Sorry that this is a bit late! My fiancé took this week off work for his birthday, and I haven't been able to use my ps4 as a result, cause he's been playing the new Yakuza: Lost Judgement game. I didn't have notes ready in advance for this chapter.
Begin!
~Normal POV
11/21 - Monday
Today was going to be a long day for everyone. Sae didn't get off work until the evening. The whole day Akira stayed locked up in Takemi's exam room. She was nice enough to close shop in case a patient came by, since the clinic only had one exam room. She even brought him a few meals, which was a great relief after eating nothing at all during his imprisonment. (But that had been the least of his concerns at the time.) Thanks to having a doctor watching over him all day, he was feeling much better now. His ribs were feeling ok, and he could walk with ease. The only injury that was more persistent was the sore spot on his head where the interrogator stepped on him… It'd probably feel better in time though.
The meeting that Makoto had called at LeBlanc went well in their leader's continued absence. They didn't need to do anything specific until they saw him again though. It was here to assemble everyone and relieve their worries by letting them feel safe with each other again. Sae had told Makoto first thing last night about Akira being alive, and she had relayed the information accordingly in her summon. Being back in LeBlanc again had a way of making them feel safe. Almost as if this was the one place they could never be harmed. It was comforting. And the world now believed the leader of the Phantom Thieves was dead: everything was going according to plan.
The plan was to get out of Akechi's grasp so they could track down his boss. If the boss confesses, then Akechi won't be an issue any longer. Everything would come out in the confession and he would be arrested too. All they had to do was ensure that he continued to believe he'd accomplished his intended task.
Once Sae was able to come to LeBlanc, she officially introduced herself to the other Phantom Thieves. She was their ally now after all. She helped save their leader. While they talked, Sojiro went to pick up Akira from the clinic.
"Futaba-chan, I'm sorry that I caused you so much trouble this past summer…" Sae said, bowing respectfully.
"Eh, it's ancient history now." Futaba said, smiling.
It was at this moment when Sojiro and Akira walked in. Ann immediately ran over to hug Akira; he hugged her back tightly. Everyone wisely chose not to comment on the scene. This was no time for teasing or smirking: Akira and Ann deserved this quiet moment after all this… It couldn't exactly be called private with all these eyes on them, but it was ok as long as they were together again. Sae smiled a bit at the scene. So she was the girlfriend he mentioned? Hm, what a cute pair.
"Are you ok?" Ann asked, quietly. "How are you feeling?"
"A little sore, but it'll heal up in no time," Akira replied softly.
Once Ann let go, Akira got relieved hugs from the rest of his teammates. (Morgana let him pick him up and hug him.) Once the group of teens had calmed down, everyone took seats around the shop and explained to Sae and Sojiro everything about their plan. It took a while to explain the Metaverse to Sojiro but he got the basics of their clone plan down. There was no need for him to understand the rest. They even explained the way they could understand Morgana. (During the conversation, Futaba unlocked Akira's phone for him.)
"Why didn't you just tell me that Akechi was the true culprit," Sae asked, after they'd explained.
"Because you wouldn't have believed me," Akira said, bluntly.
"True…" Sae replied. "It would have been outlandish. But now that I know… it all makes sense. The true culprit being someone on the inside with access to evidence and case files…" She sighed. "I'm so sorry that I couldn't see it sooner…"
"We almost didn't…" Makoto said, quietly.
"Yeah… Akechi hearing Morgana speak went completely over my head at the time. I nearly didn't see it until it was too late. We bugged his phone because we didn't trust a cop, but it turned out much worse."
"He was credited with your arrest. Even I wouldn't have doubted it…" Sae said, frowning.
"But he messed up when he heard Morgana talk back at the tv station. We didn't even think about it at first, but once Akira brought it up again, it all made sense," Ryuji said.
"Heh, no wonder your cat is so damn noisy if he can really talk…" Sojiro joked.
"It's probably a good thing you can't understand me, chief." Morgana said, happily. "Gotta have some restrictions."
