A/N As promised, here's this week's chapter. The next one will be quite long, so it'll be a few weeks until the next one gets put up.
Disclaimer: I do not own Persona, or any of its characters, and I make no money off of this.
Chapter 25
August 5th — Central Tokyo: Upscale Office Complex
Sae entered her place of work at the same time she always did, walking through the security-guarded gates without issue and making her way to her office past a sea of mostly empty quiet sea of desks.
She sat down in her chair and logged in to her computer, and normally by that point, she'd start going over her e-mails and set about mapping our her morning's tasks in descending order of priority. But just for today, that would have to wait.
There was a phone call she needed to make.
That fact was more than convenient, too, as she had a phone call to make.
'Let's see, if I remember correctly…' Sae thought.
Once the number was punched in, she waited patiently for the other line to pick up.
"Hello? Sae-san, is that you?" a surprised feminine voice uttered.
"Yes, Fuyumi-san, it's me," she answered.
"Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it? Almost half a year since you left, right?"
"Thereabouts," Sae replied. "Though I'm reaching out to you on business I'm afraid."
"Shocking," Fuyumi replied facetiously, a giggle underlaying her voice. "So, what can I help you with?"
"I'm actually looking for all documents relating to an old case from the SPD, and I was hoping you could provide it to me. It should be under the case ID A1557N."
There was hesitation on the other side of the line, and the crimson-eyed lawyer could easily sense it.
"Well, it shouldn't be too difficult on my end, but… should you really be able to look at stuff like that anymore?" Fuyumi questioned.
"It shouldn't be an issue," Sae responded plainly. "My security clearance doesn't expire until the end of the year, and though conditional on my not handing this information over to an unqualified third party, I retain the right to request information should I deem it necessary."
Fuyumi laughed heartily.
"That's technically correct, which I guess as lawyers is the best kind of 'correct' there is," she stated. "Hang on, I'll look up what we have in our system right now."
That took the silver-haired beauty by complete surprise. In fact, the only reason she'd called that early in the morning is because she assumed her former colleague wouldn't be able to get to it until she managed to find some free time later in the day.
"Really?" Sae asked. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I would've expected you—"
"To be super busy?" Fuyumi guessed. "Honestly, it's the total opposite. I'm bored out of my mind lately. I have some work, yeah, but the new head of the SIU is leaning on some new hotshot for a whole mess of things."
On her end, Sae's expression became totally deadpanned. If she were given just one chance to guess who her once-coworker was referring to, it may have been one too many.
"I've never seen anything like it before! The guy just got here, and even though he's super young, he's basically doing the work of three departments all on his own. He almost reminds me of you, now that I think about it," Fuyumi stated. There was a clearly suggestive note to her voice as she went on, "You'd like him, too. He's polite, hard-working, dedicated, but also tall and quite the looker. The rumor is he's single, too~."
"Somehow I don't think I'm missing anything there," Sae replied.
"Not that I'm surprised, but it's your loss, cuz' when I say he's a looker, I mean he's got a movie-star's face. Like, mind-blowingly hot. The other girls at the office are all over him every chance they get. Not that I don't get it, though… I mean, if I weren't in a committed relationship right now, even I'd—"
"Moving on," interrupted Sae, her lips forming a bit of a scowl. "Have you managed to find the files we have on that case?"
"You know, if you're always so work-oriented, you'll stay single for the rest of your life. Just don't say I never tried to throw anyone your way," Fuyumi replied, prompting the recipient of her comment to roll her eyes. "The case file is coming up now. It… Hmm…"
"Is something wrong?" Sae pressed.
"Well, not 'wrong' necessarily, but… You know what, I'll call you back. Better yet, are you free for lunch today? Let's say… around noon?"
"I'll make the time," she replied.
"Great, I'll see you then!"
Shinjuku: Central Subway Station
The booming mechanical sound of the conductor announcing the stop echoed before the doors ultimately opened. Ren and Yu filed out side by side, managing not to get run down by the hoard of people both coming and going.
"You'd think there'd be less people trying to get into Shinjuku considering what's been going on there," Ren commented as the two ascended a nearby staircase to the surface streets.
"Honestly, there may be more people here because of that," Yu stated, somewhat tiredly. He yawned before adding, "Even in the pre-purge era, people still flocked to the district, it just happened to be for a more illegal reason."
As the pair exited the station, Joker spotted his partner yawning again from the corner of his eye. He couldn't help but quirk a brow, having never actually seen the young lawyer to do so before today.
"You good?" Ren asked, veiled concern underlying his tone.
"Yeah, just a bit tired," Yu replied, flashing a reassuring smile. "I didn't sleep all that well last night, but I'll manage just fine. More to the point…"
"The place we're looking for is just up ahead," Ren said, predicting his friend's question well in advance. "It's called the Crossroads Bar. That's actually it right over there."
"By the way," began Yu curiously. "How exactly did you find this place? You only just turned eighteen, right?"
"Long story short, a few of us had met Ohya during the Madarame incident and she came to mind when we were trying to look into Kaneshiro. This bar is where she'd always want to meet."
Yu nodded as the two walked up the staircase and into the bar itself. When they had done so, they were greeted by a curt but polite nod from the bartender, though it took Ohya a moment to finish her drink.
"Hopefully that's water this early in the morning," Ren said as he approached the reporter's booth.
A playful smirk donned on her features as she placed down her glass and shifted her sights towards the Trickster.
"First of all, it is, and second of all, don't be such a prude."
Ohya's playful expression shifted to one of pleasant shock the moment that her eyes landed on the approaching silver-haired young man that stood next to Joker. It seemed as if she was barely able to keep her jaw from falling to the floor.
"Well, hello handsome," she greeted pleasantly. Her head shifted towards her former accomplice. "Ren, care to introduce me?"
"This lovely lady right here is Ichiko Ohya, journalist extraordinaire," Ren announced matter-of-factly. He gestured towards his fellow Wild Card. "And this is Yu Narukami, a special prosecutor with the SIU here in Tokyo."
"You really know how to make a girl special, you know that?" Ohya said jokingly, a playful glint in her eyes as her gaze lingered on Joker. "Still, that's as good an introduction as any. And Narukami-san, when did you start working for the SIU?"
