The teen was manning Leblanc while Sojiro did the shopping, looking away from the dishes when he heard the bell, the visitor was a welcome sight. "It has been a while." He crossed his arms in mock disappointment, getting a faint smile in return. "Sorry, I had to stake out a gang." Naoto felt a little bad for the extended silence. "Could I get the usual?" Akira nodded and got to work, asking what Mikumo was doing. "She's the priority pick for undercover jobs."
He winced, the woman must be getting worked like a mule. "Your order." They sat together by the counter. Akira spoke about his plan for the Palace, praising Haru for learning the ropes quickly. Naoto listened as he then spoke about the kid with a huge ego and the shogi player both had taught him how to be a better shot and about tactics. "It was nice, but my duty calls." As she gave her regards, Akira had a bad feeling. "Naoto, is everything alright?"
The sincere worry caught her off-guard. "I have several cases backlogged, the stress must be affecting me." She reassured him that there was nothing amiss, but he wasn't convinced. "Why are you lying?" It was like seeing his mother try to hide her issues from his father. "What would you do, Pops?" Katsuo had taught his son to pay attention and act, having suffered in the past because of his indecisive mindset. "... I don't know what to do."
Akira got up when she tried to leave, gripping her coat. "I'm not going to pry..." He let go, shoulders slouching slightly. "... but, promise me that you will be careful?" His earnest request made her feel guilty, but it would be a necessary evil. "... I will try." He had a bad taste in his mouth as he watched the detective leave the cafe. "I have to trust her..." Sojiro arrived a while later, raising a brow at the teen. "Boy, why the long face? Did your cat run away again?"
~m~
A few days went by, filled with rumors about the Phantoms and questions of when they'd target Okumura. The Phan-site was overactive with posts from rabid followers demanding the head of the CEO on a pike. Mikumo grimaced at how bloodthirsty the anon posters acted. "Give them a mask on the internet and they show their true colors..." She glanced at her junior with a tired expression. "Any news from the kids?" Naoto shook her head.
"Akira said he'd message me, just as a heads-up, but I got nothing so far." The raven groaned at that, the hanging expectation was the worst. "They should hurry up, my nerves are almost grated down to nothing..." Naoto sighed at Mikumo's dramatics, she was acting like a spoiled kid. "Have some patience." And they had a few hours of routine patrolling left as well. "Yeah, let's get this beat done with so we can get to our posts."
The detectives were wandering through a park when Naoto felt her phone buzz, turning serious when she read Akira's message. "They're moving to steal his heart." Mikumo had a bitter smile, not looking forward to the cleanup. "Time to hoodwink those bastards." They had to be fast, those kids were too efficient in razing the Shadows and getting to the Ruler. "Ready when you are." Sissel had memorized the Palace's layout and had a route in mind.
~m~
Joker steeled himself as he watched his team gear up, it was time to face Okumura and take the Treasure. "The folks can deal with the issues in the real world." He had faith that Mitsurugi would find some loophole to get the court after the CEO. "Are you ready?" At the affirmative chorus, he smirked. "Let's show him what happens to rotten people!" With this the heist was on, the Ruler would pay his dues soon.
When they arrived at the depths of the Palace, they discovered that the factory was crafting a UFO. "Father did say he'd ascend into the political world..." The Treasure was inserted in the UFO and the Ruler had activated the sequence for departure. "You can all stand and watch in despair as you go down along with this base!" Joker growled at the taunt and had his team make haste, they couldn't let their prey escape.
Oracle spotted the Ruler about to board the UFO as the team arrived at the hangar. "I'm sorry! I've had a change of heart!" The Ruler kneeled, appealing to his daughter and lavishing praises on her. "Nothing could make a father happier than seeing that!" Noir was shaken, stepping closer to her father's Shadow as he begged to not have his Treasure taken. "... Let's end it here..." When Okumura raised his head, he smirked at his daughter. "You foolish girl."
Mona managed to escape the trap before it sprang up, landing by Noir. The Ruler began spewing his twisted motto as he regained his composure. "The cold reality of kicking people down is part of business!" To him, there was no point in being just yet miserable and defeated. Noir countered his remarks, stating she wouldn't accept happiness at the cost of others. "I'd rather destroy others than wallow in the misery of debt!"
Okumura was gloating about how he'd rise up in life, sailing to his utopia. "Make your decision, Haru." The man tried to tempt his daughter into abandoning her friends. "Then I'd rather keep my morals than wallow in the mud of betrayal." Noir stood by her team, she wasn't a traitor, even if her father pointed a gun at her. "What about you?" He changed gears and looked at Mona. "Want to board my ship?" He reasoned that if the cat had already abandoned the thieves once, why not again?
