After narrowly escaping the security robots in Okumura's Palace, everyone slowly gathered back together at Leblanc. Ren was among the last to make it back. "Oh, hey." Ann greeted Ren.
"Bet you're tired." Futaba said, sitting on Ren's bed.
"That was…quite a run…" Hifumi was sitting in a chair, slumping back against it. "I am…not that used to that level of physical activity. Do you know how hard it is running in sandals…?"
"I haven't felt this level of exhaustion since I first awakened to my Persona." Yusuke let out a heavy sigh.
Ann noticed Makoto was on her phone. "Hey, what are you looking at?"
"Sorry, I just didn't want to wait." Makoto said. "The burglary at Okumura Foods is circulating the news again."
Ryuji was the last one to arrive, panting heavily. "Ugh! Dammit! Why'd they keep comin' after only me!? It's all because Haru opened that door!"
"That door most likely had a biometric-authentication…" Futaba said. "…I…I wonder how Haru got that open. I think there's something she hasn't told us."
"Morgana also said that she's a Persona-user. Do you think that's true?" Yusuke asked.
"Yes, Morgana was telling the truth." Hifumi said. "Despite how…silly the situation became, I detected no lies from him. Haru on the other hand…"
"I don't think Morgana betrayed us either." Ren scratched his head. "But we only got a lot of questions instead of any answers.
"So…it's lookin' like Haru found Morgana after all that night she texted Ren and Makoto." Ryuji said.
"Yeah. I wonder what happened between them…" Ann questioned.
"I intend to find out tomorrow." Makoto said. "There is something I need to look up in the student registry. I didn't plan on doing this…but I'm going to look up Haru's name. Considering what we saw and know, it's for the best we confirm things before going any farther."
"She might try and avoid us at school." Ann crossed her arms. "But I hope she's willing to try and talk to us, too…"
"In that case, Futaba, Hifumi, and I should look more into Okumura Foods. It would be best to see how the mental shutdowns are connected to them." Yusuke said.
"I agree, that would be our best course of action." Hifumi nodded.
"We're gonna take them down!" Futaba said, determined.
.
.
September 16th.
While Makoro was looking in the student registry after school for Haru, Ren, Ryuji, and Ann split up to find her. There was a chance Haru already left…but they didn't know until they tried. Ren walked out of the front doors of the school, only to see Haru in her gym clothes, struggling with some gardening essentials. She was trying her hardest to push a cart with three bags of soil on them. "Come on…moooove…!"
"…Need a hand?" Phantom Thief business aside, they were still friends. So Ren offered his help.
"Oh, Ren-kun!" Haru offered a slight smile. "…Would you mind? I'm having a bit of trouble. I'm trying to move these to those plants nearby…"
"Yeah, I don't mind." Nodding, Ren assisted Haru in moving the cart and bags down.
"Boys sure are strong. Thank you." Haru said with a pleasant smile. There was a bit of awkward tension in the air, as she just knew the topic of yesterday was unavoidable. She was stuck deciding if she wanted to bring it up first or not. "So…um…"
"…We do have to talk…" Ren said. "I have a question for you, actually. We never did get your last name…and we were fine with that, we understood. But after you opened that door yesterday…"
"Y-Yes…" Haru rubbed her arm awkwardly. "I apologize for hiding my last name. I was going to tell you all eventually, but things got complicated. My full name is…"
"Haru Okumura. The only daughter of Kunikazu Okumura, CEO of Okumura Foods." Makoto walked onto the scene. It took her no time to figure out Haru's identity once she looked. "Can you tell us why you were in your father's Palace?"
Haru offered a meek smile. "I should've known you'd figure it out, Mako-chan. Were you the one in the biker outfit? You looked really cool!"
"Let's not talk about that…" Makoto wasn't expecting that, but she wasn't about to be misdirected. She looked around to make sure nobody was eavesdropping before continuing. "But that's not what we're here for. What happened with you and Morgana? Why did you become a Phantom Thief…?"
