November 18th.
Are the Phantom Thieves Innocent? 4%.
Today was a big day for Shujin Academy as well. Today was the day that Dr. Maruki's term at Shujin came to an end. Many students were talking about it, and since he was popular with the female student body, they were especially sad that he was departing. There was a large gathering in the auditorium with the Vice Principal and Maruki on stage. "Dr. Maruki's really leaving…" A sad female student mumbled.
"It's already been half a year, huh? That sure went by fast." A male student said. It felt like just yesterday the school brought Maruki in to quickly cover for the issue of Kamoshida.
"…And finally, we would like Dr. Maruki to share a few last words with the student body." The vice principal said. "Well, Doctor, if you would." After he said that, he stepped to the side, so Maruki could step forward to the mic.
Maruki cleared his throat before speaking. "Good morning, everyone. As the vice principal mentioned, today marks the end of my tenure at Shujin Academy. Over the past several months, I've come to learn about all sorts of conflicts that you students have faced this year. Troubles with romance, with studies. In fact, some of you have financial issues that are awfully similar to my own." This comment made a few students laugh.
"But before I leave here, I want to offer you a final piece of counseling. If your situation ever becomes too painful to endure, remember: it's okay for you to escape your problem. I don't want a single one of you to think that an unfair reality that you've been forced into is the only one you have to live. Um, what I'm trying to say is, even if your life is full of worries, it's best for you not to obsess over them. Your existence in this world is an amazing miracle. You deserve to spend your days in happiness. I'll keep on rooting for you to have the best lives possible, even after I'm long gone." He stepped closer to the mic, but he somehow ended up hitting his head."Ow…!" And again, students laugh. If nothing else, Maruki had a knack for making people laugh. "Eheh…I guess things don't always go as planned. Well, that's it. Thank you for having me here this year. Good luck to you all!" Maruki bowed and stepped off the stage. As soon as the speech was over, he was swarmed by sad students who wanted to say goodbye to him.
"I wanted to thank him in person, but something tells me that won't be happening…" Makoto said with a slight laugh. Even until the very end, Maruki was super popular.
"I don't think we'd be able to get a word in edgewise anyway." Haru snickered.
"Dr. Maruki is my therapist, even outside of school. The next time I see him, I'll be sure say hello for you guys!" Kasumi placed her hands behind her back, smiling the whole time.
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While Maruki was set to leave after the school day was over, he still had one more loose end to neatly tie up. He wanted to see Ren one last time to talk to him properly and this happened during lunch time. They met up in the nurse's office, which was neatly cleaned up since Maruki would be leaving soon. Ren and Maruki sat across from each other at a table. "Thank you for coming to see me," Maruki began. "Since this is about to be my last meal at Shujin, I've brought the best lunch ever. These tempura bowls are from a restaurant I've been curious about ever since I've been working at the school. I've always passed on it due to the price, but today is special! Not only that, but I ordered the deluxe bowls for us!"
"Ooh, fancy." Ren said with a slight smile. "Thank you, let's dig in."
"You've gotta be at least a little lavish for occasions like this, right?" Maruki laughed. He and Ren took off the lids of their tempura bowls and the smell was delicious. There was one downside, however. The heat from the closed bowl hit their glasses, causing them to fog up immediately. "These do look delicious. Too bad I can't see anything now."
"The life of a four-eyes…" Ren nodded slowly in agreement.
The two cleaned their glasses and ate their lunch. Once they were done, Maruki leaned back in his seat and let out a content sigh. "I am so glad I splurged on this." It was a lavish occasion after all.
"Me too. That was pretty good. I do not think anything I have is going to compare to that for a while." Ren said. Although, when he thought about it…his diet mostly consisted of coffee and curry. "Well, now that we're finished with our food, let's get down to business."
"What's up?" Ren lifted a brow.
"First of all, my paper is done." Maruki said proudly.
Ren was surprised, but elated all the same. "Really? That's great, congratulations!"
"I've mentioned this before, but still, this is truly thanks to you, Amamiya-kun." Maruki felt like he couldn't thank Ren enough for his assistance. "Had you not shared your experiences and insights with me, this paper may never have been completed. Please, allow me to express my gratitude to you once more as a most helpful student of Shujin…and as a phantom thief as well."
