I own nothing. Monika does.
Sayori felt herself starting to lose confidence as she looked around the transformed Shibuya. Money swirled around in the heavy air, making the atmosphere feel murky and dim. What troubled her the most, however, were the distorted views their target had over the civilians. Just how greedy could Kaneshiro be if he only saw people as walking ATMs? The very notion filled her with sorrow. The rest of the Phantom Thieves weren't faring much better.
"So this is what Kaneshiro considers a 'bank'…'" Fox remarked, his serious tone conveying his distaste towards the situation.
"How classy," Valiant observed, sarcasm dripping from her tone.
"I never thought it would be the entire district," Mona said, walking around to get a wider view of the city. "Look around us… The distortion is affecting the whole of Shibuya."
Sayori felt that familiar pit form in her stomach. Her first official heist was set in a place like this? How would she ever be able to manage? In the background she heard her companions conversing, expressing only confusion. Perhaps Mona's confident and business-like attitude was infectious. None of them seemed nearly as intimidated as she felt right now.
"Hey, Valiant!" The combined voices of her friends shattered her haze, making her jump slightly. Sayori sheepishly turned her view from the distorted city, knowing she probably looked like she was about to vomit. They had concerned looks on their faces, making the girl's guilt and sorrow increase.
"Valiant, we need to get going. Tell us what's on your mind now, so you'll be able to focus," Joker said, the authority in his voice making it clear there was no room for questioning.
"Will I really be able to do this? I've barely gotten a chance to practice any of this stuff with you guys… I'm not ready!" The girl felt ashamed of her cowardice. She was wearing the clothes of a noble, yet the weight of that role was proving to be too heavy to bare.
"You're talkin' like you're gonna be doin' the entire thing yourself," Skull replied. "C'mon, this will be even better than practicin' in Mementos!"
"We'll perform this operation just like we planned. You'll offer protection if we were to need it, while the rest of us handle attacks. It shouldn't be a too much of a challenge," Fox added.
"We'll do this together! There's no need to doubt yourself as long as you stick with us," Panther assured.
"Don't get weak knees already, Valiant. We'll need you for support in case we meet with any surprises," Mona said sternly, his own form of encouragement.
Joker stepped forth with his own advice. "You can trust us, Valiant. We'll steal Kaneshiro's distorted desires, and the world will be better because of it. You can look at that accomplishment and be proud that you helped."
Sayori felt overwhelmed. She wished she could stay there forever and tell them how much their words meant to her, but they had already wasted enough time. The best way she could thank them was to follow their lead. It was the most effective way to let them know their words had stuck. Looking up with a small grin, Valiant whispered, "What are we waiting for then? Let's go."
"It's no use… It's all over… I'll end up just like them…" The ATM human hybrid struggled to say, his pained moans and sparking, broken body made his suffering more apparent. Valiant cringed. How many of these had they spoken too so far? Broken machines who didn't have a dime left to give… They were almost as pitiful as the ones that had completely shut down. They resembled corpses littering the ground.
"What happened?" Joker prompted, hoping they had finally found someone who knew where the bank they were trying to find was.
"Can't you tell? I've fallen… fallen so far…" The ATM mumbled, regret staining his voice. "From a place where Kaneshiro leaves no tracks…"
"Hm, what could that mean…?" Fox pondered to himself.
Skull began to ask for more information, "Hey, you gotta tell us a little more than-"
"I'm… too tired… Please… let me rest…" The ATM hybrid muttered. Although she knew it wouldn't do any good, Valiant reached over and gave the machine a light pat on the shoulder. The next instant, the machine fell to the ground, lifeless. The thief jumped back, startled.
"I don't think he can speak anymore," Mona observed. "Kaneshiro leaves no tracks…? Is that supposed to be literal or figurative?"
"Hey, why don't we go over all the intel we have now?" Panther suggested. Valiant nodded in agreement. The air felt even heavier than it had just a moment ago, and she desperately wanted to get out of there before it got worse.
Valiant was speechless as she looked up at the palace with the other thieves. The hovering bank was like a giant vacuum, sucking all o the money out of the air. Already numerous possibilities of how they could get up there flew through her head, none of which would be easy.
