P4G: Mirror Mirror (A FeMC Story/P4G Rework)
Chapter 37: Heating Up
The next day, The Investigation Team gathered at Junes. “So, it seems like Kanji was taken last night,” Chie noted.
Yosuke nodded. “And we’re nowhere near figuring out who’s doing this.”
“Well, hold on,” Yua said. “I think we can eliminate the possibility of it being the biker gangs.”
“What makes you say that?” Chie wondered.
“I called Kanji-kun’s mother last night,” Yukari said. “She said he disappeared without a trace.”
Yua nodded. “I think if the biker gangs were causing a ruckus, and Kanji went out to deal with it, she would have said something. Although, we can go and ask her later to confirm things.”
“So, we’re back to not knowing anything,” Yosuke said.
“Hold on,” Yua said. “If it’s not the biker gangs, that clears a good deal of people. Even if everyone else remains a suspect, that’s some work done. Figuring something out isn’t just about honing in on the right thing right away, but eliminating all of the wrong things for sure.”
“Damn,” Yosuke replied. “Spoken like a true detective. I think your uncle’s rubbing off on you a little bit.”
“Eh heh,” Yua chuckled, slightly embarrassed.
“Well, regardless,” Chie noted, “I think we should head inside, and see what’s up.”
“Hmm,” Yukiko pondered.
“Something wrong, Yukiko?” Yosuke wondered.
“Well, it’s just…” Yukiko replied, “do you think whoever is putting people in the TV is also watching The Midnight Channel?”
“I…I assume they would have to be,” Yosuke answered.
“Hold on,” Yua interjected. “Why would they need to? If they put the person in the TV, they would know it, right?”
“Even if that is the case,” Yosuke rebutted, “I think they’d still want to check their work.”
“Hold on,” Chie said. “Isn’t the killer the person in charge of The Midnight Channel? How else would they be able to make the shadow of their victims show up before they’re in the TV?”
“In that case, wouldn’t they be working with those weird pieces of Yua?” Yosuke asked.
“But then wouldn’t the killer see Yua and think that she’s on their side?” Yukiko wondered.
“Maybe,” Chie said. “But aren’t the pieces of Yua also working for a ‘Mistress’ of some kind?”
“I think that makes sense,” Yua said. “Maybe the Mistress is in charge of the pieces of me, and separately guiding the killer.”
“This is a lot to consider,” Yosuke said.
“Well, it’ll be clear once we get our hands on whoever’s doing this,” Chie remarked. “And when I do, I’m gonna wail on them GOOD!”
Yukiko chuckled. “Well then, tee hee, let’s get going.”
Chie groaned. “Yukiko…” The four of them headed into the TV world.
Once inside, they saw Teddie pouting. “Oh. Hey there,” he said, slightly dejected.
“Hey yourself,” Yosuke replied.
“Are you alright?” Yua wondered.
Teddie sighed. “I dunno.”
“Well…” Yosuke said, “if you’re alright enough, someone was put in here, and we’re like your help looking for them.”
“I know,” Teddie said. “But try as I might, I can’t seem to get a scent on them.”
“Really?” Yosuke wondered.
“Do you think I WANT people to be thrown in here?!” Teddie shot back.
“Fair enough,” Yosuke relented. “So, what do we do?”
“Well,” Teddie began, “if you can give me some more information about the person, I might be able to track them down easier.”
Yua nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”
“Wait, that’s it?” Chie wondered.
“Well, we’ll be back,” Yua said. “But if we can’t figure out where to look, we can’t start rescuing Kanji, can we?”
“Well, yeah, but…” Chie replied. She sighed. “I guess we’ll have to try and get more information about Kanji.”
Yua nodded. She turned back to Teddie. “Take care!”
“You too!” Teddie replied. The four humans left the TV world.
“So, where do we look?” Yosuke wondered.
“Well, his mom runs the textile shop,” Yukiko said. “We can probably check with her.”
“Great idea!” Chie exclaimed. “And maybe we can see what some of his neighbors say.”
Yua nodded. “Well then, let’s head over.” The four of them headed to the shopping district. They asked around, but the people there kept giving vague information that mostly coincided with the public perception of Kanji as a punk. Although, some people commented on how he used to be a sweet boy.
Yua then noticed Kanji’s mother. She walked up to her. “Um, hello ma’am…”
“Oh!” Kanji’s mom replied. “You’re that girl that was with Yukiko-chan the other day, right?”
Yua nodded. “I’m, um, I’m Yua Narukami.”
“I don’t think I’ve seen you around too much before then,” Kanji’s mom remarked.
“Well, I just got here about a month ago,” Yua explained.
Kanji’s mom nodded. “That would explain it.”
“So, um, how are you doing?” Yua asked.
Kanji’s mom glanced away, sorrowfully. She sighed. “It’s not like him to be out this long without saying anything…”
“You’re talking about Kanji?” Yua asked.
Kanji’s mom nodded. “He always tells me where he’s going. Even if disappears for a few days, he still tries to keep in contact with me. What I wouldn’t give to hear he’d been arrested again. At least then I’d know he’s safe.”
Yua was concerned. She couldn’t explain what was happening, at least not without her looking like a lunatic, but she wanted to assure her things would be alright. “Well…maybe we can retrace his steps…” Yua offered. “Is there anything you can think of that’s gotten Kanji worked up as of late?”
Kanji’s mom’s face lit up. “Well, now that you mention it… There was that young man. I believe he was leaving when your group arrived. He seemed really interested in Kanji as well. Maybe he’s off with him. But I don’t know where they’d be.”
“Well, I can check,” Yua offered.
Kanji’s mom was surprised. “You’d do that for me?”
“I mean, of course,” Yua said.
“Thank you sweetie,” Kanji’s mom said. She pondered for a moment. “You know, that boy seemed somewhat familiar…almost like I’ve seen him a while ago…but I can’t quite put my finger on it.”
“Well, maybe we’ll figure it out sooner or later,” Yua said. “But I think we should focus on making sure Kanji’s OK.”
“Thanks,” Yua said. “Take care.” Yua rushed off. “Gotta find that boy.” Meanwhile, in the bushes, a pair of eyes eyed Yua.
Yua continued moving through the shopping district, now asking about the boy Kanji was with. She figured out that the boy was going around the city, and was currently hanging around Junes. She headed back to Junes.
Sure enough, the boy was hanging about by the entrance. She approached him. “Hey!”
The boy looked at her. “Oh? This is surprising.”
Yua was confused. “What do you mean by that?”
The boy shook his head. “It’s nothing. How can I help?”
“What can you tell me about Kanji Tatsumi?” Yua asked.
“Going for the direct approach,” the boy replied. “I see. Well, I haven’t seen him at all today, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“But you have been seen with him,” Yua insisted.
The boy shrugged. “I guess that’s true. Why do you wish to know this?”
“I’m just trying to help,” Yua insisted. “He, uh, he goes to my school, and he didn’t show up today. With everything that’s been happening, I guess I’m a little worried.”
“Fair enough,” the boy responded. “If it helps, from what I could gather, he seems easily flustered, but tries to maintain his cool. Almost like he’s got a complex, or something. But I don’t know where that might take you.”
Well, I’ve got a hunch… “Thank you.”
“Do you mind answering a question for me then?” the boy inquired.
Yua shrugged. “Go for it.”
“If I recall correctly,” the boy said, “you were at the textile shop with a few others, one of whom was Yukiko Amagi.” Yua nodded. “How did the two of you get to know each other?”
“Oh, uh, well,” Yua began, “when I first arrived here, about a month ago, I was put into her class, and her friend Chie reached out to me, and we became friends like that.”
“I see,” the boy replied. “Interesting.” He nodded. “Thank you as well.” He headed off.
Once he was out of sight, Izanagi appeared. “Do you think that boy knows more than he’s letting on?”
“Perhaps,” Yua replied. “But I’m not too sure about what his goal is. Besides, telling him about the TV world might only serve to make me look insane to him. If he’s going to be around here, and doing stuff like this, he could be a good asset.”
“True,” Izanagi said, “but I will remind you, you could use more allies than assets.”
“True,” Yua relented. “But I’m not sure that he’s not the one doing it either.”
“I guess,” Izanagi said.
“Anyway, let’s call the others,” Yua said. “I think we have our lead.” She got out her phone, and rounded up the gang. Meanwhile, a shadowy figure was looking over at Yua.
Yua was waiting at their usual spot, when the three others came back. “You find something?” Yosuke asked. The three of them noticed something, and recoiled. “Woah!”
“Uh, yua?” Chie asked. “How long has that been there?”
Yua was confused. “Has what?”
“The, um, fox…” Yukiko clarified.
Yua looked over, and noticed the fox from the shrine. “Oh, it’s you! You snuck up on me.”
“Wait, you KNOW this fox?” Yosuke asked.
Yua nodded. “It hangs around by the local shrine. It has these cool leaves that heal you. I think it wants to help us by giving us these leaves to use while we’re in the TV world.”
“Yip!” the fox responded.
Yukiko chuckled. “She seems lovely.”
“Wait, does she even know about the TV world?” Chie asked.
Yua shrugged. “Kind of? I mean, she hangs around the shrine, so she probably has a connection to the spiritual.”
“I guess,” Chie said.
“Well, I’m alright with it,” Yosuke said. “So long as it doesn’t cause a commotion while it's here. I don’t want my dad to be furious with me because I let a fox in here.”
“Yip!” the fox replied.
“I think so long as the fox is with Yua, things will be alright,” Yukiko said.
“Yip yip!” the fox agreed.
“Well, with that out of the way,” Yua said, “I think I’ve gotten something that can lead us to Kanji.”
“Let’s hope so,” Yukiko said. The five of them headed into the TV world.
“Hey Teddie,” Yua said upon arrival. “We’re back.”
Teddie was surprised. “Is…Is that a fox?!”
“Yip!” the fox replied.
“Don’t worry,” Yua assured him. “She’s on our side.”
“Well, if you say so,” Teddie said.
“Anyways, we’ve got a lead for you,” Yua said. “Apparently, Kanji acts tough, but gets flustered easily, and has something of a complex.”
Teddie was stunned. “That’s it?!”
“What do you mean ‘that's it’?” Yosuke complained. “We’ve been out there all day looking for this.”
“Come on Teddie,” Yukiko pleaded. “You can do it!”
“Well…if Yuki-chan believes in me…” He took a deep breath. “Here goes!” He took a big sniff. “I think I’ve got something!”
“Lead the way!” Yua told him. Teddie started charging ahead, while the others followed.
They soon arrived at what looked to be a bathhouse. “Here we are!” Teddie declared.
“Are you sure this is the right place?” Yosuke asked.
“You wanted me to sniff things based on the information you had!” Teddie shot back.
“I think this is right,” Chie said. “I recognize this place from the Midnight Channel last night.”
“Me too,” Yukiko said.
“So…we’re going to find Kanji in here, huh,” Yosuke remarked. “It’s…it’s pretty steamy.”
“My glasses are starting to fog up a little,” Yukiko noted.
“Well, we’ll just have to deal with it,” Yua said.
“Do you?” A voice rang out. Everyone was on edge. A slight creaking noise was heard, and it was getting closer. Through the steam of the bathhouse, a figure emerged, wearing a white robe, and wheeling through on a wheelchair, as she was missing her legs. “It’s hard to stand on principle. Especially when no one else is in your corner. You just have to stand there and take it. Sooner or latter, your legs will give out.”
“I take it your legs gave out?” Yosuke asked.
“Hm hm hm,” the figure replied. She took out a bone saw. “I dealt with my legs before I fell. Honestly, it was a relief. You have no idea how exhausted I was before.”
“That…that seems dangerous…” Chie remarked.
“Trust me,” the figure said, “it’s the least dangerous thing I can think of. Tell me, what do you think is more dangerous: This piece of medical equipment, or trying to stand on your own, carrying the weight of the world, with no one to support you?”
“He has his mother!” Yukiko shot back.
“Oh, he does, doesn’t he?” the figure replied. “But what of his father?”
“His father?” Yukiko repeated. “He’s…he’s not with us anymore…”
“Correct,” the figure confirmed. “She’s standing on her own as well. But she can barely handle it. That’s why poor Kanji is trying to be as tough as he is. But he can let it go. And I can even help his mother once she comes to this side.”
“What makes you say she’ll come to this side?” Yua wondered.
“Well, once Kanji joins us, or dies,” the figure said, “in all likelihood, she might be the next person the Midnight Channel shows.”
“Why?!” Yua demanded.
The figure chuckled. “If you don’t know that, then you’re not ready.”
“Grrr,” Yua hissed.
“Well, we won’t have to find out!” Teddie declared. “We’re going to rescue this Kanji person before you get to them!”
“Silly bear,” the figure said. “You really think you can help?”
“We’ve done it before!” Yosuke added. “We can do it again!”
“Fiesty, huh,” the figure said. “Well, don’t let me stop you. Or do,” she said, raising her bone saw. “The option’s always on the table.”
“Like Hell we’re not going to keep moving!” Yosuke said.
The figure chuckled. “I’m perfectly mobile. It just can’t stand.”
“Well, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,” Yua said. “And we’ve already walked this far. We aren’t about to stop now.”
“Well,” the figure replied, “I hope that when your journey’s done, you’ll see things our way. Or, if you’re dealing with Able, not seeing at all.”
“Speaking of,” Yukiko said, “what might we call you?”
“Oh, right,” the figure responded. “How rude of me. You may call me Roma. Anyways, see you deeper in the bathhouse.” She turned her wheelchair back around, and entered the bathhouse.
“Well…” Chie noted, “that was something.”
“So, are we charging ahead?” Yosuke asked.
Yua thought about it for a moment. “Let’s fall back for now. We still have time before it rains again, and frankly, we’ve been running around a lot today.”
“Yeah,” Chie said. “I’m a little exhausted.”
“We just have to hope Kanji-kun holds out until we arrive,” Yukiko said.
“Well, you held out,” Yosuke noted.
“True,” Yukiko said.
“Let’s head back,” Yua said. “We’ll be sure to rescue you soon, Kanji. Just hold out.” The group nodded, and headed back out of the TV world, and back to their homes.
P4G: Mirror Mirror (A FeMC Story/P4G Rework)
Chapter 36: The Priestess' New Path, and The Emperor's New Clothes
Tuesday after school, The Investigation Team gathered at the school’s entrance, waiting for Kanji to meet up with that mysterious boy. “Is our target on his way?” Chie asked.
Yosuke nodded. “Yes Ma’am! He’s currently fixing his hair in the bathroom. I observed him to a point, and ran off before he could notice me to pick on me. He seemed nervous.”
“I wish we could help out more…” Yua lamented.
“Well, making sure he doesn’t get kidnapped, and put inside the TV is helping,” Yukiko pointed out.
“Fair,” Yua said. “One thing at a time, I guess.”
“Oh! Here he comes!” Yosuke said. The four of them tried to make themselves as inconspicuous as possible.
Kanji walked out to the gates. Moments later, the boy arrived. “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting,” the boy said.
Kanji shook his head. “I just got here myself.”
The boy nodded. “Well then, let’s go.” The two of them headed out.
The Investigation Team looked at each other, and nodded. “So, we know our assignments, right?” Chie said.
Yua nodded. “Yukiko and I will stake out the textile shop, while you two spy on the two of them.”
Yosuke sighed. “I hope we can stay out of sight.”
“I hope so too,” Yukiko said.
Chie sighed. “C’mon! We’re about to lose them!”
“Oh, right!” Yosue said. The two of them headed off.
Yukiko giggled. “Well then, shall we?” Yua nodded, and the two of them headed off to watch over the textile shop. Once they set up positions, Yukiko said “I’ll go get us some drinks.” She ran off. A few minutes later, she came back with drinks for the two of them. “Here you go.”
Yua accepted her drink. “Thanks.” She took a drink.
“Nothing happened while I was off, did it?” Yukiko wondered. Yua shook her head. “Good. I didn’t want to leave you hanging.”
Yua smirked. “Much appreciated.”
Yukiko smiled back. She took a drink of her drink. She pouted. “You know, as harrowing as this all is, I’m also having fun. I know I shouldn’t say that, but…for a long time, my life has been dictated by the inn. Hanging out with friends like this, even under these dire circumstances, has been pretty fun.”
Yua smiled. “Well, if you ever wanna just hang out, you can give me a call.”
Yukiko nodded. “Thanks.” She glanced off. “You know, I’m a little jealous of Chie. She’s so free to be herself. She insisted on making friends with you, when I wouldn’t have given it a second thought. But I want to put that behind me. I want to be free to be myself as well.”
Yua nodded. “An admirable goal.”
Yukiko smiled. “Um, would you mind helping me then?” Yua seemed confused. “It’s just…I don’t have a lot of other people to talk to about things. I mean, of course I’ll still talk with Chie and such, but there’s just something about you that draws me out of my shell.”
“Well, how could I say no to that?” Yua replied.
Yukiko giggled. She raised her drink. “To new heights.”
Yua smiled, and raised her drink as well. “To new heights.” They clinked their bottles together.
Thou art I… And I am thou…
Thou hast established a new bond…
It brings thee closer to the truth…
Thou shalt be blessed by The Priestess Arcana…
Priestess-Yukiko Amagi: Rank 1
The two of them continued to keep watch.
Meanwhile, Yosuke, and Chie, followed Kanji, and that mysterious boy, to the flood plain. They tried to hide behind a tree, but Yosuke noted “Ugh! No good. We stick out like a sore thumb.”
“Maybe we can salvage this if you just shut your pie hole!” Chie chided.
Yosuke grumbled. “What do you suppose they’re talking about, anyway?”
“Beats me,” Chie said. “But from what I can tell, it seems like Kanji might just be interested in this boy…”
“‘Interested’ how?” Yosuke wondered.
“Well…” Chie began.
“What are you doing here?!” Kanji barked, having peeled off from his previous conversation.
“Oh, uh, well,” Yosuke said, “we’re just passing by.”
“It seems like you’re following me,” Kanji noted.
“Does it?” Yosuke asked. “I mean, it’s a small town. It’s not that uncommon for people to run into each other.”
“I haven’t seen much of you before,” Kanji countered.
Yosuke shrugged. “Maybe you just didn’t notice.”
Chie looked over Kanji’s shoulder. “Um, where did that boy go?”
Kaji looked at her. “Why do you wanna know that?”
“You moron…” Yosuke grumbled.
“How am I the moron?!” Chie shot back. She turned back to Kanji. “We’re just..interested in him. Oh, but, um, if you’re interested in him as well, we don’t want to step on your toes.” Kanji raised his eyebrow. “Er, what I mean is…”
“Do I need to answer your question at this point?” Yosuke asked.
“Shut up!” Chie shouted.
“I don’t know what you’re doing,” Kanji said, “but you’ve got the wrong idea.”
“So, what is the right idea?” Yosuke wondered.
Kanji slightly blushed. “That’s none of your business!”
“Uh oh,” Yosuke said.
“Run?” Chie asked.
“Run,” Yosuke confirmed. The two of them bolted.
“Hey, get back here!” Kanji called out, giving chanse.
A little later, Yosue, and Chie circled back to the textile shop to meet up with Yua, and Yukiko. “Sorry…” Yosuke said. “Our mission was a failure.”
“Are you alright?” Yukiko wondered.
“You’re out of breath,” Yua noted.
“Do you want me to get you a drink?” Yukiko offered.
“Well…” Chie said.
“It's you again!” Kanji called out. The four of them looked over. “What do you want?”
Yua stepped forward. “We just want to know about any odd happenings around here. That’s all.”
Kanji seemed puzzled. “Oh? You calling me ‘odd’?”
“N-no,” Yua replied. “We’re just…”
“Listen!” Kanji commanded. “I ain’t odd! And I’d appreciate it if you got out of my face!”
“I think we should listen to him,” Yukiko said. The others nodded.
“Um, s-sorry…” Yua offered.
“GO!” Kanji barked. The Investigation Team rushed off.
“Man, talk about a close call,” Yosuke said.
Chie looked at Yukiko. “Did you get any information on your end?”
Yukiko shook her head. “Nothing suspicious anyway.”
“But it definitely was Kanji on The Midnight Channel,” Yua pointed out.
“So what do you suggest we do?” Yosuke said. “I doubt we can give him the run around forever.”
“I just think we need to be more cautious,” Yua said. “I feel like it’s bound to happen soon, so we just need to redouble our efforts.”
“Well, it is going to rain tonight,” Chie pointed out. “Maybe we can get some more info from The Midnight Channel.”
“Provided he hasn’t already been kidnapped,” Yosuke pointed out.
“If that’s the case, then we know what to do next,” Yua said. “But let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
“Well then, let’s head home,” Chie suggested. “MAN I’m exhausted.” The four of them headed home.
Later in the evening, Yua received a call. “Hello?”
“Hey, it’s me,” Yukiko replied. “I had some calls I needed to make for the inn, so I decided to call the textile shop.”
“Good thinking,” Yua replied. “Did you get anything?”
There was a bit of a silence. “Kanji’s mom says Kanji just left without a trace. She says he does this from time to time, but I’m worried.”
“Did the bikers come back?” Yua wondered. “Do you think he’s just dealing with them?”
“I’m not sure,” Yukiko replied. “But I don’t think so. She said Kanji just disappeared. She told me that Kanji announces these things. So it is strange that he’s just gone.”
“Well, I think we ought to confirm it tomorrow,” Yua said.
“A good idea,” Yukiko agreed. “In the meantime, let’s keep an eye on the Midnight Channel.”
“Afirmative!” Yua said. “Good night.”
“Good night,” Yukiko replied. They hung up.
Izanagi reappeared. “Well, it looks like things are getting interesting.”
Yua sighed. “Hopefully we’re not too late.” They waited until the clock struck midnight. Once it did, the TV started acting up. Unlike the previous nights, the image was crystal clear. It looked like a bathhouse. “Oh no…” Yua remarked.
Just then, Kanji sauntered up to the camera. “Good evening,” they said in a sultry voice. “And welcome to ‘Bad Bad Bathhouse’. Tonight, dear viewers, I’m here to introduce a superb site for those looking for sublime love that surpasses the separation of the sexes. I’m your host, Kanji Tatsumi, and I’m here to serve a scandalous, steamy, experience. Just imagine what could happen inside, I’m getting chills just thinking about it. Good thing it’s so warm in here. And it’s about to get a lot hotter. Tootle-oo~!” He wandered into the bathhouse.
The vision faded. “DAMMIT!” Yua called out.
“Hey, it’s OK,” Izanagi replied.
“No it’s not!” Yua said. “We tried, and tried, but Kanji still ended up in the TV.”
“Look at me,” Izanagi said. “While it’s true that he’s in there, we still have the opportunity to save him. We are not ruined yet.”
Yua sighed. “You’re right. It’s just frustrating is all.”
“I know,” Izanagi said. “But it’s important to keep your head up. We aren’t down and out just yet.”
Yua smiled. “Thanks.” She got another phone call. “Hello?”
“Hey, did you see that?” Yosuke said. “It looks like the killer got to Kanji.”
“Yeah,” Yua admitted.
“Man, this sucks,” Yosuke said. “Maybe we should have held firm, and kept watch.”
“I know how you feel,” Yua said. “But hey, now we have a clear idea on what to do next.”
Yosuke sighed. “Yeah. And hopefully, we’ll figure some more things out about the killer. I imagine if they managed to get one over on Kanji, they’d have to be pretty fearless.”
Yua chuckled. “Well, it seems like we’re taking a look into things tomorrow.”
“Roger that!” Yosuke shot back. “Good night.”
“Good night,” Yua replied.
“You holding up alright?” Izanagi wondered.
Yua sighed. “I think so. Like you said, it’s not easy.”
“Well, for what it’s worth, I’m proud of you,” Izanagi said. “You keep charging forward, despite the adversity.”
Yua chuckled. “Only because you're there for me.”
“Not just me,” Izanagi replied. “Everyone else too.”
Yua nodded. “Yeah.” She yawned. “Well, we’ve got a big day ahead of us, so I need to get some rest.”
Izanagi nodded. “Good night then.”
“Good night,” Yua replied. Izanagi faded away, as Yua crawled into bed, and fell asleep for the night.
P4G: Mirror Mirror (A FeMC Story/P4G Rework)
Chapter 35: A Wave of Confusion
Saturday, it was raining cats and dogs. After school, Chie took a good, hard look at the weather, came back to the group, and sighed. “Well, it looks like we’re going to be checking The Midnight Channel tonight.”
Yosuke sighed. “Well, I hope no one’s on it. But if there is, maybe we’ll find some clue on who’s doing this.”
“I hope no one’s on it either,” Yukiko repeated.
“I don’t know if we’ll get that lucky,” Yua said. “I mean, it’d be nice, but we’re still lost without a compass in terms of the bigger picture.”
“We have a few ideas kicking around,” Yosuke assured her. “Besides, us working together, we’ll figure it out sooner or later. We saved Yukiko, didn’t we?”
Yua smiled. “I suppose we did.”
Yukiko giggled. “And I’m geared up to help save the next person. If there is a next person, that is.”
“Yukiko’s right!” Chie said. “We’ve got nothing to worry about! Now, let’s just keep an eye on The Midnight Channel, OK?” The three others nodded. “Good.”
Yua chuckled. “Thanks for keeping my head above water.”
Chie snickered back. “What are friends for?” They shared a laugh, grew a little more serious, and then headed home before the rain got really bad.
That night, Yua was in her room, waiting for the stroke of midnight. “Izanagi?” Yua called out. He appeared. “Do you think anyone is in the TV world yet?”
“I don’t think so,” Izanagi replied. “But I can’t be certain.”
“So, what are the odds we’re going to see anything tonight?” Yua wondered.
“I’d say a fair amount,” Izanagi answered. “The ebb and flow of things seems to suggest that something is going to happen soon.”
“It is weird that it seems linked to the weather,” Yua responded.
“True,” Izanagi said. “But it’s the only thing giving us any sort of edge. Imagine if someone was in the TV now, and we couldn’t see it.”
“A fair point,” Yua retorted. “I guess there has to be a method to the madness.” Yua noticed her clock turn to midnight. The TV went to static. “It’s starting.” Another silhouette appeared on the TV. It wasn’t all too clear, but it looked like a high school boy. “Interesting…”
“Well, the good thing is it confirms that no one’s in the TV just yet,” Izanagi said.
Yua got out her phone, and gave Yosuke a call. “Oh hey!” Yosuke said, receiving the call. “I was just about to call you. You saw it, right?”
“I wouldn’t be calling this late at night if I didn’t,” Yua replied.
“Harsh,” Yosuke said. “I thought we had something special.
Yua rolled her eyes “I don’t like staying up too late if I don’t have to. We’re still good.”
“Well, thanks for assuring me,” Yosuke said. “Well, sounds like I don’t want to keep you up. We’re meeting up tomorrow about this, right?”
“Right,” Yua replied.
“Alright, see you then,” Yosuke said. “I’ll message the others.”
Yua yawned. “Sounds great. See you then.”
“Good night,” Yosuke replied. They hung up.
Yua placed her phone on her desk. “Good night Izanagi.” She fell asleep.
Izanagi nodded. “Good night.” He vanished.
The next day, the four of them met at Junes. “So, we’re all here,” Yosuke said, initiating the meeting. “Now, let’s call things to order.”
Yukiko giggled. “So this place is like our secret base then?”
“I suppose,” Yosuke said. He chuckled. “What a great way to put it.”
Yua chuckled. She then cleared her throat. “So, we all saw that figure, right?”
“Yeah,” Chie said. “It looked like a boy about our age. Maybe younger.”
“Well, that knocks down the theory that the kidnappings are to do with women involved with the Yamano case.”
“True,” Yukiko said, “but we can eliminate that from being the truth.”
“Right,” Yua said. “Figuring out a mystery isn’t just finding out the truth, but figuring out the lies the truth hides behind as well.”
“And boy, does this case hide behind some crafty lies,” Yosuke said.
“As well as some improbable truths,” Chie added.
“Regardless, we still have some time to figure things out,” Yua said. “Izanagi confirmed that no one’s in the TV world just yet. If we can figure out who this person is, we can maybe save them without them getting thrown into the TV.”
Yosuke nodded. “And perhaps even get a clue as to whoever is doing this.”
“What’s odd is that he does seem familiar,” Yukiko said.
“I know what you mean,” Chie said. “I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I feel like I’ve seen him before.”
“Maybe if we get another good look at him tonight,” Yua suggested. “Provided whoever it is isn’t already kidnapped.”
“Well, we weren’t lucky enough to have no one in there,” Chie said. “But maybe we are lucky enough for that at least. I mean, I studied really hard for midterms, I deserve some bit of good fortune.”
“Well, let’s cross our fingers, and hope that’s the case,” Yosuke said. He groaned. “I kind of wish we weren’t alone on this.”
“What do you want us to do?” Chie asked. “Drag the police into the TV?”
“We’d probably just get arrested again if we suggested that,” Yua added.
“I know,” Yosuke said. “I’m just saying it’d be easier.”
“I mean, you’re not wrong,” Yua said. “But this isn’t easy to explain.”
“Well,” Yukiko interjected, “it is easy to explain, just hard to believe.”
“Six in one, half dozen in the other,” Yosuke remarked.
“What?” Chie wondered.
“It’s an expression,” Yosuke said. “Basically, it means ‘same difference’.”
“Gotcha,” Chie said. “Well, I think we’ve gotten to a point where we’re just talking in circles. So we just have to watch The Midnight Channel once more, and see if we can’t determine who it is we’re looking for.”
Yua nodded. “An excellent summation.”
“Hang on,” Yosuke remarked. “Chie’s not the leader. She can’t call a meeting over like that.”
“Well, as the leader,” Yua replied, “I’m saying she can.”
Yukiko snickered. “She’s got you there.” She snickered some more. Yosuke grumbled some more, which set Yukiko off into a laughing fit.
“Oh boy,” Chie said. “There she goes again.” She sighed. “I should get her back before she loses it completely.”
“Roger that,” Yosuke said.
“I thought you weren’t about to let Chie call these things,” Yua teased.
“Well, you gave her permission,” Yosuke retorted.
Yua nodded. “Glad you’re learning.”
“He he he he,” Yukiko laughed. “‘Glad you’re learning.’ He he.”
Chie sighed. “Alright Giggles, time to go.” Chie escorted Yukiko home, while Yua, and Yosuke broke away on their own.
That night, as Yua was waiting for The Midnight Channel, Izanagi appeared. “Quite the eclectic bunch you’ve got there.”
“Don’t tell me you’re complaining,” Yua replied.
“Quite the opposite,” Izanagi answered. “This is an unusual situation. Do you really think usual people are the way to solve it?”
“I guess when you put it like that, it makes sense,” Yua responded.
“I’m just saying,” Izanagi said, “be grateful for what you have.”
“Mmm,” Yua groaned. “I…I get that…”
Izanagi looked at her, understanding her pain. “I apologize.”
“Thanks,” Yua said. The clock struck midnight. The static started. “Here it is!” Yua said. The silhouette from before appeared. “I swear I’ve seen this person before…”
“Where would you have seen them?” Izanagi asked. “I don’t think we’ve met anyone like that before.”
Yua stared at the silhouette a little more. And then it clicked. “That’s it!”
The static faded. “Hm?” Izanagi remarked. “What did you realize?”
“Well…” Yua began. She was interrupted by her phone going off. She answered “Hello?”
“Yo,” Yosuke said. “It was there again. It looks like whoever it is still isn’t on the other side, which is good.”
Yua nodded. “And I think I know who it might be.”
“Really?!” Yosuke remarked. “Who?”
“I think,” Yua began, “it’s a boy named Kanji Tatsumi.”
“Oh yeah!” Yosuke said. “Now that you mention it, I think it’s him too. Nice catch.”
“Thanks,” Yua said.
“Well, it looks like we know what the deal is,” Yosuke said. “Let’s meet up tomorrow and make a game plan.”
“I thought only the leader could make these kinds of decisions,” Yua teased.
“...Shut up,” Yosuke replied. “I get it.”
Yua giggled. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight,” Yosuke replied. They hung up.
Yua let out a sigh. She glanced over at Izanagi. “Well, it seems like Adachi might be up to something after all.”
“I somehow doubt that,” Izanagi replied. “But I get your point.”
Yua stretched. “Well, we’ll just see what everyone says tomorrow.” She got under the covers, and went to bed.
The next day, after school, the gang of four met up at their desks. “So,” Yua led, “it appears that the figure we’re seeing on the TV is Kanji Tatsumi.”
Chie nodded. “I realized it too. I saw him in the report on the biker gangs. It took me a second, but yeah, it’s him alright.”
Yosuke nodded. “I’m worried. He was yelling, and causing a fuss. And he can back it up.”
“We should still investigate,” Yua said. “If not us, then who?”
“Fair,” Yosuke relented, “but I don’t have to like it.”
Chie glanced at Yukiko. “Something on your mind?”
“Oh, well,” Yukiko replied, “I was just thinking. He seems a lot different than when we were younger.”
The three others were surprised. “You know him?!” Chie exclaimed.
“Kind of,” Yukiko answered. “The hotel buys a lot of textiles from their shop. I sometimes speak to him, but more often, I speak with his mother.”
“Well, that might give us a good angle to work with,” Yosuke said. “It might be less awkward.”
“Still a bit scary,” Chie remarked.
“I don’t think he’d get too angry while we’re speaking with his mom,” Yukiko said. “He really cares for her, and wouldn’t do anything to cause her distress.”
“Well, intentionally, anyway,” Yua replied. “My uncle says that he often pulls stunts that his mom has to apologize for.”
Yosuke sighed. “Well, if we have to go into the dragon’s den, might as well make sure it’s when the dragon is placated.”
Yua nodded. “Well then, let’s go.” The four of them nodded, and headed out.
As they were walking, Yua was pondering something. Izanagi appeared to her. “Well?”
“‘Well’ what?” Yua replied, quietly.
“Did you want to tell them?” Izanagi asked. “You seem more convinced than I am.”
“I will, just…” Yua replied.
“Something on your mind?" Yukiko asked.
Yua looked back at her friends, seeming a little skittish. “Well…just…something I heard.”
“What is it?” Chie asked.
Yua sighed. “So, Adachi, my uncle’s partner, informed me that the police suspect the local biker gangs of this incident.”
Everyone seemed puzzled. “Really?” Chie wondered.
Yua nodded. “He said that they like attention, and seeing others getting attention drives them up the wall. And since Kanji seems to have a history with these gangs, I’m especially worried…”
The other three looked at each other. Yosuke nodded. “Well, let’s say that is the case. What do we do about it?”
“I mean…” Yua replied. “I don’t know what to do about them until they enter the TV world. Should we investigate them? Can we investigate them? We’re already worried about dealing with Kanji…”
“Well, first off, take a deep breath,” Yosuke said. Yua did so. “From what you said, the police are looking into the biker gangs at the moment. I say we let them handle the gangs until it comes to light that they are the ones behind it.”
Yua nodded. “Yeah. That makes sense.”
Yosuke nodded back. “ In the meantime, if the biker gangs have been extra suspicious, and Kanji is the next target, we might be able to get some information from questioning Kanji, or his mother.”
“Yeah,” Yua agreed. “Thanks.”
“Of course,” Yosuke said. “Let’s just focus on the task at hand, and see what we can glean.” They continued on.
“You know, Yosuke,” Chie remarked, “you can be clever when you want to be.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Yosuke replied. Yukiko chuckled. Yosuke sighed. “Well, get that out of your system before we reach the textile shop. You don’t want to be asking serious questions while giggling up a storm.”
“Tee hee,” Yukiko replied. “With pleasure.” She continued to giggle for a bit. Yosuke rolled his eyes, while Chie sighed deeply. Meanwhile, Yua smiled, knowing that she made friends with genuine people.
When they arrived at the textile shope, they didn’t see any sign of Kanji, but they saw a different young man asking Kanji’s mom questions. He nodded. “Well, I best be going. Thank you for your time Ma’am.”
Kanji’s mom nodded. “Of course, Sorry I couldn’t be of more assistance.”
The young man shook his head. “It’s alright. You’ve given me plenty to think about.” He turned around, sized up the Investigation Team, and headed out.
“Who was that weird guy?” Yosuke asked.
“No idea,” Chie answered. “Never see him before.”
“Ah, Yuki-chan,” Kanji’s mom greeted. “Welcome.”
Yukiko bowed. “Nice to see you.”
“My, you’ve grown since I’ve last seen you,” Kanji’s mom continued. “You remind me of your mother when she was your age.”
Yukiko nodded. “Thanks.”
“So, what brings you here, Yuki-Chan?” Kanji’s mom wondered. “Are you out shopping with friends?”
“Well, actually,” Yukiko replied, “we’re kind of looking into some strange happenings.”
“Oh my,” Kanji’s mom replied. “I hope Kanji didn’t do anything to ruffle your feathers.”
Yukiko shook her head. “He did no such thing.”
“Thank goodness,” Kanji’s mom responded.
“But we are concerned about him,” Yua interjected.
“Oh my!” Kanji’s mom.
“Well,” Yukiko said, “we’re here to make sure he doesn’t get into any trouble.”
“Well that’s very sweet of you, Yuki-chan,” Kanji’s mother.
Yua was slightly embarrassed. “...Sorry to worry you.”
“Oh, don’t be,” Kanji’s mother replied. “You’re just worried, right?”
Yua smiled, nodded, and said “Right?”
“If you don’t mind,” Yukiko said, “we have some questions we’d like to ask you.”
Kanji’s mom nodded. “By all means.” Yukiko, and Yua, began asking Kanji’s mom about the case, Kanji, and the bikers.
Meanwhile, Chie, and Yosuke were looking around the textile shop, letting Yukiko, and Yua lead the charge. All of a sudden, something caught Chie’s eye. She nudged Yosuke. “Hey.” Yosuke looked over. “Doesn’t that scarf look familiar? Or am I seeing things?”
The two of them got a closer look at it. “Yeah…” Yosuke said. “Now that you mention it, it does look familiar.”
Chie realized something. “That’s right! The TV. It was in that room with the chair.”
Yosuke realized what Chie meant. “Oh yeah! Yeah, that was in that weird room, with all the ripped posters. Then that means that it belonged to the announcer, right?”
Kanji’s mom’s ear picked up on the conversation they were having. Having just discussed things with Yukiko, and Yua, she asked “Were you acquaintances with Miss Yamano as well?”
“Uh…” Yosuke stammered. “Kind of.”
“We were closer with the second victim,” Yua explained. “But since she found Miss Yamano’s body, it’s all…”
Kanji’s mom nodded. “I understand. Well, truth be told, she did order a scarf like this. Well, really, she ordered two; one for a woman, and one for a man. But in the end, she only accepted the women’s scarf. We now have to sell that scarf on its own.”
“I see…” Yua replied.
“So, it DOES relate to the initial case,” Yosuke reiterated.
“But what does that mean?” Chie wondered.
The doorbell rang. “Hello!” The delivery man shouted. “Delivery for the Tatsumis!”
Kanji’s mom stood up. “MY apologies. I should get that.”
“Oh, it’s quite alright ma’am.” Yukiko said. “I think we’ve got what we came for anyways. We should get going.” She bowed. “Thank you for your time.”
Kanji’s mom bowed back. “Of course. Have a nice day. Oh, and say hi to your mother for me.” She went to answer the door, while the four of them left.
“So, it is connected…” Yosuke repeated. “But what would they want with a scarf?”
“Well,” Yua interjected, “maybe it’s not the scarf. If it is the biker gang, it’s just attention.”
“Even so,” Yosuke retorted, “how would they know about this?”
Yua shrugged. “They seem to deal with Kanji a fair amount.”
“Still,” Yosuke replied, “it’s grasping at straws.”
“Well, just keep it in mind,” Yua said. “Until it’s properly debunked, I think it’s worth keeping on the back-burner at least.”
“Fair,” Yosuke said.
Meanwhile, Yukiko glanced over. “Hey! Isn’t that Kanji-kun?!”
“What?!” Yosuke yelped. “Quick, let’s hide!” They tried to hide as best they could, while still peering over to look at what Kanji was doing. He was talking with the boy Kanji’s mom was talking with earlier.
Kanji seemed a little flustered. “T-tomorrow’s fine with me?”
The boy nodded. “And you are going to school, correct?”
“Huh?” Kanji replied. “School? O-Of course I’m going to school!”
The boy nodded. “Well then, tomorrow, after school, outside the gates. I’ll be waiting.” He walked off.
Kanji stood there, still a little flustered. “Did…did he say he was interested in me? I mean, he’s a guy, and I’m a guy…right?” He looked up, and saw the Investigation Team, and grew angry. “WHAT ARE YOU PUNKS LOOKIN’ AT?!” He charged them, and they ran off. “Tch.” He scoffed, before heading back inside his home.
Once the Investigation Team was a safe distance away, they stopped. “That was a close one,” Yosuke noted.
“Tell me about it,” Chie said. “He’s scarier face to face.”
“Mmm,” Yua pouted. “I feel bad for him.”
“He charged at us like a raging bull!” Yosuke countered.
“Yeah,” Yua said, “but you heard him. He was struggling with his feelings. I want to help him.”
“I get what you mean,” Chie said, “but maybe we can help him when he’s less agitated.”
Yua shrugged. “I guess.”
“Well, one thing’s for certain,” Yukiko said, “Kanji-kun was definitely on the TV last night. And from what we got from Kanji’s mom, things seem to be circling around the first case.”
“Yeah, but where does that leave us?” Yosuke said. “It’s hard to imagine why they would go after Kanji, and not his mom, when his mom seemed closer to the Yamano case.”
“Well, the same thing was true about my case,” Yukiko said. “My mom was more involved with Ms. Yamano, but I ended up getting kidnapped.”
“It could be a punishment thing,” Chie said. “Like, ‘I’ve killed your child as punishment for getting involved.’”
“But then whoever did that was aiming to hurt Ms. Yamano’s parents?” Yua wondered. “That doesn’t make sense.”
“Plus,” Yosuke continued, “Saki-senpai was directly involved, not her parents. Mmmm. Maybe the biker gang theory is making more sense.”
“Even so,” Yukiko wondered, “how do we make sure nothing happens to Kanji?”
Yosuke got an idea. “Say, didn’t Kanji say he was meeting that strange boy after school tomorrow?”
“Uh, yeah?” Yukiko answered.
“Well, there’s our answer!” Yosuke said. “We steak him out! If something suspicious happens, we’ll be on the scene. And maybe we can learn a thing or two from the conversation.”
“Not a bad idea,” Yua said.
“Hmm,” Chie grumbled. “As much as he scares me, I am excited by this idea. Tailing someone, catching a criminal in the act, and then going in with some Trial of the Dragon!”
“One step at a time,” Yosuke said. “But I like your enthusiasm.”
“Let’s just go over the plan in full,” Yua said. “We’ll keep an eye on Kanji to see if anything happens.”
“Correct,” Yosuke said.
“But what if the killer sneaks into the textile shop while Kanji is out?” Yua wondered.
“Hmmm,” Yosuke said. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Well, maybe some of us can keep an eye on the shop,” Yukiko said.
“Great idea!” Yua replied.
Yosuke nodded. “Alright, we’ll divide, and conquer.”
“So, what should the teams be?” Chie wondered.
“If I may,” Yukiko said, “I think Yua and I should be together. I think it would be a nice bonding exercise for the two of us.”
Yua smiled. “I like that idea.”
“So, do you want to tail Kanji?” Yosuke asked. “Or keep an eye on the shop?”
“I think they should keep an eye on the shop,” Chie answered. “For what it’s worth, they are…slightly smarter than us, so I imagine they might pick up someone sneaking in easier than us.”
“So, we’re left to deal with the man himself?” Yosuke bemoaned. He sighed. “Well, I guess it makes sense.”
Yukiko giggled. “Have fun you two. And be careful.”
“We’ll try,” Yosuke said.
“Well, we have a plan in place,” Yua said. “Tomorrow, we’ll get some answers for sure!” The four of them nodded, and headed home for the day.
When Yua got home, Ryotaro was reading the news, while Nanako was watching the TV. “Welcome back!” Nanako greeted.
“How was your day?” Ryotaro asked.
“It was fine,” Yua said. “Some ups, some downs.”
“I see,” Ryotaro said.
Yua was slightly nervous, but took a deep breath. “Hey, um, Uncle Ryotaro?” He looked up from the paper. “I’ve been hearing things about the biker gangs in the area, and I’m getting a little concerned. How worried should I be?”
Ryotaro put his paper down. “Well, it’s nice to hear you’re worried. Nanako said the boys in her class play biker gang during recess.”
“They’re trying to impress the girls,” Nanako said.
Yua looked over. “Are you impressed by them?”
Nanako shook her head. “But some of my friends are.”
Ryotaro smirked. “Well, I’m grateful you two have a good head on your shoulders. As for the gangs themselves, we’re looking into it. Honestly, we deal with them all the time. You have nothing to worry about.”
Yua smiled. “Thanks.” The rest of the evening was relaxing, and Yua went to bed, ready for the vents of tomorrow.
On the last day of finals, Ren, and Ann, emerged from their classroom. “Man, that was brutal!” Ann exclaimed. “But I think I did better than anticipated. What about you?”
Ren shrugged. “I think I did well.”
Ann snickered. “You say that like you haven’t been top of the class since you got here.”
“Well, I mean,” Ren said, slightly embarrassed, “I still gotta fight for it. Don’t wanna get Douglas-ed.”
“‘Douglas-ed’?” Ann wondered
“You know,” Ren said. “There was a famous boxing match between Mike Tyson, and Buster Douglas, and Douglas won in an upset for the ages.”
Ann snickered some more. “I think this is why you’re top of the class.”
“Come on,” Ren responded. “The match happened here in Tokyo!”
“Psh,” Ann scoffed. “Before any of us were born.”
“So you DO know about it!” Ren shot back.
“Well, you reminded me,” Ann said. “It’s not top of mind, you know.”
“Fair,” Ren admitted.
“Pardon me,” Sumire said, approaching the two of them.
“Oh, what’s up?” Ann wondered.
“Well,” Sumire said, “as you know, tomorrow is my last gymnastics meet of the year. As we have had finals the last few days, I have missed some practice, but there is a big practice session this afternoon, and I was going to ask Ren if she’d like to come with me..”
“Oh, of course,” Ren answered. “Um, any reason in particular?”
“Well,” Sumire said, taking her hand, “you tend to bring out the best in me, and I really want to make sure this practice goes well. If this practice goes well, then surely tomorrow will go well as well.”
Ren giggled. “Well, I don’t want things to go badly. So, let’s go!”
Morgana popped his head out of Ren’s bag. “Should I come along as well?”
“Mmmmm,” Sumire responded, “probably not.”
Ann chuckled. “I can take him.”
“Thanks,” Ren said.
Ann grabbed Morgana, and placed him in her bag. “So,” Morgana asked, “are you coming back after Sumire’s practice is through?”
“Actually,” Sumire said, “I was thinking we would have dinner, and stuff.”
“Oh. I see,” Morgana replied. “Couple things. Well, I’ll leave you to it.”
Ann giggled. “Have fun you two!”
“Hopefully, things don’t get too intense,” Ren said.
“Well, it is the last practice before the big event,” Sumire said, “but I’m sure we’ll be alright.”
“Well, if you say so,” Ren said. She nodded. “Let’s go!”
Sumire nodded back. “Let’s!” The two headed off.
Once they got to the gymnastics studio, Coach Hiraguchi greeted the two of them. “Welcome.” She looked over at Ren. “I see you’ve brought Ren today.”
Sumire nodded. “Yes. She brings out the best in me, and I want to be at my best for tomorrow.”
Hiraguchi smiled. “I see. Well, I hope you’re ready. And I hope you did well on your finals.”
Ren nodded. “Thank you.”
Sumire giggled. “Well, we should get ready.” She turned to Ren. “Let’s get changed.”
Ren slightly blushed. “Oh. Right.” The two of them headed into the changing rooms, and changed. Once they emerged wearing their practice outfits, Ren turned to Sumire. “Ready?”
Sumire smirked, tilting her head slightly, and replied “Of course.” The two of them took to the practice mat, ready to go.