Ren felt the breath escape his body for a moment. Every time someone he had grown close to called him out for being a phantom thief, he could only wonder how. Granted, in some cases it did seem a little obvious, but he had absolutely no idea how Maruki obtained this information, or how long he was holding onto it. "…What do you mean?"
"Ah, so you're not denying it." Maruki was satisfied with that and nudged to the paper on the desk nearby. "Why don't you take a look at the title of my paper over there?"
Ren glanced over to the paper. "Interpreting reality though cognitive psience and the alteration of reality via external influence. Kinda wordy for a title…"
"You know, the Phantom Thieves' act of changing hearts is rather reminiscent of cognitive psience in practice." Maruki stated. "They infiltrate a reality that exists solely for their target – a reality wholly separated from the one the public recognizes. By accessing that world, they gain the means of permanently changing their targets cognition. That is how they change someone's heart."
"…You know your stuff." Ren said.
"Well, I did pour my live into this research for a number of years." Maruki laughed. "It was all the way back in April, honestly. I had just finished talking with your school principal, and you suddenly appeared in the back alley with Sakamato-kun and Takamaki-san. Later in the month, I saw it happen again. I was also told during that time that you were all connected to Mr. Kamoshida as well…and soon after that, he changed."
"Seriously?" Ren didn't think anyone would notice them appearing and disappearing within the back alley near the school! But by chance, Maruki noticed it not once, but twice. Either he was very lucky, or their infiltration spot wasn't as good as they thought it was.
"But, I think that's everything I'd kept from you. Does that change your opinion of me?" Maruki asked.
"Will you rat us out?" That was Ren's main concern. It would be pretty problematic at this point…
"Don't worry, I have no intentions of telling anyone about this. You have my word." Maruki reassured Ren. "If you don't believe what I'm saying, feel free to change my heart as you like."
"I don't think that's necessary…" Ren shrugged. Maruki didn't seem like the type to have a Palace anyway, or even a corrupt shadow. That's what he thought.
"And thanks to you, I've decided what it is I'm going to do. I'm going to stand up to this current reality. I'll use my research to make our world a better place. Though, it'll probably be through different means than how the Phantom Thieves reform members of society." Maruki laughed.
"We all define justice differently." Ren said. "But I'll do my best too."
"Indeed. You have a strong moral compass." Maruki gave a firm nod, stood up, and walked around the table. Once he reached Ren, he extended his hand to him. "I'm sure this won't be the last time we see each other, but I sincerely hope that, one day, at the end of our separate paths, I'll be able to aid you as well. But I just want you to know, I'm truly glad to have met you."
Ren stood up, shaking Maruki's hand in turn. "Yeah. It was nice meeting you too, Doc."
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Once leaving Maruki's office, Ren was going to make his way back to class. Lunch was just about over, but on the way there, he spotted a sullen Mishima. Mishima also spotted Ren and immediately made way towards him. "Man, can you believe this? The Phan-Site's poll is at an all-time low…!"
"Is it…?" Ren was trying not to pay too much attention to the Phan-Site outside of Mementos requests. Watching the amount of people that stopped believing them admittedly hurt, but they were working as a group to fix that. That pivotal moment was only later today…
"It is!" Mishima grunted. "Only 4% of the people think the Phantom Thieves are innocent, and it just keeps dropping. This is even lower than the first question I put up in May!" It was really rattling him, but not for the reasons one would expect. "How can people not see what the Phantom Thieves are trying to do!? It's like I'm the only person who sees they're still the good guys!"
"Well…" Ren did appreciate Mishima's undying support.
"Gh…Suzui asked me to make sure the Phantom Thieves keep staying on the right track. I'm the guy who gives them all the work to do…" Mishima was starting to go off on a strange tangent not. "I'm basically their manager, and I have to do something to make sure people see how good they really are! I know…I have a few requests I could send you later."
"…" Ren raised a brow. It felt like Mishima was getting his motives twisted by the situation. He didn't really like the tone Mishima had, nor was it something he had the time to deal with right now. "Hey…we gotta get back to class."
