9/8 Wednesday
As soon as classes ended for the day, she met up with Yusuke near the hospital.
"Are you ready?" Makoto asked.
Yusuke nodded. "I brought over his homework as well."
"That's good." She replied. "Hopefully we can get to the bottom of this."
The two of them entered the hospital and were directed over to Naoya's room.
"Niijima-san? Kitagawa-san?" Naoya questioned.
"We heard that you were sent to the hospital, so we went to check on you." Makoto explained.
Yusuke left Naoya's homework near his bed.
"Thank you…" Naoya whispered. "Sorry for worrying you."
"It's no trouble at all." Makoto insisted. "You don't have to apologize."
"What exactly happened to you?" Yusuke asked.
"I… I just got into an accident, that's all." Naoya insisted.
"Another accident?" Makoto asked.
"Y-Yeah. Exactly." Naoya claimed.
"How exactly?" Yusuke asked.
"W-Well, um…" Naoya trailed off. "I…"
"You certainly have gotten into quite a lot of accidents." Yusuke pointed out. "That doesn't seem natural."
"Yusuke!" Makoto gasped, shocked at his bluntness.
"I… I…" Naoya stammered.
"If you don't tell anyone what's really happening, then they can't help you." Yusuke pointed out.
"I won't force you to say anything, but…" Makoto trailed off.
"It was a thief…" Naoya muttered, barely audible.
"A thief?" Makoto asked.
"That's right. The same thief that's stealing from my family's restaurant gave me these injuries." Naoya confessed.
"... Really now?" Yusuke muttered.
"I'm not lying!" Naoya snapped.
Was he really telling her the whole truth…?
"Did you see who they were?" Makoto asked.
Naoya was quiet for a moment before responding.
"They prob- they definitely wear a disguise when they break in." Naoya said.
"Is there any footage of them?" Yusuke inquired.
"They know how to disable the security system." Naoya frowned.
That… was troubling. If they had no evidence on who the thief was, there wasn't much they could do.
"Well, if there's anything else that we can do for you, be sure to let us know." Makoto said.
"I-I'm sorry…" Naoya muttered. "There's… nothing more I can tell you…"
She saw a flash of fear in Naoya's eyes, and thought that it would be best to leave things
Despite that, she felt like she understood him a little better.
TEMPERANCE CONFIDANT: RANK 6
They walked outside of Naoya's room, Yusuke appearing deep in thought.
"Was this how I acted back then?" Yusuke wondered.
"Ah, w-well, the circumstances were a bit different…" she trailed off.
"Hmm… how different, I wonder." Yusuke replied. "I believe he's hiding something, but I'm not sure what."
"I suppose we'll just have to find out." Makoto said.
Yusuke nodded. "I'll let you know if I find anything."
After they left the hospital, she parted ways with Yusuke and went home for the day.
9/9 Thursday
After school ended for the day, she packed up her things and left the building
As soon as she exited, however, she overheard Takayo speaking with Mishima.
"Don't worry, Takayo-chan!" Mishima exclaimed. "If anyone tries to criticize you or the thieves, we'll purge them!"
"Oh… ok…" Takayo muttered.
"Honestly, don't these people know we're helping them?!" Mishima snapped. "Maybe we should consider changing some of their hearts!"
"I… don't know about that." Takayo replied.
"I'll start handling this as soon as I get home." Mishima promised.
Mishima ran off, leaving Takayo alone.
"Tachibana-san?" Makoto called.
"O-Oh, Niijima-san!" Takayo gasped. "H-Hello… how much did you hear?"
"Enough." she frowned.
"I… want to believe that he means well, but he's been acting more and more extreme lately. I think the power might have gone to his head a bit." Takayo sighed.
"I see." Makoto nodded. "Do you… think that we should…?"
"N-No, please don't!" Takayo insisted. "Please don't change his heart. It's not… I'm sure if you guys just talk to him."
She wasn't sure if it'd work, but for Takayo's sake, she would at least try.
"Ok. I'll see what I can do." Makoto said. "But about what he was talking about before."
Takayo glanced at the ground, seemingly deep in thought.
"Ok." Takayo whispered. "Can you come with me?"
She nodded, following Takayo for a few blocks.
"I live pretty close to the school." Takayo told her. "It's… right here."
Makoto glanced at Takayo's home, her eyes widening.
Someone had sprayed graffiti on their home, and one of their windows had shattered.
"My grandpa called me earlier and told me what had happened." Takayo frowned.
"But who would do something like this?" Makoto asked.
"Oh? What happened here?"
An older man walked up to the two of them, glancing at the vandalized home before turning towards them.
