It took 3 years and a pandemic for me to return to this fanfiction. And I don't really have many excuses apart from a horrible writer's block and, well... life. And a pandemic, did I mention that? :D But a promise is a promise and I have been thinking about this story, the amazing characters and the love you've been showing from start to end. Even when I stopped writing, I'd still receive messages and followers/fav now and then, and that kept me wondering if I shouldn't just come back after all. So here I am, with a brand new chapter! Don't know how many of you are left to really care, and I know P5R gave Goro a better ending (I really hope there's gonna be a sequel or a stand-alone game or even a simple DLC focusing on his character!) but I'll keep writing until the end! :D
Also, P5 Strikers was really fun! Even though Goro wasn't even mentioned :')
Hope you guys all stayed/are staying safe out there!
P.S. I have re-uploaded all of the previous chapters after modifying a few lines and adding a bit of extra content in some of them. You might want to check them out! :D
They spent almost two weeks in Mementos. They would occasionally return to the real world in groups of two to stock up on provisions and clothes, while Futaba monitored the news. Shido had apparently shut himself into his office and refused to see anyone. The whole country was in turmoil, wondering who would win the elections and whether the Phantom Thieves had really changed Shido's heart as promised.
The days went by slowly, but the nine friends had managed to adapt to the circumstances quite well unlike the only two adults, beside a still-comatose Okumura. Both Sae and Sojiro were growing more impatient each day, obviously tired of hiding in a creepy alternative world. Sojiro would often complain his long absence would have a terrible impact on the business, since he hadn't even had time to properly inform his customers. Sae would also complain she was needed at work and, when the others promptly ignored her protests, she'd try to convince them she needed to go Christmas shopping.
"Really, sis? Our lives are on the line and you think of Christmas?" Makoto sighed with a small smile "the answer is still no. We aren't letting you or Sakura-san return to work just yet, let alone send you scavenging for presents."
Sae sighed angrily and sat down next to Sojiro's coffee machine, pouring herself the umpteenth cup for the day. It had apparently become her best way to fight stress.
Akechi chuckled at a very frustrated-looking Sae and turned to observe Makoto, who was concentrated on a large textbook. They all sort of had to depend on Futaba to hack into their different school databases to keep up with the program during their absence. He wasn't sure how the teachers would react once they'd finally return to the real world, but at least they were doing their best to dedicate their enormous amount of free time to their student life as well.
The same couldn't be said about Ann and Ryuji, who seemed to promptly find excuses every time Akira or Makoto reminded them of something called school and exams.
On December the 18th, Sae felt more determined than ever to leave the damn place behind. She had slept horribly because of all the strange sounds coming from downstairs, where neither her or Sakura-san were allowed to set foot. She could only imagine what sorts of horrors were awaiting in the depths of Mementos...
"I need fresh air, Makoto" she started, ignoring Yusuke who was merrily humming while painting something that resembled a disgusting-looking ooze.
"Silence!" Futaba shouted excitedly, her eyes glued to the screen of her laptop. "Something's happening!"
Everyone immediately gathered around the young teenage girl and looked at the monitor screen, where a devastated Shido was now being interviewed.
"Is that..?" Sojiro asked, and Futaba simply nodded.
"That is why... That is why I cannot forgive myself!" he was saying on live TV. "The reason President Okumura passed away is..."
Akechi held his breath for what felt like ages, as he watched his father reveal everything to the entire country. Would his name come up as well?
"...I am the one who killed him!"
The journalists all gasped unanimously, and Futaba uselessly shouted a "Shut up!" at the screen.
"I also manipulated the information that the Phantom Thieves were behind the series of incidents. The one who controlled the hearts of others and gave rise to the countless victims is... myself."
Akechi's heart was hammering crazily against his ribcage, the only thing he could think of was when his name would be revealed. He felt a warm hand grasp his, and he automatically squeezed Makoto's. She was as tense as he was, probably guessing what he was thinking.
Shido kept confessing all of his crimes, begging the police to arrest him immediately and punish him as he deserved. Then the broadcast was suddenly cut off.
There was a long silence, then Akira, Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Futaba, Haru and Morgana all cried out a "YES, WE DID IT!", and Sae and Sojiro joined the celebrations.
Makoto couldn't help but smile hugely as she watched her friends and family jump with joy and hug each other. The only other person who didn't seem as enthusiastic was the boy she was still holding hands with.
