I just realized what the date is. This isn't a prank, I swear. All my 'plan ahead' drives are generally used for writing.
TRIGGER WARNING:
- Fat/body shaming a child
- Emotional abuse/manipulation
Chapter Eighteen
Lost Cause
Friday, May 6th
"Like you heard last week, gym class is canceled today," Kawakami announced. "Instead, I'm supposed to give you some guidance. The gist is, don't go around talking about the incident. That's all."
Chiyo rubbed her temples with one hand. Don't talk about 'the incident?' Really? 'Don't make things worse for the school,' was what she meant. Who cares about the students traumatized or on edge because of Kamoshida's actions?
"The police are still investigating Kamoshida-san, so I can't say anything myself," continued Kawakami. "As a teacher though, I am ashamed for not having noticed that a student was suffering like that… I'm not defending him, but as a colleague, he just seemed like… well, a normal person. Honestly, it still doesn't feel real. I guess people can have multiple sides to them…"
"The teachers have it rough, huh?" Morgana whispered from Chiyo's desk.
"Oh yeah," Kawakami's brow rose, "I just remembered something I learned about in psychology. They say that humans have several different personalities hidden in their subconscious."
"Different personalities?" Morgana purred, intrigued.
'Shut up!' Was Morgana trying to get himself discovered?!
"To be clear, I'm not talking about multiple personality disorder," clarified Kawakami. "These different personalities can be a different gender or a different age from you. I mean, if you think about how gods and monsters in myths were first based on the human image… If you actually saw one of those personalities with your own eyes, it might look like a monster. It feels like I just now understood what I learned long ago."
"Subconscious personalities…" murmured Morgana. "It's a fascinating topic, and it has a lot to do with us. That teacher's surprisingly smart, huh?"
'Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut. Up!'
"Morgana really needs to keep quiet during class," Ann sighed. "I could hear him during Kawakami-sensei's lecture."
"I know," moaned Chiyo. "I'm still surprised the guy behind me hasn't noticed something."
During their lunch break, they stood at the head of the second-floor stairs with Ryuji. He seemed to have drowned out the pair's conversation as he prodded at his phone. "It ain't much, but we've been getting' more postings on the Phantom Aficionado Website. 'I want to make my friend apologize for not returning the stuff I lent him.' Ugh, deal with that yourself!"
Ann brought a finger to her lips, silencing Ryuji as a couple of their female classmates walked out of the nearest classroom. "You know that phantom thieves rumor about stealing Kamoshida's heart?" gossiped one of them. "I wonder if it's true."
"It's got to be made up," her friend replied. "Do you seriously believe they exist?"
"But look at what happened to Kamoshida."
"He probably just couldn't keep hiding it after that girl tried to kill herself at school."
"Yeah, you might be right. I guess there's no way they really exist."
"More importantly, it seriously sucks that our school is gonna be known for stuff like this!"
"I wonder if it'll affect our college entrance…"
"That's prolly a normal reaction for now," Ryuji said as the girls walked off, "but… they'll see soon enough! If we can take care of two or three famous guys, people have to believe we exist."
"So about those big shots…" Ann leaned to the right with her arms crossed over her chest. "We don't have any leads yet, right? Plus there's that rumor about you two threatening Kamoshida too… Some have even put two and two together and realized it was Chiyo he was talking about with his ultimatum."
Instinctively, Chiyo shifted a lock of hair out of her eyes. That morning when she walked onto the second floor, she noticed a few stares and whispers. They only looked slightly better than the looks Chiyo received her first day at Shujin. "Think Kamoshida meant her?"
"Well, yeah. Who else?"
"Think she went through with it though?"
"Dunno."
"Looks like you'll just have to live a normal, honest school life for the time being," Morgana said from Chiyo's bag. "Still, make sure you stay prepared just in case anything comes up, all right?"
"I'll keep an eye out for info on any bigshots that might be comin' around," Ryuji offered.
"And I'll try to dig up some dirt online," Ann added.
"I guess Morgana and I'll keep an ear out for anything," said Chiyo.
With his gaze turning to the floor, Ryuji raked a hand through his hair. "We went and formed the Phantom Thieves group, but we can't even find a target…"
"There, there…" Ann pat him on the shoulder.
"I guess sometimes things just don't go the way we want 'em to…"
"We made this official just yesterday," Chiyo said with a shrug. "We'll find something."
"Excuse me…"
Kobyakawa looked up to find Makoto Niijima approach his desk. "Did you wish to see me, Principal Kobayakawa?" Niijima asked politely.
"You saw the state Kamoshida-kun was in, didn't you?" Kobayakawa asked, not bothering to beat around the bush. "It's as if his personality has completely changed. Something is definitely wrong here."
Niijima's brow arched. "I'm not sure I follow…"
"From what I've heard, it appears as though some students were meddling in his business. If they did something to him… Who could they be…?"
"Are you saying that these students may have caused Kamoshida-san to change?" Niijima asked, recoiling slightly.
"That is what I wish to know. Even if it takes some probing into student matters. I would like you to look into this for me."
"It is true that there are many rumors regarding Kamoshida-san, but…" Niijima's voice trailed off. "Do you mean all of this talk about those Phantom Thieves?"
"It is undeniable that Kamoshida-kun has 'change' in some way. I'd like to have a grasp of the cause. This shall also ensure that I handle the mass media and police in the correct fashion."
"Oh…"
Ensure he can handle it properly, or make sure the school's reputation isn't made any worse? The rumors also spoke of Kamoshida getting away with his crimes for as long as he did because the school staff was turning a blind eye. If that got out…
"I will continue speaking to Kamoshida-kun myself," said Kobayakawa. "Unless you find whomever did this, these irresponsible rumors will likely never die down. Don't you agree?
"You have been at the top of your class since day one. Your conduct is good, and teachers favor you. I could write you a recommendation for any college of your choosing, Niijima-san."
