chapter 100 Don’t run in the halls!

Totals:

Katsuki: 11

Iida: 36

Tsuyu: 18

ALLTOGETHER TOTALS:

Katsuki: 32

Iida: 88

Tsuyu: 48

So far, Iida has undeniably the best relationship with Ochako out of the three.

[alitaimagines]

request: “Could I have Iida x reader? Maybe him taking the reader on a proper date like she deserves. Maybe she's never had someone actually wine and dine her and just never really had someone want to do this for her without ulterior motive? IDK how best to say it. Maybe a kiss at the end? All I want is fluff please and thank Auntie Alita!!!!” 

iida tenya x fem! reader

fandom: my hero academia

note: I’M BACK! let me know in the notes if any of you get the Avengers reference. I’m probably using the reference again in another imagine bc i’m obsessed with it. 

Both you and Iida were on your last year at U.A. You were a student on the business side of the school. You had met Iida one day after he asked you to look over some papers that he had from his senior year internship. Being that you were U.A.’s tutor, you agreed and the rest was history.

Iiida would come by and make small talk. What started off as small talk turned into Iida asking you to join him for lunch with the rest of his friends. After a while, it turned into Iida walking you to your dorm or hanging out in his dorm to do any homework the two of you had. 

Once the two of you got to know each other and started to get more comfortable, Iida had finally asked you out. He asked to a small diner down the street from U.A. It was known for students to take their dates there considering it was really great food for not that bad of price. 

Iida had told you that he was picking you up around six since he wanted to get you back to your dorm at a reasonable hour. You wore simple ripped jeans and a nice blouse. It wasn’t over the top but you weren’t underdressed either. You paired all of that with white converse. 

You heard a knock on the door and immediately opened it. Iida was holding chocolate and what looked like a care package, “Aw, Iida, you really didn’t have to bring any of this.”

“I heard you like relaxing so I figured you’d enjoy this care package.” Iida had asked your closest friends for advice and considering they liked Iida, they let him in on your likes. He even asked Tensei advice but quickly regretted that. 

You smiled and set down the items on your desk before grabbing your keys. You locked your door and headed out of the dorms. It was that weird temperature as it had been transitioning from summer to winter. The restaurant wasn’t too far from the school so the two of you had to deal with walking. 

Iida was nervous and you were able to tell. He had the habit of swinging your arms around and you didn’t mind that but you were sure that it looked extremely weird if you didn’t know him. Once you got to the restaurant, they immediately seated you. 

Iida pulled your chair out, “Such a gentleman! Thank’s Iida, you really didn’t have to go all out for me.” 

“What future boyfriend would I be if I didn’t make out first date memorable?” Iida said as he took a drink from his water. “How much different is the business department of U.A. compared to the hero department.”

As the two of you talked, the conversation had flipped from school to random things. You were able to tell that Iida was finally starting to get more loose in terms of nervousness. The food was fantastic, the music was blasting but not too loud. 

The dance floor was getting packed as everyone was taking their partners to dance. Iida stood up and grabbed your hand to lead you to the floor. “It’s been a long, long time” was playing and you felt your heart flutter from all of the sweet gestures. 

The height difference between the two of you would have made anyone laugh. Iida was extremely tall, even for someone of average height, he was still really tall and you had to admit, it was rather cute. 

“Thank you for letting me take you out tonight.” Iida said as your head was resting on his shoulder.

You didn’t say anything back as the song continued to play. You wanted to try, you really did. You had never had anyone take you out like this. You had your share of dates during your time at U.A. but this was the first time someone had ever done this for you. 

The saxophone somehow made your relax into Iida’s touch just as the song was about to finish. As soon as it ended, you realized it was time to go. The curfew that U.A. put in for the third years was midnight and if you passed curfew, the punishment wouldn’t be pretty. 

The night had grown even colder and Iida like a true gentlemen put his jacket on your shoulders. You were humming the song the entire way back to the dorms as Iida had a small smile on his way. When you passed the hero department’s dorms, you seen a bunch of kids looking through a window before hastily shutting the blinds when you noticed. 

