October 30th.
Are the Phantom Thieves Innocent? 19% to 18%.
There were plans to head into Sae's Palace a little later in the day. That was the plan that was told to Akechi, and he agreed to meet with everyone in Leblanc in the afternoon. That gave a little time for them to prepare, and it let Hifumi spend some time with Kasumi and keep her informed of everything going on so far. They were outside of a café in Shibuya, staring at some of the Halloween decorations some stores had prepared for the holiday tomorrow.
"I still can't believe you made a separate chat..." Kasumi said.
"We had to." Hifumi replied with a slight nod. "We couldn't very well add him to the chat with you, not when he's acting too suspicious. It truly appears that he doesn't know about you, so that's one bit of information to keep in our back pocket. That's why Futaba asked me to deliver that to you."
What was this item Hifumi mentioned? Something that Kasumi had sitting snugly within her pocket. It would be revealed soon enough. "His Persona looked strong, from what I saw." Kasumi replied. "His outfit…wasn't what I was expecting."
"It was the mask, wasn't it?" Hifumi said.
"It was the mask." Kasumi confirmed. Thinking about that long red nose made her snicker.
"Still…something feels off." Hifumi sighed, staring into her reflection in her cup of coffee. "I don't understand it. I wanted to point my finger at Akechi-san, but it doesn't seem like I can do that. His story was filled with truths and lies, but I'm starting to have more questions than answers…"
Kasumi frowned. Hifumi was confused and doubting herself. "I think…you should continue trusting your instincts, Hifumi-senpai. You've been on the mark lately, I believe. I trust you."
Hifumi was silent for a moment, before managing a slight smile. "Thank you, Kasumi. I needed that. Everything is so confusing, but it is important to remain steadfast in my thoughts. I just have to look beyond it all and figure out what it means…that's what my father said."
"That's the spirit!" Kasumi had a bright smile on her lips. It felt like she was able to contribute something, somehow. Her gaze then wanted to the Halloween preparations scattered around the city. "Halloween is tomorrow, I almost forgot…did you celebrate Halloween, Hifumi-senpai?"
"When I was younger." Hifumi replied. "I used to go out with my mother and father…it was a nice time. But then my father got sick, and my mother didn't want to entertain the idea anymore. She did once, but…it wasn't as fun like when we were together. After that, I just started playing shogi and well, here I am. What about you?"
"I used to…a lot." Kasumi's expression suddenly fell. "Actually, this will be my first Halloween without my sister – Sumire, with me…"
"Oh…I'm sorry." Hifumi's expression also fell. She only knew that Kasumi's sister, Sumire, was dead…but she didn't really know about the details, nor did she intend to pry.
"It's alright…I've been able to get by. Having all of you helps." Kasumi managed a slight smile, but it was a little forced. "It was earlier this year, right here in the city actually. A truck hit her…it was awful…I remember it so clearly…" It was difficult to talk about it, but Kasumi was able to recall the memories to share.
"…" Hifumi's brows furrowed unintentionally. Hearing Kasumi share this story…of course she wouldn't have any reason to lie about it. It was a traumatic event, still…something didn't seem right. That bothered Hifumi for the wrong reasons, but she shook it off. "I'm sorry you had to endure something so traumatic…"
"I've been getting better. It helps having friends and people to talk to." Kasumi replied with a small smile. "I didn't mean to ramble on about something so depressing when you have an important operation later."
"No no, it's okay." Hifumi waved her hands. "Um. Maybe we can try something for tomorrow, as a group?"
"For Halloween?" Kasumi tilted her head. "But…are you sure…?"
"Mhm." Hifumi nodded. "I can bring it up. I know things are tense right now, but I think we need a moment to be normal too."
"I…I would appreciate that." Kasumi's smile returned.
That's when Ann saw them and approached. "Hey Fumi, Kasumi!" She had a crepe in hand, needing the energy before the infiltration. "Are you ready to go?"
"Mhm." Hifumi stood up from her seat and glanced to Kasumi. "I'll let you know when we're heading to the Palace. You should go ahead and wait for us there."
"Got it!" Kasumi nodded. "I'll stay out of sight and out of mind. You can count on me!"
.
.
"So this is the location you've been using as a hideout." Akechi said while looking around Ren's room. A small, dingy attic in a cafe? "Nobody would find this under normal circumstance."
"Can we just get started already!?" Ryuji groaned. He didn't want to hear anymore from Akechi than he needed.
"We have until November 20th." Makoto reminded everyone of their deadline. "That's when the investigation will take place."
"Is there any chance they'll act any sooner than that?" Yusuke asked, clearly worried.
