Just got into Persona 5 and I love the chemistry between Futaba and Joker. Sad that the ship doesn't seem as prevalent in fanfics. I personally see the two more as lovers, but I do see the platonic love people mention. I just have such a soft spot for the little orange. This project is meant for fun! Don't come looking for angst here!

Working in high-tech security was a physically and emotionally draining job. Futaba had gone through oceans of coffee working on a project that enhanced security in the national museum she had been hired to help. A freelance programmer like herself was paid top dollar for these projects thanks to her knowledge in hacking back in her teen years of rebellion. Oh, Sojiro would rather forget those years.

The recent strings of robberies had triggered the call for programmers like Futaba to help protect their inventory. A group known as the Phantom Thieves were responsible, the modern-day Robin Hoods of justice. Rumors had it that the treasures they stole had been acquired through illegal or dirty means. The Phantom Thieves would lift them and uncover mad evidence to incriminate the villains. They garnered quite a following, Futaba included, but the authorities didn't approve of the questionable methods they used. While Futaba admired their efforts, a girl's gotta eat and feed her gaming habit. She took on a job to defend the national museum from the thieves to prevent the security system from being overridden, but that didn't mean she was curious as to why the Phantom Thieves were targeting this particular piece.

Swallowing another gulp of coffee and spooning in a mouthful of curry rice, she reached for her buzzing phone that displayed text messages from her stepdad.

'Morning, Futaba. How's the apartment life treating you?' She had to smile. She moved out of Sojiro's a couple months ago to gain some independence and become a respectable woman in society despite her social anxiety, but she did what she had always done at Sojiro's with the added effect of having a job.

She shot him a text of the usual report and waited for a response, which was immediate.

"'Have you been outside yet?'" she read. She shoved her window open and stuck her arm out for two seconds before pulling back and slamming her window shut.

'Yes,' she typed, sending it without a second thought. The dots appeared on his end before the response popped up.

'Keep up the good work, kid. And eat something else rather than curry. I'll text you tomorrow.' She stick her tongue out at her screen before offing it and tossing the phone onto her bed. With her knees drawn to her chest, her fingers flew across her keyboard to check on her security system at the museum. A couple hits on the firewall, but nothing was able to lift it. She smirked. Her system was tighter than a virgin.

Her smirk thinned to a line as she went to check on the data she harvested from her client. Being security detail had its perks. No one would suspect as to why she was sifting through info. She bit her thumbnail thoughtfully as her eyes skimmed over the info.

"Original owner...coup d'etat...lawsuit...huh." It seemed like her client was a part of a scuffle over the ownership of the diamond seal displayed on the fifth floor. And he had taken the seal from the other who had equal ownership of it, or so he thought. Futaba had herself a dirty client. She'd probably reveal the info after pay day. She wanted to prove to herself that her system could stand up against the infamous Phantom Thieves. This was more to validate herself.

It wasn't like she was against justice. She'll reveal the info herself if they weren't able to beat her system. And if they did beat her system, then they would have the info and share it anyway. Pay day was in a few days anyway.

The arcade was opening in a few minutes and she wanted to get there early to avoid the huge crowds. It felt like her own personal nightmare when she made the mistake of going after school hours and being bombarded with teens and children over her high score of Alley Fighter V. Her heart wanted to beat out of her chest. Of course her dumb ass forgot any form of disguise so she not only had people peeking over her shoulder, she had guys approaching her and asking for her number.

Ugh. Never again.

She dressed appropriately and grabbed a small medical mask to hide her face. Her hair was an attention grabber, so she grabbed a beanie to cover up her long orange locks. Maybe she should've kept her hair black, someone said, that way she wouldn't stand out so much. She knew better than to take advice from an NPC. Fairly presentable, she finished snagging on her boots and pushed out of the door into the outside world.

Someone above must be liking her right now if she had nobody around who wanted to strike a conversation with her. In the arcade, she nodded to the manager before skulking towards the back where the Alley Fighter V machine stood tall. The screen showed the usual opening credits along with a credit reel of current score rankings starting from the 20th highest score. From what she remembered, she topped the chart a couple days ago and titled it under 'Oracle.' She had her stack of coins with her and was prepared to beat her own high score.