"I worked in Iwate for my first year out of college, but I've only started working in Tokyo just recently," he replied.
"Handsome, young, and successful. Wow, you're a regular triple threat, aren't ya?" she stated playfully. Her expression abruptly grew a bit more serious. "Well, as much as I'd love to get better acquainted with a catch like you, I think it'd be better if we got right down to business."
"Then I take it you've got something for us?" Ren mused.
Ohya grinned proudly. "And how."
The 'journalist extraordinaire' took out her laptop and plugged in a USB so that she could bring up a series of files. She turned it over to the Wild Cards, letting them have a look to their hearts content.
"I've been looking into the current situation in Shinjuku for a little over a week now," she continued. "I've tracked distribution networks, payment drop offs, possible money laundering hubs—the works."
Her confidence inspired a bit of hope in Ren, who couldn't help but ask, "Do you have any idea who's pulling the strings?"
"Sorry, Ren, but I can't wave a magic wand like I did with Kaneshiro," Ohya replied. "And believe me, I would if I could. I've gone through every contact, checked every source, and turned over every rock I possibly could, and still I've got nothing. T-That isn't to say that my research has been pointless, but…"
"We get what you mean," Ren said, offering a reassuring smile. "I'm sure what you've managed to gather will be plenty helpful. We appreciate it."
"By the way… is what's happening in Shinjuku related to your 'extra circular activities'?" Ohya inquired.
"Sadly, yes," Ren answered. "I'm sure you probably guessed as much the second I texted you, right?
"…yeah, but I was still holding out hope I might've been wrong," Ohya muttered somberly, fully aware of what the implications were. "I'll keep digging as best as I can. I can't make any promises, but if I find out anything on my end, you'll be the first to know."
"Thanks, I appreciate it," Ren answered, sporting his trademark charming smile.
"And I as well," Yu added, donning the same expression as his younger counterpart. "Take care, Ohya-san. It was nice to meet you."
The two took their leave immediately thereafter, causing a somewhat blushing Ohya to start fanning her face to abate the heat she was currently feeling.
"Man, when did this bar start feeling like a host club…?" Ohya wondered aloud.
"Do I need to go get the mop?" Lala crassly jibbed from behind the bar.
"Wha—shut up, Lala-chan!"
The two wielders of the Fool Arcana exited the bar side by side, stopping just in front of the bottom-floor staircase. Yu in particular brought up his right hand, smelling the fabric of his clothing with a deadpanned look about his features.
"I smell like booze now…" Yu remarked.
"You get used to it," Ren uttered with a shrug. "Though in Ohya's defense, it's more the bar than her."
"Actually, it's a bit nostalgic," Yu replied. "Ohya-san reminded me of a nurse I used to know… who also happened to drink a lot more than she probably should have."
"Was she your Devil Arcana?"
"Yes, actually."
"Maybe drinking is just a big thing with the Devil Arcana then?"
"Hmm, dunno. Let's go see if we can find a few more Wild Cards and compare notes."
"As fun as that would be," laughed Ren, "I'm sure you've got more important things to do with your day."
"Well, you're not wrong," Yu admitted with a shrug. "I've gotta head over to the SPD precinct to meet up with Naoto. Hopefully she—"
"—en…! Ren, over here!"
The abrupt feminine voice that called out quickly caught their attention. It took them a few seconds, but ultimately their eyes landed on a waving perky young woman with long blonde hair. She was waving at them, or more specifically Ren, with an enthusiastic smile spreading from ear to ear.
"Hey there, Chihaya," Ren greeted as he and his partner approached. "Long time no see."
"It has been a while, hasn't it? Though my divinations have shown you to be extremely busy, so I'll let it slide," she replied. Her eyes shifted towards the tall silver-haired young man standing before her. "Ah, forgive my manners. My name's Chihaya Mifune. It's a pleasure to meet you!"
"Yu Narukami, and the pleasure's all mine," he replied with a smile. He took a glance at the table set up in front of the cheerful young woman. "I take it you're a fortune teller?"
"Right on the nose," Ren answered. "It's not just for show, either. She's certainly got a gift."
"G-Geez, you're gonna make me blush in front of yer' friend," Chihaya replied, her face already showing a light tinge of red.
"As you can see, she's humble, too," Ren chuckled, glancing at his fellow Wild Card. "She's the best fortune teller you'll ever meet; guaranteed."
"Hmm, not that I doubt it, but it's pretty hard for me to believe someone would be better at that than Margaret…" Yu thought aloud. He seemed to go back and forth on the topic in his head. "Provided she even counts in the first place."
"I think she would, but I see what you're saying. It wouldn't feel fair," Ren mused.
"Well, I don't know who this 'Margaret-san' is," Chihaya began, her voice holding a bit of pride to it. "But I'm no slouch. How about I give you an example?"
"What'd you have in mind?" asked Yu.
"How about a standard romantic fortune reading?" Chihaya offered.
The suggestion seemed innocent enough, and as such when the two made eye contact it seemed as if they shared a collective mental shrug. They then nodded in response, allowing the fortune teller to begin her suggested reading.
Her expression and body language were supremely confident and breathing motivation. That seemed to be short-lived, as with each card she flipped, she appeared ever-more at a loss.
"Um…" Chihaya muttered, her confused gaze leaving the cards before her. "W-Well, I can safely say I've never seen such a chaotic reading before…"
"Really?" Ren asked surprisedly. "And is that for just one of us, or—"
"Both. Definitely both," Chihaya stated with certainty. "It's so tumultuous and all over the place that I can't really get a clear reading one way or the other. If pressed, I'd have to say it borders on misfortune though."
Ren couldn't help but remark, "Huh, you know I always thought that I'd need a love life first before getting bad news about it."
"Same here," said Yu with a grin.
Chihaya sweatdropped and moved on to avoid further awkwardness. "W-Why don't I try another type of reading? This time just a standard fate reading."
She'd first hoped to showcase her abilities by being more specific with a romantic fortune, but as that seemed to fall flat on its face, this was the next best thing. The two nodded in acceptance, thankfully not harping on her previous reading.
"Alright, then here goes…"
She shuffled the deck and placed the cards out yet again and readied to the reading in the exact same was as prior. As her hand hovered overhead ready to flip the first card, an odd and overpowering feeling struck at her very core. It was as if the fate she was divining was invading the depths of her very mind. She froze, almost wincing at the sensation that she'd never once felt before.
