Shibuya's skies were covered in a dark green cloud, bills cascading down from above. Panther looked around, gasping at the sight of the people. "What are those…!?" Walking ATMs were everywhere. It sickened her as much as it surprised her.
"Walking ATMs…that must be his cognition of people. So this is what Kaneshiro considers a 'bank'," Fox said in disgust.
"I never thought it would be the entire district." Mona said while stepping forward. "Look around us. The distortion is affecting the whole of Shibuya."
"Whaddya mean?" Skull asked.
"Oh, I get it." Panther said. "Even when we were in the castle and museum, the city around us looked normal."
"But in this case, everything looks warped." Joker added. "He really does think everyone in the city is his patron…"
"Makes sense for a mafia boss…" Skull crossed his arms. "His hideout should definitely be somewhere nearby."
"I agree." Fox nodded. "Let's search for it."
"Maybe these people have some information…?" Panther refused to call them ATMs.
"Let's ask around." Joker nodded and they went down to Central Street. Surely someone would have to know about where the Palace was. If anything it had to stand out and that was their biggest and only clue. There were a few ATMs that looked a bit more worn down the others.
"W-Wait! Please…! I don't have anymore! Not even one yen!" The ATM said in a panic.
"Are you alright…? Were you assaulted?" Joker asked.
"I-I don't have anything, I swear!" The ATM cried out.
"We're not tryna mug you or anything…" Skull was trying to reassure the person, but they just screamed out. Sighing, Skull turned to the others. "I don't think we're gettin' anything outta this one. It can't even hold a goddamn conversation…"
"Let's try another one…" Fox looked around and saw another ATM. He approached it carefully, as to not agitate it. "Excuse me; can we have a moment of your time…?"
"Please…leave me be…" This ATM sounded tired and worn out compared to the others. "Soon I'll…end up just like them…"
"Just like them? What happened…?" Joker asked.
"Can't you tell? I've fallen…so far…" The ATM's voice grew lower and lower.
"But form whe-" Before Panther could finish asking…
"Please, just let me rest…" The ATM then collapsed, not moving after that.
"…I don't think we're going to get any more out of this one…" Mona sighed. "We don't have a lot to go on. They've fallen…Kaneshiro doesn't leave any tracks…but where could that be?"
"Some tall building?" Skull rubbed his head. It was hard to make sense of it.
Panther turned around, eyes widening at what she saw. "Wait…what is that!?" Floating overhead was a gigantic building, sucking in all the money up into it.
"Is that it?!" Skull's eyes widened.
"Kaneshiro doesn't leave any tracks? Figures it'd be floating…" Morgana said.
"No wonder we couldn't find it…" Fox's gaze went up to the building as it approached them overhead.
"So…how are we getting up there?" Joker asked. "My grappling hook doesn't reach that far up."
"Can you turn into a helicopter, Morgana?" Panther asked.
"No. Just a car…" Mona's expression fell.
"Ah, come on, you're useless!" Skull groaned. "Don't you have some secret machine or somethin'!?"
"Shut up! I'm not a robot!" Mona shot back.
"This may be the extent of what we can do today…" Fox told the others. They had no means of getting up into the sky…
"Fox is right. Let's retreat for now." Mona had to agree. At the very least, they knew the keywords to the Palace, but now getting in was their next challenge. Everything about this operation just faced one roadblock after another. Every time they got close something came up…it was pretty annoying at this rate…
.
.
Shortly after exiting the Palace, the group split off for the day. There wasn't anything they could do about entry for now. It was about time for Ann to meet with Hifumi and she was nervous if she had to be honest. It was starting to run a bit late, which concerned her, so she texted Hifumi to make sure everything was alright. "Hey, I'm waiting for you. Is everything okay?"
It took a few moments for Hifumi to reply.
Hifumi: I'm alright. I was going to head out to meet you but I…felt unwell. I'm sorry.
Ann: Are you sure you're alright?
Hifumi: Yes. I thought I needed to lie down…sorry to worry you when you were waiting for so long. But I will have more time this week.
Ann: Tomorrow after school? If you're feeling OK enough.
Hifumi: Yes, that will work. See you then, I promise.
