Chapter 24: TV Station
6/5 Sunday
Kagura's POV
We were in our hideout, looking at the giant TV in one of the buildings of Shibuya in the Central Street. The news was on and they show Madarame on the screen he was giving a press conference and right there you could see him about to cry. He had a lot of microphones in front of him. People on the street stop and look at the giant TV once Madarame appears on it.
"I... I have committed crimes that are unbecoming of an artist" He said. "Plainly put... I, um... plagiarized work... I-I... tainted this... this country's art world... and... even "Sayuri"...!" Madarame starts crying in front of the camera. It was a little difficult for me to watch because it felt so weird seeing an old man crying, but when i remember what he has done... He deserves it... "H-How could I... I possibly... apologize to- to everyone for... for what I've done... Aaaah...!" Madarame keeps crying and I smile victoriously.
"He had it coming..." I said.
"... And that was from the urgent apology conference by Madarame that took place just a moment ago" The Newscaster said. "After reporting to the association, Madarame has agreed to the police's request to turn himself in. On top of charges of abuse to his pupils, Madarame is under suspicion of claiming their works as his own. Some doubt the validity that his maiden work "Sayuri" was stolen, believing it was used for fraud. This large-scale criminal act has caused a great shock to the art world, and..." The newscaster keeps talking and i hear the people whispering around us about Madarame. That caught everyone's attention and I feel more satisfied than ever before. "After the conference, Madarame was taken to a police hospital for interrogation due to his age. However, initial psych evaluations state that he is mentally sound and likely responsible for his actions"
"Everything went well" Akira said.
"Also, a group calling themselves the Phantom Thieves posted a dubious note at Madarame's exhibit. The police will investigate their relation to this case, considering them as potential suspects. It appears that is not the first time the Phantom Thieves are mentioned, according to the police, they did the same with a notorious criminal, Takeshi Ogata and..." The Newscaster keeps talking about the Phantom Thieves and everyone in the group smile.
"Man, this is startin' to get interesting... If we do it right, we can change people's hearts" Ryuji said. "With this power... we might be able to do more than just gettin' back at society. It'll be a big deal!"
"Just calm down" I said. "Don't get too excited about it and screw it up. We are doing good for now, but who knows what will happen next... The police are starting to get suspicious..."
"Don't worry, Kagura. They won't find us that easily" He said.
"... I don't believe you"
"He's right, Kagura. Don't worry too much about it" Ann said. "If we continue doing this, we'll definitely be able to give courage to everyone who needs it" A police officer walks past us and start talking with a man in a business suit.
"We may want to quiet down a little" Yusuke said and we all shut up. They look at us and walked right by us.
"Hello there" Said the man in the suit. "May I speak with you for a moment?" He ask me
"Sure, what's up?" I said naturally. I notice that Ann was really nervous and Ryuji was tense. Yusuke and Akira were normal, just like me. They know how to dissimulate.
"What are you all doing here? Are you friends?" He asks me.
"... What, it doesn't look like it?" I ask. "Is there a problem?"
"Not really" He said. "Just make sure you disperse before it gets too late, OK? There have been some odd happenings lately, and the news about that artist has caused quite the stir"
"It's nothing to worry about. People go crazy for the smallest things" I said. "But we'll be careful" They leave and Ryuji sighs.
"It's still light out... Man, those guys must have way too much time on their hands" Ryuji said. "Anyway... Yusuke... What are you gonna do now? I mean, you are not living in that shack anymore, aren't you?"
"I'll be staying in the school dorms. I can stay there free of charge thanks to my fine-arts scholarship" He answers
"A scholarship!? Wait, you're that good...?" Ryuji ask.
"Of course he is" Akira said.
"Although, Kobayashi-san's house would do as well" He said and I sigh.
"... I'm tired of yelling it, so I'll simply say... No. Besides, even... EVEN, if you manage to convince my mother, there is no place for you to sleep there" I was tired of Yusuke asking to paint me. So tired that I won't even try to get angry, I'll just turn him down with a simple "No" until he decides to leave me alone.