"...I knew Akechi was acting strange yesterday but… to think he was this far gone…" Sae muttered.
"That's not all. There's also this…" Futaba pulled out her laptop. "I recorded the conversation Akechi had with the clone we made in the Metaverse. You're gonna want to hear it. Only the important parts though."
She played the recording. On it they could faintly hear the sound of a gunshot and a loud thud, possibly Akechi disposing of his witness.
"I owe you for all this… Thanks. That's right. You and your little friends were vital to our plan. And now it will be completed. Your popularity truly was quite stunning. That just made using you all the more worthwhile… Have you finally pieced it all together?"
"You murdered Wakaba Isshiki…"
"Hmph. Yes I did."
"And you murdered Kunikazu Okumura…"
"Guilty as charged… The man was a fool who got in the way. We simply decided he'd prove useful to frame you with."
"And Kobayakawa? Why did you target him?"
"Ah, he knew some… shall we say, details and he was going to talk."
"Now you're gonna kill me…"
"Haha! Yes. It's almost regrettable."
Futaba cut the recording there, feeling that Ann wouldn't want to hear the sound of Akira's clone getting killed. But that was still more than enough evidence for Sae.
"My god… He really did it…"
"Wakaba…" Sojiro wiped his eyes behind his glasses. "He killed Wakaba? God damn, if I'd known… he came in here so casually…"
"Father…" Haru whined softly. Ryuji quickly pulled her into a comforting hug.
"He's no ace detective." Futaba growled. "He's a fucking murderer…"
Yusuke patted Futaba's shoulder in sympathy. "He is a homicidal psycho. But we also know that he's being commanded by someone else. Someone with enough power to order a hit inside of the police station…"
"So you got caught on purpose?" Sae asked.
"It was the only way, ma'am. Sorry for deceiving you," Akira replied.
"I wish I could have seen the look on Akechi's face…" Yusuke said, smirking a bit.
Sae put together all the pieces in her head. "So… by going along with your plan, that means I've been to the Metaverse?"
"Yes, in our experience there is little danger when someone enters their own Palace for a short time." Yusuke answered.
"Niijima-san… Thank you for believing in Akira." Ann said, with a grateful smile. "This wouldn't have worked without you listening to him… Seriously, thank you…" Akira held Ann close at his side as she wiped her eyes once more.
"Yes… that was the only part of our plan we couldn't control… Thank you, sis." Makoto said, sincerely.
"Thank you," Futaba added, smiling.
"Thank you, Niijima-san." Haru said, bowing gratefully.
"Thank you," Yusuke said, smiling warmly.
"Thank you," Ryuji added, with all seriousness in his voice.
"I know you can't understand me, but thank you!" Morgana said, brightly, purring to show his appreciation.
Sae couldn't help smiling at all the warmth and gratitude they were giving her, even the cat seemed happy. They were all deeply appreciative; no hint of snark or joking around involved. They were truly grateful. There was no doubt that they wouldn't have blamed her if she didn't believe Akira's testimony but… it was understandable that they were deeply scared for his life.
"Ok, I kinda figured out that you made Akechi kill a fake, but what about the body?" Sojiro asked.
"The police never even checked it." Sae answered. "I looked into it, and they had a coroner working to ensure his death was reported as a suicide. They just passed along a falsified death certificate."
"Careless if you ask me, but useful to us for the moment," Akira said.
"It still freaked me out when I saw the news though…" Ann muttered.
Ryuji grinned. "Man, when I saw you jump out that stained glass window and land on the pavement, my first thought was, 'Shit, I owe him money…'" His grin was still bright, but his eyes started shining as he continued, his voice breaking slightly. "But… uh… Fuck, man I'm just happy to see you're alive…"
Akira merely smiled in response. It was nice to see Ryuji let down his tough guy exterior for a moment, especially for their current situation.
"Makoto told us he was safe when she summoned us, but it was difficult not to worry until we could see it for ourselves…" Yusuke said, softly.