"Wha…? Oh, right…" Mishima snapped himself out of it, watching as Ren went back to class. "I'm not a zero. I've been helping the Phantom Thieves this whole time…they wouldn't have gotten anywhere without me. People not believing in them means they're not believing in me…and Suzui asked me do to one thing. I don't want to fail her again either…!"
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The group gathered within Leblanc. This was their meeting to plan the calling card to Sae. "Boss reserved this place just for us. So we can have all the coffee we want."
"Why is the coffee the thing you focus on?" Hifumi had a sweat drop on her forehead, yet had a fond smile all the same.
"Ain't this place always empty, though?" Ryuji snickered.
"I'm telling Boss." Ren said. Ryuji's jaw dropped to the floor.
"Everyone here is a witness." Futaba added.
"I-I was just jokin'!" Ryuji quickly backpedaled.
"Um. We're supposed to be discussing the calling card…" Haru said. To think she was the one who would get the others back on track. But someone had to be serious about this.
"Ah. Considering how big the hype has gotten, do you think she'll just pass it off as a prank?" Ann was still a little concerned about this.
"No, I think this is the perfect time." Hifumi shook her head. "As I said before, she looked quite tense when she asked me a few questions. With every lead she chases leading nothing to but a dead end, I think she has begun to reach her limit."
"If that's the case, I could always put it on Sae-san's desk." Akechi offered. "People know me there, so I could gain access easily."
"I don't think that's a good idea." Morgana shook his head. "If people know you there, it could easily be traced back to you."
"I'll do it." Makoto said firmly. "We can use the same method that Hifumi used with her mother. I can just tell her it came for her in the mail." It was the simplest and most effective course of action. "That would be the least risky method."
"Are you sure, Makoto?" Hifumi asked. Delivering a calling card to someone so close to you…Hifumi understood that…
"Do you really want to?" Haru felt the exact same way.
"I'll be okay." Makoto looked to Haru and Hifumi, giving them a gentle nod in response. She understood their concern, but she was determined to do this. "I've traversed far more dangerous grounds than this." She did steal information directly from her sister's laptop. Delivering a calling card felt less stress inducing.
"You're our leader." Akechi glanced over to Ren. "So what do you think of this?"
"Let her do it. It might be the only way, anyway." Ren said.
"Thank you." Makoto said.
"We will leave it to you then." Akechi told Makoto. "Thank you for agreeing to do this. I will need to step up my game as well to make up for this."
"Very well then." Yusuke said. "We'll enter from in front of the courthouse. Does six o'clock in the evening work for everyone?"
"Yup!" Ann nodded.
"Same as always." Haru smiled.
"Well then, let's get ready for tomorrow! Dismissed!" Morgana said.
"Of course. I will see you all tomorrow." Akechi was always the first one to leave when meetings were adjourned. The moment he left Leblanc, there was strange expression on his face. One mixed with malice, disappointment, anxiety, and sadness. If you asked him how he was feeling about this, he wouldn't have concrete answer. All he knew was that he wanted to end things once and for all, no matter what. "Tomorrow will certainly be the end of the Phantom Thieves. Prepare well for your final mission…it will be the last triumph you ever have."
"Is he gone…?" Futaba asked.
Haru was keeping watch. Akechi was long gone after only a few minutes. With the coast clear, Haru closed the door and nodded. "Yes, he's already gone." And now that Akechi was gone…..
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Makoto knew that Sae would be home today. She handed the calling card over to her as discussed. They sat in the living room as Sae read the card aloud. "Madame Sae Niijima, a great sinner of jealousy. You have lost yourself amidst your obsession with success. For its sake, you are even willing to promote injustice as justice. From, the Phantom Thieves."
"I found it in our mailbox…" Makoto let out a heavy sigh.
"To think they would send me one." Sae's expression turned into something far more irritable. She immediately began to crumple the card within her hands and stuff it in her pockets. The audacity of those Thieves! They really were mocking her! "They brand me as a criminal and plan to change my heart? What nonsense! They only care about disposing of those who are an inconvenience for them! Fine…! I'll just have to catch them first!" If they wanted a war, they would get a war. And Sae did not plan on losing.