"Are you alright?" she asked him. He seemed deep in thoughts.
"Huh?" his eyes focused on her and then on his friends, and he too smiled. "Oh yes, I am! We did it!"
"Goro..." she frowned but he simply pulled her closer and held her tight. "Your names have been cleared!"
"Our names?"
He didn't answer, and she couldn't help but feel the exact same way she had the night before he broke their promise.
The first thing they did after leaving Mementos was organize a small party at Leblanc's. It took both Sae and Sojiro a good two minutes to get used to daylight again, but they sighed contently when they stepped into the real world again.
Okumura-san had been left inside Mementos. It was particularly difficult to convince Haru to return without her father, and it was with teary eyes she finally nodded after Akira had promised her dad would soon be able to come back home, but that it was still too risky to bring him along for the time being.
"Goro-kun..?"
Akechi could see the question in her eyes before she could even speak up. "He will be back to normal. I am done breaking promises" he smiled.
Sojiro was the first to rush to the small café in Yongen-Jaya and earnestly opened the door, letting the rest of the group enter the dusty locale.
"This will need a proper wash before I can open it to the public tomorrow" he sighed, then he turned to Akira and Futaba. "You two are helping."
Akira and Futaba exchanged a defeated look, but thought it was best to obey if they didn't want Sojiro to cancel their well-deserved celebration.
"I'll start with the curry, you brew the coffee" he instructed Akira as he rushed behind the counter.
Everyone took a seat and chatted merrily, and Makoto had to admit it felt good to be back. Even though she had managed to catch up on her homework as a way to kill time in Mementos, she was still worried about returning to school after such a long absence. She could only imagine the amount of work she had left behind, or the teachers' reaction. She wondered if they would question her as why she had disappeared at the exact same time as Akira, Ann, Ryuji and Haru, and why they bore such a striking resemblence to the Phantom Thieves.
She sighed as she thought of school, and then she remembered Goro had been acting weird again. She looked at him and saw him laughing with the others, but something was definitely off. Why did he say that their names had been cleared, and not his own too? Why had he seemed so discouraged after defeating Shido? Wasn't that what he had been dreaming of all along? And he had awoken to a new Persona too, and an extremely powerful one according to Morgana and the others who -unlike her- hadn't fainted during the battle.
Her train of thoughts was suddenly interrupted when both Sakura-san and Akira arrived with curry and coffee to feast on. She took her seat next to Goro, and he gave her a large smile. He seemed genuinely happy, and she couldn't help but return the gesture, her heart swelling when his hand brushed hers.
For a while she totally forgot about school, homework, responsibilities, Shido and even about her boyfriend's odd behavior. She simply let herself enjoy the food and the coffee, and the company of her best friends and her sister who, for once, also seemed to be having a good time.
None of the curry was spared, and they all sat with a look of deep satisfaction on their faces. Ryuji was wearing a dumb smile and was mindlessly massaging his belly, who had apparently grown double the size.
The comfortable silence was suddenly broken by Sae herself, who announced she would be getting to work straight away.
"It'll be difficult to prosecute Shido, but I am sure things will fall into place now that we have his full cooperation" she was saying. "Thank you again for the delicious food, Sakura-san."
She was about to leave the café when Goro spoke. "May I ask you something, Sae-san?"
"Mhm?" Sae turned with a look of polite curiosity.
"What about me?" he asked simply. He sat perfectly still next to Makoto, looking calm and relaxed.
"W-what do you mean?" Sae asked.
"I am behind all the mental shutdowns and psychotic breakdowns. I am the reason why so many people have gone berserk or lost their lives, including Futaba's mother and Haru's father" he explained with a stern expression. "Shido will surely mention that as well, so let's not beat around the bush, shall we?"
Everyone stayed quiet, their eyes moving from Akechi to a very confused Sae. The woman then sighed sadly and shook her head. "I have been thinking about that too."
"But Shido is the real culprit!" Ryuji butted in outraged, and Makoto felt a sudden wave of affection toward her friend.
"Yeah!" Ann joined him "he has been manipulated and lied to! He didn't know he could change people's hearts without driving them mad!"
The rest of the group was about to support Akechi's cause, but the boy himself hushed them.
"I must take responsibility for my actions. Not knowing doesn't count as an excuse" he said simply.
"I am afraid it is as he says" Sae confirmed in a small voice. It was clear she didn't really want to do this.