Haru's gaze went down for a moment. "My father's highly regarded as a manager, but I had various…doubts about him. Things have grown quite serious lately, and I really wanted to believe in him. That's why I want to make amends, even though it may only be for my own satisfaction. I wonder if this is just running away from my problems…"
"So…when you texted Makoto and I…" Ren started.
"…Yes. I apologize for lying to you." Haru said. "It was pure coincidence at the time. I followed Mona-chan into the Metaverse unintentionally. Then…things happened. I realized that even if I cannot change my father's company, I could change him if I became a Phantom Thief."
"Well…Haru. Is there any way we can work together?" Makoto asked.
Haru let out a quiet sigh. "To be honest, I would like nothing more than to work with my friends and change my father's heart. But…right now, as much as it pains me to say it, I cannot work with you all. Mona-chan told me you have no intentions of changing my father's heart. Plus, you've all been causing an unnecessary stir among the public. The Phantom Thieves that should be helping the weak are not helping their own teammate." It was brutal honesty from Haru. As much as she would enjoy working with her friends, she couldn't as long as they were indecisive.
Makoto and Ren didn't have a response to that. Haru wasn't wrong and she was doubling down on her feelings. "Haru, our objectives are the same…"
Haru shook her head. "I'm sorry, Mako-chan. But until you all decide what you want to do, I intend to do this with Mona-chan and him alone. He gave me a chance to do something…" She paused. Even though Haru was firm in her stance, she also felt bad pushing away her friends after all they've done to help her. "I'm sorry…"
"No, don't be." Ren shook his head. "We want to help Morgana too. Things have been a little rocky lately, but he's our friend. It's true we aren't sure how we want to advance, but that's only because of how things are right now."
"Yes. We didn't think things would explode like this…" Makoto continued. "We are a little worried about how things will proceed. But we are certain about one thing. We want Morgana to come back to us and we want your help too. So...can you help us talk to Morgana?"
Haru thought long and hard about this. "…Okay. You've all done so much to help me…I can't not return the favor. But you have to make it count. That's my only demand."
Makoto let out a quiet sigh of relief. "Thank you, Haru. We won't mess this up. We swear."
"…By the way, where is he? Does he not come to school with you?" Ren asked.
"…He comes to school with you?" Haru blinked at Ren. Makoto just…sighed as a result.
.
.
Later that evening, Haru returned home. Kunikazu was on the phone, so it didn't seem like he acknowledged Haru's return. "I'm home, Father."
Okumura shook his head to the person he was talking to on the phone. "Drive them away." He demanded. "That's right. Make it a priority." He hung up, sighing as he just spoke aloud. "I finally get a foothold into politics and this happens. Phantom Thieves? Hmph!" He then turned to Haru. "Did the media ask you anything?" Not a hello, not a how are you, just asking if the media was bothering her.
"No, not all…" Haru shook her head. "Um…what's this about the Phantom Thieves?"
Okumura pinched the bridge of his nose. "It seems I'm ranked first on the forum of these so-called Phantom Thieves."
Haru was playing dumb. But it wasn't like her father had any reason to suspect she knew anything anyway. "Is it because of the news coverage?"
"It's jealously of the successful." Okumura said dismissively. "Nothing but the barks of the masses who lack the sacrifice needed for their well-being."
"…" Sacrifice, was it? Haru didn't like that word when it came from her father's mouth.
Okumura sat down on the crouch nearby. "Both the young and old are overjoyed with some foolish idols. This country has no future."
"Um. What if they do exist? What if these Phantom Thieves can steal hearts?" Haru asked. There was no better opportunity to figure out what her father thought about them than now.
Okumura did not take kindly to that question. "Are you still having doubts about me?" He was aware that Haru may have bought into the rumors.
"…No…." Haru shook her head. Normally she'd look away, but she managed to keep her gaze with her father. If she hadn't befriended Ren and the others, she wasn't sure she would be able to meet his gaze.
"Good." Okumura leaned forward a bit. "More importantly, I hope things are going well with that young man, Sugimura. I've heard there have been a few…complications?"