"And when you do…you're going to interrogate them, right?" Makoto carefully asked. "Some kind of underground room, was it?"
"Why do you ask?" Sae was trying not to snap at her sister. She was still clearly agitated from the calling card, but Makoto did not deserve her ire. She was reserving that for the Phantom Thieves.
"Oh, I just…remembered you mentioning something like that before…" Makoto said.
"That's right." Sae nodded. "It will be a special interrogation room. My time will be limited, but I will do whatever I can to make them divulge their secrets!"
Within Sae's Palace, Shadow Sae responded to the challenge viscerally. She knew this moment was coming and she longed for it. The chance to crush the Phantom Thieves once and for all, by HER rules. "Let's do this fair and square!"
Sae let out a sigh to calm herself down. "I should probably be getting back. I'll contact the director to let him know about this calling card…" She stood up and gave Makoto a slight smile. "I expect things will calm down a little once this case is over. Once that happens, why don't we go on a trip to some hotsprings. Just the two of us."
This sudden offer completely stunned Makoto. "Sis…" Before she knew it, she felt tears welling up in her eyes. Her sister meant so much to her…she had to save her. "I'm on your side! I won't let anyone do anything to you!" She tried to hold back the soft sobs, but failed a little bit.
Sae didn't understand what Makoto was so emotional for, but her support felt nice. She gently placed her hand atop her younger sister's head to pat it a few times, smiling gently. "…What an odd girl…" She then pulled out her phone.
"Do you need to make a call…? I'll go to my room then." Makoto composed herself and left.
Once Makoto was gone, Sae made her call. "I'm sorry for calling so late. This is Niijima. There's something I need to inform you of. I received a calling card from the Phantom Thieves. It was address directly to me and…"
Stand by.
"Stand by!?" Those two words shook Sae to her core. "You've transferred command of the investigation to someone else!?" Now!? But…Sae was literally right there! They were coming after her! This was the perfect chance for her to…! "No, of course not…I understand…yes…I'll remain on standby until further instructions. Please excuse me…" Sae bit back some words and swallowed them…
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November 19th: WE'LL TAKE YOUR HEART!
Are the Phantom Thieves Innocent? 3%.
"The day has come. Are you all prepared?" Haru asked. They all gathered in the hideout for what was about to be their most pivotal operation yet.
"I had a little trouble sleeping as usual." Hifumi admitted. "But I feel well rested enough. Please, rely on me as you need to."
"What of the calling card, Makoto?" Akechi asked.
"I showed it to Sis. She took it from my very own hands and put it in her pocket." Makoto explained. In truth, it was a lot harder than she thought it would be. Now she truly understood how Hifumi and Haru felt about it.
"Makoto…" Futaba frowned.
'I understand how you feel, but you mustn't look so downtrodden." Yusuke said.
"Yeah, if we screw this up, we're done for…" Ryuji grimaced. "It's way more than losing the place we belong. We could even lose our lives."
"It will be alright." Makoto was firm. "I want to save my sister, no matter what."
"Is everyone decided?" Morgana asked.
"Mhm! All's well that end's well!" Ann nodded.
"So much has happened since we first started. You guys have become quite the reliable team." Morgana was looking towards everyone, then his gaze landed on Ren. "Alright, Ren. This is the Phantom Thieves final heist! Give us the signal!"
"Is everyone ready?" Ren looked towards everyone, who gave determined nods. That was the only answer he needed. "Alright then…IT'S SHOWTIME!"
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Showtime indeed. The Casino was their only and final destination. Palace security was high, but the Phantom Thieves had access to the manager's floor thanks to Crow's clever efforts. Because of this, it was a straight shot to where they last saw the Treasure. Only… "What the…where's the Treasure!?" Skull shouted.
"She moved it overnight. She's taking this very seriously." Dragon grunted.
Shadow Sae's voice echoed. "It seems you've finally made here, just as I planned."
"As she planned!?" Mona's eyes widened.
"No…was the Treasure put on display to lure us here!?" Fox realized too late.
"So that's why we could faintly see its shape…" Noir surmised. It was all a ploy from the very beginning.
