"Niijima-san, do you remember when I told you about how someone leaked my criminal record to my entire school?"
"I did." she nodded. "Are you saying that they were a confidant as well? Your informant?"
"Yeah, I am." he answered. "And like I said, he was physically abused by Kamoshida, and was forced by him to leak my record."
"So he was another victim." she said. "At this rate, your school should really hire a counselor or something. Who knows, they could end up being a new confidant for you."
"Yeah, like that would ever happen." he scoffed.
"Well, in any case, I suppose you could start by telling me what your informant is like and how they got requests."
"Ok." he replied. "I can do that, although…"
"What is it?" she asked.
"Before we begin, I want to let you know that, while the two of us are friends now… there were… some rough patches." he admitted.
"Interesting…" she said. "Please elaborate."
"Of course, Niijima-san."
He was currently hanging out with Mishima, as he said he had something important to tell him.
While Mishima had been an informant for them for a few months, he hadn't really hung out with him that much.
"Hey, Mishima… what are we doing here again?"
"Oh, the two of us are going to be meeting some Phangirls!"
"Phangirls?" he repeated.
"Yeah!" Mishima said. "Every thief needs to have a pretty lady by their side, right?"
"I've never heard of that…" he muttered.
"O-Oh." Mishima responded. "Well, I'm sure it's an actual thing."
"Wait, you didn't tell them I was a Phantom Thief, did you?!" he hissed.
"N-No, of course not!" Mishima said. "As far as they know, we're just other members of the Phandom."
"The… Phandom?"
"Yeah! The Phanbase for the Phantom Thieves." Mishima beamed. "It's important to interact with your fans."
He was starting to have a really bad feeling about this...
"But they don't know that I'm a Phantom Thief." he pointed out.
"Well…" Mishima muttered. "I was hoping that it would be… more like a date.
"A… date?" he asked, bewildered.
"Yeah, I've put in plenty of research." Mishima stated. "I know all about footing the bill, getting dessert, and if you do really well, you can even t-t-take her home."
He sighed, not even sure how to respond.
"I… I don't… look, I thought that this would be something important." he groaned. "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner!?"
"This is important!" Mishima persisted. "I didn't think you'd mind a double date."
"I'm… already taken." he muttered.
"R-Really?!" Mishima gasped. "I didn't… well, um… so have you brought her back to your place yet?"
"W-We're getting off topic!"
Suddenly, Mishima's cellphone rang.
"Oh, that must be them!" Mishima said excitedly.
Mishima quickly answered the phone, and while he only caught bits and pieces, Mishima's dejected face said it all.
"Oh." Mishima muttered. "I guess they both happened to get sick. On the same day."
"Right…" he murmured. "What a coincidence."
"Hey, you think Futaba would be willing to meet with me again?"
"Futaba?" he muttered darkly. "That's a very familiar way of referring to her."
"Oh… then maybe Futaba-chan?" he asked.
"Still too familiar."
"O-Oh." Mishima stammered. "I guess… that our conversation didn't go that well…"
He remembered the conversation that the two of them had. Futaba had wanted to learn about her generation, and talk to someone her age. They ended up meeting Mishima at a diner.
It was… a very awkward situation to sit through.
Maybe he was being biased, but it felt like Futaba, who had been a shut-in for years, still had more social grace than Mishima in that instance.
"But you seem to know her. What are her hobbies?" Mishima asked.
"Games, anime, just… computer things in general." he answered.
"Oh, so, she's a gamer!" Mishima said excitedly. "Wow, this whole time I thought she was one of those… racy camgirls… Kek."
Ren's eye twitched, and his fists clenched.
"Hehehe… I wonder if she'd like me if I told her about how I run the Phansite. Maybe the two of us could-"
"That's my little sister you're talking about, Mishima." he interrupted, his tone stone cold.
He did his best to imitate his girlfriend's signature glare.
He had asked her about it, and apparently, she got it from her sister, who got it from their dad.
It was like a secret technique passed from generation to generation.
So, he dubbed it the Niijima Death Glare… much to his girlfriend's chagrin.
And judging from Mishima's expression, it seemed to have passed to him just fine.