Ann let out a heavy sigh. Part of her felt relived she didn't have to tell Hifumi just yet, but it also built up her anxiety. The longer this took the harder she'd find it to tell her, especially since they were currently in the middle of an operation as well.
.
.
Makoto and Sae were enjoying dinner together. Even if they weren't talking much, Makoto still cherished what time she could spend with her ever busy sister. A thought crossed her mind, considering all of the business she was currently wrapped up in. "Hey sis, I was wondering if Dad…er, never mind. I shouldn't bring this up while we're eating…"
"No, it's okay." Sae said with a tiny smile. "Keep going."
With the OK from her sister, Makoto decided to continue her thought. "I was just wondering about the Phantom Thieves…if Dad would be on their side."
And just like that, Sae's smile faded. "You only have time to think about that because you depend on someone else."
"That's not…!" Makoto was going to defend herself, but it was too late.
"You don't do a single thing and you're provided with food, clothes, a home. I haven't had time to think about such ridiculous thoughts. Would Dad have been happy with them? I don't care!" Sae's voice rose, causing Makoto to flinch.
"T-That isn't…! I was just…!" Makoto tried so hard to defend herself. A simple question turned into a huge misunderstanding.
"Isn't it time you grew up and acknowledged our situation!? Right now, you're useless to me! All you do is eat away at my life!" Sae's aggression was very uncalled for. When she took a breath and stared at the expression on Makoto's face, she realized how harsh her words were. But there was a part of her that at least felt that way… "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for. I'm just…really tired."
Even if Sae acknowledged her words, it didn't stop Makoto from feeling even more awful than she already did. Her eyes just stared down at her food and she was completely silent and heartbroken her only living family member told her such a thing with no hesitation. "…."
"I'll be eating dinner out from now on." Sae's voice returned to normal. She stood up and just left Makoto on her own, not even bothering to rectify the situation. Perhaps it was too awkward or troublesome…either way, Sae left things at that…
.
.
June 20th.
Afterschool, the group met up in the Accessway again, trying to figure out their situation. "We ain't got nothin'…" Ryuji sighed.
"Are we out of luck…?" Ann rubbed her head, looking around a bit.
"It's no fair his Palace is up in the sky…!" Morgana groaned. So long as that Palace remained in the air, they had no chance of getting into it.
"If only there was a way to contact the real Junya Kaneshiro…" Yusuke said.
"Um…hello…" Hifumi carefully approached the group. She needed some time to herself after what she saw yesterday to approach them. How did she even bring that up in conversation? "I hope I'm not interrupting anything…?"
"Hifumi, are you feeling better?" Ann asked.
"Mhm…" Hifumi nodded slowly. "Is now a bad time?"
"No, not at all." Ann shook her head, before looking at the others. They nodded and were prepared to step back a bit to give them some space. "The thing is…"
Yusuke then turned his head. An unwelcome guest was arriving. It was Makoto. "Hm?"
"What do you want…?" Ann had to shift her focus from Hifumi to Makoto.
"Nothing in particular. I just saw you all together." Makoto said with a slight smile. She then turned to Hifumi. "Oh, is this a new one?"
"That so?" Ryuji scoffed.
"You seem to be having a difficult time." Makoto pointed out.
"So you came to check up on us? Now's a bad time." Ann told Makoto.
"Huh…?" Hifumi blinked. It felt like she was out of the loop of whatever was going no.
"You may be the student council president, but when it comes to what we do, you're useless." Ann was a bit harsh and it caught Hifumi off guard.
"Ann…?" Hifumi mumbled.
"Useless…?" Makoto mumbled that word. Just yesterday her own sister called her useless. That word resonated strongly with her.
"Quite frankly, yes." Yusuke added.
"Kitagawa-san…!?" Again, Hifumi was shocked. This was a side of them she was not expecting, but she could clearly pick out that Makoto had done something to earn the group's ire.
"So, you're just the good girl type of pushover."
"Right now, you're useless to me!"
"I'm not…" Makoto mumbled before looking to Ren. "You need to find a way to contact Kaneshiro, is that right?"
"…Something like that…" Ren said.