"Impossible!" Akira exclaimed "there must be something we can do!"
"Yeah! He is the one who took down Shido. He is the one who saved us all!" Morgana intervened and Makoto, despite the stinging pain in her heart, couldn't help but feel grateful at the support Goro was receiving from the others.
"It is complicated" Sae shook her head once more. "The law doesn't simply forgive ignorance. Even though he has redeemed himself, very serious accusations can be made against him. Unless, of course, we keep quiet about it."
"Sis..!" Makoto could barely believe her ears: never in her entire life would she have imagined her sister could turn a blind eye to a crime.
"Well" Ryuji shrugged his shoulders "can't we simply... shut up about it then?"
"Absolutely not" Goro himself stood up, a look of pure disdain on his handsome face. "If you decide to keep quiet about this, I shall be the one turning myself in."
"Goro!" everyone looked at him in disbelief, and he balled his fists.
"I am a criminal. I must pay for what I've done. I can't just... pretend nothing ever happened" he looked down at Makoto, who couldn't control her tears, and muttered an apology.
"You've taught me so much!" he continued with a grateful smile "you've taught me the priceless value of friendship, of sacrifice and love" he stopped to give Makoto one more meaningful look. "I am eternally grateful for the opportunity I got to be a member of the Phantom Thieves. To be your friend."
Everyone was crying quietly, and even Sojiro and Sae couldn't contain a small sob.
"Haru-chan, I promised I'd bring your father back to you and I will" Akechi continued determinedly "it shall be my last parting gift."
"Goro-kun!"
"I only have this last request, Sae-san. If you'll allow me" he proceeded and Sae nodded.
Akechi smiled gratefully and took out his phone.
Makoto couldn't take this farse anymore. She suddenly grabbed his wrist with all the strength she could muster and dragged him away from the others.
"Excuse me, everyone" she said as she made her way, the others stepping aside to give them some privacy. To her surprise, Akechi didn't fight back.
"What are you doing?" she asked angrily, trying to keep her voice down as much as she possibly could in her state of mind.
"What's right" he answered simply.
"No, this is not right! What's gonna happen to you, to us?" she questioned him, unable to hide the desperation in her voice.
He looked away for moment. "I am sorry, Makoto. But, if your sense of justice is as strong as you claim it to be, you must agree this is the only thing I can do to redeem myself. I can't live a lie any longer. I cannot allow myself to step outside and pretend I never caused all this pain."
Makoto frowned. She knew he was right, and she knew there was no way to change his mind. However, she didn't want to let him go. What would happen to him? Would he be imprisoned? Executed even? Or was there some sort of hope her sister could get him out of jail?
Akechi seemed to interpret her silence as a way for her to agree, and smiled tenderly. He cupped her face and looked her straight in the eye. "I am the happiest guy alive" he said truthfully, and she let the tears stream down her face once more.
He kissed her on the forehead and took out his phone.
"I'll be back in a jiffy" he said, and then went outside to activate the app.
He was all alone on the highest level in Mementos. Okumura-san was lying a few feet away from him, his chest gently rising and falling.
Akechi approached him quietly, unable to feel anything.
Maybe it was his coping mechanism, he thought as he knelt down beside the man, to stop feeling anything at all so that he wouldn't be overwhelmed.
But he had no regrets. What he had told the others at LeBlanc was absolutely true and, to be really honest, he had been rewarded with a lot more than he had originally predicted: fantastic friends, a sweet yet strong-willed girlfriend and an ass-kicking Persona.
He laughed quietly at the adjective he had chosen for Alastor.
Right when he was about to call him forth, he felt a presence behind him. He turned to look at Cho-Cho-chan, the small creature slowly flapping her wings as she approached him.
"I am proud of you" she said gently "you have changed so much."
He didn't know what to say and resolved to simply smile. He then returned his attention to Okumura and closed his eyes as another, more powerful presence appeared next to him.
He then proceeded to summon his twin swords, admiring once more the contrasting colors of the runes engraved into each of the blades.
Akechi turned to Alastor, who was majestically standing behind him, the lance resting in his hands. He noticed how the runes on the lance had turned a much deeper shade of red, almost as if they were trying to break free.
He couldn't explain how he knew it, but Akechi simply lifted his black sword and watched as the runes on Alastor's weapon released the intense red light, which was quickly absorbed by his sword.