"Now I understand why Boss was so wary of guys flirting with her." he thought.
"I-I didn't know!" he stammered. "I'm sorry!"
He made some kind of noise.
It was… something in between a whine and a shriek.
He didn't know how to describe it, only that it was very-Mishima like.
He saw Mishima hang his head in disappointment.
"Hey, can you be honest with me?" Mishima muttered.
"About what?" he wondered.
"Do you think I'm cool?" muttered the informant. "It seems like I don't have a lot of friends."
He scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
Even if he was a little awkward, he was helpful, and a friend, so he didn't want to kick him while he was down.
"C-Come on, Mishima." he stammered. "You've got plenty of friends. Like Ryuji, and me, and… um… Ryuji?"
Mishima's expression only grew sadder.
"W-Wait, wait, wait!" he insisted. "The, um… the other thieves are really fond of you."
He immediately perked up.
"Really?!"
"Yeah, they really like you, and say you're a great ally." he said.
"I don't." Morgana muttered from his bag.
*Smack*
"Yeowch!"
"Um… do you hear a cat meowing?" Mishima asked.
"Nope!"
Mishima stood up a little straighter, proud of himself.
"You're right. I'm not an NPC! I'm not a zero!" Mishima insisted. "I'm the MVP! I'm the reason that the Phantom Thieves have gotten this far!"
That was a bit much...
"Is that so…" he muttered, his eyes narrowing.
"Of course it is!" Mishima said. "Look at how popular you guys are, thanks to the Phansite!"
Mishima showed him the Phansite, and he looked at some of the comments.
Who's the next target going to be?!
I've been waiting for this!
The Phantom Thieves already stole my heart.
#AkechiDidNothingWrong
#AkechiDidEverythingWrong
Who needs the police, lol.
Plz don't troll Akechi-kun online.
Think there are any girls in the group?"
If there are, I hope they're thicc as thieves.
Kamoshida? More like Kamoshithead!
"Those… are definitely comments." he finally said.
"Yeah!" Mishima cheered. "Because of my hard work, the Phantom Thieves are super popular now! And one day I'll grow popular to!"
"Just… don't overdo it, ok." he cautioned.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine!" he insisted. "I'll keep supporting you guys no matter what!"
"Well…" he muttered. "I was angry at him at first, but when I learned why he leaked my record, I softened up to him, and we started hanging out."
She nodded, urging him to continue.
"He's… well, he kinda reminded me of myself before I came to Tokyo." he stated. "He was passive, socially awkward, and quiet."
"I'm quite surprised that you went through such a sudden change in less than a year." she stated.
"My life… felt aimless for a long time." he admitted. "I was just some random guy in some small town in the middle of nowhere. I felt like I was never really going to amount to anything, so I never really put more than the bare minimum amount of effort into... well, anything. Studies, social interactions… I didn't even have a clue what I wanted to do with my life. I was just a shy, awkward kid myself."
"What changed, then?" she asked.
"Obtaining my powers, gaining fire-forged friends, and being trust into a position of leadership… I think it really inspired me to better myself." he reminisced. "To become someone that people can rely on. Someone they can go to in a time of need. Someone they can look up to."
"Those are good traits in a leader, I admit." Sae said.
"And… he's changed too." he smiled. "He's a lot more confident than he used to be, and he's no longer afraid to speak out. He's… He's got a good heart."
"Ok, but how did he get all of these requests for you?" she asked.
"Well… Niijima-san, have you ever heard of the Phansite?"
"So… people put requests on this Phansite, your confidant vetted them, and then he sent them to you."
"Yeah. The requests were sent to us by Phanboys and Phangirls… with a ph, not an f."
"Is that seriously what you called them?" she doubted.
"Well, that's what he called them." he chuckled. "Honestly, the fact that we were so popular at one point is still kinda overwhelming to me."
"Well, at the very least, it seems like you were telling the truth when you said you don't care about fame." she admitted. "A lot of the targets you got from requests must have been rather small time compared to your major targets."
"Yeah, this is where all the non-major targets came from." he said. "Well, besides the ones that came from confidants."
"Did you ever get a request from him specifically?"
He sighed, leaning his head back and running his hand through his hair.