"What on earth…?" Chihaya uttered to herself, her hand nearly pulling back on instinct.
"Hey, are you okay? You look a bit pale all of a sudden," Ren said, clear concern in his voice.
"Sorry, I'm physically fine," Chihaya said, doing her best to offer reassurance in spite of her disposition. "It's just… I've never felt anything like this before while doing a reading. The cards aren't even flipped, and yet I can feel something on the other side. I-I don't even really know how to describe it. It's just so… dark."
She began flipping the cards despite her hesitation, a mix of professional pride and morbid curiosity pushing her forward. It became clear that she regretted it as her face became more and more fear-stricken with each passing turn of a card.
All the same, she couldn't bring herself to stop.
When the fortune was fully revealed, she sat in stunned, if not horrified, silence. Her blood ran cold, her mind unable to fend off the twisted darkness she foresaw.
"What does it say?" Ren asked.
"It's not so much as what it says as what it shows."
"Which is?" Yu pressed, his curiosity necessitating the question.
"Cold, unfeeling, unending darkness…" Chihaya said in a voice just above a whisper. Her eyes shifted towards the raven-haired teen. "If I'm sensing something like this, I take it you're out of, um… retirement?"
"…yeah, and judging by your reading, I'd say things aren't looking up if we're not careful," Ren mused.
"Putting it mildly, yes," Chihaya stated. Her concerned gaze landed on Yu. "And if the cards are showing the same for both of you, then I take it you're in the same 'line of work', aren't you?"
The blonde received a nod in response, acting as ample explanation, though it gave her no comfort to hear that fact.
"Just… be careful, will you?" she lightly pleaded.
"Chihaya…"
The way Ren spoke her name with such subtle reassurance and compassion nearly reversed her mood entirely, at least for a moment. His eyes sold her on the rest as they shined brightly with the confidence of a young man that had defied fate before.
"I know," Chihaya uttered, almost giggling at her own doubt. "But if you'd felt what I'd felt, you'd worry too. Even if you've shattered the mold of fate before, it can't hurt to tell you to be on the lookout to shatter it again."
"I'll be ready," Ren answered. He corrected himself an instant later, "Scratch that, we'll be ready."
Yu gave a firm nod of approval in response, a confident smirk crossing his lips. Their self-assurance proved to be rather infectious as well, as even Chihaya, despite all that she'd felt on the horizon, couldn't hep but somehow feel that they would be just fine.
"…I suppose I should know better by now not to doubt you. Still, be careful. And… if you ever find yourself in need of my predictions again, feel free to stop by," she said with a warm smile. "That offers is for both of you, by the way. A friend of Ren's is a friend of mine, after all!"
"I might just take you up on that sometime," Yu answered pleasantly. "It was nice meeting you, Mifune-san."
"Likewise."
With that, the two young men were off, and as they left, Chihaya could not pry her eyes from their ever-retreating forms. Even in spite of everything, she just still couldn't help but feel concern seep its way into the forefront of her mind.
She glanced back down at the table, grimacing at the sight of the reaper firmly placed in the center of her reading. The actual source thereof was ambiguous, but one thing was an absolute certainty…
The shadowy specter of Death loomed heavily over the Fool.
Tokyo: Restaurant District, Some Time Later…
Sae waited patiently, though somewhat worriedly, within the meeting spot that her former colleague had suggested. The reason was simple—she was nearly five minutes late, something she knew to be out of character for her.
After another brief look at her phone, the doors to the eatery opened revealing a very rushed and apologetic looking Fuyumi in their wake. She ran a hand through her shoulder-length brown hair and dusted off her pantsuit as she approached.
"Sorry I'm late," she apologized. "And I'm also sorry in advance, because as much as I wanted to actually catch up with you, I don't think we'll end up having the time."
"What do you mean?" Sae asked curiously.
As the brunette took her seat, she pulled several thick folders out of her bag, each of them marked with the familiar case number A1557N. It was odd that she chose to bring physical copies of anything related to the case itself, but as it was clear she meant to explain herself, Sae withheld her questions on the matter.
"You would not believe the morning I've had," Fuyumi began, her gaze deathly serious. "When you asked me to check into this case, I figured it'd be as simple as looking up the case files in our database or through the SPD's. But get this—the files in the database were as bare bones as they get. I mean, I've seen public intoxication incidents with more meat on them than that."
"Are you sure?" Sae inquired, clearly out of amazement. "That case was actively worked on for nearly three years. I've never heard or seen of anything like that getting the bare bones treatment."
"I'm totally positive. And yeah, I thought it was weird too," Fuyumi replied. "So anyway, I checked with the SPD, and they saw the same thing I was. Then I did some digging and paid the SPD a visit to see if they had any of the physical files on hand."
Sae glanced at the folders. "I suppose that's where you retrieved those from."
"I wish it were that simple," the brunette sighed, her shoulder slumping only briefly. "The files were housed in the wrong damn case section. The only reason I found 'em was because by some miracle one of the officers there offered to help me out and managed to find it."
That fact seemed far too convenient, but Sae was not one to look cross-eyed at a gift from fate when it mattered most. Still, one question burned in the back of her mind.
"It's not exactly legal for me to take physical copies of official documents, security clearance or not. You're undoubtedly aware of this," Sae began. "So, if this is all that's left of the case, what happens now?"
There was a silence that gripped the air, and with good reason. Veiled beneath the question were the consequences that were likely to befall one of if not both of them should they be found out.
Sae in all likelihood would be fine in the end, but for Fuyumi, her very job was at risk if it were even implied that she would hand over hard documents to an outside source, be they trusted or not.
Yet, even in spite of the palpable tension, it ended with Fuyumi simply getting up from her chair as ordinary as one could.
"I'm not sure what you mean," she stated matter-of-factly. "I'm just here for lunch with a former colleague. And on that note, I should get back to the office since I didn't end up getting any work done this morning…"
"Fuyumi, while I appreciate the gesture, you can't just—"
"Oh," interjected the brunette. "I suppose I should apologize for one more thing. I may have peaked a little out of curiosity, and… let's just say that I don't think there's anyone else in the world with more of a right to look at these 'non-existent files' than you."
