The operation within Kaneshiro's bank continued. Security grew tighter the deeper the Thieves descended into the building. They were more than halfway down by this point, based on the map and the change in scenery. Dragon briefly took the lead, looking around a corner to scout for any security. "Between the guards and the dogs, I'm starting to understand why this takes a while…" Dragon mumbled.
"The dogs are the worst." Mona nodded in agreement.
"You're just sayin' that cuz you're a cat." Skull had to poke fun at that.
"Stop that…!" Mona growled, but Dragon immediately put her hand between them, telling them to shush. "Be quiet…! Look ahead!"
"More security cameras?" Fox questioned.
Panther tilted her head a bit. "Wait…something seems off about them. They're…flashing?"
"It's a security measure." Queen explained. "This is how some security systems cover more ground. The footage is flashing between those other cameras."
"Sounds easy enough." Joker said confidently. "All we need to do is slip between the camera flashes. We've got a big group, but if we move swiftly, it won't be an issue. We're getting closer to the Treasure."
"Wow…is he always this confident?" Dragon was impressed. No wonder Joker was the leader, issuing out orders clearly, confidently, and concisely.
"I think he's just trying to show off in front of the new recruits." Panther teased. "But still, he's right. It's still a bit easier said than done…" On top of the security cameras, there were also guards roaming about the narrow passageways. "Kaneshiro really doesn't want us getting to that Treasure."
"He's bad at hiding things." Joker scoffed. "On my mark." He then took the lead, stealthily moving from one wall to the next. The timing was tricky at first, but he soon got it down, slipping between both the guards at the cameras. The others were quick to follow, not leaving a trace of their existence in this corridor.
"That was surprisingly swift." Dragon was more impressed at how easy she could move. It looked harder than it actually was. "But why do we not crush them while we're at it?" She just wanted to fight…it was a bit clear Dragon's Shogi mode was always active when in the Metaverse.
"No doubt we'll have to fight later, but it's best to avoid any unnecessary noise for now." Mona said. "But if a Shadow spots us, we have to silence them quickly."
"I can work with that." Dragon nodded and took a few steps forward.
Fox couldn't keep his gaze off all of the money scattered haphazardly on the floor. It was almost like there was so much money in this bank; it couldn't even be contained in the vault. His moral compass refused to allow him to take some…no matter how poor he is. "…"
"Don't." Dragon gave Fox an incredulous look. It was a look so unexpectedly intense it sent shivers up everyone's spine.
"I would never pilfer money obtained in such horrid ways." Fox defended himself, looking around a corner to scout ahead. The coast was clear and he motioned everyone to move on. "I was simply thinking what it would be like to have such money…oh, the art supplies I could buy…"
"Would you stay focused?" Queen would pinch the bridge of her nose if her mask wasn't in the way. "We're coming up on another room…"
"Hey, you wanna try that move we talked about earlier, later?" Skull asked Queen.
"If the time arises…!" Queen responded.
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The group carefully proceeded. They were stepping on wasted bills, which made Dragon scowl. How much of this was she responsible for? How many of her peers had she unintentionally thrown into debt just by playing? Doing something she loved? The sight of all this dirty money made her sick, but she pressed onward. Panther was aware of Dragon's innate anger towards Kaneshiro and his methods. This was something she felt like she had to address before they went further. "Hey, Hi- Dragon, are you okay?"
"Huh?" Dragon blinked. She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts; her body went to auto pilot when following Joker's lead. "I'm…"
"If you're going to say you're fine, don't try it." Panther shook her head. "Ever since we stepped inside this part of the bank, you've looked more upset than before."
"If something's bothering you, might as well let it out now." Joker suggested. He wasn't attempting to butt in on the conversation, but it was best they let Dragon vent her frustrations verbally before she make another reckless attempt at Shadow Kaneshiro. If she hadn't been hit with exhaustion, her anger very well may have caused a mental shutdown…
"…" Dragon hated that she was holding up the operation again, but the others weren't moving until she talked. So she sighed and leaned back against a wall. They were in a good place so they could afford to slow down a bit. "I simply…just hate all of this. How Kaneshiro gets his money, where he gets it, who it gets it from…to know that I'm a reason for that…it makes me so mad."
"I get it." Queen placed a hand on Dragon's shoulder. "He truly is a despicable man. I want nothing more than to punch him in his greedy face…and no doubt we might have that chance. But you have to dial it down a little bit, Dragon. We don't want to hurt the real Kaneshiro. We have to do this the right way."