"I can understand that…" Sae said, "Heh, now that I think about it, my interrogation was just a formality for the head commander. What a joke letting me interrogate someone who was meant to die. They just wanted to avoid the backlash… Very well. From here forward, I will do my utmost to assist you… You saved me after all." She finished with a gentle smile.
"Thank you, Niijima-san," Akira replied, smiling.
"That's reassuring to hear," Ann added.
"Well, if you ever need anything from me, just ask." Sojiro said, "If there's any way I can help, I'll be happy to do it. And feel free to use the first floor when you guys want to get together now. You'll need a hideout where you can be safe. Just say the word and I'll close shop early."
Sojiro then brought out curry for everyone to take a break from all the talking. On the house of course, since it was a special occasion. (Though last time they checked, Sojiro never charged the team anyway.) Once they'd finished their meal, the discussion shifted to their next plan of action: finding the mastermind behind Akechi.
"We gotta take the fight straight to Akechi and the bastard backing him!" Ryuji said, grinning.
"But who's behind him?" Sojiro asked. "You said it must be someone with power."
"We were thinking it could be a politician," Akira said, "But maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part…"
"A really corrupt one would be a good fit," Ann added.
"And we have a good lead on that too!" Futaba said, eagerly. "I intercepted this phone call from Akechi right after he left the Metaverse yesterday." She played another recording on her laptop.
"Shido-san, my job is complete."
Futaba cut the recording with a shudder. "Trust me, you don't want to hear the rest of that call…"
"WHAT?!" Akira shouted, making the others flinch. For some reason, he got really heated from something in that recording…
"That's what he said!" Futaba said, not seeming to get why Akira was suddenly so agitated. "The rest of the call was basically 'I'll kill all the others later.' I couldn't trace it, sorry, I was too busy saving your life."
"No, I get that part, but I need to know who the fuck he was talking about!" Akira said, firmly.
"Could it be Masayoshi Shido?" Sojiro asked.
There was a pause. Akira turned to Sojiro with all seriousness in his eyes. "Who?"
"He's a politician." Sojiro replied, simply. "Wakaba and I used to know him back in the day. We hated him. He's arrogant as fuck. Has an ego bigger than the sun. Cruel, relentless, an all around asshole. He's running for prime minister."
"Oh, right, him!" Sae said, "I've seen his speeches on tv lately. He fronts as a nationalist but I think his platform is a bit odd. If he were the mastermind, that would make sense. I don't have any material evidence but there are conditions that align with that possibility. First, he would profit from the damage done to the current administration by the psychotic breakdowns. That would give him a motive. He's maintained a consistently negative stance against the Phantom Thieves since the very beginning of your exploits, and he gained tremendous popularity not long after Okumura's death. On top of that, he'll most likely become the next prime minister if he wins the election."
Akira was busy recalling his conversation with Akechi at the bathhouse… Akechi had seemed oddly skittish after hearing the description of the man Akira knew as Shido, but he never said he knew him by sight or name… He also recalled the fact that Akechi kept an unlabeled phone number in his briefcase. Akechi was a known liar. He had to have recognized that description; that's what made him freak out. It might even be the reason he avoided Akira so long after that. What if that was Shido's number? It would make perfect sense that he wouldn't keep that in his phone, just in case it was lost or stolen.
Akira looked at Sojiro once more. "What does this bastard look like?"
"Clean-shaven bald, black goatee, wears expensive suits, and yellow-tinted sunglasses," Sojiro answered.
"He's actually sitting on the National Diet right now." Sae added. "He's the Minister of State for Special Missions. If he is behind all this, it would be in stark opposition to his honest public image."
Akira was barely listening. His brain went into overdrive. How could this be? How did this happen? The man who ruined his life is the same piece of shit who's been trying to crush the Phantom Thieves this whole time…
"Akira…? What's wrong?" Ann asked, gently.
"...That's him…"
"You're that sure he's behind all this shit," Ryuji asked.
"Yes- but I meant that it's him. Masayoshi Shido is the bastard politician who got me arrested!"
"What the fuck!?" Ann screamed.
"DUDE!?"
"What kind of fate would bring you two back together?!" Yusuke shouted.