"So, how do we get up there? Can you turn into a helicopter, Morgana?" Panther asked. Valiant looked at the cat creature hopefully.
"No… just a car," Mona responded glumly.
"You're useless! C'mon, don't you have some kinda secret gadget or something!?" Skull exclaimed, right before Valiant lightly smacked the back of his head.
"Don't be mean! Besides, there are other ways to get up there. Maybe we could come back with climbing supplies? Then if we can get to the top of these buildings, maybe a grappling hook?" While she knew she was thinking too inside the box, Valiant knew it would be the easiest thing to do given the current situation. Especially since two weeks wouldn't be enough time to build a catapult, and still have time to perform a heist.
"This may be the limit of what we can do today," Fox said somberly.
"We gotta find a way to get up there… that won't wear us out," Skull added for Valiant's benefits.
"Let's think about it some more tomorrow, OK?" Panther suggested.
"All right, we should get out of here for now! Run for it!" Mona exclaimed. The Phantom Thieves ran from the giant palace, ending their plans for the day.
Goro Akechi looked up from the book he was reading when Sayori entered through the front door. "Did you have fun hanging out with your friends?" the detective asked.
The girl only moaned in response and collapsed on the couch. The detective chuckled, setting the book on the table. Walking over to her, he lightly tapped her on the shoulder. "Are you acting this way because you didn't have fun? Or are you just exhausted because you did?" He watched as his roommate lifted up her arm, giving him a "so-so" gesture, before immediately lowering it.
"Well it's nice to know that you still have the energy to respond. I just hope you don't have enough energy to respond to the fact that I read ahead in our book," Goro walked over to his chair and retrieved a plastic bag. He waited five seconds before looking up. Sayori had finally processed his confession, and from the way her head shot up, she wasn't pleased.
"Boo! I wanted to read the rest of that book with you! How far did you get? Maybe there are still some good parts left," Sayori walked over and investigated the book, only for the detective to shake his head.
"I read the whole thing," he said, breaking the news to her in the most serious voice he could muster. Still, the detective wanted to laugh at the big deal she was making out of it. Sayori sat down sadly, trying to find a bright spot in this new depressing situation.
"What was your favorite part? Mine has always been when they find out that their parents are alive after all," the girl finally said, regaining a hopeful smile. Goro sat down and thought for a moment, finally remembering his favorite scene, which had also come with a helpful illustration.
"While I suppose your scene is alright, it's not my favorite. Personally, I think I would have made more sense if they remained orphans," Goro replied. He resisted gritting his teeth as Sayori gave him a questioning look. "Instead, I think I liked the moment when Mr. Canis turned into the Big Bad Wolf. I can only imagine the liberation he felt in that moment."
The detective looked at Sayori for confirmation, only to see her questioning gaze turn into a grimace. "I wouldn't say that exactly. You'll just have to see for yourself. One of these days I'll ask what your personal experiences are to not like my scene, but I'll keep quiet for now."
Goro nodded to himself, storing the information away for later. He then looked back to the book and smirked. "I'm just guessing for this part, but when do Sabrina and Puck get together? They have the typical relationship of two kids who hate each other, but then obviously get together eventually."
"Well, there's a lot of chemistry beforehand, but they don't get together until… Hey, wait a minute! I'm not spoiling this for you!" Sayori shouted, trying to appear upset. Though the happy look on her face told the detective all he needed to know.
"Well, I'm glad you've cheered up. Before we move on from your books, I would like to say that one scene inspired me to do something I have been meaning to do for a long time," Goro finally withdrew a black journal of his own from the plastic bag. He tossed it to Sayori, who somehow managed to slip off the couch in an attempt to catch it.
Standing up from her spot on the floor, Sayori started flipping through the pages, seeing several pages already filled with writing. "What is it?" She finally asked, tossing it back to him.
"It's a commonplace book. While I already keep all of my notes in my laptop, studies say that writing things down makes it easier to remember them. The book says that all members of this detective family own a journal for this very purpose. Not to mention that it's a tradition for… something. I can't exactly remember," the detective feigned ignorance. He saw Sayori light up out of the corner of his eye.
"They keep them so future generations know what they've gone through!" She exclaimed, only to become confused. "But why would that matter to you?"