Her heart quickening, Niijima moved a lock of hair out of her eyes. "Th-Thank you…"
"Your lineage must certainly play a part in this excellence. Your sister is still young, yet she holds an admirable position in the Public Prosecutors Office, no?"
Niijima flinched, her hands gripping the hem of her skirt. "If something were to happen here," Kobyakawa continued, "that wouldn't reflect very well on your sister… Do you understand?"
Do this and you will get your college recommendation and your sister can still hold her head high. "Yes…" murmured Niijima.
"How wise. It's no wonder you're our student council president. I'd appreciate it if you looked into this as soon as possible. I ask that you begin at once."
"Yes," Niijima said with a nod of her head. "If you'll excuse me then."
Kobayakawa waited until Niijima was out of the room before he took out his phone. Punching in the number he waited for the other end to pick up. "It's me, sir," he greeted. "My apologies for troubling you at such a busy time… Yes, it's about the matter we discussed earlier… I have all bases covered. The investigation will begin immediately… Of course… Yes, I will get results… I should be able to update you soon… Well then, I must be going. Thank you very much for your time, Kodaira-kun."
"So, that means he's gonna be locked up for a long time, right?"
"I can't imagine it going any other way. Former students are coming forward about their history with him, and he confessed to everything on top of it."
"Sounds like at this point a trial's just a formality," Kasumi murmured before she took a bite out of her onigirazu. She tried to follow her sister's recipe for a chicken katsu version, but it came out with more bread crumbs than chicken.
She had heard a few things about Kamoshida-san's case through her dad thanks to the station covering the story so much. But she got the sense that Shinichi neither couldn't nor wanted to disclose too much information with Kasumi. The day Kamoshida-san made that big confession, Shinichi looked like he ran home to ask Kasumi if he tried anything on her. Then he looked like he was about to fall over with relief when Kasumi explained that Kamoshida-san's scene in the gym was the first time she heard anything about any physical or sexual abuse.
Today at lunch, Kasumi found herself seated in a semi-circle with some of her female classmates. She couldn't help but notice the girls especially were grouping together after Kamoshida-san's big scene last week. That wasn't to say Kasumi didn't understand it, she was completely floored when she found out.
Poor Noya-san was on the volleyball team and she looked shaken up to be back in school. Actually, now that Kasumi thought about it, she did look like she was limping just before Kamoshida-san took his sabbatical.
Oh, dear…
"What do you make of those Phantom Thieves, though?" asked Sawa-san. She was a girl Kasumi and her sister went to middle school with. Kasumi wasn't sure if it was a delightful surprise or not. On the one hand, Sawa-san was a familiar face, but on the other hand, she looked at Kasumi like she was the scum of the earth. "You don't think they stole Kamoshida's heart do you?"
"When they said 'take his heart' how literal did they mean that?"
"They couldn't have meant the blood-pumping organ, otherwise he'd be dead."
"That's even assuming they're real."
"If they are, I'd love to thank them," Noya-san said meekly.
"Well, there's that Phantom Aficionado site." Sawa-san took out her phone to show them. "There are tons of messages thanking the Phantom Thieves. Admittedly, I'm not sure how many believe they exist, but everyone's relieved all the same."
"That'd be kind of cool if they are real, wouldn't it?"
"Like some masked vigilante."
"I don't get why everyone's making a fuss about them," murmured Kasumi.
The girls all fell silent to stare at her. Sawa-san shot her the same dirty look she gave her since the school year started; the best glare Sawa-san had in her repertoire. A look of complete and utter disdain. It gave Kasumi the distinct impression that she could be on fire and Sawa-san had a glass of water, she'd sooner drink it than douse the flames.
"What do you mean Yoshizawa-san?"
The air around them suddenly changed. Kasumi could feel her classmates stare at her expectantly. "Well," she said at length, "I'm not saying Kamoshida-san didn't need to be taken care of, but the volleyball team really should have helped themselves. If they'd just gotten together and talked to Principal Kobayakawa maybe that senpai wouldn't have-"
Noya-san dropped her partially eaten food onto the floor as she shot to her feet. Her hands were balled up at her sides, and her breathing suddenly became heavy. "Do you know what I was told after my first volleyball practice?" she asked. Her voice had gone hallow as tears welled up in her eyes. "'Don't bother telling anyone. They already know.' And they really did. I tried to tell someone. And even though I was coming out of practice covered in bruises, no one looked twice in my direction! I tried telling someone, but I was just told to grin and bear it. It's high school volleyball after all! Things are gonna be harder! And he started…"
She started hugging herself, a sob escaped Noya-san's lips. "They had to have known what he was doing to the girls too. And then that girl…" Another sob. She looked up at Kasumi, glaring at her through her wet bangs. "So what would you have us do if you have all the answers?"
"W-Well… I-I…"
Without warning, Noya-san dove straight for Kasumi, taken aback, the girls fell over, taking Kasumi's chair with them. Noya-san started shouting profanities at her, one hand grasped a fist-full of Kasumi's hair, the other hand beat into her in random spots on her shoulder, her chest, her face. Kasumi was able to shield her face with her forearm, but that didn't stop Noya-san from pulling her hair and hitting the back of her head against the floor.
"Noya!"
"Someone get Hattori-sensei!"
Kasumi felt something stinging her cheek, but she wasn't given the chance to dwell on it before Noya-san shoved the heel of her hand into Kasumi's nose.
"Noya, she's not worth it!"
"Yuki!" Okabe-san said desperately, trying to pull Noya-san off of Kasumi. "Yuki, it's okay! He's gone! Yoshizawa's just being stupid!"
Okabe-san eased Noya-san off Kasumi and pulled Noya-san into a tight embrace. Noya-san's body shuttered, she broke into full sobs. One of their classmates brought a chair for Noya-san, which Okabe-san eased her into.