"Hey, you don't gotta answer her honestly!" Ryuji said.
"Guys, now's not the time for…!" Morgana was trying to remind them that Hifumi was currently out of the loop and staring at them all like she was lost.
"Fine. I'll help you meet Kaneshiro." Makoto said firmly, walking off.
"What's she doing?" Ryuji asked, but no one had a clue.
"She had a dead serious look in her eyes…" Morgana added.
"…Where is she going? Ann, what's going on…?" Hifumi was entirely confused, wrapped up in this at the worst possible time.
"Ah…I'm sorry, Hifumi. It's just…! Agh! What is up with her…" Ann shook her head before deciding to follow after Makoto. Hifumi kind of expected Ann would do that and just decided to run after, the others following behind them. Whether Hifumi liked it or not, she was sort of wrapped up in this situation now.
.
.
Their chase led them to Central Street. Makoto couldn't have gotten too far, but even still, there were just too many people to pick out from the crowd. "It's no good. There are way too many people here!" Morgana told the others.
"Where did she go? She can't be too far…" Hifumi was looking around but couldn't see anything.
Ren's phone suddenly rang and he picked it up. "Hello. It's me. Makoto Niijima. Just stay on the phone and listen. Make sure to record the call as well."
"Who is it?" Ryuji, Ann, and Hifumi crowded a bit closer to Ren's phone.
"Do you guys know Kaneshiro?" Makoto asked. Her voice was coming from Ren's phone, which he put on speaker.
"Huh?" A voice over the phone was speaking to Makoto.
"I heard I could see someone named Junya Kaneshiro if I came to Central Street." Makoto said.
"Candidate found."
"Central Street…!" Ann gasped.
"She's being too rash!" Yusuke said while leading the way.
"Huh?" Hifumi blinked. No one else seemed to hear it, but her phone with off. But she'd have to check that out later. This was more important. After Makoto!
"Hifumi, you don't have to…!" Ann was about to say, but Hifumi shook her head.
"I can't sit idly by while someone is in danger. You know that girl, don't you? So I should help." Hifumi was firm in this statement. "You don't have to be someone special to help a person in need."
Meanwhile, in a nearby alleyway, Makoto was standing in front of two men. "What are you getting at?" One of the men asked.
"He's blackmailing the students of Shujin Academy, isn't he?" Makoto questioned. "Tell him if he doesn't want me to go to the police about it, he better meet with me now."
One of the men took a step forward, the audacity Makoto had to ask about Kaneshiro surprising him. "You got a death with or something!?" But ultimately…they'd comply. They walked Makoto to a black car and were more or less shoving her into the back seat. "Hey, contact Kaneshiro-san. Tell him we got a good one."
"Where are we going? You better be taking me to Kaneshiro." Against her better judgement, Makoto got into the car.
"Yeah, I guess we can't do anything to her if she's Kaneshiro-san's customer…" The other male said.
"Hey! I asked you a question! Where are we going!?" Makoto repeated herself.
Just as the car drove off, Ren and the others rounded the corner to see it pull out. "There it is!" Ann shouted.
Yusuke pulled out his sketchbook. He was able to memorize the license plate in the few seconds he saw it. "I got their license plate! My sketching skills have come in handy. Ryuji, call a taxi!"
Ryuji was on it, waving his hand to a taxi that was coming by, but it flew right past them. "Agh, shit! He ignored me!" There was another one coming by. So to make sure he would hail this one, he put his body on the road and extended his arms. "I said STOP!"
"Eeep…!" Hifumi was just as startled as everyone else.
"Ryuji!" Ann shouted. Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest with that one.
"Come on, let's go!" Ren said. They didn't have time to waste.
.
.
The location Makoto was taken to was a bar somewhere downtown. Junya Kaneshiro was a bit of a heavyset man, with a pretty woman sitting next to him. While his men held Makoto down, he held onto her phone and stared at the number she contacted. "You're seriously the student council president of Shujin? So, whose number is this? Your boyfriend?" He asked with a teasing tone, but to Makoto it just came off as sickening. "You know what happens to anyone who snaps at me, don't you?"