Haru's eyes went slightly wide. Did Sugimura mention the Leblanc incident to her father? That would be bad for her. She quickly shook her head again. "Everything's fine, do not worry."
"Good." Okumura gave an approving nod. "He may not seem like it, but he's still the son of an influential politician. Be cordial with him. He'll eventually become a necessary connection for this company – or rather, for me."
"I understand…." Haru couldn't help but look away. She had her hands behind her back, gaze averted down to the ground. Despite her slight changes in personality, standing against her father still wasn't easy, hence her submissive stance. It was harder than she thought… "I will do the best I can."
Okumura smiled slightly at Haru's obedience. "Good. That's how a daughter of Okumura should be." He then stood up and turned around, going back to call someone on the phone.
"…I'll…I'll do this, I swear it. You weren't like this before, Father. I don't know what happened or when it happened…but I will change your heart, somehow, someway." Haru thought to herself.
.
.
September 17th.
Futaba decided to text everyone while they were in school. Considering the current state of things, it was important to talk about.
Futaba: Man, it's crazy how many people want us to change the heart of the Okumura Food's CEO.
Ryuji: I mean, duh. He was doing tons of shady shit.
Ann: It sounds like everyone's expecting us to actually take him down.
Ryuji: C'mon, we gotta do this!
Hifumi: First things first, we need to talk with Morgana.
Makoto: Yes, that is right. Those requests that were completed in Mementos were likely done by Haru and Morgana.
Yusuke: So we will be staking out? Are we certain they are going to appear today?
Ren: Haru said she'd help us talk to Morgana, so I'm sure they will. But she's only giving us one chance.
Hifumi: I think we should've told Haru not to actually respond on the forum…
Makoto: We can tell her of that later today.
Ryuji: But do we really have to wait until they show up?
Futaba: We can't go back until we make up with Morgana. That's final.
Ryuji: Yeah…yeah…
.
.
Afterschool, the group made a beeline for Mementos. Haru confirmed with Ren that she would be stopping with Morgana, so this was their one chance to properly talk with him. This also factored into Haru deciding to work with them or not, so they had to be extra careful in how they approached this. Panther looked to Skull, needing to set the record straight. "You need to watch what you say when Mona, comes, all right? Apologize, too."
"Look, I know already! And why're you just sayin' that to me!?" Skull was feeling singled out.
"Because you have a habit of saying the wrong thing." Dragon said, leaning against a wall. "You say the first thing that comes to mind and you run with it. It is why I've had to silence you on numerous occasions in public."
"Yeah, Dragon's right." Oracle said. "You're too trigger happy."
"Which why we're asking you to choose your words carefully." Queen said.
Skull knew that was true, he just didn't like hearing it. But this was important. "Okay, okay…I'll try to be careful." Truthfully, now that the anger and aggression faded, he did feel a bit bad for the things he said to Mona. It was a bitter taste in his mouth he didn't enjoy. He was wondering if Mona felt the same way…
"Okay." Dragon nodded. She could tell Skull was telling the truth about it; he really was going to put forth effort in this interaction.
"…I wish I brought my sketchbook." Fox was lamenting such a wasted opportunity.
"They should be here soon…" Joker said. "Haru said she didn't tell Mona about our being here at all."
"Are we not going to call her Beauty Thief? Feels a bit rude…" Dragon asked.
"I guess we can when she gets here. It is quite a name…" Panther snickered.
Eventually, Beauty Thief and Mona did arrive. While the latter was surprised to see the group, he ended up being more upset about it than anything. "You guys are seriously slacking off way too much!"
"Er…do you have business with us?" Beauty Thief asked, trying to avoid arousing Mona's suspicion.
"You're fulfilling the requests on the Phantom Aficionado Website, right? Even leaving comments?" Queen began. "It'd be best if you don't accept them so recklessly."
"The police will track you down in no time. If that were to happen, we'd be caught in it as well." Fox said.