Akechi observed how the runes on the black blade were now an intense blood-red color. He then focused again, silently commanding the blood-red runes to transfer into the blue ones on the other blade. When he reopened his eyes, his ivory sword was radiating a deep blue color.
"It is time" Cho-Cho-chan said.
Akechi nodded, and then proceeded to lift the ivory sword up in the air where it lingered for a brief moment before stabbing Okumura-san right in the heart. The ivory sword, however, wasn't harming him, rather quickly releasing its intense blue light into the man's body, and Okumura regained color in his cheeks and started breathing more regularly right after Akechi sheathed his swords.
Alastor disappeared when the job was complete, while Akechi and Cho-Cho-chan hovered over Haru's father, observing his conditions.
It took a few minutes for the man to slowly open his eyes. He shot up in a sitting position, and nervously looked around, analyzing his surroundings before he noticed Akechi.
"Y-you are..! Where am I..? What..?" The man blurted out trying to stand up, only to fall right back. He brought a shaky hand to his head.
"It is alright, Okumura-san. If you'll allow me, I shall escort you back to your daughter, now" Akechi said, offering the man a hand which he took, letting the teenager help him up.
"Father!"
Haru was the first to jump up and run toward Okumura once they returned to the real world, her eyes full with joyful tears. Okumura seemed a bit taken aback in the start, and definitely very much confused, but he hugged his daughter nonetheless. The questions he had could wait this time.
"Goro, you really did it!"
"But... how?"
His friends were all gathering around them and all seemed extremely happy for the fluffy-haired girl, finally reunited with her precious father.
"Ehm... I don't know how to explain it exactly, but it seems like Alastor is able to store the vital energy released by defeated Shadows, and it can transfer such energy into my swords. Have you noticed how my swords have different colored runes? The red ones can unleash a strong attack, while the blue ones can apparently re-transfer said vital energy to a host" Akechi explained, realizing how impossible it must all sound. "Alastor's lance had absorbed Shido's energy when we defeated his Shadow."
"That's..." Akira started, looking at his friend in awe.
"...incredible!" Morgana completed. Everyone nodded in agreement, and Makoto in particular couldn't help but feel a wave of pride. His heart was so strong, so kind...
"Thank you so much, Goro-kun! Thank you for bringing my father back to me" Haru was looking at him as if he were her biggest hero, but he was the one who had taken her father away from her in the first place. He knew he had done the right thing, but still couldn't take pride in it.
"I am happy I could repair the damage, and I sincerely apologize for all the pain I have caused you all" Akechi bowed down, making sure to send Makoto a particularly intense look. He was mostly sorry for what he was about to do to her. "I suppose this is where our paths go their separate ways."
"Are you really going to take him to the police station, Sae-san?" Ann asked looking on the verge of crying again.
"I am afraid I have no choice. Akechi-kun has made up his mind" she answered in defeat, and gave Akechi a questioning look, as if to confirm whether he was really going to go with it or not. He simply nodded.
"What's going to happen to him?" Makoto asked. She didn't even seem to have any more energies to convince him to stay. She probably knew it'd be useless anyway.
"I... cannot say, yet. I am sorry" Sae replied, then turned to leave the café.
No one knew what to say or do as Akechi looked at all of them, a big smile on his face. Whatever he was feeling, it was definitely not regret.
"This is awkward" he simply said, massaging the back of his head in embarrassement. "I just want to thank you all again, for everything you've done for me. Your patience, your understanding, for giving me a chance when I least deserved it. Thank you, guys..."
The girls were crying again -Ann wrapping an arm around Makoto to show her support to the one suffering the most-, while the boys were desperately trying to hold back the tears. Even Morgana seemed to have what seemed like a few drops of water on his whiskers...
"We're... going to miss you, Goro-kun" Ann said sadly.
"We'll come visit you!"
"Every day!"
It was a chorus of promises and sobs, but Akechi knew his goodbyes wouldn't be over so soon. Futaba, who had surprisingly approached him to shake his hand ("I don't know if I'll ever forgive you for what you did to my mom, but I want to say that I am grateful you became part of the team"), soon ordered everyone but Makoto to go upstairs and leave the two teenagers alone.
Akira gave Akechi a long, meaningful look and then, to everyone's surprise, smiled broadly and with a "See you soon, Goro" proceeded to his room.
Akechi and Makoto were now completely alone in the café.
She was stubbornly looking down. Even though she wasn't crying anymore, her cheeks were still wet and she would still sob every now and then.