"That's a story and a half, Niijima-san." he recalled.
"I'm not going anywhere." she said. "Tell me."
"He was… a good guy at first." he told her. "Sometimes he was a little embarrassing to be around, but a good guy. Well, he did kinda piss me off one time…"
"What did he do?" she asked.
"He was flirting… well, ok, trying to flirt… with my little sister!"
According to Ryuji, that was a severe violation of the bro code.
Sae closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"Is she going to slam the table again?" he worriedly thought.
"How dare he…"
"Huh?"
"How dare he flirt with your little sister!" Sae spat.
He breathed a sigh of relief, realizing she was on his side.
"I know right?" he agreed. "To be fair, he didn't know it at the time, but still… like… he's kinda a pervert. Like, he was all for the maid service until he realized it was a teacher at our school."
"Well, he is a teenage boy." she sighed. "He said something stupid, didn't he?"
"He thought she was… was… some lewd camgirl!" he complained. "All she did was say that she was on the internet a lot!"
*SLAM*
"He did what?!" she cried.
"Urgh…" he moaned, ears ringing.
She quickly rose her hands from the table, looking somewhat bashful.
"O-Oh, my apologies." she said. "That slam wasn't meant for you."
"It's… fine." he muttered. "It's just… she's a little naive and sheltered, you know? So I worry about her sometimes. Us big siblings need to look after our little sisters, right?"
And then, he saw what he thought must be a truly rare sight.
A sight that seemed so alien, so bizarre.
A sight that he wondered if it even existed before.
Sae Niijima
The Sae Niijima
Was smiling.
"Yes, I suppose we do."
He pinched himself to ensure that he wasn't hallucinating.
Satisfied that he wasn't, he allowed himself to relax a little.
"My sister is the same. I told her that if she decides to pursue a romantic partner, it should be someone intelligent, diligent, and most importantly, reliable." she stated. "So, if she were to ever get a boyfriend, it would definitely be someone like that."
"Aww, thanks Niijima-san."
"Thanks for what?" she said, eyebrow raised.
"Damn it, I said that out loud, didn't I?" he thought.
While he always had a joke or quip at the ready, he also had a verbal filter for when he knew he shouldn't say what he was thinking out loud.
A verbal filter that was much, much, weaker right now, due to his current state.
"Too relaxed, too relaxed you idiot!" he mentally berated himself.
"Oh, um… for indulging me whenever I go slightly off topic." he muttered. "Helps me keep calm."
"That's why I bother." she said.
"That was a way too close!" he thought.
"Why don't we get back to the original topic." the prosecutor said. "About the request he made."
"Well…" he murmured. "I suppose it started… when he started getting more extreme."
"He accepted the donations from your fans, and he considered using them on a buffet." she summarized.
"He ended up returning them in the end, not wanting to use the donations for personal benefit." he recalled. "But he said that it would make us look even better to our fans if we returned the money."
"Sounds like he didn't exactly have the purest of intentions." she accused.
"I… no, Niijima-san, he didn't." he agreed. "But I didn't notice until it was too late."
"Too late?" she questioned.
"There were a couple of kids who bullied him." he answered. "Called him a 'zero'. And, because of constantly being put down by others, and being called a 'zero'... I think he became obsessed with trying to become popular through the Phantom Thieves."
"Can you give me some examples of his behavior then?" she asked.
"He wanted us to go after this actor. Said that the public hated him." he explained. "But when public opinion on him turned, he called it off, saying he didn't want the popularity of the Phantom Thieves to suffer because we targeted someone popular."
"But I suppose how well liked your targets were didn't matter to you." she assumed. "Madarame, for example, was quite well liked by the public before his confession."
"That's right." he confirmed. "Also, he was threatening people who didn't believe in or approved of the Phantom Thieves, saying they would be our next target. Finally, they wanted us to change the heart of his bully."
"It sounds like he was starting to use the Thieves to fulfill his personal agenda."
"That's the conclusion that I came to as well." he nodded.
"... I must admit, I'm not sure how the story could go from here." she confessed. "Did you change the heart of the actor? The bully? Or perhaps the people on the Phansite who didn't believe in your cause?"