"I highly doubt that." Akechi replied while shaking his head.
"How can you be so sure? Didn't they want to catch us as soon as possible?" Yusuke was doubtful.
"They may be corrupt, but they are still a bureaucracy." Akechi explained. "Certain steps must be taken in order to continue forward. Unless their situation becomes extremely dire, they won't act with only circumstantial evidence."
"So we have a safe window…" Hifumi mumbled.
"I'm impressed, detective man." Futaba said. "You sure know a lot about internal affairs."
"Well, this is a purely give and take relationship." Akechi smiled. "You taught me the inner workings of the Phantom Thieves, so it's only fair I return the favor. And I will be sure to contact everyone if the investigation team makes any odd movements."
"That would be helpful." Makoto said.
"Are we ready to leave then?" Hifumi asked. "I would prefer to act as soon as possible. We don't know what we will encounter in that Palace, or what's waiting for us…"
"Yeah, we should get moving." Morgana said. There really was no time to waste. The sooner they cleared Sae's Palace, the sooner they could fix their own problem.
.
.
Upon entering the Casino once again, the Phantom Thieves left off from their last location: in front of the elevator. They were unable to get it to move and required a member's card to even begin scoping out the Casino. "So, where do we start looking for a member's card?" Noir asked. "It's our only option to get the elevator moving, right?"
"Where're we gonna get one, though?" Skull asked. "No effin' way we got free movement down here."
"Is it possible to just take one from one of the people here? They couldn't possibly mind…" Dragon said while tilting her head. "I'm sure someone here must have one…"
"Why is that where your mind always goes to when we need to do this…?" Panther let out a very heavy sigh. "We can't just mug people..!"
"I doubt they'd notice…" Dragon huffed.
"Is that always the option you default to?" Crow questioned.
Joker shook his head. "No…"
"That's a Dragon thing." Queen shook her head. Seeing how her suggestion was effectively denied, Dragon deflated in the background. So much for that.
"Allow me to offer a suggestion, then." Crow said while looking around. "I think we can procure a member's card if we find our way into the back."
"Huh? But why?" Mona wasn't following.
"I will explain later." Crow said. His tone was asking that the others place some trust in him. "In any case, let's try to find an entrance."
.
.
Violet went on ahead as suggested. While the others were scoping out the staff only area, she was on the ground floor. She heard some commotion, likely from the others fighting some Shadows…but nobody paid any attention to it. They were so involved in their own world; they had no regard for anything around them. "No one's even looking…?"
"Nobody has time to focus on anyone else. Or rather…they don't care enough about anything outside of themselves." Cognitive Makoto said, approaching Violet with a security Shadow by her side. This made Violet go on guard. "Who are you? I saw you lurking around yesterday as well. Are you with the Phantom Thieves?"
It was very strange to talk to Makoto like this. But Violet was quickly reminded that this was not her friend, considering the Shadow that looked ready to strike at a moment's notice. "If I said I was?" Violet said, taking a careful stance. Something told her she wasn't going to get out of this without a fight, so her gloved hand was already prepared to brandish her rapier.
"I'd tell you that you don't have a chance, just like my sister told to the bigger group yesterday." Cognitive Makoto replied. "I'd also say it was foolish of you to come alone."
"I know your sister is very important to you…are you going to do everything she says?" Violet questioned. This would be a good chance to hear for herself how Sae viewed her little sister.
"My sister is always telling me how difficult it is to get ahead in this world because we're women. She looks out for me and does everything…I barely contribute, so the least I can do is make myself useful." Cognitive Makoto replied. Violet wouldn't know it, but Sae's stress generally led her to unintentionally take it out on Makoto verbally. That conversation from several months ago, where Sae said Makoto only ate away at her life…it still lingered in her head, clear as day from how this cognitive version of Makoto acted.
"I see…" Violet couldn't help but frown. It sounded like the relationship Makoto had with Sae was nowhere near as tightly knit as with her and Sumire. It did make her sad, but there was nothing that could be done about it right now. Maybe if they succeeded in changing her heart, but for right now, they had to get to that part. "I'm sorry things are so rocky between you and your sister…"
"You don't get to say that." Cognitive Makoto snapped her fingers. The security shadow she was with twitched and morphed into a Valkyrie. "My sister has worked hard to get where she is, and I won't let you or the Phantom Thieves mess that up! She wants them gone so I'll prove my worth to her and do just that, starting with you!"
"I saw this coming…" Violet thought to herself, drawing her rapier while glancing around. It would be bad if a scene was caused, even if all of these people weren't paying attention. Cognitive Makoto left Violet to deal with her welcoming party, and the Valkyrie charged forward along her horse. "I have no choice…!" Violet jumped forward, using her gymnastics to her advantage, leaping onto Valkyrie's head, only to flip over it and run in an opposite direction. "Over this way!"