The young woman smiled somberly at her once-coworker before heading off, leaving the crimson-eyed beauty in nearly stunned silence. It was clear that, no matter what was said from that point forward, the end result was going to be Sae walking out the door with the case files. And Fuyumi wouldn't have it any other way.
"…thank you," Sae said, her voice holding a quiet emotion to it.
"Don't mention it," she replied, giggling at she added, "And I mean that literally."
"Right."
Shinjuku: Outside the Central Police Precinct
The area just in front of the SPD's main hub was bustling with activity, and unfortunately not in a good way. Tired police officers raced in and out of the building like caffeinated lab rats devoid of any other choice than to keep moving.
Yu internally grimaced at the sight, knowing that many were good officers that were simply doing their best to prevent a tide that they simply couldn't stop with their own power no matter how hard they tried.
'With any luck, we'll at least find a way to slow down the spread, if not outright put a stop to all this,' Yu thought.
He couldn't help but scoff half-heartedly. It was a longshot hope for the latter to happen, and he knew it. After all, they still hadn't even the slightest idea as to who was behind all of this in the first place.
The ringing of his phone broke the gray-eyed Fool out of his thoughts, and seeing as how it was from Naoto, he walked off to the side to avoid any oncoming crowd.
"Hey," Yu answered, "What's up?"
"I simply wanted to check on how soon you'd be arriving at the station," she answered.
"I'm basically there already. I take it you're still there, too?"
"Yes, please head to conference room 1A. See you soon."
It was as he hung up the phone that someone bumped into him on the streetway. Yu of course believed himself to be at fault and turned to apologize properly.
"Sorry, that's my…"
Yu trialed off upon realizing who it was that he'd bumped into. Right before his very eyes was Yumiko Hebiza, staring him down with her haunting green eyes. She gripped his hand without warning, and that was all it took for him to freeze up completely.
At first, he thought he was hallucinating as he could neither move nor speak despite his best efforts. But when she leaned in and placed her lips just inches away from his ear, he could feel her breath against his skin and knew that somehow, this was reality.
"Be sure to watch your step, handsome," Yumiko whispered softly.
Then, just as quickly as she'd arrived, she started to walk away. When Yu was finally able to move his body again, he jerked around, seeing that she'd vanished into the sea of people roaming the city streets.
"…nice to see you, too," Yu muttered to himself.
He then took notice that something had been slipped into his hand. By it's texture, he recognized it to be an envelope, and so he confusedly looked down to see exactly that now gripped in the palm of his right hand.
It was a bright red in color, and imprinted on its front were the simple words 'To: Yu Narukami. Don't worry, I don't bite'.
Given the sender, he wondered what the message could have been or if it was even a message at all. Perhaps it was a trick, or perhaps it was even an outright joke done in poor taste.
One thing was for sure, though. He wouldn't find out until he opened it. As tucked the envelope under his arm and headed for the police precinct just a short distance away.
Central Tokyo: Upscale Apartment Complex
Sae was fast at work going through her the notes and paperwork documented within the folders that her former colleague had given her what felt like only a handful of minutes ago. At first, she had intended to shelf any investigation until she had finished her actual work, but she simply couldn't bring herself to focus on anything else and excused herself for the day out of necessity.
'How long have I actually been going through this, I wonder,' Sae uttered in thought.
Realizing she was nearly finished reviewing all but a small handful of documents, she took a glance at the clock, proving that it had been only a little over an hour since her meeting with Fuyumi. Though she wasn't often enamored with her own ability, she couldn't deny that it amazed her to see that such little time had passed given her staggering progress.
Perhaps it mostly had to do with how supremely motivated she was.
She picked up one of the nearby notebooks, staring at it blankly.
'Another one of his,' Sae thought with a slight smile.
She didn't even need to read the label to know that the book in her hand belonged to her father. As she read it line by line, she could practically hear his voice.
Just then Makoto entered the apartment, smiling cheerfully all the while. At least she was until she realized Sae was there with her laptop open and files strewn across the dining room table.
"O-Oh, sorry, sis. Hope I didn't disrupt you," Makoto said. "I didn't know you were working from home."
"It's fine, you couldn't have known since I didn't tell you," Sae replied. She forced a pleasant expression so as to ward off any unneeded suspicion, and to that end it seemed to work. "So, what have you been up to?"
"Just hanging out with the girls," Makoto replied, unable to help the bright smile that her lips curled into. She giggled, adding, "It was funny, actually. We were arguing over what we wanted to do, and—Ah, sorry, I shouldn't bore you with the details when you're still working."
"We can talk more about it later," Sae stated pleasantly. "Just give me another hour or so, okay? There's something I wanted to talk to you about as well."
"Got it. I'll be in my room until then, but let me know if you need more quiet time," Makoto said. She then placed a handful of objects on the counter. "I stopped to get the mail, by the way. It looks like something important came for you, though I'm not too sure what it is…"
As her sibling took her leave, the silver-haired young woman couldn't help but raise a curious brow. And with good reason, too.
'That's odd. I wasn't expecting anything…' Sae thought.
She stood up and walked over to the pile of mail, quickly realizing what her younger sister had been referring to. There was a package wrapped neatly in a cardboard envelope, and though it was clearly addressed to her, it had no return address or markings to speak of that would indicate its sender.
Examining it more closely, she jostled the package and felt it out from the outside, easily realizing what its contents were in spite of the fact that it was wrapped up in paper.
"A computer disk?" she wondered aloud.
Believing it to be harmless enough, Sae opened the cardboard casing to find a DVD of some kind. She nearly passed it off as being sent to the wrong address then and there, but it was then that she noticed red ink on the corners of the paper that had been used to wrap the packages contents. She spread it out properly, seeing a familiar red ink that had been all but burned into the back of her mind by this point.
"Play me, huh?" Sae read, her eyes reflexively narrowing more and more by the second.
As the silver-haired beauty was not an idiot, she easily understood the implications of the short, albeit disturbingly written letter.
The obvious intent of intimidation was, oddly enough, the thing her mind was least concerned over. She'd been threatened more times than she could count, and had been on the receiving end of attempted physical violence on more than one occasion and yet she was entirely fine.
'The question is whether Genzo Hagane is the sender or not,' Sae thought.
