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Niijima: I hope that explanation suffices!
Niijima: I apologize for being so busy as of late, my plate’s been quite full.
Akane: But you’re in college
Akane: Isn’t college busy either way?
She immediately felt bad upon sending that to her. But as if to comfort Akane, the message arrived in the blink of an eye.
Niijima: I told you that you can speak to me whenever you wanted. I fully intend to keep up my end of that deal.
Niijima: It doesn’t have to just be about your exams, either.
She was so willing to leave the door open for her, even after fall fully set in and routines had been cemented. Day after day of her first year of high school, cramming for hours in her room while hearing miscellaneous sounds throughout the house.
Though those sounds have grown louder and more frequent, it still felt as foreign as it was two years ago. She was still boxed in, cozy in her own four walls, adorned with the memorabilia that she thankfully didn’t take down in a rage.
So much has changed since she let them in.
Since she was offered a shoulder to cry on, since she was given a home-cooked meal for the first time in weeks, since she had heard her father’s name in the news.
Since Owada finally faced justice.
It had been months since, but just being never stopped feeling weird.
Oddly enough, speaking to Makoto felt comforting because of that. It almost felt like she knew how it felt having to adjust to having a more mundane life after a twisted sense of purpose had been lost.
It was also nice to have a fellow fan to talk to about the Phantom Thieves.
Akane: Thank you
Akane: You’ve been a big help
Niijima: It’s no trouble at all! I’m happy to help you at any time.
Niijima: Is there something else on your mind?
She rotely tapped on the scroll bar on her app, thinking as to if she should mention something…
Akane: Something IS coming up
Niijima: Oh? What’s coming up for you?
A sharp inhale through her nose. Saying it out loud felt oddly… embarrassing. Especially when she knew Makoto and her friends likely couldn’t make the date with everything going on with their lives.
Akane: I have a favor to ask
Niijima: Of course. I’ll do my best.
Akane: Do you
Akane: Do you think you and your friends could come by on this day?
She hesitated before sending the date, then quickly typed and sent it before she could regret it.
Niijima: I’ll see what we can do for that day! I hope you don’t mind if we have a backup plan for that day just in case.
Akane: I will be happy either way
And she truly meant it.
“And that’s a wrap for today’s stream! Thank you all for coming, Fellow Phantom Phreaks! Until we meet again.”
She habitually shut the camera off and stopped her stream. She didn’t give much thought to how routinely she streamed, considering the hype around the Phantom Thieves had largely subsided after they disappeared at the end of summer again. But she supposed she was happy that so many others still loved them as she still did.
(She’d say countless, but that would be a lie.)
She turned towards the wall bearing her favorite figures. As embarrassing as it was, her love for the Phantom Thieves had grown. She understood them a bit better, now that the end result between them and her father still resulted in justice rightfully being served.
She still distinctly recalled having Makoto’s friends hang out in her room like it was yesterday. It was life-changing being able to meet people that were as fanatical as she was, with their hair uncannily matching with the Thieves out of love.
Even if the quiet one jokingly claimed they were, she knew it wouldn’t come to pass. It’s not like she’d get the chance to speak to one anytime soon.
A notification rang out from her phone.
Alibaba: Greetings.
Akane eyed the message on her phone screen, the contact and number unidentifiable, the cat-like razor-toothed avatar sticking out like a sore thumb. Her thumbs hovered over the keys, shaking slightly.
It’s just a message, it’s just a message, it’s just a message.
Akane: Hello?
Nothing.
Nothing upon nothing. She closed her messenger app.
Alibaba: don’t ignore me!!! ૮₍ ˃ ⤙ ˂ ₎ა
She would be lying if she said that the non-threatening notification didn’t make her jump a bit.
Akane: Who are you?
Alibaba: I am Alibaba.
Beat.
Beat, beat, beat.
Alibaba: i’m surprised you haven’t heard of me before though
Akane’s hands were clammy as her palms pulsed
Akane: I haven’t
Akane: What do you want?
Alibaba: i want to make you an offer
Alibaba: in fact
Alibaba: i am one of those you seek
Akane: You are?
Alibaba: a bona fide phantom thief ദ്ദി・ᴗ・)✧
She switched to her desktop, making her way onto the Phansite’s forums. There was always that one Admin there, looking as if they never took their eyes off of the site for even a second. It seemed unhealthy. Probably.
With that in mind, she sent a quick message to them.
PhantomRed: Hello
Silence. But that was to be expect—
Admin: Oh hi! I didn’t expect you to message me ^_^'
Admin: I’m a big fan of your streams!