"I am the second coming of the detective prince, or at least that's what everyone says. There may be a third, one day. Besides, although I'm only seventeen, it's a fun thing to think about… having a future generation. Actually, I guess that doesn't make much sense, does it?" Sayori watched Goro laugh to himself, though it seemed forced. "Besides, that's not the important part of this particular commonplace book. Flip to the front."
Sayori did as she was asked. Flipping to the first page, she gasped when she read the description. "This entire thing… is just for my case?" A small smile crossed her face, complimented by her cheeks turning a light pink. She felt so happy, but also felt like crying at the same time. It was a strange feeling, to feel so touched yet so guilty at the same time.
When he saw the blush, the detective looked away and cleared his throat. "Among other things, yes. I think I'm going to keep a notebook for every single case I happen to have. I think it would be easier to stay organized that way."
"Does that mean you have one for the Phantom Thieves too?" Sayori asked, knowing she may be stepping into dangerous territory.
"Sae-san is insistent that this is her case, so I didn't see the point. She's started acting… off, lately. I wouldn't want to upset her by keeping notes that weren't accessible to her at all times," Goro explained, pretending not to notice the brief flash of disappointment that crossed Sayori's face.
"Oh. Well, can you at least tell me how it's going? Maybe laying all your thoughts out on the table will help you connect dots," Sayori suggested, acting as innocent as possible. She watched as the detective's face became grim and serious.
"Without another person to have a change of heart, I have arrived at a bit of a dead end. Though I have a feeling that the Phantom Thieves will target another person soon," the detective's dead serious gaze darted to his roommate's, before looking away again. "I still have no idea about what their methods could be, but considering everything that's happened lately… I want you to be careful."
Sayori froze. Has he figured it out? What's he trying to say?
"Your own heart was changed, but in the process we were both taken to that strange place. I don't know what it was, but it was clearly dangerous. Sayori, if you come across anyone you don't feel safe around, anyone who has the potential to be a target of the Phantom Thieves, I want you to run away from that person. If you end up in that place again…" Goro trailed off as a million possibilities ran through his head. He knew she wouldn't listen to him, but maybe he could at least inspire her not to be careless.
Sayori relaxed. She wouldn't give him a reason to worry. Even if she had to do something something that would worry him eventually, he wouldn't have to know anything.
"I'll do my best, Goro. I promise."
The next day, Sayori walked to the hideout, wondering if anyone had come up with anything. However, her hopes were soon dashed as Ryuji immediately muttered, "We ain't got nothin…"
"Are we out of luck…?" Ann asked sadly. Upon hearing that, Sayori knew her previous plan was way past dismissed. Not that it mattered. It probably wouldn't have worked anyway.
"It's no fair his Palace is up in the sky…" Morgana whined.
"I suppose that's the point," Sayori mumbled, equally downcast.
"If only we could contact the real Kaneshiro…" Yusuke said, causing Sayori to freeze.
Why do I have the feeling that's exactly what is going to happen? A worried, nervous expression took over her face.
Everyone's attention was suddenly drawn to a familiar face. Sayori would admit to being rather displeased at seeing Makoto. Though it was Ann it expressed it first.
"What do you want," Ann asked, clearly upset by the other girl's presence.
"Nothing in particular. I just saw you all together here," Makoto explained, as if nothing was wrong at all.
Sayori, thoroughly over the conversation, let her attention wander around her surroundings. She had no interest in sparing the student council president any unnecessary attention. However, that plan was soon diverted when something unexpected happened.
Right now, you're useless to me. All you do is eat away at my life.
Sayori gritted her teeth, leaning against the wall. Trying to appear nonchalant, the girl turned away from the group. It was very clear to her now. She had a lot left to learn about the boundaries of her awareness.
So you're just the good-girl type of pushover.
Right now, you're useless to me.
Sayori felt so shocked and confused. When had Goro said that? How come she hadn't heard about it until now? Makoto… really had people say that to her? It was becoming very obvious that Sayori and her roommate needed to talk.
"Sayori, what's wrong," Yusuke asked, his face filling her recently blurry vision. Sayori tensed, knowing that jumping backwards would make her bump into the wall.
"Just a headache," she lied. Looking around him, the girl saw that Makoto had disappeared.