Annoyance took over quickly when her score was listed at second highest. Second. Now, you're probably thinking that it's just a score, she should get over it because it's a kid's game. But Futaba had pride over her gaming abilities even at 19. Who took over her score?! Probably some basement-dwelling loser who rose from their den to wreak havoc on Futaba's mood. And she could call them that because she was the same thing. Fuck you, whoever this Joker dude was. Actually, forget the 'e' because he's now a dud in her eyes.

The manager moved over to check on her, smiling when he saw the highest score pop up on the screen.

"Ah. Joker. Kid drew up quite a crowd when he was playing. Once he left, it got other kids fired up trying to beat his score. We made quite a haul with that machine. A pretty good-looking guy too. You might be interested in him and the two of you could be one hell of a duo." She didn't care for human conversation or relationships. She could barely handle going outside sometimes. She was more interested in revenge. She threw a fit as she sat down and slapped her stack of coins next to the control panel. Time to skip hard mode into merciless.

In pure Futaba fashion, she finally had the score taken down less than forty minutes later and topped it to hers where it belonged with ten thousand added points over Joker's. When the game asked her to input her name, she quickly inserted 'Git Gud' on the screen before she entered it into the records. She still had a handful of coins left, but she was purely satisfied. She pulled her beanie down when she noticed how ridden up it was during her intense session. It was about time for lunch and that meant the teenagers would flock in for a quick game before their next class session. She briskly walked out and threw up the peace sign to the manager before disappearing out the door.

That was enough of the outside world for one day. The only thing left of being out on her list was getting groceries. It was the one day of the week where she would buy enough groceries to last and cook a dish that wasn't curry.

She hurried into the supermarket and picked things as fast as she could from her shopping list. This should be enough for the week. And she decided to make carbonara for dinner. She should be praised for going outside the box.

As she walked back to the safety of her apartment, she saw a group of young people her age going into the arcade. While curious, she was exhausted from going outside. She shrugged it off and went home.

The next day started off as any other. She texted Sojiro her daily report and even added in her annoyance to the guy who beat her high score. He laughed it off and told her she should make friends with the guy, but she shuddered and gagged at the thought. She wasn't good at small talk and conversation.

Well, time to head off to the arcade again. Her firewall didn't get any abnormal hits last night and the client praised her work and promised an additional check if the firewall held until the transfer of the seal to another museum for a tour around the world. Someone was cocky. Did he expect her to follow along and continue security detail? He better not ask her to travel because she'd release the info ASAP.

Stepping out in her usual disguise, she headed over to the arcade as she planned for her daily dose of games and outside exercise.

Lo and behold, her score had been topped once again by a mere thousand points. This time, by someone named 'I'm Gud.' This was her final boss and she wanted to crush him. Her coin roll fell to the ground when her arm dropped, but she was too busy glaring at the mocking name to notice. Someone picked it up for her, getting her attention when he held it up to her. She followed the hand up to the perpetrator. It was a tall, young guy with unkempt hair and glasses. He was pretty good-looking. Her eyes widened. This must've been the basement-dwelling loser the manager talked about! He looked a little shocked to see her face hidden by her mask, but her eyes held a fire that he was on the receiving end of.

"T-this is yours, I assume." She snatched her coin roll back, seething to herself. Not only was her score beat once again, but the evil doer was right in front of her! The manager swept over and grinned.

"Akira! Good to see you! It seems you met Futaba!" Basement-dweller Akira palmed the back of his neck nervously.

"I don't think we've really met yet." Based on Futaba's reaction, she wasn't exactly happy to see him. The manager chuckled.

"The both of you are always topping the score charts these days! It's about time you've met." He just affirmed her suspicions.

"Target acquired," Futaba muttered on the side. Akira probably heard it. The manager led them to the two seats in front of the machine.

"How about you two have a match? Make it friendly now!" Futaba grimaced.

"Nope." She needed to go home and exact revenge at a later time. She just wanted to top the score. The dude had the audacity to look crestfallen. Man, now he made her feel a little bad. She rolled her eyes.