Mona chuckled disdainfully at the proposal. "I pity you, Mister CEO." There was no chance in ever that he'd be so dastardly as to abandon his team for profit. "Your offer was a no-go from the start!" Mona shot the remote off Okumura's hand, hitting the button to undo the cage. The thieves stood together against Okumura. "I will crush you all!" The Ruler took a seat like some general while commanding his employees to go and face the thieves.
"Be the foundation upon which my victory is built!" Wave after wave of robots was sent at the thieves, but teamwork and Joker's guidance had them come out on top. "Let's break through and punch him right on the face!" Okumura dropped his confident grin, feeling increasing dread with each subordinate felled by the rogues. "It seems ordinary workers are not fit for the job!" He called the executive director. "For the eternal prosperity of Okumura Foods!"
Joker scoffed, it was just a bigger and meaner bot, one about to be turned into junk. "Keep trying old man. But do you really got robots to spare?" Sure, it was a harder fight, but soon Okumura was cowering when his second-in-command fell. "Even him...!?" Skull cracked his knuckles, thirsting for a good wallop. "Grit yer teeth!" At the sight of the smirking thieves, the Ruler hastily attempted to call for reinforcements. "Is there anyone here!?" But no one came...
The Ruler had exhausted his entire workforce by treating the robots as expendable assets and was left alone against the thieves. "Let's finish him, Joker!" After a few therapeutic punches, the Shadow was on the floor, defeated. When asked whether he was the culprit behind the breakdowns, Okumura told them that he merely hired a third party. Then the Shadow began bawling instead of answering their questions, forcing them to wrap things up and outrun the Palace's collapse.
Mona caught the core when it detached from the UFO, pocketing it in his toolbelt. "We've taken your Treasure." Further questioning would have to happen in the real world, perhaps the detectives could grill the CEO and get a proper case. Noir wanted to bring her father along, but her teammates said there was no need and that she should hurry up. The girl gave her father a last look and ran after her team.
~m~
The detective had watched the fight, feeling glad to witness the strong bonds they had forged. "Geist, can you scout the area?" "Roger that." She readied her gun, scanning the area for any Shadow that might give her location away. The ghost updated her on the surroundings. "He's about to strike, aim there." She glared at the enemy, Okumura wouldn't die here. "And to think people likened him to me..." It made her feel outraged, she would never lower herself to his level.
The black knight smirked once the thieves left the Ruler behind, taking aim. "Those rats are stupid... Heh, it will be easy to fool them." Two guns went off. "Gh-!" The knight held his shoulder, somebody had shot him and made him miss! He glared at the source, spotting silver clothing. Before he could approach the Ruler, the intruder had engaged the knight, drawing him into physical combat. "I'll kill you!" He glared venomously into stoic brown eyes, committing the visible features and blond hair into his memory.
That mask covered too much for his taste. "Bastard... Getting in my way...!" Although embroiled in the struggle, he did manage to shoot a groveling Okumura when the rogue stepped back, but the Shadow was already about to dematerialize. "You fucker... do you want to die that badly?!" In the instant the Ruler faded away, the gentleman began retreating. "Don't think I'll let you flee!" The knight fired a few rounds in their direction, smirking when he saw them stumble and red bloomed in a silver field. "With luck, both will die."
Geist summoned his Persona once Strix rounded a corner, the place was going down and they'd need the speed. She hissed in pain and felt wetness making her clothes stick to her skin. "Damn!" She prayed that it hadn't struck an artery as she mounted Schrödinger and spurred it into a fast gallop, racing against the Palace's collapse. "Go go go!" She held on the fur as the Persona clambered over the piping and machinery, dead-set on reaching the front gates.
The scene changed from the station and turned into an eerily silent Tokyo, but Geist didn't break stride, he'd fulfill his directives. Once they were at the agreed location, Strix tumbled off the ethereal cat, hissing when her back hit the pavement and began heaving, a hand pressed to the exit wound on her stomach. "My bad... Geist..." The cat spoke soothingly. "I'm but a soul now, you're the one in mortal danger." She mustered some energy to use the app and left the Metaverse.
~m~
Akira didn't see the blue flare once they left the Palace. "So it was just a checkup." He sighed with relief, the paranoia had made him weary. Morgana said he wanted to go with Haru, so he was left alone after he walked Futaba home. It had been a good dive, they might get more info on the assassin and Haru would be freed from that scumbag. He then called Mikumo, expecting her to pick up. He waited a little too long and got worried. {H... Hey Akira, this isn't a good time...}
"What's the matter?" He wondered why she sounded frantic, only to get answered by the chatter of EMS crewmen stating that they had to hurry up or the victim would bleed out. {Ah-! Fuck... Naoto, it's her, stuff happened, and-} The woman rambled a little before she told Naoto's condition, Akira almost dropped his phone. "She was shot...?" He recalled the ill premonition back in Leblanc. "Mikumo, tell me where they're taking her. It's an order!" {... 'kay.}
Author-
Welp... Shit's gonna hit the fan.