As they did their exercises, Sumire was intent on doing well. She had a big performance tomorrow, and she knew it. Every so often, she would catch a glance of Ren, and whenever she did so, she smirked, and proceeded to push herself even further.
Once practice wrapped up, Coach Hiraguchi approached Sumire. “You seem to be in top form.”
Sumire was slightly panting. “Well…I’m trying…”
Hiraguchi chuckled. “I’m sure tomorrow will be a rousing success.”
Sumire nodded. “Me too.”
Hiraguchi then turned to Ren. “You did excellent today as well.”
Ren got slightly embarrassed. “...Thanks.”
Hiraguchi smirked. “You know, if you were interested, you could probably become a pro at this as well. Of course, you’d need to do a lot of practice to catch up.”
“Eh heh,” Ren chuckled nervously. “As enticing as that offer is, I have different ideas about what I want to do.”
“Oh?” Hiraguchi replied. She smirked. “Well, I can’t wait to see where you go. I’m sure wherever it is, you’ll get there with flying colors.”
Ren bowed. “Thanks Coach!’
Sumire giggled. “C’mon. Let’s get changed. We’ve got a big night ahead of us.”
“Oh, uh, right,” Ren said.
“You two doing something?” Hiraguchi asked.
Sumire chuckled. “Just couple things.”
“I see,” Hiraguchi replied.
“It was kind of Sumire’s idea,” Ren stated, “but I think we both need something like this.”
“Oh, right,” Hiraguchi said. “Today was the last day of finals, wasn’t it?”
“Well, there’s been a bit more going on,” Sumire said, “but yeah.”
Hiraguchi smiled. “Well, have fun you two.”
“We will,” Sumire giggled.
“Thanks,” Ren said. The two of them got changed, and headed out. Once outside, Ren asked “So, what’s next on the itinerary?”
“I was thinking dinner,” Sumire said.
“OK,” Ren said. “Anywhere in particular?”
“I was thinking we could do the sushi place where we celebrated bringing down Kaneshiro,” Sumire suggested.
Ren nodded. “Sounds like a plan.” The two of them headed over there.
Once they arrived, they got seated, and placed their orders. Once their order was in, Sumire turned to Ren, and asked “So, um, if you don’t mind me asking, what do you want to do once you graduate high school?”
“Eh?” Ren replied, confused.
“You told Coach that you had ‘different ideas’ about what you wanted to do,” Sumire reminded her.
“Oh, right,” Ren said. “Well…I’m thinking about becoming a therapist.”
“Oh?” Sumire wondered.
Ren nodded. “Ever since coming to Tokyo, I’ve met many wonderful people. But a lot of them were like me in that they were having trouble. And through talking with them, I’ve helped alleviate their troubles, and they helped alleviate mine. And I think I can continue helping people. And I think becoming a therapist is the way to do that.”
Sumire smiled. “I like that.”
“Really?” Ren wondered. “It’s not too cheesy?”
“Maybe it’s a little cheesy,” Sumire replied. “But that’s what I like about it. It’s so you.”
Ren glanced over at her. “Are you saying I’m a little cheesy?”
“Maybe,” Sumire teased. She leaned her head on Ren’s shoulder. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t love you.” Ren rolled her eyes. Sumire giggled. They shared a kiss. Sumire took her head off of Ren’s shoulder. “Well, I’ll be there for you. I’m sure you can do it, but I just want you to know I’m here for you.”
Ren chuckled. “Of course. I don’t think I’d have gotten to this point on my own. I need people in order to thrive, and I don’t think that’s going to end any time soon. And of course, I’ll need you as well. I feel like I’d be drowning in doubt if it wasn’t for you.”
“Funny enough, I feel the same way,” Sumire admitted. “I think that’s why we work well together. We lift each other up.” They shared a chuckle. Their food then came in, and they started eating.
“So,” Ren said, in-between bites, “I take it you still want to pursue gymnastics.”
“Correct,” Sumire said
Ren smiled. “Well, like you said, I’m there for you as well.”
Sumire giggled. “Thanks. Although I never doubted that.”
“I know,” Ren said. “I just like saying that.” They giggled again.
Once they finished, they paid, and left. “Boy, that was delicious!” Sumire exclaimed.
“I’ll say,” Ren replied. “And after the workout we had, well-deserved, if I do say so myself.”
Sumire chuckled. “Don’t tell me you’re tired now.”
Ren raised her eyebrow. “Is there more?” Sumire nodded. “What is it?”
Sumire giggled. “I…kind of want it to be a surprise.”
“Oh?” Ren replied. “Intriguing. Lead the way.”
Sumire nodded. “With pleasure.” Sumire took Ren’s hand, and led the way. Once they arrived at their destination, Sumire proclaimed “Here we are!”
Ren looked up at the building, and turned red. “Um, Sumire?”
“Yes?”
“This is a love hotel.”
“And?” Sumire wondered.
“Well…” Ren replied, still embarrassed. “I mean…it’s just…are we…I mean…I would like to, but…it’s um…that’s uh…this is…” Sumire shut her up, by giving her a deep, passionate kiss. Once Sumire finished, Ren replied “Well, that’s a convincing argument.”
Sumire giggled. “Back at the restaurant, I told you I want to continue with gymnastics. And I do want to do that. But in order for me to do that, I need to be truly, wholly, unabashedly myself. I’ve spent the time since meeting you trying to figure out what that is. And you’ve been there every step of the way. For far too long, I’ve been avoiding who I am because I never thought I was good enough. But you taught me I was good enough.”
She smirked. “But now, I’m not satisfied with being just ‘good enough’. I want to be phenomenal. I want to be spectacular. I want to leave it all on the table. I want the world to see who I am. And part of who I am is someone who adores you, in every conceivable way.
Everywhere I look, my future is with you. Not a day goes by where you don’t cross my mind. I want to let go of my insecurities, and walk into the future with no regrets. I want to feel emboldened to be my true self, and I never feel more true than when I’m with you. If you aren’t ready, I understand, and we can do this at a later time. But I just want to let you know that I am ready, willing, and able.”
Ren was stunned. She was shaking for a moment, but she steadied herself. “No. I’m ready.”
Sumire was slightly surprised. “Really?”
Ren nodded. “Yeah. I mean, you bring out the best in me. I know I want to be with you, forever, and always. I would be a hollow shell of a girl without you. You make me feel whole in ways I could have never imagined. I was always content with sitting on the sidelines, and letting life pass me by. But with you, I want to go for it.
I know whatever the future holds won’t always be easy, but it will be better with you. Because you make me a better person, and together we can overcome anything. I mean that sincerely. And if I wasn’t ready now, after everything we’ve been through, well, I’d be betraying myself, and I could never stand that.”
Sumire smiled. “Well then, the night is ours.” She leaned on Ren, and the two of them entered the love hotel.
The next day, Ren, Morgana, Ann, Ryuji, Jose, Yusuke, Makoto, Futaba, Lena, Haru, Goro, Mishima, Shiho, Kisa, Hiroki, Eiko, Yumeko, and Fumihito were gathered in Haru’s box seat, ready to watch Sumire perform. “Wow!” Yumeko remarked. “This is really nice.”
“I’ll say,” Fumihito added.
Haru chuckled. “Thank you.”
“I have to agree,” Goro said. “It’s an amazing view, no matter how you slice it.”
“Well, it’s gonna get better in a minute,” Ann said. “Sumire’s almost on!”
“Hell yeah!” Ryuji said.
“I don’t know how she’s going to top her previous performance,” Hiroki said.
“I’m sure she will,” Kisa said.
“Well, at the very least, she’ll be excellent,” Lena said.
“Agreed,” Makoto said.
“She always is,” Eiko said.
“I’m glad we have the time to enjoy this,” Jose said. “Especially after everything that’s happened.”
“I agree,” Yusuke said. “It is a marvelous occasion, and I am grateful to be witness to it.”
Futaba smirked. “Yeah. I’m glad I’m here. I can’t wait to see how she does!”
Shiho giggled. “I like coming to these things too. It gets me motivated to get better at volleyball, especially Sumire’s performance!”
“Well, of course,’ Mishima said. “She’s our friend, and our friends bring out the best in us.”
Morgana looked up at Ren. “Are you excited?”
Ren smirked. “Always.”
Sumire looked out of the doorframe. She took a deep breath. “Here goes.” She stepped out onto the mat. She smiled, and bowed. She looked around. At one end, Coach Hiraguchi was there, giving her a nod, and a wink. Elsewhere, her parents were excited, and barely able to contain it. Up above, her friends were watching in a box seat, excited for what was about to come. She looked deeper, and saw her girlfriend. Ren smiled. Sumire smiled back. She then recentered her focus, and began her routine.
Sumire’s performance was amazing. Every move was executed flawlessly, and with conviction. In every step, every calculated motion, she put her whole self in, and it showed. She was showing off her true, and whole self to the world, and she was reveling in that fact. She knew who she was now, and she wasn’t going to let anyone take that from her.
Once her performance ended, she was breathing deeply. A mixture of sweat, and tears, flowed down her face, as she looked towards the crowd. They were in awe at the sheer beauty of the performance. It took a second of appreciating the elegance of it before the applause began to ring out, but once it did, it was thunderous.
Sumire looked around again. Her coach was smiling sincerely, her parents were overcome with joy, her friends were celebrating her performance exuberantly, and despite being a ways away, she could tell that her girlfriend had a slight blush across her face. Sumire smiled, blushing as well. “No regrets.”
P5R: Rebel Girl (A FeMC Story/P5R Rework)
Chapter 276: Viva Las Vagus Nerve
The night before finals, and Ren got a text message. “Huh,” she remarked.
“Who’s it from?” Morgana asked.
“It’s from Ohya,” Ren replied. “It reads…”
Ohya: Hey kid. I know this whole thing with exposing Shido has helped my career a lot, but can I ask you one more favor?
Ohya: Shido mentioned that he stole some research that allowed him to do what he did. I assume that extends to Kayo. I don’t know what you can do, but if you can do something with the research, do you think maybe Kayo is capable of being saved?
“Well that’s interesting,” Morgana noted. “What do we do?”
Ren smirked. “Our best.” She headed out of her room, and Morgana followed, curious as to what she was doing. She knocked on Futaba’s door. “Hey Futaba? You got a minute?”
Futaba answered “What’s up?!”
“So, uh, you know your mom’s research?” Ren asked.
“Uh huh,” Futaba replied.
“Well, someone I know has a friend who was affected by it,” Ren explained, “and I was wondering if we could use it to help fix them?”
“Huh,” Futaba responded. “Well, I guess we could. But I don’t know where to start.”
“Well, if I’m being honest,” Ren said, “I was kind of thinking we could take your mom’s research to Dr. Takemi, and see if she could do something with it.”
“Oh,” Futaba replied. “Yeah, that makes sense. And maybe we can get Dr. Maruki in on this too.”
Ren snickered. “Maybe once finals are done.”
“Oh. Right,” Futaba said. “Still, sounds like a solid plan.”
“Great!” Ren said. “Think you can handle asking Dr. Takemi on your own?”
Futaba looked at her confused. “On my own?”
“Well, I’d like to help,” Ren said, “but, you know, finals…”
“Oh, right,” Futaba said. She pondered for a minute. “I…think I can do that.”
“Great! Thanks!” Ren said. She yawned. “I really gotta hit the sack. Otherwise I might do terribly on my finals.”
Futaba giggled. “Good night. And good luck tomorrow.”
Ren smiled. “Thanks. You too.” Ren started to leave. “Oh, right. I should explain: Dr. Takemi knows I’m a Phantom Thief. You don’t need to tell her you are, but if it makes things easier, you can tell her as well.
Futaba smiled, and nodded. “Got it.” Ren smiled, and waved back. Futaba closed the door, and Ren returned to her room.
“So that’s what you were up to,” Morgana noted.
“I mean, I don’t know how successful it will be,” Ren replied. “But it’s worth trying, right?”
Morgana nodded. “Right.” Ren smiled back for a second, and then got out her phone.
Ren: We’ll have someone look into it. I can’t make any guarantees at this stage, but we’ll see what we can do.
Ohya: Thanks for being honest, kid. And thanks for giving Kayo a shot!
Ren: Of course.
Ren: Could you maybe give me the information on where Kayo is? It would probably be helpful to know where she is in order to help.
Ohya: Oh. Right.
Ohya: I’ll send you the info right away!
Ren: Thanks.
Ohya passed off the info to Ren, who passed it off to Futaba before going to bed for the night.
The next day, as Shujin Academy was starting their finals, Futaba made her way over to Takemi’s clinic. When she got to the door, she took a deep breath. “You can do this.” She opened the door, and walked in.
Futaba nodded. “I’m here on behalf of a mutual friend of ours: one Ren Amamiya.”
“Oh?” Takemi responded. “A request from Ren?”
Futaba nodded again. “She’s taking her finals right now, so she sent me to ask for your help.”
“I see,” Takemi said. “May I ask why you’re not in school?”
“Well, it’s a long story,” Futaba said. “But basically, after my mom died, I fell into a spiral of depression. Ren and her friends helped break me out of the worst of it, but I’m still trying to adjust myself. But hopefully, I’ll return to school next year.”
Takemi smiled. “I hope so too. So, what’s the request?”
“So, um, well…” Futaba began, “How do I put this? I guess I just have to say it. So, um, you know Ren is part of The Phantom Thieves, right?”
“Right,” Takemi responded.
“Well, I am too,” Futaba admitted.
“Is that so?” Takemi replied, suggesting that she probably could have figured that out.
“And, as you know, our latest target had stolen some research,” Futaba said. “It was my mom’s research.”
“Oh,” Takemi said, growing more serious.
“We managed to find it, and get it back,” Futaba said. “But a friend of one of Ren’s friends has been affected by it all, and we were sort of wondering if we gave you the research you would be able to get her out of it?”
Takemi was stunned. “...Huh. Well, um, it seems like a lot… This person…they’re alive still?”
“I believe so,” Futaba said. “I can even tell you where they are.”
“I see…” Takemi replied. “Interesting…”
“I, uh, I have my mom’s research,” Futaba stammered. “I can give it to you whenever. Plus I could also help walk you through some basic things. Oh, and uh, if you’d like additional help, I can give you the contact information for Dr. Maruki.”
“Dr. Maruki?” Takemi wondered.
“Yeah,” Futaba said. “He worked with my mom on this research. Although currently he works at Shujin, so you may have to wait until finals are over until he can help you.”
“Gotcha,” Takemi replied. “Well, let’s have a look at what we’re dealing with. Step into my office.” Futaba nodded. Takemi opened the door, and Futaba walked in.
Once they got to the computer, Futaba plugged a USB into the computer. She noted “I haven’t had much of an opportunity to look it over, but I have looked into it a bit. Not to mention that I could maybe translate some things as a Phantom Thief.”
“Right,” Takemi replied.
“And, um, I know not all doctors are the same,” Futaba continued, “but, well, we need someone that we can trust, and that’s you.”
Takemi smiled. “You’re so sweet.”
“Oh, I, uh…” Futaba replied, getting red in the face. She nervously nodded. “...Thanks.”
Takemi giggled. “You’re welcome.”
Futaba calmed herself, and chuckled gently. “Oh, right, um, I should give you the information on the person we’re hoping to help. I mean, it’s nice to come up with a cure for a hypothetical, but this does need to help someone.”
“True,” Takemi replied.
Futaba fished out the information. “Here you go.”
Takemi took it, and nodded. “Thanks.”
Futaba nodded back. “So, um, let’s see what we can get from this research.”
Takemi smiled, and nodded. “Let’s.” The two of them looked over the data. Futaba did her best to break down the cognitive psience terms. As they were going through things, Takemi was taking notes.
After a while, Futaba’s phone dinged with a message. “Something important?” Takemi wondered.
Futaba checked her phone. “Eh. It’s just Sojiro. He’s getting ready for dinner, and is wondering if I’ll be home. He is a little surprised I’m out though.” Futaba’s stomach rumbled.
Takemi smiled. “Sounds like he knows what he’s talking about.”
Futaba pouted. “I guess… It is kind of getting late.”
Takemi chuckled. “Well, you did a good job explaining things to me. I’m sure we can figure this out sooner or later.”
“Well…OK then!” Futaba said, cheerily. She stood up. “So, same time tomorrow?”
Takemi looked at her, slightly confused. “Oh, um, well…” Futaba now looked confused. “It’s just that…these things take time. As much as I appreciate you helping me get a foot in the door, frankly, we have a long hallway to walk before we get anything done.”
“I can walk with you!” Futaba pleaded.
Takemi sighed. “Did you tell me you wanted to go to school next year? If you’re in this with me there’s a chance you might not get to go.”
“But…but…” Futaba stammered.
“I know it’s hard,” Takemi said. “It’s your mother’s research, right? I get that. But remember, you also trust me, right? Or at least Ren does. And you got me in contact with Dr. Maruki. I’m sure he, and whoever else wants to tag along from her initial team, would take care of the research. Besides, we’re doing this for someone who needs help. We can’t afford to rush ahead, and get it wrong.” There was a long pause. “I know you want to help more, but what you’ve done so far has been of tremendous help already. I hope you understand.”
Futaba was swaying a little “I…I…I…” She passed out. Before she completely collapsed to the ground, Dr. Takemi caught her.
A little while later, Futaba woke up in her bed in her room. She took a groggy look around, trying to piece together what was going on. There was a knock at her door, which caused her to wake up more so than she was previously, and Sojiro came in with a tray of soup, rice, and some soda. “Ah you’re awake,” he remarked. He placed the tray on her nightstand. “Dr. Takemi recommended that you take it easy for tonight.”
Futaba looked curious. “Did she tell you what happened?”
Sojiro nodded. “She said you had a mild panic attack.”
“Did she tell you why?” Futaba replied, bitterly.
Sojiro sighed. “She did.” Futaba grumbled. “I know why you’re taking it hard, but I think she has a point. This kind of stuff isn’t easy, and if you were to go along with it, you wouldn’t be in school next year.”
“Well…” Futaba said, stubbornly, “maybe if I succeed with this, I don’t need school. I mean, I’m already pretty smart.”
“I know you are,” Sojiro said. “But school teaches you more than just being smart. You should be smart enough to know that at least.” Futaba continued to pout. Sojiro sighed. “Listen.” He sat next to her. “I know what this means to you. Hell, if anyone can understand your mother’s words, it would be you. But even so, you need to focus on looking ahead. I don’t want you to just be Wakaba 2.0, and I know your mother didn’t want that for you either. She wanted you to blossom into a beautiful young lady of your own merit. So, while it hurts, I think Dr. Takemi made the right call.”
“Hmmm,” Futaba groaned.
Sojiro stood up. “You should eat that,” he said, pointing towards the food. “Just to get your strength back, if nothing else. Goodnight.” He left the room. Futaba sighed. She turned on a comfort show, and then proceeded to eat her meal. It did help to relax her a little bit, but she was still a little bitter. But it was enough for her to get to sleep without feeling terrible.
The next morning, Futaba got up, still a bit upset. Again, there was a knock at her door. “I have your breakfast.”
Futaba got up, walked over, and opened the door. Her meal was on a tray again, and again it was food that was easy on the stomach. This time, it was toast, oatmeal, and some juice. She took the tray. “Thanks.”
Sojiro nodded. “You know, you can be upset. Just…don’t do anything too foolhardy. You’ve come this far since…well…”
Futaba pouted. “I’m not even that upset. I know you, and Dr. Takemi, are right. I KNOW that. But… UGH! It’s just frustrating.”
Sojiro smiled. “Well, I’m glad you at least understand what’s going on. You wanna talk about it some more? I can close the shop.”
Futaba thought about it. “Nah,” she replied. “You’ve closed it a lot this year as is. I just…” she sighed. “I just wanna process this.”
Sojiro nodded. “I understand. Take care!” He headed out.
“Thanks! You too!” Futaba replied before Sojiro could get out the door. Once he was gone, she sighed, took her breakfast over to her bed, and ate it. She spent the rest of the morning continuing her comfort watching, while stewing in her frustration, hoping it would go down. And while it did a little bit, she was still frustrated.
As the morning shifted into afternoon, she was still a little restless about the whole affair. She knew that Dr. Takemi was right, and meant well, but she just couldn’t shake the feeling of resentment at not being able to follow through enough. There was another knock at the door. “WHAT?!” she yelled. “What do you want this time?!”
There was a stillness. “I…I just got here…”
Futaba was confused. She opened the door. “...Yusuke?”
Yusuke nodded. “Correct?”
Futaba opened the door more. “What are you doing here?”
“Well, um, Boss said you were having a rough time,” Yusuke replied. “And since Kosei had their finals already, he asked me to check in on you. He thought maybe one of us might be better at cheering you up than he would.”
“I see…” Futaba replied. “Is Jose with you?”
Yusuke shook his head. “He’s negotiating with the theater kids.”
“Huh,” Futaba replied. “Maybe he should switch arts, and become a theater kid.”
“Perhaps,” Yusuke replied. “So, do you want to hang out in here again, or go out?”
Futaba glanced at her room. “Frankly, I’ve been marinating in here for too long. I think some fresh air will do me good.”
“Alright then!” Yusuke said. “Anywhere in particular?”
Futaba’s stomach gurgled. “I guess somewhere with food would be a good start.”
Yusuke’s stomach also gurgled. He chuckled. “Birds of a feather, I suppose.”
“I…I kind of want to go to Big Bang Burger!” Futaba declared.
“Let me get ready!” Futaba requested, closing the door.
“I’ll be waiting!” Yusuke called back.
A few minutes later, Futaba reopened the door, looking a little less disheveled. “OK! Let’s go!”
Yusuke nodded, and the two of them started heading out. “So, do you mind telling me what happened?”
“At the restaurant,” Futaba snapped back.
Yusuke nodded. “Understood.” The two of them headed over to the Big Bang Burger.
Once they arrived, the woman at the counter smiled, and said “Oh! What a cute couple! Are you here for a date?”
“Well-” Yusuke began.
“Hold on!” Futaba whispered. “Maybe if they think we’re here on a date, they might give us a discount!”
“Oh, I didn’t even think about that!” Yusuke whispered back. He turned back to the lady at the counter. “We are, but it’s, um, we’re trying to keep it on the downlow.”
“Yeah,” Futaba added. “We’re, um, kind of new at this, so we don’t want to make too big a deal of it, you know?”
The woman at the counter chuckled. “Why certainly. Now, how may I assist you today?” The two of them placed their orders, and then headed to their table.
Once there, Futaba filled Yusuke in on what was going on. “...I see.” Yusuke replied.
“Yeah,” Futaba admitted. “And it’s like…I get it, but it feels so frustrating, you know? I mean, this is my mom’s research.”
“Well, to be Devil’s Advocate for a minute,” Yusuke posited, “it’s not like you were in the lab with her when she was developing this research.”
Futaba hissed. “I think that’s what upsets me the most.”
“Oh?” Yusuke wondered.
“I mean,” Futaba went on, “it would be a side of my mom I didn’t get to see that often. It would be something new from her perspective for the first time in over two years. To just…give that up…”
“I mean,” Yusuke wondered, “I assume you didn’t just give your mom’s notes to Dr. Takemi. I assume you made a copy.”
Futaba curled up sheepishly. “I did…but like, working on it is different. I can read it up and down all I’d like, but applying it…” She sighed.
“I understand what you mean,” Yusuke said. “I mean, my mother died when I was three. To get to see a new side of her would be a marvelous experience. But also, I think it’s important to share her light with the world. That’s part of the reason I left the ‘Sayuri’ at Leblanc.”
“I know,” Futaba huffed. “I know that this is the right call, but I hate that it’s the right call, you know?”
Yusuke nodded. “Sometimes we just have to accept certain things. I wasn’t too keen on living in the dorms at Kosei, but I ended up doing so because any other option would be detrimental to me in the long term.”
Futaba looked at Yusuke. “You just have an answer for everything, don’t you?”
“Do you not want me to?” Yusuke wondered.
“No,” Futaba answered. “I prefer people speaking plainly over being indirect. I’m just surprised how much wisdom you bring to my situation.”
“Well, like I mentioned earlier,” Yusuke said, “we are birds of a feather. We have a better understanding of each other than other people might.”
“True,” Futaba said.
The waitress came over to give them their food. “Here you go! And I added in an extra order of fries for the two of you lovebirds! Have a day as bright as the sun, and as miraculous as the starry sky!”
“Thanks,” Yusuke, and Futaba replied. The waitress left.
“Well, it wasn’t a discount exactly,” Futaba said. “But hey, free fries.”
“Indeed,” Yusuke agreed. “Maybe we should tell some more restaurants we’re dating.”
“One restaurant at a time, OK Yusuke?” Futaba said.
“Right,” Yusuke said. “Don’t want to get too ahead of ourselves.” They shared a chuckle. They dug into their meals for a bit. “So,” Yusuke interjected, “how are you feeling now?”
Futaba thought about it. “I guess I do feel a little better about it. I think most of it came from just saying a lot of this out loud to someone, you know?”
Yusuke chuckled. “Well, that’s what friends are for.”
Futaba pouted. “I still wish I could help more though…” Suddenly, her phone rang. She answered. “Hello?”
“Hi! Futaba?”
Futaba was confused. “Dr. Maruki?”
“Yes!” Maruki replied. “I just got off the phone with a Dr. Takemi. She said that you gave her your mom’s notes, and were looking to reverse the effects of what Shido did to someone.”
“That’s…correct…” Futaba replied.
“That’s fantastic!” Maruki replied. “I’m happy you got your mom’s research back.”
“Kindda…” Futaba replied. “I was hoping I could, you know, come along for the ride.”
“I see,” Maruki replied. “Well, I mean, as much as this is a great opportunity, it hasn’t even gotten off the ground yet.”
Futaba was confused. “It hasn’t?”
“Don’t get me wrong,” Maruki said, “you giving us the research is a great first step. But we still have to make the case to move forward. I’m sure there are moments where your input will be helpful, but we need to get through a bunch of red tape before we can start applying things.”
Futaba’s eyes widened. Tears started to fall from her eyes. She grew serious, nodded, and replied “I see. Thank you.”
“For what?” Maruki wondered.
“For helping me put things into perspective,” Futaba said. “I thought we could just tackle this right away.”
Maruki chuckled. “I thought so too when I began my internship. But your mother was quick to point out that part of the job is making a case to other people.”
Futaba chuckled. “Luckily for her, she was pretty good at that.”
“She was,” Maruki replied.
“Thanks again,” Futaba said.
“Thank you,” Maruki said. “I know I said the project has a long way to go, but honestly, you giving us the research to work with is a monumental step forward. Without it, this wouldn’t even be a blip on my radar.”
“Right,” Futaba said.
“I’ll be sure to call you if I have questions,” Maruki said.
“Thanks,” Futaba replied. “Bye.”
“Bye,” Maruki responded. They hung up.
“Well, that seemed to go well,” Yusuke noted.
Futaba nodded. “He mentioned ‘red tape’. And when he did, it reminded me of my mom complaining every now and then about that sort of thing.” She sighed. “It made me realize that doing what my mom did requires being able to work with others, and take things slowly. And while I’m used to working with all of you, I wouldn’t have that luxury if I was working with Dr. Takemi on this. Honestly, it’d probably be more overwhelming than anything.
I mean, that’s kind of the reason I want to go back to school; to learn how not to be overwhelmed in situations like that. I mean, as much as I am used to working with all of you, I need to learn how to work outside of that. I know you are all supportive, but that’s not always going to be the case. I’m not going to be in an office, and have you, or Ren, or whoever to rely on.”
Yusuke got up, walked over, and gave Futaba a hug. “I know we aren’t going to be in similar fields, but I promise you that no matter where we go, you can rely on us. If you have a bad day at school, or at your eventual job, you can rely on us to pick you up when you are down. We’ve done it once before. We will do it again.”
Futaba was in awe. She started crying. “You’re right… You’re right Yusuke… Heh heh… But still, I have to learn how to fully stand on my own. I want to. Because I know my mother would want me to.” She smiled. “But I’m glad you’ll be there to catch me if I fall.” Yusuke smiled back. The two placed their foreheads against each other, and shared a chuckle. They spent some time in that moment, before readjusting themselves, and finishing their meal.
Once they finished, Yusuke asked “So, what do you want to do now?”
Futaba smiled. “I have an idea. Follow me.”
“Of course,” Yusuke said. They left.
They soon found themselves at Dr. Takemi’s clinic. Futaba took a deep breath. “Here goes.” She entered, with Yusuke behind her.
Dr. Takemi was there on the phone. She glanced up to see Futaba, and Yusuke. “Alright,” she said, talking to the person on the phone, “I’ll see you tonight.” She hung up, and turned to Futaba. “Feeling better?”
“Yeah,” Futaba said. “I came by to apologize.”
“Hm hm,” Takemi chuckled. “You don’t need to apologize.”
“I want to apologize,” Futaba said. “I was…I kind of got ahead of myself, and found myself getting upset at you for no reason.”
“Well, I wouldn’t argue there wasn’t a reason,” Takemi said. “This is your mother’s research. I understand why you would get defensive about it.”
“I know,” Futaba said. “But I said I trusted you, and then I felt like I didn’t. I should have trusted you more.” She sighed. “To be honest, it kind of felt like some interactions I’ve had with my mom. I know you have the best intentions for me, but it still felt bad. And that kind of happened a lot with her.”
“Hm hm,” Takemi chuckled. “Well, it sounds like you’re learning. I forgive you.”
Futaba blushed. “Thanks. I’ll be sure to learn more!”
Takemi chuckled some more. “You don’t need to tell me that. I’m not your mother.”
“Oh, right,” Futaba replied. She chuckled.
Takemi smiled. “I may have also been a little hasty,” she continued. “It’s not that we aren’t going to need your help from time to time, but I don’t think we’re going to need you on a daily basis.”
“Right,” Futaba admitted. “I don’t know if you saying that yesterday would have helped, but I think it helps now that I have had time to calm down, and think about things.”
Takemi chuckled. “Taking that time is good for you. I think you should try to budget your day more to take some downtime for yourself.”
“I think that’s a good idea,” Futaba said.
Takemi smiled. “Well, I think you’ve sufficiently apologized, and I need to go talk with someone.”
“Thank you for your time,” Futaba replied, bowing.
“Of course,” Takemi said. “You go have fun with you boyfriend now, OK?”
“Eh?” Futaba and Yusuke reacted.
“Um…” Futaba stammered. “You see…”
“Oh?” Takemi wondered. “Did I make a mistake?” The two stammered, seemingly not committing to one answer, or another. “Well, I apologize if I did. But I would suggest you have fun regardless.”
“Right,” Futaba said.
“We…we will…” Yusuke said.
Takemi chuckled. “Take care, you two.”
Futaba, and Yusuke left. “Can you believe she thought we were dating?” Yusuke wondered.
“I know, right?” Futaba said.
“So, what now?” Yusuke said.
“Well, we could hang out in my room for a bit,” Futaba said. “You know, if you want.”
Yusuke smiled. “Sounds good to me!” They headed back to the Sakura residence, where the two of them hung out for a little while before Yusuke had to go back to the dorms at Kosei.
A little later, Takemi walked into Crossroads up in Shinjuku. She looked at the lady at the counter. “Are you, by chance, Ichiko Ohya?”
Ohya replied. “Yeah, that’s me.”
Takemi nodded. “I’m Dr. Tae Takemi. We spoke on the phone.”
“Oh, right,” Ohya said. “What did you want to talk about? You said it was important.”
Takemi nodded. “Recently, I came across some interesting research that I think could be helpful. I’m working with some other doctors right now to try and get the process going for delving further into the research, and making something of it. But before it can get off the ground properly, I need permission.”
“What do you need permission from me for?” Ohya wondered.
“The research I was given,” Takemi explained, “pertains to a very specific condition. And I was given a specific person to test it on, but I cannot get their permission due to the state they are in.”
“Spill it out already!” Ohya demanded. “I don’t like this cryptic bullshit!”
Takemi sighed. “Put simply, I was given the research used by Shido to commit his various crimes, and I was wondering if we could use it to try and see if we can help your associate, Kayo Murakami. I’ve already talked to the staff at the hospital she’s in, but I felt like I needed to talk to someone who knows her.”
“Oh!” Ohya reacted, surprised. “Are you…the person Ren mentioned to me?”
Takemi nodded. “I believe I would be. Ren Amamiya, correct?”
Ohya nodded. “Correct.”
“Well then, there you go,” Takemi replied.
Ohya smirked. “Well, to answer your question, yes. I give you my express permission to go ahead with your research.”
“Just so you know,” Takemi said, “this isn’t a guarantee. We will try our best, but there is a chance for failure.”
“Tch,” Ohya scoffed. “Listen. For over a year, I didn’t even know where she was. To be so in the dark about your best friend is horrifying. And even though she’s not all there anymore, knowing where she is is a huge relief. To even try to get her to a more positive state is a blessing. Even if it doesn’t work, I’m willing to try it.”
Takemi smiled. “I see.”
“But,” Ohya interjected, “I think you should also speak with her parents. I can give you their number. Heck, I could come along with you, if you’d like.”
Takemi smiled. “That would be great.” The two of them kept talking for a little bit, exchanging information, and planning to meet with Kayo’s parents. The future remains unclear, but by working together, they will make it as bright as can be.
P5R: Rebel Girl (A FeMC Story/P5R Rework)
Chapter 275: A Normal Day (For Once)
After school Monday, a study group gathered at Leblanc consisting of The Phantom Thieves, Eiko, Shiho, Mishima, Hiroki, Kisa, and Hifumi. “So, are we ready to study? Makoto asked.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Ryuji bemoaned.
“Aw, c’mon,” Ann said. “You’ve been doing good this year. Why stop now?”
“I guess…” Ryuji said.
“Umm, I don’t mean to be rude,” Lena said, “ but, um, he’s still not, like, doing that amazing…”
“Yeah,” Hiroki replied, “but compared to last year…”
“Woah woah, hey!” Ryuji interjected. “We-We don’t need to bring that up, do we?”
“I’m just saying,” Hiroki said, “compared to last year, this year you’re doing amazing.”
“Thanks?” Ryuji replied.
“I still don’t know why I’m here,” Yusuke said. “Kosei had their finals already.”
“You’re here,” Futaba responded, “because you’re helping me study for entrance exams to get into school next year. You want me to go back to school, right?”
“Er, of course,” Yusuke replied. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“So why are Jose, and Hifumi here then?” Haru wondered.
Jose paused for a moment. “I’m…I’m here to avoid the theater kids. They’re putting on a Nativity play, and they keep asking if I want to be the Baby Jesus.”
“I mean, that’s a pretty big role,” Kisa said.
“I know,” Jose sighed. “I just don’t want to be their go-to when they need someone small. I’ve grown three centimeters since coming over here, you know.”
“Right. I get that,” Kisa said.
“As for me,” Hifumi interjected, “I just saw Yusuke, and Jose leaving, and I asked if I could come along, and they said ‘sure’.”
“What’s wrong with home?” Eiko asked.
“Nothing at this point,” Hifumi said. “But there are times I want to hang out with people my age. And after everything that happened, you all are the easiest group to hang out with.”
“I see,” Eiko said.
“Well, I hope that will change soon,” Shiho said. “Not that we don’t enjoy your company, but I hope that once the dust settles a bit more, you’ll have even more friends.”
Hifumi smiled. “Thanks.”
“Well then should we start studying?” Mishima wondered.
“Dang,” Ryuji said. “I can’t believe you of all people are saying that, Mishima.”
Mishima chuckled. “Well, I’m on the Student Council now. I should probably improve my grades.”
“You should be trying that anyway,” Makoto lamented, “but I’m glad you’re motivated now.”
“Hang on,” Sumire asked. “Is Yumeko not coming?”
“I invited her,” Ren said, “but she’s off studying with her boyfriend, and some of their other friends.”
“Oh, I see,” Sumire replied. “I was hoping to get her in on this now, but I can talk to her later.”
“What’s up?” Ann wondered.
“Well, before we begin our study session,” Sumire said, “I’d like to invite you all to my next gymnastics meet. December 23rd. Last one of the year.” The group all agreed unanimously. Sumire giggled. “Splendid.”
Goro chuckled. “I have to say, it feels nice to be just a normal teenager. Hanging out with friends. Making plans. Studying for tests.”
“I don’t know if you really missed out too much on that last bit, sweetie,” Lena replied. “These tests feel like the death of me.”
“Aw, come on,” Hiroki said. “You do fairly well on tests.”
“Doesn’t make them any less stressful,” Lena responded.
“Fair,’ Hiroki said, “but that’s why we’re here now.”
“True,” Lena said. “Let’s get to it then, shall we?” The group began their study session.
In the middle of it, Ryuji moaned “Ugh, this is difficult. We’re barely halfway through everything.”
“Normally,” Makoto said, “this is why I would tell you to not cram all of your studying until the last minute. However, I know we were all preoccupied, so I can’t blame you, exactly.”
Kisa chuckled. “I guess in a way, it’s practice for the real world.”
“True,” Makoto agreed. “It’s nice that school gives us this leeway that a job might not. But other things happen, so it balances out.”
“Speaking of the real world,” Goro said, “have you ever thought about what you plan on doing after high school?”
“Where did that come from?” Ann wondered.
“Well,” Goro replied. He sighed. “It’s something I need to think about. I had a plan, but, well, it all came crashing down.”
“Right…” Ann said. “Well, if you want an answer, I’ve only started thinking about it seriously this year. Although, I guess I did need to get rid of some things clouding my sense of self.”
“Yeah,” Ryuji said. “Same here. Kind of. I mean, I had a plan too, but that got upended by frickin’ Kamoshida. But through everything, I found a new path I want to take.”
“Come to think of it,” Yusuke said. “I think we are similar in that way. Before meeting you all, I was…not content, but willing to let Madarame rule over me. But now that I’m free, I want to pursue art on my own terms.”
Haru nodded. “I was like that, but with my father. But I’ve come to realize that if I want something, I need to fight for it myself. Along with a little help from my friends.”
Eiko chuckled. “I get that. Although, sometimes it is hard to admit when you need help.” She leaned on Makoto. “Which is why I’m glad some people are able to recognize it.”
Makoto chuckled as well. “Well, I don’t mean to brag.”
Goro chuckled. “I understand that as well,” he said, eyeing Ren.
Ren rolled her eyes. “Well, it sounds like the common thread is that you need others to be there for you.”
Sumire nodded. “I agree. Especially since I felt so lost after losing someone I care for.”
Ren rubbed Sumire’s arm. “Sumire…”
Sumire smiled. “But it’s OK. I have all of you now. I mean, no one can replace Kasumi, but I’m glad I have all of you now.” Ren smiled, and pulled Sumire in for a hug.
“Well,” Hiroki interjected, “since we’ve seemed to have gotten off track anyways, I think we should formalize this. How about a break?”
“My apologies,” Goro said. “I didn’t mean to distract from our studies this much.”
“It’s fine,” Lena replied. “It’s nice to give your brain a break when studying anyways.”
“True,” Goro replied.
“And I can think of one thing that can aid us in getting back on track,” Futaba said. “Sojiro!”
Sojiro sighed. “On it!”
Futaba giggled. “Thanks.”
“Well, what about you, Futaba?” Shiho wondered. “Do you have an idea for what you want to do once you get out of high school?”
“Well first,” Futaba said, “I have to get into high school. But when I graduate, well, I hope to become a researcher, like my mom. Hopefully, I won’t cross someone willing to kill me. Or if I do, I can be a bit more prepared for it.”
“I see,” Shiho said. “To be honest, I kind of get that. Thanks to Kamoshida, volleyball has a lot of negative associations, but I still want to go pro in it. Because I know how much I love it, and hopefully, nothing will deter me.”
“Well…” Mishima said, “maybe I can help?”
“How so?” Ann wondered.
“Well, between managing the Phansite, and being on the student council,” Mishima said, “I’ve been picking up skills on how to organize things, and talk to people, and recognize dangers, and stuff. So maybe I could be your manager.”
“Well, you do know a lot about volleyball already,” Shiho said. She nodded. “I think that sounds like a nice idea.”
Hifumi chuckled. “A husband-wife team up. I like the idea of that.”
Mishima, and Shiho, blushed. “Um…” Mishima wondered. “Wh-when did we get there?”
“I thought we were talking about the future, right?” Hifumi wondered.
“Oh…right…” Mishima said.
“You, um, you startled me for a moment,” Shiho said. “But I suppose it will be true…someday…”
“Ummm,” Ryuji wondered. “Can the same be said for everyone here? I mean, not that I don’t want it to, but, um, I’m not sure if, um, same-sex marriage is legal quite yet.”
Ren smiled. “Well, maybe that’s what we can fight for next. You know, once Eris is out of the picture for good.”
“Dang,” Ryuji said. “That’s a fast turnaround.”
“Really?” Ren said. “Because to me, it feels like a long time coming. Before coming to Tokyo, I was afraid of telling people I was a lesbian. But now, I can recognize it as a part of who I am, I want to fight for it for all it’s worth!”
Makoto chuckled. “Well, we have a new government in power. Perhaps we can start by badgering them. And if it doesn’t happen soon, once we become full-fledged adults, we can fight for it on our own terms.”
“I’m still not fully sure what those terms are for me,” Eiko noted.
“Well, you give pretty good massages,” Makoto pointed out. “Maybe you could do something with that.”
“Really?” Eiko said.
Makoto nodded. “Yeah. I think so.”
“If you want some help,” Ren offered, “my mom has her own massage parlor. Maybe she could offer you some pointers.”
Eiko was surprised. “Well…if you really think so…”
“I was just throwing it out there as a suggestion,” Makoto said. “You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to.”
“Well…I’ll think about it,” Eiko said.
Makoto turned to Kisa. “What about you, Kisa? Have you thought about what you want to do once you get out of high school?”
Kisa was a little surprised. “Well…I mean…I’ve thought about it a little. But nothing concrete.”
Makoto giggled. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to pressure you. You’ve still got some time to think about these things.”
“Besides, it’s not like things can’t change,” Goro said. “Take me for example. I had everything planned out, but then, well, my plans got flipped on their head. But with everyone’s help, I was able to not go down with that ship. Er, so to speak.”
“You can also take a look at me,” Sojiro interjected, delivering everyone’s food. “I didn’t start my adult life as a restaurateur, but I ended up here. And I gotta say, it’s worked out nicely for me, all things considered.”
“As much as that advice is helpful,” Makoto noted, “I think it’s better to keep that in your back pocket.”
Goro chuckled. “True. I don’t suppose something has happened yet that would cause everything in your life to come crashing down.”
“Well…” Kisa admitted. “It almost did. But thanks to The Phantom Thieves, it didn’t.”
“I see,” Goro said. “Perhaps I was more of a fool than I first thought.”
“It’s fine,” Kisa said. “We all make mistakes.”
“True,” Goro said. “What’s important is how we come back from it.”
“And usually,” Sumire added, “it depends a lot on who helps bring you back.” She eyed Ren, who blushed.
“On that, I agree as well,” Goro said, eyeing Lena, who also blushed.
“Hmmm,” Jose mumbled.
“Something wrong, Jose?” Futaba asked.
“I’m just wondering what lies in store for my future,” Jose replied.
“Aren’t you at Kosei as a flower arranger?” Hifumi replied. “And a prodigy at that.”
“I guess,” Jose said. “But…I dunno. I kind of faked my credentials. But that’s only because I needed a place to stay while I’m here.”
“Well, do you enjoy flower arranging?” Yusuke asked.
“I guess,” Jose said. “It’s fun, and interesting to do. The different flowers, each with their own meaning, organizing them just right. It feels very humanistic in a way.”
“Well then, fake it till you make it, I say,” Yusuke said. “If you really want to give it up, that’s fine, but it sounds like you’re enjoying yourself. And if Kosei hasn’t kicked you out yet, you must be doing a decent enough job with it.”
“But…” Jose said. “It all seems so incidental.”
“Well, sometimes,” Ren said, “things like that are what you need. Like I’ve been saying for a while, I don’t think I would have set foot in Tokyo without something awful happening to me. But I’m glad I did, because I got to meet all of you.”
Jose smiled. “Well, when you put it like that, I guess I can keep with it. I like the people I’ve met enough to keep going.”
“Enough to be Baby Jesus in the theater department’s Nativity play?” Hifumi asked.
“That…might be pushing it…” Jose replied.
Hifumi chuckled. “Just kidding.”
“But speaking of future plans,” Ann interjected, “does anyone have any ideas about their wedding?”
Ryuji went pale. “Hold on. Isn’t that a ways off still?”
“I mean, yeah,” Ann said, “but what little girl hasn’t thought about their ideal wedding? Oh, but I suppose there are a number of guys here.”
“Hey!” Ryuji snapped back. “Don’t write us off.”
“Um, a second ago, you were flustered by the mention of marriage,” Futaba teased.
“Doesn’t mean I don’t have thoughts,” Ryuji replied.
“Well, what are they?” Ann asked.
“Well, I like the idea of a beach wedding,” Ryuji said.
“Ooo!” Haru replied. “That sounds lovely.”
“Yeah,” Ryuji said. “Plus, it means I probably don’t have to wear a big, heavy suit. We can be a bit more casual.”
“And there’s the Ryuji we all know, and love,” Futaba snarked.
Ann placed her hand on Ryuji’s. “I love the idea of a beach wedding.” He smiled. “But I still want you to dress nice.” He pouted. “But, I’m sure we can figure out a good material for you so you’re not so uncomfortable.”
“Really?” Ryuji asked.
Ann nodded. “And like you said, we have a lot of time.” Ryuji chuckled.
Hiroki turned to Haru. “What about you, sweetie? I’m sure you’ve got millions of ideas.”
“Um, actually…” Haru said, a little flustered, “I…don’t really have anything.”
“Huh,” Eiko spouted.
“I thought out of all people, you’d have something amazing,” Ann said.
“Well, you see,” Haru said, “while I was engaged at one point, my father was planning everything.”
“He wouldn’t even let you plan the wedding?!” Futaba yelped. “I knew he was cruel, but that’s a new low.”
“I mean, the plans he did have were extravagant,” Haru continued. “But then again, a lot of his parties were. So, maybe something a little more subdued. I’d like to have a wedding focusing on getting married, rather than it be another who’s who of business people I can barely pick out of a lineup.”
“Well, I think that’s an excellent idea,” Hiroki said.
“I do also like the idea of a winter wedding,” Haru continued. “A light snow, with a white matching my dress. Coming out of the venue adorned in fairy lights we set up, since it’d be dark once the ceremony’s finished.”
“Aww, that’s lovely,” Shiho said.
“Maybe not…” Hiroki responded, “...too early winter. I don’t want our birthday to also be our wedding day.”
Haru giggled. “Why not? It would be fun!”
Hiroki grew nervous. “Maybe we’ll put a pin in that.”
Kisa was surprised. “Woah. He knew what she was thinking.”
“Well, that’s what being a good boyfriend is,” Mishima told her.
Sumire looked over at Futaba. “Do you have any ideas for your wedding, Futaba?”
“Oh!” Futaba responded, surprised. “Well…just one, actually… Although, it’s not a ‘fun’ idea.”
“Well, I wanna hear it,” Makoto said.
“As do I,” Yusuke added, almost competitively so.
Ryuji seemed confused. “Uh, why are you so interested, Yusu-” Ann elbowed him. “GAH! Ow!”
“Sorry,” Ann said.
Futaba contemplated for a moment. She sighed. “I just…I want the wedding at the church my mom’s buried at…so she can be there…”
“Huh,” Yusuke said.
“Aww,” Makoto replied. “That’s so sweet.”
“You, uh, want me to talk to them about it?” Sojiro interjected.
Everyone looked at him. “Uhhhhh…” Futaba stammered. “Maybe when the time is right, sure.”
Sojiro chuckled. “Right. You’re still just a kid.”
“Well, what about you Boss?” Ren wondered. “You’re going out with someone. Do you plan on getting married?”
Sojiro paused for a moment. He adjusted his glasses. “Yes.” The room was surprised. “Kokoro told me she plays for keeps. So if I want to play in her league, that is something I need to consider.” There was more chatter. “Ahem!” The kids looked back at him. “But for now, I think you should worry about what’s in front of you.”
“Oh right!” Makoto yelped. “We are here to study after all.”