Slowly, Kasumi sat up. Her ribbon was coming undone, and Noya-san successfully scratched her cheek, which produced a few drops of blood. She sat on the floor, catching her breath as Sawa-san brought Noya-san a bottle of water. She shot Kasumi the very same glare again, but somehow with more intensity. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" hissed Sawa-san.
Save for Noya-san, still distressed, the girls Kasumi was eating lunch with gave her similar hateful glares. So, Kasumi cleaned her spilled food, collected her things, and got up to put them away. She ran her fingers through her hair and put her ribbon back in. She quietly gathered her fallen chair and brought it back to her desk.
"Wait, really?! You're serious?"
"Yeah, we were in the same class in middle school, too," Kasumi heard Sawa-san whisper to the other girls. "Same hairstyle, same speech patterns, same mannerisms."
"Freaking basket case…"
"That's just sick."
"How self-centered can you get?"
Ryuji: The police are really here… I saw 'em at the entrance.
Chiyo: Were they calling anyone out?
Ryuji: Not that I could tell…
Ann: I saw them talking to the teachers.
Ryuji: That change of heart thing's seriously amazing, huh?!
Ann: I hope they don't find out we're responsible…
Ryuji: I'm pretty sure we'll be fine. There's no proof it was us.
Chiyo: They could still be suspicious of you and me though.
Chiyo: Everyone knows we confronted the man.
Ann: Yeah, that's what they're saying. 'Confronted.'
Ryuji: This world's Kamoshida shouldn't know about what actually happened to him though.
Ann: Still…
Ryuji: We did what was right. Don't go freaking out over some label.
Chiyo: The best we can do is appear like normal high school students.
Ann: I guess you're right.
Ryuji: Man, I really can't wait to keep living this double life!
Chiyo: What did I just say?!
When school let out for the day, Chiyo checked her phone as she walked out of class 2-D. Neither Ann nor Ryuji replied.
"Kusakabe-san?"
Putting her phone in her pocket, Chiyo glanced up to find Mishima at her side. "So… have you seen that Phantom Aficionado Website?"
"You mean that Phan-site?"
"I'm the one who started it."
"Ah…" Chiyo's head list to the right. "That's neat!"
She noticed Mishima bite his lip slightly. He leaned forward and asked in a hushed tone, "You guys are the Phantom Thieves, aren't you? You, Sakamoto, and Takamaki?"
Chiyo froze, instantly. Too many questions ran through her head. First and foremost being, 'How?!' True she was spending a lot of time with Ryuji and Ann in recent days, it was still a bit of a stretch. Unless Mishima noticed a thing or two when they confronted Kamoshida…
"I don't know what you're talking about, Mishima-kun," Chiyo said adopting a light-hearted tone.
Mishima's brow arched, eyeing Chiyo questioningly. "I see… I'm sorry, Kusakabe-san," he said in a hushed tone. "Although… if things really are as I think, I should keep it a secret." He glanced down at the floor. "Kamoshida used me, and I did some horrible things to you guys. This isn't much of a way for me to apologize for it… But if there's anything I can do to help, just let me know!"
How was Chiyo supposed to approach this? Was there even a point in denying it? "Th-that's great, Mishima-kun…" Chiyo said in a hushed tone.
"I'm glad to hear that," said Mishima. "There are many more evil adults outside of Kamoshida. But I'm sure the Phantom Thieves will do something… They can't let this end after just one target. That's why I wanted to make a forum where people could post their problems. There are probably a lot of people who have high hopes for the Phantom Thieves' next move. So I've implemented an anonymous poll on the site."
Mishima took his phone out of his pocket and showed the screen to Chiyo. The familiar red and black background stared back at her with the poll question, 'Do you believe in the Phantom Thieves, or not?' with a six point seven percentage saying 'yes.'
"I… hope someday my forum is filled with support posts," confessed Mishima. "I'd really like to help out in the Phantom Thieves' acts of justice! Can I… please?"
He had such a hopeful, puppy-dog look in his eye, Chiyo wasn't sure how she could say no without feeling terrible about it. "S-Sure," she said at length. "Sounds… like fun."
Beaming, Mishima slid his phone back into his pocket. "I'll live up to your expectations," he said, "I promise. Well… See you."
She didn't miss the smile on his face as he took off. To Chiyo's surprise, however, Ryuji and Ann walked up to her. "We heard all that," Ryuji said instantly. "It was a little awkward tryin' to figure out when to walk over here."
"So that forum is Mishima-kun's," Ann said thoughtfully. Her lips pursed in thought. "I think it'll be fine. He seemed to be playing it cool."
"I guess we should have a little chat about this later."
"I will say though," Morgana spoke up from Chiyo's bag. "A forum where people can post problems may prove unexpectedly useful."
"Yeah, but we gotta sort out the stuff worth looking into over the petty bullshit," Chiyo pointed out.
"We'll need to stay sharp until we managed to find a new target," Ann said in agreement. "Once we do that, we'll head into another Palace, so we should prep our equipment and-"
"Oh crap!" Ryuji shouted suddenly, causing Chiyo to jump.
Her hand rested flat against her chest. "What the heck, Ryuji?!"
"Don't we have exams comin' up?!"
"Judging by that reaction, I'd assume you're going to struggle this time too?" mumbled Ann.
His face flushed. "I-It's not like you're any better! All you're good at is English!"
"I'd rather that than be bad at every subject!"
"Even your Japanese is questionable at best, Ryuji," Morgana said in a sing-song tone.
"Morgana!" Chiyo scolded.
"Will you lay off with Ryuji before he decides to turn the tables?" Chiyo asked as they walked to Takemi's clinic.
"That's assuming he can figure out how to turn it," snarked Morgana.
"Just because you can say something, doesn't mean you should."
"That's a bit rich coming from you half the time."