Admin: I don’t get a lot of messages tbh
Her face scrunched at how pathetic the incoming message read.
PhantomRed: Sorry?
Admin: No no no, you’re okay!
Admin: What can I help you with?
At least they were eager to help? She had to choose her words carefully, not knowing if Alibaba was watching.
PhantomRed: Do you know who Alibaba is?
Admin: I’ve heard of them!
Admin: Rumor says they started out as Medjed, or at least, one of the original members of Medjed. Back then, Medjed was a handle belonging to a hacktivist who typically launched cyberattacks for more ‘righteous’ purposes.
Admin: Medjed was founded around the same time the mental shutdowns in Tokyo started popping up btw
Admin: But you didn’t hear that from me.
Admin: After that initial bout of cyberattacks, though, Medjed started commenting more self-serving cybercrimes and veered more towards widespread cyberterrorism. Alibaba sprung up shortly after that ‘new direction’ Medjed were taking, and they started their own hacktivism under that handle.
PhantomRed: Were they the one who hacked the site last year?
Admin: The site was hacked last year. Definitely.
Admin: But I’m kind of a novice at coding, tbh. I don’t know if the Alibaba who hacked the Phansite and the one who hacked Medjed’s site are the same person.
Admin: For all we know, since Alibaba is anonymous, Alibaba could be multiple people under one name. Just like Medjed.
Admin: Why do you ask?
Does she answer them? Would she want to risk the standard “internet safety” rant that she already got from her school and the one that her father wanted to give before she cut him off because she knew already and heard it before and—
PhantomRed: No reason. just curious
PhantomRed: I’m probably gonna stream again tomorrow
Admin: Alright then! I’m happy I was able to help! :^)
She took a deep breath before typing on her phone again.
Akane: Prove it then
Alibaba: what
Akane: Prove to me that you’re one of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts
Alibaba: lol okay????? i can do that
A brief silence, as if they were pondering what to send her.
Alibaba: first off, we’ve gone and changed the hearts of prominent figures such as Madarame Ichiryusai
Alibaba: Kaneshiro Junya
Alibaba: Medjed
Akane: Already know that.
Alibaba: ooookay
Alibaba: we’ve reemerged last summer to change the hearts of Hiiragi Alice
Alibaba: Natsume Ango
Alibaba: Hyodo Mariko
Akane: Everyone knows those! They’re all over the web
Alibaba: okay then
Alibaba: we’ve also changed your own heart, Hasegawa Akane.
She instinctively swallowed. They’re just trying to psych her out, they’re bullshitting her, no way was she gonna fall for it.
With clammy hands, she responded:
Akane: Nice try
Akane: I need something that can’t be denied
Akane: actual proof
Alibaba: geez, you drive a hard bargain
Alibaba: you want me to uh
Alibaba: hack the phansite again ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧
Akane tapped at the base of her figure, nervously trying to think of what to say. Sure, the Phansite takeover and the attack on Medjed last summer were definitely done by them. Sure, the Phansite hasn’t been hacked since. But if they really were a Phantom Thief, surely they would have a bit more… pizazz.
Plus, with what the Phansite admin said being fresh on her mind, she had no real way of knowing.
Akane: No
Alibaba: no???? ( ꩜ ‸ ꩜;)
Akane: It’s been done before
Akane: It’d just be a rerun
Alibaba: that’s mean …
Akane: What i’m saying is
Akane: I want something that surprises everyone
Akane: But something that lets me know for SURE you’re the real deal
Alibaba: surprises everyone huh
Alibaba: youre asking a lot :P
Alibaba: but i think i’m picking up what you’re putting down
Akane: You are?
Alibaba: I see all, miss PhantomRed ;P
Her mouth twitched at the mention of her handle. She knew they already had her name and number, why rub it in with her handle too?!
Akane: You do?
Alibaba: yup
Alibaba: but YOU will see us tomorrow ;P
Akane: What do you mean?
Akane: What are you planning???
This number cannot be responded to.
Her hands were still clammy.
The sounds rang throughout the house more than usual, mostly coming from the kitchen. As frequent of an occurrence it was already, she suspected it would be nonstop until tomorrow.
Even with a message from Makoto promising a visit from her and all her friends, she could not have the cloud of doubt lifted from her head. Having a hacker ominously looming over her, being vague and refusing to elaborate or respond the entire day probably wasn’t helping.
If it was a fake, nothing would happen, she assured herself. But whether she liked it or not, all she could do was pass the time.