"Oh, you must be Takayo-san." the man noticed.
"Are you stalking us now…?" Takayo muttered.
Makoto raised an eyebrow, surprised at Takayo's question.
"What? No, I'd never do something like that." the man said. "I simply wanted to know if your grandfather was available to talk, that's all."
"Tachibana-san, do you know this man?" Makoto asked.
"Yeah… I told you that some people have been bothering my family." Takayo frowned. "This guy's been harassing my family for years."
"Harassing? That's a strong word, don't you think?" the man said. "I was just giving your grandfather some criticism."
The man had a smile on his face, but for some reason it didn't seem sincere to her.
"Then what's this?!" Takayo shouted.
Takayo pulled out her phone, showing a video of the man in front of them.
"That lowlife is a liar and a traitor, besmirching the good name of a man that would have brought our country to new heights! I won't stop until he admits to his lies!" the man said on the video.
"This is one of your videos!" Takayo cried.
The video continued, the man continuing to rant about Takayo's grandfather.
"… I think that someone should take care of him, myself." the man finished on the video.
Takayo closed out the video, glaring at the man.
"Tachibana-san… you said he's been harassing your family for a while?" Makoto asked.
Takayo nodded. "He has tons of videos online that are just like this!"
"So what's wrong with that?" the man shrugged. "Am I not allowed to criticize people?"
"It's not that, but…" Makoto trailed off. "It looks like someone really did do something."
"The other day, someone doxxed us." Takayo explained. "And now they've vandalized our home! I'm starting to wonder if you had anything to do with it!
"I didn't do anything." the man excused. "The person who did it was… well, maybe they were just an overzealous fan." the man shrugged.
"And you haven't disavowed them?" Makoto glared.
"I said maybe. You can't prove that they did it because of me, can you?" the man asked. "I have nothing to apologize for and no one to disavow."
"Couldn't you at least say something?" Takayo asked.
"I can't control other people." the man smirked. "I mean, saying that 'someone should do something about him' can be interpreted in so many different ways, right? But surely, no reasonable person would hear that and try to attack you."
"They've already been doxxed, and now this." Makoto frowned. "Not every person is reasonable."
The man's smirk grew wider. "Guess not, huh?
"You really think you'll… get away with this?" Takayo muttered.
"I don't know what you're talking about." the man denied. "But I will say… if you do think that someone is planning something for your family because of me… well, there is a way to make the 'harassment' stop."
The man walked off, a large smile on his face.
"W-Why?" Takayo whispered. "Why is this happening?"
"Tachibana…" Makoto trailed off.
"W-What am I supposed to do?" Takayo whimpered. "I can't just leave things like this, or…"
"It looks like… he won't stop until your grandfather says that the entire story was a lie, even if it was true." Makoto frowned. "That, or if someone were to actually…"
"...Take care of him." Takayo finished. "This has been going on for years, but he's recently started to amass a big following."
"Just be careful, ok?" Makoto said.
"Y-Yeah…" Takayo muttered. "Haha… what's the point of all of this? Why do journalists even exist if no one even cares about the truth."
"Takayo, don't talk like that. Your grandfather was still able to expose that man's corruption and end his career because of it." Makoto said.
"I know, but… I just… right now, I feel powerless." Takayo muttered.
"Then let me help you." Makoto offered. "Do you know what that man's name is?"
"His name?" Takayo repeated. "W-Wait, are you going to…"
"Please, Tachibana-san. His name." Makoto requested.
Takayo paused for a moment, considering his offer to help.
"...Raiten." Takayo muttered. "Raiten Arai."
"Alright. Thank you. I promise you that I'll deal with this." Makoto expressed.
"Just be careful, ok?" Takayo replied. "I don't want you getting hurt for my sake."
"I'll be fine." Makoto told her.
She felt a little closer to Takayo.
MOON CONFIDANT: RANK 7
She comforted Takayo for a little longer before heading home for the day.
She knew exactly what she would do tomorrow.
9/10 Friday
She had already briefed the others on Takayo's situation. Everyone had quickly agreed to target the man harassing her.
Their minds made up, they made their way down to Mementos.
Morgana led them down the dark halls of the area, eventually leading them towards a secluded corner of the floor.
They entered a black and red vortex, coming face to face with their target.
"Huh? Who are you guys?" Raiten muttered.
"We're the Phantom Thieves!" Ryuji shouted. "And we're gonna change your heart!"
"My heart?!" Raiten snapped. "What about the heart of the man who ruined my life?!"
"He didn't fire you personally!" Ren countered. "All he did was reveal some politician's corruption!"
"It doesn't matter!" Raiten argued. "If he didn't do that, I'd still have my old job! I wouldn't have been let go to save face!"