Akechi approached her slowly and took her hands in his. With his other hand, he lifted her chin so that she would look him in the eye.
"I regret nothing" he said. "If not meeting you a few years earlier."
She nodded sadly. "Me too..."
"I will forever cherish our time together, Makoto. I am one lucky person to have you all in my life."
He closed the small gap between them and kissed her longingly -Makoto breathing in his scent and trying to memorize how his lips felt on hers- and soon, too soon, it was over. He pulled away and let go of her, leaving the café without turning back.
Leaving her behind.
Ann had insisted on escorting her home, watching her every movement as if she expected the other girl to burst into tears any moment.
Makoto appreciated her concern, but almost lost it when the blonde asked if she was okay for the umpteenth time that evening. After all, she simply needed to return to her room, cry some more and fall asleep as quickly as possible. Maybe returning to school would do her good. Maybe getting loaded with homework and Student Council President's duties was exactly what she needed to forget the emptiness she felt in her chest.
She didn't really see the way they were walking, so deep she was in her own thoughts. And maybe she was a horrible friend, for she barely heard what Ann was talking about. Her voice sounded forcefully jolly, as if she was trying her best to sound cheerful and make her friend feel better.
In other circumstances, Makoto would have smiled and thanked her but she felt too numb to react to anything.
When they reached the building where the Niijima sisters lived, Ann turned to face her, showing concern again.
"If you ever need to talk, just... call me, any time. Even at night" the blonde said.
"Thank you, Ann. I'll be fine, though" Makoto replied, trying to sound natural. "I'll see you tomorrow at school."
She felt Ann's intense stare until she started climbing the stairs to her apartment.
When she opened the door, she realized Sae hadn't returned yet.
She was completely alone, the silence almost tangible. She realized she didn't feel like sitting quietly, or even cry. She needed to keep herself distracted, she needed to do something.
She lazily sat on the sofa in the living-room and turned on the TV.
Of course Shido was the main talk on the news. But she couldn't help but wonder why anyone wasn't talking about Goro. Maybe the police weren't done interrogating him, and so it would take some time before she'd see his name on TV.
Just as she was about to change channel, something else caught her attention: the TV host, the guests of the show and the people that were being interviewed live didn't seem to be reacting at all at Shido's confession. If anything, they seemed to be rooting for him and hoping he'd win the elections.
Maybe they were yet to process the scandal? Or could it be that Shido's political connections had somehow manipulated the media?
She needed to talk to the others. She needed to talk to Sae.
Sae had been waiting with him for an extremely long time, during which none of the officers stopped to ask the reason why a Public Prosecutor and a famous detective were sitting side by side in the waiting hall.
Sae kept looking at her wristwatch, before returning to cross her arms over her chests and sigh loudly.
Akechi didn't dare to speak a word.
When an officer finally opened the door to the office opposite of them, he gestured for them to follow him inside.
"Ah, Niijima-san! Akechi-kun! To what do I owe the honor?" the officer asked merrily.
Sae and Akechi exchanged a look before the teenage answered. "I am here to turn myself in."
A heavy silence fell in the room, during which the officer looked at both the Prosecutor and the young detective as if expecting them to shout "Kidding!" and, when none of them did, he simply burst into laughter.
"That... that was a good one, Akechi-kun" the man laughed.
Akechi's face remained impassible. "This is no joke."
The officer laughed some more but then tried to return serious, not without immense effort.
"Ahem... so, why are you turning yourself in?" he finally asked.
"This is going to be a long story" Akechi sighed, and took a seat in front of the officer.
He told him how he had cooperated with Shido and helped him carry out the murders and mental shutdowns, as well as the psychotic breakdowns, that had been devastating the Japanese community for the entire year, all to get his revenge against his father, and how he had used his knowledge to appear as a promising young detective and consequently put the police on the wrong tracks. He had of course carefully avoided mentioning the existence of the Metaverse.
"Wait, Masayoshi Shido is your father?" the officer asked wide-eyed. When Akechi confirmed it, he whistled lowly.
"These are very serious accusations, Akechi-kun" the man started fumbling with some papers on his desk. "And you are here to confirm these accusations, Niijima-san?"
"Yes, sir" Sae replied promptly.
"I see" the officer said. "But I have to admit... Mr. Shido hasn't spoken a word about you or your involvement. There is absolutely no evidence of what you say, there must be a terrible mistake here."