Ren chuckled. “Thanks for keeping us in line, Boss!”
Sojiro smirked. “Well, I’ve gotta do it, so long as you’re living under my roof, young lady.”
Ren snickered. “I imagine you’ll be doing it for a long while after too.” Sojiro rolled his eyes. The kids finished eating, and went back to studying.
A while later, everyone decided it was time to leave. “Well, I hope this session went well,” Makoto said. “And I hope you do well on finals.”
Yusuke turned to Futaba. “And I hope you’ve improved your knowledge on the entrance exams.”
Futaba chuckled. “Of course.” She pulled him in for a hug. “Thanks for being there.”
Yusuke blushed. “Errrr, of course! A-anything for you.” Futaba giggled.
“Well,” Mishima said, “now all we need to do is to do it! The only way out is through, right?”
“Ugh,” Ryuji moaned. “I guess.”
“You can do it, Ryuji!” Jose said. “I’ve seen you face down terrifying creatures time, and time again. Don’t let a piece of paper bully you!”
“Well…when you put it like that…” Ryuji said.
Ann giggled. “I believe in you too, sweetie!” She gave him a peck on the cheek.
Hifumi bowed. “Thanks for having me over.”
“Of course!” Ren said. “Anytime!”
Hifumi giggled. “Well, I should get going. My family’s expecting me soon.” She headed out.
“I think I need to get going as well,” Kisa said. “Don’t wanna stay up too late.”
“I think that’s a good idea for everyone here,” Makoto added. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight!” Everyone else called back. They all parted, going to their respective homes.
Goro was walking Lena to her place. He looked over at her. “So,” he said, “we were kind of interrupted before I could ask, but do you have any ideas for your ideal wedding?”
Lena blushed, having been caught off-guard by this. “Well…ummm…ya see…kind of?”
“‘Kind of’?” Goro repeated, confused. “Huh. I kind of thought you’d have thought about it more.”
“Well, I mean,” Lena responded, “I have…but it’s a little…” She sighed. “OK, listen. I have thought about it a lot. And I mean a lot a lot. But like, not anything serious. I’ve drawn it out in a sketchbook hundreds of times over, each with a different setting, and a different person, sometimes not even a real person. OK, a lot of times not even a real person. But still.”
Goro chuckled. “Sounds like I have some competition.”
Lena rolled her eyes. “What I’m saying is it was never anything serious. It was just kind of fun.”
“Well, perhaps I could take a look sometime,” Goro said. “Who knows, we might find some inspiration there.”
“I…wouldn’t put too much hope into that idea,” Lena told him. They shared a chuckle.
They soon arrived at Lena’s place. They shared a kiss. “Well, this is your stop,” Goro said. “Good night.” He started to leave.
“Actually,” Lena said, causing him to stop, “my mom wanted to speak with you.”
“Oh,” Goro said. “I suppose I can pop in for a little bit.” Lena chuckled. The two of them headed inside.
“I’m home!” Lena announced. “And I have Goro with me!”
“Oh!” Tamako replied, greeting the two of them at the door.
“I heard you wanted to speak with me,” Goro said.
Tamako nodded. “Yes. Have a seat.” The three of them sat down. “So, your big press conference on Saturday…”
“What about it?” Goro asked.
Tamako glared at him. “You said you didn’t trust anyone outside of yourself.”
“That’s right,” Goro admitted.
“Not even me?” Tamako continued.
“Correct,” Goro said. “Not fully, anyways.”
Tamako seethed more. “What do you have to say about that?”
“Well, what do you want me to say about that?” Goro replied.
‘What’s your excuse for not trusting me?” Tamako wondered.
Goro chuckled. “I don’t have one.”
“Excuse me?” Tamako replied, confused.
“I don’t have an excuse,” Goro said. “Not a good one, anyway. I didn’t trust you, and I was wrong for doing that. I didn’t trust anyone, and I was wrong for doing that. I acted like a petulant child, and I almost ended up dead because I made a stupid decision, and kept with it until I actually started listening to someone else. I was wrong. I apologize.”
Tamako was stunned. She took a deep breath, stood up, walked over, and gave Goro a hug. “You idiot,” she said, tears slowly flowing down her eyes. “I’m glad you’re alright now.”
Goro was a little surprised. He smiled, hugged her back, and said “Me too.” The hug continued for a bit longer. Once the hug stopped, Goro noted “I should get going. I’d love to stay, but Lena, and I, have finals tomorrow.”
Tamako chuckled. “Good luck, you two.”
“Thank you,” Goro said. He bowed, and headed off for the night.
“Well…” Lena noted. “That went alright, I guess.”
“Hm,” Tamako smirked. “He was always kind of a lone wolf type.” She eyed Lena. “Although, you seem to have a pretty good influence on him.”
“Oh!” Lena replied, blushing. “I, er, I don’t know how much I influence him…”
“Sweetie,” Tamako said. “Before you, I’d have to move mountains, and rivers, to get him to apologize to someone. And as for getting him to admit he was wrong, I mean, it’d be easier to get blood out of a stone than to get him to admit he was any degree of wrong, let alone completely. I think you need to give yourself some more credit.”
“Well…” Lena said, blushing a little more, “...if you say so.”
Tamako chuckled. “Now, do you still need to eat, or do you just wanna go straight to bed?”
Lena shrugged. “I wouldn’t mind something light.” The two of them began preparing a light meal before Lena headed off to bed.
Meanwhile, Ren was getting ready for bed when she heard a call from the hallway. “Are you decent?”
Ren chuckled. “Yeah. Come on in, Morgana.”
Morgana walked in. “So, how was today?”
“Honestly? Kind of refreshing,” Ren said.
“Really?” Morgana wondered. “I thought you’d be a little more concerned over finals.”
“Well, I am,” Ren said. “But at the moment, that’s all I’m concerned with. I mean, basically since I’ve been in Tokyo, I’ve had to concern myself with The Phantom Thieves, and the metaverse, and Eris. But we’ve defeated Shido, and put an end to his abuses to the metaverse. And Eris said she wouldn’t reappear until the new year. For now, all I have to worry about is getting through school. I haven’t had that luxury for a while.”
“The fact that you’re calling it a luxury speaks volumes,” Morgana noted.
“But what about you?” Ren asked. “You were made to help me with all of that stuff that’s now on the backburner. How do you feel just being here?”
“Well, it is a little boring,” Morgana said. “But if everyday were filled with excitement, it wouldn’t be special. Besides, I was made to be your companion. Whether that be fighting shadows in the metaverse, or just having fun as friends is of no concern to me.”
Ren giggled. “Well, I’m glad.” She yawned. “Well, I should get to bed.”
Morgana nodded. “Goodnight.” He started heading out, when Ren’s phone went off. “What’s that about?”
P5R: Rebel Girl (A FeMC Story/P5R Rework)
Chapter 274: Learn to Fly
Saturday afternoon. People were going about their business as usual, when a press conference came on the air. Everyone looked up, intrigued by the sudden press conference. They became even more intrigued when they saw Goro Akechi, Japan’s Second Detective Prince, hosting the affair. “People of Japan!” he called out. “This past Tuesday, The Phantom Thieves caused quite a stir, accusing Masayoshi Shido of crimes that had previously been aimed at the feet of The Phantom Thieves. A lot of people in this country support The Phantom Thieves, but Shido, and his new party, also garner a lot of support. So it is hard to know what to trust. However, there is someone here who can clear the air. Presenting: The one, the only, Masayoshi Shido!”
Goro moved out of the way to reveal Shido. Shido looked smaller than how he usually presented himself to the public. Everyone waited with bated breath. Shido looked up, grabbed the microphone, and looked at Goro. Goro nodded. Shido turned back to the camera, and sighed.
Shido looked into the camera, intently, but more solemn than anyone had ever seen him. “People of Japan. I regret to inform you…that everything The Phantom Thieves said is true.” Everyone was aghast. “I have committed truly horrible acts to get to where I am now, and I have done several more in an attempt to become this country’s Prime Minister.”
As they were watching this, some of Shido’s men were worried. “What’s going on?!”
“Shouldn’t he be in the hospital?”
“Who let him out?”
“I thought Akechi was working with us?”
“Figure this out NOW before-”
There was a knock at the door. “Open up!” Naoko’s voice rang out.
“Crap!”
“How did they find us?”
“Let’s just relax. They couldn’t have possibly figured us all out that quickly, right?”
“Well, if Akechi is exposing Shido…”
A wave of unease fell over the room. “We’re done for…”
Back at the press conference, Shido continued. “A little over two years ago, there was a group of government researchers researching Cognitive Psience; a science which could affect the human unconscious. I had that research stolen, and the head researcher killed. With the research, me, and my web of associates would cause these mental shutdowns in order to sew chaos, and discontent.
We caused enough disarray to get the current government to resign, and from the ashes my party would rise to the occasion, fulfilling my vision for a brighter Japan. But I have come to realize that my vision for Japan was not bright, but dark.
But even before that, I had done many gruesome, terrible things. Back when I was in school, I was running against a boy named Akimitsu Maruyama for student council president. He accidentally fell into the river. I dragged him out in hopes of getting him to bow out. But when he didn’t I pushed him back in, killing him. Back when Daiki Minamoto was aiming to be Prime Minister, I had him killed, because I knew that if he ever got the position, I could never hold it.
But among my many shames, my deepest is that when I was first running for the Diet, I was being trounced poll after poll against Fuchizaki. It got so bad that, in an act of desperation…I…I killed my own parents, and blamed it on a robber, all to garner sympathy votes.
I’ve killed so many people. And I’ve hurt countless more. I don’t deserve to be your Prime Minister, Japan. All I deserve is to rot away in a prison cell, praying every day for even an ounce of forgiveness that I do not deserve.” He bowed his head, and started crying.
Everyone watching was in shock. Shido had admitted to rigging the system for his own gains. He admitted to multiple murders. He admitted he was a fraud, a charlatan, a harbinger of despair disguised as a beacon of hope. Even among the most die-hard Phantom Thieves fans who mistrusted Shido the minute they declared war on him, this information was still overwhelming.
“I know this is a lot to process,” Goro said. “But I aim to keep this press conference going. On top of all of that, there are some things I need to admit. For as long as you’ve known me as Japan’s Second Detective Prince, I have been working with this man.” The people were confused. “I was working undercover in order to get evidence of his wrongdoings. However, I found myself in too deep. You’ve heard what he’s done to others. There was no guarantee that I would get out without an exit.
And that’s when The Phantom Thieves came into the picture. Of course, I was still hesitant to assist them, but eventually, I had to swallow my pride, alongside an assortment of crow, and humble pie, and team up with The Phantom Thieves in order to bring this man to justice before he was elected Prime Minister.
However, there is another thing I must admit. My reason for going after him wasn’t entirely altruistic. Truth be told, this man, Masayoshi Shido…is my father. He abandoned me and my mother when I was young. My mother was treated as a second-class citizen, and eventually died. I was fueled by revenge against a man who had ruined my life from the moment it began. So, I became a detective, and tried to use my skills in order to bring him down.
I was so focused on my own goal that I lost sight of what Shido really is: a criminal. I was hesitant to trust The Phantom Thieves at first because I wanted Shido’s capture to be mine, and mine alone. However, in due time, I was able to converse with The Phantom Thieves, and they were able to convince me to see the light before it was too late.
However, in teaming up with The Phantom Thieves, I understood my own folly. Much like Shido was masquerading as a man of the people, I was masquerading as an icon of justice. I acted selfishly, and for that, I must apologize. Thus, as of this moment, I will be taking a break from being a detective.” The crowd was stunned.
“I may return one day,” Goro went on. “But I need to atone for what I’ve done first. I need to learn. I need to grow. For too long, I was operating by myself, because I was the only person who I could fully trust. However, I have learned to trust others again. And because of that, I need to learn who I am when I trust other people. I’ve been a solitary creature for too long. Once I have learned who I really am, I may return to being a detective, but I may not. I cannot make any promises at this point in time.
All I can do is apologize. While my deception was nowhere near as severe as my father’s, I regret it just as much. I hope one day you all find it in your hearts to forgive me. Although I understand if you do not.” He bowed. “Thank you all.” He left the stage, while reporters were trying to swarm him with questions, and cops came over to arrest Shido.
As Goro was leaving, he heard “Awfully bold of you.”
He turned to see Shinichi. He smiled. “I think the situation called for it.”
Shinichi nodded. “A shame you won’t be dropping by the studio as much.”
Goro chuckled. “It was never my favorite part of this anyway. But I will miss it. Hopefully if I return, I can bring even higher ratings.”
“I doubt anything is going to top this,” Shinichi said. They shared a chuckle. “Best of luck to you.”
Goro nodded. “You as well.” They shook hands, and Goro continued on.
“Excuse me?!” Ohya shouted, rushing up. “Can I get a word?”
Goro smiled. “Of course.” They moved over somewhere a little more private.
“Damn, kid,” Ohya remarked. “What a way to go.”
“Well, The Phantom Thieves are known for making grand gestures like that,” Goro remarked. “If I want to catch up to them, I thought I needed to do the same.”
“Still,” Ohya said. “To not be a detective anymore?”
“Well, I am a third year,” Goro said. “I have missed a lot of school so far. I thought I should at least finish out my high school career only focusing on that.”
“Fair enough,” Ohya said. “I hope it goes well.”
“I hope so too,” Goro said. “I think I needed something like this.”
“Heh,” Ohya snickered. “I doubt you’d have wanted to come like this.”
“Well, sometimes the things you want are not the things you need,” Goro reminded her.
“Fair,” Ohya said. “Good luck, kid!”
“Thanks,” Goro replied. “You too.” He continued onward.
Outside, more reporters were trying to get more answers out of him, but he kept on going. “Hey.” Goro looked over to see Dan in handcuffs, next to a police car. “That was quite a press conference.”
“Well, you know…” Goro said.
Dan nodded. He smiled. “It’s funny. I’m going to prison for the rest of my life, but I’ve never felt happier. Count your lucky stars that you get to be happier before something like this happened to you.”
Goro nodded. “I will.”
Dan nodded back. “Take care! And goodbye!”
“Goodbye. You take care as well,” Goro replied. Goro continued walking, as Dan was placed into the cop car to be arrested. As the car went off, Goro looked back for a moment. Once it was barely in sight, he smiled, turned back, and headed home.
On his way home, he reflected on the previous night’s events. He, and Dan, were standing over Shido in his hospital room. Dan looked over at him. “Shido is your father?”
Goro nodded. “Correct.”
“Damn,” Dan remarked.
“Wha…what’s going on?” Shido asked.
Goro smirked. “We’re here to get you out of here.”
“But…but I don’t feel better,” Shido said.
“Of course not,” Goro continued. “But the only way to feel better is to confess your sins.”
Shido paused for a moment. “...You’re right. All the doctors, and nurses, keep trying to fix me, but they haven’t figured anything out. I wanted to confess, but they wouldn’t let me.”
Goro nodded. “Well then, let’s end your suffering. You’re leaving, and we’ll get you in front of some cameras tomorrow morning.”
“But…I’m not ready…” Shido remarked. “I mean, look at me…”
“Don’t worry,” Dan said. “We can get you cleaned up in no time.”
“Right,” Goro said. “The Press Conference isn’t until tomorrow morning. You can fix yourself up before then.”
“We’ll even help you,” Dan said.
“Thank you,” Shido said. He got out of the hospital bed, and the three of them left. They headed over to Shido’s place to help him get ready for this press conference.
Back in the present, Goro chuckled. “The last time I interact with that man, and he finally acts like a decent person. A fitting farewell, if I say so myself; both of us saying goodbye to the shallow people we were before. Although, I hope I can make something more out of this. It may be too late for you, father, but I won’t let it be too late for me.” He continued walking home.
On his way home, people kept looking, and talking about him. Some people tried to approach him, but he blew them off. Normally, he’d listen in on what they were saying to make sure everything was going as planned, but at this moment, he didn’t care what others had to say. He was content with his choice, and in that moment, that was all that mattered to him. Once he got home, he changed out of his clothes into some pajamas, and basically passed out, having worked himself to the bone the previous day.
Meanwhile, Lena arrived home to find Tamako crying. Tamako looked up when Lena entered the room. “Hey…” Lena said, awkwardly. “I…I saw the press conference.”
Tamako slightly chuckled. “I bet you did.”
“I…I can’t imagine how hard this must be…” Lena added.
Tamako sniffed. “Oh dear…” she said. “It’s more complicated than it is hard. I’m still upset it happened at all, but…in some way this is a relief.”
Lena was a little confused. “A…relief?”
Tamako nodded. “Today, I found out there was a reason for my husband’s death. That’s something I’ve been looking for this whole time. The most infuriating thing was that there were no leads, no suspects, no…nothing for the longest time. To lose someone in a random act of chaos, I just…” she sighed. “I’m…glad there’s a reason for it. I’m glad he can finally rest, knowing that his killer has been apprehended."
“Mom…” Lena said. She came in, and gave Tamako a hug.
The two hugged it out for a bit. Once Tamako let go, she noted “By the way, I will need to have a talk with your boyfriend.”
Lena chuckled slightly. “I think he needs a break.”
Tamako groaned. “Alright, but I’d like to speak with him soon.”
“I’ll talk to him about it,” Lena said.
Meanwhile, Sumire entered Maruyama’s Ice Cream. “Hey,” she said. “I, uh, saw the press conference…”
Arata chuckled. “You, and all of Japan…” he noted.
“Well, it was kind of a big deal,” Sumire stated.
“Yeah,” Arata said. “And my brother’s just a footnote in all of it…”
Sumire placed her hand on his. “He wasn’t just a footnote to you.”
Arata sighed. “I know… I’m just…so frustrated! Like, yeah, I hate Shido for doing what he did, but-” He sighed. “All this time, I thought it was an accident. It very well could have been. I don’t know what changes.”
“What changes is you know the truth,” Sumire said. “For a while after Kasumi passed, I somehow convinced myself I was her, and that I was the dead one. I was living a lie. And it was comforting at first, but eventually I couldn’t reckon with it. I had to face the truth. And it was hard. There were days where I couldn’t handle it. But knowing the truth, and living my truth, made it worth it.
I know it’s hard, believe me, but the truth matters. For many long years, you thought it was an accident. And while it partially was, he was ultimately killed by someone who would have rather seen him die than lose at anything. It won’t bring him back, it won’t change the past, but it’s nice to know the truth. It’s nice to see that his killer gets some form of retribution.”
Arata smiled, and started crying. “Thanks for stopping by. I needed that.”
Sumire giggled. “Why’d you think I stopped by?”
“I know,” Arata said. “It’s still nice. Here, I’ll get you your regular. On the house today.”
“Really?” Sumire said. “You don’t have to…”
“I want to,” Arata said.
Sumire paused. Then smiled. Then said “Thanks, Arata.”
“Of course,” Arata said. He gave her a bowl of strawberry ice cream. “You want chocolate syrup again?”
“Yes please,” Sumire said.
“Coming right up,” Arata said. He drizzled the chocolate syrup over the ice cream.
Sumire took a bite. “Delicious!” Her phone went off.
Ryuji: We did it!
Ryuji: I have never been happier with a job well done!
Yusuke: Indeed. We have stopped true evil from washing over Japan.
Ann: We should TOTALLY celebrate!
Futaba: Tomorrow at Leblanc?
Jose: We would need to organize it pretty fast.
Haru: I can handle food.
Ryuji: Why don’t we all bring something?
Futaba: I don’t know if I trust your cooking Ryuji.
Ryuji: Harsh, but accurate.
Ryuji: I was just going to buy something from a store.
Ann: C’mon. I know your mom makes wonderful cupcakes.
Ryuji: Well…she did buy the ingredients. But I think we were kind of saving it for something else.
Ann: I’ll come over, and I can convince her to make them.
Ryuji: You sure?
Ann: Positive.
Ryuji: Well, alright then.
Makoto: I am still concerned about Eris, but I do think a celebration is in order.
Makoto: After all, taking down Shido was no easy feat.
Sumire: I’m concerned as well, but she said herself she won’t appear before New Year’s Day. So that gives us time.
Ren: Sumire’s right. I think we should enjoy the time given while we can.
Ren: Honestly, this has been kind of a marathon since this began back in April, so I think we deserve a break like this.
Makoto: Well, we still have finals to deal with.
Ryuji: Don't remind me.
Lena: I think we can celebrate tomorrow, and then have a study session the following day.
Makoto: That sounds like a great idea.
Ryuji: Alright, fine. So long as we get to celebrate, I don’t care!
Lena: By the way, I think Goro might be asleep now, and missing all of this. So Ren, do you think Morgana could go over to his place to get him tomorrow?
Lena: I’d go myself, but I don’t know where he lives. He never took me there.
Ren looked over to Morgana. “I remember where to go.” Ren nodded.
Ren: We’re on it!
Lena: Great!
Lena: It wouldn’t be much of a party without him.
Makoto: I don’t think we could have dealt with Shido without him. So I agree, he needs to show.
Futaba: I doubt if Ren, and Morgana, need to pick him up, he’s going to bring some food.
Ren: We could stop by somewhere before arriving.
Futaba: Fair.
Futaba: Well, see you all tomorrow then.
Futaba: And the next day.
Ren: Maybe we should run this all by Sojiro.
Futaba: Right.
Futaba: Let’s go together!
Ren: Alright. Meet you there.
Makoto looked at the messages, and smiled. She finished up her student council work, and headed home.
Once she entered, she announced “I’m back!”
“Welcome home,” Sae said.
“Thanks sis,” Makoto said. She then paused, and looked over. “Sis?”
Sae chuckled. “Well, with Shido confessing everything, I felt like it was safe to return home.”
Makoto rushed over, and gave her sister a hug. “Sis!”
Sae reciprocated the hug. “You know, we did talk often, even while I was in exile.”
“I am too,” Sae said. They continued hugging for a bit.
Once they finished hugging, Makoto asked “So, um, what now?”
“Well, I do want to transition to becoming a defense attorney,” Sae said. “But there’s still some things I need to take care of at the prosecutor’s office. Plus, I probably will have some involvement in the case against Shido. Plus, you’re graduating soon, so we need to take care of that. Also, Riko’s going to be moving in, so that adds a bit of a wrinkle.”
Makoto chuckled. “That’s all well and good, but maybe for tonight, we can just celebrate.”
Sae nodded. “I like that idea. Should we gather the others?”
Makoto nodded. “Eiko! Riko!”
The two of them came out into the living room. “What’s this abou-” Eiko wondered. “Sae?!”
Sae chuckled. “In the flesh.”
Riko rushed up, and gave her girlfriend a hug. “I’m glad you’re alright.”
“Me too,” Sae replied. They shared a kiss. “So, Makoto suggested that we celebrate a little. I think that’s a wonderful idea, so I think the four of us should go out.”
Riko was surprised. “Really?”
Sae nodded. “As much as I enjoy Sojiro’s cooking, I’ve been there for about a month. I could use a little something different. Honestly, I’m tempted to celebrate at Big Bang Burger.”
Makoto chuckled. “As tempting as that is, how about we go to a sushi place? I know a great one. It’s a little pricey, but I think since we’re celebrating, we can maybe splurge a little bit.”
Sae nodded. “I like the sound of that. Fresh sushi sounds amazing.”
“Well then, let’s go!” Riko said.
“Yeah!” Eiko cheered. “Can’t wait!” The four of them headed out for a night of sushi, and reunion.
The next morning, a knock at Goro’s door woke him up. He stumbled over, and looked through the peephole to see who it was. To his surprise, it was Ren. He opened the door. “How’d you find me?”
Morgana popped out of Ren’s bag. “I was just here yesterday.”
“Oh. Right,” Goro noted. “Sorry. I’m just a little out of sorts.”
“I can imagine,” Morgana chuckled. “Did you get any sleep between when we woke up, and the press conference?”
“Maybe a little,” Goro said. “But definitely not the recommended amount.”
Ren chuckled. “Well, it seems like you’re pretty rested up now. So get ready, cause we got a party to get to.”
Goro was confused. “What party?”
“We always celebrate after we take down a notable target,” Morgana said.
“Oh…” Goro reacted. “I don’t…”
“You’re one of us now,” Ren interjected. “It wouldn’t be a party without you.”
Goro sighed. “I normally am not one for parties, but a get together with friends like this is something I could handle. I do have to get ready though.”
“Not only that,” Ren said, “but you have to get a food item to bring.”
“Plus I have to go out and vote,” Goro said. “I made a promise to someone that I would.”
“Who?” Ren wondered.
“Funnily enough, your friend Toranosuke Yoshida,” Goro told her. “I ran into him Friday.”
“Huh. Go figure,” Ren said.
“Well, it’s a good thing we came early,” Morgana said.
Goro checked the time. It was a little after noon. “I guess so.” He gestured the two of them inward. “Please, have a seat, while I get myself ready. There’s some tea on the counter if you want to make some. Heck, I could maybe use a cup before going out.”
Ren entered. “Alright then.”
Goro sighed. “I hope the shower does a good job of waking me up.” He got himself prepared for the day.
Once Goro was freshened up, he entered back to where Ren, and Morgana, were. Ren was sitting at the table drinking some tea. “You said you wanted some?” Ren replied.
Goro took a seat across from her. “I did.” He took a sip. “Thanks. Not just for the tea, but for, well, everything.”
Ren chuckled. They sipped some more tea. “You know,” she said, “Mozart and Salieri probably didn’t hate each other.”
Goro chuckled. “Of course you would go there.”
“I’m just saying…” Ren noted.
“I know,” Goro replied. He sighed. “You know, from the moment I was conceived, I was fighting an uphill battle. And not a lot of people were willing to help me. And most of those who were eventually…well, my mother, and Daiki, died, and Tamako went insane. I never had much in the way of friends before. A lot of other kids at the orphanage stayed away from me.
The point is, I didn’t have a lot of people to rely on, and those that I did eventually couldn’t. I had to rely on myself. And it was effective for a while. I became a well-known detective, I was pretty good in school, and I even got pretty far with my revenge. I was starting to think that I didn’t need other people.
Of course, I started dating Lena, and I started hanging out with you, but I never relied on you in the same way. I lumped the two of you in as people I needed to save, not as collaborators. Even when I realized you were Phantom Thieves, I thought I needed to save you from Shido, and that I was the only person who could take him on.
But as you were going through Shido’s palace, I was surprised. Seeing you in action, I realized that while you were the de facto leader, everyone was doing their part, and assisting each other. And you never gave up. You always hung onto your beliefs. Both the belief that you could take down Shido, and that I could be redeemed. And as much as I loathed it in the moment, I realized you were right.”
He chuckled. “It was amazing. Everything I was missing was right there in front of me, and I missed it entirely. I’m glad you were able to pull me to my senses eventually. But I was pretty stubborn, and I think it needed a force like you all to force that conceit. So thanks.”
Ren chuckled back. “Well, like you said, it wasn’t just me. It was everyone.”
“I know,” Goro said. “But you are something special. You started nudging me in the right direction with our little talks. It might not have been much, but something like that is a game of inches.”
“Yeah,” Ren said. She sighed. “I kind of feel like I was able to start pushing because we had slightly similar circumstances. I mean, you had it worse, I’m not trying to say that you didn’t, but…when I came to Tokyo, I was shutting myself off from the world. I mean, I would participate, but I was just going through the motions. I didn’t want to get hurt again, so I just stopped caring.
And then in coming to Tokyo, I met these amazing people, and the ice in my heart started to melt. I felt like I could start feeling again, and it wasn’t until then that I realized how much I missed it. Which is part of the reason I was so adamant on not giving you up; I knew how much being that lonely sucked, and I didn’t want you to feel like that.”
Goro smirked. “Well, I’m glad things turned out like this. I mean, I would rather the awful things not have happened, but if they had to happen, I’m glad good things like this can come of it.”
“I agree,” Ren said.
Goro lifted his tea cup. “Cheers.”
Ren clinked her tea cup against his. “Cheers.”
I am thou, thou art I
Thou hast turned a vow into a blood oath.
Thy bond shall become the wings of rebellion and break the yoke of thy heart.
Thou hast awakened to the ultimate secret of Justice, granting thee infinite power…
Justice-Goro Akechi: Rank 10
The two of them finished their tea. “Well, let’s not keep everyone else waiting, huh,” Goro noted. Ren nodded. They put their tea cups by the sink, and the two of them headed out.
Ren followed Goro as he went to go vote. He then stopped by a bakery, and picked up a cake. With cake in tow, they headed back to Leblanc.
Once they arrived, everyone was setting things up. They turned to meet Goro, Ren, and Morgana. “There they are!” Ann said.
Haru giggled. “Now the party can really start!”
“What’d you bring?” Ryuji asked.
Goro chuckled, slightly nervously. “I just picked up a cake.”
Ryuji turned to Ann. “See? We didn’t need to goad my mom into making her cupcakes.”
“Oh come on, it’s a party!” Ann said. “The more dessert, the better! Besides, we’re making them again at my place!”
“Your place?” Goro wondered.
“Right,” Ryuji said. “Ann’s family invited me, and my mom over for Christmas. You know, since we’re dating.”
Goro sighed. “‘My mom, and I,” he groaned.
“Actually,” Ren smirked, “‘me, and my mom’ is correct here. It works, because if you took out ‘and my mom’ from the sentence, it still makes sense. “Ann’s family invited me over for Christmas.”
“Huh,” Goro remarked. “Go figure.”
Jose chuckled. “And once again, Ren outsmarted Goro.”
“Well, she is formidable,” Goro said. “If I had to lose to anyone, I’m glad it’s someone like her.”
Makoto chuckled. “Well then, shall we get this party started?”
Goro set the cake down. “Almost.” Everyone looked at him, slightly confused. “Ren told me this is something you do after every big mission. And, well, since I’m part of the team now, I need to be honest with all of you. Some of you know this information already, but here goes.” He took a deep breath. “I…am a trans-man. I was assigned female at birth, but I consider myself a man. I’ve taken steps to align this view of myself with how I present. I’ve come pretty far, but still have a ways to go. That ‘s all. Now the party can begin.”
“Huh,” Futaba remarked. “Go figure.”
“Well, whatever you are, we accept you,” Yusuke said.
“Right,” Sumire said. “Although, I am curious. Are you a straight tans-man?”
Goro shook his head. “I’m bisexual.”
“Ah. I see,” Sumire said, smiling in bisexual solidarity.
Lena chuckled. “I’m glad you told them, sweetie.”
Goro chuckled, and sat down next to Lena. “I’m glad I found people I was able to tell.”
Morgana popped out of Ren’s bag. “We’re glad you have us too. I can’t imagine how awful it would feel if you didn’t have us. I wouldn’t wish that upon anyone.”
“Quite true,” Goro agreed. “Now, let’s party!” The Phantom Thieves cheered. They began celebrating.
In the middle of celebrating, Makoto checked the time. “Ah! They’re starting to announce the winners of the election.”
“Well, whatever happens, I’m just glad Shido’s in jail,” Ryuji noted.
“True,” Jose said, “but I want to see what happens anyway.”
Haru nodded. “Let’s make sure our efforts didn’t go to waste.”
“Here we go,” Futaba said, turning on the TV.
The announcer came on “And here are the results from the election. While the coalition built by Masayoshi Shido seemed set to gain power tonight, there was a major 11th hour shake up between The Phantom Thieves targeting him, and him confessing to multiple crimes. He was arrested, with a number of associates, some of whom were also running for office.
Due to these stunning revelations, Shido’s coalition received a fairly small vote-share. As a result, the current government’s numbers did get a little bit of a bump, but exit polls showed that a lot of people still don’t have much faith, since they weren’t able to curb the crisis at their doorstep. The coalition that received the biggest bump from Shido’s downfall was The New Unity Party, and the parties that they have made deals with. Because of all of the commotion set in motion by The Phantom Thieves, they managed to gain victory in tonight’s election!”
The Phantom Thieves cheered. “We did it!” Futaba shrieked.
“We certainly did,” Yusuke added.
“It sounds like some of Shido’s men were still elected though,” Ann noted.
“Well, that’s the way it goes,” Makoto said. “We can’t convince everybody.”
“We did manage to convince a lot of people though,” Haru said.
“Besides,” Lena mentioned, “without a majority, Shido’s men can’t do a whole lot.”
“True,” Sumire said. “We just gotta appreciate what we have, especially since we worked so hard for it, and it’s this good.”
Ren chuckled. She then got a text on her phone.
Yoshida: I’ve just been informed of the results.
Yoshida: Thanks in part to your efforts, I am once again an elected official. And part of the governing coalition too.
Yoshida: From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Ren: Of course!
Ren: Now go out there, and make us proud!
Yoshida: I will.
Ren smiled. She then got a phone call. “Hello?”
“Hey kiddo,” Jun said.
“Dad!” Ren replied. “How’s it going?”
“Hmph,” he replied. “You’re speaking to a new member of the Diet.”
“That’s GREAT!” Ren said.
“It sure is,” Jun said. “You know, it feels nice, but it’s also a little scary.”
“I’m sure you’ll make the most of it,” Ren said. “After all, moving to Tokyo changed me for the better.”
“Heh heh,” Jun chuckled. “A daughter giving her father a pep talk. How the tables have turned. But in another sense, that’s part of the reason I’m a little scared. Remember, I made a promise with your mom that I wouldn’t run until both of you were out of the house. With my victory, it just feels more permanent. But I know you’ll do fine out there. It’s just…always a little hard when a baby bird leaves the nest.”
“Yeah…” Ren said.
“But I’m sure things will work out,” Jun said. “After all, I was elected to make sure things work out. I don’t want to let anyone down, especially not you.”
Ren giggled. “You’d have to do a whole lot more than being a mediocre politician to let me down.”
“I still don’t want to do it,” Jun replied. “I’ll do my best, and I want you to keep doing your best, OK sweetie?”
“OK,” Ren replied.
“Heh,” Jun chuckled. “Don’t forget, your sister’s birthday is in 6 days.”
Ren nodded. “And mine’s in 13.”
“Right,” Jun said. “We’ll probably get together sometime in between. We’re coming down to Tokyo. Partly to visit you, but also, I’ve got a new job in the city, in case you didn’t hear.”
“Dad,” Ren said, rolling her eyes.
“Heh heh,” Jun chuckled. “I’m just so excited. I love you.”
“I love you too,” Ren replied. “See you soon!”
“Seeya!” Jun said. They hung up.
“That was your dad?” Sumire asked.
Ren nodded. “And he also got elected to the Diet.”
Sumire giggled. “Good for him!”
“Good for Japan,” Ren said. “They could use more people like him in government.”
As everyone was still giddy from the excitement of not just helping squash Shido’s coalition, but also a promising new government, Goro took in this moment, smirked, stood up, and lifted his glass. “I propose a toast!” he announced. Everyone turned his attention to him. Those who could lift their glasses did so, while Morgana symbolically lifted his paw.
“Ahem,” Goro cleared his throat. “To The Phantom Thieves! What started as a ragtag bunch turned into a force to be reckoned with. A group that changed hearts, sometimes by force, but always by deed. Their kindness allows others to be better versions of themselves. Trust me, I should know.
You have achieved a lot, but it couldn’t be achieved without coming together. Being alone can only get you so far. Alone, we were hollow, afraid to make an impact on the world, but together we have done great things. Alone, we were scared, but together we are brave. Alone, we were a drop, but together we are a tsunami. Our strengths push us to new heights, and our weakness is reinforced by the strength of our unity.
This is going to sound incredibly corny, but while The Phantom Thieves have stolen a great deal of treasure, perhaps the real treasure was the friends we made along the way. To The Phantom Thieves, and to the future!”
Everyone raised their glass (or paw, in the case of Morgana), to meet Goro’s, and said “To The Phantom Thieves!” They continued to party their hearts out, celebrating their triumph, as well as their friendship. Eventually, they had to leave for the night, but it was an excellent day.
P5R: Rebel Girl (A FeMC Story/P5R Rework)
Chapter 273: The Long Friday
Goro’s alarm went off, waking him, and Morgana up. “What time is it?” Morgana asked, still a bit groggy.
Goro checked his phone. “Half past ten.”
“And we went to bed at, like, what?” Morgana asked. “Half past 4? 5 even?”
“It’s better than no sleep at all,” Goro retorted. “Besides,” he said, pulling back the curtain to let some sunshine in, “we have a lot to do today.”
Morgana stood up, and stretched. “Under normal circumstances, I’d suggest going back to bed. But we’re dealing with making the man who made the whole country suffer just for his ego trip. So, I guess it’s off to the races.”
Goro smirked. “I…suppose I should start getting a healthier sleep schedule. But, like you said, extenuating circumstances. Now let’s eat, and head out.”
Morgana headed out of the room. “I’ll let you get changed first. Heck, I might catch a few more Zs if you want to shower..”
Goro thought for a moment. “Maybe I should.” Morgana took a position on the couch, while Goro took a shower. Once he was ready, the two of them ate breakfast.
After they finished eating, Morgana asked “Are we heading out now?”
“Almost,” Goro replied. “I just want to do a few things while I’m at my computer.”
“How long will that take?” Morgana inquired.
“I’m just going to send some of the Phansite posts that I believe are relevant over to Futaba, and Airi,” Goro explained. “Shouldn’t take that long.” He sat down at his computer, and started typing away. “And…there we are. Now let’s move! Time’s a wastin’!” The two left Goro’s apartment, racing to find Shido as quickly as possible.
In Futaba’s room, she was working away on some information she'd found, when she got a message from Goro. She checked it to see it was links to the posts on the Phansite Goro thought showed the most potential to get information from. “Heh heh,” Futaba chuckled. Well, this should be interesting..” She started digging deeper using her methods, when something occurred to her. “Right…I’m not the only one Goro gave this information to…” She looked at her phone. “He gave me her contact information… Well, this person knows I’m Alibaba…Mmm…I need to know.” She started typing away on her phone.
Futaba: Hey. Goro tells me you’re also working for him, and says you know my online handle. How?
Airi: Oh? Alibaba? Or, should I say Futaba Sakura?
Airi: Sorry, that came off more menacing than I meant it. I meant really, how should I address you right now?
Futaba: Either is fine. But I want answers!
Airi: Alright.
Airi: The reason I’m familiar with you is because we used to roll together.
Airi: You know, back before Medjed got usurped.
Futaba: Wait, you were part of Medjed?
Airi: Originally.
Airi: I left around the time control got yanked from you.
Airi: Of course, they tried to state that you were still in control, and that they were you, but I knew it was a lie.
Airi: For one thing, their hacking style lacked your polish.
Futaba: Well, you know, I try.
Futaba: So, why give up my name?
Airi: Well, I was worried.
Futaba: Worried?
Airi: In that message you said, you said you were going to kill yourself.
Airi: Akechi drove a hard bargain, but also I wanted to make sure you were alright.
Airi: I recognized your handiwork as Alibaba, which is why I knew it was you.
Airi: But I didn’t think contacting you directly would have been a good idea.
Airi: After what happened with Medjed, I didn’t know if you were in a trusting mood, you know.
Futaba: Yeah. And to be fair, I wasn’t.
Futaba: But after The Phantom Thieves saved me, they taught me how to open up.
Airi: Well, that’s nice of them.
Airi: We do have some work to be doing, but I’d like to continue chatting like this.
Futaba: Me too.
Futaba: But as long as we’re working together, wanna link up our investigation?
Airi: A Medjed reunion tour? I’m in!
Futaba: Great!
Futaba: Just give me a handle, and I’ll link us up.
Airi: Alright then.
Airi: You can find me as OxymoronAlice.
Futaba: Interesting.
Futaba: Starting the connection now.
Futaba typed away on her computer to start connecting with Airi. Once the two were connected, they dove into the information Goro gave them.
As they were walking, Goro told Morgana “While we are looking for Shido, any hard evidence of his crimes will come in handy.”
“Noted,” Morgana said.
“That said,” Goro continued, “I think some of those doors are going to open later. For now, let’s set out to follow some leads our associates cracked into; starting with this Dr. Takemi.”
Morgana nodded. “Her clinic’s down in Yongen-Jaya. I can give you directions.”
Much appreciated,” Goro replied. Together, they went off to Takemi’s clinic.
Once Goro arrived, Takemi turned to look at the entrance. “Oh? What is someone like you doing down here?”
“I’m here on behalf of Ren Amamiya,” Goro stated.
“Are you now?” Takemi responded.
Goro nodded. “I believe she asked you to look into something. I’m here to collect that information.”
“How do I know this is good faith?” Takemi said. “No offense, but I saw you and her exchange words on TV, and frankly, I’ve been burned before placing my trust in someone I shouldn’t have.”
Goro chuckled nervously. “Well, I can see why you’d be hesitant. But after we had our exchange, we grew to be close friends.”
“Did you, now?” Takemi responded.
Goro sighed. “I understand your concern, but time is of the essence. If The Phantom Thieves are going to be successful, I need your trust at this moment.”
Takemi grew intrigued. “I thought you stood against The Phantom Thieves?”
“Well…Ren managed to talk me into switching sides on that issue,” Goro informed her.
“She is very convincing, isn’t she?” Takemi responded.
Goro chuckled. “She is.”
Takemi smirked. “Step into the back.” Goro did as instructed. Once in her office, Takemi said “I’ve asked around, and while I haven’t seen any information on Shido specifically, there has been some suspicious activity going on.”
“Well, for that first bit,” Goro replied, “in our investigation, we’ve learned that he was admitted under the name ‘Nanashi no Gonbei’.”
Takemi nodded. “Of course. I should have thought of that.”
“But to your other point,” Goro said, “what activity have you noted?”
“I’ve heard from a few people,” Takemi began, “that a sizable number of doctors were being pulled from their hospitals for some reason.”
“Huh,” Goro remarked. “Interesting.”
“I’m not saying that this doesn’t happen,” Takemi said. “But it’s unusual to happen so quickly, with so many doctors.”
“Of course,” Goro said.
“Although, I couldn’t get a direction on where they went off to,” Takemi noted, slightly disappointed.
Goro smirked. “Well, that's what I’m here for.” Takemi was confused. “See, I’m working with The Phantom Thieves to locate Shido, and we already have some information to work off of. But more information is always helpful, and this specifically was incredibly useful.”
Takemi smirked back. “Glad to be of assistance.”
Goro nodded. “I’m glad you can find it in yourself to trust me, even for this little bit.”
“Don’t get it twisted,” Takemi replied. “I trust Ren. And if you’re here on Ren’s behalf, I trust that. You, on your own, well, we haven’t gotten to that point.”
Goro chuckled, nervously. “I’ll take that.” He stood up. “Have a good day.”
“You too,” Takemi replied. Goro walked out the door.
“How’d it go?” Morgana asked.
“She was a little distrusting,” Goro said, “but we managed to get a rapport going. And I got some good information out of it as well.” He got his phone out. “Let me just send it over to Futaba, and Airi.” He did so. “Alright then, let’s continue onward.”
“So, where are we off to next?” Morgana asked.
“I think we should check in with this Iwai person Ren mentioned yesterday,” Goro said. “She mentioned that this person is in contact with The Phoenix. That’ll probably be a good angle to start from.”
“What about the other people we took on in Shido’ palace?” Morgana inquired.
“As much as I’d love to look into them,” Goro answered, “I’m not sure where to start looking. The ‘Errend Boy’ is a big question mark in general, and the other four are probably more hidden away for the time being, both to hide themselves from Shido, as well as the public. And besides, we are pressed for time as is. Going on a goose chase for them, especially when we do have some solid leads, seems counterintuitive.”
Morgana chuckled. “Well, you should ask Makoto,” he pointed out. “She’ll have some insight to where some of them might be.”
“Really?” Goro asked. Morgana nodded. “Well, I was planning on swinging by Shujin anyway. I might have to take her up on that. Anyway, um, do you know where I could find this Iwai person?”
Morgana nodded. “His workplace is in Shibuya, a little off the beaten path from Central Street.”
“Very well,” Goro said. “Let’s head out.” The two started making their way towards Untouchable.
Upon entering Untouchable, Iwai glanced up, and smirked. “You’re that detective kid, ain’tcha?”
“Indeed I am,” Goro responded.
“What’re you doin’ here?” Iwai inquired.
“I’m here on behalf of one Rem Amamiya,” Goro said. “She’s in school currently, and we are working against the clock, so I’m out here doing some legwork to try and wrap this case up before the election.”
“Do ya have something of hers?” Iwai asked.
“I beg your pardon?” Goro responded.
“No offense, but what Ren asked of me is highly classified,” Iwai elaborated. “I don’t want to shoot my mouth off, and give secrets to the enemy. I mean, you seem to know a good deal, but you could be tricking me.”
Goro chuckled. “It seems like that attitude’s going around. Uh, I actually do have something of hers. If you will wait for just a second.” Goro walked out of the store. A minute later, he came back in holding Morgana, who seemed displeased by the situation, but understood it. “This is her cat. She entrusted me with him whilst I was out collecting information. Or rather, I guess you could say, she entrusted him with me.”
“This is…a little demeaning, not gonna lie,” Morgana said.
“Do you want to catch Shido, or not?” Goro whispered to him.
Iwai looked Morgana over. “That’s him alright. Or…her?”
“How can he not tell I’m a boy?” Morgana bemoaned.
“Him,” Goro said. “His name is Morgana. Now, I know what you might be thinking: I could have just taken him. But trust me, he’s a lot smarter than he looks. If he didn’t want to be here, he wouldn’t.”
Iwai smirked. “I imagine with an owner like Ren, he’d have to be pretty smart through osmosis alone.”
“Just go along with it…” Morgana muttered to himself.
Goro chuckled nervously. “I think Morgana thinks of himself more as a partner to Ren, rather than just an owner-pet relationship.”
Iwai chuckled. “I bet. Anyways, let’s talk. So, what do you know as of now?”
Goro nodded. “Well, for the purposes of this conversation, I know as much as you told Ren last time you spoke. I’m here to follow up on her investigation, so she told me what she knows.”
“Gotcha,” Iwai responded. “Well, truth be told, The Phoenix started to get a little delirious, and broke out into a fever.”
“Oh my,” Goro remarked.
Iwai nodded. “We tried to take him to a nearby hospital, but that’s when things got…interesting…”
“How so?” Goro inquired.
“He didn’t want to go to a hospital in Shibuya,” Iwai explained. “He was determined not to. He said ‘if Shido’s there, they’re gonna punish me.’ That took us by surprise.”
“I’ll say,” Goro noted.
Iwai nodded. “We asked him what he meant, and he said ‘If The Phantom Thieves got to him, they’re gonna take him to that hospital.’ We tried pressing him for a more direct answer, but he became incomprehensible. He wanted to get out of the city, but we talked him down to a hospital in Shinjuku.”
“I see,” Goro replied.
“We’re monitoring the situation, but,” Iwai explained, “this is what we have at this point.”
Goro nodded. “Well, it certainly is a big help.”
“Hmph,” Iwai smirked. “Well, I sure hope you all succeed.”
“I hope so as well,” Goro replied. “Good day.” He started to leave.
“You too,” Iwai said, as Goro, and Morgana, left the store.
“I have to say,” Morgana stated, “despite an embarrassing start, we managed to get a really good piece of information.”
“Quite so,” Goro said, getting out his phone to share the findings with Futaba and Airi.
“So, what now?” Morgana said.
“Well…I was thinking…” Goro noted. “Since we have a defined barrier, perhaps…we should split up.”
“Huh?!” Morgana replied.
“Well…it’s just that,” Goro explained, “a lot of the other leads I’m following up on are in spaces that might not allow you easy access. Plus, since we know Shido is in Shibuya, perhaps you can do some wandering to find something.”
“And what’s the plan for getting back to me?” Morgana inquired.
Goro thought about it for a second. “Well, I have to message Ren anyway. Perhaps I could tell her to meet you here once she gets out of school.”
Morgana nodded. “Alright. That sounds decent enough.”
“Heh,” Morgana chuckled. “You too.” He darted off. Goro chuckled, and then went back to his phone.
Goro: A few things.
Goro: Firstly, can you get yourself to Untouchable after you get out of school?
Goro: I won’t be there, but Morgana will be.
Ren: Why are you splitting up?
Goro: We found a juicy clue. He’s pursuing it, while I work on more leads. Most of which aren’t in cat-friendly spaces.