"Okay. One game. Loser buys lunch." Akira brightened up and the manager grinned before leaving them to sort it out. He smiled a little at her.

"I was planning on buying lunch either way, if you don't mind." Futaba's eyes narrowed.

"Already deciding the winner, I see." Over his widened eyes and sputtering explanation, she plopped onto the seat and set her coins on the panel. "Let's go, basement-dweller."

He blinked as he slowly sat down next to her. "I live in a house."

She didn't waver as she set in coins and loaded up the character select screen. "And houses have basements. You proved me right."

He chuckled a little. Futaba seemed cute and her temper was too. He wondered if he should go easy on her. Maybe she had a cute face underneath the mask. But she was probably prideful and would get even madder if she realized he went easy on her. Eh, decisions decisions.

He elected to do his best. And his best ended up winning. It was a sight to see Futaba get riled up during their match. Her knees drew up to her chest when Akira broke her air combo. His health bar was a couple centimeters long compared to her half until he came in clutch and pulled out a counter to stop her combo and finished her with his own. With Akira's chosen character pulling off a victory pose, he smiled over at her and was taken aback when she held out two thousand yen.

"This is…" She shook the money at him with a dull look.

"Payment for winning. This will buy your lunch." He scratched his cheek.

"You don't want to go out for lunch together?" She wrinkled her nose.

"Not really." She wanted to retreat into the safety of her home and focus on being the best security right now. During the match, she got a text from her client and a panicked voicemail saying that he received a calling card, meaning the thieves would finally strike. How they planned to get over the firewall, she didn't know. She was just preparing herself for action.

The arcade's doors opened and in ran two blondes. The rougher blonde boy quickly got Akira in a headlock.

"There you are! Time for lunch!" Akira sighed. He had been so caught up in the game that he didn't realize that his phone was currently buzzing with calls from the others. And now Ryuji and Ann were the search and rescue party. Ann smiled at Futaba.

"Your friend?" she asked, nodding to her. Futaba slinked back. There was a crowd drawing in…

Akira smiled over at her. "We've been having a little match. This is Futaba. I was asking her to join us for lunch."

Futaba looked up in a panic. Lunch with more people?! She couldn't handle that!

Ann looked between her and Akira before grinning. While she would love to be a part of all the deets, she didn't want Akira to screw up a date on their account. Ryuji ended up introducing himself to Futaba and was going on and on about the dishes he wanted to order. She pretended to think as she tapped her chin.

"Hmm, now that I think about it, the tables over at the restaurant can't really sit more than six people since it's pretty small. There's us three, Yusuke, Haru and Makoto. We can't fit Futaba at our table." Futaba beamed. Perfect! She can avoid human contact! But Ann's smile bordered on mischievous.

"So, the best course of action is to let Akira split from us and eat with Futaba! Great! I make the best plans, I know." She flipped her hair and grinned at Futaba's horrified face, not that she knew thanks to the mask. "Don't need to thank me. Let's go!"

She grabbed Ryuji and shoved him out the arcade despite his protests. Futaba uncomfortably shifted to each foot. Akira wasn't blind to it. He smiled encouragingly.

"If you feel uncomfortable as soon as you sit down, you're more than welcome to leave. I promise that I don't bite though." He winked at her. She pinked up and quickly looked down. She told herself that she would try to have a normal life now that she wouldn't rely on Sojiro like she always did. She had a damn job! She could do other adult things and outings were one of them!

Confident now, she nodded and headed out of the arcade with him. The mask and beanie were staying. She didn't want to feel so vulnerable like she already was.

The restaurant seemed nice and it smelled good. Futaba reluctantly said hello to the other three friends of his and shuffled to hide a little more. They stared questionably at her disguise, but she bit a snarky retort back. Thankfully, Akira led her away to a small table on the other side. Once she sat down, the desire to run away lifted a bit. She nodded to herself. She could probably do this. The waitress brought her water and Akira put in his order. When it came to Futaba, her mood dropped and her tongue felt like it was in a knot. She hadn't really gone to a restaurant on her own. She was comfortable ordering online and having it delivered with little to no interaction. If that was too much, she learned basic cooking to get her by and all she needed to do was go grocery shopping.