"I can guarantee you there is no mistake, as Sae-san can cofirm" Akechi insisted.
The officer seemed to believe him for a moment, as he sighed heavily and printed an official-looking document, but then stopped to give Akechi a suspicious look. "You are planning on ruining Mr. Shido" he said dangerously. "You're saying all this to get him out of the picture, aren't you?"
"What?"
Sae and Akechi both gave the officer a quizzical look, as the man stood up and towered over them with an irated look.
"You are behind this farse about the Phantom Thieves and the whole stealing hearts bullshit, aren't you? You wanted to gain even more popularity by putting Mr. Shido in a corner and then pretend to turn yourself in hoping that the Family Court would simply give you a small probation time" the man continued.
"What? N-no..!"
"Silence! I see right through you!" the officer cut him off and then raised a hand when Sae tried to step in. "I am sorry about the inconvinience this boy has caused you, Niijima-san. I promise I will do my best to deliver our young friend to justice."
"No! You are making a terrible mistake, he.." Sae tried to intervene but the officer had already opened the office door to get his colleagues' attention.
"Something's terribly off" she muttered, unable to hide her concern. "We should go!"
But before Akechi could even stand up, the entire police department had gathered outside the office, muttering angrily.
"Sae-san, you can still make it out of here" he told the elder girl. "You must go warn the others!"
"What about you?" she asked urgently.
"I'll be fine. Please just... play along with them and go!"
The chief of the police department made his way through the small crowd outside the office and carefully listened to what the officer had to say. His expression turned as murderous as everyone else's.
As Sae gave him one last worried look while carefully leaving the office, Akechi gulped but stayed perfectly stoic as he was being cuffed.
Sae was right: something was terribly wrong.
Makoto had somehow managed to sleep through the night and wake up in perfect time for her first day of school after taking down Shido.
As she stepped into the kitchen to grab some breakfast, however, she noticed how Sae wasn't at home. In fact, it seemed like her sister had never returned at all judging by the apartment being in the exact same conditions as she had left them the night before: the TV was still on, the dirty dished she had used to consume a frugal dinner still in the sink and the bento box she had prepared for her sister untouched on the kitchen table. Makoto frowned but thought that Sae probably had a lot to sort out at work, what with being absent for a couple of weeks and the whole Shido scandal -as well as Goro turning himself in. When she thought of him -she wasn't sure whether she could even call him boyfriend at this point- something in the pit of her stomach painfully contracted.
She decided she might as well stuff the untouched bento box in her school bag and eat the leftovers for lunch, because she wasn't feeling like making any breakfast.
As she strode into the living-room to turn off the TV however, she couldn't help but focus on the host speaking about the upcoming elections, and how the citizens were concerned about Shido's well-being after he had been taken to a hospital because of an unknown health condition.
What the hell was going on?
She fished her phone out of her school jacket but then thought she might as well just speak with the others directly at school. As she was about to turn off the TV for good this time, her heart skipped a beat when the TV host announced the arrest of the famouse detective prince Goro Akechi. She was so startled upon hearing his name so unexpectedly that she actually dropped the remote.
"Police are investigating the celebrity's involvement with the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, as Goro Akechi himself confessed to having caused the mysterious condition that is currently affecting Masayoshi Shido..."
She didn't have time to listen to the rest, and so she ran to the door and rushed to the train station hoping with all her heart her friends would all be at school.
The train ride went surprisingly fast, probably because she had been eavesdropping on the other passangers' conversations. Apparently, Shido was the main topic although it seemed as if they were all hoping the man would soon recover and win the elections once and for all.
Had they done something wrong? But Shido had confessed on live TV, right? Could it be that his connections had somehow manipulated the whole story?
"Poor Shido, I heard Akechi is somewhat involved and that Shido is sick because of him."
"I heard that too! I wonder what he could have done to him..."
"I'm sure he'll be just fine! He is a strong man, definitely the right candidate to steer Japan!"
"Right? In the meantime, let's just think of these damn finals before Christmas..."
The finals! She had totally forgotten about the finals, what with Goro turning himself in and the entire world apparently still supporting Shido despite his confession.
She bit her lower lip: she had never forgotten about something as important as exams in all her life, let alone during her last year of high school. What the hell had happened to her?