Given that a hint as to the answer may very well have come from the DVD itself, she thought deeply on whether or not she should actually play it. Clearly, the sender intended for her to do so, but was it just meant to toy with her, or was it somehow a much more dangerous trap of some kind?
If she perceived the matter as less personal, she probably would have exercised caution. She probably would have called Yu or Naoto that very moment and told them what had happened so that they could come collect it as evidence. She probably should have done both of those things…
But the truth was that deep within her soul there was an unavoidable, unquenchable need to know what was on the disk. And so, stepping up to her living room TV, she placed the it into her DVD player.
"Here goes nothing," Sae sighed.
The video showed a bird's eye view of what seemed to be an ordinary streetway in Japan. To Sae, it's choppy quality and perspective gave off the feel of a surveillance or traffic camera the likes of which she'd seen countless times before.
It didn't have a date stamp, but she could see a light snow falling from the skies onto the streets, so of course it had to have been at some point in winter.
A man then came into view as he walked onto the curbside and waited to cross over to the other side of the street. Sae immediately recognized his appearance from his silver hair to his physique. Everything about the man screamed Akashi Nijima, even with the video's less-than stellar quality.
That was when she realized what date the footage was from.
December 16th, 2012.
But she was too late to stop the video. A second after realization hit her, it then hit him.
A truck shot across the frame and into her father, running him down in less than half a second.
Sae could only stare in horror at the sight before her. Even with the dated quality, the display was nothing short of blood chilling. She felt a deep sickness take hold in her stomach, and her knees very nearly gave out. Still, she managed to stay standing and kept her stomach's contents where the belonged, though only just barely in both cases.
As the video started to play on loop, the crimson-eyed beauty knew she needed to calm herself so she could move herself to shut it off.
That was easier said than done; her breathing was so heavy it likely seemed she was in the middle of a heart attack, and her skin was so ice cold most would've thought her to be half-dead.
And of course, it was in that moment when she was in a panic that things would somehow get worse.
"Sorry, sis, I forgot my…" Makoto spoke as she exited her room. She paused, noticing the horrible state her elder sister was in. "S-Sis?! What's wrong?! You—"
"Don't come any closer, Makoto!" Sae shouted, holding her hand out to further emphasize her order. "Under no circumstances are you to enter this room! Do you understand?!"
Makoto froze in place, clear fear and confusion in her eyes, though none could blame her. It was perhaps the loudest and harshest that Sae had ever spoken to her before, after all. Therefore, it was understandable that she was caught so out of sorts.
"Go back into your room. Now," Sae all but demanded. "I'll explain later. I just need you to listen and trust me."
Still fear-stricken, the young woman nodded meekly before doing as she was told. A part of Sae felt impossibly guilty, but the other part of her simply wanted to protect her younger sister at all costs.
Making the most out of the time she still had her senses, Sae then shut off the TV and extracted the DVD player. Though she wanted to smash it into tiny pieces or throw it across the room in a fit of grief-stricken rage, she knew doing so would be remarkably stupid. She placed it on the kitchen table and sat down, intent on never allowing it to leave her sight.
'I suppose I should have done this in the first place,' Sae thought.
Without wasting another second, she dialed Yu's number.
Shinjuku: Central Police Precinct, Conference Room 1A
"Sorry I'm late, I got caught up with helping someone this morning and my actual work got pushed back," Jirikishi announced as he walked through the door, appearing as calm and collected as ever. Seeing that his fellow detective was just getting off the phone, he asked, "Am I interrupting something?"
"No, I was just getting off the phone with Yu," Naoto answered. "He's just outside, he'll be here shortly."
There was a comfortable quiet as the lackadaisical brown-haired man took his seat, though it lasted only a short time.
"Out of curiosity," Jirikishi abruptly began. "Do you call him often? Yu, I mean."
"Well, yes, of course," Naoto answered.
"…gotcha."
His tone of voice caused the blue-haired young woman to perk up. She caught a glimpse of a leading smirk crossing his lips.
"I feel you're misunderstanding something here," Naoto spoke, her eyes narrowing.
"Gotcha."
His smirk deepened as he leaned back in his chair, much to Naoto's agitation.
"I meant that I contact him regularly for work-related purposes."
"Gotcha."
"Will you stop saying that?" Naoto hissed, her cheeks a noticeable shade of pink. She crossed her arms in disdain. "Let me make one thing clear. And not that it's any of your business, but Yu is…!"
The doors opened at that exact moment, giving way to the very silver-haired young man that Naoto had just mentioned. She went silent, clearing her throat and regaining her composure even as her fellow detective chuckled to himself.
"Ah, Yu, we were just—"
Jirikishi was cut off mid-speech upon seeing a green envelope slapped down on the conference room table. He quirked a brow, expecting an explanation to be given in short order.
"And this is…?" Naoto asked.
"Take a look at the front of the envelope, and then I'll give you exactly one guess," Yu replied.
The blue-eyed beauty did just that, after which she mused that one guess may have somehow been too generous. All the same, knowing the likely sender only inspired even more questions.
"Is this from who I think it is?" Naoto presumed.
"Most likely," Yu replied. "Hand-delivered personally while I was on my way here."
"And regarding the what and why?"
"Your guess is as good as mine."
"I'm feeling alienated here," Jirikishi muttered to himself.
"Sorry," Yu apologized. "In all likelihood, this letter was sent courtesy of Yumiko Ebiza. Happened right as I was walking up to the front door."
"I see," said Jirikishi, a rare semblance of surprise making its way onto his expression. "In that case… who gets to do the honors?"
"I have my suspicions as to how useful, if at all, it will actually be, but…" Naoto spoke, her gaze shifting towards her partner. "Feel free to open it as you please, Yu."
Without any hesitation, the Wild Card sprung the envelope open, revealing a plain-looking piece of white paper that read as follows:
If you wish to strike at the heart, seek the two towers deep in the southeast. To the left, prepare for a test of strength unlike any other. To the right, beware the trap before door and the beasts that lurk below.
Yu read these exact words aloud, though each member of his audience knew there were no towers whatsoever in the south-eastern section of Shinjuku. Of the two, however, only Naoto was aware that the writer hadn't been referring to the real world.
"I take it those clues are above my paygrade to understand properly?" Jirikishi mused.
