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A satisfying click echoed through the four walls of the small bedroom as Kaoru stretched his back. He had grown pretty stiff after being hunched over his homework for so long but now he was finally free to spend his evening doing whatever the hell he wanted.
He'd already had a bath the moment he got home because he'd gotten splashed with some pretty filthy water while walking home. He swore some of these drivers went full speed through puddles on purpose…
He'd already eaten dinner too, since his dad stopped in at Big Bang Burger before heading home and the two of them recounted the events of the day to each other while happily filling their bellies with the cheap yet tasty food.
Was he in the mood to play a game? Eh… Not really… Maybe some other time… And there wasn't really anything he felt like watching on TV. The series he liked didn't have a new episode scheduled for another three days and he'd checked the streaming sites they used yesterday - There weren't any movies that particularly interested him on any of them.
In the end, he decided to just check online to see if there was anything that caught his interest. First he checked MeTube. Hmm… None of the recommended videos looked all that interesting… and none of the channels he was subscribed to had uploaded much of anything… Oh well, maybe he should check some livestreaming sites instead.
The moment he logged onto his go-to site, he noticed an ongoing stream from someone he'd never watched before. He'd heard about them from his classmates but he'd never been able to catch any of their streams. All he knew was their username - PhantomFreak - and that they focused their content on the Phantom Thieves.
Taking a closer look at the title, Kaoru noticed that they were currently discussing theories about the Phantom Thieves. That sounded pretty interesting to him. Sure, why not?
He clicked on the livestream and waited a few seconds for it to load.
"-spite that, I don't believe that the Thieves were responsible for Okumura's death at all."
After hearing just one sentence out of context, Kaoru immediately agreed with this person. He glanced over at that chat to see how they were responding.
[Akechisgf: ok keep coping
DiscoNinjaFrog: Right? It doesn't make any sense at all
JokersNumberOneFangirl: Half a year later and people still think they actually killed that dude?
AkeJoStan: guy was a CEO so who cares????
QueenxNoirTruther: wasn't there another thing blamed on the phantom thieves around that time?
CrimsonWonder: Shido admitted to having Okumura killed, didn't he?]
The streamer, who obscured themself by sitting out of frame and puppeteering a Joker figurine, spoke up again.
"Yes, CrimonWonder, he did. Which is why I don't believe that the Phantom Thieves committed murder. For one, it would completely go against their M.O. For another, Shido was also able to cause mental shutdowns and psychotic breakdowns. Not to mention, as we can see by what transpired afterwards, Okumura's death would not benefit the Phantom Thieves at all."
From the sound of the streamer's voice, they seemed to be a young girl - maybe around the same age as Kaoru. Although, she was lowering her voice and speaking in a very dramatic tone, seemingly impersonating the way Joker spoke during the Shido calling card. It was a pretty charming gimmick, Kaoru had to admit, especially since she sounded like she was having so much fun.
[AkeJoStan: Exactlyyyyyy
AkeJoStan: Fuck Shido all my homies hate Shido
SkullBestThief: So true like what's the point in killing this one dude and letting the rest live???
FoxMyBeloved: Especially since they were on top of the world after taking care of Medjed
FoxMyBeloved: Why ruin it immediately after?
JusticeForTheOriginalPTLogo: My question tho is how did Shido do all those things????]
"That's a good question! I personally believe that the Phantom Thieves discovered the same method that Shido used but instead used it for good!" The streamer answered the previous chatter's question.
Kaoru finally worked up the courage to type his thoughts into the chat.
[AirsoftGecko: That would explain why their methods were never made public even after Shido's trial]
"That's very true, AirsoftGecko! Thank you for the first time chat by the way. Yes, if these methods could be so easily used for evil, of course they wouldn't make them public."
Kaoru couldn't help but feel a little proud knowing that they agreed with him.
The sound of paper shuffling rustled through the mic before the streamer began speaking again. "Let's move onto the next theory, shall we?"
[PhantomFever: We shall!
GoGoFeatherman: Yeahhhh let's hear it
PinkPantherClub: Moving onnn!