She shook her head and told herself she would make it with excellent grades. After all, she had been studying hard in Mementos, unless Futaba had somehow overseen some important material from the school database -which she highly doubted. If there was a hacker she trusted with her abilities, it had to be Futaba.
She followed the mass of Shujin students when they all reached their stop and made her way to school, trying to reorganize her thoughts.
"Makoto!"
She turned to see a very agitated-looking Akira running towards her. She frowned, for she couldn't remember the last time she had seen the leader of the Phantom Thieves so worried.
"Akira" she greeted.
"Hey" he stopped in front of her and tried to catch his breath. "So, have you seen the news today?"
Makoto nodded gravely. "Yeah, I thought so. Morgana says something here is definitely off but can't explain what it might be. Everything happened just like the other times, it makes no sense" he said. "What did your sister say?"
"I haven't seen my sister since she left with... him, yesterday" she replied.
Akira's eyes softened but right then the bell rang, forcing the students still procastinating outside the school grounds to go inside and face their first day of finals.
"I guess we'll talk when the exams are over" Akira said. "We'll find a way to fix this too" he added with his usual reassuring smile, before sprinting to his classroom.
She could only hope he was right.
Makoto could proudly say she had survived her first day of school, as well as finals, after the long period of absence. She hadn't encountered any particular difficulties on the tests, but she did wonder why the teachers hadn't seemed so bothered by her suspicious disappearence as she had predicted. When she lied and explained she had ended up in hospital to treat a strange sickness, the teacher simply smiled understandingly and even patted her on the shoulder, commenting that they all hoped Shido hadn't caught the same mysterious disease she had.
"After all" her Social Studies teacher added "you have been spending quite some time with Goro Akechi, and we can't say we don't feel slightly responsible for putting you -as well as the other students- in danger, what with you traveling to Hawaii together and him coming as the main panel guest to our school for the festival."
She opened her mouth to retort that Goro had nothing to do with the rumors about this so-called mysterious condition, but the teacher cut her off and told her to go home and rest.
She was still fuming when she collected her bag, but her anger was subsided when she received a text from Akira asking everyone to come to LeBlanc that afternoon.
Feeling slightly better at the thought of meeting her best friends to discuss the situation, she returned home to get changed. She was pleasently surprised when she was met face to face with none other than her sister, apparently on her way back to work. She looked like she hadn't slept in ages, and had dark circles under her eyes. Makoto felt her heart tighten painfully as she studied her tired sister's face.
"Oh Makoto! I am so happy I managed to meet you before getting back to the office. I am sorry I haven't been at home at all lately, I can only imagine what you must be going through..." she started, but Makoto shook her head.
"It's okay, sis. I should be the one apologizing. I mean... you look... awful!" Makoto said truthfully, but her sister simply chuckled.
"I imagine you have questions" Sae said "but I am afraid I don't know much more than you do. I have no idea why no one is reacting to Shido's change of heart. Not even the police. They seem... enthralled. And Goro... I am so sorry, Makoto. I couldn't do anything! The officer that interrogated him seemed to just suddenly... snap" Sae recounted the events of the previous evening, seemingly still not believing what she had experienced.
"Something is indeed wrong. I am off to LeBlanc to discuss the matter with the others" Makoto replied. "Could you just... uhm, tell me more... about yesterday?"
Sae studied her younger sister's face before sighing. "Well" she ran a hand through her long silver hair "it was so... strange. You should've seen their faces. It was like... they just suddenly decided to blame Akechi-kun for everything. They didn't even mention the Phantom Thieves, rather they believe Akechi-kun can somehow... cause this mysterious condition and arrested him. They didn't even start an investigation or gather proof of his involvement."
"But how can that even be legal, then?" Makoto retorted angrily.
"He did turn himself in, remember?" Sae shook her head "but that shouldn't give them any right to treat him like that. This is ridiculous."
Makoto pondered for a while before nodding firmly. "Thank you for the information, sis. I will report to the others, maybe we can find an explanation."
At least she hoped Morgana could come up with something.
She ran the first train to Yongen-Jaya and entered the small café, where most of her friends had already taken their seats at their favorite booth. Sojiro greeted her warmly and brought them all a pot of coffee, and Makoto thanked him gratefully.
"Why do we have to study for exams when the entire world is going to hell?!" Ryuji complained as he unwillingly fished his math textbook from his backpack.