Goro: Perhaps I should have taken a bag. But that’s neither here, nor there at the moment.
Goro: Anyways, the other major thing I’d like to bring up is that some of your associates I’ve spoken to are a little untrusting of me. So, when you are able, could you message them, and tell them that everything is hunky-dory?
Ren: Alright.
Goro: Thanks.
Goro: Perhaps when you meet up with Morgana, you should message Futaba to see if she’s gotten anywhere.
Ren: Noted.
Goro: I’ll keep doing what I’m doing, and best of luck to you.
Ren: Take care!
Goro put his phone away, and ventured out to continue his investigation.
As he was making his way to the station, he heard an impassioned plea. “People of Tokyo! It is only two days before the election! While that might not seem like a lot of time, it can make a world of difference! In these next two days, I implore you to invite anyone and everyone you know to vote! Like throwing a stone in a pond, your words will ripple to others, and it will continue to spread! Of course, there are those who wish to spread their message, so it is up to you whether a message that appeals to you spreads, or one that appeals to those who turn a blind eye on you! If elected, I will fight for you! But that’s still an ‘if’! And if you want that ‘if’ to turn into a ‘when’, then I once again ask you to tell everyone you can to vote!” The crowd cheered.
Goro smiled. He then realized he had just sat there for a moment, when he needed to be investigating. But then he was impressed with this man’s skill to keep him enthralled. He decided to go over, and strike up a conversation. “Excuse me?” he said.
The politician was surprised. “Oh! You’re that detective, Goro Akechi, right?”
“Correct,” Goro answered.
He nodded. “My name is Toranosuke Yoshida.”
“Pleasure to meet you,” Goro replied. “I have to say, your skill as a speaker is remarkable.”
“Why thank you,” Yoshida said. “Although, I believe it has sharpened a bit more due to…actually, come to think of it, she’s an acquaintance to the both of us.”
“Oh?” Goro said.
Yoshida nodded. “Her name is Ren Amamiya. If that name doesn’t ring a bell to you, she was the person who stood against you in that battle of wits about six months ago.”
Goro chuckled. “I am aware. The two of us are friends now, actually.”
“Oh my!” Yoshida exclaimed.
Goro nodded. “I am learning more and more about the circles Ren runs in. It’s an interesting group of people, but, well, after getting to know her, it doesn’t really surprise me all that much.”
Yoshida chuckled. “True. So, what brings you out here?”
Right,” Goro responded. “I’m…in the middle of an investigation.”
“Are you investigating The Phantom Thieves, by chance?” Yoshida asked.
“I know I’ve had my qualms with The Phantom Thieves in the past,” Goro went on, “but I’m actually working with them on this. It…hasn’t been without issue, but I realized that since we were after the same goal, I had to put my pride aside.”
“Putting your pride aside is a good lesson to learn,” Yoshida said. “I’m glad you learned that before it was too late.”
“As am I,” Goro responded. Yoshida nodded. He then thought for a moment. “Something on your mind?” Goro asked.
“Well…I was asked a favor the day after The Phantom Thieves went after Shido,” Yoshida explained. “I was to see what I could find about him from some people I know. I was wondering if I should give that information to you.”
Goro was confused. “Who asked you?”
“Are you familiar with Okumura Foods?” Yoshida asked. Goro nodded. “Well, I was asked by the heiress apparent, Haru Okumura. She told me her company had ties with Shido, and she was looking into that as well.”
Goro smirked. “This proved to be very serendipitous then. You see, Haru is another associate of mine, and Ren’s.”
Yoshida was shocked. “Oh my! Small world, I guess.”
Goro nodded. “Quite so.”
Yoshida nodded back. “Well, if you all are on the same team, then I see no reason to not give you the information.” He grew a little serious. “What I have gathered is that while a lot of politicians rely on a more established tech company closer to the Diet building for their technological needs, Shido, and other politicians close to him, use a more recently established company, located right here in Shibuya. No one seems to know why for certain, but there are ideas circulating around.”
Goro was fascinated. He smirked. “Thank you for this information. Honestly, this might be more helpful than you can imagine.”
“Oh?” Yoshida wondered.
Goro nodded. “It might not seem like much on its own, but when combined with everything we know, it’s an intrinsic piece of the puzzle.”
“I see,” Yoshida nodded. “Much like The Phantom Thieves, or the populace of Japan, working together brings stronger results.”
Goro chuckled. “A politician through and though, I see.”
Yoshida chuckled. “Old dogs, new tricks, and all that jazz.”
“Quite,” Goro said. “Well, thank you for your time.”
Yoshida nodded. “Thank you as well. By the way, you are going to go vote on Sunday, right?”
“Of course,” Goro said.
Yoshida smiled. “Well, that’s all I could ask for. Take care!”
“You too!” Goro said. Goro walked off, taking out his phone.
Goro: I have a curious bit of new information for you.
Futaba: Go on.
Goro: You know that IT president? Two things came up that are interesting.
Goro: One, his company only works with Shido, and his band of fellow politicians at the Diet.
Futaba: I maybe could have guessed that.
Goro: But if he’s not the biggest player among the political class for tech, there has to be a reason for it.
Goro: Which brings me to point number 2: His business is located in Shibuya.
Futaba: And?
Goro: I thought you were smarter than this.
Goro: The IT president close to Shido runs his business out of Shibuya.
Goro: Shido is specifically in a Shibuya hospital for Phantom Thieves related reasons.
Goro: The IT president also has all of your mom’s data.
Futaba: Wait! I think I get it now!
Futaba: Shido’s men want to fix what we did, but in order to do that, they would need easy access to my mom’s notes.
Futaba: If Shido is in a Shibuya hospital due to the effects of us, and the information on cognitive psience is also somewhere in Shibuya, that means the systems of the hospital, and the IT company, are linked!
Goro: Now you’re getting it!
Goro: Locating Shido also helps us locate your mom’s findings.
Goro: And that will help us undo some of the damage done to Japan.
Futaba: This might also help in triangulating Shido.
Futaba: I’m glad you’re on our side now, even if it took a little bit of doing.
Goro: I’m glad as well.
Goro put his phone away, and continued to his next destination.
At Kosei High School, an announcement came over the speakers. “Attention Hifumi Togo! Would you please make your way to the principal’s office?” Hifumi was confused, but got up, and headed over.
Upon walking into the principal’s office, she was surprised not only to see her principal, but also Goro Akechi. “What’s going on?”
“It seems Detective Akechi has some questions for you,” the principal said.
Goro nodded. “It shouldn’t take too long. I know both of us are rather busy, but I’d like to ask a few questions.”
Hifumi nodded. “Alright.”
Goro nodded back. He turned to the principal. “Is there a room in which we can conduct this conversation privately?”
The principal nodded. “Certainly.” He got up. “Follow me.” The three of them made their way to a room with a table, and not much else. “Here you are.”
“Thanks,” Goro said. “Like I said, this shouldn’t take long.” The principal nodded, and Goro, and Hifumi, went inside.
Once they were situated, Hifumi asked “So, what is this about?”
Goro smirked. “I was told by an acquaintance of ours that you might have some information on Shido.”
Hifumi was stunned. “You mean…Jose?”
“Yes, I do mean Jose,” Goro relented. “Honestly, we’re living in a real life drama, and no one has a flair for the dramatic.”
“I think being clear will result in more answers,” Hifumi retorted.
“Fair point,” Goro said. “If you haven’t gotten any information, I’ll be on my way.”
Hifumi groaned. “Well…I have something…but it’s…not a lot… Honestly, it might not even be related to Shido.”
“Well, try me,” Goro said. “Even the smallest bit of information can turn the tide of war.”
Hifumi lit up. “Ah! Now you’re speaking my language. Well, after Shido’s men declared that Shido was hospitalized, I asked my mother to look into what the media men are saying. She told me the only thing that she could get was that there has been a press conference scheduled every day, but canceled at the last minute.”
Goro smirked. “Interesting… I believe we have our way in.”
Hifumi was confused. “What do you mean?”
“Well, as I’m sure you know,” Goro said, “I am very popular. So I’m fairly well known in the media space myself.”
“So why didn’t you ask?” Hifumi shot back.
Goro sighed. “Honestly, that is a very loaded question, and answering it would be a headache to say the least. But long-story-short, I was simply busy with…other aspects of this case. But, as I was saying, this could be our way in. If Shido’s men want Shido to do a press conference, let’s give them what they want.”
“I see,” Hifumi said, picking up on what was being dropped down. “But can you find him?”
“Like I said,” Goro repeated, “I have been busy with other aspects of the case.”
Hifumi smiled. “I must say, you’ve turned around your position in such a short time.”
“Well, I started to understand The Phantom Thieves more,” Goro said. “Besides, we are stopping a huge criminal plot, so it’s a victory in all spheres, despite some desperate back and forth.”
“Well then, I can’t wait to see what victory looks like,” Hifumi responded.
“Don’t worry,” Goro said. “I won’t keep you waiting for long.” He stood up.”You may return to class now.”
Hifumi got up. “Thank you.” The two of them left the room. Hifumi went back to class, while Goro left Kosei.
Outside, Goro took out his phone, and made a phone call. “Hello?” the voice on the other end answered.
“Ah! Mr. Yoshizawa!” Goro responded.
“Oh! Akechi!” Shinichi exclaimed. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Well, as I’m sure you’re aware,” Goro began, “The Phantom Thieves went after Masayoshi Shido recently.”
Shinichi chuckled nervously. “I remember. They hijacked the broadcast feed of practically every TV station to get the word out on that.”
“Of course,” Goro replied. “Anyways, after that, Shido’s men released a statement saying that he was being hospitalized. However, I’ve been doing some digging, and I found out that they have also scheduled a press conference that they keep delaying. I was wondering if that was scheduled at your studio or not?”
“And if it was?” Shinichi responded. “Ah! Sorry. I didn’t mean that to come off as menacing. Just…a lot’s been happening. My boss is out sick as well, so I’ve been trying to pick up the slack.”
“Right,” Goro said. “How’s that been going for you?”
“It’s been a challenge,” Shinichi said, “but we’ve managed.”
“I see,” Goro replied. “As for your question, if it was, I’m in the process of locating Shido. Perhaps if I brought him to the studio where the press conference was being held, we could hold it.”
“To what end, might I ask?” Shinichi inquired. “That time, I did mean to come off as…well, maybe not menacing, but interrogative at least.”
Goro chuckled. “Well, you know The Phantom Thieves’ track record thus far. I imagine this will be a confession, like all the others.”
“I see,” Shinichi replied. “Well, you are correct in that it’s scheduled for this studio. But I will say that the intention of those who scheduled the conference was to rebuke The Phantom Thieves.”
Goro chuckled. “I’m aware of that. However, I’m in the pocket of justice, and I’m working to see justice be brought forth. So I’m working on finding Shido before they have a chance to make such a rebuke.”
“I see,” Shinichi replied. “So you’re on the side of The Phantom Thieves now?”
“Well, it was touch-and-go for a while,” Goro explained, “but yes.”
“I see. How intriguing,” Shinichi responded. “When do you think you’ll have him ready by?”
“Hopefully soon,” Goro said. “I’m still working on a few things, but we should be ready before the election at least.”
“Very well,” Shinichi said. “Just give me a call when you’re ready.”
“Will do!” Goro replied. “Thanks again.”
“Anytime,” Shinichi replied. They hung up. Goro continued his investigation.
His next stop was Shujin Academy. After he entered, he headed for the principal’s office. “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Akechi,” Principal Arai remarked.
“Likewise,” Goro replied.
“You know,” Principal Arai led in, “one of the teachers stopped by my office recently. They said there was a student who might be concerned about you.”
Goro chuckled nervously. “Yes, well, um, I…may have worried some people recently. But rest assured, I’ll make it up to them.”
“Good,” Principal Arai replied. “So then, what brings you here today?”
“Oh, yes,” Goro responded. “I’m here to talk to some of the students, as well as one of your staff, for an ongoing investigation.”
“I hope none of them are in trouble,” Principal Arai retorted.
“They aren’t,” Goro assured him. “Or at least, I hope they aren’t.”
Principal Arai let out a sensible chuckle. “Well, good luck.”
“Thanks,” Goro said. “I’m going to need it.” He headed out, and began his sweep of the building.
As he began, he ran into Ren on her way out. “Oh? What are you doing here?”
“Investigating, or course,” Goro said. “Specifically, I’m here to meet with Dr. Maruki. Although, I want to stop by, and ask Makoto something as well. And after that, I should meet up with Haru.”
Ren nodded. “Very well. And you said Morgana’s going to be by Untouchable.”
Goro nodded. “That’s what we agreed to, yes.”
“Well, I should get going then,” Ren said. “I don’t want him to get too lost.”
“He’s a smart cat,” Goro said. “I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
“I know,” Ren said. “But I like assurances as well.”
Goro chuckled. “I understand. Have a good day.”
“Wait!” Ren responded. “How has the investigation been going?”
“It’s been going really well, I think,” Goro said. “We have a good beat on where Shido is, but it doesn’t hurt to get more information.”
Ren nodded. “Alright then. Well, I’ll leave you to it.”
“Right. Take care,” Goro said. He continued inward.
Ren then paused for a moment. “Actually… Hold up!”
Goro turned back. “What is it?”
“Sumire mentioned getting help from the granddaughter of the SIU Director,” Ren said, “but I don’t think she mentioned who she was.”
“She did not,” Goro confirmed.
“Well, I’ll take you to her,” Ren said. “I think that makes more sense anyways, since she can be a little on edge.”
“I’ve been getting used to that today,” Goro lamented.
“No,” Ren said. “She’s just naturally a little on edge. Especially as the granddaughter of the SIU Director.”
“I see,” Goro noted. “Well, lead the way.”
“Great!” Ren started leading Goro, as she took out her phone to message Yumeko.
Goro thought about something for a second. “That reminds me. Maybe I should message her.” He got out his phone.
Goro: Hi there, Haru!
Goro: You mentioned that your company will have a preliminary report on its connections with Shido.
Goro: I’d like to look that over with you.
Goro: However, I have some stuff to take care of at your school first.
Goro: So, if you wouldn’t mind, do you think you could wait at Shujin Academy while I conduct my investigation?
Haru: No problem!
Haru: I’m doing some work for the Gardening Club anyway. So I’ll be here for a while.
Goro: Got it!
Goro: Where should I meet you?
Haru: Meet me on the roof.
Goro: OK.
Goro: See you later then!
Haru: See you later!
Goro smiled, and put away his phone, and continued walking with Ren.
They soon came across Yumeko, hanging around with Fumihito. Yumeko looked up, and was stunned by Goro. “Wha…what’s going on?” she asked, a little worried.
“It’s OK,” Ren assured her. “He’s on our side.”
Yumeko was puzzled. “Wait…” She turned to Goro. “Does that mean you changed your mind about The Phantom Thieves?”
Goro nodded. “In more ways than you can imagine.”
“Huh,” Yumeko remarked.
“Were you going to announce this?” Fumihito asked.
“Well, a lot has been happening in a short amount of time,” Goro replied. “I will announce my change of heart, so to speak, but in order to do so, I need to wrap up some loose ends within the investigation itself.” He turned to Yumeko. “And I believe you might have some information that could be beneficial to the case?”
Yumeko was still a little uneasy, but she looked at Ren. Ren nodded at her, and Yumeko nodded back. She turned back to Goro. “Well…I haven’t gotten word about a lot. But my family has been looking through some of my grandfather’s things. My aunt told me that he’s made a lot of donations to this one hospital. But…I can’t remember what it was called…or where it is…”
Goro smiled. “That’s alright. In fact, that’s perfect.”
Yumeko was surprised. “Really?”
Goro nodded. “We’re already looking into a hospital, so that bit of information will help us locate it more definitely.”
“Huh,” Yumeko remarked. “Well that’s great!”
Goro nodded. “Thank you for your time.”
Yumeko nodded back. “Thank you for changing your mind.”
Goro chuckled. “Thank her for changing my mind,” he said, gesturing toward Ren.
Fumihito nodded. “I hope your investigation goes well.”
“Well, so far it has been,” Goro said. “But I need to keep trucking. So thanks for the encouragement.”
“I should get going as well,” Ren said. “I’m meeting a friend somewhere, and I’m running a little late as is.”
“Take care!” Yumeko said.
Ren nodded. “You too!” Goro, and Ren, headed off one way, while Yumeko, and Fumihito, headed off in another.
“Well, this seems to be the place where we part ways,” Goro said. He got out his phone. “I’m going to tell Futaba, and Airi about this new bit of information.”
“Airi?” Ren wondered.
“Riko’s contact in Akihabara,” Goro told her. “And also, someone I’ve worked with a few times before.”
“Oh,” Ren reacted. “Small world, huh.”
“Quite,” Goro said. “Anyways, see you later.”
“Seeya!” Ren said. She left the school, while Goro finished his text. Once he did so, he headed towards the student council room.
Once there, he knocked on the door, and Makoto answered. “Ah!” Makoto reacted, surprised. “Sorry. You startled me. What brings you here?”
Goro nodded. “A few things. But one thing I think you could help me with is something Morgana mentioned.”
Makoto was confused. “Morgana?”
Goro nodded again. “He mentioned that you might know where some of the other VIPs might be.”
“Oh! Right.” Makoto reacted. “I did ask Naoko to check in on them. I should get you his number.” She went back into the room, got out a pen, and paper, and started writing.
“Who is this Naoko, might I ask?” Goro inquired.
“He was my dad’s partner on the force,” Makoto said. “Currently, he’s a private detective. He…he was also under the influence of Eris.”
“Oh, back during the Kaneshiro incident?” Goro guessed.
“How’d you know?” Makoto wondered.
“Well, he seemed the most likely candidate,” Goro said. “A former police officer taking on a criminal extraordinaire. It doesn’t take a genius to put two and two together.”
“I see,” Makoto replied. She tore the page out. “Here you go.”
Goro took the number. “Thanks.”
“I only told you that bit about Eris in case he doesn’t trust you right away,” Makoto said. “You can use that to gain some leverage.”
Goro chuckled nervously. “There seems to be a lot of that going around.”
“So, how are things going?” Makoto asked.
“Really well,” Goro answered. “I don’t want to get too ahead of myself, but I think things are looking up for us.”
“Well, after fighting The Reaper, they better,” Makoto said
Goro chuckled. “True. Anyways, thanks for assisting me.”
“Of course,” Makoto said. “We’re on the same team now, after all.”
“Hm hm. Right,” Goro replied. He started walking off, but then stopped himself. “Oh, by the way, do you think you could point me in the direction of Dr. Maruki’s office?”
“Oh, of course,” Makoto answered. She started to go, but then stopped. “Actually…” She smiled. “I think this is a job for our newest member.” She leaned back into the student council room. “Mishima!”
Mishima rushed over. “Yes?” He noticed Goro. “Akechi?!”
Makoto nodded. “Could you please lead him to Dr. Maruki’s office?”
“Are…you sure?” Mishima asked.
Makoto nodded. “He’s on our side now.”
Mishima was confused. “On…our side? As in…?”
“The Phantom Thieves?” Makoto finished. “Correct.”
“Huh,” Mishima replied. “Well…isn’t that somethin’.”
“It’s a lot of things,” Goro stated. “But right now, if we’re going to make sure we win, I really need to get to Dr. Maruki’s office.”
Mishima nodded, determined. “Right! Follow me!” He began leading Goro to Dr. Maruki’s office.
On their way, Goro asked “So, how are you associated with The Phantom Thieves?”
“Oh, I run the Phansite,” Mishia answered.
“Interesting,” Goro remarked. “I thought one of them might have run it.”
“Well, to be honest…” Mishima said, “I was kind of hoping to be one of them. But I have been told that me being on the outside of their activities is useful.”
“I can see how,” Goro said. “It gives them more energy to focus on the task at hand.”
Mishima nodded. “And I also help them find some of their lesser known targets.”
Goro smirked. “You really are something, huh.”
“Well…” Mishima sighed. “You just gotta know your strengths. And your weaknesses.”
Goro chuckled. “I hear that.”
They made it to Maruki’s office. “Well, here we are,” Mishima said.
Goro nodded. “Thanks.”
“Hey Yuuki!” Shiho said, coming over.
“Oh, Shiho,” Mishima said, turning to face his girlfriend. They smooched.
“We don’t have practice today, so I’m ready to go when you are,” Shiho informed him.
“Eh heh,” Mishima chuckled. “Well, I’d like to go, but I think I should check in with Niijima-senpai first.”
“Well then, we can go together,” Shiho said.
“Right,” Mishima nodded.
Shiho noticed Goro. “Oh. I didn’t realize you were here. My apologies.”
“It’s quite alright,” Goro replied. “I know what it’s like when you’re excited to see your significant other.”
Shiho giggled. “Right. You’re dating someone too right? Lena-chan, I believe?”
“Correct,” Goro responded.
“I think her homeroom is elsewhere,” Shiho noted.
Mishima chuckled. “He’s here on official business.”
“Is he now?” Shiho said.
Goro chuckled nervously. “It’s quite alright. I’m here to help.”
“He’s on our side,” Mishima informed her.
“Oh. What a surprise,” Shiho noted.
“Believe me,” Goro said, “it was not easy to get to this point. But I’m here now, and that’s what counts.”
Shiho smiled, nervously. “Right.”
Goro picked up on that nervousness. “Is something the matter?”
“Well…I was in a similar boat once…” Shiho admitted. “I don’t know how much you know, but I was a target of…an enemy of The Phantom Thieves.”
“Oh. You mean Eris?” Goro replied.
Shiho was truly surprised. “How’d you know?”
“Well…she and I also have a history…” Goro admitted.
“Oh my!” Shiho reacted.
Goro nodded. “But they broke me out of it. And now I’m working to make up for it.”
Shiho smiled. “Well, you have my support.”
“Thanks,” Goro responded.
Shiho giggled. “Anyways, we should get going. Don’t wanna keep Makoto waiting any longer.”
“Oh, uh, right!” Mishima said. “Later!”
“Bye bye!” Goro replied. He then looked at the door to Maruki’s office. He took a deep breath, and knocked.
“Come in!” Maruki called out. Goro entered. “Oh! What a surprise.”
“Dr. Maruki, I presume?” Goro asked.
“Correct,” Maruki replied.
Goro smirked. “Well, I’m here on an investigation, and I’ve been told you can help. Specifically, by The Phantom Thieves, and their leader, Ren Amamiya”
“Oh,” Maruki remarked. “This has really turned into something fascinating. I take it that by giving her name, you’re on their side now? Or is this a ploy of some kind?”
“If it was, how would I know to talk to you in the first place?” Goro said.
“Fair,” Maruki admitted. “Well, have a seat, and some snacks.” Goro took a seat. “So, are you following up on what I was asked earlier?”
“Correct,” Goro said.
Maruki nodded. “Very well. I’ve asked some of my acquaintances who still hold government jobs. And, well, hmm. They’ve told me some things, but they didn’t get a lot.”
“Well, anything can be helpful,” Goro stated.
“True,” Maruki replied. “They told me that there were numerous people going in and out of Shido’s office the past couple of days. All of them seemed panicked due to what The Phantom Thieves did.”
“I can imagine,” Goro nodded.
Maruki nodded back. “They took him to a hospital, they were gathering notes, making calls, the whole nine yards. My associate didn’t pick up a lot in the way of specifics, but he was lucky enough to get one bit of juicy information.”
“Do tell,” Goro responded, intrigued.
“He heard that if anyone wanted to release Shido from the hospital,” Maruki informed, “you just tell the staff that ‘the daruma’s right eye is ready to be filled’.”
“Huh,” Goro noted. “Fascinating. Well, that certainly helps.”
“Sorry I couldn’t get anything more,” Maruki said.
“No problem,” Goro responded. “Throughout this investigation, we’ve gotten a bunch of little information that’s been adding up quickly.”
Maruki chuckled. “I see.” He sighed. “Sorry. I’m still working on letting others help, and not shouldering the burden on just my shoulders.”
Goro chuckled back. “You and me both.” He took a snack from Maruki’s bowl, and ate it. “Well, thanks again, both for the information, and the snack.”
“Of course,” Maruki said. Goro stood up, bowed, and left the room.
As he was leaving, Kawakami was approaching, and the two almost bumped into each other. “Oh. My apologies,” Goro said.
“Eh, it’s fine,” Kawakami replied. She took a good look at him. “Say, you’re that Akechi kid, aren’t you?”
“Indeed I am,” Goro replied.
Kawakami nodded. “I have a student who was looking for you a few days ago. Maybe we should find her.”
Goro chuckled. “I think we may have already found each other,” he told her.
“Oh,” Kawakami responded.
“But thank you for your concern,” Goro continued. “Honestly, it feels nice.”
“Oh?” Kawakami replied.
“It’s a whole thing,” Goro said. “Long-story-short, I’m just not used to having people actually concerned about me.”
“Well, I don’t need to know everything,” Kawakami said, “but it’s nice that you’re learning that. Also, make sure to tell someone who is looking for you that you’re OK. Got it?”
Goro chuckled nervously. “Got it. I’ve…made that mistake recently too…”
Kawakami smiled. “Well, you seem to have a good head on your shoulders.”
“Thanks,” Goro said. “If you don’t mind, I do need to get back to my investigation.”
“Of course,” Kawakami said. “Take care!”
“You too!” Goro said. Goro walked off. Kawakami waited for a second, looked around, and slipped into Maruki’s office.
Maruki looked up. “Sadayo?”
“Ready to go?” Kawakami asked.
“Uh,” Maruki replied, “I just need to finish up one or two more things, but I should be ready soon.”
“Alright,” Kawakami pouted.
“Oh, by the way, Akechi stopped by,” Maruki informed her. "I thought you’d like to know, after Takamaki made a big deal about needing to find him.”
Kawakami nodded. “I ran into him outside just now.”
“Ah, I see,” Maruki replied.
“Still, thanks for telling me,” Kawakami said.
“Of course,” Maruki replied. He finished up what he needed to do, and the two of them set off on a date.
A little later, Goro knocked on the door to the music room. A male student answered. “Yes?”
“Pardon me,” Goro said, “but I was told I could find Lena Minamoto here.”
“Um, yeah…” the student said, befuddled. He turned around. “Hey Lena!” Lena looked over to see Goro. “Detective Akechi is asking for you!”
Lena was confused, and slightly embarrassed, but walked over to the door. “What do you want?”
“I have some questions for you regarding an investigation I am working on,” Goro said. “If you could come with me for just a moment.”
Lena nodded. “Very well.” The two of them walked off. Once they were far enough away, Lena asked “What did you want to ask me about?”
“Oh, nothing,” Goro said. “I just wanted to see you.”
Lena blushed. “Goro!” Goro chuckled. Lena pouted. Goro gave her a kiss on the cheek. She smiled.
“I mean, I’m here, and I know you were here,” Goro explained. “I just wanted to say ‘hi’ quickly. We…haven’t spent a lot of time together as of late, and I wanted to make up for it.”
Lena sighed. “I mean…I’d like to spend more time with you, but…is now really a good time?”
“Well…it’s not the best time, I’ll admit…” Goro floundered. “But it’s better than nothing. Besides, if I don’t see you now, I don’t think I’ll get to see you before Sunday, so I wanted to see you now.”
Lena smiled. “Well, it is nice to see you.” She gave him a kiss on his forehead. “And it’s nice to see you so focused.”
Goro smiled back. He cleared his throat. “Well, I really should get back to my investigation. I don’t want to keep people waiting."
“Right…” Lena said. They started to leave, but then leaned in for a kiss.
Once they finished, Goro, flustered, said “Ah, yes, well, take care!”
Lena giggled. “You too!” The two of them left.
Once Lena returned to Music Club, the boy asked “So, how’d it go?”
Lena smiled. “It went well.”
Goro climbed up the steps to the roof. Once he got there, he saw Haru tending to the gardens. “Um, Haru?” he said.
Haru looked up at him. “Oh, Goro!” she replied. “Are you ready?”
“Yes,” Goro nodded. “Um, are you?”
“Just about,” Haru said. “I need to check a few things, and then change back into my regular clothes, but I’m basically done.”
“Do you want some help?” Goro wondered.
Haru shook her head. “I got it. Thanks for asking though.” Goro chuckled. Haru chuckled back. She finished tending to the roof gardens, and then she and Goro headed down the stairs. She headed into the locker room to get changed. Once she came back out, she asked “Ready?”
Goro nodded. “Ready.” The two of them headed out.
Meanwhile, Ren arrived outside of Untouchable, and began waiting around. “Hey,” Morgana said.
Ren looked down to see him. “Oh. Surprised to see you so quickly. Get anything?”
“Well…” Morgana hesitated. “I found…something…”
“Great!” Ren replied. “What is it?”
“It’s…complicated…” Morgana answered. “See, while I was looking for a hospital, I…managed to find…Shido’s Errand Boy.”
“WHAT?!” Ren exclaimed.
“He was just at a cafe, reading the newspaper, and slowly sipping some coffee,” Morgana informed her.
“Is he still there?” Ren wondered.
“Beats me,” Morgana said. “I came back here when I spotted that. But it didn’t look like he was in a rush.”
Ren nodded. “Well, lead the way.” Morgana sprinted off, with Ren following him.
At Okumura Foods HQ, Goro was looking through the report the staff had compiled on Shido. “Anything of note?” Haru asked.
“Well, nothing to help us find him currently,” Goro admitted, “but this is all good information for prosecuting him..”
“Hm,” Haru pouted.
Goro smiled, nervously. “It’s alright. This is important too.”
“I know,” Haru said. “But still. Sorry for wasting your time.”
“I don’t think this was a waste,” Goro said. “In fact, this gives me a good excuse to do something.” He got out his phone.
“What are you doing?” Haru wondered.
“I’m pulling in a fellow detective,” Goro said. He dialed the number.
“Hello?” Naoko answered.
“Uh, hi, is this Naoko?” Goro inquired.
“Who’s asking?” Naoko replied.
“Goro Akechi,” he answered.
“How’d you get this number?” Naoko asked.
“Makoto Niijima gave it to me,” Goro said. “She informed me we have a common acquaintance.”
Naoko sighed. “I told her not to give you my number. I don’t care what friend we have in common.”
“I never said this acquaintance was a friend,” Goro told him. “In fact, I think at this point neither of us care for Eris.”
“Oh!” Naoko replied, surprised. “Well, I guess that’s a fair exception. So, I take it you’re working with The Phantom Thieves at this point?”
“Correct,” Goro said. “Would you like to assist?”
“I’m surprised Makoto hadn’t called me earlier,” Naoko answered.
“Well, things have been happening a mile a minute,” Goro noted.
“Gotcha,” Naoto replied. “So, what can I do?”
“Could you meet me at Okumura Foods HQ?” Goro wondered.
“Alright,” Naoko said. “I’ll be there soon.”
“Thank you. See you then,” Goro responded. They hung up.
Meanwhile, Morgana approached the cafe he saw the Errand Boy, with Ren right behind him. Morgana instructed her to stop, while he took a peak. Ren nodded, and stood back. Morgana snuck over, and peered into the cafe. “...I don’t believe it. He’s still here.”
Ren upon hearing that, quickly, but silently, rushed over to Morgana’s position to also have a look. “That’s him alright.”
“So, what now?” Morgana wondered. “It’s not like we can just go up, and talk to him.”
Ren pondered that for a moment. “Why not?”
Morgana was puzzled. “Are you serious?”
“I know it’s risky,” Ren replied. “But we changed his heart, right? It might be worth a shot. Besides, this is a fairly public place, and I’m pretty scrappy. And you can cause a commotion too, if things get out of hand.”
Morgana pouted, but relented. “Fine. But just be careful.”
Ren nodded. “Will do.” She loaded Morgana up into her bag, and walked in. She went up to the table where the Errand Boy was sitting. “Excuse me?” she asked. “Is this seat taken?”
The man looked over at her, confused. “...No? But, um, why?”
Ren took a seat. “I was wondering if we could talk about something.”
The Errand Boy looked her over, still confused. Then it hit him. “...You’re… He glanced around, then whispered “You’re one of the Phantom Thieves, aren’t you?” Ren nodded. “I could tell. I don’t know how you get into that state to access that place, but it’s a little fuzzy for me, so exact details are hard. But you have a fire in your eyes that’s hard to mistake. It was very impactful.”
“This is going better than I expected,” Morgana noted.
“So, what do you wish to know?” the Errand Boy wondered.
“Well…I guess right now, if you happen to know where Shido is…” Ren replied.
The Errand Boy shook his head. “I’m afraid not. If I knew that, I would have dragged him out myself at this point.”
“Fair,” Ren responded. She sighed.
“I’d love to turn myself in,” the Errand Boy said, “but I don’t know if I could without Shido also being turned in. I know that makes me a coward, but…I’ve been that way ever since Shido got me under his thumb."
Ren nodded. “That…’state’, as you put it. They way me, and my associates, access it allows us to be a bit more lucid during the venture. It also gave us access to some of Shido’s memories. So…we saw what happened.”
“I see,” the Errand Boy noted.
“Having said that,” Ren replied, “we’re also working to find him. If you want, I can set you up with someone who’s also assisting us.”
“Please,” the Errand Boy nodded.
Back at Okumura Foods, Naoko arrived, meeting up with Goro, and Haru. “Detective Naoko?” Goro wondered.
“Yeah,” Naoko replied. “And it’s Detective Hamasaki to you.”
“Pardon me,” Goro replied. “Makoto didn’t mention your family name.”
“She wouldn’t,” Naoko said. “I was close with her father. I’m…kind of like an uncle to her.”
“I see,” Goro replied.
“So, what can I do ya for?” Naoko said, turning the conversation back to business.
“Well,” Goro said, “we’re looking for Shido.” Naoko nodded. “Miss Okumura here,” he gestured to Haru, who waved, “was giving me insights into her father’s dealings with Shido, which is helpful for making the case against him, but not necessarily finding him. And I realized we might need more things like that once we get him where we want him. Although finding him is proving to be a herculean task in it of itself.”
“So, you want me to dig up a little more dirt?” Naoko wondered.
“If you wouldn’t mind,” Goro said. “Makoto also told me you might know where some of Shido’s associates are, which might be good for, well, either task at this point.”
Naoko looked Goro over. He nodded. “Alright. But just because Makoto trusts you enough for this.”
Goro chuckled nervously. “I doubt she’d break her oath to you if we weren’t in such dire straits.”
“Yeah,” Naoko admitted. He began thinking. “I wonder if Ohya has anything…”
Goro was curious. “Ohya?”
“Oh, yeah,” Naoko said. “She’s a reporter. A little unorthodox, but she’s really good.”
Goro nodded. “I think I’m meeting her tonight at a bar called Crossroads.”
Naoko sighed. “That’s her alright.”
Goro smiled. “Well, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind a plus one.”
“So, you wanna continue your investigation, I do mine, and then we meet her?” Naoko offered.
“Precicely,” Goro said. His phone went off. He answered. “Hello?”
“Hey,” Ren answered. “It’s me.”
“Oh?” Goro replied. “Did Morgana not come back?”
“No, he did,” Ren said. “And he found something incredible.”
“Oh?”
“Shido’s Errand Boy,” Ren informed him.
“Oh!” Goro exclaimed.
“I was thinking of sending him your way,” Ren told him.
Goro glanced over to Naoko, and Haru. “I think I should meet you where you are.”
“OK,” Ren said. “I’m at a cafe in Shibuya. I’ll give you directions.”
“Sounds good,” Goro said. “See you soon.”
“Seeya,” Ren replied. They hung up. She turned back to the Errand Boy. “He’s coming here.”
The Errand Boy nodded. “Very well.”
“Come to think of it,” Ren mentioned, “I don’t know your name.”
The Errand Boy looked at her. “Satou. Dan Satou.”
Ren nodded. “Ren Amamiya.”
Goro turned back to Naoko, and Haru. “Well, something just happened that requires my immediate attention. Do you think you can handle things from here, Detective Hamasaki?”
Naoko nodded. “Certainly.” He turned to Haru. “Might I ask you to accompany me while I ask the staff some questions, Miss Okumura?”
Haru nodded. “Of course!”
“Well then, it looks like we have our work cut out for us,” Naoko said. “See you tonight.”
Goro nodded. “See you tonight.” He waved, and walked out the door.
He soon arrived at the cafe to find Ren, and Dan. Dan was surprised. “Akechi?” He turned to Ren. “He’s assisting you?”
Ren nodded. “That’s right.”
Dan was surprised. “...What is going on?”
“A lot,” Goro replied. He pulled up a chair, and sat down. “But we don’t have a lot of time. So let’s get to talking.”
Dan was still a little shook, but decided to engage. “Well, like I told your friend here, I don’t know where Shido is.”
“Hm,” Goro sighed.
“Disappointing, I know," Dan replied.
“Not necessarily,” Goro said. “Honestly, I’ve been making a lot of headway on figuring out Shido’s position.”
“I see,” Dan replied.
“However, knowing where he is, and extracting him are two different things,” Goro explained. “And I think you assisting me on that front will lend more credence to the ploy.”
“Oh. Interesting,” Dan said. “I guess it would be suspicious if you just came in knowing everything.”
“Well…not exactly…” Goro said. He sighed. “I was working with Shido for a while too.”
“Oh?” Dan wondered.
“However, I was working undercover, aiming to take him down,” Goro explained.
“Oh…” Dan replied.
“Still,” Goro continued, "I think between the two of us, getting him out will be no problem. I lend credence where you don’t, and you lend credence where I don’t.”
“Smart,” Dan said. “I guess you’re not a detective for nothing.”
Goro chuckled. “Well…just doing my job. So, do you have a phone number?”
Dan paused. “After Shido called me the night The Phantom Thieves made their move, I got rid of my phone. I didn’t want to get inundated with calls from Shido’s men, or for them to track me. So no…”
“I see,” Goro said. “Well, I still need to investigate, and maybe dragging you around doesn’t sound like the smartest idea.”
“It does not,” Dan agreed.
Goro thought about it for a moment. “Perhaps you can meet me somewhere later this evening.”
“What do you have in mind?” Dan asked.
“I’m heading up to a place in Shinjuku called Crossroads later tonight,” Goro said. “Perhaps you could meet me up there.”
Dan nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”
“Um,” Ren interjected, “maybe you should tell, um, the person you’re meeting about this.”
“Fair point,” Goro said, getting out his phone. “I already invited another person. I guess I should let her know.” He began typing.
Goro: Pardon me, but I’m bringing two more people with me to assist in the investigation. Is that a problem?
Ohya: Well, if they’re there to help, it should be fine.
Goro: Thanks.
“Well, we’re good on that end,” Goro said. He got another text message. He checked his phone once more.
“Something come up?” Ren wondered.
“It’s nothing,” Goro said. “I just got a delivery is all.”
“Oh,” Ren replied. “How…unexpectedly quaint.”
“Well, you see…” Goro said. “It’s a long story, but this delivery is actually a gift for one of my contacts, who just so happens to be working with us right now.”
“Oh,” Ren replied once more. “Well then, that’s serendipitous, I suppose.”
“Quite serendipitous,” Goro agreed. “I have some time. I think I should go get it, and give it to her. Especially since she’s helping us now. Maybe when I get there, she’ll have some more information for me.”
“Sounds good,” Ren agreed.
Goro stood up. “Well, I’ll be seeing you later.”
“Seeya,” Dan said. Goro left.
Ren stood up too. “I should get going too.”
“Take care,” Dan said.
“You too…I guess…” Ren replied, awkwardly.
“Heh heh,” Dan chuckled. “I get your hesitation. But I just need to cross the finish line of all of this.”
“You and me both,” Ren said. She left.
A little ways away, Morgana popped out, and said “I can’t believe that that managed to work out the way it did.”
“Yeah,” Ren agreed. “But I’m glad it did.”
“It sounds like Goro’s making some good progress as well,” Morgana noted.
Ren nodded. “It’s hard to believe that not even 48 hours ago, we were all wandering around like chickens with their heads cut off, worried about Goro, and Shido.”
“I guess what Lady Lavenza said was right,” Morgana replied. “With The Reaper hanging around, our luck was diminishing.”
“Well, I’m glad it’s back,” Ren said. She got out her phone. “But I do have a slight bone to pick.”
Ren: I wasn’t going to say it with the Errand Boy right there, but “working undercover”? Really?
Goro: For the record, that was my backup plan in case I got in over my head.
Goro: Before The Phantom Thieves showed up, anyways.
Goro: So it wasn’t a lie exactly.
Ren: Fair enough.
Ren: And it sort of is true now.
Goro: Why ask?
Ren: TBH, I just like giving people grief from time to time.
Goro: Figures.
Goro: I’m probably not outliving the grief, am I?
Ren: We’ll see!~
Goro: I guess that’s the best answer I can get for now.
Goro: Talk to you later.
Ren: Later!
Ren put her phone away, and headed onward.
Goro arrived at his apartment, picked up the package, and then headed out for Akihabara. As he was walking through Akihabara, he muttered to himself “I should think they’ve found something. I haven’t gotten a message about it yet though, which is concerning. Still, trust the process.”
“HEY!” A voice called out.
Goro looked over to see Shinya. “Oh? Are you lost?”
Shinya shook his head. “I just wanted to tell you some guy was looking for you.”
“Really?” Goro wondered, a little concerned. “What were they like?”
Shinya shrugged. “Lanky. Blue hair. Kind of a weird dude, honestly.”
Goro realized he meant Yusuke, and chuckled. “We’ve already met up with each other. But thanks for looking out.”
“Tch, whatever,” Shinya snarked. “I just did it because he’s also Team Phantom Thief.”
“He…told you that?” Goro wondered.
“Well, after I told him I was Team Phantom Thief. For LIFE, I might add,” Shinya explained.
“Oh, you meant…” Goro replied. “Never mind. But, I suppose you’ll be happy to know that I, myself, am now also Team Phantom Thief!”
Shinya was surprised. “Really?”
Goro nodded. “Yup!”
“How? When?” Shinya inquired.
“Eh heh,” Goro chuckled. “Well, that’s a complicated story. But to grossly oversimplify, while investigating them, I made contact with them. At first, I was adverse to their pleas, but as time went on, I realized more and more that I was wrong, and they were right. So, I had to swallow my pride, and accept I was on the losing side.”
“Woah,” Shinya replied. He smiled. “You’re alright.”
Goro chuckled once more. “Thank you.”
“Whatcha doin’ now?” Shinya asked.
“Oh, well, I was investigating a case,” Goro explained, “and then I got a message saying that this package came for me, which is a present for one of the people I’m working with, so I’m going to drop it off now.”
“Huh. Cool,” Shinya said.
“Well, this has been fun,” Goro said, “but I really would like to get this package delivered.”
Shinya nodded. “Take care!”
“You too!” Goro replied. Shinya turned around, and headed into the arcade, while Goro continued through Akihabara.
Once he got to Airi’s apartment, he buzzed her door. He waited for a second, before getting curious, and buzzing again. He waited a little bit before buzzing once more. “WHAT?!” Airi barked.
“Eh heh,” Goro chuckled. “I, um, I have the manga. I thought I’d drop it off now, and maybe check in with you.”
There was a brief pause. “Come on up,” Airi relented. Goro nodded, and came up to the door. Airi greeted him. “Ooo!” she said, taking a look at the package, before swiping it. “Thanks.” She headed in, placed the package on a counter, and then went back to her computer.
“Of course,” Goro replied. He walked in, and glanced over her setup. “So, um, do you, by chance, have an update for me?”
“We struck GOLD!” Airi exclaimed. Goro seemed a little confused. “We managed to find Shido.”
“Oh,” Goro replied. “And I wasn’t told about this until now because…?”
“BECAUSE,” Airi began, “we were digging into the bits of information you gave us, as well as getting a more exact answer. Finding the patient registry was easy, but there were like five Nanashi no Gonbei patients, so we tried to narrow it further. We hacked into the security cameras, and we should be finding something now!” There was a message ding. “YES! Futaba nabbed it! I’m gonna tell her you’re here with me now.” She typed away.
“Fascinating,” Goro replied.
Airi finished typing her message, and turned back to Goro. “You’re looking for room 227 in St. Hermelin Hospital!”
“That’s excellent news!” Goro cheered. “So, what else do you have?”
“We have a lot,” Airi explained. “Honestly, it’s incredible.”
“I see,” Goro noted. “Can you…start compiling it all? I’m going to message Futaba about something.”
“‘Something’...?” Airi snided.
“Well, there’s probably a good amount of information pertaining to her mom’s research,” Goro said, getting his phone out. “I’d rather her get the final say on that. But I do want whatever information that can go out to go out, and I’m just guiding her to where to send it.”
“Very well,” Airi said.
Goro: I have the information on Shido’s whereabouts.
Goro: I’m going to ask you, and Airi, to compile whatever else you’ve found, and send it off to that reporter, Ohya.
Goro: Whatever you can, anyways. I know there might be some of your mom’s research in there.
Futaba: Noted!
Futaba: Good luck breaking him out!
Goro: Thanks.
He put his phone away. “Well, I guess I’ll be going,” Goro told Airi. “Thanks for your assistance!”
“Anytime!” Airi replied. Goro smiled, waved, and let Airi continue to work. He walked out, closing the door behind him, knowing that she was too engrossed in her work to do it herself. He left the building soon after.
For the rest of the afternoon, he followed up on some leads here and there, just to tie up some loose ends. He got a few bits and pieces, but nothing to write home about. Once he took care of those things, he grabbed a train up to Shinjuku to meet up with Ohya.
Once in Shinjuku, he checked the time. “Still a bit early,” he noted. He decided to look around to kill some time. Sooner, or later, he found Chihaya’s Fortune Telling booth. He shrugged. “Well, I guess I should be open to anything at this point. Come to think of it, Ren, and Ryuji, mentioned something about a pretty accurate Fortune Teller.” He shrugged. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” He walked over. “Pardon me.”
Chihaya looked over at him. “Oh! Detective Akechi. I’m a little surprised to see you.”
“Don’t tell me I caught a Fortune Teller off-guard?” Goro teased.
“Well, sometimes being caught off-guard isn’t always a bad thing,” Chihaya stated. “I was caught off-guard by someone, and, well, they helped me escape a dreadful situation.”
Goro chuckled. “I completely understand what you mean. I too was caught off-guard by someone who managed to save me.”
“You needed saving?” Chihaya inquired.
“Well, more so from myself,” Goro admitted, “but I was also at the mercy of a few different malevolent forces.”
“I see,” Chihaya reacted. “Sounds…dangerous.”
“Believe me,” Goro replied, “‘dangerous’ is too kind a word for it.”
Goro smirked. “I am as well. Now, um, do you mind if I get a reading?”
Chihaya giggled. “I’d thought you’d rely more on intuition than a Fortune Teller. That’s what I was surprised about. I could sense a fairly popular presence coming my way, but I didn’t imagine it would be you, of all people.”
“Well, things in my life have shaken up quite a bit,” Goro informed her, taking a seat. “I don’t know if I’m going to be a regular, but I’d appreciate some guidance now.”
Chihaya nodded. “Certainly.” Goro paid her. “Now then, let’s start the reading.” She dealt out three cards. “The first one is The Justice, upright. This suggests that you will soon bring someone to justice who truly deserves it. Not to editorialize, but I hope it is the person I’m thinking of.”
“It might just be,” Goro said.
“Well, whoever they are, I can sense they deserve it,” Chihaya continued. “Anyway…” She flipped the second card. “The Fool, upright. This suggests that soon after that criminal is brought to justice, you will embark on a new journey.”
“I suppose that’s true,” Goro said. “Honestly, a lot has happened these past few days, so I haven’t thought about it, but, yeah. That does sound right.”
Chihaya giggled. She flipped over the last card. “The Adjustment, upright. This suggests that the journey you will undertake is unfamiliar to you, but you will also have a guiding hand. If you were to follow this guide, your journey will be wonderful.”
Goro chuckled. “I know exactly who you’re talking about there.”
“Well, sounds like you didn’t need my help much then…” Chihaya slightly pouted.
“Not necessarily,” Goro said. “Honestly, this was refreshing. It’s nice to recenter yourself, and this gave me a lot to think about in the long term. I thought I knew what I was doing, but that got turned upside down, and so, I needed to refocus. I’m still adjusting to my new lease on life, so this helped me get a better grasp of things.”