He shook his head. "None of those, Niijima-san."
"Then…?"
"The person whose heart we changed… was my confidant himself."
If not for Mishima, they might have never came up with the idea of changing Sae's heart without stealing her treasure.
That plan was itself inspired by how Futaba had managed to overcome her own despair, and accepted her Persona, even while her palace was still intact.
So it was possible to change someone's heart without taking their treasure.
Assuming, of course, that said person was willing to change.
"I thought you said you didn't change his heart." she countered.
"I said we didn't change his heart because he leaked my record, not that we didn't change it at all." he clarified.
"Fine, but… he was a high schooler like yourself, correct?"
"Yeah…" he admitted. "We had a few targets that were high school or college aged."
"Still, I'm curious why most of your targets were adults."
"Again, I have nothing against adults, but think about our targets." he said. "A teacher, a famous artist, a Yakuza boss, a notorious hacker, the president of a company, and a prosecutor. Now, realistically, how many of these positions do you think could be held by a minor?"
She figured that he did have a point.
People in positions of power had the potential to cause the most harm out of everyone, should they be corrupt. And children generally didn't hold positions of power.
"Fair enough." she said. "It's just… to think that you would change the heart of your own ally..."
"It was a tough decision." he admitted. "But if we didn't do anything now, who knows what he would have done. He was already threatening people..."
"That seems a bit preemptive." she commented.
"You would think." he said. "But this operation was… a bit unorthodox."
He had gathered the team together to discuss Mishima's actions.
Mishima attempting to get them to change someone's heart for his own benefit had been the final straw.
But even then... Mishima was their ally. His friend. To change his heart would be a tough decision.
"I'm not saying bullying is ok, but we shouldn't change someone's heart just for a few insults." Ann declared. "Between this and that actor… is Mishima-kun taking advantage of us?"
"Do not forget that he has also threatened those who spoke ill of us on the forum with change of hearts." Yusuke brought up. "Perhaps he is the one who should have a change of heart."
"Hold on!" Ryuji yelled. "What the hell are you saying, man?! Sure, Mishima can be a little weird sometimes, but he's not a bad guy."
"Was he not the one who leaked Ren's criminal record?" Yusuke pointed out.
"T-That's only because Kamoshida forced him to!" Ryuji defended.
Kamoshida.
Once again, it all came back to him.
What had happened due to him was a tragedy.
But it was tragedy that had brought them all together.
They all knew tragedy. They had all suffered.
Perhaps that was what made Ryuji defend Mishima. They had both suffered by Kamoshida's hand.
"What should we do?" Ann questioned. "Mishima-kun hasn't actually committed some terrible crime yet, but if we leave him how he is…"
"Mishima-kun is our friend." Haru muttered. "How could this have happened?"
"I… hope it wasn't what I said to him." Futaba muttered, a sullen look on her face.
Sensing Futaba's distress, he quickly moved to shift the blame.
"No, Futaba… it was probably my fault." he muttered. "There were signs he was slowly changing… if I had noticed, then maybe I could have done something."
"Well… it's not your fault you didn't notice." Morgana mentioned. "Some people just don't like to talk about their problems until it's too late…"
"Mona-chan…" Haru whispered.
A tense and sorrowful atmosphere had taken over the group. Everyone was unsure how to go about this situation...
"Alright, alright, that's enough playing the blame game, guys."
Everyone looked towards Ryuji, who had stood up to address the group.
"Look, we don't even know if his heart needs to stolen yet." he told them. "And if it does… then we'll do what we have to do."
It was strange. He looked reluctant, yet determined at the same time.
"He's right." Makoto agreed. "We need to find his shadow in Mementos, and then decide what to do from there."
It seemed like a good compromise. They wouldn't have to make a decision until they saw his shadow.
"Judging from the way he was acting, though, we probably will have to act." Morgan assumed. "He was definitely letting all the fame and popularity get to his head."
He heard Ryuji curse under his breath, hanging his head in shame.
"I… guess let all the fame and shit get to my head, too." Ryuji muttered. "But I had you there for me to confide to, Ren. So, maybe all he needs is a friend to talk to."
A friend to talk to...
His eyes widened, an idea coming to him.