"And what about the people, huh?!" Ryuji snapped. "Don't they deserve to know the truth?! You kept lyin' to them before, and you're still lyin' to them now!"
"They don't want the truth!" Raiten roared.
"What do you mean?" Makoto asked.
"You want to know the truth?!" Raiten snapped. "The truth is that these crooked politicians don't spring up out of nowhere! They're elected! Elected by a bunch of idiots who would rather bury their heads in the sand than acknowledge any crookedness. That… is the truth. But who the hell would want to hear something like that?!"
"Is that really what you think?" Ann asked. "Isn't that a little cynical?"
"Well, people like you guys are always going on and on about corrupt media, right?" Raiten asked. "But all these media outlets that toe the government line or even lie to people every day are still around, and draw in millions of viewers, while that girl's father is just some forgotten relic of the past! And you know why all of this is?!"
"Why?" Makoto muttered.
"The press is nothing but a tool for the government!" Raiten claimed. "The curry favor with administrations by parroting their viewpoints, in order to gain exclusive access to press clubs and interviews. It does not matter if politicians are committing crimes in broad daylight. If the government says they're innocent, WE say they're innocent! And the people believe us, because they rather bury their heads in the sand than admit there's something wrong with the people they elected! The media lies… because PEOPLE WANT TO BE LIED TO!"
"That's not true!" Ren snapped. "What about Takayo-san's grandfather?! He exposed the truth, didn't he?!"
"And look what happened! He became a pariah, constantly having himself and his family threatened!" Raiten shouted.
"That's because of you!" Morgana countered. "You're the one who's making them suffer!"
"If I didn't, then someone else would!" Raiten argued. "That's just the way of the world!"
A black and red aura began to surround Raiten.
"Either you stick your head in the sand… OR YOU GET BURIED IN THE DIRT!" Raiten shouted.
Raiten began to transform, quickly becoming a small, tengu creature with a scroll hanging from his neck.
"That's what'll happen to that girl, her entire family… and all of you brats too!" Raiten screamed.
"Hah! Just one tiny little tengu?" Ryuji laughed. "This'll be easy!"
"That's what you think!" Raiten shouted. "Why don't I even the odds a bit!"
"Even the odds?" Makoto questioned.
Raiten took the scroll from around his neck, beginning to write on it as fast as he could.
She fired a few shots, but she quickly dodged out of the way, showing the writing on his scroll afterwards.
"Everyone! Look!" Raiten shouted. "These dastardly thieves are here to try and take control of us all! Someone should really do something about these fiends!"
Other shadows quickly poured into the fight, angrily glaring at them.
"How do ya like that!" Raiten smirked. "I've got an entire mob at my beck and call!"
"Tch… that's not good." Ren muttered.
"We have to find a way to stop Raiten. Otherwise he'll just keep calling more!" Makoto ordered. "Let's clear a path towards him!"
Ryuji tried to charge forward, only to have his attack blocked by an Oni.
"Get out of my way!" Ryuji shouted.
Ann and Ren tried to shoot Raiten out of the sky, only for an Anzu to appear and blow their shots out of the sky with a gust of wind.
Yusuke swiftly weaved around the enemies, his sword coming mere inches away from Raiten before it was blocked by Tam Lin.
"Come on, guys!" Futaba shouted. "Don't go losing to these noobs!"
Futaba shined a bright light on everyone, boosting their attack power.
"Rrrrghhhh!" Ryuji roared, overwhelming the Oni and crushing it with his club.
Ann shot out intense flames, overpowering the Anzu's wind and engulfing it in flames.
Yusuke sliced through Tam Lin's spear before cutting him down.
"Hah! How do you like that?!" Morgana bragged, healing the group's wounds. "Looks like your little mob didn't amount to much!"
Raiten smirked. "Yeah, they're not very good at much, huh? But…"
Suddenly, several other shadows surrounded him, ready to strike.
"... There are quite a lot of them." Raiten finished.
"Seriously?!" Ann snapped. "There's more?"
"Then we'll just keep knockin' them down too!" Ryuji grinned.
The thieves easily managed to overpower the shadows for the second time, but Raiten continued dodging their attacks.
Just when they began to corner him, however, more shadows appeared, blocking their path.
"Seriously?!" How many of 'em are there?!" Ryuji exclaimed.
"Hahaha! No matter how many you cut down, more will keep taking their place!" Raiten exclaimed.
"He's trying to make this a battle of attrition." Makoto frowned.
"We're going to run out of supplies at this rate!" Morgana warned.
"Hold on, I'll think of something!" Makoto shouted.
