Begin!

~Normal POV

8/10 - Thursday

By the time they arrived at the correct location, the crowds were already taking up most of the street around Mariko's campaign car. As per usual with campaign cars, she was standing on the roof talking through her microphone. She appeared to be on her "cheerful, accommodating" attitude when talking to voters. This only highlighted how needlessly cruel she was to her staff, as they'd witnessed. Nonetheless, Mariko appeared to be a great public speaker. She was very comfortable with all the attention being drawn to her.

"I'm sure you all are aware of the prior corruption that plagued our city council. Make no mistake, no one is more ashamed than I. As such, the ethics bill I propose will leave no more room for corruption to rear its ugly head. With your support, I will make this city of Sapporo a beautiful, stainless paradise! Like fresh snow on a midwinter's day! Together, let us turn our home into a beacon of light to the world, where both citizens and government leaders radiate truth and purity! Now, everyone, let's clean Sapporo up!" She paused while the audience applauded and cheered her on.

Near the back of the crowd was where the gang had chosen to stand. The amount of support Mariko was getting seemed so strange. In Akira's mind, it sounded like her platform was rooted in trying to stop corruption, but that was a far stretch for a politician. Still, Mariko was Haru's friend, and for her sake, Akira chose to hold his tongue on that front. If his friend said that she used to be a kind person, then he believed her. Mariko definitely seemed different from Shido, after all. Despite both of them being distorted.

"Holy shit… It's like we stepped into a cult," Ryuji muttered, seeing all the praise around them.

"It is pretty freaky…" Akira admitted.

"Her popularity is unbelievable… Do you think everyone here had their hearts changed?" Ann asked.

"Crowds have a tendency to attract people," Yusuke pointed out. "I imagine some of them came of their own volition."

Mariko continued her speech. "I'm sure you're all familiar with EMMA, yes? I'm also no stranger to technology, so please feel free to add me. For those of you listening outside Sapporo, outside Hokkaido, or even outside the country, this invitation extends to each of you as well! The keyword is Snow City. Well, there you have it!"

"The whole audience is friending her…" Futaba pointed out worriedly.

"And we can't stop them," Makoto said, "It'd draw attention."

"But on the bright side, we have what we came for." Akira said, "I'll make a few last minute preparations and then we'll head into the Jail today. You'll be ok, right Haru?"

Haru nodded, giving him a reassuring smile. "Thank you for being concerned, Akira, but I've already made up my mind. I won't be able to rest until I see what happened to Mari-san for myself…"

~...

Their first impression of Mariko's Jail was a surprise. And not a pleasant one. For one thing, they started off their visit barely able to see anything. But the weather in here was what completely caught them off guard. From their entry point, all they could see was snow. The whole Jail was covered in a blizzard. They had to huddle close to each other for protection from the bitter cold. Sophia was curled up in a ball on the ground. Morgana was frozen in place, despite his advantage of having fur. And the rest of the team was quick to realize that their thief suits were not designed to protect them against harsh weather conditions. (Especially the girls'.)

Akira wrapped his coat around Ann protectively to try to help her, as he tried to get a bearing on their surroundings. "What the hell…"

"S-So cold…" Futaba whined.

"You can't see shit in here…" Ryuji said, grumpily.

After a short while the wind died down and so did the snow. Once it did, the sky cleared up enough for them to see clearly.

"Look!" Haru said, pointing in the distance.

Far from them in the center of Sapporo was Mariko's castle. It was a huge fortress of crystal blue with the usual birdcage structure on top to hold the Desires. On the sides of the building were two sculptures that resembled a fork and a knife. It looked to them like the bigger challenge of this Jail would be getting to the castle in one piece, given all the ice and snow covering the whole rest of the area. Already this place was quite the hazard to their health even before encountering any actual security!

"A city encased in ice… Its serenity belies a yawning desolation," Yusuke commented sagely.

Haru was staring at the castle sadly. "Mari-san really is the Monarch…"

"Noir, are you gonna be ok," Ann asked.

Haru nodded. "My main concern is returning the Desires."

Sophia had stood up from the wind not being as harsh. She took a few steps forward and stepped into a nearby patch of snow. Her eyes lit up at the soft crunch of the white flakes. "So this is what snow is like…" She giggled a bit. "It's crunchy!"

"Just don't roll around in it, Sophie." Ryuji teased, smirking. "You blend in so much we might lose ya!"

Futaba was still suffering from the cold. She was the least equipped of the team to handle such a temperature change. "Can I just wait here?!" She begged.

"Absolutely not." Yusuke said, in a protective tone. "What if a Shadow were to ambush you?"

"Sorry, Oracle, but you're gonna have to deal," Akira said, simply. "Alright, watch out for ice, stay close together; let's go."