Standing in front of the clinic, Chiyo looked down at Morgana. "You sure about this?"
"Yeah. If Takemi has some enhancing drug, it might help us out in Palaces."
Biting her lower lip, Chiyo pulled the door open and headed upstairs to the clinic. Takemi was seated at the reception desk. Her eyes glanced up to find Chiyo. "What are you in for today?"
"I, uh…" Chiyo struggled to find her words. "Heard about a rumored medicine…"
Takemi's brow arched, eyeing the girl for a moment. The wheels in her head turning. "You're that kid who was at Leblanc," she said plainly. "Didn't you come in not too long ago? Regular medicine won't do the trick?"
Chiyo steeled herself. Her face froze in a neutral, stoic expression, something that was difficult to read. "I have my reasons."
With a tilt of the head, Takemi kept her eyes on Chiyo. Perhaps she realized Chiyo was eavesdropping on her conversation with the man in the suit. "You're an odd one," she said, but then she shrugged. "But then again, who am I to talk. Alright." She gestured to the nearest door. "Just head into the examination room for now."
Takemi did not leave Chiyo waiting long. No sooner had she put her bag down and took a seat, Takemi walked through the door. Closing it behind her, she leaned her back against it, keeping her hands in her pockets. "That 'medicine,' huh?" she asked without missing a beat. The hair on the back of Chiyo's neck stood up on end when Takemi reached down behind her to lock the door. "So… which conversation of mine did you eavesdrop on to hear that?"
Chiyo's lips pressed together in a hard line while her eyes blinked rapidly. What was the best way to handle this? Lie or be honest? Takemi did seem to be a very level-headed, chill person. She may not mind much if Chiyo was honest. "You know what," Takemi said at length, "never mind. I know which conversation it is. You call that hiding? Not that I care, of course."
'Says the woman who just locked the door,' Chiyo couldn't help but think.
"I was going to dispose of that medicine anyway. I got a little carried away with it." Takemi crossed her arms and leaned against the door again. "But tell me; why would a high schooler like yourself be so interested in that medicine? What exactly are you up to?"
Chiyo's lips pursed. What story could she make up that Takemi would buy? An old injury was still bothering her and she hoped this medicine could help? How long ago was it when she pulled a muscle in her neck? Would Takemi even buy it? No, she was better off giving Takemi a more believable excuse for a high school student. "It's for studying," Chiyo said at length. "Exams are coming up and it won't be much longer before I need to think about college."
Takemi's own lips pursed to the side. "I suppose you are around that age. Still, going to these drugs to improve your concentration and reduce fatigue? That's not the best idea. But if that's what you want to do… Then good luck with that. I have no obligation to help you with that. Why don't you do what the rest of the kids are doing and have an energy drink or something?"
"I think I'll be better off with the medicine," Chiyo said instantly.
She stood her ground as Takemi threw an irritated glare at Chiyo. "You're really annoying, you know that?" she said flatly. "The medicine is really expensive. And it's not something a high schooler can just get her hands on. It costs almost as much as a car."
That was enough to cause Chiyo to waver. She was certain she wouldn't be able to afford such a thing on her current salary. "I can work for it," she said.
"Like part-time help?" Takemi asked with a raised brow. She brought a hand to her chin, her pointer finger pressed against her lips. After a moment, she glanced back at Chiyo. "Do you consider yourself someone with a good amount of stamina?"
"Hm?"
"I admit I have been looking for a young person around your age to help me out. But I haven't been able to find anyone, even after putting an ad in the paper."
Chiyo sucked in her lips, the most she could do to keep herself from giving Takemi a snide remark.
"So, what do you think?" asked Takemi. "Are you up for it?"
"What would I be doing?" asked Chiyo.
"Do you want to do it or not?"
She brought her hand up, making sure her glasses were up into place. Slowly, she nodded her head. "Okay then. You'll be participating in clinical trials for my medicine. Sit tight."
Takemi went to a medical cooler for a bottle and a plastic cup. A few seconds later she held a cup of red liquid in front of Chiyo. "Wait, we're starting now?" Chiyo looked up at the doctor.
"Worried about the side effects, huh?" Takemi asked in a teasing manner. "Well, you can relax. Rest assured, my autopsy is guaranteed to find out exactly what part of it killed you."
Chiyo's brow rose despite herself. She looked back down at the liquid in her hand. Logic told her that Takemi was mostly joking. Chiyo was pretty sure performing autopsies, and being a physician were two entirely different practices. But then again Takemi was apparently making her own drugs, so what did Chiyo know?
"What, aren't you going to take it?" Takemi asked as though challenging Chiyo, daring her to back out. "The exit's right there if you want to leave."
"Will you relax already? Live a little."
Her hand gripped the cup, her brow furrowed. Chiyo brought the lid of the cup to her lips and chugged the liquid down in two gulps. Takemi's brow rose, astonished that Chiyo did it. "I can't believe you actually…"
Chiyo blanched, her shoulders shook. A bitter taste overtook her tongue. But that was the worse of it. "Wow," Takemi said, leaning forward to study Chiyo's face. "Still doing okay, huh. Not bad, for a high schooler."
Her brow furrowed, noticing Chiyo repeatedly pausing with each blink in an attempt to make herself focus. She took a step back as Chiyo fell off her seat and onto the floor.
Chiyo blinked once, twice, thrice and her vision still hadn't cleared. She noticed her glasses on the paper-lined mattress beside her. Sitting up, Chiyo placed her glasses on, to find Takemi taking a few notes in a notebook. "Sleeping beauty's awake," Takemi said, eyeing Chiyo as she swung her legs over.
"What happened…?" Chiyo asked, holding her head in one hand.
"You tested one of my medicines and I did an examination," Takemi said bluntly. "You were completely dazed until you lost consciousness."
Slapping her clipboard onto her desk she turned towards Chiyo with her arms crossed over her chest. "Are you out of your mind?" demanded Takemi. "Only an idiot would have drunk that."