"You know, you could ask her to model for you whenever you wanted" Ryuji said and i hit him in the arm. "Ouch!"
"You better thank God that I didn't hit you again in the balls" I said. Ryuji smile at me, the punch wasn't that strong.
"Haha... Then again, now that Yusuke'll be livin' alone, it'll be easier for us to meet up whenever we want" Ryuji said.
"I still have to work, you know" I said.
"Well... Not whenever, but you know what i mean"
"For the time being, we should wait and see how this case plays out" Yusuke said
"And it'll prolly take some time findin' a target as big as Madarame" Ryuji said.
"Don't worry about the next target now. We need to lay low for a while anyways" Akira said.
"What do you say if we go to eat something now that we are here?" Ann ask.
"I'm hungry, so I'll go" Ryuji said. "What do you see?" He asks Akira.
"Sure why not?" He said.
"I'm in too" Yusuke join them. "But only if Kagura is coming too"
"Let's go, Kagura" Ann said to me and I look at the hour. It was midday and I didn't eat anything yet.
"... I guess I'll go... But just for a while..." We went to the Central Street of Shibuya and enjoy the rest of the day...
Kagura Kobayashi looks at the table and then at her hands, the handcuffs leave a pretty bad mark on her skin. The mark was still red and they start hurting when she touches them. The pause for a moment and take some air, Sae was taking some notes on her story and from time to time she saw her wounds. Part of her still couldn't believe it, She knew Kagura for years. To see her now in this room, in that state... Not only she's sad, she's afraid of what might happen to her once all this interrogation is over... If she were to die after this, what will she say to Makoto? Sae shakes her head and continues the interrogation.
"So... after Shiho Suzui, you did it again for someone you barely knew?" She asks. "You were sent away twice, almost reported to the police... and yet you still wanted to save him? More over, you ended up in a museum instead of a castle this time... You're still going to maintain this rubbish about changing someone's heart by stealing their Treasure?"
"It's... all true..." She said. She starts to feel her head heavy. "Call it rubbish if you want, I don't care..."
"Very well. The truth behind this tale of yours will be clear once your conspirators are in custody" Sae said. Kagura blinks a few times and shakes her head. She was trying to not fall sleep, but in reality, it was much worse. She was pale and about to collapse, but she makes an effort to remain conscious. Sae didn't notice it too much because of the darkness of the room. "Now then, tell about this new member who joined your group" Kagura remain silent. "There's no point in being stubborn. It will only damage your position. The identity of Madarame's pupil can be easily discovered with a little investigation"
"If you can do it... Then go right ahead. I won't... say a word... Especially about him"
"So you won't sell out your accomplice?"
"Of course not... I'll even take those names to my grave if I must..."
"... Fine. There's still much more that I want to hear. It was around this time that the Phantom Thieves began to truly gain popularity. Lies flooded the internet. Things like "The Phantom Thieves saved me too" or "I got a calling card" For heaven's sake... those lies made the collection of intel take almost ten times longer" Sae said and Kagura laugh at her.
"... Isn't the internet beautiful, Sae-san?" Kagura asks with a big smile on her face despite the pain she's starting to feel in her body.
"... Your next target" Sae open the files and show her a fat man and next to him a calling card. "Junya Kaneshiro"
"Ah right... Him... What a Fat Bastard... Too bad I didn't get to torture him enough" Kagura whisper the last part. Sae ignores her.
"He doesn't compare to the previous two, but share a lot of similarities with Takeshi Ogata. Not only that, but he and Ogata used to work together and just like Ogata's case... the police had been struggling to apprehend him, the main difference here is that Kaneshiro didn't bribe any police officer... He knew how to hide from them... Exactly how did you take down such a well-guarded criminal? Tell me"
"... First off... Take the photo out of my face or I'll lose it... Second... It was a pain in the ass to get to him. Someone helped us... Someone I didn't want to get involve in all this..."
6/6 Monday
Makoto's POV
"Yes, Principal?" I was called again to the principal's office. I knew why he wanted to ask me about the investigation. I had nothing... Absolutely nothing... Well, not really. I had something, but are only assumptions.