"Uh...umm...the soba with tempura..." she murmured. The waitress stared curiously for a minute at her outfit before scribbling down her order and walking off. Futaba lifted up her glass to her mouth, not knowing Akira was watching her intently. Maybe she was going to show her face. He couldn't help but be curious. Instead, she lifted the bottom of the mask and sipped before tucking it back over her chin. He almost fell off the arm he was using to prop himself up. He got up to use the bathroom, letting her know he would be gone for a minute. She nodded and waited for him to disappear behind the corner to the bathrooms. She glanced over and saw that Akira's friends were chatting amongst themselves over drinks. The waitress was in the back. Relieved, she sighed and quickly tugged her mask down. She was sweating under that thing. She had been out longer than she intended and it was getting warm. Her hair could be tangled under her beanie.

She slipped the beanie off and felt her hair cascade down her back. Leaning back in her chair, she sighed loudly again. She was going to head home right after this. She would pay for their lunch after and that's it. Hanging out was exhausting.

Akira came back sooner than she had thought, surprising her. He stopped in his tracks when he saw her, just as shocked as she was. She wanted to freak out and run. But he relaxed and came back to sit with her. He smiled charmingly.

"Nice to officially meet you, Futaba." For some reason, her stomach fluttered. She'd chalk it up to hunger, but it wasn't an unpleasant flutter. She casted her eyes elsewhere.

"Y-yeah..." He didn't seemed bothered by her response. They were silent with Futaba not knowing what to say and Akira patiently waiting for her to speak. Their meals came and Futaba quickly dug into hers. Ooh, it tasted nice. It was surprising since eating with others besides Sojiro tended to make food taste like ash in her mouth. Wait, she played games with a guy, met his friends and now she's eating lunch with him. She looked over and found Akira thoroughly enjoying his lunch. Oh God, this was a date. That meant there were more! And that meant going out more! This was going to lead to a major Bad Ending!

She banged both her knees on the table when she tried to jump off her seat, crying out in pain before flopping back on her chair. Shocked, Akira scooted his chair back and zipped over to check on her.

"Are you all right?" he asked, quickly waving his hand for his friends to remain at their table when they got up. Futaba seemed overwhelmed by too many people at once and he didn't want her to face that all.

Futaba shakily raised a thumb up before she mewled in pain and grabbed her knees. He chuckled.

"Do I make you that nervous?" he teased. She pointed a finger at him.

"Look here, you basement-dweller." He didn't seem offended, quietly listening to her. "I'm only going to be paying for lunch today. Don't be thinking I'm a girlfriend or something like that. It'll be as disappointing as a crappy sequel."

He was silent for a moment. She took it as a personal victory. Now he will never ask her out again and she can live her days as a hikikomori with a job that didn't impede her lifestyle.

"I wouldn't think it'd be that bad," he finally answered. That...was not the response she was expecting. At least not in such a serious tone. It was bold to claim such a thing when he only met her today. Well, the reverse could be said for her.

"This wasn't meant to be something as serious as a date. At least, not the type you think it is." She frowned. Okay, maybe she was overreacting a bit. Sojiro's advice about being friendly came to mind. It never hurt to be a little friendly. Not like he used that advice himself. He was a prick sometimes.

"Fine..." she murmured. She reached for her wallet. "Okay, I'll pay right now."

He held up a hand and had a not-so-guilty look on his face. "I...already paid."

Great, a goddamn debt. He seemed to read her mind.

"Just being friendly, really. You can get the next one." She raised a brow. She had more emotions towards her hurt knees than this conversation.

"Pretty cocky about seeing me again, aren't you?" He chuckled.

"I'm sure if you have to beat my high score again, won't you?" Oh, he went there. She glared at him.

"Game on." She took the rest of her lunch to go, clutching the box as she left the restaurant. Behind her, Akira returned to his friends' table. Ryuji whistled loud enough for her to hear.