She heard that before. Dragon never thought of herself to have any type of anger issue, since she was so well mannered and quiet. But pushing the right buttons could make anyone angry, she was no exception. "I know. Just thinking about seeing him makes me angry…but I don't want to actually hurt him either. That's why we're doing this. I'll try to restrain myself if I see a fatal opening. I cannot promise I can withhold myself if he says something I don't like…"
"I have to agree with her there…" Queen just really wanted to punch Kaneshiro.
Panther gave a slight smile. Even though Dragon got it off her chest, it still felt like there was something deeper…but the issue could be pushed aside for now. It was a good thing they got this off Dragon's chest now, because the next large room they entered, Shadow Kaneshiro was right there! He was discussing something with a high ranking security guard. "Hey, there he is…"
"…!" Dragon just promised to hold herself back. She had a sniper rifle and he had his back turned to them…a leg shot wouldn't be bad. It would save them some time. But Panther placed a hand on her shoulder without even looking in her direction. "…I wasn't going to…"
"We can get the jump on him, though." Joker motioned for the others to follow. It really didn't take long for them to appear next to Kaneshiro and his security.
"Kaneshiro!" Queen and Dragon exclaimed at the same time.
Startled, Shadow Kaneshiro turned around, his eyes widened at the Phantom Thieves in front of him. He thought the security system would have easily caught them by now! What the hell!? "Y-You bastards…how did you get this far!? What about my security!"
"Hah! Sorry, but that shit was easy for us!" Skull said confidently.
"Well…I wouldn't say it was that simple…" Fox quietly interjected. To act like it had been a walk in the park would have just been a lie, since they had their fair share of difficulties up to this point. But Kaneshiro really didn't need to know that.
In a panic, Shadow Kaneshiro turned to the security guard next to him. "H-Hey! Finish off the vermin here! Keep them away from the elevator at all cost!" With that, the man himself turned and hastily ran towards the elevator.
"You are not getting away!" Dragon called forth Belle Star. Whatever her plan of action was, it was interrupted by the security guard. A large, golden armored man stood in front of the group, Dragon's attack bouncing off the armor. She staggered back, surprised by the size of the foe in front of them; the Samurai Killer. "Wh…!?"
"That's a big one…" Fox said while reaching for the hilt of his blade. It wasn't just a Samurai Killer, but another Water and Tornado Devil appeared to join the fray as well. They were going to be preoccupied for longer than they would have liked.
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Mitsuyo stared at her phone. Hifumi was acting a bit differently ever since Ann came into her life. It was something she had to be wary of in the future, especially with the dirt Kaneshiro had on them. "I suspect she's going to be home late again today…" The sentence was followed by a small, annoyed sigh. She could hear her husband, Mitsurugi Togo, shuffling in the room despite being sick. "You should be resting."
"When you look so concerned, I have to check on you." Hifumi's father replied. Mitsurugi's sickness didn't seem like it would be going anyway anytime soon. He'd been sick for quite a while… "What seems to be the matter? Are you worried about Hifumi?"
"Of course I am. That girl and the group of friend's she's suddenly in do not strike me as a good crowd. They could ruin her reputation." Mitsuyo scoffed. She had everything just how she wanted it, but then Ann had to walk into Hifumi's life and threaten all she worked for.
"I think…" Mitsurugi coughed a few times, holding his other hand up to say he was okay. It was just a bad coughing fit, one that only added onto Mitsuyo's worries. "I think you're being a little too worried. I understand this is her first friendship circle, but she's been raised well, don't you think?"
"That's precisely why I'm worried." Mitsuyo replied. "That girl is from Shujin. They just had a scandal about a teacher only just last month! Not to mention the rumors of some juvenile delinquent with a criminal record there as well. Who knows what other foul stories are running amok in that school? Hifumi is far too well-mannered and obedient a girl to afford being exposed to those sort of things! What if being around Shujin students brings out an unpleasant side of her? There is far too much she needs to do to avoid tainting the image I've helped her make…"
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"It's hard to believe he really paid off all these guards with just money!" Mona found himself leaping back from a mighty punch from the Samurai Killer. It was the biggest one out of the three foes they were fighting. The other two had been dealt with swiftly, leaving one foe against seven enemies. "Zoro!" Mona's Persona appeared, slashing forward to send a powerful whirlwind at the Samurai Killer. The golden Shadow barely budged despite the force of the wind. "It's tough!"
"You know what they say!" Skull ran forward, gripping his club tightly while leaping into the air. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall" Skull swung his club at the Samurai Killer's face, but the impact simply reverberated through his own body and he dropped to the ground, trembling comically from the aftershocks. "Gaaah! What the hell!?"