"How are things going in regard to that matter we spoke of earlier?" He asks me.
"I have nothing to report yet..." I keep the info to myself for now. I need to confirm it first.
"Nothing at all? How many students are there who could provoke a teacher?"
"I've already narrowed it down. I just... can't get any solid evidence..." I didn't give him any names, I didn't want him to act and do something unexpected. The Principal sigh and I cross my arms. "You knew, didn't you...? About Mr. Kamoshida sexually harassing students" I ask, but he didn't reply. He just stares at me, then I knew... He knew it from the very beginning. "Sir!"
"What will come of you asking that?"
"This investigation is for a just cause, correct?"
"I believe I understand how flustered this must be making you. I'm sure it was truly shocking for you as student council president to see a peer attempt suicide"
"Yes..."
"We must provide a school environment where all students can feel at ease. That is the most pressing issue we have to tackle at the moment"
"... So that's your reason behind this investigation on the Phantom Thieves of Hearts? We don't even know if they truly exist. Why are you-"
"You heard about the incident with that Madarame fellow, I assume?"
"They said there was a similar calling card to the one used in Mr. Kamoshida's case"
"I wish to believe that this is unrelated to our students... That is where I stand. I suggest you devote your energy to the task at hand, not unnecessary questions... There's a student that might be your top suspect..."
"Who?"
"Your friend... Kagura Kobayashi... Some say she might be the one behind it... I want you to look into it"
"But, Principal, she's..."
"She's what? Innocent?"
"..."
"Do as I told. If she's responsible for this then there's no need for you to get involved with people like her... They'll only drag you and your future down"
"... Yes, sir"
6/9 Thursday
Akira's POV
Today we were going to a TV Station as part of our social studies trip. Everyone vote for the TV Station, as for me... I just wanted somewhere more interesting. I already knew what to expect, i went to a TV Station at my old school. I didn't want to be there at all. It was a trip only for the students of the second year, so Kagura wasn't here with us. Our guide on the TV Station was a woman who repeats obvious things that everyone here already knows. I start to get bored so fast...
"... And that's why we recruit sponsors to help make TV shows" She said. "I'm sure you know about commercial breaks? Well, those are actually sponsor-related product placements"
"Is she serious...?" I ask. "We know that already..."
"Chill, man" Ryuji said
"To sum things up, rating is vitally important for a station's production funding, and..." She keeps talking
"Ugh... How long I'm going to stand here hearing all this?" I ask
"For the next hour, I think..." Ann said.
"... God, please kill me" The woman keep talking like she just loves the sound of her voice.
"I swear... I'm not gonna last either" Ryuji said. Shortly after that, we were forced to work as assistance camera, We had to deal with tangled cables almost all the trip while listening to that woman going on and on about how everything from the Station works. She even talks about the break room. I was starting to think that she was treating us like stupid people... Oh, and Ann got sexually harassed by some random dude. Ryuji step in and push him away from Ann, he was really pissed off in that moment, luckily the man turns around and leave and Kawakami didn't saw a thing so he didn't get scolded... After working all most all the trip, we walk through the staff section. "I'm so pissed off!" Ryuji yells.
"I know, just let it out, Ryuji" I said.
"Aren't we supposed to be guest!? Why the hell do we hafta be doin' manual labor!? Ryuji keeps yelling. "This is bull shit! Goin' to the bathroom didn't even make me feel better!"
"Quite down, will you?" Ann said. "You are lucky Kagura is not here because she'll hit you for all the yelling... No, I'll think she'll yell too for this awful trip..." She was right. Kagura will join with Ryuji on this and complain all day.
"We gotta do more of this tomorrow too...?" Ryuji ask
"No flaking out, Ryuji" Morgana said
"I know, I know. I gotta be a "good boy", right?" Ryuji sigh. "Bein' Phantom Thieves ain't easy"
"What did you expect?" I ask.