"I'm sorry to say, but yes," Naoto stated. "Though that isn't to say this is useful to us either. It's either a legitimate lead, or an obvious trap. It's impossible to know without understanding of the sender's intentions."
Though the famous gumshoe was absolutely correct, it remained virtually impossible to figure out why Yumiko had sent them what she had. If it were a trap, it was a damn obvious one intended to fool only an idiot, yet at the same time, if it were meant to be helpful, then its cryptic nature made even less sense.
If any motivation existed either way, it was entirely wishy-washy and virtually impossible to flush out, and so it was likely that no matter how thoroughly they thought about it, they'd end up at a loss.
"From how you two are reacting, it looks like it's just as cryptic to you as it is for me," Jirikishi commented. "I honestly wish I could help, but I never dealt with Yumiko Ebiza personally, so I'm obviously not the best judge of her mindset."
"Then perhaps we can move on to a topic that's more up your alley," Naoto said, about to broach a subject that she frankly viewed as higher importance for the time being. "Any word on our runaway officer?"
The downtrodden aura that emanated from the detective was answer enough.
"Not yet," he said with a disappointed frown. "If Officer Ichinose is still alive, then he's a ghost. It's like he vanished out of thin air."
A series of loud exclamations echoed from outside the conference room no sooner than the detective had finished his sentence.
"What the—Oh my god!"
"A-Are you okay?! What are…?!"
The concerned shouts were replaced with panic-stricken screams, prompting each of the three to dart out of the conference room to see what was happening. They quickly followed the horrified shrieks to the front of the precinct just a short distance away, at which point they saw a fairly tall man dressed in everyday streetwear stumbling across the center of the room.
Just a glance made it obvious that the man needed help. He could hardly walk straight, and his eyes were dilated to a freakish degree. His skin was starting to turn pale, and his lips a subtle shade of blue—clear signs of a recent overdose.
Worse still was exactly who the man happened to be.
"Jesus Christ, that's Ichinose," Jirikishi uttered in near-panic.
He, Yu, and Naoto moved in tandem alongside several other officers in the vicinity to administer some form of first aid, but before anyone made it even half-way to the man's side, he took one deep, raspy breath before collapsing on his back.
"Come on buddy, stay with us!" an officer exclaimed in worry. He checked the man's pulse. "Shit, I'm gettin' nothing."
"Unsurprising, he's clearly overdosed on an opioid of some kind. Allow me," Naoto calmly spoke.
She took out a small capsule akin to a spray bottle holding containing naloxone and held it up to the man's nose, praying that he was only unconscious. She administered a half dose into each nostril, doing all that she could with what was available.
Sadly, another check on his heart, breathing, and pulse revealed they were looking at the worst-case scenario. The look on Naoto's face was enough to communicate that fact.
The nearby officer's, crestfallen and shell-shocked, were at a complete loss for meaningful words. What few did come out were nothing more than utterances of disbelief, which quietly echoed throughout the room as more and more people filed into the lobby.
Though he himself was clearly a bit shaken, at least by his standards, Jirikishi stood tall and addressed his brothers and sisters in arms.
"Listen up," he said, his voice booming throughout the lobby. "One of our fellow officers just stumbled into our precinct and dropped dead. Hayamura, Kuwasawa, you two block off the entrance and have anyone incoming use the side or back doors. Oda, grab a few people and form up a perimeter. Fujimura, go get the chief if he's here and let him know what just happened. He'll assign other officers to task, and if not, I'll do it my own damn self."
Everyone seemed to stand at attention and get to work per Jirikishi's orders, a testament to how well respected he must have been on the force. Either that, or perhaps it was that he was simply the only one with the guts to take charge of the situation and everyone simply followed on account of it.
He didn't need to tell Yu and Naoto what to do, though. They were already set on working over the body to the best of their abilities with the latter having already put on a pair of latex gloves to avoid contaminating the corpse with her fingerprints.
"Well, I can't say I wasn't afraid of something like this," Naoto sighed. "Though it does bring to mind the question as to why now of all times."
Her silver-haired partner was ready with a reply upon noticing something that seemed to be tucked away in the dead officer's breast pocket.
"I'm not sure, but I think we may find our answer right there," Yu mused.
He pointed out what he'd seen to the former detective prince, at which point she carefully extracted a folded piece of paper. After unraveling it, she found it to be only one, single word written in the same horrific, hideous graffiti they had become so familiar with.
Mine.
Naoto's eyes became razor-thin at the mere sight of the word. She glanced back at the detective, knowing now his overdose was likely not a personal choice but rather a fate that was forced upon him just so that someone could prove a point.
"Looks like sending messages is pretty popular today," Yu mused.
"Evidently, yes," Jirikishi said, a bitter undertone to his voice. "Still, there's no way Ichinose could've made it more than a block walking here without being stopped by a cop beforehand. This must've been set up nearby, so with any luck we'll be able to find some clues from surveillance cam footage around the area."
"I was thinking the same thing," Naoto stated in agreement. She handed her fellow detective the note. "I doubt we'll find anything, but we may as well check this for fingerprints as well."
It was then that the silver-haired lawyer's phone began to ring. He checked the caller ID, realizing it was Sae and subsequently answering to alert her that now as certainly not the time.
"Hey, sorry, but… W-Wait, what?!" Yu exclaimed in shock. A few more seconds passed. "Hold on, I'll be right there."
His choice of words almost immediately piqued the interest of both Naoto and Jirikishi, who couldn't imagine there was something more important than the dead officer literally right in front of them. Nevertheless, it seemed that was the case, as he stared dead into Naoto's blue eyes before he set about explaining himself.
Central Tokyo: Upscale Apartment Complex, Some Time Later…
"Be sure to get this evidence to the SPD," Yu calmly ordered.
The officer under his current command nodded as he held the bagged evidence carefully in his grasp. Both he and the other two policeman present were then dismissed, sent off to ensure that what was collected made its way to Naoto and Jirikishi.
Still, the portion relating to the investigation weren't exactly his greatest concern. That title went to none other than Sae Nijima, who sat quietly at her dining room table, a practical shadow of her typically confident and capable self.
Makoto sat awkwardly on the couch, aware of why the police had come and yet ignorant of the true reason the tape had been sent. It was obvious to even an idiot that she wanted to press for answers, but it was also obvious that her elder sister's disposition gave her pause.