“Those are my classmates.” Iida said with a chuckle in his voice. “Well, this is your stop.”

You smiled as you went up to kiss his cheek, “Thank you for tonight. Same time next week?” 

Iida nodded dreamily as you handed him his sweater back. Finally listening to your head, you immediately kissed his lips. It was sweet kiss as Iida finally realized what was going on. He kissed you back before breaking apart. 

“I’ll see you later.”

 With that, you unlocked your door and went inside. Iida on the other hand heard the screams from the other students from 1-A. Immediately telling them to quiet down, he couldn’t help but cheer internally for himself. 

[vgckwb]

P5R: Rebel Girl (A FeMC Story/P5R Rework) Chapter 54: Steps-Forwards and Backwards

As Ren left for the train station the next morning, she looked at Morgana. “Did you find anything out?”

Morgana popped his head out. “I heard that there’s a mafia moving something that they’re using kids for, but not much more than that. The conversations I heard devolved into them thinking the kids are choosing this.”

“Hm” Ren huffed. “Well, once this mission is over, they’ll see the light.”

“Right,” Morgana agreed. They headed to school.

As Ren was entering, she heard “Amamiya-chan.” She turned to see Makoto. “In the heat of the moment, I forgot to ask. Could we by chance exchange numbers?” Ren looked at her confused. “If we’re going to be working on the same team, communication is key. So if either of us finds anything we should be able to relay it to the other posthaste.”

“I see,” Ren nodded. “Very well.” She got out her phone and they started to exchange numbers. “By the way, I did find something last night.”

“Really?” Makoto said, shocked.

Ren nodded. “Apparently, the gangsters are using the kids they pressure into moving something, but we aren’t sure what.”

“Oh. Interesting” Makoto said. “As luck would have it, I found something too. I was going to message you, but…” Ren giggled. “Anyways, apparently they’re telling people this is a part-time job worth a lot of money.”

“I see,” Ren said. “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it,” Makoto said.

Ren smiled. “You know, you seem to be enjoying yourself.”

“Oh, uh, well, I guess it’s a family thing,” Makoto said.

“I see,” Ren said. She decided not to follow up on that just yet. “Well, take care.” She entered school. Makoto followed not too far behind her. Ren messaged everyone the information.

Once school was over, the thieves began their investigation. “Hey” Ann said, turning around to face Ren. “I’m going to ask about possible part time jobs, see if that works.” Ren smiled. The two got up. Ann looked around and found a student. “Hey! Nishiyama!” she said, approaching him. “I’m looking for a part-time job. You wouldn’t happen to know something that could work, would you?”

Nishiyama was a bit confused. “Aren’t you a model?”

“Well, yes,” Ann said, embarrassed. “But I’m kind of looking for something more, ya know?”

Nishiyama was still confused. Morgana popped out. “Lady Ann…”

“Was that a cat just now?” Nishyama asked.

“Er…” Morgana panicked.

“Oh, um, that’s right!” Ann said. “My cat, Mittens, is very sick.”

“She-she has another cat?” Morgana said, dejected.

“I’m not sure that’s real,” Ren whispered.

“I’ve heard rumors that there’s a pretty high-paying gig, but I don’t know where to look” Ann continued.

Nishiyama was now concerned. “What did Iida tell you?”

“Iida?” Ann wonders.

“Errrrrrrrrrrrr” Nishiyama stammered.

“Please! I’d do anything for Mittens!” Ann begged.

“Ummmmmmmmm” Nishiyama continued stuttering.

Ren was awestruck. “Well, that was fruitful.”

“Yeah, but we need to find this Iida guy straight away,” Morgana said. “I’m not sure how long Lady Ann can hold out.”

“Must...resist...hallucination cat guilt…” Nishiyama muttered.

This gave Ren an idea. “Hey Ann? Can you watch my stuff while I go use the bathroom?”

“Huh? Sure” Ann said.

“Thanks,” Ren said. She set her bag and Morgana down by Ann.

“What’s that for?” Morgana wondered.

“You heard him, right?” Ren replied. “Just keep saying things, and that’ll make Nishiyama think he’s guilt tripping. That might give Ann a bit more time.” Ren left.