"It seems like…she is more of a formidable opponent than I anticipated." Crow narrowed his eyes. While he managed to use the casino's rules to his advantage, it seemed that Shadow Sae was ultimately prepared for the event they made it this far.
"First off, allow me to compliment you. I never expected you would be able to make it this far." Shadow Sae's voice was very patronizing.
"We would much rather have the Treasure than your praise. Where did you hide it?" After Crow asked this, a door opened up.
"Why don't we come settle this once and for all?" Shadow Sae hummed.
"I see. She wants us to pursue." Dragon said.
"Dammit, she's mockin' us!" Skull grit his teeth. "Let's go after her!"
"We don't have much of a choice." Joker told the others. They had to dash up the stairs to an elevator, which led to the arena Shadow Sae was waiting. They emerged in a golden roulette wheel, and when they turned around, Shadow Sae was looking at them from a monitor. She wasn't alone; Cognitive Makoto was there with her as well.
"What kind of game do you intend to have us play this time?" Queen asked. "No matter what it is, we won't lose!"
"That's right!" Panther said.
"You're making a grave mistake if you think you have me cornered." Shadow Sae said calmly. "I only guided you all here because this place allows me to fight to my heart's content."
"Sis…" Queen had to steel herself. Both Dragon and Noir placed their hands on her shoulders to help calm her down.
"When my father died in the line of duty, I hated his killer from the bottom of my heart. Dying to uphold justices sounds virtuous, but the ones left behind have to clean up the mess!" Shadow Sae spat. "Can you imagine the hardships I've had to endure since then!?"
"She's had to endure it all." Cognitive Makoto said. "She's had to watch over me while fighting against a world that's unfair to her in the workplace."
"Perhaps I overestimated her. I thought her reasons would be a lot nobler." Crow sighed.
"She's lost control…" Oracle mumbled.
"This is wrong…" Noir said.
"Justice cannot yield to evil! I must win, no matter what!" Shadow Sae yelled.
"It was as I thought…she is at her breaking point." Dragon shook her head slowly.
"Her desperation is at an all time high. I can only imagine what she intends to do from this point." Fox was uneasy about the situation.
"All we need to do to determine who is right, is battle." Shadow Sae said. "Now, why don't we begin?" With a snap off her fingers, the panels of the roulette board began to flip open, surprising everyone. At some point, while they glanced around, Shadow Sae and Cognitive Makoto appeared behind them. "A clash of brute strength is simply uncalled for on this stage."
"What is she intending?" Crow was prepared.
"Be careful, everyone." Joker said. He didn't know what was coming, but it obviously wasn't about to be fun for them.
"No more coins of playin' games!" Skull said while stepping forward. "We ain't followin' YOUR DAMN RULES!"
"Yeah!" Panther cracked her whip. "We're doing this fair and square, whether you like it or not!"
"Oh you will." Shadow Sae was completely unfazed at Skull's yelling. It felt like they forgot their place. They forgot that this was HER world. "There is no room for negotiation. You will know soon enough." When she said that, her form briefly buzzed into something that wasn't her.
"If you don't follow the rules, I'll make sure to enforce them." Cognitive Makoto said while cracking her knuckles. "I am on my sister's side. I will not let you do anything to her."
"W-What was that…?" Queen took a step back. Between Shadow Sae's brief flicker, and her own cognitive self regurgitating the words she spoke just last night, this was all a lot to take in. How did Dragon and Noir push on despite feeling this way…?
"Do not worry! We are here to support you, Queen!" Dragon said while pointing her staff forward.
"You'll save her, right?" Crow asked Queen.
Queen closed her eyes for a second, and then opened them. She had nothing but a fierce, determined visage on her face. She knew now. Dragon and Noir pushed on because they felt this way. She's been by their side as they confronted those close and important to them, and now they were standing by her side as she sought to save her sister from her own twisted ideals. "Yes. I will."
"All right everyone, be on alert!" Mona told the others, and they all entered a battle stance.
Shadow Sae grinned widely at their preparation. Yes, this was truly going to be a worthwhile battle indeed! The chance she was biding her time for for months was finally upon her! This was her chance to finally crush the Phantom Thieves! "MAY THE BEST PLAYER WIN!"