"So," began Yu, his voice soft and compassionate as he turned to the silver-haired Nijima. "I take it this is the part where you tell me what's really going on?"
"Yes, but let's not talk out here," Sae replied. Her eyes drifted leadingly towards her sister for only a second, a subtle message that Yu easily understood. "We'll talk in my room. Apologies Makoto, this shouldn't take long."
Though she took issue with being left out of the loop for the moment, Makoto couldn't' bring herself to protest. Her sister looked far too troubled for her to offer and real resistance, and so a small unenthused nod was all she could muster.
The pair had left the room and headed down the hall in silence, which lingered for some time even as they'd entered on account of Yu wanting to give Sae as much time as she needed to steel herself.
"I suppose I should start with last night," Sae abruptly spoke. Her apologetic gaze met with that of her steadfast listener. "You probably noticed I was acting a bit off, I assume."
"I did," confirmed Yu.
"Well, the reason for that was because… an odd thing happened when we were in the Metaverse fighting those two Persona users," Sae continued. "After you'd left to back up Joker and the others, Genzo Hagane showed up and engaged us in a prolonged fight. Even with our numbers advantage, he didn't show any signs of wavering in the slightest—if anything, we were on the defensive most of the time. I point that out because even in spite of that… he simply left without warning. At least, that's what most would think. The truth is, we made eye contact when I moved in to take advantage over what I thought was an opening. Astrea locked his Persona in combat while I took him on head-to-head. Our eyes met, and for a split-second he seemed surprised. That's when he suddenly pulled back, and you know the rest."
"So, he knew who you were," Yu mused analytically. "Meaning it can't be a coincidence that this tape and that note made its way to you the very next day."
"There doesn't seem to be any other possibility," Sae uttered quietly. Her expression fell as she added, "And on a professional note, regarding how those case files got into my possession, I—"
"Sae, don't take this the wrong way, but right now, I couldn't care less about that," interjected Yu, knowing full-well what she was about to say.
She sighed, "You really shouldn't be saying that, you know."
"I don't care," Yu replied. He continued on, his voice soft and sincere, "The only thing I really want to know is if you're okay. How could I possibly want to ask you anything else after what happened?"
Sae could sense her chest tighten, and in her vulnerable state, it nearly brought a tear to her eye to hear such honest human compassion. She shifted uncomfortably as if the sensation itself was foreign to her, though she didn't necessarily dislike it.
In retrospect, she should've seen his response coming. But he always did have a way of sneaking up on her, one way or another.
"I want to say I'm fine, but…" Sae trailed off.
"There's no shame in admitting you're not. And if it's that you thought I'd somehow think less of you—"
"You made it very clear at the Sky Restaurant that you would never do something like that," interrupted Sae, a subtle cheerful laugh breaking through despite her sullen expression. "It's just that this was the first time I've ever seen that recording before."
"That actually surprises me," Yu admitted. "I figured that you would've combed through your father's case in it's entirely at least a hundred times over."
"You know me so well," Sae remarked playfully, a biter smile making its way onto her features. "I did exactly that, though I never once saw the moment his life ended. I told myself that it simply didn't matter if I saw it or not given that the truck driver died on impact, but the truth was… I don't think I was ready to see it."
She brought a leg into her chest as if her body was reflexively coiling up into a protective shell. There was a silence as she clearly fought the urge to do just that, and Yu being who he was, moved directly next to her and threw an arm around her shoulder in an effort to comfort her.
On any other day, his actions would have been more embarrassing than endearing for Sae. But then and there, it gave her an immense comfort that she couldn't deny. Whether she knew she was doing it or not, she leaned into his chest, though only slightly.
"I really thought that after all this time, just maybe it wouldn't affect me as much as it did," Sae muttered. She sighed, her eyes filled with remorse. "And poor Makoto had to see me in such a state—I had to have looked as white as a ghost. She was so worried she was already about to run over to me as fast as she could to make sure I was okay, and I screamed at her louder than I think I ever have… all just to say 'stay put'."
"You were just trying to make sure she didn't see what you had," Yu stated firmly. "The truth is, I'd have done the same in your situation. And knowing your sister, I'm sure she'll understand."
"I hope so," Sae replied. "But right now, I'm more concerned with talking to her about this. We're going up against someone that likely took part in our father's murder, if not the very person behind it in the first place."
Yu was uncertain of what he should say at that point. He believed he knew which it was, though were he to say it out loud, there wasn't any telling how she'd react.
Even so, he owed her his honest thoughts.
"I have a feeling it's the person who ordered it," stated Yu. "I think that whoever sent you that footage wanted you to know that. If that person's Genzo Hagane or not, I have no idea, though I admit I don't think it's him since it'd mean he's the one behind what's happening in Shinjuku. He just didn't seem like it to me."
He watched as the full force of his words took root. He noticed a distinct lack of reaction, which came as a small form of relief. It could also have been the case that the crimson-eyed young woman was already thinking along those lines.
"I suppose we'll only know for sure if and when we take him in," Sae mused. "And as far as I'm concerned in that regard, the sooner the better."
"We're of the same mind there," Yu stated firmly. "Though getting back to your sister, I'm sure it won't be an easy conversation to have. My only advice is to not put it off."
"I agree, which makes this rather convenient enough," Sae uttered with a slight smile. She gently pulled away from her friend's embrace and stood tall, looking back over at the door with a sense of smugness. "You can come in now, Makoto."
A slight jolt could be heard just outside the door, which elicited a chuckle from both Sae and Yu. The door was then meekly opened by Makoto, who had all the nervous grace of an eight-year-old getting caught sneaking candy behind their parents' back.
"S-So, how long did you know I was listening?" Makoto asked.
"Since the beginning," Sae answered. "Which means you can stop acting so nervous."
"And that would be my cue to head out," Yu thought aloud. He effectively swapped places with Makoto, though before he ultimately took his leave, he did have a few words in parting to speak to the two sisters. "As a heads up, we've got a lead on a high priority target that we likely need to act on sooner rather than later. However, if you two need a bit of a break and would rather—"
"I think we'll be just fine," Sae replied, a noticeable degree of confidence in her tone. "I appreciate your concern, though. As always."