Morgana was a bit peeved, but he sighed and said “For Lady Ann.”

When Ren was out in the hall, she saw Mishima. “Hey Mishma,” she said, walking up to him.

“Oh, hey” Mishima said. 

“Um, this might sound a bit odd…” Ren began.

“Ooooooh! Is this something for...ya know?” Mishima said, excited.

“Yeah,” Ren admitted. “You’ve heard about those gangsters harassing students?”

“Of course!” Mishima said.

“We’re working on dealing with them,” Ren said. “But right now, we’re doing some leg-work to figure things out. Do you know a guy by the name of Iida?”

“No way! Iida’s wrapped up in this?” Mishima said. “Uh, yeah. If he’s here, he’s probably in the library. Unless he’s with Nishiyama.”

Ren shook her head. “Nishiyama is still in the classroom.”

“I see,” Mishima said. “Well, good luck then.” Mishima headed out.

Ren went up to the library and began looking around. She found someone hiding in the back of the library. On a whim, she asked “Iida?”

“Gah!” he said. He sighed. “What do you want?”

Looks like I got it right. Ren thought. “Um, Nishiyama told me you might have some information about a part-time job?”

“WHAT?! What did he say?!” Iida said.

“Huh?” Ren questioned.

“I mean, er, forget it!” Iida said. “I’m not talking to you.” He turned his back to her.

Ren was confused, but left. “Well, that’s something at least.”

Ren returned to the classroom to see Ann barely holding out. “But...Mittens…”

“Lady Ann…” Morgana spoke softly.

Ren smiled. “Thanks for watching my stuff Ann.”

“Oh, yeah” Ann replied.

Ren looked at Nisiyama with a smile. “What do you want?” Nishiyama asked.

“Iida says you might know something…” Ren said.

Nishiyama was nervous. He sighed and said “Fine. I guess I’ll tell you.”

“Oh thank goodness” Ann said, relieved.

“Now, I will say, please don’t” Nishiyama seriously warned. He sighed again. “One day when Iida and I were out, we got approached by these guys. They said they’d pay really well if we just take some envelopes to some drop boxes. Iida was tight on cash, so he agreed to it, while I was a bit more skeptical. I left, but after that day, Iida began acting weird. I don’t know what’s going on, but avoid it if you can.”

Ren nodded. “You have our thanks.” Ren picked up her bag and she and Ann walked out.

“So, what now?” Ann asked.

“Well, we need to get the remaining pieces of the story from Iida,” Ren said. He might be more willing to talk now that we have some more information from Nishiyama.”

“Still, moving envelopes doesn’t sound criminal itself” Morgana said. “I wonder what could be in them.”

“Documents?” Ann proposed.

“Hm, I don’t think so,” Ren said. “Paper trails are usually avoided if they can.”

“But what could be small enough to fit into an envelope?” Ann wondered. They thought about it. “Drugs?”

“That could be it,” Ren said. “Remember, Yusuke overheard the cops say that that was happening.”

“Woah! If they had evidence that these kids were handling drugs…” Morgana said.

“Yeah. That would spell trouble” Ren said. “Let’s go.” They walked with a purpose. They arrived at the library, and found Iida where Ren left him. “Iida.” Iida was still trying to avoid eye contact.

“Nishiyama told us everything,” Ann said.

“He did?” Iiida said, turning around. “Dammit!” He sighed. “Can we at least take this somewhere more private?”

“Of course,” Ren said. The group traveled to the hall before the roof. “Now, what do you have to say?”

“Well, as Nishiyama said, we were approached by some guys,” Iida began. “They offered a lot of money for a job that seemed simple. I could have used some ezra cash, so I thought I’d go for it. But…”

“But what?” Ann wondered.

“I didn’t know what was inside,” Iida admitted.

“Of course,” Ren said. “You didn’t know you became a PIZZA SMUGGLER!”

“What?” Ann said.

“Yeah, you gotta move the pizza REALLY fast to get it there while it’s still hot!” Morgana added, caught up in the moment. “Wait, NO!”