MisterStealYourHeart: Finally I was so sick of talking about that Okumura scumbag]
"This next theory is that Shido's change of heart wasn't the Phantom Thieves final heist."
Kaoru tilted his head quizzically. But that was their big finale, right? Like they revealed Joker wasn't dead and then ended that whole conspiracy, right? But… wait… He did hear about some smaller changes of heart around town after that… Looking at the chat, they seemed just as confused as he was.
[OracleGoBrrr: Nani the fuck?
QueenxNoirTruther: Whomst?
PhantomFever: I never heard anything about that
SkullBestThief: Exblain pls
CrimsonWonder: Speaking of Shido's calling card, how the hell did Joker avoid being assassinated?
JokersNumberOneFangirl: @CrimsonWonder He's just built different
GoGoFeatherman: @CrimsonWonder He eats bullets for breakfast
GoGoFeatherman: Gotta get that iron in your diet y'know?
MisterStealYourHeart: @GoGoFeatherman Cromch
DiscoNinjaFrog: For real tho who else did they target?]
"I see that I might have to explain this one… Very well then."
The sound of a chair creaking entered the microphone as the streamer readjusted herself before explaining the reasoning for this theory.
"While reports vary, there are multiple people that report people in Tokyo having changes of heart throughout January and the very beginning of February. Granted most of these are unverified, however I managed to verify one myself."
Kaoru leaned closer to his computer screen at that reveal. Wow, so she had really done her research, huh? No wonder all of his friend spoke so highly of her.
[PhantomFever: Whomst????
KittyCatThief: Ooooh exclusive info????
FistOfJustice: Spill the deets girl!
NoirBestGirl: I knew we could count on you!
AkeJoStan: This just in - local streamer does more research than news stations yet again more at 11]
"The case I discovered was an infamous streamer named AIMask OUZI. He would often stream himself causing problems in public spaces and mock his haters until he evidently had a change of heart. He had been posted about on the Phan-Site in early January and then on the 27th of January, he streamed one final time with an apology for everything he'd done."
Kaoru gasped as he remembered that incident. A lot of people in the Kichijoji area knew that guy and hated his guts. If he remembered correctly, a lot of his family were terrified that his actions would lead to his haters taking it out on them in retaliation. A lot of people were pretty relieved to hear that the Phantom Thieves had taken care of that guy.
[KittyCatThief: Ugh I hate those kindsa streamers…
SkullBestThief: OH THAT DICKHEAD
SkullBestThief: I REMEMBER NOW
AkeJoStan: That dude was the woooorrrrsssttt
MisterStealYourHeart: Oh him! I remember seeing that stream actually!
MisterStealYourHeart: It was weird hearing his voice not sound all smug and irritating
StreamMuses: @AkeJoStan why the hell do people ship Akechi and Joker????
MisterStealYourHeart: @StreamMuses why not?
AkeJoStan: @StreamMuses bro the phantom thief X detective dynamic????
AkeJoStan: That's juicy as hell
OracleGoBrrr: People love themselves some toxic yaoi
JokersNumberOneFangirl: Would it be toxic tho????
JokersNumberOneFangirl: Joker seems like a gentleman
FoxMyBeloved: @JokersNumberOneFangirl methinks you may be a tad biased
JokersNumberOneFangirl: ok fair but my point still stands
CrimsonWonder: I think I remember hearing about another change of heart in late January?
CrimsonWonder: Something about a talent scout or something????
"Yeah, I did come across that case while doing research, CrimsonWonder, but all I could find was hearsay so I didn't want to present it as fact."
[CrimsonWonder: Fair enough
AkeJoStan: Local streamer has more journalistic integrity than most news stations
AkeJoStan: More on this as we get it
PinkPantherClub: @AkeJoStan You say that like it's hard
DiscoNinjaFrog: @PinkPantherClub sad but true]
A knock on the door made Kaoru flinch and spin around to look at his door. He thought his dad was busy?
"One second." The streamer's request before muting herself made Kaoru realise that he'd heard someone knocking on her door not his. Luckily for him, he wasn't the only one who was fooled by that as the chat was filled with people complaining about the heart attacks they'd just experienced in those few seconds.