"Because education is just as important" Sojiro answered as he returned behind the counter and turned on the TV. Unsurprisingly, the news about Shido still in uncertain conditions at the hospital as well as Goro being behind the whole ordeal were the only topics available.
"That's bullshit!"Ryuji slammed a fist on the table, causing Ann to jump.
"Indeed" Yusuke agreed as he made his elegant entrance into the café, nodding politely at Sojiro in the process.
"Inari, you're late!" Futaba scolded him, and then moved to the side to make some space for him. The blue-haired boy ignored her comment but gladly took a sit beside her, a small smile appearing on his face.
"Makoto, have you heard anything from your sister?" Ann asked her, and Makoto nodded.
"I just bumped into her. She told me... something interesting" and Makoto proceeded to tell them what Sae had revealed to her.
"So, the chief officer just suddenly decided to arrest Goro-kun?" Haru asked shocked.
"That isn't legal!" Sojiro couldn't help but join their conversation, sounding as outraged.
"That's what my sister also said" Makoto nodded. "It's as if... people are under some sort of spell."
"Yeah, it's as if people in reality have become distorted" Morgana said gravely.
"Guys, listen!" Futaba was pointing at the TV, where a researcher was currently being interviewed.
"...no link among the 'change of heart' incidents, only coincidental psychiatric disorders. The Phantom Thieves only used those rumors to their advantage. Or rather, Goro Akechi did. At this point it can be hypotized that he has been acting alone all this time, all the while blaming the Phantom Thieves in order to gain notoriety. Now all that there is left is to find the motif that has brought a seventeen-year old boy to commit such crimes..."
"You've got to be kidding me" Akira commented quietly, though Makoto could tell he was as irated as the rest of the group.
She didn't know what to think or what to do to fix the situation. She was getting herself a headache with all the emotional rollercoaster and the thinking of the past twenty-four hours.
Her phone buzzed and she took it out to check the inbox. It was Sae.
"Guys..." she said, and everyone turned to her. "Sis has been taken off the case" she announced flatly. "She says it seems like no one wants Shido to be blamed for the crimes he has confessed to, and the mass media is occulting the truth from the public opinion." She put down the phone and massaged her temples, sighing heavily. "It's like they're all blaming the wrong guy!"
"Can't we like... change the hearts of all of Shido's followers?" Ann asked.
"Even so, it would take ages to gather the information, there's just not enough time. I suspect they'll make Shido Prime Minister despite his confession, and Goro will be forgotten in jail " Makoto replied with a broken voice.
"Indeed" Yusuke agreed sadly. "Furthermore, we can only target individuals... Are we no match against the national power?"
There was a long pause, during which Makoto could feel everyone thinking as hard as she was. There had to be something they could do...
"Mementos..."
"Huh?" Ryuji looked at Morgana, who had been the first to break the silence.
"Mementos" the cat repeated more vehemently. "If we use Mementos, we might be able to do something since it is the Palace of the general public."
Of course! Makoto almost wanted to smack herself for not thinking about it earlier. But...
"Wait, is there even a Treasure in Mementos?" she asked.
Morgana wiggled his ears. "The collapse of Mementos should affect the public as a whole. The state of society would change too, and if everyone's hearts grow to hold Shido responsible for his actions, things might start going our way. And Goro would most likely be released."
"Well, what the hell are we waitin' for, then?" Ryuji shot up with an excited grin. "Let's go right away!"
"Wait" Morgana stopped him. "I suppose it is only right to tell you that, by bringing down whatever is deep within Mementos, the human cognition will lose substance, so you can't sneak into people's Palaces anymore."
"I still can't believe I can understand what the cat's saying" Sojiro suddenly commented, palming his face. "Even though I have no idea what he's going on about."
"So you mean to say that, if Mementos collapse permanently..." Akira started, and Morgana nodded sadly. "It means the Phantom Thieves will be going out of business. You will lose your powers and your ability to access the Metaverse and call forth your Personas."
Everyone seemed to be at a loss for words. It was obvious it was a tough choice, but Makoto had easily made up her mind.
"I'm in" she said simply. "If that means setting Goro free as well as opening up people's eyes for good."
"Right" Akira nodded, giving her a proud smile. "I totally agree."
To Makoto's relief, everyone agreed just as easily.
"Let's make a deal first, yes?" Sojiro interrupted. "I will allow both Futaba and Akira to join you and bring down that place, but in exchange..." he stopped to send them all a strict look "...focus on finishing your exams first, alright?"