Iiida seemed really confused. “Sorry” Ren apologized, laughing. “I was making a joke to lighten the mood.”

“I see…” Iida said. “Well, I guess it was kind of funny.”

“See? It was worth it” Ren said. “But for real, it’s drugs, right?”

“...Yeah,” Iida admitted.

Ann was confused. “Why did you accept the money once you found out?”

“I didn’t have a choice,” Iida said. “The money was put in automatically, and they told me I had to continue, and if I didn’t, they’d send pictures to the police.”

“I see,” Ren said. “Do you have any idea who they are?”

“Not entirely,” Iida said. “I just know they’re a gang that does a lot of business in Shibuya.”

“Well, thank you anyways,” Ren said.

“Look, I just hope you know to avoid them,” Iida said. “And just be careful in Shibuya.”

“Of course,” Ann said.

“Thanks,” Iida said. He sighed. “I’m glad I finally told someone.”

“Why not the student council?” Ren asked.

“Oh, well, you know…” Iida said. “They’d just judge me. They aren’t in it for us students, ya know.”

“I see,” Ren observed. Ann looked pained. “Well, if you ever want to talk about things, Dr. Maruki is always an option.”

“Huh? Really?” Iida wondered.

“Totally” Ren said. “He’s actually quite helpful.”

“I’ll...think about it,” Iida said. He walked off.

Ann sighed. “Hey” Ren said. “You feeling alright?”

“Yeah” Ann said. “It’s just… What he said about the student council. Niijima-senpai is doing a lot to resolve this, and he’s ignoring them because he doesn’t believe they’re there to help.”

“But didn’t you say something similar when it came to Kamoshida?” Ren asked.

“Yeah,” Ann answered. “And I’m starting to feel a little bad about it. If she’s working hard to do this, maybe she would have if she knew anything about Kamoshida.”

Ren placed her hand on Ann’s shoulder. “I’m sure she’ll understand.”

Ann smiled. “Yeah.”

Ren smiled back. “C’mon, let’s go discuss what we figured out with everyone.” The two headed downstairs.

They ran into Makoto. “Oh, hello you two,” she said. Ann avoided eye contact with her.

“Hey” Ren said. “Isn’t it just our luck? I have some new information.”

“You do?” Makoto said, surprised. “Well, by all means.”

Ren nodded. “Apparently, the gangsters are having students traffic drugs around Shibuya.”

“Oh my!” Makoto said, shocked.

“Don’t worry. We’ll get to the bottom of this” Ren said.

“I hope so,” Makoto said. “For your sake and the school’s.”

“Right,” Ren said. “We’re going to meet up to discuss our next move.”

“Great,” Makoto said. “I can’t wait to see what else you can find.” Makoto headed off in one direction, while Ren and Ann headed off in the opposite direction. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to them, Hagiwara was around the corner listening to everything they were discussing. She took notes and dispersed herself.

Ren and Ann met with Ryuji outside by the vending machines. “How’d you do?” Ryuji asked. “I found nothin’.”

“We actually figured out a lot,” Ann replied. They proceeded to explain the results of their investigation.

“For REAL?!” Ryuji said.

“Yeah” Ren answered.

“That’s messed up,” Ryuji said. “So, what now?”

“Well, I’m thinking we give Shibuya itself a look-see,” Ren said.

“Alright then. Let’s go” Ryuji said, excited.

“Wait” Ren said. “I wanna do this as a unit, just to play it safe, ya know. And since Sumire’s at practice now...”

“Ahhhhh” Ryuji said. “Tomorrow then.”

“It works out fine for me,” Ann said. “I’ve got a shoot today.”

“When did this happen?” Ryuji asked.

“Yesterday,” Ann said. “They called with a sudden opening.”

“Gotcha,” Ryuji said.

“I think all that’s left is to message everyone,” Ren said. She got out her phone and did just that. “OK. The plan is to see if we can’t find anything in Shibuya tomorrow” Ren said. “We gotta be careful. I doubt that these people mess around.”

“Right,” Ann said. “Well, seeya then.” She left to go to her modeling gig.