As she started setting up her stream, she heard familiar knocking on her door.
“… yes dad?”
A slight hesitation after the last knock. It took a few seconds before he spoke.
“Are you… doing your online thing?” he tentatively asked.
“Streaming, dad. Yes,” she responded.
“Yes, alright. Streaming,” he repeated, the word completely alien to him. “About the Phantom Thieves, right?”
“Yes, dad,” she responded neutrally.
“I’m hoping you don’t take too long, then. I heard from those kids that they’re on their way to visit you. Wouldn’t want you to be caught up in something by the time they got here.”
“I won’t be too long,” she answered. “I promise.”
“Okay, good to know. I’ll be busy in the kitchen.” His smile was audible through the door. “I wanna show off my new and improved cooking skills!”
“I know, dad,” she said, exaggeratedly exasperated.
“Unless… since you’re talking about the Phantom Thieves, think I could hop in?”
“Dad!”
“Kidding! Kidding,” he defensively replied, audibly backing away from the door. He was making his way back over to the kitchen when the door cracked open and—
“… if you wanna join a stream another day… since you worked with the Phantom Thieves… I’m sure everyone would love to hear about it.”
He tenderly looked towards her door, placing his hand on his chin in thought.
“I’ll think about it,” he responded. “Maybe I will join you some other day.”
Satisfied, she slowly started closing the door.
“I’ll be happy to join my fellow Phantom Phreaks!” he jested.
She slammed the door instead.
The stream was normal.
Despite her nerves, she spoke as she normally would.
Nothing happened during her stream. It occurred as it normally did.
“And… that’s it for today’s stream. Until we meet ag—”
A burst of static cut through her outro before settling into a steady signal. The same avatar Alibaba had previously used bounced around her stream’s feed.
A distorted, yet girly voice rang through her speakers. “Testing… testing… can you hear us, Phantom Red?”
Responding to the voice, a huskier, yet no less distorted, voice butt in: “To think you would be hijacking this show. And on today of all days, too! You have truly outdone yourself.”
“Hush,” the girly voice scolded. “If you and the viewing world can see and hear this…”
“We’ve heard your call,” a firmer baritone completed for her. Unlike the previous two voices, this one spoke authoritatively and confidently. No doubt that this one was their leader.
The avatar quickly flipped to show all eight of the Thieves in line, the leader still in the middle, with his second-in-command comfortably resting his arm on his leaders shoulder. He pointed at himself before he announced:
“Ya wanted proof?!” another boyish voice shouted out from her speakers, much more excitable than all the others. Now this was definitely that second-in-command, who then gestured towards all the other Thieves on cue. “How’s this for proof, Phantom Superfans?!”
“We will steal this show, in Phantom Red’s name!” the leader spoke up again, making his way closer to the camera. “And we will steal your hearts once again.”
The leader’s mask was clearly on display, taking care to not display the rest of his face. Alibaba’s avatar cut in after a good few seconds before fizzling into static.
She blinked, her palms outright pulsing.
She instinctively dashed for her phone, texting and hitting send as fast as she could while her blood still pumped as intensely as it did.
Akane: Makoto
Akane: Makotoooooooo
A few minutes of silence from the other end. She knew she would be busy if she was on her way here, but Makoto had already offered to talk to her at any time she wanted.
And now was anytime, wasn’t it?
She sighed. It was a matter of waiting, whether she wanted to or not.
There was no way. No way the Phantom Thieves actually took over her stream. That wasn’t real, the leader didn’t do that just so she knew it was him. No way they knew her handle, no way, no way.
Not unless Alibaba told them about their plan to hijack her stream. Meaning…
Niijima: I pulled over as soon as I could.
Niijima: What’s wrong, Akane-chan? Did you have trouble with any recent exams?
Akane: Did you see that????
Niijima: See what?
Akane: They… they actually did it
Niijima: They? Did what?
Before Akane could send a response, she was beat to the punch.
Niijima: Oh, that’s what happened! This must’ve been quite the shock for you, Akane-chan.
Akane: Not exactly
Akane: I kinda uh
Akane: Convinced one of them to show up?
Makoto was oddly silent for a bit.
Dot, dot, dot…
Niijima: Please don’t tell me you’ve gotten involved with someone unscrupulous.
Akane: Does a hacker count
Another dot, dot, dot…
Niijima: Normally they do.
Niijima: But I can tell this was a special circumstance.
Akane: How?
Niijima: Since they did confirm themself to be a member of the Phantom Thieves, I suppose they can’t be all too bad.