Beauty Thief proceeded to sweat. Okay. They had a point. She just wasn't expecting them to grill her about it since this was about Mona. "M-My apologies...! I know I don't look it, but I'm not good with machines, I'm truly sorry!" Beauty Thief gave a slight bow. She kinda did feel bad for not thinking about that sooner.
"Why're you apologizing!?" Mona asked.
"They're telling us for our sake. We should be thanking them." Beauty Thief told Mona. But he didn't respond, just crossing his arms and looking off to the side defiantly. Beauty Thief sighed and stepped back, because it was about time for Joker and company to show they really wanted to help Mona. "Mona-chan…I think they have something they'd like to tell you."
"Won't you please put what happened behind us?" Queen asked.
Mona recalled how they were saying before that they were after him and nothing else. So…he decided to take a chance. "So…I'm the one you're here for? You guys need me after all? Is that hit?" There was hope in his voice that no one could ignore.
"You're vital to our team. Please come back." Joker said honestly.
"Really?" Skull said, causing Dragon and Panther to glare at him.
"Ryuji…!" Panther scowled. Since Skull clearly couldn't get this started properly, she was going to have to go for a different angle and make things more personal. That way, Morgana could understand how serious they were. "We're sorry too, Morgana. We weren't taking your feelings into consideration at all. We really do want to talk this out with you, because you deserve that."
"Lady Ann…" Mona could hardly be mad at her anymore.
Beauty Thief was sweating. While she understood the notion, she was still a bit worried. "S-Shouldn't we be using codenames?"
"Ryuji didn't really mean what he said, you know? He wants to apologize." Panther gestured to Skull. This was his chance to take the stage. How this went depended solely on him…which made everyone a little nervous.
"Well…it's like…" Skull was doing as he promised and trying to choose his words carefully. "It's my bad too. I said a lotta mean things…it was uncalled for…" Skull began, everyone starting to relax as he was actually handling this situation with the sensitivity it deserved. "It just annoyed me that you felt like we weren't a team after all this time…that you didn't need us. I said a lotta things, but I didn't say we never needed you. So I don't mind if you're not a human, or if you're useless! You're part of the team all the same!"
Oh. Skull was doing SO WELL too. "Skull…." Oracle's head dropped. "Why did you keep talking."
"Why didn't I stop him…" Dragon was blaming herself for that too.
"Ann's setup was completely ruined…" Fox sighed.
"Oh, is that right!? So I AM just some useless cat to you guys!?" Mona exclaimed.
Skull, realizing his mistake, immediately tried to rectify. "Shit! Wait, no! That ain't what I meant! I was just tryin' say that…!"
"I don't wanna hear it! You're so full of yourselves, why don't you try and back it up!?" Mona then turned into the Mona Car. "If you can't catch me, don't ever expect me to come back! Get I, Beauty Thief!"
Beauty Thief stared at the group and sighed. "You were doing so well, too…" She was only disappointed it ended so poorly after a genuine attempt. But she had to stick true to her word. They had their chance and Skull blew it. "I hope you can catch us." It didn't sound like all was lost, but Beauty Thief sounded a bit less forgiving as she climbed into the Mona Car, which drove off.
"Ah, dammit! Come back! Shit!" Skull stomped the ground.
"We really need to work on quitting when you're ahead with you." Panther groaned. "We were so close…"
"This isn't what we came here to do…" Queen said.
"We don't have a choice now…!" Skull said, dashing after Mona.
"Guess not…" Joker rolled his arms and started to dash after Skull. Everyone followed after with Dragon following in the rear.
"…..Is Beauty Thief the one behind the wheel?" Dragon asked quietly. A good question for later.
But for now? It was a wild chase around Mementos with Mona being incredibly stubborn about it. Every time they almost cornered him, he just kept driving off. Not to the point of almost running over them, but it did get dangerously close with Joker at one point. Just when they wondered when this annoying chase would end…they heard a crashing noise just up ahead. They hurried over to the downed Mona Car and all sighed.
"Mona, are you okay?" Panther asked as Mona turned back to normal, he and Beauty Thief slowly getting up.