~...

After exploring for a long while, it was finally time to storm the castle itself. Making it up to the birdcage shouldn't be much of a problem. They'd found a mechanism to stop the blizzards from showing up again, at least. (If they hadn't then they might have all gotten sick from the cold. That would have been tough to explain to Zenkichi.) Right now, they were walking through the streets towards the castle.

Or that is, they were until a loud bell chimed through the Jail, getting their attention.

"How do you do, everyone?" They heard a distorted woman's voice say over an intercom.

"That voice… It must be Mari-san's Shadow," Haru said, observantly.

"Are you all working hard to keep Sapporo clean? To make it a glistening, filth-free city? Well, it's time for our regular clean up! Anyone who calls themselves a proud member of my staff must take initiative! That means no slacking off, and not a single mote of dust left on the premises! I want this place spotless! Turn Sapporo into a paradise as pure as snow!"

"Something's coming! Hide!" Morgana said, quickly.

They ducked into hiding places on the sidewalk nearby and watched. Through the street, a massive stampede of Shadows ran past them. They were everywhere, and they were blocking the only path to the castle…

"Hee-ho!" The Shadows shouted as they ran. "Cleanup, hee! Cleanup, ho! Cleanup, hee-ho, here we go! Bury them in pure, white snow! Heee-HO!"

The Shadows didn't even notice them as they stepped out of hiding to stare in awe. The stampede didn't end either; they just kept coming.

"What's up with these little freaks?" Ryuji asked.

"They're everywhere…" Futaba said, slack-jawed. "The hee-horde from Hell!"

"I can hardly believe my eyes!" Yusuke said, flabbergasted.

"They're chanting about some cleanup routine." Morgana said, "Maybe this is a periodic security measure? At any rate, they're blocking the path, and there's no way we could fight through this endless stampede. We should come back tomorrow."

Akira stared at the stampede with a thoughtful expression for a moment before a sly smirk appeared on his face. "Hee-ho!"

It wasn't long before everyone decided to join in.

"Hee-ho!" Sophia said, excitedly.

"Hee-ho?" Futaba said, slightly confused.

"Hee-ho!" Haru said, happily.

"Hee-haw!" Ryuji shouted, grinning.

"Hee-ho!" Yusuke added, smiling.

"Hee-ho!" Morgana shouted.

"They're infected!" Ann said, shocked.

Akira gave her a look, still smirking playfully. Ann couldn't stop herself from smiling and added. "Oh, fine. Hee-ho!"

"Damn it, Joker…" Makoto was clearly done with their fooling around. She glanced at her friends' expectant looks as they stared at her.

"Come on, Queen, we're not leaving until you do it," Akira teased.

Makoto fought back a smile and failed before sighing in resignation. "Hee-ho." She received a few cheers in response.

As they started walking back towards the exit, Makoto leaned over to Ann and quietly asked. "How the hell do you put up with him?"

Ann smiled brightly, feeling her cheeks turn pink behind her mask. "Because I love him."

~...

Upon returning to reality, it was now nighttime. "Man, I thought we'd get somewhere today." Ryuji whined. "That mess was wack."

"A mess?! It was snowmageddon, I tell you!" Futaba said, still visibly trying to warm herself up from spending all day in the Jail. "Oh, the hee-horror…!"

"Based on the timing of the announcement, I'm sure it was temporary," Yusuke said. "They were only a cleanup crew."

"Then let's stop at the bathhouse and then turn in for the night," Akira said, "We'll need plenty of energy to trek through the last half."

They walked back to Odori Park first to grab some stuff from the camper. Upon arriving however, their attention was diverted by a rather odd sight nearby. Mariko was out here and was apparently berating another of her employees.

"Ugh, how many times must I repeat myself?!" She shouted. "Did I not tell you our citizens suffer every time our personnel slacks off?!"

The man she was talking to looked to be in much worse condition than he should have been. He was standing with his hands on his knees and was struggling to keep his balance. "F-Forgive me…" He said, coughing into his sleeve. He must have had a bad cold.

"What? You think I'll give you preferential treatment just because you're sick?" Mariko asked. "Stand up straight and get back to doing your job. Our citizens would be ashamed of this. Might I remind you that you'll be working through the night to make up for lost time."

The man coughed weakly again. "I'll do better…"

"Will he be alright," Yusuke asked, worriedly.

"Not if he keeps working in that condition!" Morgana answered. "How could anyone survive like that?"

"He's about to collapse," Akira said, "Come on, we gotta intervene." They approached Mariko, catching her attention.

"Oh, it's you children!" She said, softening her tone in their presence.

"Mari-san, how could you allow such a horrible thing?" Haru asked, sadly.