"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me…" Fox was at least glad someone was willing to try and hit the thing physically. "Goemon!" Fox's Persona flew forward to slash at the Samurai Killer with its blade, ice following the swing. The golden shadow blocked the strike, much to Fox's surprise. "A rather sturdy foe!"
"Watch out!" Panther exclaimed. The Samurai Killer raised its arms up and slammed them down on the ground, the resulting impact sending a powerful shockwave forward that forced the group back a few feet. "Ow…Is everyone alright?"
"Just fine." Dragon shook her head. Such attacks didn't take much of a toll on her, but it didn't help the fact she was still inexperienced and had difficulty fighting in general. "It is a tough foe…how will we topple it?"
"If we can distract it somehow, it should give us the opening we need!" Queen said.
"Arsene!" Joker took the lead, swiftly approaching the golden foe. It aimed a punch at him, but he dodged it by leaping onto its arm, now running along the armored limb as Arsene prepared to attack. "Eiga!" Arsene snapped his fingers, sending a dark colored burst of Curse at the Samurai Killer's face, causing it to stagger back. Joker then leapt back with a needlessly stylish flip.
"Belle Star!" Dragon called forth her knight, lifting her hand into the air, and promptly swinging it down. "Dragon's Descent!" The knight flew into the sky, before dropping down with a downward slash aimed for the Samurai Killer's chest. The attack apparently had some effect, since the golden enemy was now taken off balance, nearly tipping over.
"Her attack names don't make any sense!?" Mona thought to himself.
"Hey, Queen!" Skull said while crouching a bit. "Ready to go?"
"N-Now!?" Queen blinked but ultimately she was ready for it. "Very well, let's begin!" She and Skull were side by side, the setting changing very briefly to a sunset in an outskirts.
Skull lightly bounced his club on his right shoulder, giving a grin as he and Queen stepped forward. "Oh yeah, now you're about to face the Fist of the Phantom Sta-"
Skull was promptly stopped when Queen elbowed his ribcage. She was not going to let that name pass. "Get serious." Queen demanded to which skull replied with a 'sorry', while grunting from her jab.
Getting serious, Skull and Queen ran forward. Skull took the lead, leaping a head to slam his club down onto the Samurai Killer, following up with a swing for the fences, knocking it backwards a great distance, right towards Queen! "You're up!"
Queen focused herself, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. That moment arrived. And she threw a flurry of punches ahead, all faster than the human eye could keep up. "Take this!" The final strike was a punch that pushed her forward, past the Samurai Killer. But they weren't finished yet!
Skull then jumped down, simply placing his foot on the Samurai Killer while giving a confidence smile. It was down, but its pain wasn't over. "Too late to run now!"
"You're already dead!" Queen came down, her brass knuckled fist slamming into the Samurai Killer's face. That Showtime was enough to take down their foe.
Skull then handed Queen a refreshment. "Here you go!"
"Not the right flavor." Queen said while crushing the canned drink in her hand, and Skull just bowed as an apology.
That was something alright. To think Skull and Queen were able to pull that out of nowhere! "Wow…that was pretty cool, actually." Panther was impressed.
"W…What was that?" Dragon was more confused than anything! Could she use that as some sort of shogi technique, maybe?
"Just a lil somethin' we cooked up. Pretty badass, right?" Skull said proudly.
"You came up with that? I thought Queen would be the frontrunner there…" Mona rolled his eyes.
"Are you trying to fight, you stupid cat!?" Skull glared at Mona. The two were about to fight again, but Queen stood between them.
"Cut it out." Queen demanded. Her harsh tone causing the two boys to immediately shape up, replying with 'Sorry, Queen'!
"A joint attack…" Dragon's eyes drifted over to Panther. Could they do some sort of attack like that some day? As she was now, struggling to just barely keep up with the others in combat, it seemed unlikely…
"It appears as though Kaneshiro dropped something in his haste." Fox was the one to move away from the conversation, picking up a journal Shadow Kaneshiro dropped. "A journal of some kind…"
"Is there anything in it?" Joker asked. He was handed the journal, since these sort of objects were usually entrusted to him. "Let's see…R=C=0, I=1, H=2…"
Panther's eyes had comical swirls in them. "What does that mean!?"
"Why did they have to start puuttin' numbers in math!?" Skull groaned.
"I think it's a code of some sort…?" Dragon suggested.
"If we're not gonna figure it out now, we should just keep movin', yeah?" Skull suggested.