"That reminds me, we get to go home straight from here today" Ann said. "We don't spend much time in this area, so why don't we relax and check out some shops beforehand?"
"Ooh, I know a place! I wanna go to that huge pancake-looking place we passed on the way here!" Morgana yell. "It looked delicious! What was that?"
"Ohhh... You mean Dome Town?" Ryuji ask. "The round part is a baseball stadium, then along the outside, they've got an amusement park"
"It's right in the middle of a business area, but they have some pretty hardcore rides there too" Ann explain.
"All right... Let's go! I'll show you just how courageous I am!" Morgana said, proud of himself.
"Going on a scary ride doesn't really prove any kind of courage" Ann said.
"Not like cats can get on anyways" Ryuji said.
"Really?"
"Really. You might be able to sneak in if you stay in the bag, but you'd totally puke if you did that" Ryuji laugh. "But uh... Let's just go to Dome Town! I'm really fellin' it now!"
"My too! My stomach's ready for roller coasters!" Ann said
"Uhhh... I think I'll pass on the puke rides" Morgana said and we heard footsteps. Morgana hides and we saw a young man with a briefcase. He had shaggy chin-length brown hair with bangs and reddish-brown eyes. He wears a tan peacoat with black buttons, striped black and white tie, black trousers, and black gloves. He looks at us and gives us a smile.
"Excuse me, I couldn't help but notice your uniforms. Are you students of Shujin Academy?" He ask us
"Yeah, whaddya want?" Ryuji asks him.
"I happened to be passing by, so it seemed polite to greet you. We'll be filming together, after all" He said. "Ah, where are my manners? My name is Goro Akechi" The young man introduces himself.
"Akechi...?" Ann ask
"Filming? What, you a celebrity?" Ryuji ask
"Only to the extent of appearing on TV a couple of times" Akechi look at his phone. "My apologies, I truly was just passing by. I must be going. There's a briefing for tomorrow's recording that I have to attend. So, you're going to go have cake now? I missed lunch today, so I'm quite hungry myself..." He asks and we were a little confused by his question.
"Huh? Cake...? What're you talkin' about?" Ryuji ask him
"Oh, am I mistaken? I thought I heard something about delicious pancakes..." Akechi said and in that moment I felt that something wasn't quite right... Only Morgana mention the word Pancake. I notice it, but looks like Ryuji and Ann completely forgot about that. "No matter. Welp, see you tomorrow" He left.
"That guy's gotta be some kinda start-up entertainer or something" Ryuji said. I was still thinking about what Akechi said... But I leave it for later. I need to talk with Morgana about this. "He's never gonna get popular with that kinda hair though"
"That hair looks good on him" I said. "I wish mine wasn't this frizzy. If i had to choose, I'll choose his hairstyle"
"Anyway. We'll see him again tomorrow anyways. C'mon, let's go to Dome Town!"
Kagura's POV
I was having a fight... I was struggling... In front of me, there was something that I can't escape from... I sigh in defeat and look at my wallet while I yell in the middle of Central Street and fall to my knees.
"I don't have money to buy that goddamn book!" I yell and everyone looked at me like I was crazy. "When did this happen!? I don't remember wasting my money this week! How come my wallet is empty!?" I found I little note hidden in my wallet. I take out and read it.
"Sorry, but I need a little of your money to buy something... Love you, Mom"
"A little!? You took it all!... This can't be... I feel betrayed... I don't have to either eat or buy whatever the hell I want... And on top of that, I have to work today... Sojiro won't pay me until Saturday. Man, this sucks..."
"Hey, you need money?" I look behind me. I man with sunglasses speak to me. "I have a job for you that might give you money in no time"
"... I'll rather jump out of a building before accepting a job from you" I said and walk away. "Lately there's weird persons in Shibuya... Why is that?"
6/10 Friday
Akira's POV
We were once again in the TV Station, this time we were looking at the people preparing to film. We take sites and look the live program. It certainly felt different here than seeing it on TV. The cast of the show was only two announcers, a man, and a woman. I saw Goro Akechi on a corner of the room, waiting his turn to show up. From the looks of it, he was about to be interviewed.