"Ryuji, you're a genius!" he yelled.
The others looked at him, surprised by his outburst.
"For real?!" Ryuji exclaimed. "No, wait, I mean hell yeah I am!
"Joker, are you ok?" Morgana asked, concerned. "Did you hit you head recently or something?"
"Quiet, cat!" Ryuji snapped. "Ren just called me a genius, that's all! I don't know why, but he did!"
"If you actually were a genius, you would know, bonehead." Morgana countered. "There's a reason your codename is Skull, not Brain."
"Screw you, cat!"
"Enough!" Makoto scolded. "Stop arguing you two."
"But he started it!" They both shouted.
"I don't care who started it." she said. "I'm finishing it."
She turned towards him and nodded.
"What were you about to say, Ren?"
"I would rather not fight any of my friends if I can help it." he admitted. "So maybe… even if his heart needs to be changed, maybe we can just talk to his shadow."
"I… suppose that could work." Morgana said.
"It'd be like with me." Futaba recalled. "I was able to accept myself and gain my Persona even when my palace was still around."
"I'm not sure if he would have a Persona." Yusuke mentioned. "But perhaps it could work either way."
"It'll definitely work!" Ryuji claimed. "I mean, people change all the time, even without people like us."
"If there's a way we can help without having to fight our friends… then I want to try that." Haru agreed.
Everyone turned towards Makoto, the only one yet to voice her agreement.
"Mishima… he's certainly not as far gone as the other targets we've had." she pointed out.
He noticed that her hands were clenched into fits. Despite her voice sounding calm, she was anything but.
"Mako-chan?" Haru questioned. "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine." she said. "I want to see if this will work."
Haru didn't exactly look convinced, but she dropped the issue.
"All right, let's get going!" Ryuji yelled.
The others quickly got up and left one by one, until it was only him and Makoto.
As she moved to get up, however, he placed his hand atop her fist.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"I said I'm fine." she insisted.
Did she doubt the plan?
"Do you really think it's possible?" he whispered. "Someone with distorted desires changing on their own?"
A sullen look crossed her face and her eyes looked towards the floor.
"I hope so… if they can, then maybe..."
"Makoto…?
She shook her head, and forced a smile.
"It's nothing." she said. "We should catch up with the others."
He understood as soon as she got up. Quickly, he grabbed her hand before she could walk away.
"Ren, what are you-"
"Did your sister say anything?"
She instantly stopped struggling, and turned to face him.
"What happened, Makoto?"
She simply laughed at his question.
But it was completely hollow, devoid of any happiness.
"Nothing happened." she responded. "She didn't say anything."
He frowned, and was about to respond before she continued.
"She never says anything to me anymore…"
She looked away from him.
He briefly wondered why until he saw a few tears drip into the floor.
"Makoto…" he trailed off. "I…why won't she talk to you? What happened?"
"She has a palace, Ren!" she blurted out.
Instantly, he understood the situation.
It was far worse than he imagined.
Quickly, he texted Ryuji and told him that Makoto and him would meet them at the station.
He guided Makoto over to the couch, and sat her down.
"I'm here for you, Makoto." he expressed.
Slowly, he began to pull her into a hug, giving her ample time to refuse if she wanted to.
She didn't.
He brought her closer to him, and, unable to hold it in anymore, she started bawling into his chest.
He was surprised that she had held on this long, after months of her relationship with her sister growing more and more strained.
Gently, he rubbed at her back as her bawling eventually receded into quiet sobs.
When she had completely quieted down, she looked at him.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.
"Yes." she answered. "But… can we stay like this while he talk?"
"Of course." he smiled. "Whatever you need."
She took a few moments to compose herself before speaking.
"I've known for a while." she confessed. "I'm sorry I didn't bring it up, but…"
"It's fine." he said. "Things have been really hectic lately. We're all so stressed out."
"Sis had been very stressed lately too." she whimpered. "I was thinking… that it's my fault."
"Makoto…"
He mentally chided himself for thinking that it would be so simple.
That simply comforting her would be enough.
Makoto, even in her most emotional moments, was still a logically minded person.
So, he would need to give her a logical reason why her fears were unfounded, or at the least, convince her that she was not at fault.