"You're the doctor! Why're you joking around like that?"
"Fine," Takemi relented. Lifting a hand, she gestured towards Chiyo. "By the way, the reason you lost consciousness was because of the taste. It produces a foul smell when it mixes with gastric juices, similar to surstromming. Oh, well. All that matters is that thanks to you I was able to get some good data. Okay, it's my turn to make good on my part of the deal. That's why I waited until you woke up."
"Really?"
"I don't want the general public to know about my original medicines." She leaned forward, her elbow rested on her knee while her chin rested in her hand. "So you're strictly prohibited from disclosing what happens here to anyone. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am."
A smile played upon Takemi's lips. "Good answer. As long as you come here for it, I'll give you the medicine at a good price whenever you want. I may even add additional selections, in time. I do look forward to your continued patronage."
Goosebumps littered Chiyo's arms. "And… in exchanged I need to do this again?" she asked.
"Obviously. I have to perfect this medicine and I need a test subject. Now, if you're able to move, you can go home. Make sure you stay hydrated."
If Chiyo hadn't found her footing when she stood up, she did when she left the clinic. Her head was swimming, but more in the sense that she was wrapping her head around the fact that she lost a couple of hours without realizing it. "Why did you want me to do this again?" she asked Morgana.
"Hey, at least now you can buy meds from Takemi whenever," said Morgana. "No questions asked from the sounds of it."
Chiyo heaved a heavy sigh. "Wanna go to Big Bang Burger?" she asked.
She felt Morgana tilt his head from inside the bag. "Can you make the journey okay?"
"I'll make myself make the journey."
When she first made her order, Chiyo was half-convinced that the woman behind the counter was going to give her an odd look. She had ordered a Big Bang Burger with Saturn Fries, and a Venus Salad. But Chiyo realized she could hardly be the only person to ever order two meals for herself.
She found a booth where she could slip in Morgana's food without much notice. She was still feeling the calories from yesterday's buffet and she couldn't stop hearing Ryou's voice. "You don't want to become fat and ugly, do you?" "You want to win the competitions, don't you? Winners doing need this garbage." "Why are you being so difficult when I sacrifice so much for you?!"
Chances are, Ryou would still make a fuss by this salad alone.
Chiyo unwrapped Morgana's burger first and slipped it into her bag. She was soon met with a contented purr. The smell made Chiyo's mouth water. Maybe she should have gone for the burger…
"You don't want to become fat and ugly, do you?"
"Dude, someone's taking the challenge!"
Chiyo looked up to find one of the employees carrying over a tray to the booth next to Chiyo's. A group of boys, college students if Chiyo had to guess, sat at the table. One of them clapped a brown-haired boy on the shoulder as the woman placed the tray down in front of him.
The burger took up three-fourths of the tray and had to be three Big Bang Burgers tall. Chiyo's face twisted, her stomach dropping at the sight of it. "Thank you for taking our Big Bang Challenge," the woman said, placing the tray down. "This burger is as voluminous as a soaring comet burning the sky. It will not be overcome easily. But should you conquer this challenge, you will be rewarded with an extravagant prize."
The brown-haired student taking the challenge simply stared at the burger as his friend grasped him by the shoulder again. Chiyo idly wondered if the boys made a bet as she bit off another helping of her own burger.
"Well then," the woman said clapping her hands together, "it's time to get the thirty-minute Big Bang Challenge started! Ready… Let's go!"
The boy fumbled slightly to get the burger in his hands. His friends cheered as he took two bites into the meat.
Taking a sip from her drink, Chiyo imagined herself taking the challenge. Then, for some reason, the image of her mother popped into her mind.
From Chiyo's perspective, getting a child as young as six to understand weight gain and weight loss was difficult to near impossible. So as much as Chiyo loved gymnastics, she didn't understand why she could eat so much at home, but she couldn't have those fun fast food burgers and food other kids her age could.
Chiyo remembered being six years old, holding onto Ryou's hand as they walked past the new Big Bang Burger. She could see a couple of kids around her age stuffing their faces with hamburgers and golden fries. She saw a girl swatting her hand, knocking the fries out of a boy's hand after he shoved them into her face. They looked like they were having fun. "Can't we eat there?" Chiyo asked, pointing at the burger joint.
Pausing, Ryou glanced over her shoulder. Slowly her brow furrowed as soon as she saw the store's logo and she started looking at it in disdain. "Their food will make you fat," Ryou said curtly. "We have better food at home, anyway."
"But…" Surely one measly burger wouldn't make her gain that much.
Ryou's glare turned down at her young daughter. "Do you remember the ladies we saw dancing the other day?" she asked coldly. And Chiyo knew she was being a bad girl again. Avoiding Ryou's eye contact, she slowly nodded. "They were graceful and beautiful. They're not putting this garbage into their mouths, they know they'll become fat and ugly if they do. You don't want to become fat and ugly, do you?"
With her eyes cast downward, Chiyo shook her head no. Having won the battle, Ryou continued walking, dragging a disheartened Chiyo behind her.
At present, Chiyo leaned back in the booth, crossing her arms over her chest. That was hardly the first time Chiyo wanted to eat something that wasn't necessarily good for her and Ryou harshly shut her down. Never trying to explain why they needed to stick with the diet Ryou, Matsubara, and a nutritionist prepared for her, but shame her with the fear of gaining weight.
And Chiyo always listened in the end. Because Ryou was her mom, and her mom wanted a good, obedient daughter. And Chiyo wanted to be the good, obedient daughter. If that meant denying herself what she wanted to try, then Chiyo did it. If that meant being quiet and listening while Ryou hurled insults at Chiyo then she grinned and bared it.