Chihaya smiled. “Well, the pleasure is mine.”
Goro checked the time. “I should get going. I have an investigation to complete after all.”
“Good luck,” Chihaya said. Goro stood up, smiled, waved, and headed off to Crossroads.
Once he entered, Ohya looked at him, and said “Hm. Glad you could make it.”
“Trust me,” Goro said. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
“You said you had some company?” Ohya wondered.
Goro nodded. “Things have been happening at a whirlwind pace. Although, I am glad they are. The sooner we can bag Shido, the better.”
“I hear that!” Ohya said. “So, when are they coming?”
“They should be here sooner or later,” Goro informed her. He took a seat next to her. “Miss?” Lala looked over. “I’ll take a water for now.”
“Comin’ right up,” Lala said. She got him a glass of water. He took a sip.
Just then, Naoko walked in. Ohya was a little confused. “What are you here for?”
“He’s with me,” Goro said.
Ohya sighed. “I should have figured.”
“Well,” Naoko said, “from the sounds of it, we’re all after the same thing.”
Ohya groaned. “I guess that’s true.”
Naoko took a seat. “So, should we get started?”
“Aren’t we waiting on one more?” Ohya wondered.
“Are we?” Naoko asked, turning to Goro.
“Well, sort of,” Goro told him. “This was a fairly last minute addition. We don’t need to wait for him. He’s just helping me with something, and meeting me here out of convenience.”
“I see,” Naoko said. He looked at Lala. “I’ll take an Old Fashioned.”
“Certainly,” Lala replied. She got to work.
Just as Lala delivered Naoko’s Old Fashioned, Dan walked in. Ohya looked over, and grew furious. “YOU!” She leapt out of her seat, and tackled him to the floor. She started punching him in the face.
“No fighting in the bar!” Lala said, chastising Ohya. “If you need to, take it outside!”
“Lala, it’s HIM!” Ohya shouted. “He’s the bastard that set up Kayo!”
“For real?” Lala wondered.
“Don’t act like you don’t know!” Ohya screamed. “I saw you! Kayo had a secret camera! Your face is clear as day!”
“Maybe…it wasn’t him…?” Naoko suggested, unsure.
Dan sighed. “No, it probably was me.”
“Eh heh,” Goro chuckled, nervously. “Perhaps, I should explain…” He explained Dan’s circumstances to the group.
“So…he’s helping you get Shido?” Ohya said, bitterly.
Goro nodded. “I do apologize for bringing him. But this was the best way to do it.” Ohya sighed.
“I’m going to be arrested too,” Dan said. His hands started shaking. “I’ve…I’ve done far too much evil for that man…I can’t afford to be free anymore.”
Naoko sighed. “You could have at least told us.”
“Well, today has been a busy day,” Goro said. “But you’re right. I apologize.”
Ohya glared at Dan. “Just so you know, I don’t trust you. I trust The Phantom Thieves. Got that?”
Dan shrugged. “Fair enough.”
“So,” Naoko said, “now that we’re all here, what’s the plan?”
Goro nodded. “Dan, and I, will break Shido out of the hospital he is in. From there, we will need to take him to the TV station. Shido’s men organize a press conference everyday, but then cancel at the last minute. I’ve talked with one of the senior staff, and we can get in.”
“So, what are we doing?” Ohya wondered.
“Well, do you want a front row seat to Shido’s downfall?” Goro offered. “I imagine that’s quite the scoop.”
“I would…” Ohya admitted.
“But also,” Goro said, “I need your help disseminating some information.’
“Right,” Ohya said. “I got a text a little while ago from someone calling themselves Alibaba?”
Goro nodded. “She’s with us.”
“Man, kids today have unusual social circles,” Ohya noted.
“Come to think of it,” Goro said, “I also have some info you could use.” He took out his phone. “Just a second.” He copied the text of his Death Text, and pasted it into the text chain with Ohya. He stared at the part where he said he was dead for a second, before deleting it, and sending the rest of the message.
Ohya got it. “Woah. How’d you get all of this?”
“I was working undercover,” Goro said. “I was gathering information to put Shido behind bars for a while now.”
“So, why not come out with all of this sooner?” Ohya wondered.
“Well…” Goro said. “I got in fairly deep, and it became harder, and harder to do it without a way out. Luckily, The Phantom Thieves provided just that.”
Ohya nodded. “I see. Well, I can take care of all of this. Honestly, there’s a lot more than I thought there was going to be.”
Goro nodded. “We need this information as out there as possible. That way, it will be all but impossible for people to think Shido is innocent.”
“And we can possibly corner more of his cohorts,” Naoko noted.
“Speaking of,” Goro said, “while we’re doing this, do you think you could pull some strings, and start rounding up some of them.”
“Interesting,” Naoko said. “Alright. I’ll see what I can do.”
“How are you going to get a warrant for all of this?” Lala wondered.
“Is Judge Sasaki still kickin’?” Ohya asked. “I doubt he’s on Shido’s payroll.
“He is,” Naoko replied. “I just sent him a card for his 82nd birthday.”
“I cannot believe it,” Ohya muttered.
“Who is this judge?” Goro asked.
“Judge Sasaki is a well-known, long-standing judge,” Naoko said. “He’s a little unorthodox, but he’s usually pretty fair. A lot of other judges don’t like him too much, mainly because he’s easier on defendants than they are, but he manages to see the truth in things.”
“He’s also a bit of an odd duck,” Ohya said. “Out of court, at least.”
“That’s…another reason he’s not well liked,” Naoko admitted. “But he is well-respected. Or at least respected enough to still be a judge.”
“I can confirm he’s not on Shido’s payroll,” Dan said. “In fact, quite the opposite. There have been a few discussions on whether or not I should take him out, or if we should just let nature do it for us. Between other targets, and shifting priorities, we never had the time to do so.”
“Well, sounds like it’s a good thing you didn’t,” Goro said. He clasped his hands together. “So, are we all set on what we’re supposed to do?”
Naoko nodded. “I think so.”
Ohya grumbled. “Yeah, I got it.”
Goro pouted. “I do apologize again.”
Ohya sighed. “Well, I didn’t tell you. I mean, I was hoping to tonight, but, well, things seem to be escalating quickly.”
“Well, better now, than after the election, right?” Lala suggested.
“Right,” Ohya said.
“Still…” Goro said. “I should learn to be more careful, and considerate.”
“Well…we’ve all got our issues, kid,” Ohya lamented. “Besides, at the end of the day, it’s Shido’s fault.”
“If I may,” Dan interjected. “I know you cannot forgive me, but I do want to thank you for your help in all of this.”
Ohya was a bit surprised. “...Right…” She sighed, and sat down. “Lala, I’m gonna need something pretty strong if I’m gonna do this right.”
Lala nodded. “Certainly.” She began preparing a drink.
“I should get going,” Naoko said. “I don’t want to keep Judge Sasaki waiting.” He paid for his drink, and headed out.
“We should go too,” Goro said. “All of this will be for naught if we don’t succeed on our end.”
“Take care!” Ohya said.
“Thanks,” Goro said.
“Farewell,” Dan said. The two of them left.
Ohya sighed. “You alright?” Lala asked, giving her her drink.
“Yeah…” Ohya relented. “Honestly, I’m kind of glad.”
“Really?” Lala wondered.
Ohya took a sip of her drink. “This means Kayo will finally see justice.”
Lala smiled. “I hear that!” Ohya, and Lala, chatted some more, before Ohya went out.
Goro, and Dan, arrived at St. Hermelin Hospital. “So, this is where he is,” Dan remarked.
“Are you ready?” Goro wondered.
Dan nodded. “More than you’ll ever know.”
Goro chuckled. “I think the both of us are excited to put Shido away forever. Let’s go.” The two of them entered the hospital.
The nurse at the desk looked at the two of them. “Can I help you?”
“We’re looking for a patient,” Goro said. “They’re under the name Nanashi no Gonbei in room 227.”
“I’m sorry,” the nurse said, “but visiting hours are long over.”
“Oh, we’re not here for a visit,” Goro said. “The daruma’s right eye is ready to be filled.”
“Oh. OH!” the nurse replied. “Of course. Right this way. The nurse guided the two of them to Shido’s room.
The two of them entered Shido’s room, and turned the light on. They approached him, and gently shook him awake. When he looked up, he looked scared. Goro glared at him. “Hello…father.”
P5R: Rebel Girl (A FeMC Story/P5R Rework)
Chapter 272: Plan of Attack
The Thieves returned to Leblanc, after defeating The Reaper, and getting a date for a confrontation with Eris. Sojiro looked at them as they came in. “How’d it go?”
“It went pretty well…” Ren explained. “...I think.”
“Well, we did defeat The Reaper,” Sumire said. “And if what Lavenza said was true, things should start looking up for us soon.”
“Well, yeah,” Ren agreed, “but we still have to worry about Eris.”
“Still, she’s giving us until New Year’s before she strikes again,” Sumire reminded her.
“I guess that’s true,” Ren replied.
“Hang on,” Sae interjected. “Did you just say ‘The Reaper’?”
“Oh, right…” Ren said.
“Maybe you should have a seat,” Sojiro said. “I’ll get started on some supper.”
Ren nodded. “Alright then.” The thieves took a seat.
“Did you…really defeat the embodiment of death itself?” Sae asked.
“Well, yes,” Ren said, “but it’s not eliminated.”
“It appeared when Shido temporarily killed himself,” Goro explained. “And our contact on the other side explained to us that as long as it was hanging around, our luck would sour. So we had to push back against it enough to satiate it. We did so.”
Goro chuckled. “True, but I like that kind of flourish.”
“Still…” Sae remarked. “To think that you managed to defeat it, even if you didn’t exterminate it…That feels impressive in its own right.”
“It is,” Ann said. “That thing was hard to take down.”
Sae chuckled. “I can imagine.”
Ren nodded. “While we did manage to defeat The Reaper by the skin of our teeth, I’m more concerned with what Eris had to say.”
Sumire rubbed her girlfriend’s shoulder. “I am too. But we should take this a day at a time.”
“I know…” Ren said. “It’s just…” She looked at her girlfriend. “I can’t help but worry.”
“So, um,” Sae interjected, “if you don’t mind me asking, what did Eris say?”
“Well, um, we did mention that she’s going to confront us January 1st,” Ryuji explained. “But that was a choice we made.”
“Did she want to delay it further?” Sae wondered.
Futaba shook her head. “She was willing to settle everything now. But…”
“She wanted to take Sumire with her,” Ren stated.
“Oh!” Sae said, stunned.
“Eris tried taking me once before,” Sumire explained. “But everyone saved me before that could happen.”
“Well, not everyone,” Yusuke interjected. “I mean, some of us weren’t there for it. …But I get that that’s…neither here nor there at the moment.”
“Still,” Haru said, “what could she possibly want with you?”
“Like I said, I have no idea,” Sumire said.
“Um…I hate to bring this up,” Jose said, “but when she tried to abduct you the first time, she showed us how your sister…how she died…”
“That’s true…” Sumire said. “But why would that have anything to do with this?”
“I…I don’t know…” Jose admitted. “But it is something to think about.”
“Maybe…” Sumire said.
“Eh,” Ryuji said, shrugging it off. “Maybe she was just trying to freak us out.”
“I don't know about that,” Lena said. “I mean, as much as I agree that Eris likes to manipulate things, she’s not one to go for pure shock value. Despite being chaos incarnate, there is a method to her madness.”
“Mmmm,” Ryuji pouted.
“Regardless,” Makoto said, “we have until the new year to think about all of this. We have until Sunday’s election to try and find Shido, and get him out of the hospital he’s in.”
“Hm hm hm,” Goro chuckled. “You just leave that to me. Which reminds me.” He turned to Sojiro. “If you don’t mind, I’d like your strongest coffee.”
Sojiro was puzzled. “Are you sure?”
Goro nodded. “I have a lot to do, and not a lot of time to do it.”
Sojiro nodded. “Your call.”
Lena put her hand on Goro’s. “Are you sure about this? I don’t want you to overwork yourself.”
“I know it’s a lot,” Goro explained. “But this needs to get done. Besides, once this case is wrapped up, I’m thinking of holding off on the detective thing for a bit.”
Lena was stunned. “Are you sure?”
Goro nodded. “Taking down Shido was my goal for quite some time. And now that that is going to be settled, I imagine a lot of the mysteries will go with it. Besides, I am graduating soon. I think the world would understand.”
Lena leaned on him, and smiled. “The world doesn’t need to understand. But I do.”
Goro smirked. “Thank you, dear.” They shared a smooch.
“Food’s ready!” Sojiro called out. The Phantom Thieves got their food, and started eating.
As they were eating, Ren glanced over at Morgana for a bit, and then back at Goro. “Say Goro?”
“Hm?” Goro wondered.
“If you’re going to do some investigating,” Ren asked, “do you want to take Morgana with you?”
“Wait, huh?!” Morgana exclaimed.
“I’m with him,” Goro said. “‘Wait, huh?!’”
“I know it’s a bit odd,” Ren replied. “But it’s nice to have a second pair of eyes and ears on the situation. Besides, Morgana is very clever.”
Goro nodded. “Well…he did manage to pull that ruse on my back in Shido’s palace,” Goro said.
“I mean, it’s either that, or bum around with Ren some more,” Morgana surmised. “If I can help things progress quicker, then I’d like to help.”
Goro smiled. “Thanks.”
“Remember,” Futaba interjected, “I’m also available too. But let’s keep it off until tomorrow morning.”
Goro nodded. “Well, I’m not 100% sure how much I’m going to get tonight yet anyway. I can check a few things, maybe see if my contact in Akihabara can point me in a direction, and then go back home for a little cat nap…no offense.”
“None take,” Morgana said.
“If you’re heading over to Akihabara,” Sae said, “Riko knows someone there who’s pretty good with tech. Perhaps they could be of assistance.”
“Your secretary?” Goro said. “Hmm. Well, it’s worth a shot. Do you know where she lives?”
“Currently, with us,” Makoto said.
“Oh,” Goro replied. “Well, I guess I’m coming along.”
Makoto smirked. “Sounds like a plan.” The thieves continued eating dinner.
As they were going to part ways for the night, Ren asked “Oh yeah, do you want a bag for Morgana?” She looked at Morgana. “Or do you feel more comfortable walking by his side?”
“I feel like tailing him might be the better option,” Morgana said. “I mean, since Shido’s cohorts know about him, Goro walking around with a conspicuous bag might play our hand too early.”
Ren nodded. “An excellent point. Think you can keep up?”
“Heh,” Morgana snickered. “Just who do you think you’re talking to?”
“I’ll leave you to it then,” Ren replied.
“You two have quite the rapport,” Goro noted.
“Well, these things come from experience,” Morgana said.
“That, and you were created to help me,” Ren stated.
“Eh,” Morgana shrugged. “A little of column A, a little of column B.”
Goro chuckled. “Well, I’m certain with your help, we can figure this out without a hitch.”
Morgana nodded. “Well then, what are we waiting for?”
Goro nodded. “Let’s get going then.” He looked up. “Makoto?”
Makoto nodded. “Coming.” She rushed over. She then gave a bow to Sojiro. “Thanks again, for doing all of this.”
As they were on their way to Makoto’s, Goro remembered something. “Oh right. I should maybe try to contact that reporter Lena, and Ren, mentioned.” He got out his phone, and Ohya’s card. He gave her a call.
Ohya picked up on the other end. “Hello?”
“Ah, good evening,” Goro responded. “My name is Goro Akechi. I am a-”
“I know who you are, kid,” Ohya dismissed. “What do you want?”
“Ah. I see my reputation precedes me,” Goro stated. “Ahem. I was told by a mutual acquaintance of ours that you might have some information regarding a case I’m working.”
Ohya seemed confused. “Who do I know that you know?”
“Ren Amamiya,” Goro answered.
Ohya sighed. “Fine. But I’m not quite ready.”
“Will you be ready tomorrow?” Goro asked.
“Yeah,” Ohya said. “Meet me in Shinjuku, at a bar called Crossroads.”
“Alright then,” Goro replied. “Looking forward to it.” They hung up. “Well…I suppose that could have gone worse…”
“You do have a certain reputation,” Makoto said.
“I know,” Goro said. “Believe me, dealing with people who like to take jabs at that reputation is nothing new. But it needs to be done.” They continued onward.
Once they got to Makoto’s place, she opened the door, and declared “I’m home!”
Eiko rushed over, and gave her a hug. “Welcome back!” The couple nuzzled each other. “I hope it wasn’t too dangerous.”
Makoto chuckled. “We managed.” Eiko chuckled back. She then noticed Goro, and let go. “Oh right. Don’t worry. He’s not staying long.”
Goro nodded. “I’m actually here for your other housemate.”
“Riko!” Makoto called out.
Riko came over, and was surprised to see Goro. “Oh. Akechi-kun.”
Goro nodded. “Do you think you can help me with something?”
“As I explained before,” Makoto stated, “he’s with us now.”
“Right,” Riko said. “What do you need me for?”
“Well,” Goro began, “I was told you had a contact in Akihabara who knows their way around a computer. I was wondering if you would accompany me to meet them?”
“Oh, uh, sure, I guess,” Riko said. “Like now?”
“Preferably,” Goro said. “We are working against the clock after all.”
Riko nodded. “Alright then.” She turned to Makoto, and Eiko. “I can trust you two by yourselves while I’m gone?”
“Of course,” Makoto said.
Riko smiled. “Alright.” She turned back to Goro. “I’ve got to message her to tell her I’m coming. And also bringing company, but it shouldn’t be too much of an issue.”
Goro smiled. “Thanks for agreeing to do this.”
“Hm,” Riko smirked. “Anything to clear Sae’s name.” The two of them left. Morgana, who was waiting outside, joined them.
“Hm,” Makoto smirked. “So, it’s just the two of us.” She grasped onto Eiko’s hand.
“Yeah,” Eiko replied, blushing. “But usually you’re tired when you do Phantom Thieves things.”
“Actually,” Makoto informed her, “I got a second wind…”
“Oh…” Eiko replied, delighted. They looked at each other for a second, and then rushed off to Eiko’s room.
A little later, Goro, Morgana, and Riko arrived in Akihabara. “So, how good is your friend at tech stuff?”
“She’s brilliant,” Riko explained. “Although, she can be a bit…overwhelming at times. Which is why she usually only does temp work. But her work is truly magnificent.”
“She must be,” Goro said. “If she’s able to get by on only working every now and then.”
“Oh, she actually has a full-time job as well,” Riko informed him. “In fact, we’re coming up on it now.”
They approached the maid cafe. Goro read the sign. “‘Alice’s Apron’... Don’t tell me-”
“Hey Riko!” Airi greeted, rushing over.
“Hi!” Riko greeted back.
Airi looked around. “So, where’s your new friend?”
Riko got slightly embarrassed. “Well…”
“Please tell me you have a different friend,” Goro said.
“Oh!” Airi said, noticing Goro. “I almost didn’t see you there.”
“Wait, you know each other?” Riko asked.
“Well, he asked me to keep it a secret,” Airi said, “but yeah.”
“You’re not good at keeping secrets, are you?” Goro asked.
“I’m AMAZING at keeping secrets,” Airi insisted. “But if Riko’s bringing you here, I think we can afford to let her into the fold.”
“Right,” Goro said. He sighed.
“Sorry. What’s going on?” Riko asked.
Goro sighed again. “She’s my usual contact in Akihabara. She’s not my only contact, but she’s my most consistent. In terms of skill, discretion, and availability, she’s second to none.”
“Aren’t you just the sweetest?” Airi teased. “So, what does our favorite detective need, and how soon can I have that manga on my desk?”
Riko was confused. “...Manga?”
“OK, so,” Goro explained, “one of my first cases was at a manga publishing house. For solving the case, the head of the company decided to reward me with volumes of their manga earlier than the general public. Which was nice, but I don’t often have the time to read them before they’re released, so as payment, I give them to Airi here in exchange for her services.”
“I see,” Riko said.
“I’ll get them to you soon,” Goro said, “but we are going to need your services sooner.”
Airi nodded. “Got it. So, what is the occasion this time?”
Goro looked at Riko. “You seem to know her well enough,” he said. “Do you think we can trust her completely?”
Riko nodded. “I think so.”
Goro nodded back. “Very well.” He turned back to Airi. “So, we need to get you fully onboard with the situation, and it is fairly complicated, so just be prepared, OK?” Airi nodded. “Great. Now, before I begin, how much do you know about what’s going on with The Phantom Thieves?”
“Well, I know the media said that Riko’s boss was heading them,” Airi explained. “And that she killed her boss as part of their play to take over Japan. But I also know that sounds silly. I’ve met her, she’s wonderful. I also know that The Phantom Thieves declared that a politician named Shido was the real mastermind behind the chaos on Tuesday. But since then, Shido’s men have denied everything.”
“OK,” Goro said. “To explain, you are right in that Sae Niijima isn’t the head of The Phantom Thieves, nor did she kill her boss. What happened was he killed himself in an attempt to frame Niijima in service to Shido.”
“Dang,” Airi said. “That’s messed up.”
“Believe me,” Goro said, “the whole truth is bonkers. Anyways, The Phantom Thieves managed to save Niijima from getting arrested, figured out it was Shido who was behind everything, and decided to steal his heart. I was…working with Shido undercover to expose him, and…my investigation into him clashed with The Phantom Thieves. And while I was a bit hesitant to work with them, we eventually came to an accord.
So now, we are combining forces. The thieves stole Shido’s desires already, but his men are hiding him in a hospital unknown to us, and we’d like some help determining where that hospital is, so we can get him out so he can confess his crimes; preferably before the election.”
Airi nodded along. She turned to Riko. “How much of this did you know about?”
“I was in before he was,” Riko told her.
“And you didn’t tell ME?!” Airi said.
“Well…” Riko said. “It’s complicated… There’s so many moving parts, and I wanted to maintain trust with the thieves, because they’re keeping Sae safe, and it’s just a lot to manage. I didn’t want to keep it a secret for so long, but I felt like I had to.”
Airi slightly pouted. “She rubbed Riko’s back. “It’s OK. I get it. I mean, your boss was basically turned into Public Enemy Number One. I get that that might not be easy.”
Riko chuckled. “Thanks.”
“Ahem,” Goro interjected. “I’m sure there’s a lot more to go over-”
“There is…” Riko admitted, blushing slightly.
“...But,” Goro continued, “we don’t have time for that now. We need to start this push to find Shido immediately.”
Airi nodded. “I understand. So, what do you know so far?”
Goro nodded. “He is currently being held under the name ‘Nanashi no Gonbei’. I can give you a few places to start your search. I am going to get to work tracking some leads I have, so just be open to hearing from me throughout the day tomorrow.”
“Gotcha,” Airi replied. “Rest assured, you’ll have my talents at your disposal.”
“Much obliged,” Goro said. “Oh, by the way, you aren’t the only tech savvy person I’m working with.”
“Oh?” Airi replied.
Goro smirked. “I’m also working with Alibaba on this, and she is very curious as to how you know who she is.”
“Oh. Interesting,” Airi remarked.
“Do you mind if I give her your contact information?” Goro asked. “Perhaps you two could hash something out.”
Airi nodded. “Sounds like a plan!”
Goro nodded. “Alright then. I should get going. Like I said, a lot to do, not a lot of time to do it.”
“Roger!” Airi said. “And you,” she said, turning her attention to Riko, “Once this is sorted out, you and I need to have a conversation.”
Riko giggled. “Fair.”
Goro turned to Riko as well. “Thanks for accompanying me on this. Although, I didn’t think we’d run into my usual contact out here.”
“Eh,” Riko shrugged. “Small world.”
“I guess,” Goro said. “Still thanks.”
“You’re welcome,” Riko replied.
“Ta-ta!” Goro called out, leaving with Morgana.
Riko looked at Airi. “So, one of the things that’s happened is that I’ve been put on administrative leave. So, if you want to talk right now, we can.”
“As much as I’d love to,” Airi said, “and believe me, I’d LOVE to, it souls like I should start drilling down on this Shido thing before it’s too late.”
Riko nodded. “Roger that. I’ll see you soon then.”
“Seeya!” Airi said. They split up, each going home for the night.
As Goro, and Morgana, were walking back to Goro’s place, Morgana asked “So, are we just going to your place to turn in for the night?”
“Well,” Goro responded, “I was thinking I could look through the Phansite for possible leads for a little bit. Makoto mentioned that there were a plethora of posts, and due to my closeness to the situation, I can weed out fact from fiction.”
Morgana nodded. “Alright then.”
“Hey!” A voice called out.
Goro turned to face it, while Morgana darted around a corner. It was the cop Goro spoke with after he escaped from Mementos. “Oh,” Goro noted. “How can I help you, officer?”
The cop looked around. “You know our mutual friend, right?”
“Of course,” Goro answered.
“Well, after the incident,” the officer said, “some of our mutual acquaintances are starting to get cold feet.”
“Oh?” Goro said.
“Are you?” the officer said.
Goro shook his head. “Can’t say that I am.”
The officer nodded. “Alright.” He started to sweat a little. “G-Good…”
Goro noted this. “Are…you?”
“What?! No!” the officer replied. “No, of course not.” He seemed nervous.
“Well, in case you are,” Goro said, “I think it might be a good idea to prepare some statements. You might get off lightly, depending.”
The officer was confused. “Why…why are you saying this?”
“Well, you were so helpful to me Tuesday night,” Goro stated. “I wanted to return the favor. Besides, as committed as I am, I’m also smart. If the ship is sinking, it’s better to get off while there’s still a lifeboat.”
“Right…thanks…” the officer said.
“Of course!” Goro replied. The officer walked off.
Morgana returned to Goro. “That was odd.”
Goro nodded. “Indeed. But interesting. I think I ought to message the group.” He got out his phone.
Goro: Sorry to bother you all late into the night, but something interesting just happened.
Goro: One of Shido’s men came up to me, and told me that some of Shido’s underlings are starting to get cold feet.
Goro: This could prove to be useful to us.
Futaba: Seriously?
Yusuke: I wonder why.
Ren: If I had to guess, I think it has something to do with the fact that people have “given” themselves to Shido.
Ren: By stealing his heart, we may have effectively stolen other hearts as well.
Ren: Although, it seems to be on a delay.
Goro: Fascinating.
Goro: Well, hopefully, this will open more opportunities for us.
Goro: We might break Shido out sooner than we think.
Goro: I’m going to keep up my investigation, and I’ll keep you all posted.
Goro: Oh, and Futaba, my contact in Akihabara, the one who knows you are Alibaba, would like to contact you. Is that alright?
Futaba: Really?
Futaba: I guess so.
Goro: I’ll give you her contact information.
Goro: Sorry to keep you up.
Yusuke: I think it’s just us.
Yusuke: But we should get to sleep.
Yusuke: Good night.
Ren: Good night.
Futaba: Good night.
Goro: Good night.
Goro put his phone away, and continued to his apartment.
Once they got there, Goro took out a bowl, and filled it with water. He set it on the ground for Morgana. “Are you hungry as well?”
“I think I’m fine,” Morgana said. “But thanks.” He started drinking the water.
Goro chuckled. “I apologize for the mess. I don’t often get company. So I’m not really prepared for it, let alone someone of your…persuasion.”
“Relax,” Morgana said. “I’ve gotten used to sleeping in an attic. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
“Right,” Goro noted. “Oh, and, uh, one other thing. Since we are going to be cohabitating, at least for tonight, I feel like I should let you in on something.”
“What’s that?” Morgana asked.
Goro paused for a moment. “I am a trans man. And while I have taken steps to aligning myself, I still have some…womanly features. So, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t look at me whilst I’m changing in and out of clothes.”
Morgana nodded. “No problem. But you know, you could have just asked me not to watch you change. I don’t think a lot of people like it when other people watch them get undressed.”
“True,” Goro admitted. “But, well, since we’re all a team now, I think it’s best to be open about this sort of thing.”
“Also true,” Morgana replied. Morgana returned to drinking his water. Goro smirked, and then got on his computer. He logged on to the Phansite, and started looking through the recent posts, digging into the information given.
A little later, Morgana joined him by his computer, hopping up onto the desk, and asked “You find anything?”
“Well, like Makoto said,” Goro answered, “there are a lot of people posting, but a lot of it is not usable.”
“Figures,” Morgana said.
“However,” Goro said, “based on what I know, there is some promising information here.”
“Well that’s good,” Morgana said.
“Indeed,” Goro replied. He yawned. “I think it’s about time I shut my eyes for a bit. Tomorrow’s a big day. I’m just going to save some posts, and follow up before heading out tomorrow.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Morgana said. “Do you want to change before I enter?”
“You can go in there,” Goro said. “I might take a little longer here. Besides, worst case scenario, I trust you to avert your gaze.”
“Fair enough,” Morgana said. He hopped down, and started walking back. “I might come and get you if you’re not in your room in a timely manner.”
Goro chuckled. “I probably could have used someone like you earlier.” Morgana smirked, and then headed to Goro’s room. Goro finished up his business on the Phansite for the time being, and then headed to his room, taking a short rest before setting out to investigate the leads on Shido.
P5R: Rebel Girl (A FeMC Story/P5R Rework)
Chapter 271: 1 Big Target (And Questions And Answers)
As The Phantom Thieves were on their way to head down to Mementos, Morgana popped out, turned to Goro, and asked “Oh yeah. What are we going to call you?”
Goro was confused. “Ummm…Goro?”
Morgana chuckled. “No silly. Like, what’s your codename going to be?”
“Oh right,” Goro replied. “You all use codenames on your missions.”
“Well, what do you want your codename to be?” Lena asked.
Goro thought about it for a second. “...Crow.”
“Crow?” Ryuji wondered.
“His outfit is fairly black,” Ann pointed out.
“True,” Goro said, “but that’s not entirely the reason.”
“Well then, if you’d like to elaborate,” Makoto instructed.
“Crows are fairly intelligent beings,” Goro explained, “but they can also be tricksy. Plus, the Yatagarasu was a crow who served as a messenger, and I really feel like sending a message. Also, there are some allusions to crows, and death, and while I don’t think I pushed that far, I feel I have such a mixed constitution, and I need to embrace both the light, and dark, in me. I know it’s a lot, but I contain magnitudes.”
“Well, I think it works well,” Ren said.
Goro nodded. “And just to go over your codenames once more, Joker, Mona, Panther, Skull, Sunshine, Violet, Fox, Queen, Oracle, Cupid, and Noir.”
“Dang!” Sumire said. “You memorized those really well.”
Goro chuckled. “It’s kind of my job. Anyways, we should head out to Mementos. We don’t want to keep Lavenza waiting any longer than we have to.”
Ren nodded. “Right. Let’s go, Crow.” The team continued onward.
Upon reaching Mementos, Goro had a look around. “You know, I didn’t get that great a look last time. I was also fairly tired as well. But looking at it now, I must say, it is fairly surreal. I mean, I get that a garden underground is a little unorthodox, but something about the atmosphere here is a little…chilling.”
“Not only that,” Lena said, “there’s water flowing down now.”
“Was there not before?” Goro asked.
Lena shook her head. “All the water was being used to keep Shido’s ship afloat.”
“Although it took us a little while to figure that out,” Ann admitted.
“But now that there is water, what does that mean?” Haru wondered.
Jose looked around. “Well, I think whatever plants are down here will grow better. Humanity’s essence grows down here, and it was fairly sweet already, so I’m not sure how the water affects it.”
“The fact that it’s flowing down is a little concerning,” Yusuke noted.
“How’s that?” Ryuji wondered.
“Because, we haven’t been to the bottom of Mementos itself yet,” Yusuke noted. “We keep getting blocked by more and more doors.”
“Well, we should get close now,” Futaba said. “From my scan of the place, we can go deeper now, and I think there’s only one more door after this one to unlock.”
Makoto nodded. “Perhaps when we do, we can get to the bottom of this mystery.”
“I say,” Goro said, “as much as I like theory crafting, I feel like even if I knew as much as you did, I’d be just as stumped. We aren’t playing with conventional rules after all.”
“Well, any insight you can provide would be nice to have,” Sumire noted. “Even if we can’t figure the whole thing out, more information is better than less.”
“True,” Goro said.
“I’m afraid that mystery will have to wait,” Lavenza said, appearing before them. The team turned around to face her. “There is a more pressing issue that needs to be dealt with.”
“Lady Lavenza!” Morgana exclaimed.
Ren nodded. “Crow here,” she gestured towards Goro, “told us what happened. But it sounds like you have some more information.”
Lavenza nodded. She turned to Goro. “...Crow?”
“It’s…it’s my code name,” Goro explained. “Do you have a problem with it?”
Lavenza smiled. “Not at all!” She turned her attention back to The Phantom Thieves as a whole. “Crow told you of seeing a mysterious figure aboard Shido’s ship, correct?” They all nodded. “Based on his description, as well as the feeling I am getting, I can only assume that the figure he saw was The Reaper.”
Makoto went stiff. “Di…Did you say ‘Reaper’?”
“Indeed, I did,” Lavenza said. “I suspect that they showed up because they were assured someone was going to die.”
“No doubt it was Shido temporarily killing himself to try and kill us,” Sumire noted.
“Regardless, as long as their specter is hanging over us,” Lavenza continued, “I’m afraid anything we attempt will be shrouded in chaos, and gloom.”
“So, what can we do to alleviate it?” Yusuke asked.
“You must satiate The Reaper,” Lavenza answered.
“I beg your pardon?” Yusuke exclaimed.
Lavenza shook her head. “It doesn’t mean someone has to die. You just have to fight The Reaper until it is satisfied. Although, given its nature, it tends to take a lot before deciding to leave.”
“Oh!” Ryuji said, having an epiphany. “Maybe that’s what the Fortune Teller was talking about.”
“What do you mean?” Jose asked.
“Well, she said we would find what we were looking for,” Ryuji explained. “Which, at the time was you,” he said, pointing to Goro. “But then afterwards, she said we’d face a great trial, or somethin’.”
“...And you’re saying a Fortune Teller told you this?” Goro asked.
“Yeah,” Ryuji answered.
Ren chuckled. “To be fair, I know this Fortune Teller well, and they are the real deal.”
Goro grumbled. “Well, given all of this,” he said, pointing to the surrounding area, “I supposed that an accurate Fortune Teller isn’t something I should see as far-fetched.”
“So, let me get this straight,” Ann said. “You want us to fight this Reaper thing, and it will take a lot of energy to do so?”
“Basically,” Lavenza said.
“And where are they?” Haru asked.
“Yeah,” Futaba added. “In my scan, I didn’t sense anything down in Mementos.”
“I believe he is up,” Lavenza told them, gesturing towards the stairs. “You guys can explore the area now, now that the wall of water is no longer there.”
“Huh,” Jose said.
“So, we just gotta go up, and find The Reaper,” Ren said.
“And then fight it,” Morgana added.
“So it goes away, so it won’t cast a shadow of doom and gloom over us,” Sumire concluded.
“Yes,” Lavenza said. “You’ve summarized my request to a T.”
Ren let out a sigh. “Well then, we should get a move on. No sense in letting this thing curse us longer than it has to,” Ren said.
Lavenza giggled. “That’s the spirit!” She grew serious. “I wish you luck.”
“Thanks Lavenza,” Ren said. “We’ll be sure to use it.” The Thieves headed up the stairs.
Upon heading up, they noticed that the water was pouring in from all directions. “Well, this is…interesting…” Haru noted.
“Just how much water was up here?” Lena asked.
“I somehow doubt there’s a concrete answer to that,” Yusuke answered.
“But the fact that it’s all going down is still a little odd, don’t you think?” Sumire pondered.
“What I’m a little more concerned about,” Jose interjected, “is that the water wasn’t flowing before.”
“Right,” Haru said. “It only started flowing downward once we stole Shido’s treasure.”
“So, does that mean Shido was keeping all this water up here through his sheer willpower?” Ann said.
“Well, maybe it’s more out of necessity,” Makoto said. “After all, a ship doesn’t float on land.”
“I think it’s a little of both,” Morgana said. “Shido was able to distort his will enough to control the city to a large extent. It’s not surprising that he could manipulate the metaverse to the extent that he did.”
“Well, I’m glad we stopped him,” Futaba said, slightly angry.
“I agree,” Yusuke said. “But I think we should turn our attention to The Reaper. We were already running into trouble with the aftermath of Shido’s defeat. I don’t think we can afford any more setbacks.”
“Fox has a point,” Ren said. “Let's roll out.”
“So, um, are we just going to walk?” Goro wondered.
“Nyeh heh!” Morgana laughed “Why walk, when you can ride in style?” He posed. “Transform!” He transformed into a car.
“Huh,” Goro remarked.
“You don’t seem all too surprised,” Makoto pointed out.
“Well, I mean, he is a cat,” Goro pointed out. “If you want me to be surprised by every aspect of the Metaverse, I’m sorry to say we’re well past that point.”
Makoto shrugged. “Well, nevertheless, we’ve still got a job to do. Let’s head inside.” The Thieves gathered inside the Morgana car, and started driving off.
As they were driving through the ruins of Tokyo, Ann saw something out of the corner of her eye, and did a double-take. “No way…” She turned to her fellow thieves. “Guys look!” Ren stopped the car, and all of them looked outside. “I mean, I don’t know if anyone but Mona, Skull, Joker, or I would recognize this, but isn’t that…Kamoshida’s Castle?”
It was. It was in ruins, but it looked like the castle where the first Phantom Thieves incident took place. “No shit,” Ryuji remarked.
“What do you suppose that means?” Lena asked.
Futaba glanced around, and was shocked. “Look!” She pointed over. Some distance away, there was a pyramid jutting up. Her pyramid. It was broken apart, but she knew it was hers.
“That…looks like it’s down in Yongen,” Ren noted.
“But we can see it from here,” Haru noted.
“It was a big pyramid,” Jose pointed out.
“So, it seems like the palaces of those we defeated end up here,” Yusuke noted.
“Do you want to test that hypothesis?” Goro asked.
“I think we might have to,” Morgana said. “Partly to find The Reaper, but perhaps doing so will unlock more clues for what’s going on.”
“I agree,” Makoto said. “Joker, let’s do a quick tour.”
Ren nodded. “Where to first?”
“Well, Madarame’s old shack is fairly close by,” Yusuke noted.
“My place is also fairly close,” Lena noted.
“Kaneshiro’s should be fairly close by as well,” Makoto said. “But sis’s palace is a bit farther out.”
“Your sister’s palace should be close by my father’s,” Haru noted.
“As well as Shido’s,” Goro added.
“Sounds like an itinerary to me,” Ren said. She started driving around, taking the thieves on a trip through Tokyo to hit up the palaces.
The first they passed by was Tamako’s Palace, which was collapsed in on itself. “Yup,” Lena remarked upon arriving. “This is the mausoleum.”
“Tamako’s palace was a mausoleum?" Goro asked.
Lena nodded. “It was…not a complete palace, as you can tell. But it was still harrowing. She’s lost a lot in her life. Another reason I’m glad you’re still here.”
Goro smirked. “I…maybe I should be more thankful to her. I say I was fairly alone, and to an extent I was, but…she’s been there for a while. But, well, I guess the loss of Ariko did a number on her psyche. Not to mention her husband.”
“She also lost her dog when she was a child,” Makoto pointed out.
“Well, I mean,” Goro said, “dogs don’t live as long as humans.”
“Especially when robbers burst into your home, and do away with them,” Lena noted.
Goro was stunned. “Oh…That…huh…” He sighed. “Man, that’s…”
“You don’t have to say anything,” Lena said. “We understand.”
“Still…” Goro replied.
“Let’s…keep moving…”Ren said.
They soon passed by Madarame’s museum. It was run down as well. “Still covered in police tape,” Ryuji noted.
“Yes, but at least the stains appear to be gone,” Yusuke noted.
“So, hang on,” Ann said. “If these locations are here, does that mean we were exploring palaces under water without realizing it?”
"How would we not realize it?” Ryuji asked.
“Actually,” Morgana interjected, “I have a theory based on what Crow said.”
“Oh?” Goro wondered.
“So, you explained that when you jumped off of Shido’s ship,” Morgana explained, “you failed to land into the theater, and ended up treading water. And it was after that that the dam broke.”
“Correct,” Goro said.
Morgana continued. “My hypothesis is that the ship, Shido’s palace, while connected to this area, was distant from it. And that all of the palaces were similarly removed from this space until we brought them back in by stealing their treasure.”
“So, you’re saying,” Haru said, “that the palaces were in like pocket dimensions of the metaverse?”
“Basically,” Morgana said.
“Dang, Noir,” Futaba said. “How’d you pull that?”
“My father’s palace was a space ship,” Haru said. He had a genuine fascination with sci-fi, and, well, that kind of rubbed off on me.”
“I see,” Futaba said, grinning. “As for Mona’s hypothesis, I actually think that may be correct in some manner of speaking.”
“How so?” Yusuke wondered.
“Well, I can’t speak for all palace rulers,” Futaba said, “but when I had a palace, I felt…very alone. Almost isolated. And I think you guys helping me helped me realize I was not.”
“I think there’s some salience in that,” Jose said. “Remember, the metaverse is based on how people perceive things. For instance, Madarame’s home was a museum, because he saw himself as a great artist worthy of having a museum. Oracle, yours was essentially a crypt, because you felt like…well…”
“I get it,” Sumire said. “Because Oracle felt she was alone, in a sense she was.”
Makoto pondered this. “Sis also mentioned feeling like she was the only one who felt like she could do what she was aiming for.”
“So then,” Lena said, “if that is the case, why was Shido’s palace more interconnected?”
“Well, I guess it goes back to perception,” Ren said. “He did have a vast conspiracy going, which is reliant on maintaining a hold on the city.”
“Also,” Goro added, “his palace was over the city. Which suggests that he’s looking down on everyone, which…that's just who he is.”
“Plus,” Futaba stated, “he also had access to my mom’s notes. He could manipulate the metaverse to his liking with it.”
“Hm,” Lena said. “I’ll never not be glad we stood against him.”
Ren nodded. “And we should continue on, lest the Reaper’s dark forces ruin us completely.” They all nodded, and continued on.
They soon passed by Kaneshiros’ bank. Again, it was shuttered completely. Then, they drove past Okumura’s spaceship, which was similarly broken, and falling apart. They then drove by . Sae’s casino. It was crumbled, and collapsed in on itself.
Soon enough, they found themselves at Shido’s ship, which was completely shipwrecked. “Well, I can’t say I feel bad,” Goro said. “In fact, I almost feel like it should be in worse shape. But, I guess this is better than when he was sitting pretty atop all of this. I do have to learn to compromise my position sometimes.”
“So, we’ve figured out a lot of what’s going on here,” Sumire said, “but we still haven’t seen any sign of The Reaper.” Just then, out of the wreckage of the ship, The Reaper’s head popped out, and with its one white eye, stared down The Phantom Thieves. “It appears I’ve spoken too soon.”
“Everybody out now!” Ren demanded. The thieves exited Morgana, so that he could turn back into a cat. Meanwhile, The Reaper shimmied his way out of the ship, presenting itself in full to The Phantom Phantom Thieves. “Everyone ready?!” Ren asked. Her team nodded, raring to go. The Reaper cocked its head, and raised one of its guns. Ren nodded. “Bring it on.”
The Reaper let out a scream. “SATANAEL!” Ren called out, summoning her persona. “BANEFUL BULLET!” Satanael fired a bullet at The Reaper. The Reaper recoiled upon impact, but quickly fired back with shots of his own.
The other Phantom Thieves charged in. “Oracle?!” Haru called out. “Can you check for weaknesses?”
“Already on it!” Futaba replied. “In the meantime, let’s give you a boost!” She pressed some buttons on her console, and Prometheus radiated energy that rained down on the others, improving their stats.
“Let’s stack the deck even more in our favor!” Goro called out. He summoned Hereward. “Debilitate!” He lowered the stats of The Reaper. “Now, let’s press our advantage!” The Thieves began laying siege to The Reaper. The Reaper fought back, but due to their buffing and de-buffing, the attacks didn’t hit as hard.
However, once the effects started wearing off, The Reaper took this opportunity, and used Concentrate, following up immediately with a powerful Megidolaon that wrecked The Phantom Thieves.
“That REALLY hurt!” Lena called out.
“Hold on!” Makoto called out. She summoned Anat. “Mediarahan!” She healed up the team.
“Thanks,” Lena said. “Still, this Reaper seems to be fairly smart, on top of being powerful.”
“I’d think it have to be,” Jose said. “A lot of people try and cheat it, so it has to make sure those cheaters pay!”
“Regardless,” Ren instructed, “we need to keep fighting. Oracle, any word on its weaknesses yet?”
“Yes,” Futaba answered. “In that it doesn’t have any.”
“Should have figured,” Ren said.
“But at least we know,” Ann pointed out. “So, all we need to do is overwhelm it with raw power!”
“HELL YEAH!” Ryuji called out. He summoned Seitan Taisei. “MEGATON RAID!” Seitan Taisei crashed into The Reaper, dealing a substantial blow. The Thieves continued fighting, while Futaba once again added buffs to the team.
After some more back and forth, Morgana summoned Mercurius. “Miracle Punch!” It connected, causing The Reaper to fall to the ground. “Now’s our chance!” Morgana called out.
The team nodded, and charged in. “ALL OUT ATTACK!” They ganged up on The Reaper, and unleashed their full might.
After getting pummeled for a bit, The Reaper pushed everyone back with a loud cry. It then summoned a Maziodyne, hitting everyone, and taking Morgana down. “Mona!” Ann called out.
The Reaper then unleashed Mabufudyne, causing Ann to keel over as well. “PANTHER!” Ryuji called out. He turned to The Reaper. “You little-”
The Reaper conjured a Magarudyne, knocking Ryuji on his ass. “Skull!” Yusuke called out. He “Bufu-”
Before Yusuke could summon his power, The Reaper unleashed a Maragidyne, knocking him over. “FOX!” Makoto shouted. She prepared to heal everyone, but The Reaper was faster, casting Mapsiodyne, causing Makoto to fall to the ground.
“Queen!” Haru shouted. She readied her gun, but The Reaper shot theirs off first, casting Mafreidyne, blasting everyone, and taking Haru down to the ground.
“NOIR!” Jose called out.
“GAH!” Goro cried out. He started charging in with his blade. Jose saw this, and took out his sniper rifle to provide cover. However, this assault failed, as The Reaper cast Makougaon, stopping Jose, and Goro in their tracks.
“CROW!” Lena exclaimed. She also started charging The Reaper. Sumire charged alongside her, but The Reaper called upon the power of Maeigaon to take them both down before they could do anything.
With only Ren left standing, The Reaper took notice of her, and tilted its head. Despite the fact that Ren was still standing, she had taken an exorbitant amount of damage, as had her downed teammates. With that in mind, The Reaper Concentrated once again, and unleashed a powerful Megidoalaon.
“NOOOOOO!” Futaba Screamed. She pressed some buttons. “FINAL GUARD!” She managed to bring up a shield that defended everyone from this attack that would assuredly have ended the story of The Phantom Thieves.
After the attack failed,the rest of The Phantom Thieves started to get up. This time, Morgana cast Mediarahan, healing everyone. “That…was a close one…”
“Thanks Oracle!” Ann called out.
Futaba sighed. “You’re welcome. But…I’m not sure I can do that again.”
“I’m glad you were able to do it at all,” Ryuji said.
“However,” Futaba noted, “I believe that rampage signifies something.”
“Go on…” Yusuke instructed.
“I think The Reaper is on its last legs,” Futaba said. “It wanted to use that to try and win this battle outright. I think we’re almost there, we just need to keep pushing.”
“Even so,” Makoto said, “I think we need something big to take it down. Our attacks are doing damage, but I think we need a little more oomph!”
Sumire then looked around, and came up with an idea. “That’s it! Joker, come here! Everyone else, cover for us. I have an idea on how to finish this, but I need to explain it to Joker before we can pull it off.” The others nodded, and started unloading onto The Reaper in full force.
Sumire whispered her plan to Ren, who was nodding along. “Ah!” she said, when Sumire finished. “Do you think that’ll work?”