Ren and the group barged in not too long after Makoto was brought in. "Niijima-san!" Yusuke exclaimed.
"What the hell'd you do to her!?" Ryuji barked.
"Who the fuck are you!?" One of the men asked.
"Oh, I get it." Kaneshiro said while staring at the teenagers who barged in. "You got followed you dumbshits!" And his eyes then wandered to Hifumi, causing his anger to rise along with slight confusion. "And what is she doing here? You dipshits really can't do anything right, can you?"
"Huh…?" Hifumi blinked. Was she supposed to know this guy!?
Kaneshiro opened up the briefcase in front of him, where there were a large number of bills sitting inside. "Holy shit…" Ryuji was awestruck at the amount of money.
"That bag you wanted, the crocodile. How much was it?" Kaneshiro asked the woman next to him.
"Um…about 3 million." She said. And just like that, he handed her a stack of 3 million yen. "Whoa…seriously!?" Her voice was ecstatic.
"Better thank those guys." Kaneshiro said while staring at the group. "I'm royally pissed right now, can't you tell? Don't you know that spending money is a great way to relieve stress? It's you goddamn kids sniffing around like dogs and running in like you own the place. See this empty space? I'm so pissed that now there's a three million yen gap here. It pisses me off more if I don't fill it up. I'm a bit of a perfectionist. So…good luck."
"Good…luck…?" Hifumi was afraid to ask.
Kaneshiro lifted his phone up and snapped a picture, catching everyone by surprise. "What's wrong? You all look so tense. I think I'll call this…Debauchery of Minors at a Club? So, can I send this to your school?"
"T-That's…!" Makoto felt her heart sink.
"What the hell…" Ren gulped.
"Oh, shit. I got some booze in the shot! Maybe some drugs and cigs too…" Kaneshiro wore a shit eating grin while showing them the picture he took. It definitely had all of them in it. "Ah, this is so hilarious. I feed on dipshits like you, understand, Student Council President? Now, if you say a word of this to the police, I'll break all of you, starting with your families. Normally I'd give you the one month time limit…but since you have such a large group here, I'll give you three weeks for three million yen."
"That's absurd…!" Yusuke objected. No one could collect that kind of money in such a short timeframe.
"Summer bonuses are around the corner, you know? It'll be easier if you ask your mommies and daddies." Kaneshiro said tauntingly. His henchmen laughed as he spoke.
"I…" Hifumi felt her face go pale.
Ann placed a hand on her shoulder, keeping a stern face in this situation. The guilt was absolutely setting in now, since she could have avoided dragging Hifumi into this mess. "…."
"Now, get out of here. I'm about to have some fun." Kaneshiro said while tossing Makoto's phone at Ren, not really caring if it broke or not.
"To hell with that!" Ryuji shook his head.
"Let it go." Morgana said. "Makoto's safety is more important…" And he had a point. Makoto was released and the group had to leave with a three million yen debt hanging over their head…
"Damned idiots." After the group left, Kaneshiro sent a text to someone. "They're lucky they're already a donor, whether they know it or not. But I can't let such a sweet deal be broken over some idiot's mistake."
.
.
"What a horrible situation…" Hifumi mumbled. So that was the man who was behind the blackmailing of students. She never thought she'd meet such a person in her life.
"I'm so sorry…! It was never my intentions to get you wrapped up into this!" Ann felt terrible.
"No, this is my fault…" Makoto shook her head. "I'm the one who dragged you all into this. I shouldn't have…"
"For real…" Ryuji was really at a loss for words.
Hifumi wanted to ask what that was all about, but she felt her phone vibrate. When she checked it, well…she saw a number of messages from her Mother. Most of them demanding her to go home now. While she was sure this was unrelated, she knew better than to disobey her mother. "I'm…I…I have to go…"
"Wait…!" Ann reached out to stop Hifumi. "I…"
"It's okay, Ann. I don't blame you." Hifumi gave Ann a slight smile. Her face was still a little pale from the reality of the situation, but she didn't want Ann to see her upset. "I…I'll talk to you later. I'll try and think of something…" And off she went, leaving Ann and the others.