"Considering that elevator is where Kaneshiro fled to, I can only assume it will lead us to the Treasure." Mona said. "That being said, no doubt it's going to be the most secure area as well. Let's go!" The elevator led to the deepest, largest part of the bank yet. It was a gigantic, circular room with far too many vaults to count. "Hey, look!" Mona said. Everyone just stared in shock at all those tiny vaults.
"Are these all vaults!? How messed up is this guy!?" Skull couldn't believe it.
"Are we supposed to check all of these for the Treasure!? We'd be here for years!" Panther shook her head.
"Wait…this shape…" Queen narrowed her eyes a bit, examining the structure of the room. Something about it seemed off. "I don't think we'll have to check every single vault."
"Are you sure?" Dragon looked Queen's way.
"Well, I certainly hope we don't. I can't say anything yet until my theory is proven correct." Queen didn't want to get everyone's hopes up. They understood, but they were really not looking forward to the chance of having to search what looked like thousands, if not hundred thousands of vaults.
"I sure hope you're right…" Mona mumbled.
"All these vaults…they must represent the people he's stolen from…" Dragon spoke under her breath.
The elevator came to a stop and the group stepped off. The first thing they saw was a terminal. Joker approached it, noticing the word 'RICH' on it. "What's this?"
"Rich…this is disgusting. How obsessed can one man be with money?" Queen sucked her teeth. The deeper they got into the bank, the more she wanted to punch Kaneshiro. One look at Dragon said she was thinking the same.
"Let's try this…" Recalling the contents of the journal they just found, Joker pushed the corresponding numbers to the pin. After pressing Enter, the first vault wall in front of them shifted around, opening up a path before them. "Huh?"
"Whoa…the whole wall just moved…!" Skull shouted.
"So my theory may be correct after all…" Queen was feeling confident.
"Money! I need more money…! I must grow richer!" Shadow Kaneshiro's voice echoed out, startling everyone. "As long as I'm rich, anything is possible!"
"Is he watching us?" Fox was on guard.
"No, that doesn't seem to be the case." Mona said. "This is the voice of his heart. It seems he genuinely only cares about money."
In the next instant, Dragon stabbed her staff into the terminal, breaking it. It happened so fast, the others didn't even get a chance to react to it. "What a disgusting human being…taking everything someone has and still demanding more from them…"
"Pretty shitty if you ask me…" Skull agreed with the sentiment. But he would be lying if he said Dragon's sudden act didn't startle him a bit.
"It seems we'll have to find more of those pages…" Fox was attempting to shift the subject. Their infiltration wasn't done just yet, but they were getting close.
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The depths of the bank were the most secure part of the facility by far. But this came as no surprise to the group. Based on the map they had, the Treasure was only one floor below them. Of course Kaneshiro didn't want them going any deeper, but they would manage despite this. The next terminal had the word 'REAP' on it. Joker pressed the buttons again, and based on the noise made, the vault moved again. "It seems we're on the right track." Queen said.
Once again, Shadow Kaneshiro's voice rang out. "Tch, this isn't where near your quota for the month. Don't' give me your excuses, just reap every last penny! I'll make you understand if you don't get it. People who can't get every last penny are worthless to me!"
"All he thinks about really is money. What a rotten man…" Queen shook her head.
Just like before, Dragon stabbed her staff into the terminal to break it. The more she heard from Kaneshiro's innermost thoughts, the more difficult it became to keep her emotions about being used in check. He truly didn't care about anything other than money, least of all the feelings of the people he took from. "…."
"At least I was expectin' it this time…" Skull rubbed the back of his head.
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"I can see the next terminal behind this door…" Fox was peering around the golden door in front of them. "But how do we open this?"
Joker walked up to the door and inserted the card key they obtained earlier. A voice then spoke to them. "Entry fee is 5,000 yen."
"WHAT!?" Everyone's eyes widened in a comical manner.
"5,000 yen just to walk through a door!?" Skull exhaled as if to calm himself, but he was failing. "He's scammin' the people he paid to be here!? How does that make any sense!?"
"It would be a shortcut…" Fox said.
"You never have money to spend, so please don't act like you do…" Panther didn't mean for that to sound mean spirited, but she was already concerned for Fox's monetary situation as is. It would truly be awful if he spent whatever money he had just to walk through a door in a bank that wasn't even real.
"We could just take the scenic route." Mona pointed to the other path.
"No, I have an idea." Dragon called upon Belle Star, having her Persona wedge her blade into the door, then turn it like a makeshift key. This forcibly pried the doors open, but it also took a great amount of effort on Dragon's end, leaving her more exhausted than she expected after forcing the door open. "T-There…."