Just as Ryuji was about to leave as well, Ren stopped him. “Hold it. Ramen.”

“Now?” Ryuji said. “Ugh.” He shook himself. “Fine. But only because I can’t say no to ramen.” Ren smiled, and the two went to gorge themselves on ramen. Ren more so to make Ryuji foot the bill. While Ryuji was displeased about the size of the bill, he and Ren overall had a good time.

The next day, during lunch, Makoto was in the student council room when Hagiwara came in. “Makoto-san?” she said

“Ah, Kisa-chan,” Makoto responded. “Did you find anything?”

Kisa gave her a stern look. “I found that we’re not the only ones you’re confiding in.”

“Oh? What do you mean?” Makoto asked nervously.

“I saw you talking with two other students about the gangster problem,” Kisa said.

“Oh. That” Makoto said.

“Do you not trust us?” Kisa asked.

“No, of course I trust you,” Makoto said. “It’d just, this is a big problem, and they’re willing to help out, you know?”

“Why didn’t you tell us about this?” Kisa demanded.

“Well…” Makoto floundered, not having a good answer without giving up the identities of the Phantom Thieves.

“I thought we were friends!” Kisa shouted.

“We are!” Makoto pleaded. “Just, please understand that there’s more going on than meets the eye.”

Kisa seemed disenchanted. “I thought you were better than this. But I guess not.” Kisa dashed out of the room, frustrated.

“WAIT!” Makoto shouted. “...Kisa…” She grabbed her head. “GAH! What is wrong with you Makoto?!”

After school, the Thieves met up in Shibuya. “I’m still struck by the fact that we’re investigating the crime the police mentioned when I was packing up stuff at Madarame’s” Yusuke noted. “So, how should we do this?” he asked.

“Hm” Ren wondered. “Maybe we should split up into groups. That way we can cover more ground, while still being at least somewhat safer.”

“I like the sound of that!” Ann said. “Maybe we should pair off!”

“Good idea!” Morgana said.

“Wait, how?” Jose inquired. “There’s seven of us.”

They all thought for a moment. Then all of the humans, or at least human-like members, looked at Morgana. “Wh-What’s that look for?”

“Well…” Ann said.

“No offence, but you DO look like a cat,” Sumire said.

“So, maybe you’d be better going it alone,” Yusuke reasoned.

“WHAT?!” yelped Morgana.

“It makes sense,” Ryuji said.

“How?” Morgana asked.

“You’d be safe,” Ryuji answered. “I mean, I don’t think many gangsters would ask a cat to deliver drugs.”

“Well….that’s true…” Morgana admitted.

“Plus, this way, we can cover even more ground,” Ren added.

Morgana sighed. “Fine. I’ll go alone.”

“Alright!” Ann cheered. “With that settled, let’s decide teams. Hmmmmm” she thought. “How about Ren and Sumire as a team?”

“Me and Ren-senpai?” Sumire said, blushing. Ren was too busy blushing herself to notice.

“Yeah!” Ann said. “Things could get scary real fast, and I think Ren makes Sumire the calmest.”

“Well, I guess that’s true…” Sumire admitted.

Ren recovered quickly. “Well then, how about you and Ryuji?” she retorted. “I mean, you two have known each other for a while. I’m sure there’s a strength in that.”

“Sure, I don’t mind,” Ryuji said, bluntly.

“Oh, uh, sure then” Ann said. “I guess that leaves Yusuke and Jose.”

“Hm. Fear not” Yusuke said. “While we are only recently acquainted, we are both creative. Hence, any situation we may find ourselves in, we will creatively find a way out!”

“You said it Yusuke!” Jose cheered.

Ryuji was dumbstruck. “Ummmmm, surrrrrrre…”

“Well, with all that settled, let’s split up, gang!” Ren said. She chuckled. “Sorry. I couldn’t resist.” The groups started to move around. Before they fully left each other, Ann managed to get Ren’s attention. She winked at her. Ren blushed slightly and rolled her eyes. She knew Ann suggested that team as a ploy to get her and Sumire closer. She returned a wink of her own. Ann was surprised, looked at Ryuji, blushed slightly, and got frustrated. Ren laughed to herself.