"…." Ann couldn't say a word. But now she had even more reason to want to stop Kaneshiro, so Hifumi wouldn't have to suffer. "Don't worry…! The Phantom Thieves will do something about it, I swear…!"
Hifumi rounded a corner, just to get out of sight. She let out a shaky breath, deciding to hide for a bit before going home. "If that picture gets out, everything I've worked for will go down in flames…and then Mother will be so disappointed…mad even…" She needed a bit of alone time. Panicking wasn't going to do anything.
That's when one of Kaneshiro's men approached her. "You."
"Huh!?" Hifumi was on guard. She narrowed her eyes, keeping a safe distance in case they tried anything. "What do you want…?"
"You're the lucky one. Kaneshiro-san already has money from your efforts. That's all." With that, the man left without even giving her an explanation.
"What…what does that mean?" Hifumi couldn't make sense of it. It didn't sound like she wasn't still in a bad situation.
The conversation with Makoto only went but so far. They learned she acted so rashly because she thought herself to be useless. In a way, she was in a similar position to them. But that aside, they were still stuck with a 3 million yen debt over their heads. "If only we could do something about that bank…" Ryuji sighed.
"Ryuji! That's it!" Yusuke had an idea.
"Wha…did I say something?" Ryuji was confused.
"We should take her with us." Morgana suggested. "She might be our ticket in now."
"You might be right…" Ren nodded.
"A…a cat?" Makoto blinked slowly. Did the stress of the situation make them hallucinate or something? She was trying to get them to back off the case, but they were intent on solving it somehow. "Are you all okay?"
"She risked her life for this situation…so she deserves to know." Yusuke said.
"…So does Hifumi…" Ann mumbled. It was a bit too late to chase her down now. But if they could really do this, then the money wouldn't be a problem. "But…where are we going?"
"No idea…" Ryuji shrugged.
"Come on, we don't have a lot of time left." Morgana said, he and Yusuke leading the way while the others were confused.
.
.
Makoto was brought to the Metaverse. Needless to say she was met with extreme surprise at the sudden change in her surroundings. The first thing she did was look at Fox and gasp. "A canine!?"
"It's…Fox, actually." Fox clarified.
"Be quiet! The Shadows are going to notice us!" Mona said.
"A monster cat!?" Makoto gasped again.
"I'm NOOOT!" Mona's head dropped.
"That's Morgana, the cat that was in his bag. This is what happens when we come here." Panther explained.
"T-Takamaki-san!? Where are we!?" Makoto was having no luck wrapping her head around this situation.
"We're in…another reality in Kaneshiro's heart." Joker tried to explain it as best he could. "This is how he views the world."
It made less and less sense the more they spoke. "A-Another reality…" Her eyes then glanced up at the floating bank. "Oh. My. Goodness. It's floating…in the air."
"…I think we should explain this to her…" Skull didn't foresee them getting anywhere with her so confused.
"…." Panther remained silent. As far as she was concerned, Hifumi should have been here too. It wasn't the way she wanted things to go down. So her focus was…currently elsewhere at the moment.
After taking a few moments to explain to Makoto what it was they did, she held a fast and firm understanding of how the Phantom Thieves operated. The concept of stealing one's heart was overwriting their cognition. No wonder it was hard to track them. "I think I get now…and if I'm Kaneshiro's source of revenue, then that means they'll have to let me in. I will be useful to you guys." She then walked towards the floating bank, which completely stopped and even rolled out the money carpet for her.
"Whoa…it really came to us!" Skull was surprised.
"Just as I calculated…" Mona said cockily.
"You know how you can use your card to get into bank after hours? I thought I could get in since I'm one of Kaneshiro's customers after all." Makoto explained her reasoning.
"I rarely gotta go to the bank so I'm gettin' nervous." Skull admitted.
"But you know…with us wearing these outfits…it's so obvious that we're robbers." Panther couldn't help but point out how much they stuck out compared to everyone else.
"We gotta be on guard now." Joker warned. They could get attacked any moment.
"I trained in aikido. I can defend myself." Makoto said firmly.
"That won't do much against Shadows, but it's better than nothing." Morgana admitted. At least Makoto could put up a fight, but without a Persona she wouldn't get far.