"Morgana, you gotta hear us – no, me out…" Skull said, acknowledging that he said the wrong thing.
"I have nothing to talk to you about!" Mona exclaimed defiantly.
"Why are you being so stubborn?" Queen needed to know.
"I can't just give in like this! I have my pride to protect, damn it!" Mona was continuing to be defiant about this.
"Is that all this is now?" Dragon questioned, narrowing her eyes. "Pride?"
"You wouldn't understand!" Mona said to Dragon. "I have no memories, I can't remember my purpose or even if I'm a human or not. My pride is all I have! And I can't throw it away so easily!"
"Pride is not important!" Dragon shouted so suddenly, it caught everyone off guard with how loud she got. "I understand you're upset…but I don't understand why. Because you wouldn't talk to us. We are all friends here, aren't we? We're supposed to be here for each other. Pride is not the only thing you have…but if you cling to it like it is, you'll lose everything else. Do you truly want that?"
"…" Mona didn't think Dragon would be the one lecturing him.
"I've learned something very important thanks to Panther…even if you don't have much…even f everything you do have is being taken away from you, it's important to cherish the things you do have." Dragon said, looking towards Skull. It was up to him now. She was about to get carried away, but in order for this to really be effective, the rest had to come from him.
"…I'm sorry, Morgana." Skull said, kneeling down to get on eye level. "I didn't mean all those things I said. You're not useless. You're important to the team. I really do feel bad about all those things I said. Can't we just push this bull aside? We want to do this with you."
"It's true, we were unsure about what we wanted to do. But that was for good reason." Queen continued. "The way things are now…we can't act recklessly. We have to consider our moves even more carefully than before."
"…" Mona fell silent. It was hard to be mad when they were talking to him with such sincerity.
"Mona-chan?" Beauty Thief looked towards him curiously.
"…..I guess…I was…wrong too…" Mona mumbled under his breath. "I didn't mean all those things I said either…." But he didn't go any farther than that. "Can we talk about this later…? Mementos is a poor place for this."
That was better than him not wanting to talk at all. "That's fine." Joker nodded.
"Come on, Beauty Thief. Let's go for now." Mona turned back into the car. While he wasn't completely prepared to come back, his attitude did change. He was willing to talk about it at least.
"Okay." Nodding, Beauty Thief stepped back into the Mona Car. Presumably, he was just going to take her home before heading back to Leblanc.
"We did it…somehow." Panther let out a sigh of relief.
"That was a little bumpy, but we managed." Fox was glad. "Shall we make our exit?"
"Yeah, let's head back. No point in staying here now." Joker said, leading the way out after Mona.
.
.
Haru and Morgana emerged near the Protein Lovers gym. It was in that alleyway they decided to talk. "Are you alright, Mona-chan?" Haru asked.
"Of course I am! Come on…" Morgana said, running off ahead.
Morgana really wasn't one to talk about his feelings. Haru sighed and started to follow, but… "…!?"
"There you are!" Sugimura found her. He approached her, causing her to step back. "What were you doing somewhere without any reception? Out late with the guys – that's it, isn't it? It's a good thing I started tracking your phone."
Haru shook her head. "I would never do such a thing!" This was a bad spot to be in. She wasn't expecting Sugimura to actively track her down again. But since she wasn't in a place he wasn't welcome, like Leblanc, that was probably why he approached her so easily.
Displeased, Sugimura reached out and grabbed Haru's wrist, attempting to tug her along. She fought back, but he was stronger than her. "C'mon, let me have some fun too, will ya!? Can't you do that for me!?"
"Ow…!" Haru yelped, trying to fight back, but she was unable to wrestle herself from Sugimura's grip.
Morgana turned back upon hearing the commotion, only to see that Sugimura bothering her again. "Haru! This jerk again!? Not on my watch! Let go of her!" Morgana then leapt forward, latching onto Sugimura's leg with his claws.