Niijima: Their methods of communication leave much to be desired though.
Akane: ?
Another notification popped up on her phone.
Alibaba: meanie!!!! (-`‸´-)
She giggled, now more comfortable with Alibaba’s shining commentary.
Niijima: Regardless, this must’ve been so monumental for you and all of your subscribers!
Niijima: Believe me, I’m very happy to hear that for you.
Akane: Yeah! all 60k of us
Niijima: And your channel’s grown so much since! Are you sure you can manage it?
Akane: I’ll be fine, it’s just a hobby after all
Akane: Ever since the end of summer, I feel like I’ve been able to share my love for the Phantom Thieves again.
Akane: I still have a lot to learn, if I’m being honest. But I feel like they really have stuck to their sense of justice even after everything. This… kinda cemented everything for me.
Akane: To think… they took the time out of their day to do this for me…
Niijima: I’m happy you enjoyed their broadcast, Akane-chan.
Niijima: Though, frankly I’m a bit concerned since a stream hijacking isn’t normally a cause for celebration.
Akane: It is if they’ve planned it for me specifically!
Niijima: I guess I have to let that slide, don’t I?
Akane: You gotta!
After a few seconds, no doubt due to Makoto having to process what she read, she received a response from her.
Niijima: I have to keep driving.
Niijima: I’ll talk to you later!
After what felt like an eternity, Alibaba’s notification rang through again. Their avatar no longer looked as menacing now that she knew they were one of them.
Alibaba: i see you’ve finished your chat with this niijima person (๑>•̀๑)
She blinked, suddenly feeling awkward.
Akane: I did.
Alibaba: i take it you liked our surprise ? ☆*:.｡.o(≧▽≦)o.｡.:*☆
Akane: I did! Thank you
Akane: It means so much more to me than you’d know
Alibaba stayed silent for a bit, as if they were being uncharacteristically shy.
Alibaba: im
Alibaba: really glad you liked our surprise then
Alibaba: sorry if i may have scared you a bit earlier (𖦹ᯅ𖦹)
Akane: I’m okay now
There goes that silence again. Maybe she made them feel a bit worse.
Alibaba: how about this
Alibaba: whatever questions you have for me
Alibaba: i can answer them on one condition
Akane: I don’t tell anyone?
Alibaba: bingo
Alibaba: you didn’t hear it from me d(ｰ￣)
Akane: Alright
Testing the waters, she began more broadly.
Akane: I wanna know more about the members
Akane: I know there’s like 8 or 9 thieves
Alibaba: not quite
Alibaba: it depends on who you ask, actually.
Akane: What do you mean?
Alibaba: could be 8, could be 9. probaby 11 or 12 if im being honest.
Akane: 12????? do you not know?
Alibaba: oh i know
Alibaba: but like i said
Alibaba: it depends on who you ask.
Akane was more befuddled than she’d like to admit. But without prompting, Alibaba continued.
Alibaba: idk if you’ve seen our latest heists
Akane: I have! But the announcement sounded like it was from
Akane: Sorry, I don’t want to be mean
… actually, she didn’t have the words. The announcer sounded too formal, too restrictive, too stiff. He sounded like…
Alibaba: a geezer?
Akane let out a snort.
Alibaba: you’ll have to excuse Wolf, he’s a new guy
Akane: I’m surprised there’s still new guys
Alibaba: oh yeah
Alibaba: poor gramps barely got shown the ropes before we thrust him into the phantom thief business (> •́)ᕗ⊹ ࣪ ˖
Akane: Gramps as in Wolf, right?
Alibaba: yup
Alibaba: he did really good though. i think youd be proud if you saw him at work.
Alibaba: he worked really hard to make things right. and it’s thanks to him that we were able to keep stealing hearts and saving people throughout japan.
Alibaba: we owe him a lot, admittedly.
Akane’s throat closed as she read Alibaba’s past few messages. For a while, she truly felt like she could grow closer to them. She didn’t know what to expect after their broadcast, but straight candidness definitely wasn’t on her list.
But before she could draft a response, Alibaba had sent a new message.
Alibaba: i gotta go for now, something came up
Alibaba: i’ll talk to you soon!
Akane: Okay!
Akane: Thank you for everything today!
The doorbell rang loudly.
“Akane!” her father called from the kitchen. “Your friends are here!”
As she made her way out of her room, she saw another set of notifications pop up.
Alibaba: phantomred15.MPEG
Alibaba: here’s a copy of that transmission from earlier
Alibaba: just for you
Alibaba: happy 15th btw