And then Chiyo was arrested. Did Ryou care that Chiyo had been a good obedient daughter? No. Did it matter if Chiyo was guilty or not? No. Did it matter that Ryou of all people should have found the holes in the 'official' story? No. Despite doing what she could to be the daughter Ryou wanted, as far as Ryou was concerned, Chiyo was a lost cause.
"Hey, hey," Morgana whispered through Chiyo's bag. She could feel him trying to paw at her for added measure. "Can I have my fries now?'
"Oh, sure."
She eased the second serving of fries into her bag, idly wondering if it would end up smelling like Big Bang Burger after all this. Or if Chiyo would need to clean it of cat hair soon.
"Annnd time!"
Chiyo looked at the table next to her to find the boy who took the challenge had buried his head in his arms. The burger barely just half-eaten. "Shame," Morgana said in between a mouth full of fries. "He had such a strong start, too."
Saturday May 7th
The morning news was still discussing the investigations going on at Shujin. The school denied any knowledge of the beatings towards the volleyball team. Chiyo couldn't help but notice that they didn't mention the sexual harassment and assaults.
During class, they were reminded that exams started on Wednesday. Now that they were this close to exams, Chiyo was a little nervous. She wasn't a bad student at her old school, but she had to study while juggling her gymnastics training. Ryou always insisted Chiyo do well enough and she would get into college on a scholarship. It didn't leave her with much to fall back on if Chiyo's gymnast career fell short.
Which it technically did.
"Anyway, today we'll be talking about 'The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter,'" said Kawakami. "Most theorize it's the oldest story in Japan; for some, it's the oldest science-fiction story in the world. But if you ask me, it's the oldest story in Japan about a terrible woman. I mean, Princess Kaguya gives her suitors absurd tasks, demands fancy gifts, then runs off to the moon."
One of the boys from the other side of the room raised his hand. "Isn't that ignoring the fact that Princess Kaguya gave them those tasks out of the hope her suitors would give up so she wouldn't leave a husband behind when she returned to the moon?"
She heard a few snickers littered around the room. Even from Chiyo's seat, she could see Kawakami's displeased look. Chiyo wasn't sure what Kawakami disliked the most, the fact that someone just spoke up or the fact that they brought up a decent argument. "Well, Ezura-kun, since you're in a talkative mood," Kawakami said, her tone so sweet it was dripping with poisoned honey. "What do people generally call a woman who has a charm that sometimes leads men to their doom?"
"Uh… F-F-Femme… fatale?"
"That's right." Kawakami clapped her hands approvingly. "The term 'femme fatale' literally translates to 'fatal woman.' Some famous examples are the witch Morgan le Fay from Arthurian legends and Queen Salome from the Bible. Not to mention the wild, seductive dancer of Bizet's opera, Carmen."
Chiyo heard Ann let out a questioning 'hm?' "Now, let me just warn you that exams aren't so easy that you can pass them with a single night of cramming," announced Kawakami. "Take your time and make sure you understand the material, okay?"
Chiyo mimicked Ryuji's posture, sitting on one of the folding chairs, her foot braced against the edge of the desk, allowing her chair to lean back. The group met up on the roof after school. Ryuji stared down at his phone, dejected. "None of these posts are any good," he sighed. "Everyone's just bitchin' about their parents or their boyfriends. There ain't even a hint of a hint about a new Palace… Guess we just gotta find one ourselves then!"
Morgana, who had been previously grooming himself, look up. His curiosity peaked. "Are you seriously suggesting we look for a target that even the police have overlooked?"
The bleach-blond paused for a moment. "Yeah, you're right. We should prolly just hold off 'til exams are done with, huh? We can wait and see for a little longer, then worry about comin' up empty-handed if it happens…"
The door suddenly creaked open. Dropping the front of the chair down, Chiyo stood up while Morgana jumped off the desk and hid. Niijima closed the door behind her, approaching the three. Absently, Chiyo ran her fingers through her ponytail, making sure the locks weren't falling over her shoulders.
"This place is off-limits, you know," Niijima said instantly.
"You don't waste any time, do you?" Chiyo asked.
"Can't afford to with a group like this. The troublemaker, the girl of rumor, and the infamous transfer student regularly hanging out on the roof."
"We'll get outta here once we're done chattin'," Ryuji said, irritation lacing his tone. "How'd you know we come here often, anyway?"
"The first years have eyes, you know," Niijima said simply. "Once I had my suspicions, all I had to do was ask. By the way…" Holding her hands at her abdomen, Niijima leaned back on her left leg. Her glance held at Chiyo. "It seems as though you got to know Kamoshida-san pretty well."
"I've only been here a month-ish," Chiyo said flatly. "What of it?"
"I heard Kamoshida-san used a volleyball team member to spread details of your record and dating history. Don't you hate him? Kamoshida-san, I mean."
"Of course I do. He raped a student, and likewise sexually harassed other female students, as well as beat them. And let's not beat around the bush, everyone knows he was talking about me when he mentioned an ultimatum."
"The hell's this all about?" Ryuji asked, leaning forward. "Chiyo's an upstanding girl."
"I don't mean to offend," Niijima said placatingly. "Many students have been shaken up by what happened with Kamoshida-san-"
"Of course they are!" snapped Chiyo. "No doubt some students were blissfully unaware of what was going on only to have the rug pulled out from under them. That's going to shake anyone up. All of this was happening, within the walls of the school, and some had no idea. Are you going to tell me next that water is wet?"
"At least try to understand my position!" Niijima snapped back. "Being forced to deal with this horseplay-"
"'Horseplay?!'" echoed an angry Ann.
Inhaling, Niijima moved a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "By the way," she said, much calmer than before. "It's been decided that this place will be closed off due to the incident. I heard some people are coming up here without permission, after all."
"Yeah, but I doubt we're the only ones," Ryuji muttered under his breath, eyeing the potted plants basking in the remaining sun.
"I'm sorry to have interrupted you," Niijima said as she headed back towards the door.