"Mr. Akechi's coming on!" Said the man in front of the camera. Akechi came in and almost all the girls start chatting about him.
"Ain't that the guy from yesterday...?" Ryuji ask
"Don't tell me you don't remember him" I said.
"And now, onto the "Hottest Meet-and-Greet" segment of our show" Said the woman announcer. "After his last appearance was so well-received, we decided to bring back this fine gentleman today. It's the high school detective, Goro Akechi!"
"Hello there" Akechi said with a smile and the girls of our school lose it.
"... I'm kinda envious of him now" I said.
"Thank you for taking the time to join us today, Akechi-kun. Your popularity is stunning" Said the male announcer.
"Even I've found it to be quite a surprise. It is a bit embarrassing though..." Akechi said.
"Moving along, we've been told there's a case on your mind right now. Care to share, detective?" The female announcer ask
"Ah, yes. That would be the scandal involving the master artist Madarame" Akechi said and we all pay attention about what he had to say.
"There it is! All of this phantom thief excitement has caught your attention too, Akechi-kun!" The male announcer said. "Allow me to be blunt for a second. What do you think of these justice-oriented Phantom Thieves?"
"If they truly are heroes of justice, I sincerely hope they exist" Akechi said.
"Ohhh, so you don't deny the possibility that they're real?" He asks him.
"I may not seem like it, but I sometimes wish that Santa Claus actually existed... Although if he did, I'd have to arrest him for breaking and entering" Akechi joked and everyone laugh. "Still, it's hard not to believe in the Phantom Thieves. The rumor has been around on the internet for four years now and not only that, it wasn't the first time a calling card was delivered... Those Phantom Thieves are real, and I believe they should be tried in a court of law" Once he says that I couldn't help but stay still completely. He was joking one moment and the next he was talking about arresting us.
"That's quite the statement" Said the announcer. "Are they committing crimes? Some people even say that the Thieves are actually helping their victims abandon their evil ways"
"What the artist Madarame did truly was an unforgivable crime. Just like their previous victim, Suguru Kamoshida and all the way to their very first victim, Takeshi Ogata who was sentenced to life imprisonment for his crimes... However, they're taking the law into their own hands by judging him. It is far from justice... More importantly, you should never forcefully change a person's heart"
"You have a point. These people are calling themselves the Phantom Thieves, after all" Said the announcer. "Amazing as always, Akechi-kun! I could listen to you for days! You have the most radiant charisma!"
"Now then, let's try asking some students the same age as Akechi-kun about the Phantom Thieves!" The female announcer stands up and walks to us. She saw me. "All right, let's try asking this student here" She said. "What are your thoughts on these Phantom Thieves?" She asks me and I answer quickly. I didn't even think in my answer.
"They do more than the cops" I said and everyone laughs at my answer, even Akechi
"This completely goes against the opinion you had about them being tried by law, Akechi-kun" The announcer said.
"Indeed. It's rather intriguing to hear such a strong acknowledgment... In that case, there's one more question I'd like to ask... If someone close to you, for example, your friend next to you... If his heart suddenly changed... Wouldn't you think it was the work of the Phantom Thieves?" Akechi ask me.
"They only target criminals" I said.
"I see... But how can you be so sure?" Akechi ask me. "I've been investigating and find something interesting... They target criminals like you said, but a few years back, they target an 8 years old girl and change her heart" When he said that my eyes widen, just like Ryuji and Ann. "Of course, the girl confess a crime that even the police couldn't believe, but they still send her to juvenile hall when everything add up... She kill her own father, poisoned his food on purprose. After she was send to the juvenile hall, she commit suicide for what she have done, she couldn't bear the weight of her crime any longer..." We didn't knew that at all. Was Kagura hiding more than it looked like? Why she didn't told us about that girl? Then again, it might be something she can't talk about that easily. "You say they target criminal, that's correct, but looks like they don't care if those criminal are either a boy or a girl or if they even have the age to be put on trial... Whether the Thieves' actions are good or not, i feel there is a more important issue at hand. The matter of how they change people's hearts. If they honestly possess that ability... it could be used for more than extracting confessions. It could be that what seem to be ordinary crimes are actuallybeing perpetrated by these methods..."