"You won't get away!" Valkryie shouted at Violet, riding along on her horse to chase her. The speed advantage was completely hers, and Violet was aware of this.
That was fine with Violet, as she was just trying to get the rider to a less crowded area. That was hard when Valkyrie kept swinging at her with her swords. Violet was able to flip over any low swipes, while using her rapier to parry the others. "It doesn't have a lot of room to run, so…" Violet stared ahead at the nearby wall and increased her speed. She ran towards the wall, using her momentum to run up it and flip over Valkyrie, much to the Shadow's surprise. "Cendrillon!" Her mask burned away and Cendrillon appeared, letting out numerous beams of light to rain down up on her target.
"AGGGH!" Valkyrie tried to use its swords to deflect beams of light, but most of them still landed true and impaled her in numerous locations.
With this opening, Violet rushed forward and slashed her target swiftly. That was the finishing blow she needed to end this battle before it got too out of hand…although when she looked back, she saw numerous machines damaged from that very brief encounter. "…That's not good…" It was about time to make herself scarce. Even now, people weren't paying attention to their surroundings, even if they could be put in danger. She did learn something important from this though: Cognitive Makoto was going to be a hindrance to the main group. It was time to put that gift from Oracle to use. It was an earpiece, connected to Necronomicon's frequency so only Oracle could hear her. Oracle spent all of last night making this work and the effort would be worth it. "Oracle, can you hear me? I have an update for you…"
.
.
The main group just finished breaking into a security room and taking out the Shadow in charge. Since Mona was low to the ground, he noticed several cards dropped onto the ground. Three of them. "Hm? The enemy dropped some cards!"
Upon closer inspection, those were member's cards. "Ah, aren't those what we were looking for?" Crow said. "Oh, there are no names on them. They'll be unusable if they remain unregistered."
"Mwhehehehe! I can handle that!" Oracle said while picking up the cards, working with the nearby computer a bit to register them. It took a bit of time, if only because she just got Violet's communication.
"I got into a bit of a fight…I tried to seclude it to a corner nobody would look, but I'm unsure if it worked. It might be noticeable. Also, the cognitive version of Queen is very determined to take us out…"
"Got it!" Oracle exclaimed. She was using this as a cover to respond to Violet, while also exclaiming how she managed to get the first card ready. "I wasn't sure what name to give it, so I just thought of a random one: Taro Tanaka."
"…?" Joker furrowed his brows. He felt like he heard that name somewhere recently, actually…
Skull had his objections. "That's way too simple! Aren't they gonna figure that out?"
"Um, they already know what we look like, and that we've intruded into the Palace." Oracle said. "But I guess it's better safe than sorry." Relenting, Oracle placed the Tanaka card aside and tried with a second one, but decided not to like that one either. "Okay, third time's the charm! The fake name for this card is a little more elaborate this time: Shinji Nakanomatsu!"
"Did we really need to…?" Dragon said with a sweat drop.
"Also, I found a map of the casino." Oracle added. It was the cherry on top. "Joker, you get to hold onto this card and the map. Don't lose them." She said, shoving the map and two cards into his chest.
"Agh. Okay." Joker didn't really have a say in the matter, but he did notice there were two cards in his hands. He wasn't going to question it.
"What do we do with the other card?" Noir asked.
"Crow, next time you see a trash can, throw it in there." Oracle decided.
Crow blinked and pointed at himself. "Hm? Why me?"
"These kinds of chores always fall to the newbie." Oracle explained simply.
Crow deflated upon hearing this. Just after he went out of his way to prove his worth to the team, he was…stuck on trash duty. "Oh. Okay…." Dragon patted him on the back, but it didn't really help.
"Hey, look over there!" Skull pointed to a vent. "We can get through here, right?"
"And we should be able to make that elevator move now too." Panther said.
"I don't believe there's any point in standing around here then. We must proceed." Fox said.
"Based on the map, it will be quicker to go through there then the way we came." Queen said.
"I hope so. This area was a nightmare of a maze…" Dragon groaned. With that said, everyone started to make their way through the vent.
But Crow? Crow lingered behind for a bit, staring at the Taro Takana card that Oracle instructed him to be rid of. "I think I can find a better use for this…."
The group returned to the standard floor from the back room. Oracle quickly looked around to see the aforementioned elevator. Joker inserted the members card into the card reader and an automated voice spoke. "Authentication complete. You can now access the following floors: standard floor and members floor."