Chiyo kept her eyes on the door until Niijima disappeared behind it. Ann stood up as soon as the door clicked into place. "What was that about?"
A few grunts could be heard as Morgana made his way back to the group. He leaped up onto one of the tables. "She's on to us," Chiyo said, rubbing her eye wearily. "Between her and Mishima, I have to wonder how many in the school suspects something?"
"If we're lucky, just the two of them," said Morgana. "She mentioned being forced into this, so she might have been asked to figure it out for someone else."
Ryuji hissed, "She really pisses me off! Talk about a pain in the ass…"
"That reminds me…" Morgana turned his head towards Ryuji. "Study hard. Especially you, Ryuji. There are bound to be traps that will need to be solved with brains."
"Morgana!" Chiyo scolded. "What'd I tell you last night?"
"I'm just laying down the facts. Everything you do in your daily lives has an impact on your abilities."
"True," Ann said with a slight list of her head. "Studying won't be so bad if we just think of it as helping us prepare to be phantom thieves…"
Heaving a sigh, Ryuji stood up. "I guess you got a point… But man…" Ryuji paused for a moment to rake his fingers through his hair three times in a rapid session. "I was all fired up about helping people! Not about studying'!"
Purring, Morgan's tail started to twitch. "Well, I do have somewhere interesting to show you beforehand. You guys did originally promise to help me out with my mission, after all."
"Not really, but whatever," said Chiyo.
"Follow me."
When Morgana said 'follow me,' he really meant 'carry me and follow my directions.' They ended up going to Shibuya Station Square, outside the station. "What'd you bring us here for?" Ryuji asked skeptically.
Morgana list his head to the side. "Just do as I told you."
Sighing in defeat, Ryuji took out his phone and pulled up the Phantom Aficionado Website. "Okay, now what?"
"Look for a post with a full name in it."
"I already said there's no info on any big shots. Don't you remember? But man," he grimaced, scrolling through the form "people actually go put someone's real name on here. That's some scary shit…"
"'He won't listen to what I say…'" Ann read aloud, searching her on her phone. "No wait, there's no name on this one."
"'Someone's bad-mouthin' me in online chat rooms…' Oh! This one's got a name."
"Ignore those." Morgana shook his head. "Aren't there any posts about more serious trouble?"
"Oh, I think I saw something." Ann took a moment to find the post. "'I don't know what to do about my ex who's stalking me. His name is Natsuhiko Nakanohara.' It says he's a teller at City Hall."
"A government worker's stalkin' someone…?" Ryuji murmured.
"Nakanohara should be a suitable target." Stretching, Morgana stood up. "All right, now get the Meta-Nav ready."
"We're just gonna jump right into a Palace?" asked Ryuji. "Fine by me!"
"Hey, what happened to all that talk of 'unanimous decision?'" Ann glanced over at Chiyo. "What do you think we should do, Chiyo?"
"I mean, it's far better than everything that everyone else is posting," said Chiyo. "A stalking ex-boyfriend's gotta have a Palace."
"We need a name and a place, right?" Ryuji thought aloud while he readied the Meta-Nav. "So the name is…"
"Actually, we don't need a location this time," explained Morgana. "Just enter exactly what I say. The keyword is… 'Mementos.'"
Ryuji threw a questioning look in Morgana's direction. "What're you tryin' to pull?"
"Just listen to me. It should work… I think."
"If I had a coin for every time you said that…" He punched in the proper characters. "'Mementos,' was it?" Barely a second passed before Ryuji shot onto his feet. "We got a hit?!"
Chiyo squeezed her eyes shut, trying to bat away the sudden wave of dizziness. Opening her eyes again, Chiyo saw everything flicker like a bad television connection. The effect continued a couple more times before the people just vanished. "What… just happened?" Ann asked, scrutinizing the square. "Everyone disappeared… It… kind of feels like I'm walking on air…"
Ryuji glanced down, eyeing Morgana. "Is this that Nakanohara guy's Palace?"
"That's half right but half wrong," replied Morgana. "This is a type of Palace, but it's different from the normal ones. Come on, the Shadows here lurk underground. I don't quite understand why. It may be because they're drawn to something."
"Underground?" Ann repeated. "How are we going to get there?"
"How? You use it every day to get to school."
Making his piece, Morgana lead the way back down the stairs they came up mere minutes before. Ryuji called for him to wait as the three students followed. Transitioning to the escalators Morgana transformed into his bi-pedal self. "Whoa! Morgana!" Chiyo exclaimed taking a step back. She realized there was something in her peripheral vision. She looked down at her hands to find red gloves and black sleeves. "What?"
"The hell is this place?" inquired Skull.
"Doesn't this mean the Shadows know we're here?!" Panther asked, somewhat panicky.
The trio looked to Mona, who nodded reaffirming. "Since the moment we stepped in," he explained.
"You should've told us!" snapped Skull.
"Or at least explained what we're doing first," mumbled Joker.
"Hey, I wouldn't have lead you here if this spot wasn't safe," said Mona. "I've come to investigate several times. Shadows never come up to this floor. But it's a different story once you go down. This place is simply teeming with them."
"Okay…" Panther crossed her arms over her chest. "More importantly, what is this Mementos?! It's about time you start explaining."
"In short," Mona held his paws at his waist, "Mementos is… everyone's Palace."
"Let's try that again in long," snarked Joker.
"A Palace as grand as Kamoshida's castle only forms when a person's wishes are extremely distorted. So, instead of many individual Palaces, the general public has one gigantic shared Palace. That's where we are now."
Uncoiling one hand, Panther gripped her chin. "Now that you mention it, this place feels a bit different from Kamoshida's Palace…"
"When you say shared…" said Skull, "you mean they're all put together? Even though they're just strangers…?"
"Think of it as the collective unconscious," Mona offered. After a moment of silence, he shook his head. "No, never mind. You wouldn't understand that."