"You know, you're absolutely right" Said the announcer
"Oh, please don't misunderstand. This is all purely hypothetical... It is only if people who can use such power truly exist. Either way though, this cannot be ignored. Only one of their victims die and that's enough for me to go after them. The existence of the Phantom Thieves would be nothing but a threat to our everyday lives... To be honest, i'm already working alongside the police to help sort out this matter" After the program ended we were about to leave the TV Station but stopped for a moment.
"... What do you think?" Ryuji ask. "About that girl that commited suicide... Why Kagura hasn't told us that?" Morgana stick out his head.
"It actually depends on the person... Changing the heart of someone that young was really risky for her. As a result, that girl couldn't live her life knowing that she kill her own father" Morgana explain. "I bet Kagura felt awful when she find out about her suicide..."
"I don't blame her... I'll also keep that to myself" Ann said. "Still... She kill her father and she was that young... It's completely unforgiveble"
"Not to mention messed up" Ryuji said. "I bet her Palace was really twisted"
"... What Akechi said... It kinda seemed like what he was saying might be right" Ann said.
"He made it sound like we're the baddies. I don't like it. He is using that suicide too as an excuse" Ryuji said.
"And that stuff about the police... We should be extremly careful from now on" Ann said.
"He can say whatever he wants. The justice of it all is something we can decide for ourselves" Morgana said.
"Oh sorry, I gotta go take a leak. Can you guys wait here? I'll be right back" Ryuji run to the bathroom.
"Oh my god... I'm gonna keep going, OK?" Ann said. "See you tomorrow Akira" Ann leave me alone and i sigh
"... What do you say, Morgana? We should talk with Kagura about that suicide? I wanted to know more about it" I said
"Me too, but i bet she won't open her mouth that easily. There has to be a way... Oh!" Morgana hide again in my bag and i saw Akechi walking in my direction.
"Oh, it's you!" He said. "I'm glad i found you. I wanted to thank you in person. To paraphrase Hegel, advancement cannot occur without both thesis and antithesis..."
"Excuse me...?" I ask
"Haha, my apologies. What i mean is that our discussion was quite meaningful. Few people around me are so willing to speak their minds as freely as you did earlier" He said.
"Well, it might be because of your charisma and the fact that they don't want to get on your bad side. Looks like you're pretty famous, so famous people get a lot of privileges and fans that follow them around without questioning anything that come out of your mouth..." I said and he laugh
"He vey nicely put... It's kinda how it is... I feel like our discussions could prove quite fruitful. Would you mind talking with me again?" Akechi seem interested in me.
"Fine by me" I said with a genuine smile. He seems like a nice guy... But i still have my guard up. I still remember what happen yesterday... I better keep an eye on him.
"Thank you. It makes me glad to hear that. The students from Shujin are truly quite interesting. Some more that others..." Everything stopped again and i saw a card forming on top of Akechi's head, followed by a woman's voice.
I am Thou, Thou art I...
Thou hast acquired a new vow.
It shall become the wings of rebellion
that breaketh thy chains of captivity
With the birth of the Justice Persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that
shall lead to freedom and new power...
Everything went back to normal again. "I look forward to seeing you again" Akechi said and he turn around and leave.
"Talk about a problematic guy to et involved with" Morgana said. "There's probably a lot we can learn from him though" I nodded and Ryuji came running.
"Sorry for takin' so long!" He said and saw Akechi walking away. "... Wait, was that Akechi? I can't stand that high and mighty attitude...! Just breathin' the same air as him makes me sick"
"Aren't you exageriting a little bit?" I ask. "Besides, Kagura from time to time had that same attitude of superiority"
"Yeah, the difference is that she don't rub it in our faces. Come on, let's go" We walk away and leave the TV Station... We were finally free from this awful social studies trip...