"Horrible? Oh, nonono- Haru-chan, you misunderstand." Mariko said, matter of factly. "I derive no pleasure in being so harsh. But it is a necessary measure to keep our city functioning. You see, we've been doing a campaign where our staff cleans up around the city for a month. Not only does it keep our staff in line, it enhances local safety as well. It's such an important job, yet this incompetent bungler here still has the nerve to show up late! How can I take pride in such poor behavior? All he seems to be capable of is making excuses!"

"A cleanup campaign, huh?" Morgana said, softly. (Despite knowing the two couldn't understand him.)

"Could this be related to the hee-horde," Futaba whispered.

Mariko snapped her firm gaze back to her employee. "I won't say it another time. Quit groveling and get back to work!"

"But he doesn't look well at all!" Haru insisted.

"The unfortunate thing is, Haru-chan, everyone working for Sapporo City Hall is a worthless piece of garbage. If I didn't set them straight, who knows what kind of mischief they'd cook up?" Mariko replied, sternly. "They might betray me in far more crucial matters."

Ryuji glanced at Haru apologetically. "I'm sorry about this, Haru-" He glared at Mariko. "But it sounds to me like you're just making up bullshit to justify yourself, lady!"

Mariko gaped at him in stunned shock. It was clear that few people had ever spoken to her in such a manner.

"This man needs medical attention." Yusuke said, "He's in no condition to work."

Makoto gently helped the sick man stand up straighter. "Here, come with us, sir."

"Sorry to trouble you…" The man said, hoarsely.

"Excuse me, what do you think you're doing?!" Mariko asked.

Haru couldn't take another moment of this as she snapped. "Just stop this, Mari-san!"

"Haru-chan…"

"The Mari-san I saw just now… was nothing like the Mari-san I used to know." Haru continued angrily. "What happened to the Mari-san who treated everyone around her with kindness? You used to be surrounded by smiles. Everyone who met you was touched by your warmth and compassion. The way I remember you, Mari-san… You were like a sun that shined down on me. Why did you become like this? Why did you become so cold?!" She finished, her voice cracking with a choked sob.

Mariko didn't answer. She merely turned away from them and said, "I… can't stop now. For her sake…" She finished with a stiff goodbye and walked away.

"Sophia, get us a map to the nearest hospital," Akira commanded.

"On it."

~...

Once they'd dropped the man off at the hospital, they returned to camp. Haru was silent the whole way back.

"Sorry for snapping, Haru…" Ryuji said, gently.

Haru sniffled. "It's ok… You were right to tell her the truth like that…" She said, leaning into his comforting hug.

"It's strange how she's so nice to us, but so unforgiving with her staff…" Makoto said.

"I don't know…" Haru said, softly. "I don't know what's making Mari-san act like this. She wasn't always like that. She used to be kind to everyone. What happened…?"

Akira was thinking. Something that Mariko said struck a nerve in him. "For her sake." He repeated, internally. His mind raced to a few likely possibilities but none were the clear answer just yet. "I've got a guess, but we'll find out soon whether or not I'm right." He said, aloud.

"I see… well, there's no use dwelling on it…" Haru said, trying to perk up a bit.

~...

After soaking at the bathhouse for a while, Akira returned to Odori Park, but he didn't go back to camp right away. He passed the sight of Ryuji and Haru sitting together on the park fountain edge, with Ryuji helping her cheer up a bit before bed. Instead, he approached a spot not far from their campsite. Close to the park center was a small flower memorial set carefully next to a bench.

Upon first arriving in Sapporo, they had seen a mother and her child place this bouquet firsthand. It drew their curiosity, but they chose not to pry given the delicate nature of the topic. It was something they already knew about to an extent as well. About two years ago; during the famous Sapporo Snow Festival, a snow sculpture collapsed and took the life of a young girl in a horrible accident; it was talked about on the news at the time. This must have been where it happened.

"Sophia, do me a quick favor," Akira commanded. "Do a search on how long Hyodo has been mayor here."

Sophia chimed seconds later with a reply. "Mayor Hyodo has been in office for almost three years. This is apparently her first time running for re-election."

"Thanks…" Akira said, distractedly.

"What are you thinking?" Sophia asked.

Akira paused to bow respectfully to the memorial before walking back towards camp.

"I'm thinking I have a vague idea of what we might hear about in her birdcage tomorrow."

~End of Chapter

End note: Sorry, I couldn't help myself with the Hee-horde bit, it's plain criminal to leave it out, in my opinion. Of course I also fixed it a bit by having everyone do it, like they should have.

End note 2: Also, I'm sorry that this chapter had to end on such a downer, but that's the way it worked out for story purposes.