“I have faith in us,” Sumire replied. “Besides, what do we have to lose?”
Ren nodded. “Well then, let’s head out.” The two of them started rushing into the fray. They drove past their teammates, and started closing in on The Reaper.
Sumire leapt up, and Ren launched her grappling hook. She started flying, and picked up Sumire on the way up. Once the two of them were high in the air, Ren grappled onto another building, and began swinging around, unloading her gun into The Reaper as they passed. Using the momentum, she then threw Sumire higher, and above The Reaper. “You got this!”
Sumire drew her rapier at the top of her arc, and then started falling down, charging towards The Reaper. “YAH!” she yelled. The Reaper looked up. In its one white eye, Sumire saw something curious: her sister. Kasumi nodded, and Sumire nodded back, pressing her blade further. The Kasumi she saw also drew a blade. Together, the two sisters began slicing The Reaper. They then shared a moment, and silently acknowledged that while they still had each other, they had to separate once more. They did so by making one last big slice through The Reaper, leaving Sumire alone once again. “Our Grand Finale!” Ren landed next to her, and Sumire took Ren’s hand, and twirled herself around, dipped herself, with Ren catching her. “We nailed it!”
The Reaper collapsed behind them. Ren, and Sumire, got out of their pose to look at their opponent. The others looked on as well. “Did we do it?” Lena asked.
Suddenly, The Reaper got up. “No…” Sumire muttered. However, instead of doing anything aggressive, The Reaper looked at The people who brought it to its knees, and nodded at them. It then disappeared into the darkness.
“Is…it over now?” Ryuji asked.
“I believe so,” Futaba chimed in. “I don’t detect its presence.”
Sumire started feeling ecstatic. She bunched up, and then jumped up, shouting “YES!” The other thieves joined her in her celebration.
They then heard the sounds of someone clapping. They looked around, but couldn’t immediately see anyone. “Bravo,” Eris said. The Phantom Thieves looked over from where the voice came from to see Eris sitting atop a building, clapping. “Truly well done.”
“What are you doing here?” Sumire asked.
Eris pointed at Goro. “Your friend here attacked The Reaper and I while trying to escape the consequences of double-crossing me. After that, I was lost in the shuffle for a bit. Knowing The Reaper could be around any corner, I decided to hide out for a bit.”
“Were you scared?” Morgana taunted.
“Silly kitty,” Eris taunted back. “I don’t get scared. I was concerned that The Reaper would get my quarry before I could have my fun.”
“Well, you didn’t seem intent on fighting it,” Futaba pointed out.
“Yeah,” Lena said. “You let us do the hard work!”
Eris chuckled. “I just want you to have some fun. Besides, The Reaper hanging around does neither of us any good.”
“Well, now that our ‘fun’ is over,” Ren responded, “why don’t you let us have our moment? Or is there another reason you’re speaking to us?”
“As a matter of fact, there is,” Eris said. She jumped down to meet them. “You have defeated the man manipulating the metaverse, meaning that you have proven yourselves to be formidable foes. Of course, you just took down The Reaper as well, and that’s no easy feat.”
“Hang on,” Ryuji said. “You wanna fight now?!”
“Well, not right now,” Eris said. “I have an opportunity for you all. We are going to fight one way or another, but I’ll give you the option of when.”
“So, what are our options?” Ann asked.
“Ah ah ah,” Eris teased. “Not yet. Meet me at the bottom of Mementos. You should be able to get there now. Once there, everything will be explained.” She snapped her fingers, and disappeared.
“Straightforward as ever, I see,” Yusuke noted.
“Well, to be fair,” Makoto interjected, “we do know what we’re supposed to do. At least for now.”
“But should we really do it?” Jose asked. “I mean, this is Eris we’re talking about.”
“I know what you mean,” Haru answered, “but I don’t see many viable alternatives. As much as I hate to admit it, our goals are aligned on this front. We want to fight here, and she wants to fight us. We want to find out what’s at the bottom of Mementos, and she’s giving us an invitation. As much as she is our enemy, she is not obstinate.”
“It’s that non-obstinance that concerns me though,” Lena said. “She’s willing to help us because she knows it’ll bring her one step closer to what she wants, whether we go along with it or not.”
“Still, I think we should take her up on her offer,” Goro said. “I know I’m the newest member, but, well, I know a thing or two about being in deals with people you hate. I think it’s smarter to try and work with them in order to get what you want, without giving up too much in return.”
Ren sighed. “We’ve been doing that for a long time now, and it’s only led to this.”
“Well,” Sumire responded, “we have come out on top a lot. I mean, without our intervention, people like Crow would have become shallow monstrous shadows of themselves.”
“I know that it’s true,” Goro stated, “but can we please keep the throwing that in my face to a minimum?”
Sumire chuckled. “My point is, just like when The Reaper struck everyone down but you, Eris has lost ground, and is trying to make up for it by spooking us. But we aren’t that easily spooked.”
Ren smiled. “You’re right. It’s just,” she sighed, “Eris is a lot.”
“I know,” Sumire said. “But we’re dealing with her one step at a time.”
Ren nodded. “Alright everyone! Let’s head back.” They nodded. Morgana transformed into a car again, and everyone got it. They drove back to the entrance to the underground.
Upon climbing down, Lavenza greeted them. “Welcome back. I sense The Reaper’s presence no more! I take it that means you were victorious?” Ren nodded. “Splendid.”
Ren smirked. “While it’s true that we managed to deal with The Reaper, Eris showed up soon after, and asked us to meet her at the bottom of Mementos.”
“Oh my!” Lavenza reacted. She nodded. “I see… Well, if you’re heading to the bottom of Mementos, then let me give us some assistance.” She read a passage from her book. Soon after, The Phantom Thieves felt themselves healing from the Reaper fight, both physically, and spiritually. “There. Now, should it come to it, you should be prepared to take her on in a fight.”
“Thanks Lavenza,” Ren said.
Lavenza giggled. “See you when you get back.” The thieves nodded, and headed down through Mementos.
The thieves arrived at the platform they had gotten to previously. They slowly approached it. “I am curious on how this works,” Goro stated. “The previous platforms were opened.”
“Yeah,” Morgana said. “Because we opened them.”
“But how?” Goro asked.
Ren smirked. “Like this.” She placed her hand on the door, and it opened.
Goro was surprised. “My! How interesting. So, why was this door not opened before?”
Ren chuckled. “It’s a little complicated,” she explained, “but basically, how it works is that the more well-known we are, the deeper we can go into Mementos.”
“So, you have to be more and more entrenched in the psyche of the populace in order to advance,” Goro summarized. Ren nodded. “Fascinating…”
“Something on your mind, Crow?” Makoto asked.
“Well, why set it up like that?” Goro shot back.
“Because the more people know you, the easier it is to get in here?” Futaba answered, unsure.
“No, right, I get that,” Goro said. “But why lock the doors in the first place?” He looked down at the water flowing down through the door. “It’s not to keep the water out.”
“Maybe to keep us out?” Jose suggested.
“But then why let us in after a while?” Goro posited. “There has to be something else in play.”
“Well, um,” Lena said, “Joker explained that Eris wasn’t the originator of this space.”
“Oh?” Goro replied. “Do tell.”
“Well,” Ren began, “I don’t know all of the pieces, but I’ll give you what I can.” She took a deep breath. “So, Eris took over this scenario from a being called Yaldabaoth. I saw this happen in a dream I had on the way to Tokyo, where she killed Yaldabaoth in one strike. She changed the situation to her liking, getting rid of some things, while keeping other things she liked, such as Mona.”
“Hi,” Morgana said.
“Anyways,” Ren continued, “Yaldabaoth’s original plan had something to do with order, which you can see why Eris intervened, as a being of chaos. While she did change the palaces by giving them crusaders, she also changed Mementos somewhat, as before she intervened, it just looked like a warped version of the underground, but now it’s taken on this garden aesthetic. I know this because of the dream I mentioned earlier. We don’t know why, or how, she changed it to a garden, but a garden it is. I think that catches you up to speed.”
Goro was stunned. “Huh. So, OK, this is a lot to take in.”
“You asked,” Ren teased.
“True,” Goro agreed. “So, this section of things was originated by a being of order named Yaldabaoth, and Eris only edited things.”
“Basically,” Jose said.
“But Eris could probably have done away with this if she really wanted to. So there must be a reason she’s kept it.”
“Right,” Haru said. “But we’re still stumped as to what this reason is.”
“Well, a door that is locked exists to do two things,” Goro said. “To keep people out, and to keep people in.”
The others were stunned. “You…don’t think there are more people down there, do you?” Ann reacted.
“Well, the whole area seems to be lacking people,” Goro said.
“We do find people here sometimes,” Ryuji said.
“Yeah, but…” Morgana said, “we do have to get their attention first. And I think Shido had to figure that out as well, with the Starfall Coffee, among other methods for drawing people out.”
“So, there’s people down there?” Lena wondered.
“Perhaps,” Goro said. “But I’m not sure why.”
“Well, if this is true,” Sumire said, “then I have a guess.”
Goro nodded. “Go on.”
“Well, it’s just,” Sumire explained, “until recently, the surface was flooded. If there are people at the bottom of Mementos, that’s probably where they came from.”
“I see,” Goro said. “That actually makes a lot of sense.”
“But who would benefit from having a bunch of people congregate down here?” Ann asked.
“Um, Eris?” Futaba pointed out. “I mean, if she’s gotten the people here to safety, that means people might have a positive opinion on her, meaning that people would do as she says.”
“Hmmmm,” Goro pondered. “That seems plausible. But still, there’s only one way to find out.”
“But, if we are operating under this assumption,” Yusuke asked, “how are we unlocking the doors?”
“Well, Eris wants to confront us,” Makoto said. “I assume that’s part of it.”
“But part of it might also have to do with our notoriety,” Futaba explained. “Since we’ve become a sticking point in people’s minds, and this is a world built around the impressions people have, I think the people down there are subconsciously letting us in. To do what? I don’t know. But still.”
“In any case,” Sumire said, “I think we’ve pondered enough. We might get an answer if we continue on, and meet Eris at the bottom.”
“Violet’s right,” Ren said. “Let’s get moving. Even if we don’t get a concrete answer, we’ll be one step closer to figuring all of this out.” The thieves nodded, and moved on.
They passed through more floors, and found themselves at another platform. However, this was different. The door to this platform was chained up, and locked with a padlock. The thieves stepped forward to inspect this lock. “What the shit….” Ryuji remarked.
Eris chuckled. “This is the heart of the operation.” She approached the door, as The Phantom Thieves got out of her way. “As you can see, it is locked. And as you could probably guess, I have the key.”
“We’re with you so far,” Yusuke said.
Eris nodded. “Now, I could let you in here, and you can put a stop to everything going on right here, right now. Or die trying.”
“What’s the catch?” Ann sniped.
“Hm,” Eris smirked. “I know we can’t keep putting this off, but I can delay it for a little while longer. But I’m willing to start this process right now. For a fee, that is.”
“Knew it,” Ann said.
“So, what do you want?” Sumire asked.
Eris chuckled. “I want what I came for the first time your little troupe came down here.”
Some of the thieves were a little confused, due to not being there, but Ren immediately knew what she was asking for. “No deal!”
“That quickly, huh,” Eris reacted.
Ren outstretched her arm, protecting Sumire. “You aren’t dragging Sumire down with you!” The other thieves were shocked.
“Uh, Joker?” Haru asked. “What do you mean?”
Sumire was stunned. “Right…the first time you guys came down here…I came down here without any powers. I was…about to be abducted by Eris…but you saved me…” The thieves were shook.
“Yes,” Eris said. “And I’m afraid I let that little charade go on for far too long. So, if you want to end this now, I’m going to need her to keep me company.”
“Like HELL we’re gonna let you do that!” Ryuji said.
“You’ll get back to her,” Eris offered. “...Eventually. Maybe. I mean, if you die in the middle of it all, that’s not my problem. But you want to be rid of me, right? This allows you to attempt that right now.”
“We can afford to hold off a bit,” Makoto said.
“Awww,” Eris pouted. “I’m not asking for a lot. I just want what’s mine.”
“She belongs with us,” Ren stated.
“She BELONGS with ME!” Eris insisted, getting noticeably angry. “Do I have to spell it out for you?! She’s a monster! I’m a monster! If I take her, she’ll be with her own kind!”
“Well, if you’re worried about that,” Goro said, “I’m a monster as well. She’s in good company already.”
“No no no no no,” Eris lamented. “You just don’t get it. She’s on a whole other level.”
“Pardon me,” Sumire said. “What did I do to deserve your ire?”
Eris sighed. “If you’ve forgotten already, you really are a monster” She chuckled. “But, I suppose the answer is still ‘no’.”
“Correct,” Ren stated.
“Hmph,” Eris pouted. “Very well. Like I said, we can’t avoid this conflict forever. So, I’m going to be generous. Since you took down the man manipulating the metaverse down, I will allow you to celebrate your victory. However, come New Year, I will unleash my full force on you.”
“We’ll be waiting,” Ren said
“Don’t be in such a hurry,” Eris said. “You could have ended this now. But now that you’re not giving me what I want, I’m going to turn the truth on you, and see how you like it. Come January 1st, I will show you who Sumire Yoshizawa really is. Let’s see if you’ll stand by her after the truth comes to light.” Eris disappeared.
Sumire let out a sigh, relieved, and almost fainting. Ren caught her. “Thanks.”
“So, what did you do?” Futaba asked. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her like that before.”
Sumire shook her head. “I really don’t know. I feel like if I did know, we’d have a lot more answers to what’s happening.”
“She seems really interested in you for some reason,” Ann noted.
“I’ll say,” Ren agreed. “I think the only person she’s more interested in is me, since she keeps coming to talk to me.”
“Well, regardless,” Jose said, “we have a date.”
“Right,” Morgana said. “New Year’s Day.”
“Well, it seems like we have our work cut out for us,” Goro said.
“Especially you,” Lena said. “You still have to figure out everything going on with Shido in the hospital.”
“Oh right,” Goro replied. “In all the hubbub, I nearly forgot.”
“Well then, let’s drive up quickly,” Morgana said. “The sooner we get out of here, the sooner you can track down Shido!”
“Very well,” Goro said. “Let’s hit the road.” The Phantom Thieves drove up Mementos.
Once they got to the top, Lavenza asked them “How’d it go?”
“It…” Ren began. “It went about as well as you’d expect.” She sighed. “Eris was going to let us in to end this once and for all, but in exchange, she wanted Violet.”
“Oh my!” Lavenza said.
“Of course, we didn’t let her,” Ren finished.
“Well good,” Lavenza said. “I’m glad you’re sticking to your convictions. You’d be an underwhelming guest if you hadn’t.”
Ren chuckled. “Thanks, Lavenza.”
Lavenza nodded. “If you need anything, you know where to find me.”
“Of course,” Ren said. She turned back to her team. “Let’s head out for the day.” They all nodded. They headed back to the real world.
P5R: Rebel Girl (A FeMC Story/P5R Rework)
Chapter 270: Lost and Found
As Goro was putting the cups away, Lena was messaging her fellow Phantom Thieves.
Lena: So, good news: I found Goro!
Lena: Or rather, he found me.
Lena: The point is , he’s here, and he wants to talk with us tomorrow.
Makoto: Really?!
Haru: That is good news!
Jose: What do you mean “he found you”?
Lena: He showed up at my house.
Ann: Well, if he was gonna do that, he should have called or something!
Lena: Don’t worry, I told him as much.
Futaba: So, what are we doing with the information we’ve gotten?
Lena: Goro said he’ll help us find Shido.
Lena: I imagine the pieces of information you’ve gathered would come in handy.
Futaba: Gotcha!
Lena: He also said there’s a matter that requires our attention.
Ryuji: What is it?
Lena: He’s waiting to meet with all of us to explain it.
Ryuji: Aw, man.
Yusuke: I hope whatever it is doesn’t take up too much time.
Yusuke: The election is this Sunday, and we need to make sure Shido confesses by then.
Ren: I’m sure it’ll be fine.
Ren: Besides, with Akechi back, this gives us an edge.
Sumire: I wonder if this situation he mentioned is about Eris.
Ann: Probably, given that the last time we saw him, she was confronting him.
Ren: Well, I guess we’ll just have to wait until tomorrow.
Ryuji: I’m gonna have a hard time concentrating in school tomorrow.
Futaba: How is that different from normal?
Ryuji: Normally, I just have trouble comprehending things.
Futaba: Fair.
Ryuji: But I’m trying!
Makoto: Right, finals are coming up soon.
Makoto: Perhaps once this whole thing is settled, we could organize a study session.
Ann: That’s our class prez!
Sumire: I think that’s a good idea.
Sumire: We’ve been fairly preoccupied that drilling down on a few things might be good.
Ren: I think that’s all well and good, but for now, let’s focus on tomorrow and go from there.
Ren: After school. The usual place.
Lena: Got it!
The following morning, as The Phantom Thieves were in school, Goro walked into Leblanc. Sojiro looked at him. “You’re here a little early.”
“Yes, well, my girlfriend told me to come here straight away,” Goro explained. “And at the moment, I’m…sort of in the doghouse, so I want to stay on her good side as best I can. So here I am.”
Sojiro smirked. “Well, at least you’re trying. I’ll give you that. Do you want anything?”
“I’ll just take a cup of coffee for now,” Goro answered. “Maybe a cup of water as well. My…constitution is not at its best right now.”
Sojiro nodded. He started preparing his drinks. “You seem to be holding up a lot better than Futaba was.”
Goro was confused. “Futaba?”
Sojiro nodded. “She was taken over by Eris as well.”
“Oh yeah,” Goro replied. “I think that came up in the palace.”
“Same goes for…” Sojiro started. “Actually, I’ll go get her. I think she might want to speak with you as well. Would you mind switching the sign to ‘Closed’ for me?” He started heading upstairs.
Goro was a little confused, but decided to go along with it. “OK…?” He got up, and flipped the sign to “Closed”. He then got back in his seat.
Sojiro was coming back downstairs, and behind him was Sae. Sae, and Goro, took notice of each other, and were stunned. “Akechi?”
“Huh?” Goro replied. “I wasn’t expecting that. I take it you’ve been hiding out here since you were set up?”
Sae nodded. “And you were in on it this whole time.” Goro was a little confused. “The Phantom Thieves kept me in the loop.”
“Ah. I see,” Goro replied. He sighed. “To be honest, I wasn’t as in the know as I thought I was. I was focusing on what I wanted to do, which was to make Shido Prime Minister, so that I could blackmail him into doing what I wanted. I was planning on making Japan a better place through him. One where people like him truly got what they deserved, and then some. Although, now that I’m saying this out loud after everything that’s happened, it does sound a little ludicrous."
Sae pouted. “I mean, as much as I want to be mad at you, I was in a similar boat. I was so obsessed with figuring this case out because I figured once I did, I could become the SIU Director, and use that position to dictate what Japan’s future would be. But little did I know, I was being strung along by the man who killed my mother, and father.”
Goro was shocked. “Wait, what?”
“Yeah,” Sae said. “He was a lot more vile than I gave him credit for. Although, I think my father had a good beat on him. Probably why he had him killed.”
“Hm,” Goro responded. “I guess we were both on the road to Hell, paving it with our good intentions.”
Sae smirked. “At least it seems like we were given an off-ramp.”
Goro smirked back. “By the people our misplaced anger was most aimed at, no less.” They shared a chuckle.
“You know,” Sae began, “I was also taken in by Eris.”
“Oh,” Goro replied. “I guess that’s what Sakura-san was talking about earlier.” Sae was a little confused. “He mentioned that Futaba was also corrupted by Eris, and he said that someone else was as well before getting you.”
“Oh,” Sae replied. “I see…”
“I guess we’re lucky that The Phantom Thieves managed to save us when they did. I know I should feel bad about everything, and I do wish to repent, but right now, I’m actually tickled pink. I’m…happy that there are people in my life who don’t want to watch me self-destruct. I felt like I haven’t had since…well, for a while at least.”
“Hm,” Sae smirked. “I get that.” The two continued chatting for a while.
After school, The Phantom Thieves arrived at Leblanc. They saw Goro sitting with Sae. Goro looked over, and said “Ah. Welcome.”
“How are you all?” Sae asked.
“Um, we’re fine,” Ren said. She walked over to Goro. “More importantly, how are you holding up?”
“Well, I’m doing better than I had been,” Goro answered. “Especially since after getting out, I threw up in a garbage can.”
“Yeah,” Ann said. “How DID you get out?”
“And why did it take until now for you to contact us?” Sumire added.
“And what is this urgent matter for us?” Ryuji asked. “I’ve been dying to know since Lena told us last night.”
Goro was stunned. “Well, I guess an explanation is in order. Let’s take a seat, and I’ll explain everything.” The Phantom Thieves filed in, and took a seat.
“Alright,” Ren said, “start talking.”
“Hold up,” Goro said. “You’re not all here.”
“Um, yeah we are,” Ren said.
“Where’s Mona?” Goro wondered.
Morgana popped out of Ren’s bag. “I’m right here, dummy.”
Goro was stunned. “Did…did that cat just talk?” He turned back to Sae and Sojiro. “You…you heard that right?”
“Actually, we didn’t,” Sae said. Goro went pale.
Morgana chuckled. “You can hear me because you’ve been to The Metaverse. People who haven’t only hear me as a cat.”
Goro sighed, relieved. “Oh thank goodness. For a minute there, I thought I was going insane.”
"More so than you were before?” Makoto sniped.
“Harsh,” Goro replied. “But deserved, I suppose.”
“By the way,” Morgana said, “on this side, I’m called Morgana.”
“Hm,” Goro reacted. “Nice to formally meet you, Morgana.”
“So, what’s going on?” Yusuke asked.
“Yeah!” Futaba added. “We wanna know what you’ve been up to!”
Goro smiled. “I guess I should start you from where we left off. After I had gotten you out of the ship, I started running for another exit. The sinking ship made things difficult, and with Eris on my tail, it really cranked things up to 11. Every time I thought I found a way out, Eris managed to catch up to me. When I thought I was truly cornered, there was a strange rattling sound ringing out close by.”
“A rattling?” Haru wondered.
“Couldn’t that have just been the ship?” Jose asked.
Goro shook his head. “Eris was also concerned about the rattling. She, and I, were looking around to see where it was coming from. Then, from one of the corridors, a figure emerged.”
“How vague,” Futaba pointed out.
“What did it look like?” Ryuji asked.
Goro shuddered a little. “It had a black cloak, and was covered in blood.”
“Eep!” Makoto shrieked. “That’s…that’s ominous…”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Goro said. “I was terrified at the sight. Eris, on the other hand, just seemed annoyed.”
“How so?” Lena asked.
“Well,” Goro explained, “when Eris took notice of the being, she grew furious, and shouted…”
“What are YOU doing here?” The figure looked at Eris, and gestured to the general state of things. Eris groaned. “The palace ruler isn’t actually dying, your moron! Now scram, and let me have what’s mine!” The figure got close to Eris, looking at her intently. “Do I have to spell it out for you?!”
“At that moment,” Goro said, telling the story, “I decided to take advantage of Eris’ preoccupation with this terrifying figure.”
In the story, Goro readied himself, took aim, and shouted “MEGIDOLAON!”
“Huh?” Eris said, turning back to Goro. A split second later, Eris, and this mysterious figure, were coated in a sphere of severe Almighty energy. As it was enveloping them, Goro fled.
“With the two of them distracted, I managed to make a clean escape,” Goro said, continuing his story. “The ship was still sinking, and sinking fast, but I managed to make my way to the front deck. As I looked out, I saw the theater crumbling, but I knew it was the way out. So, I charged off the bow of the ship, and leapt. However, the theater fully collapsed in on itself before I could reach it.”
“Wait,” Ann interjected, “how did you get back?”
“I’m getting to that,” Goro explained. “Anyway, without a theater to go to, I landed in the water. I quickly swam up, so as not to drown.”
“GAH!” said in story Goro, catching his breath. He looked around him. All that was there was the ruined city, and the sinking ship behind him. “Well…this is quite a predicament. How long can I tread water for, and where is the exit?” Before he even had time to think, the sound of rushing water erupted, as if a dam had burst. Goro looked over, and sure enough, the water was suddenly flowing out, draining the ruined city around him. “Oh no.” Goro soon felt the water dragging him along to where the water was going.
“It was going so fast,” Goro explained, telling his story to the thieves. “I could not keep track of where I was, because every second it was a different location. I thought I was going to be swallowed up by where this water was going. But at the last second, I felt someone grabbing me.”
An arm reached into the rushing water, grabbing Goro, and yanking him out of the flood. Goro took some time to catch his breath, before looking at his savior. It was Lavenza. “How are you feeling?” Lavenza asked.
Goro coughed a little. “Better, thanks to you.”
“Hm hm,” Lavenza chuckled. “I am glad.”
“Lady Lavenza?!” Morgana interrupted.
Goro nodded. “She had visited me before. She wanted me to make peace with you all.”
“Huh,” Morgana said.
“Well, it seems like you took her advice,” Sumire said.
Goro nodded. “She also gave me the app so I could enter Shido’s Palace.”
“THAT’S where you got it?” Ren reacted.
Goro was confused. “Is that not where you got it?”
“I got it after meeting Eris for the first time,” Ren said. “It was in a dream, as I was first on my way here. And I think everyone else got it one way or another when they came into contact with me.”
“Huh,” Goro replied. “How interesting.”
“So, what happened next?” Haru wondered.
Goro nodded. “Well, as you could guess, I was a bit confused.”
“What is this place?” Goro asked Lavenza.
“This place is called Mementos,” Lavenza explained.
“Huh,” Goro reacted. “I remember the thieves mentioning it before. It’s something else to see it with your own eyes.” He turned to the tunnel to see the water flowing down there. “How deep does it go?”
“Very,” Lavenza asked.
“That’s…something…” Goro responded.
“However,” Lavenza said, “I sense a dangerous presence higher up. Did you see anything strange on your way here?”
“Well, I think that question is relative,” Goro answered. “But I believe I did. I saw a figure cloaked in black, covered in blood, wearing a burlap sack on its face.”
Lavenza grew alarmed. “Oh no.” She grew determined. “So long as that creature is in our midst, our mission will be impaired.”
“So, what do we do?” Goro asked.
“You need to get the others over here as soon as you are able,” Lavenza told him. “The water is starting to equalize, and should be fully done so by the time you are able to bring them back.”
Goro was concerned. “What do you mean by that?”
“You awakened to your Persona,” Lavenza explained. “You also rejected Eris’ gift. To be blunt, when you get out of here, you are going to experience pain.”
Goro was stunned. “Well…yay for me, I guess…”
“Pain is necessary for growth,” Lavenza told him.
“Hm,” Goro replied. “I am starting to feel a little lightheaded. I guess I’ve been running on adrenaline for a bit.”
Lavenza nodded. “You should head out, and assemble The Phantom Thieves. But do take care of yourself.”
“Right,” Goro replied. “Um, how do I leave?”
“The same way you came in,” Lavenza said. “The app.”
“I see,” Goro said. He got out his phone, and started navigating his way out of here. “Thanks again, Lavenza!”
“Hm hm. You are welcome!” Lavenza replied. Goro waved, and then followed the app out of Mementos, and back in the real world.
“Like I mentioned,” Goro said, telling the story, “upon arrival, felt the urge to throw up. I found a nearby trashcan, and vomited harder than I had ever.”
“I want to say ‘gross’,” Futaba noted, “but after getting out of my palace after getting corrupted by Eris, I was in a similar state. Probably worse. So I have no room to criticize.”
“...Anyway,” Goro continued, “when I was finished, I checked the time to see it was like 1:30 in the morning. I felt exhausted, but if I wanted to get that message to you, I needed to make sure of something first.”
“What’s that?” Jose wondered.
Goro scowled. “Some of Shido’s men tried to ‘take care’ of me the night Lavenza visited. Lucky for me, she was just as determined to see me as they were.”
“That is lucky,” Jose noted.
“Anyways, I decided to try and investigate what the word was from on high,” Goro explained. “I imagine things in Shido’s world were in disarray, but even so, I wanted to make sure that I was safe. I wandered around, trying to find one of Shido’s contacts. It was brutal, especially because I was exhausted beyond belief, but I needed to make sure I was safe. Sooner or later, I found someone. A police officer who was really close with Shido.”
“Excuse me?” Goro said, in the story. “You’re aware of our mutual friend, right?”
The officer nodded. “Of course.”
Goro chuckled. “Well, I was rushing around, trying to track down those Phantom Thieves on my end, when all of a sudden, my phone ran out of battery. Of all nights to happen on too, huh.”
“Rotten luck,” the officer said.
Goro nodded. “Anyways, I was wondering what the deal is. Should I continue my search, or…?”
The officer shook his head. “All current operations have been put on hold. Something happened with our mutual friend, and all available personnel are needed to try and figure out what to do to make sure everything is secure.”
“Hm,” Goro nodded. “Well, as much as I’d love to help, I don’t think my talents are suited to this operation.”
The officer nodded. “You may be needed once we figure out what to do.”
Goro stretched, and yawned. “Well, I guess I’m going to go home, and rest up. I gotta be ready for what comes next.”
The officer nodded. “Take care.”
“You too,” Goro said, leaving. Under his breath, he added “you’re going to need it.”
“Wait,” Yusuke said. “If Shido had sent men after you, why didn’t this person know?”
“A fair question,” Goro said. “Whoever Shido decides to go after is on a need-to-know basis. I was kept out of the loop on a lot of those dealing. But I had an awareness of who knew what, and I knew he didn’t know.”
“I see,” Yusuke said.
“After that, I got some food from a convenience store, and then headed home,” Goro continued. “Just as I was heading home, the alert on my phone went off to send out my death text, and I made sure it didn’t go out out of habit.”
“I knew it!” Lena cheered. “I figured that we would have gotten something if you had died! Although…I figured that out well into Wednesday.”
“Better late than never,” Goro said.
“Hang on,” Ryuji said. “Did you tell the officer your phone was dead?”
“He was lying, Ryuji,” Morgana explained.
“Oh…” Ryuji responded.
“Anyway,” Goro continued, “I entered my home, ate what I had bought, and then headed to my room. I was so exhausted, between everything that happened in the palace, getting dragged down into Mementos, and seeing if I was not being hunted. By the time I was laying in bed, it was like 5 in the morning. I near-instantaneously passed out. And when I awoke, it was 5 in the evening.”
“You slept for 12 HOURS?!” Ryuji exclaimed.
“Like I said, I was drained,” Goro reiterated. “From there, I got up, ate, and then decided to go to Lena’s place. Partly to tell her about the matter Lavenza was concerned about, but…she and I also needed to have a conversation. And, well, here we are.”
“So, I think that explains things,” Morgana said.
“Why didn’t you think to contact us sooner?” Ann said.
“Well, I imagine part of it was sleeping for 12 hours,” Ryuji said.
“But before that,” Sumire said. “When he was out in the city.”
“I had to be on high alert,” Goro explained. “If I was still being hunted by Shido’s men, I didn’t want them to have an edge.”
“I guess that’s fair,” Sumire said.
“I do apologize for worrying you all,” Goro said. “I suppose that’s just another thing I need to atone for.” He sighed. “I apologize for, well, for everything. For going along with Shido’s plan, just to satiate my own desires. For treating you as enemies. For not asking for help. I hope that one day, you can fully forgive me. But for now, I suppose I should learn how to work with others, and perhaps you could teach me.”
Ren smirked. “Well, the first thing you should know about teamwork is that in order for a team to function, you need to trust each other. So, while I can’t speak for everyone here, I’ll forgive you.”
Goro was surprised. “Really? Just like that?”
“Just like that,” Ren answered.
Goro smirked. “Isn’t that a little foolish?”
“I’d rather be foolish together, than smart alone,” Ren said.
“Well, it seems to have done wonders for you,” Goro said.
Ren nodded. “That’s kind of why I’m willing to forgive you so quickly. I know what it’s like to be alone, and trapped in a situation that isn’t your fault. And as much as I wanted to escape, I couldn’t without others. And I know you can’t without others either. So either I could let you try and learn that on your own, or I could lead the way.”
Goro chuckled. “You really are something special. I can see why you’re the leader of this band of merry thieves.”
“Well, if Ren’s willing to forgive you, I should too,” Ann said.
“Yeah,” Ryuji said. “Even though on the outside, you’re a glamorous pretty boy, on the inside you’re just like us.”
Makoto chuckled. “I think a lot of us have felt similar at one time or another.”
“What’s important is that we live and learn,” Yusuke explained.
“I’ve learned so much from hanging around them,” Jose said. “And one thing I’ve learned is that we never stop learning. So, if you’re willing to learn with us, we’re glad to have you onboard.”
“We’ve all made mistakes,” Futaba said. “But you seemed to have realized it, which is better than certain people I could name.”
Haru nodded. “I couldn’t save my father before he crossed that line. But I’m glad you’re not quite there yet. I’m glad that we could save you.”
“We all feel lost at times,” Sumire said. “And sometimes you need to be lost in order to find yourself. I’m glad what you found is someone willing to change.”
“You’re an odd man, Goro Akechi,” Morgana noted. “But we’re a whole team of oddballs, so you’ll fit right in.”
“You already know where I stand,” Lena assured him.
Ren smiled. “Welcome to the team!”
Goro smiled back. “Thank you.”
After some silent affirmation, Jose asked “So, what now?”
“Didn’t you hear Akechi?” Ryuji said. “Lavenza wants us down in Mementos!”
“Um, pardon me,” Goro said. “But…you all call each other by your given names, right? If I’m joining the team, do you think…?”
Ren smirked. “Sure thing, Goro.”
“Thanks,” Goro nodded. “Anyway, before heading down, Lena told me that Shido’s men were shifting the blame on you, and that Shido was in a hospital unknown to you all.”
“Oh yeah,” Ann said.
“Do you know where that might be?” Sumire asked.
“Well, maybe,” Goro said. “There’s a few places it could be from my understanding.”
“Well, that’s better than any random hospital in Tokyo,” Jose noted.
“I could maybe try and investigate these places,” Goro said. “But if someone on Shido’s team sees that I’m snooping around, even with the orders to back down on all auxiliary projects, I think that might trip some alarm bells.”
“Well, we spent a lot of time trying to gather information yesterday,” Sumire said. “What have we got?”
“Well,” Ren began, “I’m working a few angles. Notably, trying to see if The Phoenix has any information from Iwai, and seeing what Dr. Takemi knows. I haven’t heard anything from them yet, but I trust them.”
“I was out on the streets,” Morgana said. “I managed to identify some of Shido’s men, and I heard something interesting.”
“What is it?” Ren asked.
“Wherever they’re holding him, they’re holding him secretly,” Morgana explained. “They administered him under the name ‘Nanashi no Gonbei’.”
“Did you find out where he was being held?” Ann asked.
“I…unfortunatly didn’t catch that part,” Morgana said. “They weren’t saying that. Which, to be fair, is pretty smart of them.”
“Still, that is a welcome bit of information,” Goro said. “Walking in, and asking to see Shido would almost certainly trip some alarms. What else?”
“Well, I got bubkiss,” Ryuji admitted. “I searched up and down for stuff, but nothing.”
“I…I was too preoccupied trying to find you,” Lena said. “I…didn’t find any information… Oh, but I bet that reporter I ran into might know something.”
“You ran into a reporter?” Goro asked.
Lena nodded. “She was at the Diet building before we slipped into Shido’s palace.”
“Oh, her,” Ren said. “I have her card, if you want to contact her.”
Goro nodded. “Very well.”
“I couldn’t find a lot either,” Jose admitted. “But I am getting some help from Hifumi.”
“The shogi player?” Goro wondered.
“Yup!” Jose said. “She says her mom knows a lot of media people, and maybe can figure something out on that end.”
Sumire chuckled. “Well, you know my father works for the TV studio. I assume you can see what he knows as well.”
“I’ll be sure to check in with him,” Goro noted.
“I’ve also gotten help from one of the SIU director’s granddaughters,” Sumire added. “She’ll try and see if she can dig anything up on her end.”
“You don’t say…” Goro noted.
“Speaking of connections,” Haru said, “Okumura Foods is currently looking into its dealings with Shido. While I don’t know how deep everything goes, I should have a report on some of the initial findings tomorrow.”
“Well, that’s a good start,” Goro said.
Haru giggled. “I also met a wonderful politician. He said he’s going to see if he knows people who know people.”
“Not a bad get,” Ann said. “In the same vein, I asked Dr. Maruki what he knows.”
“Who is this Dr. Maruki?” Goro wondered.
“He’s our school’s councilor,” Ann explained. “He also worked on the cognitive psience project with Futaba’s mother, and also was on course to try to shape reality to his liking before Eris stopped him.”
“OK, that’s a lot to take in all at once,” Goro. “Is…he reliable?”
“I think so,” Ann said.
“We just got done explaining to you the values of forgiveness,” Sumire said. “You aren’t the first person we had to extend that too.”
“Right…” Goro said.
“I’ve been looking through the Phansite,” Makoto explained. “There’s a lot of people who want to help, but very few people are.”
“I should probably pursue the Phansite myself,” Goro said. “Since I am close with Shido, I can cross-examine what the people know with what I know.”
“Oh yeah,” Yusuke said. “You also have some contacts in Akihabara, do you not? Perhaps they can help.”
“Yeah…” Futaba said. “And one of them knows my Alibaba name…”
Goro chuckled. “I guess I could talk to them. But our relationship is transactional. I just…need to figure out what to get them.”
“If you need finances,” Haru said, “I’d be willing to chip in some.”
“Thanks, but…I’ll be fine,” Goro said.
“So, I think that’s everything,” Morgana said. “What are our next steps?”
“Well, I could start pursuing some of these angles more in-depth,” Goro said. “As Japan’s Second Detective Prince, I am allowed out of school to investigate things. But seeing as some of your leads haven’t fed back information just yet, I think we should head back to Mementos to deal with the matter Lavenza is concerned about.”
Futaba nodded. “I could also help you out, since I don’t go to school either.”
“That would be much appreciated,” Goro said.
“Oh yeah,” Makoto said. “Didn’t you also look into some of Shido’s cronies? If we’re heading to Mementos anyway…”
Futaba shook her head. “I actually tried to get a hit on them in Mementos last night. It just said ‘Location subsumed by another palace’, like with the director.”
“Huh,” Makoto noted.
“Oh yeah,” Haru said. “When I confronted that TV executive, he said that I should ‘give myself over to him fully’. I think he’s referring to handing over our treasures. Which is why we got those treasures from the VIPs.”
“As well as from Principal Kobayakowa,” Ann added, “when he came down to Mementos in that scuba suit.”
“Well, technically,” Futaba said, “that was an old-timey diving suit. A scuba suit wouldn’t have that connector to the ship, since, you know, scuba means ‘Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus’.”
“Oh!” Ann said. “Go figure.”
“Well, regardless,” Yusuke noted, “it seems like we can’t go after Shido’s men through Mementos.”
“But we should head over,” Jose interjected. “I think we need to take care of whatever this thing is that has Lavenza worried.”
Ren nodded, and then turned to Goro. “Are you ready for your first mission as a Phantom Thief?”
“Ready as I can be,” Goro replied.
Ren smirked. “Well then, let’s head out. To Mementos!”
“Are you coming back here afterwards?” Sojiro asked.
“You know it!” Ren replied.
“Just wanted to be sure,” Sojiro said.
“Take care everyone,” Sae said. “Oh, and Ake-...Goro. If you want some assistance, I’m sure Riko, and I could be of some assistance as well.”
Goro nodded. “It’ll be nice working with you once again.”
“Come on, Goro!” Lena said. “The sooner we leave, the sooner we get back. The sooner we get back, the sooner we can find Shido!”
Goro chuckled. “Coming!” He smiled, and headed out the door with the other Phantom Thieves.
P5R: Rebel Girl (A FeMC Story/P5R Rework)
Chapter 269: Some Kind of Disaster
Lena was overwhelmed with emotion. Sitting in front of her was her boyfriend. The last time she saw him, he had launched her and her compatriots away from certain doom, putting himself at enormous risk to do so. She had been worried since, even more so since previously, the two had been fighting. Tears started rolling down her eyes. “Goro…” She approached him. She got a little angry. “What is WRONG with you?!”
Goro was surprised. “That…wasn’t 100% the reaction I was expecting…”
Lena glared at him. “I’ve been looking for you since I got out of school!” she snapped. “I was worried sick! And you just show up here at my house?! No phone call?! Not even a text?! Like-” she sighed. She pulled him in for a hug. “I’m glad you’re alright.” She let go. “But if something like this happens again, I want you to contact me as soon as possible! Don’t…don’t surprise me like this if I think there’s a chance you may be dead!”
“Oh!” Tamako said, coming upon this messy scene. Lena, and Goro, looked at her. “I…was gonna offer you two some tea, but…it seems like you two have some issues to work out.”
Goro nervously chuckled. “My apologies. I should have been a little more…understanding of Lena’s feelings. But you are correct, we do have a lot to work out, and it might be better if we had some privacy. So, um, I think we should head up to Lena’s room. But I wouldn’t be opposed to tea if you are making some.”
Lena sighed. “I’d like some too. After the past day or so, I could use something to calm me down.”
Tamako chuckled. “Well, I’ll put the kettle on. You two start sorting things out.” She headed off into the kitchen. Goro, and Lean, looked at each other, nodded, and headed up to Lena’s room. Lena took a seat on her bed, while Goro turned the chair of her desk around, and sat on that.
There was a period of awkward silence for a little bit. Lena then asked “So…how’d you escape?”
“Hm,” Goro grunted. “I guess that’s a fair enough question, but…I think that’s better answered with the other.” Lena was a little confused. “I…there’s an issue that requires The Phantom Thieves’ attention. Besides, I imagine they want to hear what I have to say.”
“Hm,” Lena grunted. “Well, there is an issue we need your assistance with.”
“Do tell,” Goro inquired.
“Well, Shido’s men hid Shido away in a hospital somewhere,” Lena said. “They’re keeping him hidden so he won’t confess, and they’re also accusing us of damaging his psyche. We’ve been trying to find out where he is so we can figure out what to do next, but,” she sighed, “it’d be easier with you involved.”
Goro smirked. “Well, that’s certainly something I can help with.”
Lena smiled, and then grew a little concerned. “So, if you’re not up for telling me how you escaped, why are you here?”
There was a knock at the door. “Kids! Tea’s ready!” Tamako called out.
Lena got up, and opened the door. Goro got up and made his way to the door as well. They grabbed their cups. “Thanks,” Lena said.
“Much appreciated,” Goro said.
Tamako nodded. “Take care, you two.” She left. Lena closed the door, and the two of them returned to their seats.
Lena took a sip of her tea. “Ah! That really hits the spot.”
Goro took a sip as well. He chuckled. “She knows her tea.” He looked back at Lena. “To answer your question, I came here because I wanted to talk about us.”
Lena was surprised. “Oh!”
Goro smiled sheepishly. “This past month has presented us with a lot of trials and tribulations, and I think it’s high time we clear the air. Well, I say ‘we’, but…”
Lena sort of pouted. “I mean, I was hiding something from you too…”
“Right,” Goro said, “but that was only because I was being inflexible. Since beginning my revenge plot, I was putting that above all else. And a relationship can’t function if I’m putting my own needs over the one I supposedly love. If I was really the Detective Prince the media made me out to be, I’d be a little more open to the plight of The Phantom Thieves. But as it was, I saw them as a threat to my revenge.
And finding out that you were among their ranks, well, that petrified me. Part of it was the whole ‘threat’ thing, but I also should have been able to figure that out. But I didn’t. Or rather, I ignored any clues to doing so because I didn’t want to fathom you and I fighting. Which, look how that turned out.
What I’m saying is, you were my blindspot. And initially, when I found out, I thought that was a weakness of mine. I mean, an ace detective not being able to tell that his girlfriend was a Phantom Thief? Or not wanting to? That would be ruinous. And when Eris took over, those feelings were exasperated.
But after seeing you all in Shido’s palace, and learning even darker truths about Shido than even I, someone who positioned himself as a close confidant of Shido, could even fathom, I needed to think. And this is another thing I owe you an apology for. I was at the Jazz Jin when you came in on Sunday.”
Lena was surprised. “You were?”
Goro nodded. “I…still wasn’t ready to talk. But I listened. And you made an excellent point. For a long time, I felt alone, even when I wasn’t. And that loneliness was a void. And I was on my way to fill that void with revenge.”
He smirked. “But then you came along. And we grew closer. And that void started to fill on its own. But I had trouble accepting that, and continued plotting. I was taking you into account, but,” he sighed, “you were more of a goal, rather than a collaborator. I know. I know. That’s…not an ideal way to view your girlfriend, but I’ve done a lot of bad things in hopes of getting something good out of it. And right now I’m trying to explain myself to try and make up for it.
When Eris offered me power, I took it because I saw it as a way to try and maintain my revenge. But as you were all exploring the palace, it became more and more apparent to me that…I was being selfish. Worse yet, I was starting to look at my father’s attitude towards life, and realizing I was slowly becoming him. Sure, I was mad whenever that was brought up, but I was mad at myself, and taking it out on you. And even though all of that, you still surprised me. You saw me at my worst, and were still determined to fight for me.”
He started to lightly cry. “I was willing to let myself fall, but you were determined not to let go. And in not letting go, I started to want to climb out of that hole I dug myself into. After everything I put you through, everything I put you all through, Hell, everything I was willing to put the country though, I don’t deserve that kind of kindness. But the fact that you’re willing to show me that kindness makes me want to reciprocate.
What I’m trying to say is that I’m sorry. I was selfish, arrogant, foolhardy, and willing to take the country down a dark road just to satiate a revenge that was not mine alone to take. I clearly have a lot to make up for, and I intend to do just that.
But if I could make another selfish request, I would like to continue going out with you. You bring out the best in me, and I truly adore you for that. For a long time, I thought the world was a cold, unforgiving place. But you’ve opened my eyes, and shown me the light. I’m seeing a whole new world because of you, and I want to be in it with you. That is, if you let me.” He finished his tea, and placed it on the desk behind him.
Lena was stunned. She finished her tea, got up, walked over to her desk, and placed her cup on it. She then went back, and faced Goro. She grasped his head. She gave him a kiss on the forehead. “...You idiot!” She also started crying. “Of course I still want to go out with you! I wouldn’t have fought so hard if I didn’t! I don’t know where I’d be without you!
Being apart like that sucked! I wanted us to get back together as soon as possible, but I knew we couldn’t without sorting this out. I wanted to be strong! I needed to be strong! And without you, I needed to find a new source for my strength. But I realized…that finding my way back to you was my strength. For once in my life, I wanted something more than life itself. And I almost lost it twice. I have no intention of letting it go.”
Goro was struck by his girlfriend’s determination. He stood up, and embraced her. “Again. I’m really sorry for putting you through all of this. But now that I have seen what could be if I continued through life so alone, I’m glad I have you.” They looked each other in the eyes, and shared a deep, passionate kiss.
Once the kiss was over, the two of them smiled. Goro then nervously said “Well, I guess I should get going. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow, what with The Phantom Thieves business, and all. Goodnight.”
He started walking away, but Lena grabbed his arm, and yanked him. “Nope! You’re staying here tonight! You scared me half to death with your little stunt, and didn’t call or anything to tell me you were alright! So, as your girlfriend, I’m going to keep you safe for tonight!”
Goro looked sheepishly. “There’s…no getting out of this, is there?”
“Nope!” Lena exclaimed.
“Hm,” Goro smirked. “Well, I suppose there are worse punishments.”
“Hm hm,” Lena chuckled. “I hope you like being little spoon.”
“I take it that’s nonnegotiable as well?” Goro asked.
“Correct,” Lena informed him.
Goro chuckled. “Well then, for you, I’ll gladly be the little spoon.”
Lena giggled. “I should let the others know you’re OK. And tell them you want to meet.”
Goro nodded. “While you’re doing that, I’ll take these cups downstairs.”
“OK,” Lena said. Goro picked up the cups, and started heading out. “By the way,” Lena said, “if you use this as a chance to bolt, I will never forgive you.”