She fired a few more shots, Raiten easily dodging each one.
"Futaba, can you speed us up?" Makoto asked
"Got it!" Futaba shouted. "Here come the buffs!"
The Thieves suddenly felt much more agile, easily outpacing the shadows.
Yusuke easily maneuvered around the other shadows, but Raiten still managed to dodge his strike.
A few moments later, Ann snuck by the shadows and let out an Agilao, but once again, Raiten managed to dodge.
Before they could press their advantage, the shadows caught up to them, blocking their path once more.
"Ugh… this isn't working…" Makoto muttered. "He's still faster, and we can't overwhelm him with the shadows. But killing the shadows will just have him summon more…"
Makoto tried to think of a strategy as she dodged several attacks from the shadows.
"Queen!" Ren shouted.
She glanced over at Ren, and could immediately tell what he was planning based on his expression.
"Do it, Joker!" she cried.
"Stagnant Air!" Joker shouted.
A foul, dark mist covered the battlefield, surrounding them and their foes.
"Fox!" Makoto shouted.
"Understood." Yusuke nodded, firing off a Mabufu spell.
Raiten managed to dodge, but the other shadows weren't so lucky, freezing solid as Yusuke's ice touched them.
"Everyone, now!" Makoto shouted.
They all charged forward, rushing Raiten all at once.
"G-Get away!" Raiten shouted, panic seeping into his voice.
He tried to call more shadows, but Yusuke quickly froze them as well.
Soon, the arena was filled with frozen shadow, leaving Raiten with little room to maneuver.
It wasn't long before she managed to land a shot on Raiten!"
"Grahh!" Raiten shouted in pain.
The others quickly capitalized on the opportunity, striking him again and again before he could recover.
"Rarrrrrgh!" Makoto roared, slamming her fist into Raiten's face and sending him flying into a wall.
Raiten desperately reached for his scroll, only for Ann to burn it to ash.
"N-No…" Raiten stammered. "Everything's… falling apart."
"It's over." Makoto declared.
"Urgh…" Raiten groaned, his body slowly transforming back to normal.
"You understand now, don't you?" Makoto asked. "The harm that your actions caused."
"It's just… it's just not fair!" Raiten cried. "I lost my job… and for what?! For doing what my bosses and the government wanted me to do?! For some controversy that most people would forget in a week?!"
"What happened to you wasn't fair." Makoto admitted. "But that doesn't give you the right to harass and hurt other people!"
"I… suppose not." Raiten muttered.
"Seriously, did you have to get his granddaughter involved in this?" Ryuji frowned.
"I didn't at first… but it was all I could think of to get him to say that he had lied." Raiten confessed. "No matter what I said about him, he was never deterred. Never stopped insisting that he was telling the truth. But that just made me angrier."
"Why is that?" Makoto wondered.
"When I was young, I was a fool, but also filled with hope." Raiten recalled. "Hope that I could make a difference in this world with my journalism. But as time went on I became disillusioned, and came to the conclusion that nobody cared for the truth. Not the government, or the media networks, or the people. So I fell in line and did what I was told…"
Makoto mulled over his words as he disappeared, leaving behind his treasure.
"Queen?" Ren called.
"It's nothing." she insisted. "Let's keep moving. We have more targets."
They got back inside of the Morgana's van form, and took off.
Makoto's Confidant Progress:
THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 9
THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 8
THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 7
THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 6
THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 6
THE TOWER - Chiaki Yasui: Rank 6
THE SUN - Shiho Suzui: Rank 7
THE MOON - Takayo Tachibana: Rank 7
THE HIEROPHANT - Sojiro Sakura: Rank 5
THE TEMPERANCE - Naoya Makigami: Rank 6
THE STAR - Hifumi Togo: Rank 5
THE DEVIL - Mitsuhide Matsuoka: Rank 4
THE HANGED MAN - Munehisa Iwai: Rank 4
THE DEATH - Yohei Kiritani: Rank 4
THE EMPEROR - Yusuke Kitagawa: Rank 6
THE EMPRESS - Haru Okumura: Rank 4
THE LOVERS - Ann Takamaki: Rank 6
THE HERMIT - Futaba Sakura: Rank 2
THE STRENGTH - Caroline and Justine: Rank 6
THE JUSTICE - Goro Akechi: Rank 4
THE PRIESTESS - Kasumi Yoshizawa: Rank 4
THE FORTUNE - Phantom Thieves of Heart: Rank 5
THE JUDGMENT - Sae Niijima: Rank 5
THE COUNCILOR - Takuto Maruki: Rank 6
Are the Phantom Thieves just? Yes 74.4%