.
.
The moment they stepped inside the bank, two guards approached them. "What business do you have here!?" One of them asked.
Panther just sighed. "I saw that coming."
Makoto stepped forward, ready for a fight. "Come at us."
Skull had to pull her back. They were not here to fight, they were here to observe. "No no no, wait!"
Realizing it was too soon to pick a fight, Makoto backed off. "I'm here to speak to the bank president. Let me in, now."
"Do you have an appointment?" The second guard asked.
"I need to talk to him. Now let me through." Makoto insisted.
"Let them pass." Kaneshiro's voice spoke through an intercom. The guards immediately backed off and let the group pass.
"Yo, banks have presidents?" Skull asked.
"Yes." Fox answered. "But not the political ones. They are different…in theory."
"Reception is past the main desk. I strongly advise that you do not go anywhere else." The guard was threatening them. Naturally the group would follow this stipulation, for they didn't have any reason to go picking fights just yet. Wandering into the reception room where a stack of yen awaited them.
"How many beef bowls could I buy with this…" Skull stared in awe. He really just couldn't get used to the amount of money he was seeing all at once.
"Unlawful entry, property damage, and other disturbances." Kaneshiro's voice began. "That total comes out to three million yen. I suppose you are here to discuss that, Miss Beautiful Council President?" Kaneshiro appeared on the screen in front of them, turning around in his chair to face them. Compared to his real world self, his skin was purple, he had a small mustache, and he wore a business suit. "It must be quite tough gathering so much money. I'd be willing to give you a loan, you know."
"So you're gonna call it off then?" Skull asked, hopefully.
"No. A loan." Shadow Kaneshiro clarified. "The interest rate is ten percent a day."
"Ten percent a day? So that's uh…a day…er…" Panther was trying to do the math, but it didn't come to her easy.
"It's three hundred thousand yen." Makoto said.
"There's no need to be alarmed." Shadow Kaneshiro said. "I have a more manageable option for people like you."
Makoto narrowed her eyes. "That was your intention from the beginning, wasn't it?"
Shadow Kaneshiro's lips curled up into a sinister grin. "Quite an impressive insight, Niijima-san. Or should I say younger sister of the beautiful prosecutor. Sae Niijima?"
All eyes went to Makoto as Shadow Kaneshiro revealed that information. Makoto was the most shocked of all. "How do you know that…!?"
"Please do not underestimate our intelligence network." Shadow Kaneshiro said plainly. "I know that just as I know that you managed to bring in the popular Shogi star Hifumi Togo. A delicious treat, I must admit. I can always use more money but I already have her helping me with another endeavor, not that she knows about it. Nor does she need to; she makes quite a good pawn, despite thinking herself as a Queen."
"What…?" Panther narrowed her eyes at Shadow Kaneshiro. Hifumi was unknowingly wrapped up in one of Kaneshiro's schemes!? "What are you making her do!?"
Ignoring Panther, Shadow Kaneshiro gladly mused about the way things were turning out for him. "What wonderful goods have come falling into my lap. Young women are such great assets. They lack strength, whether it be social, physical, or mental. It's as if they exist only to be devoured by the strong…it's been that way since the beginning of time."
"You truly are despicable…" Fox grit his teeth.
"We'll be wiping that smile off your face soon enough." Joker said.
"Yeah! You better get ready, Kaneshiro! Because we're going to steal your Treasure!" Skull spoke confidently.
"Don't make me laugh you petty thieves!" Shadow Kaneshiro laughed and clapped his hands together. "My citadel has the highest security investment. Anyone will do anything for money." Just like that, multiple guards appeared in the room, transforming into Oni, large shadows wielding a dual bladed spear. "I'll rob you of your lives just as easily as I breath air!"
"Shit…" Skull should've see this coming.
"Nue!" Joker tore off his mask in an instant, calling out his Persona. The four legged beast appeared, crashing into one of the Oni with all its might. This caused a large explosion that forced everyone out of the room. It was a good thing he did, because they just noticed that the room was stacked with security guards. "We gotta go!"
"W-why did the security guards turn into monsters?! Were those the Personas you mentioned…!?" Makoto had numerous questions on her mind.