"Yo, she's cute!" She gasped, reaching up to her face. She left without her mask on! That meant they all saw her! Ack, how embarrassing! She ran the rest of the way home to hide in her room.

The next night, Futaba cracked her fingers and typed away for a check on her firewall. All systems should be good to go. She also hacked into the security cameras through the CCTV system the museum used. If the Phantom Thieves showed up, she wanted to see what they would do to beat her system or try to get around it. Her client was blowing up her phone for reassurance that her system was impenetrable.

Well, unless they knocked out the power, knocked out the backup generator that was coded differently by her, knocked out the other backup generator with a different system by her, than they should be fine. She used three separate programs for each power source, one more complicated than the other. Every night, the diamond seal as well as all pieces of irreplaceable value were taken into vaults at the end of visiting hours, the seal stored in another vault inside. If they managed to get into the same room as the diamond seal, the vault would automatically be sealed if the power went out or if there was unauthorized entrance into the room. That meant a massive vault door four feet thick. The metal needed a high heat to melt it and the tools weren't exactly easy to acquire. All of this sound annoying? It was meant to.

Futaba dug into her plate of curry while monitoring all the cameras. The client was making a big speech about the history of the seal and how it had to carefully be excavated without damaging the jewels or other details. She could fall asleep with that speech.

The big party was clearing up and she saw security and museum staff sweep in to clear the floor and take the treasures to the respective vaults. Futaba eyed each screen like a hawk. Face recognition had allowed her to input all faces of staff and security meant to be there at that time and place. Anyone out of place would alert her so she can do a thorough scan.

Hours had passed after closing and human security walked from here and there on her monitor. She was starting to get really bored. She pulled out her 3DS and started playing her game. Might as well kill time doing something productive.

A quick movement caught her eye from the camera closest to the courtyard. Her attention snapped over and saw a security guard fall to the ground before being dragged out of view. Before she could look closer, the camera was shot. Not just that one, but the ones all outside were taken out. Guns. They were using guns.

Futaba quickly accessed the camera in the vault room. Nothing was touched so far. The other cameras were taken out one by one for the ones outside. Inside hadn't been touched yet. Despite her hesitance to go outside, Futaba had gone with her gut and visited the museum one day to plant two hidden cameras meant for her eyes only. She managed to get as close to the vault room as she could, planting the camera in the clearance room before anyone could go to the vault. The other was a battery powered drone. And because it was her, she made sure the cameras were equipped with audio and a receiver. It was kinda like her system for answering the door.

All of the cameras were a fuzz now except for her own. It was way smaller than the CCTV cameras and blended in with other markings of the ceiling. But she had exactly what she needed. The Phantom Thieves were still locked out thanks to her security. For added measure, she hit the button to trigger the vault doors to close. The diamond seal disappeared behind the heavy door from her camera view.

With a joystick she fashioned from an old controller, she activated her drone and set the controller between her thighs, lazily driving it around the courtyard to find the group.

It didn't take long. The group stood out like a sore thumb as they were preparing themselves to sneak in through the skylight. A bright red latex suit? A bulky skull mask? A katana? A super long scarf? Who wore a hat like that in this day and age? And a tailcoat? Futaba resisted the urge to shudder. They looked like oddballs. She could call them that because she is one.

Her drone flew down to them and was able to capture their looks of surprise. And all of them pointed their guns at her drone. Alarmed, she backed her drone up and activated the audio. Her headset was snug around her head.

"Put your guns down," she ordered, surprised that her voice didn't shake. Probably because she physically didn't have guns pointed at her. No one hesitated. They didn't trust her and vice versa. She sighed. Luckily her mic was equipped with a voice changer, her voice coming out in a weird warble to disguise it. They wouldn't take her seriously if they heard how high-pitched her voice was.

"You haven't done anything to deactivate my system. Any wrong moves and the authorities will be notified. Any damage directed to this drone will be cause for action." She mainly said that to protect an expensive drove. Tailcoat came forward, face hidden by a mask.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice coming out in a deep range not possible by humans. The Phantom Thieves seemed to all have voice changers to conceal their voices. Smart. Futaba twisted the cap off her lemon-lime soda.