"…I thought that's what you'd say," Yu said.
As he was leaving, Sae called out to him one final time, "Oh, but before you go, please be sure to take the case files with you. Strangely, there were things in it that even I hadn't seen before. I think Shirogane-san will make good use of the information."
"Thanks, I'll make sure she gets them."
The Wild Card left the room with a smile on his face, inwardly feeling a bit of solace. In spite of everything, Sae was still Sae. Even when shaken, she seemed perfectly in control.
He thought that perhaps his worry had been misplaced.
Makoto spoke the instant Yu's foot was out the door, "So, is this real? We might actually be up against the person that ordered dad's death?"
"It seems that way," Sae replied somberly. "It could be Genzo Hagane, it could not. But one way or another, his real killer is tangled up in all of this somewhere."
"…a fact that has me incredibly worried about you."
Sae looked at her younger sister with shock written all over her face, "I beg your pardon?"
"Sis, it's not a big secret that you took dad's death a lot harder than I did," she uttered, her voice heavy with concern. "And right now, just thinking about catching the man that ordered his murder is putting my mind in places I don't want it to be. If I'm like that… then I can't even imagine what this is like for you."
"…I'd rather not say."
Makoto frowned. "And that's what has me worried."
"How do you mean?" Sae pressed.
A silence gripped the room as the brunette mulled over how to phrase her response. She wanted to be delicate, but she eventually realized that really wasn't possible given what she wanted to say.
"Have you ever wondered what you'd do if you ever met the person that ordered dad's death?" Makoto plainly asked.
Her sister didn't respond, but the cold, unfeeling look in her crimson orbs was an answer in its own right.
"I have," she began, her tone somber. "And for the longest time, I always told myself that I'd take the high road, that I'd stay true to the justice that I believe in. But now that I'm faced with the possibility of that actually happening… the truth is I don't know what I'd do."
Yet again, the room went silent.
"…you're worried I'd cross the line."
"Yes, I am," Makoto replied, her tone filled with guilt at her own admission.
"I wish I could tell you otherwise. The truth is, I don't know myself what I'd do if I came face to face with whoever we're after," Sae chuckled bitterly. "However, you have my word that I'll handle myself as best as I can. And of course, I hope the same can be said for you."
Makoto nodded firmly, finding encouragement in her sister's words. "That much you can count on."
"Good," Sae replied.
Her sister began to walk away with a smile on her face, though before she exited the room, she leaned back from the doorway.
"Oh, and for the record…" Makoto began, a soft smile gracing her lips. "I understand why you shouted the way you did. You don't need to apologize. That, and… I'm in the same camp as Yu-san. If I were in your position, I'd have done the same thing,"
It meant more to Sae to hear that than could be put into words, though it seemed that Makoto understood that in turn. Thus, the former nodded in understanding, her appreciation showing well enough without the need for anything more.
Shinjuku: SPD Precinct
Both Jirikishi and Naoto were overlooking the recently-finished toxicology report on the now-deceased Officer Ichinose. The former of the two ran a hand through his hair in a fit of frustration as he read over the results.
"…looks like you were right," stated Jirikishi. "An overdose on heroin, plain and simple. There aren't any signs it was forced on him, either. It looks like he did it to his own damn self."
"Did he have a history of drug use of any kind?" Naoto inquired.
"A few months back, he had surgery done on his leg to correct an injury he received on active duty. As I understand it, he struggled a bit to get over using the pain meds the doctors gave him, but he got through it," Jirikishi explained. "He was certainly never into heroin, that's for damn sure."
"Then I suppose it's plausible he was still a willing accomplice to whomever we're after," Naoto mused
The doors abruptly opened as Yu entered the room, immediately drawing both detectives' attention. One question burned in Naoto's mind in particular.
"How were Sae-san and Makoto-san?" she asked.
"They're managing about as best as they can," Yu replied. "There was one thing in particular that Sae wanted me to hand over to you though that might be worth a look."
He quickly took a number of folders out of his bag and dropped them on the table. The former Detective Prince started to shift through them all the while Jirikishi stared at them with a quirked brow.
"Huh, déjà vu," muttered the brown-haired officer. He brought himself back on track. "Anyway, we were just going over the toxicology report for Ichinose. Turns out it was a heroin overdose, so along the lines of what Detective Shirogane initially thought."
"Any luck finding out where he came from?" Yu asked.
"An alleyway. A one-way-in one-way-out alleyway with no side entrances whatsoever. As a bonus, there's no footage of him walking into it in the first place," Jirikishi replied. He started to head over to the door without warning. "And since people randomly appearing out of thin air is more your department, I'll be going. Besides, the Chief wants a report on Ichinose asap."
The silver-haired lawyer nodded in understanding. and after Jirikishi took his leave, he walked up towards his partner to discuss recent events.
"So, clearly the camera footage confirms Ichinose was being held in the Metaverse," Yu reasoned.
"That was within our expectations," Naoto replied. "Whomever we're up against, they're clearly trying to send a message that they're in control. Both with Officer Ichinose, and now with the message that was sent to Sae-san and Makoto-san."
"And the letter from Yumiko Hebiza?" Yu asked rhetorically. "Though I'm not saying I trust it, it's an outlier as far as the other two instances are concerned. It could be the closest thing we have to a lead, and after a day like today, we're sorely in need of one. The question is: Do we trust it?"
"A question we should raise to the group," Naoto stated. "And as far as I'm concerned, the sooner, the better."
"Agreed."
A/N Once again, the next chapter will be 2-3 weeks away on the usual day. There is a small chance depending on how I split it up that it comes out next week, but I can't guarantee that, so here we are.
Explanations:
Next Chapter: It'll center around the note that Yumiko left as the only real 'clue' that they have left to follow, which of course they will choose to do given what happened in this chapter.
Sae and Makoto: To be clear, the overarching plot of confronting the person that ordered their dad's murder is more of a personal battle for Sae than it is for Makoto. That should come as no surprise to most people considering that Sae's entire character arc revolves around her father's death, and also the fact that Makoto has admitted she's moved past his death also that she wasn't as affected by it as Sae was. That isn't to say Makoto won't be affected emotionally at all in the future, but she won't lose her shit.
Naloxone: Just for everyone's reference, this is a drug that is used to treat opioid overdoses irl.