Goro laughed nervously. “Well, considering everything I just said, that’s the last thing I want, so I’ll be back in a jiff.” He left to put the cups in the sink, and came back as quickly as possible.
A little later, the two had changed into some pajamas. Lena was wearing a pink two piece pajama shirt, and pants. Meanwhile, Goro was wearing a plaid pajama shirt, and pants set. “Sorry,” Lena said. “I know you don’t want to wear women’s clothing, but there wasn’t much we could do on such short notice.”
Goro smiled. “It’s fine.”
Lena hopped into her bed. Once she was settled in, she rolled back the blankets, and patted the area, inviting Goro to take his place next to her. Goro smiled, and did so. Lena wrapped the blankets around him, and then wrapped her arms around him as well. “Mmmmmmmmm,” she said, pressing herself against him.
Goro chuckled. “True.” The two of them laid together, with Lena grasping onto Goro tightly. Goro smiled. For as long as he can remember, he always had to navigate the world alone. Now, with the woman he loved holding him to her, he knew he never had to again. The two silently, yet blissfully, drifted off to sleep.
P5R: Rebel Girl (A FeMC Story/P5R Rework)
Chapter 268: Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire
In Shido’s office, he began coming to. “Ugh…Uh…hmmm,” he groaned, as he began taking in his surroundings.
“Sir?” the doctor asked. “Are you OK?”
Shido looked at him. “Am I…? I…” He began crying. “What have I done?!”
Another person in the room panicked. “Does…does that mean The Phantom Thieves got to him?”
“What are we going to do?” another person asked. “If Shido confesses…”
The doctor thought about it. “Let’s take him to a hospital. We’ll say The Phantom Thieves threw his psyche into disarray. That’ll give us time to figure things out.”
“Good thinking,” the first person said. They started to make the preparations.
Meanwhile, The Phantom Thieves entered Leblanc, still worried about Akechi. Sumire looked up. “Coach?” The others looked up to see Coach Hiraguchi.
Hiraguchi raised her coffee cup. “Hey kids.”
“What are you doing here?” Sumire said.
“Well, I saw your message,” Hiraguchi replied, referring to the calling card, “and I decided I’d come here, and celebrate with Sojiro here. Imagine my surprise when I saw Miss Niijima.”
Sumire smiled, nervously. “I see.”
“Well, how’d it go?” Sae said.
“Well,” Makoto said, “it was touch-and-go for a while, but we managed to get the treasure, and escape.”
“Sounds like it went swimmingly,” Sae replied.
“Not…exactly…” Futaba answered.
“Oh?” Sae wondered.
“Well, you see…” Ren began. She then proceeded to fill them in on the details of the night’s events.
“I see,” Sae said, after Ren finished up explaining things
“Yeah…” Ann said.
Sojiro let out a sigh. “Well, at least you stole Shido’s treasure. Besides, that Akechi is quite smart. I’m…sure he figured out a way out.”
“I hope you’re right,” Lena said.
“I hope so too,” Sojiro said. “Anyways, do you kids want something to eat?”
“Is that a rhetorical question?” Futaba replied.
Sojiro smirked. “Yeah. Have a seat, and I’ll make some food for you.” The thieves took a seat, taking a moment to relax as best they could. Lena was worried immensely.
“Hey,” Ruji said. Lena looked up at him. “I know this is hard on you. But I think you can get through it. We’re here for you.”
Lena still pouted. “I dunno…” Lena said.
“Well, I know,” Ryuji said. “You’re handling this better than I did.”
Lena was confused. “What do you mean?”
“Well, I,” Ryuji went on, “when Kamoshida was…you know, being Kamoshida, he managed to separate me and Ann. And during that time, I resented Ann because I thought she was siding with Kamoshida over me.” He sighed. “I…I know it’s not the same, but I think you’re gonna get through this. Better than you think.”
Lena smiled a little bit. “Thanks, Ryuji.”
“So,” Yusuke asked, “what is Shido’s treasure on this side?”
“Oh yeah,” Futaba said. “Let’s see it!”
Ren took it out. “...It’s a pin.”
"I believe it’s a pin to indicate you’re a member of the Diet,” Makoto pointed out.
“He is the type of person to view power above all else,” Haru pointed out. “Not to mention that…well…what we saw when the Will Seeds fused led him to becoming a member of the Diet in the first place.”
“So, what do we do with it?” Jose wondered.
Ren took a closer look at it. “If it’s alright with you, I’d like to keep it. As a memento, you know?”
“Really?” Morgana wondered.
Ren nodded. “I mean, it represents a lot of things. We dealt with the person abusing the metaverse, we saved the country from certain doom, and in a way, I dealt with some personal demons.”
Morgana smiled. “I see…”
Ryuji leaned back. “I mean, I don’t think we can sell this thing,” he said. “So it’s either that, or destroy it. And if you wanna keep it, by all means.”
“So, um, what are we going to do about Akechi?” Sumire wondered.
“Good question,” Ann replied.
“We could probably look for him,” Makoto said.
“Maybe we should see if he contacts Ren, or Lean,” Futaba suggested.
“That’s not a bad idea,” Yusuke said. “Although, to be fair, I don’t think you ever have a bad idea.” Futaba snickered.
“I think both things are worth a shot,” Ren said. She looked over at Lena. “Don’t worry. We’ll find him.”
Lena smiled. “Thanks.”
“Dinner’s ready,” Sojiro said, giving the kids their plates. They thanked him, and they spent the evening eating until they had to go home for the night.
As she was about ready to go to bed, Ren checked her phone. There were no new messages, but she wanted to be sure. As she was about to put it away, she got an alert. She quickly reeled the phone back on, only to see it was Lena who messaged her.
Lena: I take it you don’t have anything from him either.
Ren: Yeah.
Ren: But listen, it’s only been a little bit.
Ren: I’m sure he’ll turn up sooner or later.
Lena: Right…
Ren: I wish I could be more helpful.
Ren: I’m supposed to be the leader of The Phantom Thieves, and I can’t even properly assure one of my members that things will be alright.
Lena: It’s not your fault. It’s Eris’.
Lena: …And maybe Goro’s for accepting her deal in the first place.
Lena: But he came around.
Lena: I’m just…upset at the state of things.
Ren: I think we all are.
Lena: Do you mind me asking what you would do if something like that happened to Sumire?
Ren: Something like that almost did.
Ren: Back during our first trip to Mementos, Sumire incidentally ended up where we were, and accidentally got sucked in with us.
Ren: She tried following us down, and ended up getting captured by Eris.
Lena: Oh my!
Lena: What did you do then?
Ren: We fought like Hell!
Ren: And that’s what we’re going to do to find Akechi!
Lena: I see.
Lena: Thanks.
Ren: No problem!
Ren: To finish the story, when she saw us fighting for her, she awoke to her persona, and fought back as well.
Ren: Hard to think that was just back in May. It feels like a lifetime ago.
Lena: A lot has happened, huh.
Ren: And we’ve still got a lot ahead of us.
Lena: I’m sure we can do it.
Ren: Me too.
Lena: Goodnight.
Ren: Goodnight.
Ren checked again to see if she missed a message from Akechi, but to no avail. She put her phone down, and went to sleep for the night.
Upon waking up, Ren checked her phone. Still nothing. She pouted, and then got ready for the day. When Lena woke up, she did the same. Nothing on her end either. She got ready, and headed off to school as well.
On the way, the group chat got a message.
Futaba: You’re not going to believe this!
She shared a link. Ren clicked it, and what she saw made her face go pale. “No way…”
It was an announcement from Shido’s team. It stated “Last night, Masayoshi Shido was viciously attacked by The Phantom Thieves. They slandered his good name, and claimed that he was responsible for their misdeeds. They then attacked his psyche in an attempt to weaken him. But Shido is strong. He is currently recovering in a hospital, which will remain undisclosed, lest The Phantom Thieves try to finish the job. Please wish Mr. Shido a speedy recovery, and any information you have on The Phantom Thieves would be appreciated. The sooner we apprehend those villains, the better.”
Ryuji: What a load of shit!
Haru: What can we do about this?
Makoto: I’m not sure.
Makoto: If we could find the hospital he’s in, maybe we could let him out, but that’s difficult on multiple fronts.
Futaba: I could look into Shido’s cronies, and we can go into Mementos and steal their hearts as well.
Futaba: But that’s a tall order.
Futaba: Not saying I can’t, but it’ll be tricky.
Yusuke: Why don’t you start on that, and we’ll call it “Plan B”?
Yusuke: If we can’t find a better solution, we’ll at least have this in our back pocket.
Futaba: Roger!
Ann: But what can we do?
Ren: Maybe we can ask around.
Ren: Not directly, but if we ask the right questions to the right people, maybe we can get somewhere.
Sumire: Not a bad plan.
Sumire: I actually asked my dad if Akechi made contact with him, since he works for Good Morning Japan, and Akechi is a frequent guest.
Sumire: He said he hasn’t, but he’ll tell me if he gets any message.
Jose: Right, we still need to find Akechi.
Lena: But finding Goro could also prove useful in this!
Lena: He was close with Shido after all. Maybe he has an idea on what to do.
Ann: Oh yeah.
Ren: OK, so then plan is Futaba tries to find Shido’s cronies in case our efforts here go south. Meanwhile, after school, we search high and low for any leads on Shido, and Akechi, that we can find.
Ryuji: I’m in!
Ann: Me too!
Yusuke: Got it!
Futaba: Already on it!
Jose: Yes ma’am!
Makoto: Of course!
Lena: We WILL find him!
Haru: You can count on me!
Sumire: Alright!
Ren: Very well then.
Ren: Let’s do this!
Ren put her phone away, and was readying herself for the plan, come this afternoon.
During the school day, there was chatter from the whole student body, and people were divided. Half of the school believed in The Phantom Thieves, and half of the school believed in Shido. It was like back in June when Ren and Akechi faced off on TV, but cranked up to a million. As interesting, and intense, as this all was, The Phantom Thieves had a job to do, and they were determined to do it.
After school, The Phantom Thieves set off to try and find leads, either on the location of Shido’s hospital, or on the whereabouts of Akechi. Ren left school. She had some immediate ideas on where to look. Morgana popped out of her bag. “I’ll see what I can find from my own vantage points. I’ll catch up with you in Yongen!” Ren nodded, and Morgana hopped out, rushing around the city's allies, and rooftops, to see what he could find.
Meanwhile, Ren’s first stop was Central Street. She made her way to Untouchable. “Ah!” Iwai greeted. “How goes things for the hero of Tokyo? If you thought I missed that…”
“Uh, thanks…” Ren said. “Um, did you miss something from this morning?”
Iwai was concerned. “What happened?”
“Well, Shido has been placed in a hospital by his cronies,” Ren explained. “And I don’t think they’re letting him out until they can manage to undo what we did.”
Iwai nodded. “I see. So, what brings you here?”
“Well, remember when you told me about ‘The Phoenix’?”
“Yeah?”
“Well,” Ren continued, “if your friends found him, do you think that maybe they could get some information out of him?”
Iwai nodded. “I see… Well, we did find him, but he’s…he’s a little hysterical at the moment.”
“I see…” Ren replied.
Iwai nodded. “But I’ll ask my buddies to try and fish out some of that information.”
Ren smiled. “Thanks Iwai.”
“No problem,” Iwai said. “Just make sure not to get caught wielding one of my guns. Business is good now, and I’d hate to have a hairbrained stunt put an end to me.”
“I love you too,” Ren replied. They shared a chuckle, and Ren headed off to her next avenue of inquiry.
Ann headed over to the nurse’s office to talk with Dr. Maruki. However, when she got there, she found Kawakami approaching at the same time. “Oh! Takamaki!” Kawakami responded. “What brings you here?”
“I, uh, wanted to speak with Dr. Maruki…?” Ann replied.
“Ah Sadayo!” Maruki said, exiting his office. “I thought I heard you. I just have a few other things to finish up, and then we can set off on our date.” Kawakami became embarrassed. Maruki was a little confused. “What’s wrong?”
“You two are DATING?!” Ann shrieked.
Maruki turned around, and realized that he had failed to notice Ann up until that point. “Oh…uh, hi…Takamaki…” Kawakami groaned into her hands. Maruki looked back at Kawakami, and asked “Should we…?”
Kawakami glared at Maruki. “I think you let the genie out of the bottle, Takuto.”
Maruki nervously chuckled. “Will you forgive me?”
Kawakami smirked slyly. “Mayyyybe after a foot massage.”
Maruki was confused. “Now?”
“No, not now!” Kawakami said. “When it’s just us!”
“Oh! Deal!” Maruki replied.
Kawakami looked back at Ann. “To answer your question, yes, we are going out.” She took Maruki’s hand.
Ann was a little confused about the interchange between them, but she smiled, and said “Way to go!”
“So, uh, what brings you here?” Maruki asked.
“Well, I need to talk to you about something,” Ann said.
“Oh, of course,” Maruki said. “Would you excuse us, Sadayo?”
“Actually…” Ann said, catching the two of them off guard. She sighed. “I mean, many hands make light work, right? Besides, we helped her, so I don’t think she’d turn on us.”
“Um, Takamaki?” Maruki interjected. “What are you going on about?”
Ann nodded. “I…need to talk to you about…some Phantom Thief stuff.”
“I see…” Maruki said.
“Wait!” Kawakami said. She looked around, and noticed the coast was clear. She sighed. “YOU’RE a Phantom Thief too?!?”
Ann was confused. “‘Too’...?”
Kawakami smirked. “I should have guessed. You and Amamiya are thick as thieves after all.”
“Oh,” Ann responded. “I see.”
“Well, come in!” Maruki said. “We don’t want to keep discussing this in the open hall.”
“Right,” Ann said. The three of them headed in.
“So, what’s going on?” Maruki wondered.
“Well…” Ann said. She filled them in on the goings on of Akechi and Shido.
“...Yikes…” Kawakami reacted.
“Tell me about it,” Ann replied.
“So, why come to me?” Maruki asked.
“Well, since you were a scientist on the original cognitive psience project,” Ann said, "I thought you might have some knowledge about Shido.”
“Ah!” Maruki said. “While it is true that I worked with Shido for a bit, it’s not like we were close or anything.”
“Right…” Ann pouted.
Maruki smirked. “But I do know some people still working for the government. I could maybe make a few calls, and see what I can find.”
Ann lit up. “Really?!”
Maruki nodded. “Worth a shot, right?”
Kawakami nodded. “And I think I can help you locate Akechi.”
Ann was surprised. “How?”
“Well, Principal Arai used to work at Akechi’s school,” Kawakami explained. “I could ask him to see if he could fish anything from there.”
“Please!” Ann begged.
Kawakami nodded. “Alright.”
“YES!” Ann cheered.
Kawakami smirked. “Should I also tell him you’re a Phantom Thief?” she teased.
Ann chuckled. “Only if it’s absolutely necessary.”
Kawakami chuckled back. “Very well then.”
“Great!” Ann said. She stood up, and bowed. “Thank you again for your help.”
“Of course,” Kawakami said.
“It’s what we’re here for,” Maruki added.
Ann giggled. “Bye!” She waved goodbye, as she went out in search of other possible leads.
While walking through the halls, Makoto was looking up and down. She then spotted the person she was looking for. She rushed over to him, whilst not running in the halls. “Mishima!” She called out.
Mishima turned around. “Oh, Niijima-senpai!” he replied.
She caught up to him. “Hey, um, by chance, did you catch the news this morning?”
Mishima nodded. “Yeah. It’s sickening that they’re trying to turn this around on you guys!”
“Right,” Makoto agreed. “Well, um, do you suppose…?”
“Oh!” Mishima replied. “I already posted about it on the Phantsite. Although weeding through the posts to find what’s genuine is, uh, not going to be easy.”
“Hm hm,” Makoto chuckled. “I knew I could count on you. But there’s another matter at hand.”
“Oh?” Mishima wondered.
Makoto nodded. “You see, we sort of teamed up with Akechi…”
“WHAT?!” Mishima exclaimed.
“Not so loud!” Makoto hushed. She looked around to see if the two of them had garnered unwanted attention. Once she felt it was safe, she continued “It’s complicated. We can explain everything in full later. But right now, we’re in a bit of a pickle. See, we were about to fail to escape, when Akechi managed to assist us, but in the process we lost track of him. We haven’t seen hide, nor hare, from him since.”
Mishima nodded. “So, you want my help finding him as well?”
“Precisely,” Makoto said.
“Hmmmm,” Mishima pondered.
“What’s going on?” Shiho said, walking up. “Student Council business?”
“No,” Mishima replied. “Phanto Thief stuff.”
“Oh. I see,” Shiho said.
Makoto was a little surprised. “Were you two, uh, planning something?”
“Huh?” Mishima said. “Oh yeah! We were going to head to the movies.”
“Oh. I see,” Makoto said.
“But we have a little bit of time,” Mishima said. “And besides, I think Shiho might be able to help more.”
Makoto was stunned. “Really?” Mishima nodded.
Shiho was a little confused. “What’s going on?”
“Well, um, long story short,” Makoto began, “Akechi is missing, and we’d like to see if we can’t find him.”
“I’m already helping them out with another issue,” Mishima explained, “but bringing Akechi up to the Phansite is a mixed bag, to say the least. I mean, he is an outspoken critic of you all. I don’t know how many of them would want to find him if he is missing.” Makoto groaned. “However,” Mishima continued, “Shiho knows some people from Akechi’s school.”
Makoto was shocked. “You do?”
“Oh yeah!” Shiho said. “We met some of them at volleyball camp. They’re really nice! I could probably message some of them, and see if they know anything. But if he is missing, it might be a shot in the dark.”
Makoto nodded. “That’s fine. We’re all trying something, and seeing if it sticks. I’ll probably chase down a few other leads, so if your messaging doesn’t come to anything, that’s fine. Well…as fine as it can be.”
Shiho nodded. “Of course!”
“Although, come to think of it,” Mishima said, “I could probably message someone else as well.”
“Whatever it takes,” Makoto said.
Mishima smirked. “For The Phantom Thieves.”
Makoto nodded back. “Well, see you later, then!” she said.
“Bye bye!” Shiho said.
“Seeya!” Mishia said. Mishima, and Shiho, went out to catch their movie, while Makoto headed off. She got out her phone.
Makoto: Say, you wanna catch a movie this weekend?
Eiko: Sure!
Makoto: Great!
Eiko: I love you.
Makoto: I love you too.
Makoto smiled, and then put her phone away, and continued to see what she could dig up.
Meanwhile, Sumire was heading out, when she bumped into someone. “Sorry!” she said.
“No, it’s my fault,” Yumeko replied. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.” They both giggled.
“So, what are you up to?” Sumire asked.
“Well, my aunt wants me to come to this family meeting,” Yumeko explained. “It’s not for a few days, but I need to prepare myself.”
“Oh, right…” Sumire replied. She then got an idea. “Say, um, I don’t know how much Ren mentioned to you, but, um, well, I’m aware of who your grandfather is, and I was wondering if you could help us.”
Yumeko nodded. “Shoot.”
“Well, you see,” Sumire said, “I’m…a Phantom Thief.”
“Oooooooh,” Yumeko said. “I guess that makes sense. Ren told me she was one too.”
“OK,” Sumire sighed, relieved. “So, you remember last night, right?”
“Yeah!” Yumeko said, getting energized.
“Well, this morning, something happened,” Sumire said. “Shido’s men put him in hiding, and I was wondering, since your grandfather was close with him…”
“Oh, I see,” Yumeko said. She nodded. “I can see if I can figure out stuff. Although I don’t know how much stuff I’ll find. I wasn’t terribly close with my grandfather, and he probably kept things like that under wraps. But anything’s worth a shot, right?”
Sumire smiled. “Right. And thanks.”
“No, thank you!” Yumeko said. “Without you, I’d probably be spiraling even harder now.”
Sumire chuckled. “Of course.” They nodded, and headed their separate ways.
Meanwhile, at Kosei, Jose was heading out to see what he could find. He saw Hifumi in the hall, and rushed over to her. “Hey!”
Hifumi turned around. “Oh, it’s you,” she replied.
Jose caught up, and nodded. “Yup!”
Hifumi chuckled. “So, what do you want?”
“Well…” Jose began. He then stopped. “Mmmmm. Shoot. How much should I say?”
Hifumi chuckled. “If this is about,” she looked around, “Phantom Thieves stuff, I’m all ears.”
Jose was confused. "How'd you know?"
Hifumi giggled. "I deduced Ren was a Phantom Thief. And from there, I assumed that like pieces go together.
Jose smiled, and nodded. “Gotcha. Alright then. So, our target last night was scurried away by the people working for him, and we’re trying to figure out how to get to him so we can get him out.”
“Oh my,” Hifumi said, surprised.
“Yeah, it’s kind of frustrating,” Jose continued. “I mean, I don’t know how you could help, but, well, we’re flying blind, so I guess anything is better than nothing.”
“Well, I might be able to ask some of my acquaintances in the Shogi community,” Hifumi began. “Plus, my mother has rubbed elbows in the past with the media. She’s very tricksy, so I imagine she might be able to get something from them.”
Jose smiled, and nodded, once more. “Thanks!”
Hifumi chuckled. “Of course.” The two of them went off to see what they could find.
Ren got off the train in Yongen-Jaya, and headed straight for the Takemi Clinic. Takemi looked over, and said “Why hello. It’s been a bit, hasn’t it?”
“It has,” Ren replied.
Takemi grew concerned. “Is everything alright?”
“Well, eh?” Ren replied. “I was wondering if I could get your help with something.”
Takemi nodded. “What’s up?”
“Well, uh, I don’t know if you noticed,” Ren began, “but we made a move against someone last night…”
Takemi chuckled. “You guys broadcast it on every screen imaginable. It’d be hard not to notice it.”
Ren chuckled back. “Well, this morning, Shido’s team announced that he was taken to a hospital.”
“I see,” Takemi replied. “You think I might be able to narrow down which one?”
“Well, we’re just kind of all over the place, you know,” Ren said “We’re trying everything in hopes that something will work.”
Takemi smirked. “Well, I’ll see if I can manage something. But after what happened to Oyamada, some Anti-Phantom Thieves people have had some reservations about me. While for the most part, that’s nothing new, trying to get specific information might be a bit of a hurdle.”
“Ah,” Ren noted.
Takemi chuckled. “That won’t stop me from trying. And it shouldn’t stop you either."
Ren smiled. “Oh, um, we’re also looking for Goro Akechi.”
Takemi was confused. “That detective kid?”
Ren nodded. “Yeah. If you find him in a hospital, do you think you’d be able to notify us?”
Takemi nodded. “Of course.”
Ren nodded back. “Thanks.”
Takemi chuckled. “Don't be a stranger!”
“Of course!” Ren replied. “Bye!” She nodded, waved, and left to continue searching for leads.
Back on Central Street, Haru had emerged from the subway, and started walking with urgency. As she was walking, she heard someone speaking. “People of Tokyo!” She turned to face who it was to see Yoshida giving a speech. “Last night, The Phantom Thieves came down to deliver justice, as they have been this past year! And this time, they delivered a blow to a current member of the diet, former cabinet minister, and someone who was eyeing the position of Prime Minister! The Phantom Thieves exposed him as being someone who wanted to position for power’s sake! But that is not what a politician should be! I have learned this truth through experience, and it is high time that people like him do the same!
We must do everything in our power to deny him a coalition! But that all depends on you, the people! As much as you might put your faith in us politicians, it’s about time we put faith into you, the public! You vote for us to achieve your vision for the country! And if your vision is that of achieving power at the cost of money, and lives, then so be it! But if your vision is that of achieving greatness by elevating everyone, then I humbly ask you to vote for me, and the many other politicians who believe in this country for what it is!” The crowd cheered.
As Yoshida was resting, Haru made her way over to him. “Excuse me, sir?” Yoshida turned towards her. “That was a lovely speech.”
Yoshida smiled. “Why thank you.” He looked at her, intently. “Pardon me, but you look a little familiar.”
“Oh, um, yes,” Haru said. “My name is Haru Okumura.”
Yoshida was surprised. “As in…Okumura Foods?”
“The very same,” Haru explained.
“I see,” Yoshida said. “How have things been since The Phantom Thieves stole your father’s heart?”
Haru was a little surprised. “Well, I’d say things have been a little turbulent, but generally positive. As much as I can see the good in my father, his bitterness towards the world was such that intervention like that was needed.”
“I see,” Yoshida said. “You seem to have a good head on your shoulders.”
“Thank you,” Haru said. “Although, I think some of that comes from the company I keep.”
Yoshida laughed, jovially. “Of course. Having someone in your corner can make all the difference.” Haru shared in his laughter. “So, what brings you out here?”
“Oh!” Haru reacted, surprised. “Well, um, I, uh, I was going to head down to the company. After last night’s revelations, I wanted to check in on everything. Before his arrest, my father was aiming to run for office himself, and it appears he was connected to Mr. Shido. So I wanted to look into what everyone else at the company was doing, and see what information we had, and what we could do.”
“I see,” Yoshida said.
Haru had an idea. “Are you currently in the Diet?”
Yoshida shook his head. “Although I know some people who are.”
“Oh, um, do you think you could see what they know about this whole situation?” Haru wondered. “If you’re able? I know it’s a big ask, but-”
“Alright,” Yoshida answered.
“Huh?” Haru replied.
Yoshida nodded. “I sense a kindred spirit in you, Miss Okumura. Besides, you’re a fan of The Phantom Thieves, correct? Us fans should stick together if we want to make this world a better place.”
Haru nodded. “Right! So, um,should we exchange contact information?”
“Of course,” Yoshida said. They exchanged information.
“Great!” Haru said. “And thank you again.”
“No, thank you!” Yoshida said. “It’s always nice to hear from people.”
Haru nodded. “Take care!”
“You too!” Yoshida said. Haru walked off to her meeting.
Out in Akihabara, Yusuke was lurking around, trying to find some information. He was a little parched though, so he stopped over at a vending machine to grab a drink. As he was making a decision, he was interrupted with a “Hey!”
He jolted a little, and turned to see Shinya. “Pardon?”
“Are you going to get a drink, or not?” Shinya asked. “Other people are thirsty too, ya know?”
“Oh, sorry,” Yusuke said, sliding over to let Shinya get a drink. “I was just unsure of what to get.”
“Mmm. I guess that’s fair,” Shinya said. “Sorry for yellin at ya like that.”
“It’s alright,” Yusuke said. “I needed to get a move on anyway, so in a way your hurrying me was something I needed.”
Shinya grabbed his drink from the machine. “What are ya in a hurry for?”
“Well, if you must know,” Yusuke said, “I’m trying to find someone.”
“Who?” Shinya wondered.
“Goro Akechi,” Yusuke said.
“Really?!” Shinya said. “Tch.”
“Are you not a fan?” Yusuke asked.
“Nah!” Shinya replied. “I’m Team Phantom Thief for LIFE!”
Yusuke smirked. “Well, I am as well. But regardless, I still need to find him.”
“Why are you looking up here?” Shinya asked.
“Well, really, I’m just looking all around,” Yusuke said. “I thought here might be a good place, since there are a lot of tech people. Perhaps he has some contacts here that help him with some more technical cases.”
“Huh,” Shinya said. “You know, come to think of it, I do see him sometimes when I’m about to hit up the arcade.”
“Oh?” Yusuke noted.
“Yeah,” Shinya nodded. “I think he goes up the street further. I don’t know where, since I’m in the arcade before I can see where he’s going, but I notice him. With a crowd of swarming people, it’s kind of hard not to.”
Yusuke smirked. “I say, you’re anticdote has proven invaluable. Thanks so much! Bye!” He rushed off. He came back a few seconds later. “Forgot to get a drink.” He got himself a drink. “Thanks again, bye!” He rushed off once again.
“What a weird guy,” Shinya remarked. He sat on the nearby bench, finished his drink, and headed back into the arcade.
As Yusuke was rushing, he got out his phone.
Yusuke: Futaba! Do you know anyone in Akihabara who might have been close with Akechi?
Futaba: Um, I don’t know a whole lot of people in general.
Futaba: Why would I know that?
Yusuke: Well, I just talked with someone who said Akechi would come to Akihabara from time to time.
Yusuke: I thought you might know, since it’s a big tech place.
Yusuke: Maybe I was a bit too presumptuous.
Futaba: Wait a minute. Lena did mention running into him in Akihabara as well.
Futaba: And he managed to uncover my Alibaba name!
Futaba: I think you’re onto something!
Futaba: I’ll see what I can find on my end.
Futaba: If someone knows who I am, and told Akechi, maybe we can see if he knows where Akechi might be!
Futaba: Or failing that, if they know something about Shido!
Yusuke: I’ll continue looking on my end as well.
Futaba: Got it!
Futaba put her phone down, and started looking up some more things. Meanwhile, Yusuke continued his on foot search.
Over in Shinjuku, Ryuji was looking for anything, but he wasn’t having too much luck. “Man, this sucks. Why can’t they just take the L? And why can’t we find Akechi? This whole thing reeks!” He passed by Chihaya’s fortune telling stand, and remembering the time she helped him, and Ren, escape the police, knew she was at least cool. He sighed. “Why not? Desperate times, desperate measures.” He walked over. “Uh, hey…”
Chihaya looked over at him. “Oh, I remember you. You’re Ren’s friend, correct?”
“Uh, yeah…” Ryuji replied.
Chihya chuckled. “You looking for something? You seem a little lost.”
Ryuji was surprised. “Damn, you really are good.”
Chihaya chuckled. “Have a seat.” He did so. “Hmmm. Now let’s see…” She dealt out three cards. “The cards will tell you where to find what you’re looking for.” She flipped the first card. “The Justice, upright. A trial will befall you. Or perhaps, it already is.” Ryuji groaned, uncomfortably. She flipped the second card. “The Strength, upright. Through perseverance, your trial will end in victory.”
“Well that’s good,” Ryuji remarked.
Chihaya chuckled. She flipped over the third card. “Death, in reverse.”
Ryuji gulped. “Wha…what does that mean?”
“It is a common misunderstanding,” Chihaya said. “The Death card doesn’t really mean death, but rather a change. Although, it in reverse usually isn’t great.”
“WHAT?!” Ryuji shrieked.
“However,” Chihaya continued, “I believe this is more indicative of your opponent. They are someone who either refuses to embrace change, someone who abuses change to their own ends, or someone who is trying to force change. Or perhaps, you are fighting multiple people with those different goals.”
“I’ll say…” Ryuji muttered under his breath. He looked back at her. “So, what does this all mean?”
Chihaya smiled. “I think it means you’ll find what you’re looking for, but soon after, you will face a great trial.”
Ryuji took a deep breath. “Well, I guess that’s good news.” He stood up. “Thanks. Err…how much do I owe ya?”
Chihaya chuckled. “Let’s call this one on the house. Unless you’re not friends with Ren anymore?”
“Wha, no! Of course we’re still friends,” Ryuji objected.
“Hm hm. Only joking,” Chihaya said. “I can tell these things.”
“Right…” Ryuji said. “Well, thanks again.”
Chihaya nodded. “Of course. Come again if you need anything.”
“Right,” Ryuji said. “Later!” He headed off.
Up in Kichijoji, Lena was looking around for Akechi. She knew he hung out around here a lot, and thought this would be the best place to catch him. But she was having no such luck. “Goro?!” She called out. “Goro?! Goro?! Goro?!” She sighed.
“Are you looking for that Akechi kid too?” A voice called out.
Lena looked up to see Ohya. “...'Too’?”
Ohya groaned. “Yeah. One of my contacts asked me to look for him. I know he likes to hang around here, so I thought I’d try it, but it looks like we’re both coming up empty.”
“Yeah…” Lena admitted, sadly.
Ohya grew surprised. “Say, I recognize you now.”
“Huh?” Lena responded, worried.
“Hm. Don’t worry too much,” Ohya said. “I got some pics of you and Akechi out on a date.”
“Huh?!” Lena replied, embarrassed.
“Like I said, don’t worry,” Ohya replied. “I mean, I was gonna publish them, but your friend convinced me not to.”
Lena was concerned. “My friend?”
“Amamiya,” Ohya explained.
“Oh,” Lena said, slightly relieved. She pouted.
“You must be really worried about him, huh,” Ohya asked.
“Yeah…” Lena said. “I mean, things with us have been complicated recently, but…I don’t…I don’t want to lose him like this…”
Ohya sighed, sympathizing with Lena, after having also nearly losing someone in an instant. She sighed. “You wanna talk about it? Over dinner?”
Lena nodded. “I guess.”
Ohya nodded. “Alright. Let’s go.” They ended up at a nearby stand, sitting next to each other. They placed their orders. “So, you wanna tell me what’s going on?”
Lena looked at her. “Can…you promise me this will be off the record?”
Ohya chuckled. “You still got some spunk in ya. I know you’ll make it through. Yeah, this can be off the record.”
Lena sighed. “We got…into a bit of a fight… We were keeping secrets from each other, but once those secrets got out, our relationship turned rocky. We still wanted to be with each other, but we were struggling. And then recently, things seemed to be mending, but then…he just disappeared…And I don’t know what to do. Everyone says we’ll find him, and a part of me knows we will, but I can’t help but worry, you know.”
“Yeah…” Ohya replied. She took a bite of her food. “I want to assure you that things will be OK, and I guess eventually they will… Mmmm. Sorry, I’m not that much of a comforter.”
“It’s alright,” Lena said. “I doubt even the most comforting person can completely comfort me now. But thanks for trying.”
Ohya smirked. “Well, you seem to have some sense still with you. So my advice would be just try and keep your head afloat. I know losing someone you care about can cause you to drown, so just keep treading water, and find someone with a lifeboat.”
Lena chuckled. “Thanks.” She took a bite of her food.
“But you know, it is odd,” Ohya said. “If Akechi disappeared suddenly, why hasn’t he said anything to anyone? He seems like the kind of guy with a contingency for everything, you know?”
Lena was stunned. She smiled wide. She hugged Ohya. “Thank you! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!”
Ohya was a little concerned, but didn’t mind. “No problem. But, uh, for what?”
Lena slightly let go. “For helping me realize that Goro is still out there!”
“Uh, OK?” Ohya said. “I’m not sure how I did that, but I’m glad.”
Lena got out her phone.
Lena: Guys! Goro is still alive!
Haru: Really?
Jose: Where is he?
Lena: I don’t know that.
Lena: But I know he’s alive!
Makoto: Not that I don’t believe you, but how do you know?
Lena: Remember that letter Ren accidentally found from Goro?
Lena: It mentioned something about a ‘death text’!
Lena: I suspect that that’s a text that was meant to go out when Goro died.
Lena: But I haven’t gotten a text like that!
Lena: Ren, have you gotten one?
Ren: Can’t say that I have.
Lena: You see?
Lena: He has to be out there!
Ann: I dunno. He was kind of against us for a bit.
Futaba: But he did acknowledge that he wanted us to stand up to Shido if he couldn’t.
Ryuji: I think Akechi’s alive too.
Ryuji: I think…
Yusuke: What’s your evidence?
Ryuji: A fortune teller told me we’d be successful in what we were looking for.
Ann: That’s it?
Ryuji: I know it sounds weird, but this person is the real deal!
Ryuji: They helped me and Ren evade the cops one time.
Ren: Oh yeah.
Ren: Her readings are usually trustworthy.
Ren: And I think Lena has a point as well.
Ren: Although I think we need to keep looking.
Sumire: Let’s meet up tomorrow to see what we compiled.
Sumire: The usual place.
Makoto: You could just say “Leblanc”.
Sumire: Yeah, but “the usual place” sounds cooler.
Sumire: More thief-like.
Futaba: I’ve got some names, if we want to hit up Mementos tomorrow as well.
Ren: Let’s see where we’re at first.
Ren: But good job!
Futaba: Thanks!
Makoto: I hope we can get through this soon.
Haru: Me too.
Haru: The election is this Sunday, right?
Haru: If Shido doesn’t confess by then, then our work will be all for nothing.
Jose: Right.
Jose: Besides, the sooner this is over, the sooner we can start dealing with Eris!
Sumire: Oh yeah.
Sumire: Plus, now we owe her some more pain for what happened in Shido’s Palace.
Lena: I couldn’t agree with you more!
Ren: Shido and Akechi first though.
Ren: But I think we’ll get through it.
Ren put her phone away, and started heading into the Sakura residence. “Hey!” Morgana yelped. He jumped on the fence. “Don’t leave me out here!
Ren chuckled. “You find anything?”
“Mmm,” Morgana groaned. “Some whispers here and there. Nothing concrete.”
“Well, we’re meeting tomorrow to see what we’ve gathered,” Ren informed him.
“Sounds great!” Morgana replied. He hopped down, and the two entered the house.
Meanwhile, Lena put her phone away, finished her dinner, left some money, turned to Ohya, and said “Thanks again! You really helped me!”
“Hm,” Ohya chuckled. “You’re welcome.”
“Later!” Lena said, leaving.
“Bye!” Ohya replied, waving. She smirked. “She’s one tough cookie.”
Later, Lena opened the door to her house. “Oh, hi Lena,” Tamako greeted. “How was your day?”
“It…was enlightening…” Lena answered.
Tamako smiled. “Well, that’s nice to hear.”
Lena smiled. “Yeah. Just…need to figure out what to do now.”
“Well, there’s a surprise for you in the living room,” Tamako told her.
“Really?” Lena wondered. Tamako nodded. Lena hugged her. “Thank you.”
Tamako chuckled. “As much as I appreciate it, the surprise isn’t from me.”
Lena let go, and was confused. “Huh?”
“Just…head on over…” Tamako invited.
“O…K…” Lena said, unsure of what was going on. She entered the living room. She looked up. She was completely blindsided.
Sitting on her couch was Akechi. “Hello…” he said. “We…have a lot to discuss…”
P5R: Rebel Girl (A FeMC Story/P5R Rework)
Chapter 267: Rivers in the Desert
Tuesday after school, The Phantom Thieves gathered at Leblanc to begin their attack on Shido. “So…this is it…” Yusuke remarked.
Makoto nodded. “Yeah.”
“So, um, Futaba?” Ryuji wondered. “What have you been working on?”
“Well, I figured that trying to get a calling card directly to Shido would be all for naught. And we also have to get Akechi’s attention as well. Plus, people still think Makoto’s sis is the one pulling the strings, and we’re on her payroll.”
“Right,” Ryuji said.
“So, I decided to do something to address all three of those issues,” Futaba said.
Everyone was a little shocked. “What are you planning on doing?” Ann asked.
“Heh heh,” Futaba chuckled. “I’m going to tap into every signal in the city. And from there, the country. That way, we can spread the message far and wide!”
“That’s…” Ann replied. “I was going to say ‘a little extreme’, but given everything Shido has done, this might be comparatively tame.”
“Plus, I think it’s necessary,” Lena said. “Shido has spent a lot of time, money, and effort to make his bid to be Prime Minister. Not only do we need to change his heart, but we need to out-campaign him to make sure he can’t achieve his goal.”
“Well said,” Haru replied.
“Anything we need to do on our end?” Ren asked.
“Well, we are going to need to actually broadcast what we say,” Futaba answered. “So we need to state the facts as they are, and declare war on Shido.”
“I think we all need to play a part in writing this calling card,” Morgana said.
“How long until we can set this off?” Sumire wondered. “It’s just, I don’t know if we can write something like that on the spot.”
“Maybe we should just speak from the heart,” Jose pointed out.
“Not a bad suggestion,” Morgana said.
“I think that’s the course we take,” Ren said. “We’ve been focused on a lot of other aspects going into it. I think we just need to maintain that focus, and just speak truth to power.”
“Well, whenever you’re all ready and willing,” Futaba said, “I am able.”
Ren smirked. “Let’s do this!”
Later in the evening, as average Japanese people were going about their business, monitors everywhere were interrupted with the design of The Phantom Thieves. There was confusion, and panic, about this sudden signal interjection, doubly so for those among Shido’s ranks.
The Phantom Thieves began speaking through a modulator to hide their voices. “Greetings World!” Sumire said. “We are The Phantom Thieves!
“And it’s time you learn the truth about what’s going on!” Haru exclaimed.
The image flashed to one of Sae. “You may have heard,” Makoto began, “that this person, Sae Niijima, was behind the mental shutdown cases. That is remarkably untrue.”
“We haven’t been working for her either,” Ryuji added. “We only came about this spring, whereas the real person behind these attacks has been going at it for two years.”
“The person behind these attacks has one goal above all else!” Ann stated. “To rule this country with an iron fist!”
As the broadcast was playing, the police were desperately trying to turn the signal off. They managed to do so, but behind the scenes, Futaba was prepared. “Oh? A challenge? I don’t think so.” She continued hacking, and the screens were back up, and also spreading further.
“This man,” Jose said, “is none other than Masayoshi Shido.” An image of Shido appeared. “He presents himself as a man of the people, but in reality, he’s anything but!”
“He has used everything at his disposal to get to where he is currently,” Yusuke said. “There is no deed too underhanded for him.”
“And through our work and dedication,” Futaba added, “we were able to discover all of this before it was too late!”
“However,” Lena said, “as he is pulling the strings, there is someone attempting to pull his strings. We will also be taking on that person as well. Because as much as they’re pulling Shido’s strings, they’re also stringing themselves up for their own destruction!”
“With all that in mind,” Ren said. The image switched to a video feed of The Phantom Thieves standing in front of a brick wall. “We’re going to steal his heart.”
“This is a matter of life or death,” Sumire said. “Not just for us, but for the country! We cannot let him win!”
“We will clear the name of Sae Niijima!” Makoto declared.
“And we will free everyone from his grasp!” Lena added.
“We mean business!” Ryuji said.
“And we cannot ignore the suffering of others!” Yusuke continued.
“Shido has made too many people suffer for too long!” Haru said.
“He has committed countless crimes,” Ann said, “all for the pursuit of power!”
“We will not just sit here and let him assert his power!” Jose said.
“We are going to put a stop to this now!” Futaba said.
All of Japan was watching, as The Phantom Thieves were declaring war on Shido. The reaction of the masses was mixed. Some of them were excited to see The Phantom Thieves ready to take on their latest target. Some of them felt disdain, as they believed in Shido, one way or another. Some of them were just confused, and not entirely sure how to react.
Ren stepped forward, placing herself as the head of The Phantom Thieves to the world. She looked back at her compatriots, smiled, nodded, and turned back to the camera. “People of Tokyo!” she said. “Throughout my time as a Phantom Thief, I have seen the worst this city has to offer. Teachers who sexual abuse their pupils. Frauds who steal the work of those they teach. Bullies who push other people to the depths of despair to make themselves feel bigger. Leaders who only take, and never give. And Shido may have the darkest heart of anyone I’ve met. More heinous than all of our other targets combined.” As Ren was speaking, her shadow on the wall, perhaps through a trick of the light, looked more like Arsene, rather than her own figure.
Ren smirked. “However, I have also seen the best in people. And that is what I am fighting for. What we are all fighting for! I love this city! And the reason I am a Phantom Thief is because I am willing to do whatever it takes to protect it!” As Ren was saying this, the silhouette of Arsene was morphing.
“I will not let a tyrant control us! I will not let the light of this city be overshadowed by the darkness of a cruel man! So before he has a chance to squash out love, we will steal his hate. Masayoshi Shido! We are stealing your desires tonight! Because we love this city! We love this country! We love the people you so utterly despise! And we aren’t giving up any of them without a fight! You best be prepared! Because we are!”
At that moment, the silhouette had stopped its metamorphosis. Instead of looking like Arsene, it now looked like a more imposing figure. It had a halo with arrows coming out of it, two large horns protruding from its head, stark, clamlike shoulders, six batlike wings, and a big gun in its right hand.
I am thou, thou art I
Thou hast turned a vow into a blood oath.
Thy bond shall become the wings of rebellion and break the yoke of thy heart.
Thou hast awakened to the ultimate secret of The Fool, granting thee infinite power…
Fool-The Phantom Thieves: Rank 10
Ren turned back to her friends. “Are you ready?” One by one, they nodded. Ren turned back to the camera, gave a peace sigh, and the feed cut out. The mood over Tokyo was ecstatic. Everyone was waiting to see what was going to happen next. Phantom Thief believers and detractors alike were making noise. The whole city was on edge, and no one could blame them.
In Shido’s office, he was on the phone. “I thought you DEALT WITH THEM?!” he screamed.
“I never said that,” the errand boy replied on the other end. “I said ‘it’s over.’ As in I’m done being your plaything!”
“How DARE you!” Shido snapped back. “I’ll turn you in!”
“Go ahead,” the errand boy replied. “They will defeat you. Being in prison will be like Heaven compared to what I had to do under your boot. And they freed me from it. And pretty soon, they’ll free the whole world from your charade.”
“GAH!” Shido screamed. He hung up in fury. He pressed the intercom button on his desk. “Get me everyone you can, NOW!”
“Right away sir,” the person on the other side said.
Shido said down, fuming. “I am so close to turning this country around. I will not let some snot-nosed punks take it away from me.”
The world flashed. Shadow Shido stood in the dark. “They think they can just waltz right in here, and take what is mine by right?! I WILL CRUSH THEM BENEATH MY FEET!”
The world flashed back. Shido was still sitting at his desk. He smirked. “I get it. This is one final test. And if I pass, everyone will know I was willed by the gods to take control of this miserable country. Come and take it, if you dare!”
Meanwhile, at the Jazz Jin, Muhen said “Damn! Those Phantom Thieves are in full force, huh?” Akechi started to leave. “Woah, where are you going?”
Akechi looked back at him, and smiled. “Remember what Lena told us? About movement in a case I’m working?”
Muhen was surprised. “THIS?! How would she have known?”
Akechi chuckled. “It’s a secret. Once this is sorted, things will…well, be different. I don’t know what lies ahead, so before I leave, thank you. Your friendship means a lot to me.”
Muhen nodded. “Of course. But, uh, I don’t know if it’s that dramatic, right?”
“You can never be too careful,” Akechi said.
The world flashed. Akechi was in his dressing room, and he looked at himself in the mirror. And for the first time in a long time, studied the person in it to see who they really were.
The world flashed back. “Take care.” He left the Jazz Jin.
At the Diet building, The Thieves were assembled nearby. They noticed a slew of people gathering around the place. “Man, that calling card really got people buzzing!” Ryuji noted.
“Sorry you couldn’t be a part of it, Morgana,” Haru said.
“We would have wanted your input,” Futaba said, “but no one would have understood you.”
“Eh,” Morgana said. “It’s fine. Besides, you guys performed excellently.”
“Phase one is complete,” Yusuke noted, gazing at the crowd drawn. “Are we ready to move on to phase two?”
“Oh, uh, before we go, how did you get your shadow to do that, Ren?” Ann asked.
Ren was confused. “Do what?”
“...Nevermind,” Ann said.
At that moment, Ohya walked up to the crowd. “Isn’t that…?” Sumire pondered.
“Hey!” Ohya barked. “I’ve got a couple of questions for Mr. Shido, if that’s alright with him!”
Back at Leblanc, Sae came downstairs. “Well, it looks like I won’t be in your care for much longer.”
Sojiro smiled. “Those kids always know how to surprise me.”
Sae smiled as well. “How about some coffee while we wait? Perhaps some curry, if it takes them all night.”
Sojiro nodded. “Of course.” There was a knock at the door. Sojiro and Sae were confused, and concerned. Sojiro walked over, and slightly opened the door.
On the other side was Coach Hiraguchi. “Hi,” she said. “I know the sign says ‘Closed’, but I figured you might let me in.”
Sojiro nodded. He opened the door for her. “Come on in.”
Hiraguchi walked in, and was surprised to see Sae. “Huh.”
“Yeah,” Sojiro said. “I’ve been keeping her here since the night she was framed.”
“I see,” Hiraguchi replied. She reached out her hand. “Kokoro Hiraguchi.”
Sae shook it. “Sae Niijima.”
Sojiro headed to the kitchen. “Are you hungry, Kokoro? Or do you just want coffee?”
“I just got out of work,” Hiraguchi replied. “So I’m hungry.”
“Gotcha,” Sojiro replied. “Well, I’m probably going to cook for them anyway tonight, so it’s nice to get that started.” He started preparing some curry, as Sae and Kokoro took a seat.