"You didn't choose to be in your position." he explained. "You didn't choose for it to just be you and your sister."
"I know, but sis had been having trouble at work lately, and I think it might be partly due to us."
"You don't regret joining us, do you?" he asked.
"Never." she quickly replied. "We needed to do something about Kaneshiro, or else more people would have suffered."
"Well there you go." he said. "The police were struggling to catch him, so we took action. If we didn't, more people would have suffered. And after that… she tried harassing Boss about the situation with Futaba, but we both know that he would never have abused her."
"Yes… of course." she agreed. "We had to help Futaba, even if it inconvenienced sis. But even still, I feel like there has to be more that I can do for her."
"But she's always telling you to focus exclusively on your studies." he countered. "And you want yourself to study hard as well. You want to study hard, get into a good university, and land your dream job, right?"
"Yes, that's true…"
"So I don't see the issue." he told her. "If that's what you both want, then you shouldn't feel bad. I understand that your sister is stressed, but ultimately, we're responsible for our own actions."
She considered his words for a few moments before a smile graced her face.
A sign that she had acknowledged his point.
"In that case, then you shouldn't blame yourself for what happened to Mishima-kun, even if he does need to have his heart changed."
"Guess so." he smiled. "Do you want to…?
"Change my sister's heart?" she finished. "I… I don't know. I know it's not our fault, but if what happened to Haru's father happened to sis, I-"
"You don't need to decide right away." he assured her. "We won't go after her unless we all agree to do so. I'm not going to let the team split apart again."
"Thank you." she said. "I just need a little more time."
He nodded, placing a soft kiss on her forehead before releasing her.
"Are you good to go to Mementos?" he asked. "You can sit out if you aren't feeling up to it."
"I'm alright. I'm feeling much better after getting that off my chest. Still, we need to be careful. We hasn't tried something like this before." she pointed out. "I don't know Mishima-kun that well, but is there anything I can do to help?"
He thought it over for a bit, until he thought of a devilish idea that only a master trickster could think of.
"Well, maybe you could give me a kiss for luck." he joked.
"H-Huh?"
Her face had quickly turned as red as a tomato, and she started frantically looking around the room.
As cute as his girlfriend looked, he didn't want to pressure her, especially after she had just gone through such an emotional moment.
"Sorry, I was just teasing to lighten the mood." he admitted. "I know that you're really stressed, so please don't feel like you have to-"
He wasn't able to finish his sentence, however.
Because Makoto had captured his lips with her own.
It was a quick, chaste kiss, but he couldn't help the goofy grin from appearing on his face.
"Um… do you feel any luckier?" she whispered.
"I feel like the luckiest guy in the world." he beamed.
She shook her head, giving him a playful tap on the shoulder.
"Sweet talker." she laughed.
"Hey, but seriously, let me know if I ever make you uncomfortable, ok?" he asked.
"It's quite the opposite." she replied. "I feel much more at ease now, thanks to you. Now, let's catch-up with the others."
"Lead the way, Makoto."
The journey to Mishima's shadow had been mostly uneventful. Only a few other shadows got in their way, and they were quickly dispatched.
As soon as they entered Mishima's chamber in Mementos, however, he could practically feel a wave of despair pass over them. Maybe it was his nerves, or maybe the atmosphere truly did grow darker and more oppressive.
And in the center of the chamber was Mishima's shadow, coated in a foul aura.
"Are you the Phantom Thieves?" Mishima asked. "Hahahaha! Why are you coming after me, after everything I've done for you?!"
He had held a tiny bit of hope that Mishima would be fine, but listening to his shadow had shattered that hope.
"All you guys had to do was shut up and listen to me! Then your popularity would have skyrocketed, and mine would have as well! Then I won't be a zero."
"We ain't doin' this to be popular!" Skull yelled.
"The reason we're doing this is to help people like you and Shiho!" Panther added.
Paying close attention to Mishima's shadow, he saw that Mishima faltered at their words.
It was only for a moment, but it was enough.
"I want to speak to your leader." the shadow demanded. "The rest of you losers get out of here."
The other's expressions quickly turned to shock.
He turned to them and nodded.