As Yusuke and Jose were on the look out for any information or suspicious activity, Jose looked up and asked “So, how’s dorm life treating you?”

“Hmmmm” Yusuke pondered. “Well, there is no doubt that it is better than living with Madarame. Me having my own dorm is helpful, but it is also a bit isolating at times.”

“Well, you’re always welcome to come over to my dorm if you’d like some company,” Jose offered. “Truth be told, while I do have some friends, I’m mostly in the same boat. I don’t mind exactly, because it frees me up for whenever stuff like this happens, but at the same time, it can be pretty rough.”

“I get what you mean,” Yusuke said. “I guess these things take time. Still, despite everything that happened, I did grow close to some of the people who were also under Madarame’s influence. But that was broken by...well...you know… I’m hoping that going forward, the bonds I make aren’t so cruelly shattered.”

“Well, you have us, and that’s a start,” Jose smiled.

“Indeed” Yusuke replied. They kept investigating.

While Ryuji and Ann were investigating, Ryuji was psyched up, while Ann was deep in thought. Ryuji took notice of this. “Yo. What’s up?”

“Huh? OH, I was just thinking…” Ann said. “Maybe we were a bit harsh on Niijima-senpai.”

“How do you figure?” Ryuji said.

“Well,” Ann began, “she’s working really hard to help with this issue. She even brought us into it. Yet we said some mean things to her because we thought she wouldn’t help with Kamoshida.” She sighed.

“Well...” Ryuji began. “We can’t entirely blame ourselves.” Ann was curious. “I mean, before the whole Phantom Thieves thing happened, we were barely on speaking terms due to Kamoshida, and before that we were like two peas in a pod. It couldn’t have been easy to open up to anyone if you and I weren’t talkin’ much.”

Ann was surprised. “You’re right.” She sighed. “I just hope she understands.”

“Eh, I’m sure she will” Ryuji said. “We just gotta talk to her.”

“Yeah” Ann smiled. “You know, when it counts, you know exactly what to say.”

“Thanks” Ryuji said. “Wait, what do you mean by ‘when it counts’?”

Ann giggled. “Don’t worry about it.” Ryuji shrugged it off and they continued investigating.

During Ren and Sumire’s investigation, Ren glanced at Sumire and asked “So, how are you feeling?” Sumire looked at her. “About your upcoming meet, I mean.”

“Oh, that,” Sumire said. “Well, obviously, I’m nervous. I can’t say there has ever been a meet where I haven’t been nervous.” She grew a little more serious. “But this is the first time I’ve had a meet since….the incident…”

“Yeah” Ren said, unsure of how to respond to that. “Well, if you’re having second thoughts, I’m sure Coach Hiraguchi will still let you skip this.”

Sumire became determined. “No. I want to do this. Whether I fall face first to the floor, or pass with flying colors, I feel like this is something I need to do. I want to see what gymnastics is like without Kasumi.”

“Hm. Well, if you’re that determined, I can’t stop you” Ren said. “But I still would like to come watch.”

“Oh, well” Sumire said, getting sort of nervous. “While I did say you didn’t have to, I would like it if you did. But if you have other plans…”

Ren smiled. “Just give me the time and date, and I’ll clear my schedule.”

Sumire blushed. “Hm hm. Thanks.” Ren was startled by Sumire’s cuteness and started to blush as well.

Before anything else could happen, the two were interrupted by a loud “Hey!’ The two girls looked over to see an assortment of shady characters. “You wanna make some easy money?”

The two girls were stunned at the fact that they just stumbled into this. “Um, that almost sounds too good to be true,” Sumire said.

“Relax, it’s all above board” the guy continued. “You just gotta deliver these envelopes to a few places, and you’ll be swimming in Yen.”

“Hm. I see” Ren said. “I can’t say I’m not interested, but I’m a bit cautious. Tell me, who is this all for?”

“Well, uh, that’s on a, uh, need to know basis, ya know?” the guy said, scrambling for an answer.