"I'm sorry to hear that. Speaking of headaches…" Yusuke responded with exasperation, "We have a student council president to follow. Let's go." The artist grabbed Sayori by her wrist and lead her in the direction everyone else had already gone.
After spending an annoyingly long amount of time in a taxi, the building they found themselves in was no comfort. It was an even bigger pain to once again lay eyes on the annoying twit from earlier. Briefly, Sayori considered the possibility that there was more than one in the room, which was filled with shady looking characters. Almost all of them reeked of alcohol and drugs, which could be smelled even from the distant spot they found themselves in. Poor Makoto was pinned to the ground by these drunk thugs.
"What in the world?" Ann asked, clearly aghast at the scene in front of them. Sayori tensed beside her as everyone in the room looked up at the group.
"Who the fuck are you?" The one who was holding Makoto down asked angrily. Sidoh sat beside him, looking up briefly. Making eye contact with Sayori, a brief flash of recognition and… something Sayori didn't like flashed in his eyes. Maybe I should reconsider that offer for a taser…
"Niijima-san!" Yusuke shouted, looking quite concerned. Sayori quietly tried to slip behind the blue-haired boy, getting uncomfortable with all of the wandering eyes staring at her. It's what I get for being in a stupid dating game!
"What the hell'd you do to her!?" Ryuji yelled, his tense demeanor suggesting he was ready to attack someone. Sayori peeked out from behind her spot, double checking. Considering the thugs in the room, it was a relief that they hadn't done anything other than pin Makoto down.
There was a fat man in the back of the room, sitting completely calm, acting as if he owned the place. It was obvious to everyone that this was the man they were looking for, Kaneshiro. Glancing at the teenagers, he seemed to understand what was going on. "Ohh, I get it," he said calmly. He then turned to his lackeys with an enraged expression. "You got followed, you dumb shits!"
Shifting his position, the man opened a large briefcase, which had dozens of stacks of cash. Morgana seemed amazed at the amount of riches. Sayori was more concerned with the thought that mafia members probably had dozens of places to hide weapons. Did he have a gun hidden somewhere amongst all of that cash?
"That bag you saw the other day-the crocodile one. How much was it?" Kaneshiro asked the woman beside him. The woman cocked her head, taking a moment to remember.
"About three million?" she said, not quite sure herself. Kaneshiro grabbed a few stacks from the briefcase and handed it to her. Were they really here just to watch him give her a present. This was torture. The gaudy woman squealed, making their everyone's ears hurt, "For reals!?"
"Better thank those guys," Kaneshiro stated, looking at the group.
"What…?" Ryuji asked, clearly confused.
Kaneshiro's eyes seemed to twitch. "I'm royally pissed right now. Can you tell? You know how spending money relieves stress? It's you goddamn brats sniffing around like dogs and barging in here like you own the joint…!" Sayori tensed at his growing voice. A bad feeling settled into the air, making it feel heavy. It was even worse than the air in the metaverse, rotten and stained with greed.
"See this empty space? I'm so pissed that now there's a three million yen gap here. It pisses me off even more if I don't fill it up. I'm a perfectionist," Kaneshiro seemed smug. "So, good luck."
What is that supposed to mean?" Yusuke asked angrily. Sayori tried to shrink back into her hiding place behind him. The snap of a camera interrupted her. She glanced over to see Kaneshiro with his phone out.
"Come on, you all look so tense. I think I'll call it… 'Debauchery of Minors at a Club.' So, can I send this to your school?" The smug man seemed to be trying to dish out heart attacks with his threat. Sayori was beginning to feel like the room was spinning.
"Oh, damn, I got some booze and cigs in the shot! Maybe some drugs too?" Kaneshiro leaned back in his seat, sarcasm heavy in his voice. "Ahh… This is so hilarious. I feed on dumbshits like you. Understand, pretty little student council president?" The man asked haughtily. "Now listen up. Run your mouth to the police, and I'll break all of you, starting with your families."
Even in the midst of her blooming panic attack, Sayori managed to come up with a sarcastic comeback in her head. What family? At this rate, she could be considered an orphan, couldn't she?