"I'll handle this."
"Are you sure, Joker?" Queen asked.
"I'll call if I need you guys." he replied. "Don't worry."
"Aggro tank." Futaba grumbled.
They all complied, however, a silent message being shared between them as he watched them leave.
Change his heart.
He turned back towards Mishima's shadow.
"This is your fault, Ren." he accused. "Before you came into the picture, I accepted my lot in life. I embraced the fact that I was a zero that would just be pushed around for my entire life.
He took off his mask, seeing as Mishima knew his identity. Hopefully, it would make it easier for Mishima to trust him.
"But then came the Phantom Thieves!" the shadow ranted. "And everything changed! You just had to get close to me! Inspire me! Make me think I could do more! This is finally my time to be in the spotlight!"
"Is that really what you want?" he asked.
"I… I don't know." he admitted. "But I have to try! I have to become popular!
"Mishima… is that really popularity?" he asked. "The public doesn't know who we are. Even if everyone loved the Phantom Thieves, that doesn't mean they'd like you or me."
"T-That doesn't matter!" Mishima stammered.
"I think it does." he disagreed. "If you want to know why I become close to you… it's because you're my friend."
"W-What?!"
"Mishima, I get it. As soon as I got here, I was branded a criminal, and had everyone spreading rumors about. That still happens even now. And I could have accepted that, but I didn't."
"What are you talking about?" the shadow muttered.
"When I just got my powers, I thought I could make a difference too." he said. "But I wanted to use my powers to help people. But even though I wasn't doing it for popularity, I've still gained a lot of people who are dear to me. And if I can do that, then so can you.
"Why are you telling me this?!" Mishima yelled. "Aren't you going to change my heart?!"
He shook his head, putting his mask back on. "You're strong, Mishima. And you're definitely not a zero. That's why I think you can change your own heart by yourself."
He didn't look back, even as Mishima had called for him.
"But I… need the Phantom Thieves… don't I?"
"It had been a risky move, but in the end, it worked out." he answered. "My confidant had a natural change of heart."
"A natural change of heart?" the prosecutor repeated.
"We went down into Mementos, talked to his shadow, and his real self understood that he had been using us for his own gain, so he changed his own heart." he recalled. "He also changed the Phansite into a safe haven for people who are afraid to speak up, like he had been before."
"That's… very interesting." she finally said. "Is the story over then, or…?
"There's a bit more…"
"So, the bully from before was getting beaten up by these two guys." he recollected. "The two guys were part of a gang that was known for extortion. They even threatened his girlfriend."
"Did you fight them off?" the prosecutor wondered.
"No, my confidant scared them off by saying he had recorded the entire confrontation, saying that he'd call the police."
"That was certainly brave of him." she noted.
"He told me that the entire time, he was thinking about what I would do in that situation." he said. "It was kinda flattering, to be honest."
"Well, you did mention that you wanted to be someone that people look up to." she pointed out.
"Yeah, I guess so." he said. "He realized that he didn't need to have powers to be a hero, and that heroes fight for others, not for fame or personal gain."
"Fight for others…" she mused. "Could that really be his goal?"
"He said he was going to make a documentary on our exploits." he said. "He hoped that it would inspire others to speak out against injustice, and to give them the courage to change their own hearts, just like we did for him."
"Speak out against injustice, huh?" she muttered.
"Niijima-san?"
"Can people really change their hearts like that on their own…" she asked, a far off look in her eye."
"They can." he nodded, a smile on his face. "But sometimes, they need a little help."
She pondered over his words, lost in thought.
And then…
She heard a voice in her head.
"Please… you have to think back to the feelings you had when you first wanted to be a prosecutor."
It was… her sister's voice.
"Makoto…?" she whispered.
"Niijima-san, are you alright?" he asked.
"I'm… fine." she responded. "I just need a minute to stretch."
She got up from seat, doing just that.
"Probably a good idea." he mentioned. "We just hit the halfway mark. 9 done, and 8 to go."
She nodded. "Excellent. We're making good time."
"You know, I actually acted as an anonymous informant myself." he recalled. "Like the confidant I just discussed with you."
"To who?" she asked.