"Security," she answered. This got them all tensed up. She snorted.

"Relax. Just because I know you're here doesn't mean everyone else does. At least not yet. And you're lucky the guy in the monitoring room dozed off or something 'cause I've been watching this whole time. You all best turn back since you didn't do anything to take down any of my security systems." The skull mask stepped up with oblivious confidence.

"As if, security douche! We cut the power!" He seemed so happy with himself. He must've bought the bolt cutters himself and shut off all the switches on his own.

"And what about backup generator number one?" she countered, sipping her soda. The cocky smile slipped off his face.

"Huh?" She finished her sip and set the bottle down.

"A museum this caliber has tons of security. What, you think dungeons are normally easy? I don't see a walkthrough guide on any of you and Google is only going to get you so far to hack through my systems." Latex Suit turned to her teammates.

"They could be lying. All the power went out here." Futaba almost laughed.

"You could go ahead and break in if you don't believe me. It'll be an automatic game over and I doubt you'll get a chance to continue." The team hesitated. Tailcoat seemed like he was thinking of other things. Aged Hat looked uneasy.

"Security-san," she began formally. Futaba lifted her brows. So nice for a thief. She even bowed to her drone.

"You seem very intelligent. And I would not call you cruel since you take extra care to protect the treasures here, but you should know about one of the newest pieces brought here." Futaba twitched. The diamond seal. Katana nodded.

"Yes. There's this diamond seal-"

"The man who supposedly found it never actually found it on his own. He had a buddy with him who was the brains behind the operation. He falsely forged papers handing over the rights to the seal to himself. His partner was left ridiculed and shamed." They were shocked at how much she knew. It took them days to piece together the info and she spat it out in a minute. Skull Mask stomped his foot.

"You'd help out a guy like that?" She shrugged, not that they could see.

"Gotta make a living. I'm planning on giving up the info anyway once pay day hits." The gasps of surprise were audible. She drummed her fingers on her knees.

"I'm not some monster, you know. But I need to make a living and might as well strategically take it from some corrupted rich guy." Scarf thoughtfully rubbed her chin.

"That...allows sustainability. Though don't you find it uneasy to be living off dirty money?" Futaba twitched, setting the drone down on a ledge.

"I'm not an elite, you know. Food needs to get to my table, guilty conscience or not." They didn't say much after that. Tailcoat was still until he spoke.

"We have some other info you may not be aware of, since he doesn't know either." He must've meant her client. Everyone looked forlorn. At her silence, he continued.

"His partner tried to jump in front of a car three weeks ago when the diamond seal was announced to be displayed. Some of us happened to be there when it happened, that's why we knew about the crimes. He showed us all the evidence and we will show everything we have with you to compare. He's still recovering from road rash and a broken arm." Something in Futaba snapped. A man tried to kill himself over what her client did? Resolve hardened, she reached for her joystick.

"He's going to be revealed. You guys don't stand a chance against my security and I doubt you wanna walk in like you think this is Bowser's castle with the doors wide open." Tailcoat reached a hand out.

"Wait-" She lifted the drone off the ledge.

"Thanks for telling me." She reached for her emergency controller meant for the drone.

"Last warning to leave before security finds out the cameras have been shot." Ending with that, she grabbed the controller and pressed the red button, detonating the drone and scattering it in pieces. She took off her headphones. Whether or not they heeded her words was on them, not her. Looking at the rest of the monitors, she noticed some security radioing in backup. She shut the screen and got off her chair to get ready for bed. This wasn't her problem anymore. She flopped onto her bed and fell into a dreamless sleep.

BREAKING NEWS: Explorer Ryo Nakashima outed as a fraud and thief. Documents revealed the discovery and method of excavation were headed by Nakashima's former associate. Fraudulent papers and coercion used by Nakashima to hand full rights to the Diamond Seal over were sent to the police and various news outlets across the country. Nakashima's former associate and rightful discoverer of the Diamond Seal was found and given all accolades rewarded to Nakashima. Aoda Sakamura is now added to the national museum's archives as one of the country's greatest explorers with decades of research and findings under his belt.