"I want to give you the usual month, but well, you have such a large group here…" The horrid man had an expression of mock pity. "Three weeks. Bring three million yen by then. No less. Summer bonuses are around the corner, you know? It'll be easy if you beg your mommies and daddies." The crooks around Kaneshiro began to laugh. "Now get out of my sight. I'm about to have some fun."
"What!? To hell with that!" Ryuji shouted. Sayori was about to suggest that they get out of there before she passed out, only for Morgana to beat her to the punch.
"Don't bother with him. Makoto's safety is more important right now," the cat creature advised. The thug that was holding Makoto down stood up, releasing the girl from his grasp. Sayori managed a small smile in relief. At least Kaneshiro's "fun" didn't involve Makoto.
As soon as they were at a safe distance from the club, Yusuke set Sayori down on a nearby bench. "I can't believe you managed to hold yourself together for so long," he commented as he watched the girl start to hyperventilate.
"Yusuke, this is so messed up! Is this going to happen every time? It hasn't even been an entire day yet, and I already managed to break another promise," Sayori began to break down in a sob. Her body trembled. "What am I going to say to him? I really did want to prove our justice, just like you guys keep saying… But how can I do that when everything is… is…" Unable to continue ranting, the girl focused on crying. Her panicked behavior was making everyone feel even worse
"I'm so sorry," Makoto whispered sadly. "I didn't mean to drag you in like this…" Everyone looked at her with the same expression of regret. "I was stupid…" The girl seemed incredibly disappointed in herself.
Yusuke looked up from his spot on the bench, " I must agree. You should've easily imagined this happening." He inwardly cringed as he continued to console the pink-haired girl beside him.
"Hey, Yusuke," Ann began to chide, only for Yusuke to gesture to Sayori with a stern look.
Sniffling, the girl pushed his hand away. "Yusuke. Ann is right. That was uncalled for."
"I was so caught up in trying to be useful…" Makoto continued, only for Ryuji to cut her off.
"All right, enough of the blame game! What's done is done," the blonde spoke, having calmed down considerably.
"I'm going to cause trouble for Sis too…" Makoto said sadly, seeming not to have heard Ryuji.
"Sis?" Ann asked. Sayori remembered the scene from earlier. Was that the woman who said such mean things?
"My older sister has a commendable job, and she's a much more remarkable person than me… A lot happened after we lost our father three years ago, so it's just us living together… But I'm still a child, so all I am is a burden to her…" Makoto explained sadly. Sayori decided to keep the peek on what was clearly a private conversation to herself. It would only make Makoto feel worse.
"And that's why you were so reckless?" Yusuke questioned. He seemed to be trying to be more understanding. He stood up from the bench, giving Sayori some space to calm the rest of the way down.
"I just wanted to be useful in some way to someone…" Makoto said regretfully.
"Y'know, I might not get your whole situation, but ain't it a bit off saying that you're useless to her?" Ryuji asked. Sayori shook her head silently. That was sadly what both of them seemed to think.
"It's the truth though…" Makoto continued. She then looked at Ann. "In particular, I have to apologize for what happened to you." Ann could only look confused. "Now that I think on it, the truth about Kamoshida must've been covered up by the whole school. I had my suspicions, but… I couldn't do anything about it."
Morgana and Akira looked at each other, their ideas coming together in unison. Akira was the first to speak up.
"Say, Makoto, what if I told you that there is a way you can do something about this situation?"
"What…?" Makoto stammered, clearly shocked at the idea. The rest of the team, however, knew exactly what he was referring to.
Sayori was quick to express her disapproval. "Seriously!? We're going in there now!?"
I hope you guys liked this longer than normal chapter. It just sort of happened this way. Anyway, because that test I told you all about is coming up soon, and since I'm still waiting on any response about the Q&A, I thought I'd give you guys a helpful example of fun things to ask for. They can be serious questions about the writing process, maybe about a certain aspect of the story that you were wondering about(though if it's a spoiler, I'm sad to say I won't tell you.) Or my favorite thing about certain Q&A segments, goofy fun questions that may result in a mini story. For instance, what might be a cool AU for this story?(The answer being a mage and demon queen AU, or a theater kids AU). Please give me your thoughts on this possible activity, you guys! I would love to do it, but I need participants. Anyway, please read, review, and I'll see you all next time!