"Well…it did work." Joker couldn't complain about the result.
"Hey…" Panther placed a hand on Dragon's shoulder.
"I'm alright." Dragon gave Panther a slight smile. Breaking terminals was a bit of stress relief since she couldn't hit Kaneshiro herself yet.
The next terminal red 'HUGE'. They could only imagine what Kaneshiro's voice would have to say after they finished inputting the correct PIN. "This isn't enough! I need a huge presence!" Something about the voice this time was more desperate than before, where he was far more demanding. "I am done having other people trample all over me. It's my turn…"
"He is beyond redemption." Fox shook his head. "He cares not for the people he walks upon…"
"The more I hear, the more my resolve hardens…" Queen said.
And as they expected, Dragon broke this terminal too. But this time she looked more visibly upset than the last two times. "He doesn't get to play the victim card after creating so many…and using me to make them…"
"Dragon…" Panther frowned. What was she supposed to say? While they had all gotten involved in Kaneshiro's trap, Dragon was used as a tool on more personal level…
.
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The fourth terminal. 'GOLD'. They had made pretty good progress so far. The process repeated, Joker inputting the PIN, the lock above shifting, and finally…
"Heh…this gold sheen. This is the fruit of all my hard labor! With this much, I will be invincible! Omnipotent! I am not longer the man I used to be!"
"AH!" Dragon's most violent swing yet. "Robbing people is no cause for celebration…! Money is not the end all be all of this world, you wretched man…!"
"Yikes…" Skull whistled.
"I…wonder what happened to him in the past…" Panther placed a comforting hand on Dragon's shoulder to calm her down. It worked a bit, but it wasn't able to fully quell the anger burning inside her.
"I don't know, but it doesn't matter either. His actions today are far from justifiable." Mona answered. One look at Dragon and anyone could guess that.
"Queen, what was your theory?" Joker asked. He was leading the way back to the main vault room since they knew where to go.
"The vault was a gigantic cylinder lock." Queen explained. "I had a feeling when I saw the room the first time. I'm glad I was right, it saved us plenty of time." Now, they arrived at an elevator at the center of the vault. "And now that we're here, I have something to ask everyone. Did Kaneshiro seem off when we heard his voice?"
"It seemed like he was worried about something, right?" Panther asked.
Queen nodded. "Exactly. He kept bringing up how rich and powerful he wants to be."
"Tch, so if he's insecure about that shit, he thinks he's really just some weakling, huh?" It made sense to Skull.
"Only the weak would target those that cannot defend themselves…it gives them that feeling of power that they lack." Dragon spoke bitterly. Learning about Kaneshiro only angered her more about how he operated and how far he was willing to take things.
"Maybe he thought being a rich, wealthy man would give him some power." Queen suggested. It was an educated guess based on what they heard from his voice.
"I wonder…" Fox began. "Regardless, we shall know the truth once we obtain his Treasure. This is the last elevator."
"Let's go." Joker said.
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The final stop was the Treasure room at the very bottom. It was large and vacant, but in the middle was a glowing, distorted mass. "Found it, it's right there!" Mona pointed ahead.
"Huh?" Dragon looked ahead. She was expecting something more…physical. "But…I don't see anything?"
"Nor do I…" Queen said. Even though Queen and Dragon were doing a good job keeping up in combat and stealth, the critical point of the Treasure was still new to them.
"All we have to do is send the calling card now." Skull placed his hands behind his back. :Then the next time we enter this room, it's to steal the Treasure."
"So the calling card is a necessary step?" Queen thought about it for a moment and deduced that it made sense. It was more than for show. "Making the target believe the Treasure is in danger will force it to materialize. I see…that's a bold trick."
"Oh! That's why the calling card was delivered directly to Madarame…" Dragon nodded. "Even if he refused to believe its authenticity on the outside, his Shadow Self must have responded to it strongly?"
"Huh…? They understood…?" Panther blinked.
"We'll leave the timing to you, Joker." Fox nodded.
"Of course. I'll make sure we'll all ready." Joker said.
"In the end, that stupid Kaneshiro only showed his face once…" Skull grumbled.
"It won't matter, once we steal the Treasure, we'll change his heart." Mona reassured Skull, though he did understand his frustration.
Everyone turned to leave. They secured a route to the Treasure, so they had no more business in the Palace. Dragon lingered behind a bit, staring at the glowing mass in front of her. That was the object of Kaneshiro's twisted desires, sitting right in front of her. There was a determined fire in her gaze, slowly turning to walk back and join the others. "If that's your black heart, I'll be determined to rip it from your chest…"