“Hm, I dunno,” Ren said. “I think I’ll pass.”

“C’mon. It’s easy” the guy kept insisting.

“What is it with people and not taking ’no’ for an answer?” Sumire wondered.

The guys pulled out their knives. “Ya interested now?”

Ren and Sumire were scared. They could run, but that would only take them so far. They needed something to give them an edge. Luckily, that something had heard the commotion and had just arrived.

Jumping from the roof, Morgana landed on the face of the guy talking to them. “GAH!” he said.

“Run!” Morgana shouted. With no hesitation, Ren took Sumire’s hand and ran.

Meanwhile, the gangsters were struggling to get Morgana off the face of one of their own. Morgana clawed his face for a while, but he knew he couldn’t keep at it. He stopped and leapt off the face and scurried around the corner.

He met up with Ren and Sumire. “Thanks for the assist,” Ren said.

“Hah! It’s what I do” Morgana said.

Sumire nodded. “We’re really lucky you managed to find us.”

“Hm. So, were those the guys?” Morgana asked.

“Most likely” Ren said.

“What should we do?” Sumire asked.

Ren thought about it for a moment. “Well I think we can describe them well enough. If we take that information to Makoto, she can maybe do something with it on her end. After all, we’re just a bunch of misfits.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Morgana said.

“Come on, let’s meet up with everyone,” Ren said. The three of them started walking together while contacting the rest of the group.

Back in the alley, the gangsters were recovering from their loss to a cat. “GAH!” the guy who Morgana landed on said. “I’m gonna kill them!”

“Uh, it’s just a cat,” another guy said.

“Yeah, we got bigger things to worry about,” another guy said. A phone rang. “Like that.”

The cat-scratched guy was still mad but took the call. “Hey boss.”

“How are things going?” the voice on the other end asked bluntly.

“Well, uh, ya see, we ran into some trouble” the guy said. The person on the other end growled at him. “Don’t worry, we’ll get more students. Promise.”

The voice on the other end was silent for a bit. “Get back here. NOW!”

“Yes sir!” the guy said, fearful. The boss hung up. The guy sighed. “We're heading back.” The other guys were worried. They all entered their car.

Before they could take off, a picture of their plate was taken. And behind the camera, well cellphone, was none other than Kisa Hagiwara. “Hm. This will prove to Makoto that I can handle this.”

Flashback to when school just ended. Makoto left class quickly to go to the student council room. “Hey” she said, upon entry. She was surprised. “Um, where’s Kisa?”

“She’s not here,” Hiroki answered. “Why?”

“I need to talk to her,” Makoto said.

“But, hey,” Hiroki said. “We’ve found some more information.”

“That’s great,” Makoto said, starting to panic. “But I really need to talk to Kisa. You can just tell me later. OK?”

“Um, sure?” Hiroki said. “Did something happen?”

“Yeah, well, gotta go, bye” Makoto said, leaving as fast as she could. She rushed to Kisa’s classroom, and she wasn’t there. She looked for her up and down the school, but couldn’t find her. Because unbeknownst to her, Kisa was secretly following Ren and her friends on their investigation.

Back in the present, the goons had arrived at a shady strip joint. The guy covered in claw marks sighed. “This isn’t going to go well.” They entered.

Kisa had gotten out of her taxi a little afterwards, and followed them in. She managed to go undetected as she progressed further in. Finally, she caught a glimpse of the goons with their apparent leader. She took out her phone and started recording a video. “Why are you covered in scratches?” the boss asked.

“Well, uh, you see, we almost had those kids in our grasp, but then some alley cat tackled me” the guy explained.

The boss was not amused. “You dipshits! Why should I trust someone who gets thwarted by a simple cat?!”

“I-I promise! We’ll get some more kids! I swear!”

The boss glared at him. “You better…”

Kisa was smiling. She had gotten video of the guy causing trouble in Shibuya. However, her luck ran short, as at the moment, Makoto called her. “Oh no” she said. The goons heard it and started walking over. Kisa tried to hide and answered.

“Kisa! Thank goodness. I was worried” Makoto said.