"It didn't say nothing about the one for the manager…" Skull grumbled.
"Well, the floors we have access to are limited by player ranking." Crow surmised. "That must mean the members floor is the highest we can go for now."
"It's impossible to mess with the data on the card too." Oracle said. "It's nothing like the ones I've seen before."
"So we can't go directly to the manager's floor? What should we do?" Noir asked.
"I think we should keep going up." Queen suggested. "There's nothing more for us on this floor anyway."
"Good idea. Let's move." Joker said, turning to call the elevator.
.
.
The elevator brought them to the member's floor. It was a lot fancier than the standard floor. There were even playing cards continuously dropping from above. Before they could get too acquainted with the area, Shadow Sae, Cognitive Makoto, and two more men in black suits appeared in front of them. "Sis…!" Queen called out.
"Ooooh, there she is…." Panther was going to trail off, but Dragon elbowed her in the ribs to keep her on track. "Oof…! Fair…but…"
"You wanna just get this over right now, huh?" Skull said with a slight grin. If she wanted to fight, she would get one. "That makes this easy. Bring it on!"
"Do not speak to me as if you are my equal." Shadow Sae practically spat at Skull. "I am the manager of his casino, as well as its number-one player. At the moment, you lack the qualifications to fight me."
"It appears that she's looking down on us…" Fox surmised.
"And how do we challenge you?" Dragon asked. She did not appreciate the attitude that Shadow Sae was taking with them.
"I had to win time and time again in order to reach my number-one rank." Shadow Sae said. "If you want to face me, you must continue to win as well."
"Continue…to win?" Noir asked.
"It must have to do with the fact this place is a casino." Crow said.
"Exactly." Shadow Sae mused. "Do you have the confidence to win?"
"We might pull the rug out from under you if you aren't careful." Queen said while withholding a glare from her sister.
"I doubt that." Cognitive Makoto said. "I'll make sure you don't."
"Hmph." Shadow Sae scoffed at her sister's words. With a snap of her fingers, there was a bright flash of light. When it faded, Shadow Sae and her entourage of guards were gone. Only Cognitive Makoto remained. "I don't expect much from you, but I'll be waiting. Don't mess this up, Makoto." Her voice came from the elevator, but by the time the group noticed, it was already going up…
"I'll be waiting up ahead. For all of you." Cognitive Makoto said, her tone not so very friendly. No, she was waiting for the perfect chance to strike. Her sister wanted victory over the Phantom Thieves and she would get it one way or another. Cognitive Makoto simply walked off straight ahead, waiting for the Phantom Thieves to proceed…it appeared she had some sort of job here aside from being Sae's tagalong.
"This is different than the rest…" Mona pointed out. "It seems that Niijima's shadow is intent on outthinking us as opposed to brute force."
"I didn't expect to come to a Palace, only to go gambling…" Fox slumped. "I wouldn't have the money for gambling anyway…"
Panther approached a slot machine, sweating at the roulette. "I've never done anything like this…how about you guys…?"
"I have no experience…" Dragon admitted. "Anyone else…?" There was no answer.
Mona let out a heavy sigh. "This is going to take longer than expected…"
"We don't got time to waste!" Skull said. They didn't have the time to gambling when they needed to steal a Treasure!
"No need to worry." Crow said quite confidently. "Leave this to me."
"What do you intend to do…?" Queen asked.
"I'm well-informed on what it takes to win." Crow said firmly. "In any case, we need to hurry and change her heart. If she acts recklessly, both her chances of a promotion and her reputation will drop drastically. She didn't always used to be this way, did she? Was there a particular event that led to this Palace's creation?"
Queen had a solid idea. It was one she talked with Joker about in the past. "I believe it's related to my father's death. My sister took on all the responsibilities of dealing with it herself. Trying to earn a living wage, gain a promotion in a male society, and uphold justice at the same time? Those things may have weighed her down and led to the distortion in her heart…"
"…My apologies, but we've no time to be sentimental. The longer we wait, the more people will find out about us." Crow said. "The investigation will advance as well. Hence, we must infiltrate this Palace as quickly as possible."
"I don't think there's anything wrong with taking a second to be sentimental." Noir said in return. While Crow had a point, she wasn't exactly fond of him moving past Queen's story so quickly, despite him being the one to ask about it.
"She's the one who challenged us after all." Mona said. "The Treasure must be on the Manager's Floor, and we'll do everything we can to get there."
"She won't beat us." Joker said with determination. While they were getting farther into the Palace, the real battle had only just begun. What they did was all to step into the front door, now they had to win their way to the top, to challenge Sae Nijiima and clear their name.