"Okay, I'm afraid I'll have to end stream soon, so why don't we go through one final theory before bidding each other farewell for the evening?" The streamer suggested once she had returned.
[PhantomFever: Sounds good to me!
SkullBestThief: Sure thing no sweat
Akechisgf: aww streamer has school tomorrow so she has to go beddie bye
AkeJoStan: @Akechisgfs bro at least she's actually balancing streaming with schoolwork lay off
QueenxNoirTruther: Let's hear this last theory then
MisterStealYourHeart: @Akechisgf why are you even here?
JokersNumberOneFangirl: Girlie's really out here trying to bully a middle schooler sad
GoGoFeatherman: Aww I don't wanna say goodnight yet but you need to get a decent amount of sleep
NoirBestGirl: Have we saved the best theory for last?]
"Well, NoirBestGirl, I don't know if it's the best one but it is one of the most widely discussed so I figured we should talk about it too: Do you think the Phantom Thieves are Shujin students?"
Kaoru couldn't help but hum to himself as he pondered that question. That certainly was a question he had heard a lot, and yet no one could ever seem to come to a consensus on the matter. He was honestly torn on the subject because he had heard compelling arguments for both sides. Although… He had to admit that he preferred to think that they were; it made for a pretty interesting story after all.
[AkeJoStan: Ahhh the age old question…
AkeJoStan: And by age old I mean people have been debating this since they first appeared lol
SkullBestThief: I mean they have to be right?
SkullBestThief: They knew about Kamoshida
FistOfJustice: @SkullBestThief but apparently Kamoshida was an open secret
FistOfJustice: They could have been people who knew victims and wanted to help
JokersNumberOneFangirl: I wonder if they were perhaps related to that student who jumped?
CrimsonWonder: @JokersNumberOneFangirl That would be pretty strong motivation for taking him down
OracleGoBrrr: But ain't that too obvious?
PinkPantherClub: @OracleGoBrr right? Like it would draw attention straight to them
PinkPantherClub: They can't be Shujin students
KittyCatThief: Yeah if they were Shujin students they would've been found by now]
Kaoru could understand those opinions but he had to personally disagree. After debating with himself for a while, he decided to share his two cents.
[AirsoftGecko: Tbh I don't think them being Shujin students would narrow down the potential suspects at all
AirsoftGecko: Because I've heard from multiple people who attended Shujin that everyone hated Kamoshida
AirsoftGecko: Practically all of the students had the motive
AkeJoStan: @AirsoftGecko TRUE
DriftQueen: Ok yeah that's fair
DriftQueen: Everyone hated Kamoshitbag
DriftQueen: The volleyball team practically celebrated his arrest
DiscoNinjaFrog: If that many people hated him, why did the school never investigate him?
QueenxNoirTruther: @DiscoNinjaFrog oh sweetie I regret to inform you that most of Shujin's faculty was scum
FoxMyBeloved: Yeah I've heard horror stories about Shujin
JokersNumberOneFangirl: It's gotten better tho!
NoirBestGirl: Yeah the new principal cleaned house and most of the rot is gone now]
Kaoru couldn't help but read these comments with intrigue. A lot of them sounded quite familiar with the current state of Shujin… Were some of these people his classmates? He knew that some of them watched this streamer; she was recommended to him by his friends after all.
"I see everyone's pretty torn on this subject. Me personally? I think the Phantom Thieves are Shujin students, or at least were at the time they were active."
[AkeJoStan: Aha you're team Shujin huh?
DriftQueen: Care to explain your reasoning?
SkullBestThief: Let's hear why!]
"Well, I mean… Like AirsoftGecko said, the entire student body had good reason to despise this man. Not to mention, if you compare the first calling card to rest, it seems a little more personal in the way it's written."