"So what you're saying is…" began Panther. "Using this place, we can even change the hearts of people who don't have a Palace?"
"Correct! The steps to do so are slightly different though."
Grimacing, Skull gestured his arm around him. "But look at this place," he said. "It's huge. Are we gonna be able to get around just by walkin'?"
"I think we could," said Joker. "It's just getting the job done and getting back that's the problem…"
With his arms crossed over his chest, Mona smirked smugly. "It seems the time has finally come," he declared. Leaping off the turnstile, Mona darted a few meters away from the group. He struck a pose. "Mooor-gaaan-naaa… Transform!"
Despite Mona's bravado, the transformation he boasted about was essentially 'poof.' A large cloud of dust obscured Mona from view. Standing in his place was a black Citroën H Van with a yellow decal traveling off-center from the hood and roof. The headlights were a very familiar shade of blue. "All right," Mona's voice came from the van, "let's go! Ladies first, Skull."
"You're a car?!" gasped Panther.
Skull stared in something akin to awe, "No way!"
"This comes from the way cognition materializes in the Metaverse, plus a bit of extra training," Mona explained. "It's not dissimilar to how you guys transform."
"You turnin' into a car is totally different than our clothes changin'!" snapped Skull.
"For some reason, 'cats turning into buses' is an extremely widespread cognition among the general public."
"Totoro!" Joker sang, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she clapped her hands together. "I loved My Neighbor Totoro!"
Panther's brow rose behind her mask. "Oh, yeah!" she breathed in realization. She raised her hand to her mouth as she giggled. "We have our very own Catbus!"
"And, hey, we've got a Kusakabe right here with us," Skull said, grinning as he pointed at Joker.
"Har, har…"
"Hey, hey! If this is an inside joke, I want in!" Mona whined.
"We'll have to rent the movie sometime," Joker said, patting Mona on the hood. "The gist is, we've got a pretty good idea why 'cats turning into buses' is so widespread. Now to a very important question; where was this form when we were running for our lives outta that castle?!"
"I would have if I could! But the castle was cramped, there were tons of stairs, and no way this fits on top of a chandelier!"
During Mona shpeal, the three slid themselves in back. Joker couldn't help but look around inside. Oxblood red upholstered seats, a dark tawny interior. The driver's seat looked endearingly rustic.
At her side, sandwiched between herself and Panther, Skull draped one arm over the back of the seat. "All aboard!" he declared, pumping his free fists. "Let's go!"
The van remained still, outside of the purr of the engine. At least Joker thought it was the engine. "Why are you all just sitting back there?" Moana asked at length. "I'm acar, remember?"
"You can talk though," pointed out Joker.
"And? What's your point?"
"Don't you know how to drive, Joker?" Panther asked, leaning slightly to get a look at her. "Driving a car can't be that different from driving a tractor, right?"
Joker stared at Panther, her brow furrowing behind her mask. Tractor? "Panther…" Joker asked slowly, "where do you think I'm from?"
Despite this, Joker slid the door opened and relocated herself to the driver's seat. How did she allow herself to be talked into these sort of things? "You'd better not smash up my beautiful face, you hear me?!" Mona warned as Joker closed the door.
"Geez, what a pain," Skull sighed, climbing over into the passenger seat. "Where're the keys on this thing?"
"Why would you need a key?"
"What happened to 'I'm a car, remember?!'" exclaimed Joker.
"There's a switch just down next to the steering wheel."
Joker poked the button in question with her knuckle. The engine roared to life, causing Mona to purr.
'Oh dear lord…'
The Moon Rank 1
The Death Rank 1
Authors Note: The title of this chapter comes from Lost Cause by Beck. Particularly the Elliot Page rendition in Beyond Two Souls.
I think at this point it's pretty obvious, but I'm one of those who tend to interpret Akiren's parents as neglectful at best. This is largely because P5 barely made an effort to pretend he even has any compared to P3/FES/P and P4/G. Yeah, technically speaking they don't actually exist either, but there still far more lip service about them. Heck, the fact that Minato and Kotone's parents are dead is a plot point and Dojima even has a "don't tell your mom" moment with Yu. And Yu's parents were working abroad, they have a better excuse for not contacting him than Akiren's parents do. And I think the fact that the game doesn't even bother to create that illusion tends to be why fans write Akiren's parents off as uncaring jerks.
This ended up being the basis for Ryou and Eiichi. I always knew they were going to be divorced, I knew Ryou was a stage mom. I don't quite remember when I decided that Eiichi was an absent figure post-divorce. I think it just kind of happened and it worked out, then he remarried a woman with a child from a previous marriage.
The scene with 'Sumi and her classmates… Okay, so her stance on the Phantom Thieves was one of the first things we found out about her in marketing. Like it was going to be important… and Atlus did absolutely nothing with it. She drops it the instant she finds out you are one of the Phantom Thieves. That was the moment I gave up on 'Sumi as a character.
The scene was largely influenced by some forum comments I've come across pointing out how that the volleyball team likely tried to help themselves and came up with nothing. Heck Ryuji tried to help himself, and it only made things worse. It was through these comments that I realized that this mindset (and 'Sumi, over all) is never criticized, challenged, or snarked at despite Akiren being known for that straight out of the gate. It's somewhere along that line when I realized it could have proven to be a better explanation for why she's isolated from her classmates than "jealousy."
"But it's Kasumi's philosophy, not-" That can only explain so much. I find it a little difficult to believe that 'Sumi didn't end up adopting it herself to a degree. We as people have a tendency to just... do that. Not even with the people around us, but the media we consume too.
I think I'll try to take next week off of posting and do a little tidying up on previous chapters. A little "spring cleaning" if you will. Fixing a few errors that slipped though, making sure things are consistent in the story and formatting. Nothing too drastic, but still a lot of words to go over.