Down the street, at Takami’s clinic, Takemi smirked at the message. She looked around. “I should be prepared. It could get a little riotous.” She looked at the door. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the fun until then.” She headed out to find a nearby crowd to show her support for The Phantom Thieves.
At Shujin Academy, the teachers there were stunned. Principal Arai calmed things down, and assured them that everything was going to be OK. He dismissed everyone, and they all soon headed out. Maruki, and Kawakami were heading out together. Maruki chuckled. “What’s so funny?” Kawakami asked.
“Well,” Maruki replied, “I worked on the initial cognitive psience project. And I know for a fact that The Phantom Thieves have the correct target. I’m just excited that he’ll be brought to justice.”
Kawakami smiled. “I see. Well I’m glad too. I think it’s about time people like that get what they deserve!” The two of them continued walking.
On Central Street, Iwai emerged from his shop to see the crowd. “Heh. Those kids really know how to make a spectacle of things. Give ‘em Hell, Phantom Thieves!”
“Ah, a fellow fan of The Phantom Thieves, I see,” Yoshida said, walking over.
“Heh. You could say that,” Iwai replied.
Yoshida chuckled. “It’s been a while since I’ve felt like this. But it’s really inspired me to give it my all!”
“I understand what you mean,” Hifumi said, walking over. “There’s nothing quite like a dramatic play to get you excited.”
Iwai was surprised. “Aren’t you that shogi player?”
Hifumi nodded. “Indeed. I know a good play when I see one. And this is a good play.”
“Well, hopefully the risk is worth the reward,” Iwai said.
“In my line of work, the risk is always worth it,” Yoshida said. “And I suspect they feel the same.” Iwai nodded.
“Dad!” Kaoru called out, rushing up to Iwai.
Iwai smirked. “Hey there, champ.”
“What’s going to happen now?” Kaoru asked.
“Hopefully,” Iwai answered, “a revolution.”
“What can we do?” Kaoru said.
“I think all we can do now is cheer them on,” Iwai instructed.
Kaoru nodded. “Alright. GO PHANTOM THIEVES!”
Yoshida chuckled. “It seems like he takes after his father.”
Iwai chuckled. Back. “He certainly does.
Yoshida nodded. “Go Phantom Thieves!”
“Capture their King!” Hifumi shouted. The crowd around them join in their celebration of The Phantom Thieves.
Unbeknownst to them, Lavenza was standing behind them. She couldn’t help but smile, and also let out a “Go Phantom Thieves!”
Up in Akihabara, there was excitement in the streets. “Hm,” Chihaya smirked. “Now I see why the cards called me here. Although, I did need a new heater. But right place, right time.” She took a deep breath. “You can win this, Phantom Thieves!”
“Are you a fan too, lady?” Shinya asked.
Chihaya giggled. “I sure am!”
Shinya nodded. “Well then, let’s give it all we got!” Shinya said. “We can’t let them down.”
Chihaya nodded. “I agree.”
Both of them let out a hardy “Go Phantom Thieves!”
“Um, excuse me?” Yumeko said. The two of them looked at her, and saw that Fumihito was with her as well. “Mind if we join in?”
Chihiya smiled, and nodded. “Of course.”
“Hang on,” Fumihitio said. “I gotta message my buddies. They’d like to get in on this as well.
“The more, the merrier, right?” Shinya said.
A little ways down the road, Mishima, and Shiho, were standing in a crowd. “You can do it, Phantom Thieves!” Mishima shouted.
“You saved me!” Shiho. “Now save the country!”
Within that same crowd, Kisa, and Hiroki, were standing there as well. Kisa cheered along. “Take them down, Phantom Thieves!”
Meanwhile, under his breath, Kosuke whispered. “Please be careful, Haru. I know you need to do this, and I’m with you all the way, but I can’t help but worry.”
Over in Sendai, Kosuke was watching in another crowd. He smiled. “You really outdone yourself this time, eh Yusuke?”
Up in Shinjuku, Naoko entered Crossroads. Lala looked at him, and asked “What do you want?”
“I feel like celebrating,” Naoko answered. “Surely you saw the broadcast?”
“What are you celebrating?” Lala asked.
“A toast,” Naoko replied. “To The Phantom Thieves.”
Lala nodded. “Alright.”
“Also, sorry about, well, last time I was in here,” Naoko said.
“Eh,don’t mention it,” Lala replied. “We’ll all in on The Phantom Thieves here.”
“Right,” Naoko said.Lala poured him his drink.
In Kyoto, Sasa was in a crowd of college students. “You can do it, Phantom Thieves! My sister believes in you, and I believe in her! So I believe in you!”
In Tamotsuyama, Jun, and Yuine, were mystified. “Well, that was certainly something,” Yuine said.
Jun nodded. “Tell me, are you rooting for them?”
“Of course, dear,” Yuine replied.
Jun smiled. “Me too.”
Back in Tokyo, Eiko , and Riko, were out on the streets, cheering with a crowd. “You can do it, Phantom Thieves!”
Riko smirked. She remarked “We’re going to win this thing,” before joining in with the cheering of the crowd.
Back at the Diet building, Sumire noted "It's nice to see her out here."
Ren smiled. "She's going to want this as well."
"Is anyone else on this?" Ryuji wondered. He checked his phone. “Woah! We’re doing NUMBERS!”
The thieves checked their phones. “Woah!” Makoto said. “You’re not kidding!”
“And it looks like we’re getting a lot of support!” Sumire added.
“We do have some detractors,” Jose said. “But it’s more positive than negative.”
Ren smirked. “Well then, we’d hate to disappoint. Let’s head in, and finish this.” The others nodded, and together, they headed into the palace.
As they slipped through the dimension, Akechi arrived. “So, here we are,” he noted. He checked his phone, and looked at the app Lavenza gave him. “It’s time to face the music.”
The Phantom Thieves entered the theater. They looked around for a bit. “Ummmm, where’s Akechi?” Ann wondered.
“It is odd that he’s not here to greet us,” Haru said.
Ryuji shrugged. “Eh. He’ll probably show up when we take on Shido. Dramatic entrance, and all that.”
“Well, whatever the case,” Morgana said, “there’s no reason to stand around here. We’ve got a treasure to steal.” The thieves nodded, and headed onto the stage. The set assembled itself, and they found themselves at the front of the ship.
“Let’s roll,” Ren said. Together, the thieves stormed the ship, made their way past the door, and headed up the elevator to the Assembly Hall.
Once they got there, they saw Shido standing at the podium. “Shido!” Ryuji called.
“Hm,” Shido scoffed. “So YOU’RE The Phantom Thieves.”
Morgana looked up, and noticed a spinning wheel of a ship. “There! That’s the treasure."
“I assume he’s not going to let us get to it,” Futaba pointed out.
Shido laughed, maniacly. “You are the final obstacle between me, and turning this country around. I’ve spent countless hours, days, weeks, even YEARS for this moment. I won’t let you stop me now!”
“Well, it’s either that, or we stop you by force!” Ann declared. “Either way, your rise to power stops here!”
“Stubborn as ever, I see,” Shido said.
“You’re one to talk!” Jose sniped back.
“Tell me, where did you even get this power?” Shido asked.
Ren smirked. “Fate.”
“Yeah!” Sumire said. “We didn’t have to resort to any malicious deeds, like you did!”
“Hmph,” Shido scoffed. “Calling what I did ‘malicious’ is short sighted. I ensured the circumstances in which I turned this country around.”
“By almost bringing it to ruin?” Yusuke asked.
“It was already on the precipice of ruin, child,” Shido replied. “I had to make some difficult choices, sure…”
“You KILLED your parents!” Haru shot back. "Among other people."
Shido glared at her for a second, and then continued like nothing happened “...but it will be worth it, once this country becomes a shining beacon for the world.”
“I’ve got a question,” Makoto asked. “Do you need to lead this ‘beacon’, or if someone else could make this country shine, would you let them?”
“Hm,” Shido replied. “You still don’t understand. I am the ONLY person capable of turning this ship around! Do you really think if someone else could have done it, they wouldn’t have done it by now? It takes a once in a lifetime genius, such as myself, to transform a country from an abject failure into THE world power!”
“I had a feeling,” Makoto said. “I just wanted to confirm it.”
Shido glared at them. “So, once again, I’ll ask, where did you get your powers? It cannot be fate, because fate is guiding ME! I am a gift from the heavens for this lowly country! I am a god among men! I am the future of the country!”
“Well, our answer isn’t going to change!” Lena said. “Our powers were given to us by the powers that be! You had to claw, and scrape, and fight for this for years. And we managed to get this powers, and unravel your plan in mere months!”
“Hm,” Shido smirked. “I get it. You’re sent from Hell to stop me!”
“He doesn’t get it,” Futaba said.
Ren smirked back. “Yeah! We are from Hell!”
“Huh?” Morgana said.
“And we’re here to take you there, because THAT’S where you BELONG!” Ren finished.
“Ah!” Morgana said. “Nice turnaround.”
Shido grew angrier. “Even the smallest leak can sink a mighty ship! I WILL not let that happen! This country is on the wrong track, and only I can turn it around! But fear not, I WILL deal with every crisis, even the one I see before me!”
A series of cognitive Diet members applauded, catching the Phantom Thieves off-guard. Shido continued. “Don’t thank me just yet. Once I take care of these meddlesome thieves, then you can grace me with your applause. I have fought hard to get to where I am now. I am not about to stop fighting! We are on the right track now, but we have to make sure NOTHING can stop us! So. Let us begin!” He pressed a button, and the podium started to rise.
As it rose, a set of rotating floors came in, and started to close in. One by one, the thieves jumped on these floors as they were closing to make their way to Shido’s position. Shido smirked. “You just don’t get it.”
“You’re the one that doesn’t get it!” Ann retorted.
“Hm,” Shido scoffed. “You think the masses are on your side. However, they believe in ME! I will give them EVERYTHING their heart desires!”
“Sure,” Ryuji said. “So long as they bow to you!”
“Pah!” Shido scoffed. “There’s no room for people who won’t bow to me! Only me, and those that believe!” Large footsteps rang out through the chamber. Suddenly, a large, gold lion made out of people emerged. Shido took off his suit, and transformed into a general-like figure, with a mask and pointed crown. “I shall guide this country to new heights! I have made countless sacrifices to make sure this country can achieve its full potential! And I, and the masses, will not let you upstarts ruin EVERYTHING I worked for!”
“Um,” Jose said, “isn’t this the part where the crusader jumps in?”
“It is weird that we haven’t seen Goro yet,” Lena said.
Shido smirked. “I sent some people to take care of him. Perhaps they finally got to him.”
“WHAT?!” Lena cried out.
“Hold on,” Morgana said. “The theater is still intact! Akechi is still here!”
“Right…” Lena said, calming down.
“But then where is he?” Yusuke wondered.
“Maybe he’s letting us tire each other out, and then swooping in afterwards,” Makoto said. “He is cunning like that.”
“Well, whatever the case, I think we need to deal with the issue at hand first,” Sumire said.
“Right,” Ren said. “We’ll deal with Akechi when he decides to show up. But for now, let’s take care of Shido.”
Shido flashed a cocky grin. “I’d like to see you try!”
“Wish granted!” Ren said. The Phantom Thieves began charging the lion.
Meanwhile, in the lobby of the theater, Akechi walked in. “Well, this…hm…this is interesting. It feels different being here like this.”
“Well, the show is going great,” the shadow said. “Although, I’m surprised to see you not taking your position.”
“Oh, um, I was just about to head in there,” Akechi said. “Sorry, I have a lot on my mind at the moment.”
“Of course,” the shadow said. He opened the door to the theater. “Break a leg!”
Akechi nodded. Thanks.” He headed in.
The Phantom Thieves were making inroads with their fight against the lion. “Give up!” Haru declared. “We’ve got this thing on the ropes!”
“Do you, now?” Shido replied. The lion jumped up, and sprouted wings.
“Eeep! I spoke too soon,” Haru said. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine, Noir,” Makoto said.
“Besides,” Ryuji said, “we managed to take on the lion when it was on the ground. We can take this on too!”
Haru nodded. “Thank you, everyone.” As they were distracted, Shido smirked, and instructed the lion to divebomb Haru. Haru, however, pulled out her gun, and shot the lion in the face. “Don’t think I forgot about you!”
“Grrr!” Shido hissed. The thieves continued fighting against Shido, and the now-flying lion.
In the theater, Akechi looked around. He noticed the shadows in their seats, taking in the show. “This is truly fascinating.” He looked at the stage. He saw puppet versions of The Phantom Thieves fighting a puppet version of Shido. “Is he…riding a lion made of people? I guess he’s not one for subtlety.” He then looked up at the box seat, and was taken in with what he saw. “Mother…I guess I’m one to talk. GAH!” He looked back at the stage. He sighed. “I guess there’s nowhere else to go but forward.” He walked toward the stage.
The Phantom Thieves were fending off Shido’s flying lion. “Had enough?!” Ryuji called out.
“Or are you thirsty for more?!” Yusuke added.
Shido chuckled. “Thirsty!” he replied. The lion started falling apart, and reassembled itself as a pyramid.
“Wha-HEY!” Futaba said. “Pyramids are MY thing!”
“Besides, there’s no reason for it to go to a pyramid,” Jose said. “Lion, to flying lion, to pyramid doesn’t make sense.”
“Of course it does, you miscreants!” Shido snapped back. “The people are falling below me to place me on top! I am the sun that rises over all of them, and gives them life!”
“If that’s the case,” Sumire said, “you’re one dark sun. And we’re ready to eclipse you!”
“Nice,” Ren said.
“Thanks,” Sumire replied.
“Hmph,” Shido scoffed. “My light shall overcome you all!” The pyramid rushed in to attack, but The Phantom Thieves defended, and retaliated.
Akechi found himself on the bow of the ship. He looked around to see the ruins of Tokyo sailing past him. He was stunned. “Was…I really going to let this happen?” He pouted. “I guess she…had a point.” He walked into the ship. Upon entry, he noticed the patrons on Shido’s ship were glued to the monitors on the ship. He took a look, and saw that The Phantom Thieves were now fighting a pyramid made of people. “Why is it a pyramid now? Well, no matter. I’ll see to things soon enough.” He made his way through the doors, and up the elevator.
The Phantom Thieves had just finished off the pyramid, as it stopped moving, and fell to the ground. Shido got down from his perch, and gave it a kick, screaming “YOU USELESS, IGNORANT MASSES!”
“Maybe it’s not their fault,” Ryuji called out. “Maybe they failed because the person leading them sucks!”
“Grr. You insolent CHILD!” Shido barked. “What makes you think I’m incompetent?!”
Ren smirked. She took off her mask. “Well, you failed to keep me down when you had the chance.”
Ann snickered. “Yeah! You’re not as sharp as you think, huh!”
“Perhaps next time, you should make sure that the people who cross you are thoroughly dealt with,” Yusuke noted.
“Not that we’re going to let you have a next time,” Futaba said.
Shido looked puzzled. He stared at Ren’s face for a bit. He was then surprised. “It’s YOU! From that night in Tamotsuyama!”
“I’m surprised you remembered,” Ren said, putting her mask back on. “You were so drunk you fell over.”
“Grr,” Shido hissed. “I wouldn’t have if you’d let me have what I wanted!”
“What you ‘wanted’ was to take advantage of a woman, with no regard for how she felt,” Ren said.
Shido glared at her. “You seem to have a habit of getting in my way!”
“And you have a habit of disregarding what other people think,” Ren said. “Getting in your way not only seems like a good habit, but also a civic duty.”
Shido was fuming. “Well, maybe I should take the advice of your fox-faced friend,” he removed his clothes again, this time leaving his pants, and shoes on, while being completely shirtless, and incredibly buff, “AND CRUSH YOU!”
“WOAH!” Ryuji responded.
“Holy smokes!” Haru said.
“Uh, guys!” Futaba said. “His power level just jumped up massively.”
“Could this get any worse?!” Makoto lamented.
“WHAT THE FUCK?!” Akechi called out, arrive to the scene.
“It could…” Makoto sighed.
“Goro?!” Lena called out. “He’s here? Now?!”
Morgana looked over the edge. He was surprised. “Uh, guys? We have a situation.”
“I think we know,” Ann said.
“No!” Morgana replied. “The Akechi that just showed up is OUR Akechi.”
“Huh?!” Lena said. She looked over, and saw Akechi. “Oh my gosh, he’s right!”
The others came over, and saw that indeed, the Akechi that showed up was the one from the real world. “Holy smokes!” Futaba exclaimed.
“HEY!” Shido said, seething. “Don’t turn your back on me!” He reeled back for a big punch.
The thieves turned back. They couldn’t make it out of the way in time. “How careless!” Morgana exclaimed.
However, before it could land, a string grappled him, and prevented him from moving. “Grrrr!” Shido said, straining against the string.
The thieves turned back down to see strings coming out of Akechi’s hand. “I’m talking now!” He pulled on the string, not to force Shido to move, but to pull himself up towards the action. Once he got his footing, he took in Shido’s form. “I see.”
“Guh! Let me go, you brat!” Shido demanded.
“I will not!” Akechi replied. “How does it feel to be the puppet this time?”
The thieves looked on, horrified, and curious. “It looks like he’s still caught up on his vengeance,” Ann noted.
“How did he even get here, anyway?” Ryuji wondered.
“Oh, uh, your friend gave me the app,” Akechi said. “Lavenza.”
“Lady Lavenza?!” Morgana replied, confused
“Why did she do that?” Jose wondered.
Akechi sighed. “She wanted me to reconcile with you all.” He struggled to keep Shido in place.
“Are…you going to?” Sumire asked.
Akechi frowned. “There’s a part of me that doesn’t want to.” He scowled. “But I know where that part of me comes from.” He looked into Shido’s eyes. “Isn’t that right, father?”
“Heh,” Shido smirked. “I had a feeling. You reminded me too much of her for it to be a coincidence.”
Akechi smiled. “You remember her. How thoughtful. If only you didn’t throw her away, she’d be alive!”
“If she was more useful, maybe I’d have thought to keep her around,” Shido snapped back.
“See, it’s stuff like that that made me want revenge in the first place,” Akechi countered.
“Hmph,” Shido scoffed. “Well, you were so blinded by your potential revenge that you didn’t know I caught on straight away, and was just using you.” He tugged at his strings some more. “If you didn’t get the power to do this, you’d be dead as well! You were blinded to the fact that you were on the road to failure! You kept doing as I said for some revenge that was never going to come! How miserable are you?!”
“Not as miserable as you, it seems,” Akechi replied. “You know, I always thought I was better than you. That I could assert victory over you on my own terms. But after dealing with The Phantom Thieves, I’ve come to realize some things.
You and I are more similar than I care to admit. Both of us think that we are the only people who can do the things we aspire to do. Both of us are bitterly stubborn. And both of us are basically incapable of admitting that we were wrong. Well, until today.
You’re still incapable of that. But I’m not. I was a fool to think that I could take you on on my own. I thought I had everything under control. But like you said, I was walking the path of failure. I let you sting me along, and then I let Eris control me when I reached a dead end. But here’s where you and I differ. You only listen to yourself. You don’t trust anyone else, even if they were being 1000% sincere. You have to make sure that everything is exactly the way you want it to be.
But me? Well, my life was a mess from the word ‘go’. And while I’ve done several things to put it in order, I can safely say the biggest thing I’ve done to get to where I am today is listen to others. And while I still have a lot to learn on that front, I think it’s time for me to give up on my dreams of having anything just as I want it, and work with The Phantom Thieves to make sure that you pay for your crimes!” The Phantom Thieves were excited to see Akechi’s face turn.
“Hm,” Shido grunted. “What utter drivel! For being my son, you seem to lack my follow-through! And that’s how I ended up stringing you along.”
“Well, I’m not the one on the end of a string now,” Akechi taunted. “Am I, puppet?”
Shido’s eyes widened. “I’m NOBODY’S PUPPET!” He finally snapped the string Akechi was controlling him with, and finally delivered on the punch he was setting up, landing his fist on Akechi’s face.
Akechi was sent flying. “GORO!” Lena said. She rushed to catch him before he fell off the platform. The other Phantom Thieves took position to tussle with Shido once again.
“YOU COME IN HERE AND ACT ALL HIGH AND MIGHTY,” Shido screamed,” BUT IF YOU CAN’T WALK THE WALK, YOU’RE SIMPLY JUST A WASTE OF TIME!”
“Well, the clock’s back on, and we’re ready for Round 2!” Ren declared. The Phantom Thieves and Shido charged each other, engaging in battle once more.
Meanwhile, at the edge of the platform, Lena was cradling Akechi in her arms. “Goro!” she called out. “Are you OK?!”
“Heh,” Akechi chuckled. “He’s got a point.”
“Goro?” Lena wondered.
Akechi sat up a little. “He really rang my bell, huh. But in doing so, he let all the bats from the belfry, and I’m thinking clearly again.” He turned to Lena. “Sorry I put you through all of this.”
Lena smiled. “It’s OK!” Tears dripped from her eyes.
He pouted. “I was…worried you wouldn’t like me anymore after seeing the darkness inside me.”
Lena hugged him. “I was worried you’d succumb to it.”
Akechi smiled. He sighed. “Like I told Shido, it’s been a part of me for my entire life.”
Lena let go. “Well, I guess I’ll just have to shine my light enough to dispel it.”
Akechi chuckled. “I appreciate the gesture,” he started standing up, “but I think I need to embrace it a little.” He stood up completely. “After all, wherever a light shines, a shadow is cast.”
He started walking towards the action. “I am a prince. I am a pauper. I am a genius. I am a fool. I am light. I am darkness. I have friends, but know what it’s like to be alone. I was so afraid of being alone that I almost ended up alone again. I thought I was making sound decisions in pursuit of a childish wish of vengeance. I am everything. I am nothing. I am all of those things.”
A mask formed on his face. On his left side, a red masquerade mask with an unusually long nose. On his right side, a jagged black mask. “I am a mess of contradictions,” Akechi continued. “I know now that I was on the wrong course! But these people have graciously allowed me to course correct, even though they have every right not to. I guess being a human means being a contradiction.” Visions of Robin Hood, and Loki, appeared on either side of him.
Akechi went on. “So now, I stand here, alongside The Phantom Thieves, to chip away at your varnish!; To reveal the emperor has no clothes!; To reveal your imperfections!; To make you see your flaws, like they made me see mine!” He gripped the two sides of his mask with each hand, and tore it off, breaking the mask in two. He then smashed the two halves of the mismatched mask together, as his face bled out. “HEREWARD!” The visions of Robin Hood, and Loki, fused together, birthing the Persona, Hereward. Akechi’s attire was that of his marching band uniform, except it was black, the tassels and shoulderpads were blue, and his cape was black, and tattered.
The Phantom Thieves were in awe of this. Ren smirked. “Welcome to the team, Akechi.”
Justice-Goro Akechi: Rank 9
Akechi grew serious, as his mask formed. It was his jagged mask, but it was a stark red. “Are you ready for me to kick your ass, Shido?!”
“Um, can you do that string thing again?” Ann wondered. “It’d be really helpful.”
“I can, but he can break through it,” Akechi told her. “Besides, this is more dramatic. More fun too.”
“Uh, you think he’s enjoying this a little much?” Ryuji asked.
Morgana chuckled. “I say leave him to it. He needs to work out his issues.”
“Besides,” Ren said, “you heard his whole spiel. That’s just a part of who he is.”
Akechi smirked. “I appreciate your understanding. But maybe we can talk about that once this guy is dealt with!”
“Roger that!” Ren said. “You heard the man! Let’s kick his ass!”
“Hm,” Shido smirked. “You think adding another person into the mix makes the math better for you?! I hate to break it to you, but I have never lost! NOT ONCE!”
“Well, neither have we,” Futaba snickered.
“But that’s going to change tonight!” Haru declared.
“Hm,” Shido scoffed. “You REALLY think you can defeat me?!”
“I don’t know,” Makoto said. “But what Noir said was true regardless. One of our winning streaks is going to come to an end. And we aren’t afraid to put our success on the line to stop you!”
“Yeah!” Ryuji called out. “We’d rather die by your hand, than live under your heel!”
Shido grinned. “So be it!” Shido rushed The Phantom Thieves. The Phantom Thieves mounted their counterattack. The two sides exchanged blows back and forth for a while.
During one exchange, Shido was knocked back significantly, and one of his legs bent down in exhaustion. “Looks like we got him on the ropes!” Jose called.
“Good!” Akechi said. “One final push should do it!”
Ren nodded. “CHARGE!” The Phantom Thieves moved forward, aiming to take down Shido once, and for all.
Shido panicked. “NO!” He yelled. “This can’t be HAPPENING! GAH!” He mustered even more strength. His aura grew tenfold. He smashed the platform with his newfound strength, causing it to shatter. The edges started falling off, and soon the rubble caught up with The Phantom Thieves, as one by one, they began to fall.
The rumbling stopped just as it was about to catch up to Ren. In a desperate act, she unleashed her grappling hook, hoping to grapple onto someone. Surprisingly, it did. She pulled up the person, revealing themselves to be Akechi. “Well, that was a dirty trick!” Akechi noted.
“Whatever it takes to win!” Shido declared.
Ren tried to contact the others. “Anyone?! Can you read me?!”
“Loud and clear, Joker!” Futaba declared.
“Oracle!” Ren said. “What happened to everyone else?! Are they alright!”
“I’m fine!” Sumire called out.
“Me too!” Morgana shouted.
“Me three!” Ann said.
“So am I!” Ryuji said.
“I’m OK as well!” Jose said.
“I’m alright,” Yusuke notified.
“Same!” Makoto said.
“As am I!” Lena announced.
“Ditto!” Haru echoed.
“It looks like everyone was scattered across the ship,’ Futaba reported. “I can help gather everyone back here! In the meantime, you and Akechi have to hold off Shido! He’s gotten crazy strong again, so be prepared!”
“Got it! Good luck!” Ren responded. She, and Akechi, faced Shido.
“WHY WON’T YOU STAY DOWN?!” Shido barked.
“That requires us to be down in the first place,” Ren said. “Face it, after everything you’ve thrown at us, we still have the upper hand.”
“Indeed,” Akechi agreed. “Like I told you, I’ve already learned what these people are capable of. You should learn it too, before you embarrass yourself further.”
“Hm. What could the two of you on your own do?!” Shido said.
“On our own?” Ren retorted. “Probably not much.”
“But together,” Akechi continued, “we can show you up!”
Shido was incensed. “BRING IT ON!”
“You asked for it!” Akechi shot back. The two of them faced off against Shido. Despite him gathering even more of his strength, they managed to hold their own. The battle had worn down both sides, but it was clear that Shido was running on adrenaline more than common sense at this point.
After a few more exchanges, Shido was pushed back again, and this time, he got down on one knee, and propped himself up with his other fist. He looked up at the two people he was facing off against: His bastard son, and a girl he framed for a crime she did not commit. Out of everyone who stood against him, these were the two that were fighting back the hardest. And in that moment, he felt something he hadn’t felt in a long time: True fear.
Ren smirked. “Well, I think we’re just about done here.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Akechi replied.
Ren drew her gun. “Wanna finish this with me?”
Akechi drew his gun. “Of course!” They posed next to each other, Ren’s right hand centimeters away from Akechi’s left. Above them floated their personas, Satanael, and Hereward. Satanael aimed their gun, while Hereward readied their bow.
“SATANAEL!” Ren called out.
“HEREWARD!” Akechi called out. They both fired their guns, as Satanael fired their fun, and Hereward fired their bow. Hereward’s arrow began circling around Satanael’s bullet. The two of them joined together, and hit Shido, exploding on impact. Shido, knowing the game was up, fell back.
At that moment, the other Phantom Thieves arrived on the scene. “Alright, we’re here!” Morgana said. He took note of the downed Shido. “Woah!”
Sumire smiled. “Looks like you managed to finish him off.”
“Aw man,” Ryuji mourned. “I wanted to be a part of it.”
“Well, what’s done is done,” Yusuke noted. “Besides, the fact that he’s even down at all is a good thing.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Ryuji said. “But still.”
Ann looked up.” Look!” The others looked up to see the ship’s wheel floating down, and shrinking somewhat.
It landed in Ren and Akechi’s hands. Ren smirked. “Mission accomplished.
Shido looked up. “Heh.”
The thieves were alarmed. “Don’t tell me we have to fight you again?!” Jose said.
“No…no…you…won…” Shido admitted. “Heh. It’s been a long time since I felt like this. I’ve been avoiding it for so long. I almost forgot what it felt like. But still, I am satisfied. I finally found some people who are a match for me.”
“I think other people may have been a match for you,” Haru scoffed. “You just played dirty.”
“Perhaps,” Shido said. “I guess this is where my story ends. I won’t be a free man once I’ve admitted my sins. But then again, maybe I will be.” He faded away.
“Does that always happen?” Akechi asked.
“Yes,” Ren said.
“And speaking of things that always happen,” Morgana said, “we need to get out of here before the palace collapses.” The thieves nodded.
Meanwhile, in the real world, in Shido’s office, he was surrounded by doctors. “So,” he said, “you’re telling me if I take this, I will kill those Phantom Thieves.”
“Well, there’s a chance,” one of the doctors said, “but…”
“But WHAT?!” Shido said.
“Your faculties will temporarily shut down,” the doctor said. “You’ll be dead temporarily.”
“That’s why I have YOU here!” Shido snapped. “To get me back up!”
“R-right…” the doctor said.
“If they succeed in stealing my treasure, we’ll all be as good as dead! Don’t forget that!” Shido swallowed the pill. “Heh. Those Phantom Thieves won’t know what hit them.” He slumped over, passing out.
The Phantom Thieves emerged from the elevator out of the Assembly Hall. There was a rumble. “Sounds like we got out just in time,” Haru noted. The ship tilted suddenly, throwing the thieves off-balance. “What was that?!”
“Is that normal?” Akechi asked.
“No!” Morgana said. “Something’s wrong!” The ship tilted some more
“Yeah, usually, it just falls apart,” Ryuji said.
“I wonder,” Futaba said. “Since Shido knows of cognitive psience, maybe he’s doing something from the outside to combat us.”
“Oh fuck,” Akechi said, realizing something. “I saw his doctors taking in a delivery of a pill that shuts down your nervous system for a bit.”
“What does that mean?” Ann said, as the ship threw them about some more.
“It means he’s temporarily killed himself,” Akechi answered.
“And I take it if he dies, even temporarily,” Sumire said, “we die too.”
“Precicely,” Akechi said.
Ren nodded. “Let's find a way out of here!” There was an explosion, and they could feel the ship start to sink. “And fast!” The thieves regained their footing, and bolted in whatever direction they could find.
“I know this ship inside, and out,” Akechi said, “Follow me!” Akechi took the lead, and the others followed his charge.
Sure enough, Akechi managed to navigate his way to an exit. “We’re almost there!” Makot called out.
“Not so FAST!” Eris screamed, appearing before them, blocking the exit.
“Eeep!” Futaba shrieked.
“My, what a chaotic scene,” Eris said.
“What do you want?!” Ren asked.
Eris pointed her blade at Akechi. “You violated the terms of our agreement. I told you I’d get my satisfaction, one way or another.”
“You want to fight NOW?!” AKechi responded. There was another explosion.
“You don’t get to get out of this!” Eris said.
“What do we do?” Sumire said.
Akechi looked around. “Everyone?! Do you trust me?!” There was a little hesitation, but Ren nodded. “Alright. Mona! Grab onto someone.” He took hold of Ren. "You got the treasure, Joker?" Ren nodded. Akechi nodded back. "Good!" He then focused himself, and then shot strings out of his hands, and tied up The Phantom Thieves.
“Hey, what’s the big idea?!” Ann shouted.
“I know Mona can break you guys out,” Akechi said. “But I will pull you out of the show, and then you can make your escape!”
“You can’t!” Lena protested.
“It’ll be easier for me to find a way out on my own!” Akechi said. “Like I said, I know the ship well. Are you ready?” The Thieves nodded. “Good.” He pulled the strings, and the others were sent flying about, out of the way of Eris.
“How noble,” Eris said. “Too bad you’ll never see them again!”
“We’ll see about that,” Akechi sneered. He bolted off in another direction.
The Phantom Thieves found themselves back in the theater. “That was a bumpy ride,” Makoto noted.
“Goro!” Lena exclaimed. She looked at the stage, and was horrified to see that the stage lights had gone out
“Let’s go,” Morgana instructed.
“Wait!” Lena protested. “What about Goro?!” One of the stage lights fell.
“I think this part of the palace is about to collapse as well,” Jose said.
“We have to go!” Morgana said.
“We can’t leave without Goro!” Lena shouted.
Ren came over, and placed her hands on her shoulders. “I know how you feel. But he asked us if we trust him. And we do, right?” More of the stage fell apart.
Lena nodded. “Right!” The Phantom Thieves ran, leaving the theater before it could collapse on them.
Once they were outside the Diet building, “Ryuji noted “Boy, that was a lot.”
“But we managed to steal Shido’s treasure,” Futaba noted. “And Akechi came around without us having to fight him!”
“But still…” Makoto said.
“Do you think we could wait for him out here?” Lena wondered.
“No such luck, I’m afraid,” Yusuke said, pointing out the patrolling guards. “I assume they’re on the lookout for us.”
“We better get out of here before that happens,” Haru said.
Lena frowned. “Hey,” Ren said. “I know it’s hard. Believe me. I’m worried about him too. But we just have to believe in him. And when he gets out, he’d be upset if we got caught, OK?”
“OK,” Lena replied.
“Good,” Ren nodded. “Now let’s scram!” The Phantom Thieves ran off into the night. Lena looked back once more, hoping to see Akechi on the horizon, but saw nothing. She steeled herself, and ran with the rest of her troupe.
P5R: Rebel Girl (A FeMC Story/P5R Rework)
Chapter 266: Come What May
Monday morning, oh her way to school, Ren got out her phone.
Ren: I think it’s about time we make our move.
Ryuji: HELL YEAH!
Ryuji: I’ve been waiting for this!
Futaba: I’m just about ready on my end too.
Futaba: I just need to put on some finishing touches.
Yusuke: How long will that take?
Futaba: Well, since I know we’re itching for it, I can have it done tonight.
Futaba: But I’d have to go into overdrive.
Yusuke: Well, we wouldn’t want you tuckered out for the assault now, would we?
Yusuke: I think it might be best to save it until tomorrow.
Ryuji: Aw man.
Ann: We’re still gonna do it.
Ryuji: I know, but I’ve been waiting for so long.
Makoto: You can wait one more day.
Haru: Besides, if we aren’t doing it right, it’s not worth doing.
Lena: I’m ready too!
Lena: We’re also confronting Goro, and I think we need to know where he stands once and for all!
Jose: Lena…
Lena: I’ll be fine.
Lena: Whatever happens, I’ll be fine.
Lena: I have all of you, right?
Jose: Right!
Sumire: And while Akechi is going to be there, our top priority is Shido.
Sumire: He’s been abusing the metaverse for over 2 years at this point. He’s going to have some dastardly tricks up his sleeve.
Jose: Right!
Jose: It’s time to stop his reign before it starts!
Jose: If we don’t win this, Japan, and maybe even the whole world, will fall to his whims.
Ren: Well, we aren’t about to let that happen.
Ren: Tomorrow after school, we’re meeting at Leblanc, and then confronting Shido head on.
Ren: Any last minute preparations you want to make, now’s your time.
Ren: Otherwise, I’ll meet you on the battlefield.
Ren looked up, and smirked. She knew that the time was fast approaching to take on Shido, and make their justice known to the world.
After school, Ren got a text.
Lena: You said to make some last minute preparations.
Lena: Well, I’d like to talk, if that’s alright with you.
Ren: Of course.
Ren: Anywhere in particular?
Lena: Let’s go to my place.
Ren: Alright.
Ren put her phone away, joined Lena in the halls, and the two of them left school, and headed for Lena’s house.
In her room, the two of them settled in, and Ren asked “So, what do you want to talk about? I mean, I have a guess.”
Lena smirked. “Yeah, it’s about Goro. Or at least, in part.” Ren was curious. “I think for a while I was kind of going where the wind took me, you know? But when you guys came in to save my host mom, I was kind of drawn in, but I decided to join you on your quest. For the first time, I decided to do something, not because I thought I’d be good at it, but because I wanted to try, even though I knew it’d be hard.
And a lot of things I like doing, such as drawing, or singing, I do those things because I like doing them, and I think I’m good at them. But in the face of adversity, I used to just clam up. Even coming to Japan I thought would be easy. But when that wasn’t the case, I just…shut off for a bit.
But after Goro, and you all came into my life, I started feeling like things were going well again. And then…well, you know…” She sighed. “But because of all of this, because of my time with you, I’ve started to learn to take charge of things.”
“Well, that’s nice to hear,” Ren said.
Lena giggled. She then grew serious. “I said I’ll be fine, and while that’s true, I didn’t promise I wouldn’t be upset. And I think letting myself feel that way is good in the long run, but it’s eating at me now. But that in it of itself is what’s motivating me.”
She clenched her first. “I want to save Goro with every fiber of my being. And I know it won’t be easy, but I want to save him more than anything. And if I can’t, well, like I said, I’ll be fine, but still upset. But I’ve learned that it’s better to try and fail than to not try at all. And it’s all thanks to you guys.” She smiled. “I just wanted to thank you. For everything.”
Ren smirked. “Well, it sounds like you’re all ready to go.”
“Well, now I am,” Lena said. “I just want to get that off my chest before we got into it.”
Ren nodded. “How do you feel now?”
Lena smiled. “Great.” Ren nodded back.
I am thou, thou art I
Thou hast turned a vow into a blood oath.
Thy bond shall become the wings of rebellion and break the yoke of thy heart.
Thou hast awakened to the ultimate secret of The Adjustment, granting thee infinite power…
Adjustment-Lena Minamoto: Rank 10
Inside Lena, a powerful force was manifesting itself. Her Persona, Belle-Rosa, was changing. Evolving. It flashed a bright light, and her persona grew alongside her, becoming Sigyn. Sigyn appeared as a figure made out of triangles in a black-and-white pattern, similar to Loki, but a bit more effeminate. She also had bright, golden hair, a golden tiara-like headband, and a green shawl around her shoulders, draping down her back, and was carrying a bowl.
This is it! A me worth fighting for!
The two of them hung out a bit longer, before Ren decided to head home for the night.
On her way, she got a call. “Hello?”
“Greetings once more,” Lavenza replied.
Ren smirked. “Let me guess: You wish to go somewhere?”
“Of course,” Lavenza replied. “But the location I wish to go to is not some random place in the sprawling city, but rather your room.”
Ren was confused. “My room?”
Lavenza giggled. “Of course. I want to see where you live.”
“Well, alright then, I’ll come get you, I guess,” Ren said.
“Please do,” Lavenza said, delighted. “I am eager to take this visit.”
Ren hung up, and headed down to Central Street to pick up Lavenza to take her to her room.
Sojiro was still at Leblanc, and Futaba was busy working on the Calling Card, so getting Lavenza in was easy. Once in the room, Ren exclaimed “Well, he’s my room.” She took a seat on her bed.
Lavenza took a look around. “Interesting…”
“See anything you like?” Ren said.
“I like the design sense,” Lavenza said. “It’s very you!”
Ren smirked. “Thanks.”
“But, if memory serves, you have not lived in this room for that long, correct?” Lavenza asked.
“That’s right,” Ren answered. “Before here, I was in the loft in Leblanc. And while it pales in comparison to this, I still have a fondness for it.”
Lavenza took a seat on the bed next to Ren. “And before that, you lived in another town entirely.”
“Yeah,” Ren said.
“How did you like life there?” Lavenza said.
“Eh,” Ren replied. “It was hit and miss.” She looked at Lavenza. “What are you getting at?”
“Hm hm,” Lavenza chuckled. “You’re on the precipice of taking on the person who is abusing the Metaverse, correct?”
“Right,” Ren nodded.
“I just think it’s nice to reflect on things in a moment like this,” Lavenza said. She pouted slightly. “For a while, I thought of myself as a failure.”
“How come?” Ren asked.
“While I wasn’t split in two in this timeline, it wasn’t due to anything I had done,” Lavenza said. “I thought I wasn’t strong enough.” She smiled. “But you taught me what strength was.”
Ren got a little embarrassed. “Well, to be honest, I don’t think I knew what strength was when I first met you either.”
Lavenza nodded. “But it was in forging our bond that we both learned what it was. And now we can both wield it effectively.”
Ren nodded. “I guess that’s true.”
Lavenza smirked. “I’ve learned a lot from you, and I hope to continue learning from you. But sometimes, we need to be reminded of certain things. The real reason that I wished to come here was to remind you of one of your human idioms. ‘Home is where the heart is.’
There may be a time where you leave this place too. But leaving isn’t a bad thing. It will be another step on your journey. And with the strength of your bonds, your journey can take you many places, so long as your heart remains strong. The paths you walked before give you the strength to walk the paths not yet taken. And I, like many others, will be there every step of the way.”
Ren smiled, and started tearing up a little. “That’s very beautiful, Lavenza.”
Lavenza nodded. “Thank you.” She leaned on Ren. “But I couldn’t have done it without you.”
Ren smiled, and gave Lavenza a hug from the side. “Same.”
I am thou, thou art I
Thou hast turned a vow into a blood oath.
Thy bond shall become the wings of rebellion and break the yoke of thy heart.
Thou hast awakened to the ultimate secret of The Strength, granting thee infinite power…
Strength-Lavenza: Rank 10
Once they finished hugging, Lavenza reminded Ren “You still have some big things to accomplish. After taking on this Shido person, you’ll have to take on Eris.”
“I know,” Ren said. “And trust me, I’ve been waiting for my chance. But I know we can do it. I’ve seen what we’re capable of, and I believe in us.”
Lavenza nodded. “Of course, I believe in you as well. But again, it makes sense to reflect on things.”
Ren nodded. “Of course. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome,” Lavenza said. Ren escorted Lavenza back to The Velvet Room, and then came back to her room, more motivated than ever.
"Hey," a voice called out from outside. Ren got up, and opened the door to reveal it was Morgana. "Do you mind if we share the bed tonight? I'm...a little nervous about tomorrow, and I think being with you would calm my nerves."
Ren smiled. "Of course. Come on in." The two of them got into Ren's bed. Ren hugged Morgana, and the two fell asleep. Ren knew she needed her rest for the next day’s excursion. Still, she never felt more ready.
P5R: Rebel Girl (A FeMC Story/P5R Rework)
Chapter 265: Clarity
Sunday evening, and Lena found herself in front of the Jazz Jin. She had promised herself she wasn’t going to return without Goro, but she felt compelled to come here. She hesitated for a moment, but eventually entered.
Upon entry, she was greeted by Muhen. “Oh. You’re Akechi’s girl. Lena, right?”
Lena nodded. “Yeah.”
“What brings you here?”
“It’s…complicated….” Lena responded.
“Do you wanna talk about it?” Muhen offered.
Lena shrugged. “I guess.”
Muhen smiled. “Well then, follow me.” He led her to a table. She took a seat. “To be honest, I had a feeling you might come here like this. Akechi told me you and him were on the outs.”
Lena sighed. “Yeah.”
“He wouldn’t tell me why,” Muhen explained.
“Mmmmm,” Lena groaned. “I don’t want to get specific. But he’s being a bit stubborn. Although, I was hiding a secret from him. But he was too, I suppose. Ugh.”
“I…guess that’s as much detail as I’m going to get,” Muhen responded.
“Believe me, I’d like to give you the full story, but….” Lena replied.
“Well, you don’t have to tell me,” Muhen said. “I’m sure you have your reasons.”
Lena smirked. “Thanks.”
Muhen nodded. “I told Akechi that whatever happens, you two need to talk, even if it ends in heartbreak. Laying it all out there is better than keeping things bottled up.”
Lena chuckled. “Ain’t that the truth.”
“Now, I don’t want you two to break up,” Muhen explained, “I’m just saying.”
Lena nodded. “Of course.” She sighed. “You know, I wasn’t planning on returning here until I made up with Goro.”
“Oh?” Muhen replied. “What made you change your mind?”
“Well…” Lena began. “Goro and I still talk. It’s not as often as it used to be, and it’s a little frustrating at times. But through those limited interactions, I think we are going to make it. But on the off chance we don’t, I want to see if I can move on.”
“I see,” Muhen replied. “How is it so far? Well, I guess us talking about him isn’t helping, is it.”
“Au contraire,” Lena responded. “Like you said, talking things out is helpful.”
Muhen smirked. “I stand corrected.”
“I mean,” Lena continued, “I imagine if things ended sourly, I might be feeling similar. Goro isn’t just a boyfriend to me. He’s the one who gave me courage. You may not know this, but when I first came here, things…didn’t go entirely smoothly. I was alone. Afraid. And then he showed up.
I know he can be a bit humble when it comes to his ‘Prince’ title, but that’s kind of what he was for me. Like a bold prince from a fairy tail, coming in to save me from the depths of sorrow, and despair. Hm hm. I know it seems childish, but…it really meant a lot to me.
However, our disagreement right now has threatened our relationship. I don’t want to break up with him, but if we can't fix this, we might have to. And it’s not that I couldn’t, or wouldn’t, fall in love again, but even if we were to go our separate ways, there would be no one in the world who could replace him as the person who gave me hope in a time where I had none.”
Muhen was stunned. “Well damn. I didn’t want to meddle too much, but after hearing all that, I wanna get you two back together pronto!”
Lena chuckled. “Thanks.
“Akechi does stop by here on occasion,” Muhen said. “Perhaps I could say something. Although, I might need a little more information.”
Lena thought about how to phrase the conflict without getting into the whole ‘Phantom Thieves’ thing. “I guess…if I had to explain the argument at a fundamental level, right now, I feel like he’s scared, and alone. And I’m trying to help him like he helped me, but he’s not accepting it, even though I think he knows he needs it too.”
“Hm,” Muhen nodded. “Well, the thing you need to understand about is that he has been alone, and afraid. That’s his natural state. He’s had help, certainly, but he’s more used to working on his own. If he feels like he can do something by himself, he’d probably move Heaven and Earth to do it before asking for help.”
Lena sighed. “I can’t say I know that much about Goro’s past. From what I do know, I know it wasn’t easy. But I’d hope…I’d hope that if he loved me as much as I loved him, he’d realize he doesn’t need to be alone anymore. I know he’s used to it, but it should be easier with someone else. That’s what he taught me, anyway.”
“I see…” Muhen remarked. “If I see him, I’ll tell him.”
“Thanks,” Lena said. “Oh, also, um, could you tell him to keep an eye out for things. It’s just, um, there’s going to be some movement in a case he’s been working on, and, um, I think it’s pertinent that he knows.”
Muhen nodded. “I’ll get that to him. Now, is there anything I can get you?”
Lena smiled. “A drink would be nice.”
“On it,” Muhen said. He left the table. When Lena wasn’t looking, he made his way around a corner to find a silently sobbing Akechi. “I take it you heard all of that?” Akechi nodded. “You wanna go talk to her?”
He looked up. “Not quite yet. I think I need to wait a little longer…”
Muhen groaned. “Very well. But I’m going to draw the line. If you don’t speak with her by the 20th, you need to find someplace else to hide from the people threatening your case. I want you to be a couple again by Christmas. Or, Heaven forbid, if you do end things with her, at least make sure she knows so she's not waiting.”
Akechi had told him that some people were trying to disrupt a case he was working on , and he wasn’t safe at home. And while that was true in a sense, the scope of the people hunting him was a little bigger than he let on. Still, if Lena was saying to keep an eye on things, he knew that the time to sort this out was when The Phantom Thieves made their move on Shido, and it sounded like that moment was very close. “Of course Muhen. And thanks. Apparently, I should start saying that more.”
Muhen smirked. “Your relationship with me is different from your relationship with her. I don’t mind you keeping things from me, but you need to understand that being in a relationship like that requires constant work. If you give yourself to someone like that, you need to give them all of you. Secrets and lies are the rot of a functional relationship.”
Akechi nodded. “Thanks, Muhen. Now, can I go back to wallowing in my mistakes?”
Muhen nodded. “I should get Miss Lena her drink.” Muhen went to serve Lena, while Akechi kept on crying.