"No time for that! We gotta go!" Panther exclaimed.
"Makoto, make sure to stay close to us!" Morgana told her. They all made a break for the entrance, but just before they could make it to the door, several more guards appeared in front of them.
"There's no end to them…!" Panther groaned while sliding to a halt.
"Have they all really been hired with money!?" Morgana couldn't believe how easy it was for Kaneshiro to buy so many people out!
"Guys…!" Makoto cried. They were surrounded on all sides!
"This isn't good…" Fox kept a hand on his blade. They weren't going to escape this without a fight, but with Makoto in the crossfire, it was going to be a difficult battle…
"You look like you're in quite a pickle…" Shadow Kaneshiro appeared in front of them physically, adjusting his collar.
"How dare you sneak around Kaneshiro!" Morgana huffed.
"Those would be my words." The bank president said to the thieves. "However, I do thank you for providing me with such wonderful goods. Now, it's time you disappear." Clapping his hands, even more guards appeared at his side. "Being the president of a bank can be troublesome at times. I make it my policy to kill any customers that are more trouble than they're worth."
"Please, stop!" Makoto pleaded.
"Oh, I wouldn't do any harm to you. You're far too valuable. They're dead men walking, but you'll be just fine. Having one impertinent brat disappear is enough to set an example in that other world. Your sister is quite a beauty though. I'll be sure to make her my personal slave. Once I get bored, I'll just sell her off. Oh, poor sis…she could have been successful, if only her younger sister wasn't so dumb…"
"My sister has nothing to do with it!" Makoto shouted.
"Then you better start taking customers tomorrow. All you have to do is endure it and do as you're told. You'll earn three million yen in no time! Although your life and everything with it will be a complete wreck!" Shadow Kanehsiro broke out into laughter. Makoto wasn't his first victim and she surely wouldn't be his last.
Makoto clenched her hand into a fist. The more Kaneshiro talked, the angrier she became. "Endure it…do as I'm told…I've been listening to you go on and on…SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH YOU MONEY GRUBBING ASSHOLE!" Makoto's voice rose to a scream, her explicit language surprising everyone.
"Huh…!?" Shadow Kaneshiro wasn't expecting her to bark back at him so loudly. It startled him with how fierce she was.
"Have you decided to tread the path of strife?"
"Yes! COME TO ME!" Makoto exclaimed.
"Very well. Let us proceed with our contract at once." Makoto felt a stinging pain in her head, causing her to writhe around in pain, but she refused to collapse. "I am thou, thou art I. You have finally found your own justice. Please, never lose sight of it again. Today marks the graduation from your 'false' self." Makoto let out a grunt as she stomped onto the tile floor with so much force, it shattered under her foot. Her mask appeared and she grasped onto it with both hands, ripping it off her face. A cyan pillar of light exploded around her as she screamed out, the revving of a motorcycle mixing in with the rumbling noises.
"W-what the hell!?" Kaneshiro gasped.
Makoto's Persona was a motorcycle. It didn't just look like one, but it acted like one, too. Makoto's attire changed as well, to a leather suit with spiked shoulder and knee pads. They were just as deadly as they looked. "I can feel it…my 'self'…me…!" This was freedom…freedom from everything that weighed her down.
"A Persona…?" Fox stared in awe.
"Nah dude. That's a bike." Skull corrected.
"What is that…!? I've never seen anything like it!?" Not even Morgana could fathom what he was looking at.
"GUN IT!" Makoto drove forward, using her Persona to drive by two guards, completely blowing them backwards with her sheer power. It happened so fast, everyone needed a second to comprehend what they just witnessed.
"Talk about horse power…." Joker whistled.
"That's so cool…!" Even Panther liked what she was seeing.
Shadow Kaneshiro was a bit unnerved by this sudden development. Adjusting his collar once more, he pointed to his two guards who stepped forward. "You better earn your keep! Or else I'll kill you!" With this warning in place, he stepped back so they could deal with the intruders.
Makoto was not going to back down. She revved her Persona, staring down the Shadows that stood in her way. "I will not lose heart again. I'll go full speed nonstop! Right, Johanna!?"