"A journalist." he answered. "I gave her info on the Phantom Thieves for her articles. I guess I'll tell about her next."
"Do you need to stretch first?" she asked. "We've been sitting for awhile."
"Sure."
As soon as he tried to stand, however, he found himself flinching in pain, and quickly sat back down.
"What's wrong?" she wondered.
"My leg… it really hurts."
"Weren't you doing poses earlier?" she asked.
"I was putting all my weight on my right leg." he muttered. "It's my left leg that hurts."
"Can you… put any weight on it at all?" she asked.
"A bit." he answered. "But I think it'd be better if I didn't right now."
"Please don't tell me they broke your leg." she muttered.
"I don't know." he said. "When I refused to sign the confession they handed to me, the policeman stomped on my leg until I signed it."
It was concerning, but he figured if he could change the heart of whoever was in charge of this conspiracy, they would admit to framing the Phantom Thieves, and forcing a confession out of him.
Sae sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Are you serious?" she said in disbelief.
"No matter how I look at it… that's coercion." she mused. "That's… injustice."
What the hell were they thinking?! If it got out that they had coerced his confession…
"Is there… anything else?" she hesitantly asked.
"Besides the bruising?" he nervously laughed. "Because I'd rather not strip off my clothes to show you them all."
She kept quiet, not knowing how to respond.
"Sorry." he muttered. "I don't mean to make you uncomfortable. I… um… I'm feeling a little uncomfortable too."
Slowly, he rolled up his sleeves, and showed her his wrists…
And how they were lacerated, and covered in a layer of dried blood.
The police said that he was actually pretty cooperative when they managed to capture him.
Those lacerations would make sense if he was constantly struggling in the handcuffs, but he wasn't…
Unless they had made the handcuffs excessively tight.
"Listen." she addressed. "I think it's safe to say that, at the very least, you had good intentions with your Phantom Thievery."
"Thank you, Niijima-san." he said. "I want to believe you have good intentions as well."
Did she have good intentions?
The only reason she pursued Kaneshiro and Sakura-san was for the purpose of winning. Of getting a promotion.
Even now, she was pursuing the Phantom Thieves for the sole purpose of making a name for herself.
Did she really not care at all for the victims? For the daughter of Sakura-san?
"But these aggressive investigations? Twisting the truth for your own personal gain…?"
Her sister's voice again.
But when had she said these things? Where had she said these things?
She clearly remembered her sister saying these things to her, so why couldn't she remember the when and where?
Could it have been in her palace? To her shadow self?
But that was impossible… the boy had said that there wasn't a cognitive version of Makoto in her palace.
She looked at the boy.
His head faced the ground, no longer bothering to hide his bloodied wrists.
"Do you still trust me?" she asked.
He looked up, a serious expression on his face.
"With my life."
"With his life…" she thought.
That was odd. They had only seen each other a few times before.
And yet, he had practically begged her not to leave him alone.
He said it was because of the police, but…
He did say that someone was trying to kill him…
But also said that the drug made him think that…
The moment she had heard the details of the boy's arrest, she had a strange feeling about this case.
Normally, she would trust her intuition, but she put it aside, devoting herself solely to proving the boy guilty, and discovering who is fellow Thieves are.
But now, she couldn't ignore her intuition anymore, and it was telling her that something was very, very wrong here.
"Think about your justice, sis."
Her sister's voice once again echoed in her head.
Her justice…
Was it even possible for her to reclaim something she had willingly discarded long ago…?
Then again… the boy had just told her about how his confidant had overcome his distorted desires and changed his own heart.
How he no longer desired fame and making a name for himself, but instead…
To help people in need.
It was possible that she was just allowing herself to indulge in a childish fantasy, but...
And maybe she could change too.
But did she even want to?
Well, if she did, then maybe all she needed...
"Try to remember… how you used to be…"
Was a little help.
"Ren Amamiya."
"Y-Yeah?" he hesitantly asked.
"Until you or the evidence has given me reason to do otherwise…"
She didn't know where this path would take her, but for now, she would trust her instinct.
"I will trust in you as well."
He smiled at her, grateful to have earned her trust.
And she smiled back.
Your Judgement Confidant has increased to Rank 5!