“Hey” Kisa whispered. “Listen, I’m gonna need to call you back.”

“Huh?” Makoto said.

Kisa hung up, as the gangster found her. “Well well, what do we have here?” They grabbed her, took her phone, and presented her to the boss. “Looks like someone was snooping around.”

The boss was a bit mad. “You mean to tell me you were followed, and didn’t notice?!” The goons were scared. The boss smiled. “Still, this is a nice opportunity.”

“Please don’t kill me!” Kisa begged.

“Ohhhh. You know how to beg. I like that” the boss said. “Relax. I’m not going to kill you.” Kisa sighed. “After all, you’re worth so much more to me alive.” Kisa was now worried. The boss turned to the lady hanging off of him. “Say, how much was that handbag you wanted? The crocodile one?”

“Hmmm, about three million yen,” she answered.

The boss opened a briefcase, took out a stack of cash, and handed it to her. “There you go.”

“Wow! For real?! Thanks!” the woman said.

The boss turned to Kisa. “Heh. I’m angry. And when I get angry, I like to spend money. But not having enough also makes me angry. So it’s up to you to refund that money to me. Ya know, for making me angry in the first place.”

Kisa was frightened. “What makes you think I’ll do it?”

The boss snapped a photo of Kisa. “My my, what a nice picture. A student in a seedy establishment with a bunch of booze. Oh, and I think I got some cigs in there too. It’s be a shame if this went public.”

Kisa was shaking. “I-I have video, you know!”

“Correction” the guy who was covered in cat scratches said. “You HAD video.” He tossed her cellphone back to her.

“Nice work” the boss said. “You just might be worth something after all.” He turned his attention back to Kisa. “Don’t worry, I’m a nice guy. Tell you what: I’m going to give you to the end of the semester to give me that three million. That’s more generous than most people. You should feel lucky. Now run along now. Time IS money.”

Kisa was crushed. The boss, his goons, and the woman were all having a good time. Kisa slowly walked out of the door. Before anything else, she found an alley dumpster to throw up in. Afterwards, she got another call from Makoto. She picked up. “Kisa! Are you alright?!”

“Makoto” Kisa said, her voice hollow.

“Where are you?!” Makoto asked.

Kisa didn’t answer. Instead, she said “Let’s meet up at that ice cream place we always used to go to.”

Makoto was concerned, but felt relieved that she was at least up for that. “Alright. I’ll head on over.” They hung up, and Kisa started walking over.

Eventually, Kisa entered, seeing Makoto sitting at their usual place. “Hey Kisa. I already ordered.” Makoto took noticed of Kisa’s defeated attitude. “What’s wrong?”

Kisa stumbled over to Makoto. “Makoto…” She collapsed into Makoto, wrapping her arms around her. She began crying. “I’m sorry!”

Makoto was surprised. She hugged back. “Kisa. Tell me what’s wrong.”

Kisa sniffed. “OK.” She proceeded to tell Makoto what happened through her tears. While she was explaining it, their ice cream had arrived.

Makoto was absolutely shaken to her core. “Kisa. I’m so sorry.”

Kisa sniffed again. “It’s not your fault.” She took a bite of her ice cream.

“But I called you, and we had that fight…” Makoto said. She sighed. “I’m such a bad leader.”

“No,” Kisa siad. “I’m just selfish. I wanted to be the one to bring down this plot, but I ended up biting more than I can chew.”

Makoto was still doubtful of herself. She grew determined. “Kisa, listen. I have a way out of this, but you need to trust me, OK? I promise I can resolve this, just don’t do anything else reckless.” Kisa nodded. “Good.” She sighed. I feel like I’ve bitten off more than I can chew too. They continued eating their ice cream.

Ren had arrived at Leblanc for the evening. “I think today went alright, don't you?”

“I’ll say,” Morgana said. “I got to show off my power here too.”

Ren giggled. “Right And I can’t thank you enough.” She got out her phone. “I should tell Makoto about this development.”

Before she could, Makoto messaged her.

Makoto: Meeting. Tomorrow. Student council office. Lunchtime.

Ren was stunned. “That can’t be good.”