"It's the mother of all fucking coincidences but it's him." Akira said, "I'd never forget his fucking face for as long as I live…"
"If he had the power to ruin your life… then he had my father killed…" Haru said, quietly.
"...Mom…" Futaba whined softly.
Sojiro sighed. "I… had a feeling that Shido would be wrapped up in this… I think the one who crushed Wakaba's research and stole her materials was probably Shido… From the moment Wakaba died, I had a hunch he was involved. But I had no real evidence… There was nothing I could do. So I chose to protect Futaba and went into hiding…"
"Why didn't you say that sooner?!" Futaba shouted.
"You guys would have definitely gone after him if I had! He would have just killed all of you! It's what he usually does to people who get in his way!"
"Originally, I was looking into the mental shutdowns," Sae said, "It was then that I accidentally stumbled upon government research regarding the psychotic breakdowns. So I tracked down the whereabouts of that research data and met with the associated parties. Boss was one of those parties. I would never have imagined all of this was connected…"
"Way back when, Shido kept saying he was gonna be prime minister one day. Nobody believed him though…" Sojiro added, frowning.
"Since he set us up, and his popularity skyrocketed after everyone turned against us, that means… God, he was rigging the election." Yusuke said, conclusively. "But even then, it's just another case of a selfish adult trying to impose his will on the public."
Ryuji was quick to pull out his phone. "Then we gotta expose this bastard." He opened up the Nav. "Masayoshi Shido."
"Candidate found."
"Yep, it's a hit!" Ryuji said, casually.
"I ain't fucking surprised!" Akira said, "But damn, I have never been happier to hear those words!"
"Then where is it?" Yusuke asked.
"I don't even wanna know what kinda things go through this guy's head…" Ann said, shuddering.
"For a politician, dirty money and shady actions." Futaba said, bluntly.
"And an unhinged libido." Akira added. "As for location… Try the Diet Building."
"Location found."
"That's it! Damn, your hatred of politicians is fucking paying off!" Ryuji said, grinning widely.
"How arrogant must he be to see himself as the ruler of the Diet Building?!" Yusuke asked.
"Our next target is Masayoshi Shido. Everyone good with that?" Akira asked.
"I'm in!" Ann said, promptly.
"Hell yeah!" Ryuji shouted.
"Yes; for my father!"
"He will be a worthy opponent!"
"I'm in! For everything he's done!" Makoto said, firmly.
"Count me in too!" Morgana added, brightly.
"You're damn fucking right I'm in! Time for revenge!" Futaba shouted, eagerly. "And Akira… permission to speak?"
"What is it?"
"When we go in there… we're gonna meet his Shadow, right?" She asked.
"It's unavoidable at this point," Akira answered.
Futaba fidgeted with her fingers nervously. "I- I know I've never asked for this before, but… before we take his Treasure… I want to punch that son of a bitch in the face. Just once… For my mom…"
Akira smiled down at her. "Futaba… we'll hold him down for you."
Futaba grinned widely and hugged Akira in response. "Thank you!"
"Haru, do you want in on that," Ryuji asked, smiling.
Haru laughed lightly. "It's tempting… But I think I'll be happy just knowing my father was avenged…" Her smile vanished instantly. "That said, if there's a fight, I'm not missing it for the world!"
Their deadline would have to be election day, December 18th. They made plans to meet up tomorrow at the Diet Building to try to guess the last keyword to enter the Palace.
"By the way, what are you gonna do about school?" Ryuji asked.
"Ms. Kawakami helped us out with that. She said he had a family emergency," Ann replied, smirking.
"She owed me a favor." Akira added, nonchalantly.
"Huh… I guess it pays to have friends in the know after all," Sae said.
The trains were going to close down soon after how long they'd been talking. Ann stayed behind after everyone else left to give Akira a much needed kiss. (Morgana chose to pretend he wasn't paying attention.) If it wasn't for school the next day, Akira would have asked her to stay the night. But that could happen another time. For now, he was just happy to be home with her again.
~End of Chapter