"I am truly grateful to have my name cleared. It feels like it's been so long since I've seen the seal. It's like reuniting with a lost child."

Nakashima is currently in custody facing charges of fraud, defamation and grand larceny.

Futaba watched the news with little interest while nursing a small glass of water. She never got to get her paycheck from Nakashima since she reported everything quickly. It bothered her when she heard that Sakamura threw himself in front of a car. She had been in that situation before when bullying was too much. She shook her head to keep the unpleasant memories out. She wasn't there now, she was right here. The museum took on her advanced security and paid her for the work, but not to the extent Nakashima was supposed to pay her on account of his desperation. Whatever. At least she got a paycheck and a stable income. She hopped onto the computer to check the forums, finding she was a top hit on the obscure site meant for wannabe hackers.

'Heard Alibaba's system stunted even the Phantom Thieves.'

'Think Alibaba was the one who told the cops about Nakashima?'

'Probably.'

More like yes, duh. Her email encrypted and meant for a small circle she trusted were flooded with questions. Not like she'd answer them all. It was unsaid that she had been the one to release the evidence. No one was going to get on her case about revealing it sooner. They would've done the same.

One message stood out to her from the rest. From someone named 'PT.' Someone in her circle sent her a message that they gave them her email. If she wanted to block them, that was on her. She rolled her eyes and opened the email. Her antivirus system would kick in if needed.

'Only Alibaba could make such a great security program. Thanks for exposing him like you said you would. My group and I are sorry to say that we're surprised that you kept your word. You probably didn't get what you were owed. Think we can make up for that as a thank you.' Ah, must've been from the Phantom Thieves. Must be Tailcoat? Possibly. He was probably the boss of them. She was interested enough to respond.

'You'll regret it, Tailcoat. I need three hundred thousand yen to upgrade towards my final form.' She meant her PC. Who knows if they would actually go through with it? Not like she cared too much. Sojiro didn't raise her to depend on a man. She received a reply when she came back to her computer with a plate of curry rice.

'Done. Pleasure doing business with you, Alibaba.' She checked her private account linked to Alibaba and saw that the money was added to her total. Her eyes widened. How did he manage that on her private account? Unless he knew how. Maybe she was underestimating them. But they couldn't get passed her system and that was just. Tailcoat sent her another response.

'Maybe we'll run into each other more. I'd like that.' She shuddered. She had enough with physical contact these days.

'Gross. No thanks. Shouldn't you guys be planning your next heist?' The response was immediate.

'Shame. I might be interested in stealing your heart next.' She stared blankly at the message, then at the stupid voice changing program she bought. The shit was as valuable as the few hundred yen she lazily paid for it. That's it. She needed a new voice changer program because she still sounded like a girl. Now guys were hitting on her because of her voice.

'No. Bye.' She logged off quickly to avoid another reply.

Her work this week caused her to plow through her groceries faster than normal. Now she needed to stock up her inventory if she wanted to shut herself in for a few days and play games. She was going to avoid the arcade for a bit. She wanted to not see Akira so she could take down his score in peace once she properly leveled up. He was, she'd admit, handsome, but the stress of being alive and in crowds was heavy. She could afford to see him maybe once every few days, but that was as much as she could stomach. Maybe she needed to practice playing otome games. But that would have to wait because she had more important games to play.

Wearing giant red goggles and a fancy scarf around her face, she stepped out to head to the grocery store. Time to continue on with the rest of her life.

At the store while looking for some curry mix, she heard slow footsteps approaching her. She ignored it and continued to bend over and look for her ingredients.

"Futaba?" She nearly banged her head on the shelf from straightening up so quickly. Looking up, she saw the familiar face of the basement-dweller. He was smiling like he was glad to see her.

"Hi," he greeted breathlessly. Ugh. She groaned and whacked her head against the shelf, ignoring his flustering as he tried to get her to stop.

First chapter! Still gotta update my other stories first! Next chapter preview:

"I hate this route. I want to reset. I wish I never beat the arcade score the first time and baited him."

…

"Still interested in your heart, just letting you know."

…

"Hey. Are otome games this complicated?"