The sudden pounce startled the man, causing him to release Haru. "What the!? Goddamn CAT!" He swung his leg with all his might, the force of the action causing Morgana to let go. He was hurled full force into the nearby brick wall, crumpling over as a result.
"MONA-CHAN!" Haru gasped.
As Morgana lied there in pain, unable to move, he just felt his doubts creeping up on him again. What good was he? No memory, no place on his team, and he couldn't even protect Haru when it counted. "I am useless….guys…are you there? Ren…Ryuji…Lady Ann….? Please help…."
While Haru could hear Morgana's pleas for help, Sugimura could not. All he heard was an annoying cat mewling ceaselessly. "Will you SHUT UP you stupid cat!?" His attention then turned to Haru, who was too focused on Morgana's safety to notice him grabbing her wrist again. "Now then, where were we?"
"Please…let go…!" Haru was trying to demand, but there wasn't too much she could do in this situation. "I don't want to go anywhere with you! I keep saying that!"
"But you'll gallivant freely in the night? I don't buy that you're not doing anything scandalous." Sugimura scoffed. "You've been going off on your own a lot lately. It's about time you let me in on the fun."
"Haru!" Makoto's voice called out. They did hear Morgana's pleas for help and walked in on a shocking sight.
Futaba saw Mona, gasping at the sight his injured body. "Mona…!?"
Ryuji narrowed his eyes, stepping forward. He clearly remembered Sugimura from before. "Hey, asshole! What the hell are you doing to our friends!?"
"This guy again? He just won't leave her alone…" Ren said.
Sugimura scowled. Those brats again? No, it was fine. This time he could set the record straight so they wouldn't bother him again. "Oh, so we meet again. Sorry about the disturbance. It's just a…lover's quarrel with my fiancé."
That was shocking news to everyone. Not only was Haru an Okumura, but she was engaged to this man as well!? "Fi…but she's clearly fighting you…!"
"He's not lying about that first part…but anyone would question the validity of that claim if they saw this." Hifumi said.
"Just because you can't harass her at Leblanc doesn't mean you're free to do it outside either." Ren added.
Sugimura lips were curled into a nasty frown. "How dare you make a fool out of me!? I'll be telling your father about this…" He told Haru, before turning to Ren and the others. He frankly had enough of this group of kids interrupting him at every turn when it came to Haru. This was the last straw. "I won't forget your faces…" With that ominous threat, he pushed past them and walked off.
Since he was gone, they could focus on Haru and Morgana. "Are you two okay…?" Ann asked them both. Morgana was able to stand at this point, through wearily.
"I'm fine, but Haru…" Morgana said.
"Me…?! What about you…!? You're hurt…" Haru said this, but it was evident the situation that just played out not only left a noticeable mark on her wrist from where she was grabbed, and she was fighting back some tears.
"Haru, is that man really your fiancé?" Yusuke questioned. "That was rather untoward behavior. His actions during the fireworks festival shine in a different light now…" Haru just nodded in response. She was too shaken up.
"So you're engaged then…!?" Futaba was shocked to learn about this. They were learning a lot about Haru lately…and they could also feel as to why she wasn't so keen on talking about her personal life when she was hanging out with them.
"He's…always like that, huh…?" Ren asked. Haru nodded once again.
"What a dick…" Ryuji scoffed.
"But…shouldn't you tell your parents about that…?" Ann was understandably worried. This behavior was witnessed numerous times by the group in various occasions. They only got a glimpse of what Haru had to experience and what they were protecting her from.
Haru shook her head. "It'd be useless. My father would just tell me to beg for his forgiveness, even if it means groveling on the ground…" Haru couldn't hold back her quiet sobs.
"Haru…." Hifumi frowned. Being forced to act in a certain way because of your controlling parent? She knew how that felt all too well,
"Hey, guys…I…" Morgana began.
"You don't have to say it. We'll take her back to Leblanc for some rest. That includes you too." Ren gave a slight smile.
Haru sniffled, wiping her eyes before any tears could fall. "…T-Thank you. I…I'll tell you everything, too. I think you all deserve that for putting up with me for so long…"