[JusticeForTheOriginalPTLogo: YES
JusticeForTheOriginalPTLogo: Not to mention how it looks
JusticeForTheOriginalPTLogo: Everything about it just screams angry teenager
PhantomFever: @JusticeForTheOriginalPTLogo somehow I'm not surprised that you showed up for this
JusticeForTheOriginalPTLogo: @PhantomFever I know my priorities
GoGoFeatherman: Lmao
MisterStealYourHeart: Tbf there is something pretty charming about that first calling card
PinkPantherClub: right? It's kinda cute
JokersNumberOneFangirl: Baby's first calling card]
The streamer laughed quietly as she read through the chat. "Y'know you guys bring up a good point about that first calling card. Perhaps that would make a good future stream? Comparing the calling cards and seeing if we can identify which members were in charge of writing which one. What do you guys think?"
[JusticeForTheOriginalPTLogo: UH YES PLEASE????
AkeJoStan: That sounds so fun!!!!
SkullBestThief: do it do it do it!!
MisterStealYourHeart: Hell yeah I'm down
OracleGoBrrr: Ooh neat idea
CrimsonWonder: If you wanna do that, go for it
PhantomFever: Tbh I'm still curious on how they managed to get the Shido calling card on every screen in Shibuya and beyond
QueenxNoirTruther: @PhantomFever They've got a hackerman on the team obviously
DriftQueen: @QueenxNoirTruther *slams head on keyboard* I'm in
"Alright, I'll add that idea to the list!" The streamer laughed again as she quickly pulled out a notebook and made a note within its pages. After closing the notebook, she moved her hand onto her mouse and began clicking around. "Well, unfortunately, that's all the time we have for today… and so, we much bid each other farewell."
[GoGoFeatherman: Noooooooo
SkullBestThief: Do we have to????
JokersNumberOneFangirl: Damn it's been fun tho
AkeJoStan: Another great stream as always!
FistOfJustice: Thanks for hanging out with us
CrimsonWonder: I enjoyed our time together
OracleGoBrrr: K I'm gonna head to bed now night night
FoxMyBeloved: @OracleGoBrrr sleep well]
As the streamer clicked around on her set-up, she hummed thoughtfully. "Should we raid someone tonight? Let's see who's online…"
Everyone in chat was immediately excited, sharing names of streamers they enjoyed or suggesting raid phrases.
"Ooh, EmeraldRush is playing Digital Demon Odyssey, that's a good game. You guys wanna raid her?" After seeing the chat's overwhelmingly positive reaction, the streamer asked another question. "Okay then, what's our raid phrases gonna be?"
[AkeJoStan: Should we do the usual Take Your Heart?
NoirBestGirl: Isn't it a little boring doing the same one every time?
JokersNumberOneFangirl: What about just keeping it simple with Joker?
PhantomFever: Praise Be The Phantom Thieves!
GoGoFeatherman: NGL my brain's been stuck on 'cromch' ever since @MisterStealYourHeart said it
MisterStealYourHeart: Lmao you're welcome
SkullBestThief: Oh that's funny yeah do that
PinkPantherClub: Yeah Cromch is fun
FoxMyBeloved: Love that Cromch]
"Are you guys set on using Cromch? You sure?" The streamer giggled in disbelief.
[JusticeForTheOriginalPTLogo: Hell yeah
DriftQueen: No one explain it to the other chat
KittyCatThief: Yeah let them figure it out]
"Okay, if you're all sure…" The streamer's fingers typed away as she entered the chosen raid phrase into the chat and clicked onto her chosen target. "Alright, the phrase is in chat and the raid's in progress. Tell Emerald I said hello! Oh, and I should be able to stream again next Saturday but if I'm able to, I'll sneak one in on Thursday! Good night, everyone! Take care!"
And with that, the stream was brought to close. The raid had redirected Kaoru to another streamer he hadn't heard of, but they were playing a game he liked and he didn't have anything else to do so he figured he'd stick around.
Still though, he had to admit that he really enjoyed PhantomFreak's stream. Her gimmick was simple but charming, and the way she involved chat in the discussions gave the community a kinda cozy vibe. Not to mention, it was always great to talk to fellow fans of the Phantom Thieves.
He chuckled to himself as he made a mental note to check in with the channel on Thursday.